Chapter Text
Prologue
Up the Hill we Trek
They did not often bring out the hearse, but when they did it was usually for special occasions. And apparently sending your only daughter off to boarding school was a special occasion.
Maybe it would be good for her to see something other than their little manor in the foggy swamp and graveyard. At least that's what her mother had said as she had convinced her father to send her off.
But maybe it would do her writing some good, she told herself as she stared up at their manor in sorrow, she’d rather liked it here. She only hoped her parents would behave on the way to the school.
Her only home now, a mere shadow in the back window of the hearse. Her parents clearly weren’t behaving, not that she had expected them to be able to keep their hands and mouths to themselves. They were as in love as the day they had first met, and it was disgustingly sweet, so sweet that Salem wanted to vomit all over the back seats of the hearse. But knew very well that their favorite butler Burt would not be very appreciative of that.
“Maybe if the two of you didn't feel the need to eat each other's faces everywhere we go, then maybe I wouldn't feel so inclined to be ill all over the backseats of the hearse.” she said in a slightly cold manner.
Her father just smiled at her and let her mother go. “One day, my little scorpion, you will find love as great as your mothers and i’s.” He told her with great conviction.
“I wouldn’t be so sure, father, she might just poison him and take his money.” Her younger brother Poe chimed in, from his place on the floor of the hearse, where he had been reading Bombs weekly. ( A magazine all about bombs and explosives.)
“How would you know, brother dearest?” She said, kicking him in the rips. “Hey! That's not fair, I was only stating the truth, dear sister.” he groaned.
“Be that as it may…” Salem went quiet as she picked a book from her bag. `Poisons and Herbs, how to best poison the un-suspecting.´ It was one of her school books, but then again there was no harm in getting an early start on homework. There was after all nothing else to do, other than stare at her parents the whole way to the school.
She had just reached a particularly exciting chapter in the book when something green caught her eye. She turned her head to see what that green thing had been. Lush trees were guiding them up a hill, but something was off about them the closer they got to the top, the duller the trees became until they were nothing more than dead trunks standing in two rows. The dead trees seemed to almost go on, like a never ending loop, even when they had reached the top the dead trees were still leading them higher and higher though the road was too narrow for the hearse to fit. They would have to trek up that hill if they wanted to reach the school before sun down. Which wouldn’t be a problem since they had gone on many camping excursions in the wetlands behind their manor. Salem grabbed her bags and started up the hill following the dead trees, she didn’t turn back to see if her parents and younger brother were following her. Her parents knew the way, and would lead her brother towards the school.
A little ways up the hill she could hear her parents reminiscing about their time at Aurora International Institute, almost gushing at all the times they’d been caught together in the dead-forest behind the school. She rolled her eyes and continued up the hill, not wanting to know what they had been caught doing in the forest. She hoped they wouldn’t have to camp out in the forest before reaching the school, because if they did, she’d certainly be carrying on without her parents and younger brother.
She knew her parents were soulmates, but they didn’t have to be so lovey-dovey all the time, it was getting on her nerves how much they would stop and gush at everything that they remembered from their school years. And there had never been a divorce in all of her family’s history, because Shadows always had a soulmate waiting for them out in the world. Though Salem very much doubted that she could find anyone that would take away her breath. But then again she had been wrong before, it didn’t happen often.
But if she were to find her soulmate at Aurora international Institute, it would just be giving her parents and ancestors the satisfaction of knowing that she would be following in the family’s footsteps.
And she certainly didn’t need that hanging over her head in the future. She could almost hear her late aunt Levilia’s laughter at the fact that she had been wrong about something.
Salem stopped in her tracks for a second, listening for anything. She couldn’t hear her parents or brother behind her. So, slowly she turned around to take in her surroundings, she crouched on the forest floor. Silence was never a good thing especially when you were trekking in a forest of any kind. She picked some dirt up off the ground and watched it slip through her fingers, waiting for it to blow to the side and when it didn’t she swallowed nervously. She knew that there were several different kinds of monsters attending the school, but she couldn’t quite think of a monster that could cause such silence to fall.
She made a mental note to do some research when she had time to use the school's library… if she ever reached the school. She looked into the trees for a second to see if the monster or thing would show itself, but all she saw was something moving so fast that she couldn’t quite pick up on what it was. And then the silence was gone, vultures were in the air screeching and circling her from above, hoping she would pass out then and there. But she wouldn’t, as she had trained for long treks since she was just a child, a little silence wasn’t going to get her killed.
She trekked on not wanting to alarm her parents and brother who she could just about hear them coming towards her. But then again her parents had gone to the school, and had trekked up that hill many sommer’s and winter’s, hand in hand. So they would already know what sort of monster could cause such deafening silence that it would alarm her senses, so much so that she would stop in her tracks. The dead trees didn’t become anymore alive as the school came into view. Nothing from her parents' tales about the school could ever have prepared her for how magnificent the school looked. Dead trees all around the front yard of the school, but now they weren’t guiding anything up towards the school, as they were strewn all over the front yard almost menacingly. And the school itself looked almost like the castle in Transylvania. It was perfect in Salem's eyes, even with the vines almost over taking the outside of the castle.
“Oh good, you made it.” someone spoke, making Salem's turn quickly towards the speaker. And oh how she wished she didn’t, for there was that feeling her parents had talked about, that feeling where everything stops turning and becomes still. It was a girl who had spoken. She looked like a goddess, perfect and poised, smiling at Salem, with such a beautiful smile that Salem thought she’d gone deaf and blind just from witnessing it.
“I’m Cordilia Black.” The girl, Cordelia, introduced herself. And Salem had to swallow just to make her larynx work again.
“Salem Shadow” She said, not knowing what else to say to this goddess who stood before her. Cordelia just smiled and winked. “It would seem that the Shadow charm is failing you at this very moment…” Cordelia smirked and made a gesture with her hand for Salem to follow her. And so she did, almost spell bound by Cordelia. Cordelia showed her around the school and Salem could do nothing but follow her, and listen to this goddess speak.
“Now that you have been shown most of the school, I feel it appropriate to mention that we are to be roommates for the remainder of our stay here at Aurora International Institute '' Cordelia said, leading them towards a winding staircase leading towards their dorm room.
When they reached their room, Salem noticed how colorful Cordelia's side of the room was, while hers remained the same bleak and dark colors that she had always enjoyed. Her pet Wolf Achilles would certainly enjoy their room and so would Salem, though she would never admit to such a thing, outloud.
While Salem unpacked her belongings she questioned Cordelia on the school. “Are the teachers here adequate ?” Cordelia smiled and looked up from her Magazine. “They are. Miss Acacia is our botany professor. She's quite good and very fair when it comes to grading our essays. “ She explained, looking over at Salem. “What other sorts of subjects do they teach here and who are the professors for each subject?” Salem questioned.
“History of the strange and unusual, is taught by Professor Igor. Then there's Poisons and Herbs, which is the book we use for both our Botany and Brewing classes. And the Botany class as you know is taught by Professor Acacia, and the Brewing class is taught by professor Hatchet. If you can think of a normal school curriculum that is included in the classes that are mandatory in this school. Then there are the extra curricular activities such as clubs and extra subjects. Creature anatomy, where we learn how different creatures work and how to care for them. Language classes. Though most do enter this school already knowing more than 3 languages or learning a forth language. And there are too many clubs to mention, but i will say that i do enjoy the fencing and shooting club you never know when you're gonna need those skills. But I dare say you’d probably enjoy those clubs as well as the survival club.” Cordelia said, licking her finger and turning the page in her magazine.
Her parents and brother had surely taken their time to arrive at the school, even though they had only been a short distance away from her the whole time. But as they explained they had taken Poe to see the Dark lake so that he could throw his favorite kind of bait and see if the fish would bite. ( bite meaning, would the dead fish float to the surface of the water.)