Moonhaven

This had to be a dream. There was no way that she could really be here, really be able to attend this illustrious academy that comes straight out of a fairy tale. It even looked like a castle. Tall and imposing, it sat surrounded by a moat. You heard that right a moat. There was no bridge that Taylor could see at least from her current vantage point inside the old, smelly dilapidated grey hound bus with clouded windows.

The bus shuddered to a stop with a hiss from the engine and a squeal of the breaks. Taylor gathered her plain black backpack and her trusty vintage black leather purse. She hopped up and quickly made her way down the aisle so that she could get off the bus. When she got there the doors were still closed.

“Hey! This is my stop!” She complained.

“You sure you want to get off here little lady?” Said the gruff voiced bus driver.

“Um, I go to school here,” she said gesturing to her obvious uniform.

The uniforms here were provided by the school, which was a huge relief for Taylor. Unlike the rest of the students here Dady’s money didn’t get her in. It was a modest uniform, not too flashy. Just a black dress shirt with a black and blue checkered skirt that Taylor had rolled up slightly so that her skin peaked out underneath before her legs were covered in her black socks. Over the black dress shirt, she wore a charcoal grey sweater vest with blue trim and a silver moon embroidered on the breast pocket. A blue tie completed the look though Taylor was sure she had tied it wrong.

The bus driver gave Taylor a skeptical look, sighed and opened the door.

Before he drove away though the bus driver called out to her, “stay out of trouble and don’t you go snoopn’. You’ll regret it.”

Taylor stared at him bewildered, what an odd thing to say, and watched as the bus rolled away from her position on the sidewalk.

It did not take much to amaze Taylor, she was an excitable young woman after all. But Moonhaven was something else entirely. The path was well worn towards the castle but also well kept. Flowers lined the walkway, blues, purples, and even some blacks, all matching the gothic, elite aesthetic of the castle itself. It loomed over head like a beautiful, yet imposing god, judgmental and cruel. Taylor swallowed hard as she stared. She could hardly contain her excitement at the prospect of starting fresh at this school. After all she needed it. Needed to get away from her podunk town and all the people there hellbent on making her life miserable. It’s hard being one of the only Alt-kids in your entire town. She couldn’t even properly accessorize, since wearing too much black and getting piercings and tattoos was sacrilege. But all that can change now that she’s got that scholarship, her ticket out of that stupid town. On top of that she just turned 16 and can legally work without permision from the school or her parents which means she can also buy whatever she wants. Her sense of freedom was almost overwelming.

The town here was no metropolis but it was quaint and bustling with students during the school year. Not to mention the stores here. It was her main draw when she applied for the scholarship. With all the elite top 1% students here, you could find literally anything you could want or need here.Not that she could afford most of the stuff in the shops, but a girl could dream.

It didn’t take long to get to the moat. It was easily 50 feet wide and looked quite deep. The water was very blue and almost inviting. It took Taylor a moment to confirm that there really was no bridge to the gate. She look both directions and even considered walking around to find another entrance. Taylor stared at the gate eyes wide taking in the tall dark grey stone wall that was almost black. They towered above her the two columns framing the front gate had pointed tiny roofs the same blue as her uniform. Spanning between them was a thick sign that read, Moonhaven, in elegant gold script. It glinted in the fading light.

Taylor blinked in surprise. She checked her phone, and it read 8:15pm, which means she had missed orientation. But this did not make sense in the slightest. She left at 8am this morning and it was only a couple hour bus ride. It should be late afternoon. Taylor groaned with frustration and tugged on her died black hair. Though she cursed herself for messing it up. She had spent a long time teasing it this morning to give it her signature spiky scene look. She fiddled with her septum piercing. The one that made her mom almost feint, its silver finish glinting in the setting sun. Just when she was going to give up and wander back towards town to try and find a hotel for the night, if she could even afford one, stones surfaced in the moat with a rush of water. She watched in amazement as the stones clashed together to form a bridge. Once the cacophony was over a grey stone bridge stood right in front of her. Taylor laughed out loud, God she loved rich people, they always have such cool shit.

Taylor walked across the bridge, walked through an elaborately decorated courtyard, and was about to use the large wrought iron knocker when the door swung open to reveal a smartly dressed butler. He was young, which she supposed was possible, though she always thought of butlers as old.

“This way Ma’dam.” He said gesturing her forward.

She blushed despite herself, “I am not a Ma’dam.”

“Miss then,” he said curtly ending the matter for now. She could tell that he was used to the students demanding titles instead of refusing them.

“I will take you to the head mistress she will show you to your room. Please be aware that you were expected 3 hours ago.”

“I’m aware…”

He led the way at a brisk pace, not giving Taylor any time to stop and admire any of the scenery. The only thing she noticed along the way was that she had an odd feeling of foreboding despite the fact that the décor was beautiful.

The head mistress’s office was brighter and more vibrant than she was expecting. The light blue and white stripped walls and the lilac upholstered ornate chairs all clashed with the aesthetic outside the room. Portraits lined the walls; their gold frames reflecting the light from the fire in the hearth nearby. In front of the fire sat a severe looking woman in her late 50s. While she looked older, she looked fantastic for her age. Her clear blue eyes regarded Taylor sharply, which was only amplified by her shock of carrot orange hair. The only signs of aging were the lines in her face and the streaks of yellow-ish white in her hair, which was pulled back tight against her head until it reached whatever fastened it. Based on the enormous curly puff ball that protruded from the nape of her neck she must have spent just as much time slicking back her wild mane as I took teasing my flat straight hair so that it would stand on end.

“Sit,” she said pointing to the chair in front of her desk.

Taylor set her bags down and sat. Before She could protest the butler swept up her things and darted out the door letting the door fall shut behind him.

“Wait-“

“They are being taken to your room don’t worry.”

She glanced back at the head mistress, “Ok I guess…”

“I am aware you come from humbler means… This is not the norm here at this academy if you forgive my being blunt. You will have to get used to a certain level of service and quite frankly scorn if you continue to, shall we say, behave like the masses.”

Taylor glared at her, she was already starting to dislike this woman, though she knew her advice was probably valid. She didn’t want to wear another mask here though. That would defeat the purpose of her getting out of that dinky town she used to call home.

“As such you have been granted a stipend for your stay here in addition to the scholarship.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow.

“As you know this is a diversity scholarship as someone of your ‘gift’ is lacking here and your presence will enrich the other students.”

She said gift as if it were some sort of disease. Taylor gave her an incredulous look there was no way they gave her a scholarship because she happens to be smart and poor, there had to be another reason.

“Since you are here on a scholarship, I expect that you keep your grades up as your position at this school will be terminated if you do not. In addition, your scholarship does not cover housing.”

“But-“ she couldn’t afford housing here; there was no way.

“Do not interrupt miss Williams. As I was saying, one of our student’s families has agreed to foster you under the condition that you room with their daughter and befriend her.”

“What?”

“As they are also, funding the stipend and are a major donator to the scholarship outreach program I suggest you make an effort to befriend their daughter.”

Taylor just sat there with her mouth agape like a fish. She shook her head, closed her mouth, and swallowed hard, “Yes ma’am.”

“Good. You will receive a tour of the grounds tomorrow. I expect you to arrive on time, at 8 o’clock sharp. Gregory will take you to your room where you will formally meet Miss Chaplain.”

Again, Gregory led me to my room with the efficiency of a machine. She was starting to think that he was a machine. She wouldn’t put it past rich people to build freakishly human robot butlers. Gregory stopped in front of a large stained wooden door. He gave her a curt nod before giving the door a quick rap with his knuckles. A squeal of delight sounded from the other side followed by a crash and a bang. The door flew open, and a blond girl beamed at me from the other side of the doorway.

“Miss Champlain this is-“

“Oh, I know! I know!” she said jumping up and down. Taylor was excitable, but not that excitable. This girl reminded her of a golden retriever, whereas Taylor was more like an extremely friendly cat. Talkative, friendly, and eager to meet someone yes but not might tackle someone in greeting level excitable.

She grabbed my arm with more force than necessary and dragged me inside the room while dismissing Gregory with a wave of her hand. The room was huge. Far bigger than Taylor though possible. Huge glass windows covered the back wall leading to a swimming pool sized balcony with lounging chairs scattered throughout it. The glass was arched slightly with the vaulted ceilings. The glass doors, eventually giving way to arched stained glass. The glass depicted all the phases of the moon and let a soft pale light filter in. The sun was just sliding beyond the horizon now lighting the sky up with blues, oranges, pinks and purples. A small living area was situated in the middle of the room complete with an 80-inch TV, every gaming console available, and a plush white couch with many cozy, colorful blankets. A glass coffee table sat in front of the couch covered in books. On either side of the living room area were two walled off areas, one labeled Ansley and the other Labeled Taylor in scrawling black marker.

“Your things are stashed by your bed. I have to say you have a very chic minimalist style. I like it!”

“Umm… Thanks?”

“I’m sure you’re tired but I simply must get to know you at least a little bit and lay some ground rules.”

“Ok.” She led Taylor to the couch, and she promptly flopped down on it. Taylor sat tentatively on the other side of the couch.

“Ok so I guess ground rules first! Shout out any that you want to add but these are non-negotiable! Alright first, no boys allowed in the common area if they are here to make love.”

Taylor grimaced at the way she said make love as if she were romanticizing the process beyond what Taylor would normally expect.

“Second, no loud music after 10pm on a school night but weekends are fair game, though I might not have to remind you to mind your studies as that’s how you got here to begin with! And thirdly, and arguably the most important. DO NOT under any circumstances touch, look at, or talk to my boyfriend.”

She said the last bit with a snarl on her lips, nostrils flaring. Taylor could have sworn Ansley’s eyes flashed yellow for a moment and her teeth elongated to sharp points, but just as suddenly as the primal rage overtook her roommate it was gone. A smile plastered on Ansley’s face again.

“We good?” she asked blinking innocently at Taylor.

“Yep.”

Ansley’s grin grew wider. Taylor shivered. There was something off about this place and the students. She could feel it, but time would tell after all it has been a long day, and she really is tired. Maybe this was all just a sleep deprived induced delusion.