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Which means I won't have my phone the entire weekend. I cross my arms in annoyance and slump against the door. "When can I come back?"
"I'll try to arrange a visit for Thanksgiving." My mouth drops in protest, but he cuts me off. "You're still a person of interest in the Pixley case. It's best if you aren't in Sherling during the investigation. We don't want to draw any more attention to you. Hopefully they'll do their jobs, start looking at the evidence and stop relying on some anonymous phone call."
I clench my jaw in silent defiance, instead of complaining about being sent away to begin with. Instead, I redirect my attention out the window, watching the town I grew up in, the only place I've ever been for nearly sixteen years, disappear. I won't miss it. But I don't want to be forced to leave. At the town line, I feel a shift in the air as if we've driven through an invisible barrier. And then it's gone. My life. My friends. My family. Everything that was mine is no longer.
I'm on my own.
I press my head against the cool glass and close my eyes. I don't open them again until I hear Niall's low voice. "Lana, we're here."
I blink awake, my neck sore from the awkward angle it was bent while I slept. The door opens and I look up at G.I. Jax, who stares down at me expectantly. I unbuckle the seatbelt and step out of the car. Looking around, I have no idea where I am, but I'm definitely not prepared for this.
Thaylina wasn't like most girls. She had a gift. At times, she even considered it a curse. She possessed the power to see beneath the mask of anyone she met--straight into their hearts, detecting their deepest desires and true intentions. All she had to do was peer into their eyes.
The first thing I notice, standing outside the car, is how quiet it is. The shuffling of my feet on the gravel drive as I make a slow turn and the birds chirping in the trees are the only sounds I hear. Silence makes me uncomfortable, like I'm waiting for something to happen. And that something is usually unexpected, which is never good.
The next thing I notice is that I'm surrounded by nothing. Behind me is a long driveway leading to a scrolling iron gate that is much too tall to climb and a guard booth monitoring everyone who comes and goes. In front of me is a huge campus with a sprawling lawn that goes on for so long that I cannot see its end, only hints of other buildings spread across it. On either side of this massive campus are wrought iron fences that keep us protected from whatever is hidden in the dense forest on the other side. All that can be seen are endless rows of trees that eventually fade to black.
Finally, I focus on what I can no longer avoid. I tilt my head up to take in the floors upon floors of stone topped by severely angled eaves, pointing dramatically to the sky. The building is grand and impressive while feeling cold and confining at the same time. Tall rectangular windows mirror the grass and woods below and the clouds and sky above, obscuring what's hidden behind them. I cup my eyes and squint against the glare to focus on what looks like a person standing in front of a window peering down at me from an upper floor. But with a blink, they're gone. Or maybe they were never really there.
The yawn of the large, intricately carved wooden doors swinging open draws my attention. Revealed within the massive arched frame is a woman in a white tweed skirt-suit with a black silk blouse beneath, the collar tied in a large bow on the side of her neck. The vintage attire reminds me of one of Niall's suits, tailored to fit her perfectly.
"Welcome to Blackwood," she announces with a blinding white smile that makes me want to shield my eyes like I did when looking up at the windows.
"Lana?" Niall beckons, waiting for me to join him on the walkway.
"I'll make sure your bags get delivered to your room," Jax tells me, encouraging me forward with a nod of his head.
I let out a breath and force my legs to move.
"Good Afternoon, Dr. Kendall," Niall says when we reach the petite woman with the neon smile. He offers her his hand, which she cups in both of hers.
I study her with fascination and abhorrence. There isn't a wrinkle on her suit ... or her face. She doesn't have a hair out of place on her fiery red head. And that smile--that fabricated smile that just won't quit--never reaches her eyes. And that's all that I need to know without her saying a word.
She's a liar.
"Mr. Harrison, it's always a pleasure to see you." She flutters her fake lashes at him, the smile a permanent fixture on her face. I feel myself instinctively step back when she redirects her attention my way. "Lana, it's so wonderful to have you with us at Blackwood. I know you're going to find your experience here transformative."
"I doubt it," I mumble. I haven't even entered the building, and I already want to get back in the car and drive away.
If she heard me, she doesn't react. "Let's get you settled in. There are only a few other students here right now. The rest arrive on Sunday for the summer session, so it'll be quiet around here this weekend." We follow her into the foyer, which triggers thoughts of Hogwarts with its enormous stone staircase wrapping around the towering foyer in a progression of angles. In the center, an elaborate, three-tiered chandelier is suspended, as if floating. The walls are adorned with Renaissance style paintings and tapestries. It feels like I've stepped into a medieval castle, not a private school.
We enter a pair of French doors to the left of the foyer and step into the administration office. A large wooden counter separates the waiting area from the three empty desks on the other side--each in front of a corresponding dark, wooden door. It's disturb
ingly pristine, with every piece of paper and pen in its place. I fight the urge to scream to prove this isn't some twisted nightmare.
"Usually, your introductory meeting is performed by your life advisor, but he doesn't arrive until Monday. So I decided to personally welcome you. This is a big adjustment for you, Lana, and I want to impress upon you that we all want you to succeed. Don't we, Mr. Harrison?"
Niall clears his throat, taken off guard. "Yes. Of course."
The warden, dean, headmistress, or whatever the hell they call her, pauses in front of the door closest to the windows. "There's no need for you to stay, Mr. Harrison. I'm sure you are expected elsewhere. Lana and I can get along perfectly from here."
Niall hesitates, looking to me. I glance away, still unable to meet his traitorous eyes. "Lana?"
"It's fine. Go," I grumble.
I can sense that he's reluctant to leave, even without looking at him. "Okay. Well, I'll check in on you this Sunday. Call me if you need anything."
I want to tell him not to bother. That I don't need or want anything from him. But he's my only connection to the outside world. To my mother. To Allie's case.
