A slight twitch ran through her eyelid as she stared at her brother. Half-brother. Her stupid half-brother in all his threatening glory though she knew he was anything but. No one needed to know that though as it was their way of their guaranteed survival. No one would have believed them to be one bit related, but the birth certificates, hastily shoved in an unkempt envelope inside the baby carriers they were put in front of the orphanage, drastically proved their kinship on their mother's side. She is immensely glad to have gotten their mothers last name. For five seconds, she stared at him in contempt. He didn't pretend to notice or did not care. After she heaved another sigh, the air gave sight to her breath and a chill overcame her.
"Are you sure?" she asked, skeptically.
A nod, followed by a low hum in agreement.
With an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach, she looked down upon the boarding school rested in a pocket surrounded by small mountains. At the other end of the pit, a forest was standing at the edge of the mountains and opened into a lake that was connected to the school. Massive amounts of land surrounded the school on the other side. Some official and unofficial ways gave entry to this place. A small town of 100 people was sitting close by, which made up most of the staff working in the boarding school. Fog loomed over the building as the evening sun casted an unsettling shine onto the roof of the school and neighboring buildings surrounding the castle-like structure.
She shakes her head slightly and mutters "white people. Settling down in a creepy pit with no escape."
He lets out a sharp laugh, but then shoves her with his elbow soft in the side.
"Come on. This is our chance," he nearly whispers a he wistfully stares down at the school over the hill they were standing on surrounded by trees.
She rolls her eyes and starts walking past him toward the car, parked behind them on the side of the road, lightly hitting his shoulders with hers.
When she got into the car of the passenger side, she looking down on her uniform and rolled her eyes anew at this. The last thing she needed was to dress like a teenage-boys-wet-dream come true.
A metallic sound that bore into her left side woke her from her musings and she stared straight ahead when David turned on the car and drove down into the bottom of the pit and arrived at the Ottman Boarding School.
It was the evening of the move in for the new year and they were terribly late as someone, she side eyed David hard, didn't eat in advance and they had to stop for a mid-night snack in the gas station. She had to pull him back when he didn't seem to have himself under control, the clerk at the register falling to the floor unconscious. As nothing burned to the ground, she was happy to only have to delete the security tapes in the back room.
Now that is hunger was stilled, they could walk into this school without anyone calling the police on them because her darling brother decided to attack the next best person.
When they unloaded their bags onto the ground next to their shitty car, three people walked up to them. Two of them adorned the same uniform David and her were wearing, while the third person wore a black tracksuit with an imprinted tie on the front, and three white stripes on the sides. Santana cocked her head slightly at seeing this woman who was towering above her and stared at her with cold eyes. Her blonde hair waved aggressively in the wind, much like the same attitude the women gave them according to the snarl on her lips.
"And what pray do we have here?" She snarked and raised her eyebrows expectantly.
David cleared his throat.
"We are the Lopez and Karofsky siblings starting this year," he said in his deep voice and looked at the woman.
Her eyes scanned both David and Santana from bottom to top with a disgusted expression on her face. When she was finished, her eyes landed on David's. With a click of her tongue, she nodded.
"Welcome to the Ottman Boarding School. I am Principle Sylvester. You are to address me as this at all times.
She pointed to her left and right.
"This is your class president, Quinn Fabray, she will be responsible to settle you in. For any problems, you address her first. She will assess what needs to be done," Principle Sylvester said in a bored tone.
The girl with the perfect white teeth and the daggers in her eyes faked a smile and gave a small wave with her hand. On the other side of Principle Sylvester, Noah Puckerman fixated Santana with his eyes and especially focused on the skin above her shirt. Her insides tangled together uncomfortably.
"Noah Puckerman is the Head Student. He is in charge for cleaning schedules and keeping the other class presidents in check," she continued. David looked to Santana who was staring straight ahead with her jaw set tightly. She saw him from her peripherals, but she could not react. Not even a sigh would escape her lips as she was afraid other sounds would bubble out of her mouth, sounds that could get her in trouble before they even started the first day.
"Get settled in," Sylvester barked at least and turned away. Fabray and Puckerman still hovered around them like vulture about to rip their victim to pieces. She did not like their gaze.
David heaved up his bag and handed Santana a backpack. Fabray and Puckerman took this as a hint to turn around and lead the way. Santana trotted next to David who had his eyes on Puckerman's back.
They neared the entrance door and marveled at its imposing structure. The heavy wooden doors opened to the outside, as some staff members open them for the coming troop. Inside, the floors were made up of shiny marble palates, engraved with different, but repeating symbols. The windows were decorated with the same fine engravements in the frame. Their black paint stood in contrast to the while walls and the tinted blue marble floor. At the end of a room, a huge stair case lead upstairs to each side of the wall. In front of the staircase, rooms with inscription pointed to the kitchen and community area and on the right, the class rooms, library, and the E Building could be found. Santana was overwhelmed by the old-fashioned design and seeming less darkness that prevailed in these halls.
Quinn Fabray turned on her halls toward them when they arrived in the middle of the hall. She pointed to her left and said: "These are the classrooms and the library. A side door is the easiest way to the PE Building."
She points to her right.
"On this side, you will find kitchen, the dining room, and the community rooms."
She points to the stair case leading upward.
"One side is for girls only, the other side for boys only. No person from the other gender is allowed in your room after seven. Everyone must be in their rooms by nine, and lights out at eleven."
Santana furrowed her brow slightly at these times. They were strict and she hoped she could find a way to disobey them without getting in trouble.
"Noah will bring you to your room, David." Quinn says after looking one last time around, trying to figure out if she forgot something.
Noah nodded, held up his hand for David to go ahead, and threw one last lewd look toward Santana. She sighed in distaste.
"You will get used to it. Just ignore him, he only barks." Quinn quipped after having seen this interaction.
Santana nodded slightly.
They both started walking toward the other staircase that led to the girl's wing. Santana slung the backpack over her shoulders and looked up with furrowed brows to the ceiling that she now noticed was filled with the same set of geometrical structures and gave this whole building an ancient appearance.
"Where are you from, Santana?"
Quinn's voice sounded next to her. Quickly, she turned her head back to Quinn.
"Lima, Ohio." She mumbles distractingly.
"Oh, so you must know Ohio pretty well?" Quinn soldiered on.
"I hate it," Santana says and sees Quinn's attempt to hide the frown forming on her face.
"I am sure you will have a good time. The Ottman school is a highly respectable high school and will do your wonders for your college application," Quinn's voice sounded recited.
Santana nodded and felt herself step back a second when Quinn's gaze focused intently on her.
They walked up one floor and turned into a long hallway adorned with rooms, signs for the bathrooms, and emergency exits.
"Anyways," she suddenly said with a bright smile.
"Here we are," she pointed to an open door on her left.
Santana took a deep breath and stepped into the room. A brunette was perched on the bed to the far left side of the room, surrounded by stars and bright decoration. Santana's eyes wanted to commit suicide in protest.
"Oh, hello! You must be my new roommate," the brunette nearly yelled this excitedly and jumped off her bed. She quickly went up to Santana (right up in her face), smiled an obnoxious big smile, and held her hand to Santana.
"My name is Rachel. Rachel Barbara Berry."
"Hi." Santana simply said and ignored the outstretched hand. She casually dropped her backpack onto her bed and looked around. On the side close to the door, an unused bed and empty desk sat on the opposite side of the door, while next to a door a closet was presenting itself. It was not the biggest room, but enough room that she had to think twice about crossing the room to slap her new roommate.
She noticed Quinn stepping in beside her and look up at the blonde. Quinn lingered in the doorframe.
A light gasp sounded behind her and she turned her head slightly to Rachel.
"Hi, Quinn," Rachel said with a terribly intimate voice. Santana wished she could erase her brain with some acid and bleach, but luck was not on her side.
"Berry," Quinn replied in a stony voice. Her eyes were directed straight ahead and her hands tied together securely in front of her.
"If you need anything else, my room is at the end of the hall. Juniors are on this level, seniors below you. Above, the sophomore and freshmen.
Quinn turned around abruptly and left her with Rachel. Santana looked at the door for a few seconds after Quinn had left and a small smirk appeared on her face. Drama within the first ten seconds. She loved it here, already.
When she turned to her bed and opened her backpack, Santana didn't pay attention to Rachel. She took all her clothing out and arranged it neatly on the bed before she turned to her closet and stacked her clothing inside.
She occasionally nodded and agreed with whatever Rachel was blabbering on about, but she was zoned out.
"… it is tragic, but it's so fascinating to think about there is a curse on this school," Rachel blabbered on.
Santana's gaze snapped up. Quickly, she turned around to a now startled Rachel and asked.
"What curse?"
"Haven't you listened, dummy?" Rachel laughs.
"No, I haven't. Now. What is the curse?"
Rachel furrows her brows and re-arranged her shirt nervously before standing up straighter.
"Well, if you would be nice to me, I would tell you." Her voice quivered slightly.
Santana sighed. "I am all about you standing up for yourself. All the power to you. But I really need to know about this curse."
"Why?"
"Call me a history fan," Santana waved her hands while saying that.
Rachel snorted and look at Santana quizzically.
"Only if you promise to be nice from now on and listen."
Resigned, Santana nodded in agreement.
Droplets of water appeared all over her feet when the shower stream hits the tiles in front of her. Water that peeled away, pool in the drain going into the abyss. Her trance was fixed on the black depths beneath the silver drain.
"Afraid of water?" An amused voice rang out behind her. Confused and a little bit scared, Santana jumped back and nearly right into a blonde tall goddess that was holding a towel to her body, a mischievous smile on her face. Her blue eyes crinkled at the corners with something like joy. Santana's gaze was drawn to her, any snarky reply died on her lips.
Slightly confused, Brittany smiled awkwardly at Santana and her obvious staring.
"Hey," she said and then turned, with a red ears toward the shower next to Santana's.
Santana could have slapped herself, but instead of doing that she cleared her throat and turned around to her own shower cabin. Low walls were separating them.
"I am sorry, I don't do well with people sneaking up on me," she said into the water coming out of the shower head.
An indignant puff could be heard from the cabin next to hers and an offended "I was not sneaking up on you!"
Santana giggled and that sound made the blonde girl also crack up. After a second only filled with the running water and the rising steam, Santana said. "I am Santana. I am sorry for having reacted so weirdly."
A chuckle later, the other girl replies. "Hello Santana," the way her name sounded on this tongue made her shiver, the slightly cooling water had nothing to do with that, "My name is Brittany."
"Hey Brittany," she whispers loudly enough for Brittany to hear.
Another amused chuckle.
She didn't like water and those few minutes were enough to wash off the dirt from their travel. She shut off the water and hurried out of the hall that lined up all the shower cabins. She picked up her towel from the shower and walked back toward the lockers. She had used one unused and open locker to store her clothing away. The shutting off of another shower caused a clang in the water pipes and seconds later she could hear the splash of wet skin hitting cold tile floor.
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth as she stared into her locker, appreciating the shadow it casted over her face. The blonde stopped a few feet next to her. When she leaned back and look to Brittany, she saw that her locker was just a few down from the one she borrowed. She cursed internally. Of course.
"Why are you staring at me like this?"
Brittany's voice brought her out of her reverie and her fight with her internal struggles.
"No reason," she breathes out nervously and turns instantly back to her locker.
She swore she could have heard another chuckle coming from the blonde. Santana curses her own lack of game that normally never let her down, before.
"Okay," the blonde said in a friendly voice. The shutting of a locker and a whisp of air against her bare shoulders, while she was searching through her backpack for a shirt.
"See you later, Santana."
Brittany said while walking out of the locker room.
A heavy thud followed the closing of the doors as Santana let her head fall against the inside of her own locker door.
"Ow."
[A/N] Hey peeps. Thanks for reading this. Leave me some comments on what you think about this and stuff. Also: Watch the show. It is really good; dark and twisted, but interlaced with some pretty sweet scenes. No queer woman is dying in this one and there is a happy-ish ending!
Till then!