Chapter 2 The School Is Full of People Everywhere… No, There Aren’t People Everywhere!
Evelyn's POV
After returning from Arthur's, I dialed the number provided in the letter.
A woman with a soft voice picked up and identified herself as being from the academy's admissions office.
"Evelyn, your student registration is already complete. The records show your grandfather helped register you."
I couldn't believe it and called Arthur to confirm.
"Yes, someone from Thornwick Academy contacted me last year," he said. "They detected energy fluctuations in you and asked if I'd be willing to submit an enrollment application for you. I said yes, and that's when I registered you and got your student ID set up."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because shapeshifter abilities usually show up around age fifteen." Arthur sighed. "But you're a late bloomer. They said you might not show clear signs of awakening until after eighteen, so... I was waiting."
I gripped my phone tightly.
"So what will I turn into?"
Arthur fell silent for a moment.
"Your energy fluctuations point to a very rare bloodline. I don't know either. Maybe once you get to Thornwick Academy, you'll find out."
I felt a bit disappointed.
After the call, I sat on the sofa, stunned and lost in thought for quite a while.
To be safe, I eventually quit my convenience store job and decided to throw myself completely into going to the magic academy to find the truth about my origins and my own abilities!
September first, 47 Charing Cross Road.
Standing before the building, I nearly convinced myself I was at the wrong address.
I’d visited Charing Cross Road so often that I could have mapped out the entire street from memory.
But number forty-seven was clearly just a wall.
A wall sat squeezed between an old antique shop and a record store, still plastered with a dated concert poster.
I checked my phone. Forty-seven, that's right.
I hesitated, then reached out and pressed my hand against the wall.
Nothing occurred, but just as I began to withdraw my hand, my fingers brushed against a sleek, even surface.
It felt as though something was leading my hand, sliding it down the metallic surface until my fingers found a tiny notch.
A keyhole!
I immediately pulled out the key from around my neck and inserted it.
The wall actually split open down the middle, sliding silently to both sides!
Behind the door was a passage paved with dark gray stone slabs. On the walls on both sides hung glowing wall lamps—clusters of light orbs floating in the air, like fireflies trapped in glass covers.
I took a deep breath and walked in.
The door shut behind me, instantly silencing the bustle of Charing Cross Road.
At the end of the passage was a huge archway, more grand than any I'd seen in movies.
I stepped through and suddenly found myself standing in the middle of a vast, open plaza.
The square stretched out the size of a football field, enclosed by a mix of Gothic spires, Victorian arches, and mysterious domed towers that defied any style I knew.
The square was full of people.
No, not all people.
I saw a girl with pointed ears walk past me, dragging a fluffy tail behind her. On the other side, a gray wolf stood up and turned into a teenager in a leather jacket.
My legs felt weak.
"First time here?"
A confident female voice suddenly came from behind me.
I turned around and saw a girl walking toward me.
She had messy dark red short hair, wore a dark green short robe over a black turtleneck sweater, and had brown ankle boots on her feet.
"You look like you got hit by a truck," she said. "But don't worry, the first time I came here I threw up right at the entrance."
"...Thanks for the comfort."
"No problem." She held out her hand. "I'm Emma Weasley, Silver Cliff Bloodline Vampire Clan shapeshifter."
I was a bit confused, blinking.
"Vampire?"
"Silver Cliff Bloodline branch. We don't turn into bats and we don't drink human blood." She rolled her eyes. "I hate explaining this. Every time I do, people back up three steps. What about you?"
"Evelyn. I... I don't know what I am."
Emma's eyes lit up. "Are you kidding me?"
I looked innocent. "I really don't know."
Emma scanned me, skeptical that someone my age could still be so clueless about their own true identity.
I was about to say something when suddenly there was a commotion in the square.
Emma's smile disappeared. She grabbed my sleeve and pulled me back a couple steps.
"Don't look over there."
But I looked anyway.
On the east side of the square, three guys in gray robes who appeared to be from the Lycan Clan were blocking someone.
And the person surrounded in the middle...
When my eyes landed on him, my breath caught.
He was leaning against the wall, taller than those three guys. He had long silver-white hair falling down, with the ends showing a very faint golden-red shimmer. His features were delicate, his nose bridge high, and his deep golden eyes were calm.
I saw a pale gold mark on his forehead, vaguely shaped like a bird with spread wings.
"Who is that?"
Emma didn't answer. Instead, she let go of my sleeve and walked straight over there.
I froze for a second, then followed a couple steps behind.
Emma walked up behind the three Lycan Clan guys and crossed her arms.
"Isn't this Kane Smith?"
Her tone was mocking. "Getting cornered again? The thing about burning down the training grounds last time isn't even over yet. What are you planning to burn this time? People?"
The three Lycan Clan guys turned to look at her.
One guy with a scar on his ear sneered. "Are you here to watch the show too?"
"Watch the show?" Emma shrugged. "I'm just passing by. Just wanted to remind you guys to stay away from him, don't catch something dirty. He's the only survivor of the Phoenix Clan. Who knows what kind of curse he's carrying."
Emma turned around and said to me in a low voice, "See that? That's Kane Smith, the last person from the Phoenix Clan, and the one person in this whole academy you shouldn't go near. Stay away from him, got it?"
I looked at her, then looked at the figure cornered against the wall.
"Why are you all treating him like this?"
"Because he's a bad omen." Emma rolled her eyes. "You're a freshman, you don't get it. You'll understand later."
Bad omen. I repeated the phrase to myself. Growing up, I'd been isolated too because I didn't have parents around. I just never expected there'd be discrimination at a magic academy too.
The three Lycans continued to close the gap, and one of them lunged forward, his hand inches away from shoving the silver-haired man's shoulder.
Watching from the side, his situation reminded me of myself being bullied back then. My emotions were running high.
I wanted to step forward and help him.
But...
They were Lycan Clan, vampires—these races I'd only seen in books and movies before. If I made them angry, would they bully me too? Or would they kill me right here...
I clenched my fists, not daring to step forward.
While I hesitated, one of the Lycan Clan guys had already pushed Kane to the ground and was about to spit on him.
His clean clothes got dirty, his hand scraped and bleeding. He looked terrible, but still stubbornly bit his lip and said nothing.
My stomach churned, as if I was seeing myself being stepped on by thugs in an alley years ago.
I closed my eyes. Some unknown force inside me grew faintly hot from extreme anger. I clenched my fists, gathered my courage, and shouted.
"That's enough."
Emma whipped her head around to look at me, eyes wide as saucers.
The three Lycan Clan guys stopped what they were doing and all looked at me at once.
I took a deep breath and walked forward a few steps.
"Three of you cornering one guy—don't you feel embarrassed?"