Nocticadia: A Dark Academia Gothic Romance

“Access denied?” Frowning, I eased back in my desk chair, then clicked the button on my laptop to login for registration a third time.

The same error message returned. What the hell was going on?

“Trouble?” a voice said from the doorway, and I turned to find Mel leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. While Gilchrist had promised not to rat me out, I still felt a sense of guilt from having given up her name.

“Just trying to register for next semester.”

“And there’s a problem?”

I froze, staring back at her, studying the amused expression on her face. “Is there?”

“Perhaps Daddy didn’t like getting called out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lilia Lippincott. Has a catchy ring to it.”

A sickening realization crawled over me, and it was then I knew exactly what Gilchrist had done. She’d traded one scandal for another. Muscles strained for the poker face I held in place, I refused to confirm something that hadn’t actually been confirmed for me, either. It was speculation. Rumor. I didn’t have a blood test to prove anything.

“I don’t know why I thought I could trust you. Covington trash.”

“What did you do?”

“My blog has never been so popular as it is now. Over four thousand hits in a matter of two hours. And next week’s scandal is going to be an absolutely delicious follow-up. Provost’s alleged daughter fucking Doctor Death.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.

She rolled her eyes, and when she yanked her phone from her pocket, my knees nearly buckled. The photo showed Bramwell’s car, windows steamed up and my hand pressed against the glass. No faces, though.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said again without so much as a twitch.

Groaning, she zoomed in on my hand, and just below it, I could make out my Momento Mori tattoo on my forearm. “Nobody else on campus drives a black Maserati Ghibli.”

The idea that she’d spied on us, that she’d gone so far as to take pictures for a fucking scandal, had my stomach twisted up in knots. I’d always joked that Covington was home to the worst souls, but here, they were a different breed. A scheming, manipulative genre of human beings. “Why?”

“Seriously? You rat me out, and you’re asking why?”

“She was withholding information on everything. My father. My mother!”

“Oh, boo-fucking-hoo.” The way she mocked me sent an itch to my palm–the longing to haul off and smack her tempting my restraint. “You tried to get me kicked out. Lucky for me, Lady Gilchrist was willing to strike a deal.”

“Yeah. She struck a deal with me, too.” I sneered. “Good luck with that.”

“You’re pathetic, you know that? You have no sense of self-preservation. It’s fitting, though. You and Spencer as siblings. A whole pathetic family.”

Except that Spencer had told me that Lippincott wasn’t his father. Not that I planned to divulge that information to the gossip-mongering bitch. “Fuck you. Get out of my room.”

“Seems it won’t be your room for long,” she said, and she slinked away like the snake she was, offering some reprieve from the smug grin plastered to her face.

Spencer.

For reasons I couldn’t explain, I wanted to talk to him right then. I snatched up my phone and dialed his number. It rang and rang, and when it went to voicemail, I hung up and dialed again. Every nerve in my body quaked as I waited for the voicemail to kick in, Dean Langmore appeared at my door, flanked by two security guards in uniform.

Confused, I lowered the phone, trying to imagine why they’d be at my dorm.

Langmore adjusted his spectacles and crossed his arms in front of his body. “Miss Vespertine? I’ll ask that you pack your things immediately.”

The lingering stares of passing students had my cheeks burning, while my body jittered into a shocking tremble.

“I’m sorry?” I asked, my voice wobbling with his disorienting command.

“Please pack your things. You will be escorted to the ferry immediately.”

Escorted out? Out of Dracadia? “I’m … you’re expelling me?”

“Yes, Miss Vespertine.”

“Can I ask why?”

Langmore slid his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t make this difficult. Your ferry and train expenses will be paid, so no need to worry about that.”

Worry about that? That was the least of my worries right then. I glanced around the room, not knowing where to start. I’d made this room my home. My safe place. Where did one begin with folding it up and packing it away? Tears wobbled in my eyes as I pulled my suitcase down from the shelf and began with my clothes, folding them neatly. I then packed my books, pictures, trinkets, and the shell Devryck had given me.

I wanted to call him so badly, and while I had his phone number, I feared contacting him, particularly while he was away on business. Who knew how this would all shake down, and the only thing that would’ve made me feel worse was the school finding out about us and bastardizing our relationship. Punishing him for it. We’d avoided all communications over the phone, absolutely no paper trail with email, but right then, I wished I could’ve texted him. If for no other reason than to say goodbye.

Once everything was fitted into my suitcase, I stood in the center of the room, tears blurring my vision.

Langmore’s expression held remorse, at least. He didn’t wear the same smug grin that Mel had. And at least he’d offered me a small bit of dignity when he called off the security guards.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t call Jayda. I refused to put my problem on her with the new baby. I had no choice. Grim as it might’ve been, I’d be forced to return to the apartment.

Langmore led me down the corridor, which suddenly felt like a walk of shame, the way everyone stared at me. When we passed Mel’s room, I didn’t even bother to look at her. Could my expulsion have been a reaction to her blog? Had Lippincott gotten wind of it, somehow?

The sound of her snorted laugh as I passed grated on my nerves, and something inside of me snapped.

On a capricious twist, I dropped my bag and suitcase and slammed my fist into her cheek. A scream tore out of her, as she stumbled backward into the wall.

“Miss Vespertine!” Langmore wrangled my arm, as I drew back for another punch. “Let’s not make a spectacle!”

Adrenaline pounded through my veins, as I breathed hard through my nose and took in the aftermath of what I’d done, where Mel lay slumped against the wall, blood already trickling out of her nose. Tears welled in my eyes, as I gathered my things, and we made our way to the elevator and down to the first floor.

In silence, he drove me to the ferry dock, and as we stood in the cold boathouse, waiting for my ride, he cleared his throat. “I didn’t want this. Just so you know, Miss Vespertine. I am incredibly sorry.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks.

I didn’t want this, either.

But wasn’t that the way of happiness? Perhaps the reason there was always a black void on the horizon. Because I was doomed for loneliness.

The train arrived at the abandoned station where I’d first set off for Dracadia, and as it chugged to a stop, I stared out the window to see the Uber driver I’d called. Thankfully, I still had cash left over from the money Devryck had given me. By the time I finally arrived back at the apartment, I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. My phone had died halfway between the train station and the apartment, making the ride with the Uber driver a bit harrowing.

A sickly dread churned in my stomach as I climbed the staircase to the apartment. When I reached the door, Conner opened it, wearing a look of sympathy.

“Hey, kid,” he said, grabbing my suitcase for me.

My eyes wandered cautiously for Angelo—the only thing that could make the unwanted homecoming worse.

A horrible smell assaulted my nose, and as we passed the kitchen, I noticed a pile of dishes in the sink, discarded food containers and beer cans littering the table and floor.

“Don’t …. Don’t worry about all that. I’m gonna clean up. I just got home from work not too long ago.”

I didn’t say anything, as he led me down the hallway toward my bedroom. My gaze shifted to the right of him, toward the darkened hallway, and he glanced over his shoulder and back.

“Still ain’t found a roommate. Callaghan decided to keep her own place. I don’t want you to worry about anything, though. I’ll take care of shit until you find some work, okay? Just, uh … get yourself settled again.” He opened the door to the old bedroom, and for the most part, it looked to be the same, like nothing had been touched, thankfully. Just emptier, since most of my stuff was still packed in the suitcase, but clean.

I didn’t even have the energy to unpack, as I zombie-walked toward the bed. The bed. Not mine. Nothing in the apartment felt like mine anymore. I felt like I’d slipped into a stranger’s world, trying to find comfort in a place that had become foreign to me. Dracadia was my comfort. My home. Not this. Not here.

“Good to see you again, Lil,” Conner said, and the click of the door signaled his exit.

With his retreating footsteps, I curled up on my bed and finally broke.