A few minutes later, we arrived at Ravenshore.
I felt my breath coming in gasps as the gates came into view.
Flashes of the hardships I’d faced slowly began to filter into my mind’s eye. I closed my eyes, hoping to block out the memories, when Isolde quietly reached for my hand and squeezed it comfortingly.
After we parked, Peterson, who had come with us, led us through familiar corridors to the headmistress’s office, knocking respectfully before opening the door.
"Headmistress Vale? Miss Knox and Miss Greye are here to see you."
"Send them in," came the familiar voice from within.
We stepped into the opulent office, and I saw her immediately. Headmistress Vale, seated behind her desk, looking exactly as imposing and perfectly composed as I remembered. Her hair was pulled into her signature tight bun.
But the moment her eyes found mine, everything changed.
Her face went completely white.
"That’s... that’s not possible," she whispered, with a stutter. "You’re... you can’t be... Eamon is dead. We buried..."
She trailed off, staring at me as if I were a ghost materialised from her worst nightmares. Her hands were trembling as she gripped the edges of her desk.
"Headmistress," Isolde’s voice pushed through her shock. "We were told by the Vice Principal and Coordinator here that you need to approve her admission. We already filled out the necessary documents, what do we need to do again?"
Vale’s throat worked as though she was choking on something. Her gaze shifted from me to Isolde and back to me.
"W-Who are you?" she stammered again.
"Good morning, Headmistress," I said clearly, in a voice that was devoid of emotions like the way Isolde told me. "I’m Charis Greye Knox, and I’m here to study at Ebonvale."
The silence that followed was deafening. Vale’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly, her perfect composure completely shattered by my presence. For the first time since I’d known her, she looked afraid.
"How?" The word came out as a whisper.
"How what?" I frowned.
"How are you alive?" she asked.
"I’m not sure I follow, Headmistress," I said calmly. I could see Peterson looking at us with curiosity. "Have we met before?"
Vale scoffed and turned to Peterson. "That will be all, I’ll handle it from here. You may go."
Peterson nodded and excused himself from the room. Now that we were alone, Vale rose from her desk and walked over to me.
"Don’t play dumb," she said sternly. "You died, a body that was you was found and returned to the morgue."
"Headmistress Vale!" Isolde came to stand between us, "What do yo think you’re doing? Do you have my ward confused with someone else?"
"She’s a fraud. First she..."
"Language, Vale!" Isolde said coldly, giving her a cold smile. "Didn’t I just mention that Charis is my ward and about to be my daughter too. How dare you accuse her wrongly?"
"Miss Knox," her voice was still shaky, but she was trying to regain some authority. "I’m not sure you understand what’s going on and who this girl is..."
"It’s none of your business who she is," Isolde interrupted smoothly, settling into one of the visitor chairs with ease. " I am simply a mother ensuring her daughter receives the education she deserves. Charis has been privately tutored for the past several months, but we felt it was time for her to experience a more... traditional academic environment."
"Your daughter?" Vale’s voice climbed an octave.
"Yes, we’re still in the process of it, but for now she’s my ward and she’s an Alpha’s daughter, so she deserves a spot at Ebonvale," Isolde replied.
Isolde passed my admission paperwork to her and also the legal documentation that Isolde’s lawyers had prepared.
Vale took the papers with hands that were still trembling, scanning the legal documents that established my new identity beyond any doubt. When she looked up, there was exasperation in her gaze.
"You’ve got to be kidding me," she sighed. And then turned to me. "And what exactly do you hope to accomplish here, Miss Greye?"
I smiled again, "Why, Headmistress," I said sweetly, "I’m here to get my education. Learn about pack politics, supernatural law, advanced combat techniques..." I paused meaningfully. "All the things girls learn set them up to be potential mates to sons of Alphas."
"I see," she said quietly. "And I suppose there’s nothing I can do to... dissuade you from this course of action? But we cannot admit you as a second-year student, as you’re requesting. Since there is no former documentation of your previous schools..."
"Vale," Isolde interrupted again. "Are you blind? Didn’t you read the documents she gave to you? And this is so funny because her admission was already approved online when we applied, and we were told to only come in for a few legal documents. Why are you trying to make us look stupid?"
"No one is trying to make you look stupid, ma’am. Homeschooling and private tutoring are not the same as a child attending an actual school and gaining emotional and physical balance. And you want her to start from second year?"
"She’s a brilliant girl, Vale," Isolde said calmly. "I didn’t invest my millions into this school to be turned down because of a beef you seem to have with my child. If she’s not admitted into Ebonvale and as a second-year student, I’d have to withdraw my investment."
"Is that a threat?" Vale hissed. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on n0velfire.net
"Oh, I’m afraid not," Isolde chuckled, "Charis is quite determined to complete her education here. After all, Ebonvale has such a reputation for... thorough preparation."
The staring contest between Vale and me stretched for several long seconds. Finally, she reached for her stamp and pressed it firmly onto my admission papers.
"Welcome to Ebonvale Academy, Miss Greye," she said,. "I trust your time here will be... educational."
As we left her office and made our way back through the corridors, I felt a surge of satisfaction. The first move had been played, and I’d made my position clear.
Eamon Riggs might be dead and buried, but Charis Greye was very much alive.
And she was ready for war.