I look up, confused. The emotions swirling through my entire body are making my knees weak. Why would he do that?
He opens his window, a sadistic smile on his handsome face as he rolls past me.
"See you in September."
And he's out, so happy with himself that he made me believe I hadn't achieved my biggest dream.
I finally had an interaction with my idol. And I found out for myself that he gets a kick out of breaking someone's heart.
Chapter Three
Nyx
PAPERCUTS – WesGhost
I’ve never felt so poor in my life. Not when I spent hours at the public library, using their computer to apply for food stamps. Not when I did some distasteful favors to the trailer park owner so he'd forget about our five months’ overdue rent. Not even when loan sharks knocked on our door to steal everything we owned and then ended up making fun of us for having nothing worth stealing. They ended up taking my violin that day. Probably sold that shit for $70 at best. I bought a better one, still considered on the "cheap" side of violins, with a few hundred dollars Kayla gave me. Because she believed in me.
And here I am today, in my beat-up car, approaching the gate of Silver Falls University. The red brick walls surrounding the campus are high enough to hide what's behind, but just in case, they have sixty-foot cypress trees right behind the wall. Hundreds of them, I'm sure. Thousands, maybe, if they cover the whole perimeter of the 140-acre campus. This place is a piece of private luxury in the middle of Silver Falls Forest.
My brakes squeak as I stop, and I manually roll down my window to speak to the security guard. Even he's judging me in the way his eyes scan my car. They pause on the brown tape keeping my mirror attached, and then come back to me.
"This is private property."
I’d probably react the same if I saw myself trying to get in.
"Hi." I smile awkwardly. "Yes, I'm a new student?" Apparently, that's a question, and I'm unsure of the answer because I still can't believe I have the opportunity to study here. "My name is Nyx Mayer. I have to sign some documents and pick up my uniform."
"Were you given a temporary passcode?" he asks politely.
"Oh, uh, hold on." I grab the pile of papers I received in the post a few weeks ago.
Summer went by fast. We're already at the end of August, with classes starting in a couple of weeks, but it feels like yesterday when Achilles toyed with me so callously.
I hand the sheet with the code to the security man.
With a nod, he opens the gate, and says, "Follow the sign to the visitors’ parking lot. You'll need to apply for on-campus parking by the end of September, or you won't be let in for classes. At least not in your car."
Wincing through a polite smile, I nod, throwing out a thank you as I roll forward. The iron gates open to a long, slithering road that goes uphill. As I drive slowly, making sure to follow the sign that says 10mph, I take in the woods surrounding the area. It's beautiful during the day, but I bet it’s super creepy at night. I keep my window down, grateful for the breeze since my car's air conditioning stopped working a long time ago. When I pass the sign for the visitors’ parking, the castle finally appears on top of the hill, and my heart stutters. I've seen it online, have checked enough social media from the students here to know what it looks like, and I had the chance to visit the campus two yearsago, but it still takes my breath away. The red-bricked castle is a sight for sore eyes, and I can't wait to walk in there and discover what's hiding within it.
There aren't many people on campus at this time of year. A couple of students who look old enough to be studying for PhDs. Another security guard at the entrance of the castle, who asks me for my ID and passcode. Only me. Not the girl who came in before. Just the one who truly looks like she doesn't belong. I follow the signs to the student affairs office, and after long minutes of turning down every hallway imaginable, I finally come face to face with an old wooden door that looks like it's going to get me back in time, but is open enough to show a woman in her fifties sitting behind a mahogany desk, typing away on a computer, surrounded by filing cabinets.
"Good morning," I say as I knock and step inside.
She looks up, and I catch her welcoming smile faltering when she takes me in. I have no doubt I don't look like I'm from around here.
"Good morning, can I help you?"
"My name is Nyx Mayer." I stride toward her desk, showing my admission letter with my student number and the other letter that invited me to an orientation day.
Looking down at the letters, she nods. "Right, the scholarship student."
The statement sounds like the kind of thought she should’ve kept inside, but she doesn't even realize it. It's clearly how they've been referring to me in the office.
"Just give me one sec," she says as she types on her computer again. "So…"Tap. Tap. Tap.The printer behind her comes to life. "You've got a scholarship for your tuition fees, if I'm correct."Tap. Tap. Tap."But your accommodations aren't covered." She stops and looks up at me, as if waiting for my confirmation.
"Uh, yeah. I'll live at home. I'm from the area."
Her gaze travels from my eyes, all the way to my feet, and back up again.
