Chapter 1: Transfer

The musky smell of aged paper hovered in the air. Massive rows of shelves, stuffed with dusty volumes and thick forgotten tomes filled a large half of the spacious room. The other half was filled with wooden tables and chairs adorned with crimson velvet.

Normally, the library would be brightly lit, seeing as the room had many windows, but it was evening and most of the lights were dimmed. The place was to close in a bit over half an hour. Most of the students had retreated to their rooms, but a few lingered.

A slender male figure sat in a corner of the colossal school library, his piercing blue-gray eyes having no difficulty reading the tiny text in front of him. Lucan could see every dot of the I’s and every stroke of the t’s in perfect clarity. Despite the cold aura that his eyes held, his features were soft. He sat in his favourite corner of the library, pouring over one of his favourites (one of history), long fingers spread out over the hard cover. The coal-black hair that fell in a smooth sweep to his shoulders contrasted greatly against his alabaster skin. He was alone.

After a long day of nonstop searching, Lucan’s senses were tired. Reading had always relaxed him. An oily smell hung in the air, but he liked it. He liked this school’s library almost instantly after entering it. He could read for hours, which gave him plenty of time to go over his plans, while safe from intrusion from anyone. Or so he thought.

“Um, Lucan?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shy looking girl, most likely a first year, standing beside him. Half a dozen others were crowded behind her. They all looked flushed and seemed to be excited about something.

“Would you-”

His eyes didn’t move from the page and Lucan pretended to play statue. These girls weren’t the ones he was searching for. None of them were. The girl paused and blinked at him, turning redder by the second.

“You’re new here, right?” She stammered, playing with the curls of her auburn hair. “Would you like a tour of the school campus?”

Really, thought Lucan, who would want to have a tour of the campus at 10 o clock at night? But then again, he had spent the whole day wandering around the entire place. He now knew St. Peter Loire’s Academy inside and out, upside down, right side up.

He turned to the girl and gave her his most dazzling smile. “No,” Lucan said calmly and as politely as possible, “I’ve already had a tour. Thank you for the offer, though.”

“But-“ He felt the girl’s resolve crumble as she stared at him, eyes the size of saucers.

“Please excuse me, ladies.” Lucan closed his book with a snap and rose from his chair, towering over the group. He brushed past the girls (remembering to smile) and left them hovering around his vacant seat. A few onlookers stared at him as he made his way out of the library.

He caught a “Tch, what’s so good about him?” as he walked by a group of boys. Lucan took no notice of their presence. He walked briskly down another corridor lit with dimmed lamps and exited the main school building. To his relief, the cool night air washed away all the suffocating scents around him.

Almost an entire day went by, and I didn’t see the human, he thought as he crossed the short path to his dormitory. He climbed the marble staircase and caught sight of the darkness beyond the high window situated on the landing. My senses must be dulled from being around so many of them.

Lucan’s first day at Loire Academy had been rather uneventful, ignoring the fact that boys and girls alike (though mostly from the latter) had been staring at him nonstop. The extra attention didn’t bother him though; his mind was focused on finding a particular someone – someone he still hadn’t managed to get a glimpse of. Though he had to act like a model student and meet with his Professors and attend all his classes, he used every opportunity available to him to search for his supposed “soul mate”. Lucan knew this school was huge, but given his abilities, he was sure that he’d be getting close to tracking his prey down by now.

He took out his ID card and looked at the gold numbers engraved on it. They matched those that were screwed onto a wooden door that he now stood in front of. He swiped his card on the little device beside the golden door handle which gave a little click. Lucan grasped the golden handle, and with a twist he pushed the door open.