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“That obvious?”

“Mm… something like that. It is easy for me to read.” She smiled and waved a hand dismissively. “Besides, you’re a new student, so trepidation is to be expected.”

Blaire shifted in her seat, having trouble keeping still, and she suspected she looked foolish in the eyes of such a proper woman. She swallowed her self-deprecating thoughts.

“How often do you get new students?”

“Close to never, aside from the few stray students who join us from sister locations in other countries. Our students have grown together from a young age at our branch locations across southern Georgia.”

Blaire’s mouth hung open as she dropped back against the seat. This was much worse than she thought. She assumed other new students might be there, but instead, it would be mostly people who had been together since diapers.

They finally reached a large, black gate with the letters “BA” in ornate script built into the bars. It looked extremely sturdy, like it could keep the entire town at bay if they tried to enter. The driver lowered the partition and informed the professor they had arrived before speaking with someone at the driver’s side window.

After a few moments, a security guard appeared at the back window, peering inside. He looked as massive as the driver. The professor nodded to him. Did the school have an entire professional wrestling team at its disposal?

Blaire smirked, and the security guard raised an eyebrow at her.

“Ah. Uh… sorry,” she said, looking down.

The driver laughed loudly again. “Oh, little one, what did I say about apologies?”

“Um… sorry?” Blaire blushed, wishing the seat would swallow her up.

The driver laughed again, and the security guard shook his head before walking away as the window rolled back up.

What an amazing first impression she was making.

The professor placed a hand on her leg and smiled reassuringly. “Relax, Miss Wilcox. Everything is going to be alright.”

Blaire took a deep breath and looked out the window as they ascended the long, winding road that led to several buildings situated at the top of the hill overlooking Rosebrook Valley.

The road beyond the gate was lined with blossoming fruit trees on each side, flanked by a pristine, manicured lawn. They followed the road straight to a smooth cobblestone courtyard that circled a large marble fountain at its center before branching off to the left and right to buildings on either side.

Azalea hedges in bloom lined the courtyard and side roads in blocks of red, pink, and purple. To the left of the courtyard stood a low hedge maze filled with ominous-looking black marble statues with wings that rose from the labyrinth like demons taking flight.

Blaire assumed it smelled wonderful out there, and she planned to take advantage of the benches near the flowers shaded by palmetto trees to get her reading time.

A wide staircase led up to the massive doors of the main building of Blackthorn Academy. Beautiful stained-glass windows in shades of red decorated each side of the main doors and flanked the stairs on the front of the building, reaching as high as the second floor. Flowering bushes lined the front wall, while intricate vines and lush greenery hanging from the rooftop down the walls and around the windows created a scene worthy of a painting.

Everything looked breathtakingly beautiful, and Blaire tried to get a better look through the tinted window as the car circled the fountain and turned down the right-hand path, pulling around the main building, and stopping twenty yards from a smaller side building.

The driver opened her door, and Blaire stepped out, looking around and breathing in the sweet, magnolia-scented air.

“This place is amazing.”

The driver chuckled as he closed the door, then went to the other side to let the professor out.

Blaire made her way to the open trunk and reached for her luggage.

“Miss Wilcox, you need to come with me to my office. Your bags will be delivered to your room for you.” She spoke in a sharper tone than before, as if it were an order, and the authoritative tone held a sense of urgency.

Not wanting to break any rules on her first day, Blaire dropped the strap of her duffel bag and crossed to the professor’s side. She followed the professor along a small footpath that led to the smaller building.

She took the opportunity as they moved to glance around, taking in everything obscured by the car’s tinted windows. Students moved about, but when their attention fell on her, she found it off-putting.

“Miss Wilcox?” the professor called from the door she held open.

“Oh! Sorry!”