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Luna
“You okay?” Sophie asks from beside me.
I nod automatically, but I’m not. My chest feels too tight, like someone is sitting on it, pressing all the air out of me. I haven’t been able to breathe properly since we landed at that private airport thirty minutes ago. Because this is it. Valcérre has the best figure skating program in the world. I’m talking Olympic-level good. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of since I was eight years old, and this is my chance to prove to them I belong here, that I’m not some charity case.
Now that I’m here, I feel like throwing up, because I can’t fuck this up.
I stare out the window, hoping the view will help ease some of the pressure. The trees are white now, covered with snow. The sky’s that pale, silver-gray that makes everything feel melancholy, as if the whole world is holding its breath. Technically, it’s fall, but Valcérre has one season. Winter.
Most people would hate that. My sister Rylee definitely does. She said I’m crazy for choosing to go to school in a place where it’s below fifty degrees all year long. I don’t blame her, according to Sophie, the sun never shows its face around here. But unlike my sister, I don’t mind the cold. At least I know what to expect.
Rylee still wanted to come, but I convinced her not to. She’d just complain about how cold it is the whole time. Besides, I needed to do this without her. She’s been taking care of me since she was barely old enough to take care of herself.
I lean my forehead against the cold window, watching the glass mist beneath my breath. I press my fingers against it, and trace the letters L U N A. Luna. I love my name. It’s the one thing my mother got right. We might love a sunny day, but we all need the moon to light up our darkest nights.
“If anyone asks, you’re my sister, okay?” Sophie’s voice cuts through my thoughts again. “Because you are.”
I glance over to catch her smile.
Sophie is Luc’s little sister—my sister’s husband. He’s the reason I’m here. She’s also the first real friend I made after moving to Paris. She might look like she stepped out of a luxury fashion ad, but she’s never made me feel like I didn’t belong. We stayed close even after she left for school at Valcérre. She’s a sophomore now.
I rest my head on her shoulder just for a second. Then the car jerks and I slam into Sophie. We slide sideways toward the edge of the road.
“Merde!” the driver curses under her breath, pulling the wheel right on time as we come to a stop.
A deer freezes in the middle of the road, wide-eyed in the headlights. I swear it’s staring straight at me, as if we understand each other. Two creatures out of place and trying to survive. Then it runs away, disappearing into the trees.
“Apologies, mademoiselles,” the driver says, glancing at us in the rearview mirror. “Are you both all right?”
“We’re good,” Sophie says, completely unfazed. Then she turns to me. “You okay?”
I nod, even though my heart’s still in my throat. “Yeah, just wasn't expecting that.”
She chuckles as the car moves back onto the main road and continues along the snowy road. That’s when I see it. A black iron gate, barely visible through the mists . The closer we get, the clearer it becomes. On top, it says Salvete ad UniversitatemValcérre (Welcome to Valcérre’s University) in curly metal letters.
This is it.
“Welcome to your new home,” Sophie says.
Home?
Home has never been a place for me. It’s a feeling. The sound of my sister’s voice on the phone. The sharp bite of cold air before a performance. The silence before my skate blades touch the ice.
The gate opens and the fog thickens as the car drives deeper into campus. Dark stone walls cut through the haze, their spires vanishing into the clouds. I press my palms against my thighs, but my knees won’t stop bouncing.
“Nervous?” Sophie watches me with a little scrunch between her brows.
“No,” I say a little too quickly.
“Excited then?” She nudges me with her knee.
“I don’t know yet,” I say, more to myself.
“It’s okay to feel both.” She reaches for my hand and gives it a little squeeze.
We pass the main courtyard toward the dormitories. In the distance, the main building rises from the mist. My eyes are wide as I take everything in. I have never seen anything like this in real life. It’s massive, like an old palace, but also modern. Arched windows reflect the dim light, and dark stone walls stand against the rain-slicked courtyard.
“That’s Ravensbourne Hall.” Sophie nods toward the first dormitory ahead.
The dorm sits at the highest point of the campus, overlooking everything else. Its black stone exterior is carved in intricate designs, with massive, arched glass windows.
“The legacies live there. Kids of the founders, hockey stars, Olympians.” She leans back on her seat casually. “They don’t just belong here. They own this place.”
“Figures.” I swallow, and my finger tightens around the sleeve of my coat. The car moves forward, curving around the lake. The water is calm and dark, swallowing the faint campus light. I wish I felt this calm, but inside me is like a storm.
Then a new building appears from the mist.
“And that’s Wolfswood Hall.” Sophie tips her chin toward the building with the polished stone pillars lining the entrance, where a valet in a black uniform holds the door open for a student dragging luggage behind her.
“The elites stay here. Rich international kids, trust fund babies, children of politicians, movie stars.” She smirks and nudges my knee again. “And us.”
I’m staying here.
Except that I don't fit in any of those categories.
The car stops, and the valet opens the door for Sophie, who steps out like she owns the place.
“Thank you,” she says, fixing her coat.
I take a deep breath and force my legs to move. The moment I step out, the cold air slams into me, and my lungs welcome it.
My eyes drift toward another building, half hidden in the fog, at the farthest edge of campus.
“And that’s Halloway Hall,” Sophie says, following my gaze. “That’s where the scholarship kids stay.”
It doesn’t look as luxurious as the other dorms.
I should be staying there. I applied for the scholarship, but I didn’t get it. I’m here not because I earned it, but because Luc could afford it.
“Come on.” Sophie slips her arm through mine, linking them together. “You belong here, with me.”
I let her lead me inside.
Welcome to Wolfswood Hall.
We walk through the arched double door. Inside the lobby, students are talking in different languages, French, Russian, Spanish, Korean, and some I don’t even recognize.
A dark-brown desk stands in the center under the golden chandelier. Behind it, a woman sits with her black hair tied in a sleek, low ponytail.
She doesn’t ask for a name; if you belong here, they already know who you are. A towering arched window in the back reveals the courtyard the nearby lake, and the snowy mountains in the distance.
A grand fireplace is carved from dark stone on the far side of the wall. Across from it is the lounge area with dark leather couches, wooden coffee tables, and deep-burgundy rugs. The air smells like vanilla, amber, and fresh rain.
“Hey, Sophie, welcome back.” A student smirks at her.
Sophie flips her hair with a lazy smile. “Miss me?”
“Not in the slightest.” She laughs, shaking her head.
We step toward the desk, where the lady hands Sophie her keycard. “Welcome back, Miss Kingley.”
Next, she hands me my keycard as she studies me for a second. “Welcome to Valcerre, Miss Del Sol.”
“Thanks.” I smile at her, but her expression remains neutral.
I follow Sophie to the two staircases. She takes the one on the right, which I’m guessing leads to the girls' side of the dorms.
The stairs are crowded with students heading to their rooms.
“Her sponsorship deal is insane…” another student is telling a group of friends. Everyone seems like they belong here.
Except me.
We stop in front of a door, and Sophie scans her keycard before pushing it open. Inside, there’s a girl sitting on a long brown couch with two burgundy leather chairs on each side. Behind the couch, there’s a long bookshelf filled with leather-bound books. Across from them is an electric fireplace.
She looks up as the door closes behind us.
“Annika, this is my sister Luna.”
“Hi.” I smile at her.
She offers me a polite smile before returning to her phone. Sophie loops her arms around me again, leading me toward the hallway on the right with three identical doors.
“This is yours.” She points at the door with my name on it. “This one is mine.” She nods toward the other door. “I'll let you settle in and then I’ll see you later.”
“Thank you.” My lips press into a small smile before I push open the door.
Inside, a bed sits against the wall, covered with deep green wallpaper with gold filigree and ivy patterns. My eyes drift toward the gothic window with a view of the lake outside. I just stand there, watching how the fog from the lake swallows the bridge that connects Wolfswood to Ravensbourne before turning back to the bed.
My back hit the mattress, and I exhale through my nose, staring at the high ceilings with vaulted beams carved with intricate, twisting patterns.
I don’t belong here. The only reason I'm here is because of Luc, but that doesn’t mean I can’t carve my place.
I push myself off the bed and walk across the room to where my suitcases are set neatly beside the door. They must have brought them up while Sophie and I were checking in. I kneel on the floor, unzip my skating bag, and pull out my favorite pairs of skates. The metal is cold and familiar against my skin as I drag my finger along the curve of the blades.
Whether I belong at this school or not, the ice will always be mine.
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