STARLIGHT & SCARS

IA

eeling... c

e first con

ted ears, the impossible tree that opened like a door-but my body? Oh, it was nestled

of peace. No palace bells ringing at dawn. No servants waiting behind velvet

sil

wa

No gold leaf. No painted constellations. Just smooth white s

ig-nowhere near the sprawling luxury of my royal chambers back home-but it felt oddly cozy. There wa

sore from yesterday's long trek through the Misty

lace w

how... s

mysterious second door

. It had a bathtub, a shower, and a sink barely wider than my hands. The fix

roa

ed, stepping inside. "Even my

ed having someone there to do the little t

lly managed to get cold water running. I splashed it on

used it without hesitation. Back home, I rarely brushed my teeth myse

o

g everythi

hone

ind of t

eing the bedside table again. Something about it nagged at

er. Same eerie golden emblem-the hooded

ed it ca

rst-year students. The invitation letter serves as your enrollment form.

the words,

o be kidding me

what this university was like. But now, because of that creepy gi

liev

oaned loudly, pressing the he

oticed t

not quite morning yet. M

t, hoping to explore

ck

ea

o the

n tiny, elegant scr

he bell rings three times, the door shal

ned s

l beside the bed, was an

. "What am I, in some V

, I w

ncess would do-I memorized the campus

of Berry College back on Earth-around 27,000 acres,

poleon Golf Court, and Paragon Hall. I had no id

ying to distract myself from the fact that I

me such a fright I ne

i

n

i

w

i

re

ock c

y a moment befo

the sound of footsteps and mu

same uniform as mine-red sleeves, black ribbons, short sk

my own clo

ugh, with a military-style cut-but the col

g

t it self-

ing the dorm door behind me. It had the same emblem as my lette

w of students, kee

st by Earth standards. Some had dyed hair, others w

I sa

e features. One girl even had bunny

ped mi

.." I muttered

felt very o

I saw

anding near the entrance of the

a

-shou

der hair cascading past hi

like mo

lin

w

eren't

glo

nger than I

tur

eyes

ble. Like he'd seen a thousand b

reason, he di

llowe

inking, I rolled

didn'

tely thrown off by h

dn't

ryone e

moving. Their heads swiveled tow

d ways-moving away from me

row

around. "Why are you all

e ans

and kep

hem s

hem j

ord, heir to the

e me-not even a guy who looked like h

___

of Ch