There are worse ways to start your day than waking up in a coffin.
Okay. Maybe not.
The moment my eyes snapped open, I was greeted by velvet. Black. It smelled like old roses, something metallic, and... was that burnt sage? My hands scrambled against the inside of the wooden box as panic shot through my veins.
Scratch that—no veins. No heartbeat. No phone signal either. What in the seven hells was going on?
With a burst of very unladylike grunting (and a dramatic flop), I pushed open the coffin lid and gasped in a massive gulp of cold air. That's when I realized I wasn't alone.
A pair of crimson eyes stared down at me, glowing faintly in the dim candlelight.
"Oh, you're awake," said the stranger—who, despite the situation, looked like he'd just walked out of a high-budget k-drama. Tousled black hair, flawless pale skin, fangs barely visible behind a smirk. "Took you long enough. You're late for Orientation."
"I'm sorry—what? Orientation where? The afterlife?!" I yelped, scrambling out of the coffin like a startled raccoon in a trash can.
The coffin was one of many lined up neatly in what looked like a gothic cathedral-turned-gymnasium. Stained glass windows. Floating candles. Crows chilling on chandeliers like bored teachers. Welcome to hell, I guess.
"Nightshade Academy," the vampire said casually, brushing imaginary dust from his black blazer. "Underworld's top-ranked school for the supernatural elite. You're the new... scholarship student."
I blinked. "You mean hostage?"
He grinned. "Same difference."
Five Minutes Later
"I'm Yeonjun, by the way. Vampire. Pureblood. Most powerful student in the academy, depending on who you ask—usually me."
"Amelia," I mumbled, still reeling. "Formerly human. Currently confused."
Yeonjun leaned against a wall as we walked through the corridor, where portraits of angry-looking witches followed our every step. "You're not just confused. You're rare. Humans don't wake up in coffins here unless the Headmistress really wants them enrolled."
I frowned. "So I'm a mistake?"
"No, you're a plot twist."
Nightshade Academy: Where Your GPA Might Stand for "Grave Performance Average"
The school was massive and terrifying, but also weirdly… whimsical?
Classrooms had signs like:
BLOODCRAFT 101 — Bring Your Own Donor
POTIONS & POISON: Don't Taste Test Unless Told
MATH FOR MORTALS — Why Are You Even Here?
Gargoyles blinked as we passed. Lockers growled. A banshee screamed in the distance and no one even flinched.
"Why is everyone acting like this is normal?" I whispered.
Yeonjun arched a brow. "Because it is?"
Yeonjun's Fan Club (aka 85% of the Student Body)
Just when I thought things couldn't get weirder, a group of girls—fangs out, hair perfect, uniforms modified like a supernatural runway—practically melted when Yeonjun walked by.
"Oppa~!" one purred. "Are you coming to Dark Arts club later?"
Yeonjun winked. "Only if Amelia joins."
They glared at me like I just set fire to their limited edition blood-red lip gloss.
"What did I do?" I hissed once we'd passed.
"Breathed near me," he said simply.
The Headmistress Has Horns
No, seriously. Like actual ram horns.
Headmistress Morrigan loomed behind a cursed obsidian desk, eyes glowing violet, sipping black tea from a mug that said #1 Soul Collector. "Miss Amelia, you've been… selected. You now have a chance to study amongst the elite, the eternal, and the unhinged. Please don't die before midterms."
I stared. "And if I refuse?"
"You'll still be enrolled," she said sweetly. "But with less limbs."
Noted.
Roommates, Rules, and Red Flags
Turns out, I'd be rooming in the East Wing, aka The Wing of Things That Hiss. My roommate was a vampire bat. Not a person who turned into a bat. A literal bat. Named Kevin.
There were rules too:
No summoning demons after lights out.
No biting humans without consent.
No flirting with Yeonjun unless you want to wake up bald.
"Wait, is that last one real?" I asked Kevin.
He squeaked ominously.
Late Night Library... and a Warning
Curiosity (and terror) dragged me to the Nightshade Library—nine stories tall, floating books, skull chandeliers, and a restricted section roped off with literal screaming chains.
That's where I found Yeonjun again.
"What are you looking for?" I asked.
He didn't look up. "Anything that says why they brought you here."
I crossed my arms. "Wow, charming. Thanks."
He finally glanced at me, serious for once. "You don't get it, Amelia. This place doesn't make mistakes. If you're here, it's because something wanted you here."
And just then, the shadows near the bookshelf moved.
We both froze. A long, skeletal hand reached out from the darkness, dragging claws across the wood.
Yeonjun pulled me behind him.
"I thought this was the library," I whispered.
"It is," he said. "That's just... one of the librarians."
To Be Continued...