Melly whipped her head around, scanning her surroundings, but saw only the last few students funneling into the academy.
Did someone forget to bathe?
She loosened her grip on her nose, peeking through two fingers to cautiously sniff the air again. The stench was gone, as sudden and inexplicable as it had arrived.
Probably just the sea mixing with a washed-up fish, she told herself. Shaking it off, she lowered her hand and stepped through the archway, her eagerness to escape the smell briefly overtaking her fear of what waited inside.
Just ahead, standing outside the academy's large arched double doors, was a boy around her age. He had an olive complexion, curly black hair parted neatly in the middle, and round silver-framed glasses. His bright green eyes were striking against the dark shadows under them, giving him a look of quiet intensity. Unlike the others, his uniform bore a golden crest on the left side of his chest: the school's mascot, a kelpie, embroidered above the words Student Council.
He greeted other students with easy nods, but as Melly approached, his gaze fixed. And didn't move.
Tick.
The boy's smile dropped.
Tick.
Her steps felt too loud in the hush. His eyes, once vibrant, looked drained the moment they found her, as if something had leached the color away.
Why is he staring at me like that?
The fine hairs along her arms prickled. Her knees felt like they could barely withstand her weight and she couldn't stop shaking as she kept moving...
closer... closer... closer.
She couldn't smell anything. Not even the brine.
She muttered a quick "Good morning" without meeting his eyes and quickly slipped past him. Only when she was beyond the doors did she release the shaky breath she'd been holding. Maybe it was just her anxiety making it worse. Still, she hoped the rest of the student council wasn't this creepy.
With shaky hands, Melly pulled the schedule Headmaster Reinhart had given her from between the pages of her journal and read the first line.
"English Literature II... Room C-244...", she whispered to herself.
She wandered the halls, peeking into classrooms and studying the numbers above the doors.
There's no letters on any of these rooms... I'm so lost...
Sweat prickled in her palms as she flicked her gaze between her schedule, the small map printed on the back, and the unhelpful door numbers. Every tick of the clock made her stomach knot tighter. Then, without warning, someone slammed into her shoulder hard enough to make her stumble back and drop her journal. Her initial anxiety about that strange encounter and missing her first class caused her agitation to uncharacteristically flare.
There's so much space to walk—how do you end up bumping into me?!
She lowered her head, letting her hair fall forward to shield her vision from the jackass in front of her. Before she could reach down to grab her things, the boy scooped up her belongings and placed it in her hands. Melly peeks up at him, her eyes catching on his unnaturally bright, messy red hair that seemed to burn under the warm hall lights. The color clashed distinctly with his blue eyes and the dark circles shadowing them. His height casted a looming shadow over her, and she felt an unexpected heat creep up the back of her neck.
Oh no, he's hot!
She ducked her head deeper into her hair, wanting to disappear for more reasons than one.
"Sorry. I wasn't paying attention," he said, his voice slow and worn, like the words had to be dragged out. As he spoke, he absently rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers tapping there in a restless rhythm before falling to his side. Despite his athletic build, he looked like he could topple over at any second.
As he started walking in the opposite direction, Melly's gaze darted to the nearly empty hallway. She didn't want to waste any more time.
"W-wait!"
The boy turned his head, his expression open and easy. It wasn't a smile exactly, but there was a lightness in his eyes that caught her off guard and made her second-guess whether to speak at all.
"...Can you help... me find..... C-244?", her words petered into a pathetic, insecure whisper half-way through. She was sure she'd have to repeat herself.
"Sure. Since we're going to the same place, just follow me." His body stayed half-turned as he waited for Melly to catch up. She quickened her pace to walk with him, relieved he'd heard her the first time.
When she reached his side, his gaze lingered over his shoulder. Melly glanced back out of mild curiosity but saw nothing worth noting. A moment later, he faced forward again and started toward C-244.
"Alright, let's move," he said in a commanding, practiced rhythm.
The two of them walked in silence for a minute, before he broke it, "So, you're a new student? I'm assuming you got tripped up because of the letters on the schedule. Happens all the time."
Melly nodded in quick succession, trying to engage in the conversation with as few words as possible.
"Next time, just ignore the letters. A's the south wing, B's east, and C's west. Once you know that, it's easier to figure out."
Finally, they reached C-244— or rather, just 244. A well-groomed man carrying a clipboard stood by the door. He shot the red-haired boy a judgmental glare as he passed, then turned to Melly with a warm smile, raising a hand to stop her just short of the doorway. He glanced down at the clipboard to check something before meeting her eyes.
"You must be Melly Harlow. Pleasure to meet you. I'm your form tutor, Mr. Luthers." He reached out for a brief handshake before continuing. "I'll have to ask you to wait out here for a moment before coming in. I need to introduce you to the class first. That's okay, right?"
Melly's stomach sank at the thought of every pair of eyes in the room watching her, but she gave a reluctant nod.
"Good." Mr. Luthers looked both relieved and pressed for time. He stepped inside, tidying his materials at the podium as the class settled down.
"Alright class", Mr. Luthers began, "We have a new student joining us today."
He motioned for Melly to step inside. She hesitated, but her feet carried her forward anyway. Her head hung low behind her hair, she can feel the eyes of her classmates boring into her skin, making it burn. She turned towards the class, her eyes traced the outlines their shoes instead of their faces.
"This is Melly Harlow, she transferred in from Bristol. Please make her acquaintance."
Melly kept her gaze on the floor. Her vision swayed in loose figure eights as the silence rang in her ears.
Mr. Luthers waited, giving her the chance to say something, but she only gave a small nod—directed at no one in particular.
"Alright then. Melly, why don't you take a seat in... column five, next to that empty desk there."
Melly eyed the two empty seats next to each other and counted the columns totaling six. She took a seat at the one nearest to the edge, relieved to have at least one side of her desk unoccupied. But the moment she sat down, that same foul stench from the academy's gate slammed into her nose. She stiffened, covering the lower half of her face with her palm as her gaze darted around the room.
At the front, Mr. Luthers passed a clipboard to the boy in the far-left corner— the seat reserved for the class president. "Malachi. Registration, if you may."
Melly's stomach sank. It was him— the same student council boy who had stared her down at the entrance and he was in the same form as her. As Malachi stood and began reading off names in a clear, steady voice, she tried to discreetly rub at her nose, desperate to banish the smell clinging to her. How was no one else reacting? It was so sharp and rancid she could almost taste it, yet everyone else acted as if nothing was wrong.
Finally, she risked a cautious breath. Nothing. The stench had vanished as quickly as it came. She was still puzzling over it when her name cut through the air.
"Melly Harlo— "
"P–Present!" she blurted, louder than intended with her hand shooting up.
Malachi marked her name without a glance and moved on to the next. Melly sank into her seat, lowering her hand as the tips of her ears burned.
What the hell was that?? Why did I raise my hand?
"Kaines Huston."
"Present." The voice was familiar. Melly glanced up to see the red-haired boy from earlier sitting at the very back in the same column as the class president. She fiddled with the edge of her journal, quietly committing his name to memory and praying he didn't think she was an idiot.
"Kaines." Mr. Luthers's voice cut sharply through the air, halting Malachi mid-roll call and Melly from her thoughts. "Summer is over. Your hair shouldn't be that color— it's distracting. If you must dye it, choose a natural shade. I want it gone by tomorrow or I'll have a word with your parents."
Kaines met the teacher's gaze with a flat expression that felt like a silent dare. A twitch passed through his hand, and the heaviness in his posture hinted at an irritation he didn't voice. Finally, he gave a curt, "Yes, sir."
The room stayed taut with silence until Malachi resumed calling names.
Since it was the first day, class ended early. Melly almost worked up the nerve to approach Kaines again, but paused when she saw Malachi stride over to him, ushering a few words before the two left together. Kaines hadn't made the best first impression, but he was kind enough to help her out when she got lost. She couldn't help feeling it was unfair how the form seemed to treat him like a troublemaker.
"Hey, hey!" a voice called.
Melly looked up to see the girl in front of her twist around in her seat, arms draped over the back of her chair. She had warm brown skin dotted with freckles and long black braids tied into a high ponytail. Beside her, another girl— pale, with straight ginger hair and blunt bangs— also turned to watch. Melly's gaze flicked to their uniforms; their skirts were hiked a few inches shorter than hers.
"Your name's Melly, right?" the freckled girl asked.
Melly nodded.
"Is that short for anything, or is it actually Melly?" The skepticism in both girls' eyes was obvious. The ginger girl popped her gum with a sharp smack.
Melly hesitated. They looked… like trouble. "It's actually Melly."
Both girls' faces lit up. They squealed in unison, slapping a double high-five that they repeated for good measure. Melly just stared, uncertain.
"We were just saying how cute your name is," the freckled girl said, leaning in. "And we were thinking… maybe we should be friends."
Melly had to stop herself from from giving them a bewildered look. That's it? Still, it could've been worse.
"Y-yeah.. sure. We can be friends."
The freckled girl shook her fists in victory. "Yayyy! Anyways, I'm Maya, and this is Mia." She motioned to the ginger girl, who wiggled her fingers at Melly in greeting.
"Nice to meet you," Melly said softly. Before she could sit back, Mia's fingers slipped into her long, dark hair.
"Your hair is soooo long. Can we braid it?"
Melly side-eyed Mia. Her back went rigid at the sudden invasion of personal space. "Sure!" she blurted, sinking into her chair and silently laughing at herself. Even now at her age, she couldn't bring herself to say no.
In seconds, both girls had claimed the space behind her, fingers combing through strands she'd diligently cared for over the last five years while pelting her with a flurry of cheerful remarks.
"It's so shiny! It's gotta reach your waist. How did it get this long? Does it touch the floor when you sit?"
Melly sat stiffly at her desk, forcing polite answers and grimacing under their curious hands. A few passing students caught her strained expression and quickened their pace out of the classroom, feeling sorry for her but not enough where they wanted to help.
Luckily, it didn't take long for Maya and Mia to finish braiding Melly's hair. It's like they were experts at it. Maya even took her time to tidy up the pieces in the front to frame her face. The two girls were crouched in front of Melly, obsessing over her now bare face.
"Oh. My. Goodness! Melly, you're just so cute!!! Full cheeks. A cute button nose. So cute! So cute! So cute!!!"
Melly could only chuckle nervously. "Really…?"
"Yeah, look!" Maya shoved a pocket-sized mirror at her. Melly examined their handiwork—her face looked the same to her, but the twin braids were… admittedly cute.
"Do you like it?" Mia's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"I actually do, yeah. You guys are really good at this."
Mia wiggled with excitement. "Yes! I'm glad you like it. You looked kinda scary with your hair down—like that ghost from that one movie. What was it again? The… The Thing?"
Maya nodded solemnly. "You should totally wear your hair up more."
Melly blinked. She hadn't known she looked scary with her hair down—she just used it to hide from people. It wasn't her intention to… terrify them. Did she freak out Kaines, too?
"Speaking of ghosts," Mia said with a grin, "did your old school have any?"
Melly tilted her head. She'd never believed in ghosts. "No…? I don't think so."
"Did you know Faireyport Academy has a ghost? It lives in the storage closet at the gym." Mia pointed downwards where the gym would be. "But it's not really that scary."
Maya rolled her eyes, "Ugh, yes. Mia and I go to that closet all the time. If anything, it's just a game that literally everyone in the school plays."
"Game?" Melly echoed.
"Mhm," Maya said, nodding. "No lights. One minute in the closet max. in that minute, you have to tell a secret— a real secret— loud enough for the others outside to hear. If the ghost likes your secret, you get a wish."
"And if it doesn't?"
"Then you get cursed!" Maya blurted with her hands clawed in an attempt to scare Melly but unfortunately doing nothing to her.
"Cursed with what?", Melly asked, her tone flat.
Mia shrugged. "Our secrets were never lame enough to find out."
Melly resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This is starting to sound more and more like a hoax...
"You should come do it with us during lunch! We always do it as friends," Maya pleaded.
Melly felt it might be a waste of time, but she did want to make more friends. Maya and Mia seemed genuine enough, and playing along for now wouldn't be too tedious. If anything went wrong, she could always avoid them.
"Sure," she said. "I'll see you guys at lunch."
Maya beamed. "Yay!" The bell rang, cutting her celebration short. "Looks like class is officially over. We'll come get you at lunch, Melly—and make sure you think about your secret!" She and Mia stood up, making their way out the classroom together in a stream of chatter.
Melly rose too, fumbling through her schedule to figure out her next class.
By lunch, Maya and Mia had steered her all the way to the gym, stopping in front of a plain metal storage closet embedded in the wall.
"This is it!" Maya announced. Strips of tape crisscrossed the closet door, plastered with notes screaming at anyone who passed not to open it. Maya and Mia ripped them down in a hurry. Beneath the warnings, the closet looked perfectly ordinary—until Mia slid the door open.
The stench hit Melly like a slap. Stronger than at the gate. Stronger than in class. Metallic and rotting, it clung to her tongue and crawled up her nose until her stomach lurched. She jerked her head back, sleeve pressed tight over her face.
"You know what, I don't think I can do this."
Maya's laugh was all amusement. "You can't chicken out now! You're already here~"
"No. I'm serious. I ca—"
A sudden shove sent Melly stumbling forward into the dark closet. Her palms smacked the cold stone wall just in time to keep her face from hitting it. Before she could turn around, the door clanged shut, followed by a heavy, resonant thud of a weight bracing it closed.