Page 4 of Revenant

The damage has already been done. This is the first impression that my new roommate is getting of me, and yeah… I look like a fucking lunatic. She sits poised on her computer chair, a long chestnut brown braid is brought over her shoulder, cascading down her front. I’m pinned in place by her dark blue eyes, laser focused on me as though they alone could pull all my deepest, darkest secrets out.

Pulling myself together, I offer her a forced smile. “I’m Alicent. Uh, your roommate.”

“Reyna,” She quips. “Just some roommate advice: you’re supposed to shower with your clothes off.” Oh, right. I probably look like a sewer rat. I pat the sides of my head, trying to tame the flyaways the weather has no doubt conjured.

Despite her tone, I choose to believe she’s joking, because there’s no way she doesn’t know it’s raining from the drops pelting against the window above her desk. Reyna turns back around, doing…I have no clue. Classes haven’t started yet. Choosing to let it be, I step over my suitcase, not wanting to deal with it right now, and head for the manila folder sitting on my desk.

Opening it up is like unleashing an avalanche of paperwork. Right on top? The damn map—something that really should’ve come with the acceptance letter. Then comes the welcome letter, some spiel on the mess hall, and a page practically yelling at me in bold letters:

Rules:

1. Students are required to maintain academic excellence; substandard performance will not be tolerated.

2. All students must submit to a blood test during orientation to prepare for their donation at the annual blood drive.

3. Attendance at the Donor Gala following the blood drive is mandatory.

4. Students demonstrating exceptional academic achievement may be selected for mentorships.

5. Pets are not permitted in the dormitories.

6. Room changes are strictly prohibited.

7. The usage or abuse of drugs and/or alcohol is forbidden.

8. All prescribed medications must be filed with administration.

9. Students are expected to maintain cleanliness, particularly in communal bathrooms.

10. Dorm curfew is midnight; students found outside their dorms after this time will face disciplinary action.

11. Faculty areas and the west wing are off limits to all students.

12. Using stimulants or performance enhancing substances is prohibited.

I thought I was going to college, not…prison. I pull out my phone and snap a picture of the map, just in case, then shove the actual thing deep into my backpack, so I’ll always have a copy on hand. My sense of direction is shit, and I have very little faith I’ll be able to find my way around anytime soon.

Shrugging off my cardigan, I hang it on the back of my chair before unpacking. But as my attention gets pulled to my suitcase that’s splayed open on the floor, I’m hit with the reminder I need to rewash all my clothes.

2: Alicent

The stone floor is cold beneath my bare feet, leaching the feeling out of them until they’re nearly numb. My focus, dazed and uncertain, stays trained on the dim, unfamiliar hallways stretching ahead. I’m moving without thought, as if a hand pressed between my shoulder blades is urging me deeper into the dark. I don’t remember leaving my room, but each step is automatic, as though I’m retracing a path I’ve never taken.

Alicent. My name echoes through the deserted hallway, carried on a breath not my own, a summoning I cannot ignore.

A flicker of light dances at the far end—not bright enough to be a candle—but it disappears before I can be sure. It does nothing to halt my movements; my chest tightens with an insistent pressure, compelling me to obey without question. The corridor twists and turns, folding over itself like a maze that exists only to trap me.

It’s torture—fully aware of everything around me—yet powerless over any of it. Each stride comes controlled and steady until everything goes still, and my breath hitches. The shift is sudden; one second I’m watching as an innocent bystander while something else keeps an iron grip around me. In the next moment, the haze lifts, my mind takes hold of my body again, and I’m left searching an area I don’t recognize.

The ceiling arches high above my head, engraved with carvings that feel both watchful and dangerous. Moonlight filters in from the windows, sneaking between each area of dust that covers most of the glass. My pajamas stick to my skin, latching on like a lifeline, contrasting the frostbite settling into my toes. I glance down, half expecting to be missing a toe or two, but they’re all there. Realization dawns on me…this is not a dream.

So how the fuck did I end up here?

Instinctively, I wrap my arms around myself, trying to fight the cold. Would it kill someone to put a heater in here? A puff of air appears in front of my face as I exhale, as though the room is taunting me with its frosty atmosphere.

Still slightly in a daze, my next step is on shaky legs, and I stumble forward. Thankfully, I catch myself before crashing into the mirror hanging on the wall that I swear wasn’t there moments ago. The glass catches my movement, and I freeze.

An overwhelming wave of paralyzing fear hits me as I study the reflection. For a fraction of a second, the girl looks like me—but quickly becomes distorted. The eyes staring back are blue at first glance, mimicking the same oceanic color as my own, before turning darker, almost haunting…somehow not mine at all. They hold anger, calculation…and something that I can only perceive as terror. Wearing a smile that isn’t devious or malicious, but one of hope and relief.