Crack.

Something moved in the darkness behind her, causing the girl to pause, frozen between the towering pines. An owl screeched in the distance.

Snap.

This time, the sound was closer. The girl drew her pale pink parka around herself and turned around, scanning the forest warily for the source. Her wide blue eyes reflected the moon, which hung clear in the sky, almost full. It cast the Lunovian woods in an eerie yellow light.

Crunch.

Suddenly, a tall, shadowy figure emerged from the mist that swirled between the trees. The girl’s breath caught in her throat as a boy with dark red hair stepped into view. He was wearing a navy blue uniform with a bronze crest woven on the pocket.

The two locked eyes and the girl stumbled backwards, her shoes catching on the rocky forest floor.

The boy smiled, a feral, twisted grin, fangs bared.

***

“Welcome to your new home!” Uncle Parker called from the front steps of a small brick cottage. Amanda heaved the last piece of her belongings out of the car and looked around her, taking in the picturesque scenery of the quaint Romanian village, with rows of similar houses bordered by an impenetrable forest. The sun had already begun to set, and she squinted in the golden red glare. So this is Lunovia, she thought. If you had asked me a month ago where I would be completing my junior year of high school, I would never have guessed here.

A month ago, in March, she would have thought she’d be finishing the year at Minnesota Art & Design, alongside the rest of her friends in the painting track. Her chest ached, knowing she wouldn’t be seeing them anytime soon. If ever again. And her parents…

Amanda swallowed hard, trying to keep tears from burning her eyes. Her parents had died a month ago in what newspapers called a “freak bear attack”. To Amanda, it sounded like something straight out of a horror movie - except it was her life. She had gone from beloved daughter to orphan overnight, and since then, everything had changed.

“Come on in!” Parker beckoned as Amanda made her way up the cobblestone path. She noticed a few splashes of brightly colored flowers growing along the side of the house and smiled. Her mother had been an avid gardener and would have loved to visit this town, even if it was a bit...rustic. Amanda spotted a rugged pasture in the distance that seemed to have been overcome by goats.

The obscure village of Lunovia, Romania hadn’t been on Amanda’s radar until Parker had showed up in Minnesota a week ago and offered her a place at his boarding school, which apparently was only a mile out of the village. Amanda was still reeling from the events of the past few days - Parker showing up out of the blue, asking her to come with him to Romania, and whisking her away from everything and everyone she had ever known.

Parker waved from the entryway as he ushered Amanda inside the front door. He looked surprisingly young, with her maternal family’s dark fluffy hair and copper skin, although she knew he would have been around her mother’s age. But that wasn’t the most surprising thing about him. The most surprising thing about Uncle Parker was that Amanda had spent her entire life thinking he was dead.

Amanda’s mom had said that her brother died in a car accident a few years before Amanda was born. Amanda had grown up seeing pictures of her supposedly dead uncle, so when he showed up - very much alive - last week, she screamed, thinking she’d seen a ghost. After a bit of convincing, Parker assured her he’d been alive the entire time.

He had had some sort of falling out with her parents. Amanda was short on the specifics, but she had been so grateful to see a family member that finding out her uncle was the headmaster of an exclusive Romanian boarding school called Hathaway Hall was the icing on the cake. She had practically jumped at the chance to escape her uncertain fate.

“Amanda, I want you to meet Luiza, my girlfriend. You’ll be staying with her while you attend school.” Parker’s voice snapped Amanda out of her thoughts. She watched as a pretty Romanian woman hurried down the narrow hallway with a kind smile on her face.

“It’s so nice to meet you, draga mea,” she said in a thick accent. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Please make yourself at home.” Amanda shook Luiza’s warm hand and immediately felt a bit better.

After giving a brief tour of the house, which was only one story and quite cozy, Luiza led them down the hall to a small guest bedroom with a window that looked out across the yard and into the neighbor’s house.

“You must be starving. I’ll get back to cooking dinner,” Luiza said, leaving Amanda alone with Parker.

“Ready to tour Hathaway Hall tomorrow?” he asked. His charcoal eyes were strangely cold, almost reflecting Amanda’s buzzing nerves.

“I guess so,” she shrugged, trying to downplay her fear. “It kind of feels like I’m starting high school all over again.”

“Don’t be nervous. The other kids… well they can be a little aloof, but I’m sure you’ll fit right in. Hathaway has a great arts program, too. I’ll be back to pick you up at eight.” He pulled her into a stiff hug before shutting the door behind him. Amanda sighed, feeling butterflies she knew would only get worse. And something had been bugging her all day - if Hathaway Hall was a boarding school, why couldn’t she stay there in the dorms with Uncle Parker?

Amanda was about to change into her pajamas - a baggy, paint-splattered tee and grey sweatpants - when a sharp knock came from the window.

She spun around to find, of all things, a guy around her age waving at her from outside. Amanda opened the window before she could stop herself, her usual curiosity piqued.

“Sorry, I promise I’m not trying to sneak a peek or anything. I’m Isaac,” the guy said, running a freckled hand through his - admittedly very attractive - wavy, honey brown hair. “I saw you moving in. I just wanted to stop by and say hi to my new neighbor.”

“Hey, I’m Amanda.” She relaxed. “Shirt’s still on, so you’re good. You live right there?”

“Yup! I think our bedroom windows are lined up.” He winked and Amanda felt heat rise in her cheeks.

“Your English is perfect,” she noted awkwardly. “Are you from here originally?”

“I’m actually from Seattle. My dad and I moved here a while back.”

“Seattle to Lunovia...what made you come here? ” She wasn’t normally this bold, but something about the absurdity of her parents’ deaths had shaken every bit of normal from her life. Why would anyone want to leave their hometown willingly?

“It’s complicated.” Isaac shuffled his feet, his eyes shifting away from Amanda’s. “Shouldn’t I be asking you all the questions, newbie?” Clearly, this was an uncomfortable subject, and she immediately regretted asking him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I’m from Minnesota, but I just moved here to be with my uncle.”

“And why did you come to Lunovia of all places?”

“It’s complicated,” Amanda admitted dryly, repeating Isaac’s words back to him. She didn’t have the energy to give him the whole sob story.

Isaac grinned again, a sweet, crooked smile that put Amanda back at ease. “We’re just going in circles here.”

The weirdness between them dissipated. Maybe living in Lunovia wouldn’t be so lonely after all. At the very least, Amanda could befriend Isaac and the village’s multitude of goats.

“Well I should warn you,” he continued, “this town is a little strange. The villagers are nice, but stay away from those Hathaway kids.”

Amanda frowned. Did Isaac not go to Hathaway?

“What do you mean?”

“Hathaway Hall - it’s this old boarding school nearby. Most of the people our age go to Lunovia National College, like me. It’s your typical high school - they aren’t all that different in Romania. But Hathaway… those kids are something else. Super snobby, like they think they’re better than everyone. And people tell weird stories about them, too, creepy stuff. You don’t want to get mixed up with them.”

“Oh...” Amanda wasn’t sure how to tell Isaac she would be heading straight to Hathaway in the morning.

Thankfully, Luiza called her to dinner just then.

“Sorry, I think that’s my cue,” Amanda blurted. “It was nice to meet you, Isaac!”

“Sure thing. I’m serious, though - stay away from those kids.”

Amanda watched him retreat to his side of the yard, broad shoulders slightly hunched, as if he wasn’t quite ready to return to his own household. She couldn’t help but feel unsettled about their conversation. What had Isaac meant by “creepy stuff”?

***

After a terrible night’s sleep, Amanda could barely drag her limbs out of bed. She splashed some cold water on her face and managed to pull her tangle of loose curls into two shiny French braids before tossing on a cute collared blouse. Even exhausted, she wanted to look presentable on her first trip to Hathaway. Almost ready, she downed her daily dose of Adderall, glad she had refilled her prescription before leaving Minnesota.

When Parker’s car honked outside, Amanda hurried out to meet him, Isaac’s warning still running through her head.

The short car ride to the school took them through a winding dirt path in the murky forest, but Amanda could hardly pay attention to the scenery out of nervousness. When they arrived at the end of the road, she barely had a second to register the giant, Gothic building shrouded in ivy before Parker pulled her inside a pair of large wooden doors.

“Welcome to Hathaway Hall, my dear,” Parker declared with a sharp gesture.

Inside, Amanda stopped to catch her breath. The entryway looked like the inside of a cathedral, full of clustered columns guarded by stone gargoyles with sinister glares. Dim light filtered in through dusty stained glass windows.

Then, Amanda noticed the students.

As Parker led her down an arched hallway, Amanda couldn’t help but stare at the people walking past. Students - seemingly from all over the world - stared back at her, all wearing the same navy blue uniform with the bronze Hathaway crest on the pocket. They were all so beautiful, it was unnatural. And the strangest thing was the way they were looking at her...almost hungrily.

“Uncle Parker, I-I don’t know about this,” Amanda mumbled. Her perky blouse and braids felt childish compared to the glamour these students seemed to exude.

“Don’t worry about them. Let’s chat in my office.” Parker quickened his pace, seemingly intent on bringing Amanda out of the public eye.

She followed him hastily through a heavy oak door and into a large round office, where they were finally alone. Parker locked the door and took a seat behind a dark wooden desk, rubbing his temples. The carved plaque in front of him said Headmaster Rogers.

“Amanda, I need to tell you something. Please, have a seat.”

She sat tentatively across from him, taking in the cluttered bookshelves and rich burgundy curtains. Parker’s flustered demeanor was making her nervous.

“I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn’t think you would come with me if you knew.”

“Uncle Parker, what is it?” Whatever he had to tell her, it couldn’t possibly be worse than the police telling her about her parents’ death. Still, Amanda felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down her neck.

“I need you to promise you’ll remain calm. Whatever you do, do not leave this room. It’s not safe until I explain.” Amanda tightened her grip on the chair.

“It’s not safe? I don’t understand - ”

“Just promise me!” Parker bit out.

“Okay, I promise! Just tell me what’s going on!”

“Amanda...Hathaway is not a normal boarding school.”

Amanda felt fear coursing through her veins, Isaac’s warning coming back to her. “What do you mean? What kind of boarding school is it?”