His office was a mix between a library and a hidden bar. Warren Beale was not the type of man to hide his whiskey, even though he could hold it well. The man was in charge of a boarding school for children who lost their way. No one faulted him for keeping a bit of the hard stuff.
Rich mahogany shelves were lined with different history books and editions of encyclopedias. They were never cracked open, still having that new book scent even though most of his office was that of ginger.
The walls were painted in a thick green layer of paint, bringing a dark and woodsy feel to the large room. He had a green plated desk lamp that brought an odd yellowed haze to the area.
Emily Junk was sitting in the pristine leather seat. Her back was straight, and eyes focused as a crooked smile graced her lips. She was excited, happy to be in a place like this. It wasn't like the other kids, this wasn't forced on her, it was something she wanted. Something her parents had been talking about for years.
Beca, on the other hand, was slumped against her chair, eyes staring skeptically at the excited little pledge next to her. It was amusing, in a way, the girl close to bouncing up and down while a brooding man apologized once more for his daughter's lateness.
The door creaked open, Chloe pulling in a sharp breath as her deep gaze met that angered one of her fathers. This time, she had tried desperately not to be late. She was close to winded, fingers cold as she pulled at the collar of her shirt. He faked a smile, not wanting to make a fuss in front of his guests.
He was a clean-cut man with a shaven face and styled salt and pepper hair. The suit that he wore was pressed nicely, a patch that bore the school's serpent crest was ironed on. His deep grey eyes reminded Chloe of a fox, but she knew it wasn't as simple as that.
"Sorry, I'm late." She beamed, scratching the back of her neck softly as the dark ink that pressed against the inside of her forearm peaked away from the fabric. She didn't' bother hiding it, instead, she dropped her arm at the raised eyebrows from her father. "I suppose you won't take traffic as an excuse?"
He laughed forcibly as Chloe caught the stare from both of the younger girls in front of her. One had a deep smile on her face, the other a sneer. An interesting one that made the ginger lift her head up with slight interest. She said nothing, though.
"Emily, Beca" Warren spoke, his voice a low and soothing growl. Chloe used to imagine his alternate career being an audiobook actor. "This is my daughter, Chloe. Consider her your welcome committee."
"That's right," She girl said, faking her way through her monologue. "I can tell you anything and everything about this amazing place. All you have to do is ask!"
The forced aspect of it all left a sour taste in Chloe's mouth. She certainly wasn't one to put on a show- especially not for this Beca girl. She was moody, one of the people forced into entering the academy just because of behavioral issues. Her whole entire demeanor gave off an unwanted vibe. She even scoffed as the words left Chloe's mouth, but the red-head bit her tongue, deciding to focus her attention on the peppier of the two.
"Chloe," Warren cleared his throat authoritatively, "Would you mind reciting the key principle that we live by here at Atum."
She darted her eyes towards her father, the man giving her an encouraging nod of the head. She hated this phrase more than anything. The acidity of her words making her breath quiver unforgivingly. "Disciplina illius key ut firma future"
The girl let the Latin roll off her tongue effortlessly, cocking her head to the side as Beca lifted her eyebrows in curiosity. It was a dead language. One used by historians and maybe even the occasional Wiccan.
"Discipline makes for a strict future." She cleared the air with a rocky translation.
"Exactly, girls." The suited man drew attention back to his corner of the room. His daughter clearly lacking the comfort, but not short on a thick edge. "There is no three-strike system here. If you're caught doing something that is clearly against the rules, then I can't speak for what happens next, and neither can my daughter."
The warning was curt and ominous. Something that made Beca breathe in softly, her gaze still low as she focused more on the girl dressed in a cotton button-down. She had it rolled up to her sleeves, a tie around her neck where she clearly fastened it only moments ago- lazily, but rushed.
A happy smile cut across the room as Warren made it clear that whatever he just uttered was not to be repeated. The mood changed almost instantly, Chloe let out a sigh of relief as he squeezed her shoulder lightly with his cold grasp. "I hope you two love it here as much as we do."
Chloe shoved her hands in her pockets, trying to regain some type of feeling in her fingertips. Anxiety still pressed deeply against the inside of her mind as her boots made an odd sound against the corridor.
All three girls walked without purpose. Beca and Emily following silently behind their tour guide as she became lost in her own malevolent thoughts. She hated her father, hated him more than anything.
After her mother died he got a cynical edge to him. One that he applied to every aspect of the school once he became the Dean. His control over her was looming, and he reminded her of it every single day.
"He was kind of creepy, yeah?" Emily whispered softly to the girl on her right.
"Hmm?" Beca knit her eyebrows together, admittedly not hearing the girl. She was paying more attention to the red-headed vixen that stalked in front of them. "Yes. Yeah, he is."
Emily nodded thoughtfully, biting the inside of her lip. "He reminds me of an eel."
"I was thinking snake, but that works too."
Chloe stopped suddenly, having heard most, if not all, of the girl's hushed whispers. The shorter girl let out a soft grunt as her stomach came in contact with the red-head. A soft ache moved past her skin as she stumbled back, not sure why the girl halted. Emily gulped.
"A snake?" The girl turned to face the two. She had her hand placed on her hip. Beca wasn't one to be intimidated lightly, but the way the woman held her stance was enough to make most of the color drain from her features. Both girls were searching for an explanation of how their tour guide could hear them so clearly.
"That's oddly accurate." She cracked a smile. "He does have those eyes."
"I-uh," Emily stammered.
"That means you have to stay on his good side, yeah?" She tilted her head. "It would be best for all of us."
"He's hard on you, then?" Beca asked, having picked up on the signals that she was emitting in the office.
"He's hard on all of us, Beca." She ran a hand lazily through her hair. "So if you want to do something against the rules, make sure it's not where he can see it."
They stared at her with little conviction as she winked and turned on her heel, She continued to walk towards the inside of the school where the dorms were. They were smaller the younger you were, her path heading towards Emily's room.
"The freshmen dorms are this way," She said, not waiting for the girls to follow. They shared an apprehensive look before they eventually picked up the pace. Beca winched against the sharp pain that ripped through her thigh. Part of her knew that the ache would dull eventually, but the bandaged wrapped around her wasn't noticeable enough through her jeans to be concerned.
Chloe could pick up on the wounded girl, her eyebrows knitting together as the scent of blood filled her lungs. It was metallic and distinguishable. Not like anything she had really noticed before. It cut across the room like a wrecking ball on a warpath.
She cleared her throat as she fished in her pocket for the keys that lead to Emily's room. The door in front of her was thick mahogany against an otherwise cool and dark hallway. The number "008" Was carved into the wood and embossed in gold. It wasn't like any boarding house that they had seen, but the school was shrouded in its own form of mystery.
Chloe pushed open the door, the scent of cinnamon burning the girl's lungs. The room was fairly small, two standard four post twin beds were parallel to each other- a deep green bedspread on both. A small window carved into stone gave the area some form of light, but not much. Two desks rested right by the end of each bed.
A girl with soft green eyes glanced up from her computer, her headphones quickly being pulled down as she sat herself up. She didn't notice the door opening, but he breath caught the second she saw the senior with two new recruits. The blonde's mouth was dry as she lifted her eyebrows.
"Chloe," She stuttered out, "I'm sorry this place is such a mess… I wasn't expecting anyone-"
The girl held her hand up, halting the woman's rushed speech. Beca cocked her head to the side at how fearful the stranger seemed at the very presence of the red-head. "It's fine, Jess. This is your new roommate, Emily."
The girl let out a soft breath as she stood, fingers shaking noticeably as she outstretched them towards the girl. Emily retained her friendly demeanor as she grasped the girl's palm. "It's nice to meet you."
"Treat her like family. "Chloe spoke, eyes drifting towards Jessica. "And do me a favor, give Max another call."
She nodded, swallowing roughly as she did. A quick heat rose to her cheeks as she stifled a smile. She liked Max too. Despite Chloe having cruel natures about her, she didn't want her girls to be unhappy.
"Will do," She squeaked out, giving Chloe a light nod before the girl turned and started to walk out of the room and back into the hallway. Beca held her breath as Chloe grasped her fingers and dragged her along. She couldn't help but notice how chilling they were.
"Your room is next to mine," Chloe spoke with confidence. "If that's okay with you."
"It's fine," Beca mumbled, knowing that she didn't have much choice in the matter.
[A/N: Let me now what you guys think! I honestly don't know if you guys will like where I take this story, and it makes me a bit nervous!]