The biting scent of stale oil and damp earth still clung to my clothes, a phantom of the slums I’d just escaped. “You lucky little bitch!” Navis had called out, her voice a mix of envy and genuine affection. Now, the scent of expensive polish and old stone filled my nostrils as the automatic door of the sleek black car hissed shut behind me.

Wyatt, my stepbrother, patted my knee, a wolfish smirk playing on his lips. “Here we go to Moonriver!” His words were a warning disguised as welcome. I slammed the car door, the sound echoing ominously, and stepped onto the manicured grounds of MoonRiver Boarding School.

My first encounter was with Kathy, a tall, blonde woman whose eyes, like a predator, raked over my mud-caked boots and vintage band tee. “Miss, are you sure you’re in the right place?” she purred, her disdain palpable. My name, Chloe, tasted like poison on her tongue, especially when she learned of my mother’s past. “Oh, so you’re Camila’s daughter?” she sneered, confirming my worst fears. This place was not going to be easy. I clenched my fist, the secret dagger in my pocket a comforting weight. My dream of becoming a warrior, the first female one, felt both impossibly close and terrifyingly distant.