Luna woke to the sound of whispers. Not the hushed conversations of students in the hallway, but actual whispers-from the walls themselves. She blinked, momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar canopy bed with its midnight blue curtains and silver stars that actually twinkled.
Right. Midnight Academy. The school for monsters.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting golden patterns across the stone floor. Luna stretched, her fingers brushing against the silver charm she'd fallen asleep holding-the crescent moon pendant that was her only connection to a past she barely remembered.
"Rise and shine, human!" a cheerful voice called as the door burst open.
Luna sat up, startled, to find a petite girl with iridescent wings hovering a few inches off the ground. Her hair was a cascade of pastel colors, and her eyes were an impossible shade of violet.
"I'm Pixie," the girl announced, fluttering closer. "Well, technically I'm Periwinkle Shimmerbreeze, but everyone calls me Pixie because, well-" she gestured to her wings with a laugh. "I'm your roommate! Sorry I wasn't here last night. Had some fairy business to attend to."
Luna blinked, trying to process the whirlwind of energy that had just entered her room. "Luna Vale," she said finally, extending a hand.
Pixie ignored the hand and instead zoomed forward to give Luna a tight hug. "The human mascot! Everyone's talking about you. This is going to be the best year ever!"
Luna extricated herself from Pixie's embrace, raising an eyebrow. "Why does everyone keep calling me that? The mascot thing?"
Pixie's wings fluttered excitedly. "Oh! It's this whole tradition. Every century, Midnight Academy chooses a mascot-someone who embodies the spirit of the school and brings good luck. Usually, it's some powerful supernatural being, but this year..." she trailed off, looking at Luna with a mixture of curiosity and excitement.
"This year it's the human girl who got kicked out of three normal schools," Luna finished dryly.
"Exactly!" Pixie clapped her hands. "Isn't it wonderful? So unexpected! Headmistress Moonshadow must have seen something special in you."
Luna frowned. She hadn't even met the headmistress yet. How could anyone see anything special in her when all she'd done was arrive?
"Anyway," Pixie continued, oblivious to Luna's confusion, "we should hurry. Breakfast is about to start, and you don't want to miss your first day of classes!"
The dining hall was a cavernous space with a ceiling that mirrored the sky outside-currently a brilliant blue with wisps of clouds drifting lazily across it. Long tables stretched from one end to the other, each seemingly designated for different species. The werewolves congregated near the large windows, occasionally glancing outside as if calculating the days until the next full moon. The vampires huddled in the shadowy corner, sipping from goblets that Luna decided not to think too much about. The fae, including Pixie, flitted about from table to table, spreading gossip and laughter.
Luna hesitated at the entrance, tray in hand, unsure where to sit.
"Lost again, human?" a familiar voice teased.
Luna turned to find Lior Thorne watching her with those mesmerizing green eyes. Today, his autumn-colored hair was tied back, revealing pointed ears adorned with delicate gold cuffs.
"Not lost," Luna replied, falling back on their exchange from the night before. "Just... exploring my options."
Lior's laugh was like wind through leaves. "Come on, mascot. You can sit with us."
He led her to a table where Rafe was already seated, devouring what looked like an entire platter of rare steak. The werewolf looked up, grinning through a mouthful of meat.
"Morning, Luna!" he managed, swallowing. "Sleep well? No nightmares about being eaten by monsters?"
Luna set down her tray-thankfully filled with normal human food: eggs, toast, and a cup of what smelled like hot chocolate. "The only monster I'm worried about is whoever decided classes should start at eight in the morning."
Rafe laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that reminded Luna of thunder. "Fair enough. What's your first class?"
Luna pulled out her schedule, a piece of parchment that seemed to shimmer and change depending on how the light hit it. "Uh... 'Introduction to Supernatural Studies' with Professor Grimwood."
Lior and Rafe exchanged a look that Luna couldn't quite interpret.
"What?" she asked, suddenly wary. "Is he terrible?"
"She," Lior corrected. "And no, not terrible. Just... intense. Professor Grimwood has been teaching here for over three hundred years. She's a bit old-school."
"And by old-school," Rafe added, "he means she still thinks humans should be on the menu, not in the classroom."
Luna nearly choked on her hot chocolate. "That's reassuring."
"Don't worry," Lior said, his expression softening. "We've got your back. Besides, you're the mascot now. Even Grimwood wouldn't dare touch you."
Before Luna could respond, a hush fell over the dining hall. She followed Lior's gaze to see a tall, elegant woman gliding into the room. Her skin was porcelain pale, her hair a cascade of midnight black that seemed to absorb the light around it. Her eyes, a piercing ice blue, surveyed the room with cool detachment.
"Selene Noir," Lior whispered. "Head vampire and student council president."
Luna watched as Selene moved with impossible grace to the vampire table, where the others shifted to make room for her. There was something magnetic about her presence-a quiet power that demanded respect without asking for it.
"She's... intense," Luna murmured.
"That's one way to put it," Rafe snorted. "She's also brilliant, terrifying, and rumored to be older than some of the professors."
Luna raised an eyebrow. "How old is that exactly?"
Lior shrugged. "No one knows for sure. Vampires don't exactly celebrate birthdays after the first century or so."
A bell tolled somewhere in the distance, its deep resonance vibrating through the stone walls.
"Time for class," Rafe announced, standing and stretching. "Ready to face the monsters, mascot?"
Luna took a deep breath, gathering her courage and her books. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Professor Grimwood's classroom was in one of the academy's oldest towers, accessible only by a spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever. By the time Luna reached the top, she was out of breath and already five minutes late.
She pushed open the heavy wooden door to find a room filled with students of various supernatural origins, all staring at her. At the front stood a woman who could only be Professor Grimwood-ancient and withered, with eyes that glowed an eerie yellow and fingers that ended in sharp, claw-like nails.
"Ah," Professor Grimwood said, her voice a dry rasp. "The human mascot deigns to join us at last."
Luna swallowed hard. "I'm sorry I'm late, Professor. The stairs-"
"The stairs have been in the same place for seven centuries," Grimwood interrupted. "Yet every other student managed to arrive on time."
Snickers rippled through the classroom. Luna felt her cheeks burn but forced herself to stand tall.
"Take a seat, Miss Vale," Grimwood continued, gesturing to the only empty chair-front and center, directly before her desk.
Luna made her way to the seat, acutely aware of the eyes following her. As she sat down, she noticed Lior a few rows back, giving her an encouraging smile. On the other side of the room, Selene Noir watched with cool curiosity.
"Now," Professor Grimwood said, turning to address the class, "as I was saying before we were interrupted, Introduction to Supernatural Studies is not merely about learning facts and figures. It is about understanding the delicate balance between the human world and our own."
She began to pace, her long robes sweeping the floor. "For centuries, supernatural beings have lived in the shadows, hiding our true nature from humans who would fear and hunt us. Midnight Academy was founded as a sanctuary-a place where young supernaturals could learn to control their powers and eventually integrate into society without detection."
Grimwood's yellow eyes fixed on Luna. "Which makes our new mascot something of an anomaly. A human, admitted to our hallowed halls. One might wonder why."
Luna shifted uncomfortably under the professor's gaze. She wondered the same thing herself.
"Perhaps," Grimwood continued, "Headmistress Moonshadow sees something in Miss Vale that the rest of us cannot. Or perhaps this is merely another of her... experiments."
The way she said "experiments" made it sound like a dirty word. Luna glanced around, noticing how some students nodded in agreement while others looked uncomfortable.
"For today's lesson," Grimwood announced, mercifully shifting her attention away from Luna, "we will discuss the Great Concealment of 1692-how the supernatural community responded to the Salem witch trials and established the modern protocols for hiding in plain sight."
As Grimwood launched into her lecture, Luna tried to focus on taking notes, but her mind kept wandering. Why was she here? What did the headmistress see in her? And what did Grimwood mean by "experiments"?
A small paper bird suddenly fluttered onto her desk. Luna glanced around, then carefully unfolded it to reveal a note in elegant, flowing script:
Don't mind Grimwood. She's suspicious of everyone. Meet us in the library after class. -L
Luna looked back to see Lior giving her a subtle wink. She tucked the note into her pocket, feeling a small surge of warmth. At least she wasn't completely alone in this strange new world.
The library of Midnight Academy was unlike any Luna had ever seen. Books floated through the air, reorganizing themselves on shelves that stretched up to a domed ceiling painted with constellations that actually moved. Globes of soft light hovered between the stacks, illuminating ancient texts and scrolls.
Luna found Lior and Rafe at a table near a large stained-glass window depicting what appeared to be a battle between supernatural creatures and humans. The irony wasn't lost on her.
"Survived Grimwood, I see," Rafe said as she approached.
Luna dropped her bag on the table with a thud. "Barely. Does she always single out students like that?"
"Only the ones she finds interesting," a cool voice replied.
Luna turned to find Selene Noir standing behind her, a stack of ancient-looking books in her arms. The vampire's presence was even more imposing up close-a quiet power that seemed to hum just beneath her perfect exterior.
"Selene," Lior acknowledged with a nod. "Joining us?"
"Observing," Selene corrected, setting her books down. "Our new mascot has caused quite a stir. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about."
Luna met Selene's icy gaze. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm just a regular human who got stuck here."
A hint of a smile touched Selene's lips. "No one at Midnight Academy is 'just' anything, Luna Vale. Especially not the mascot."
Before Luna could respond, the library doors burst open, and Pixie zoomed in, her wings a blur of motion.
"Luna! There you are!" she exclaimed, drawing disapproving looks from students trying to study. "Have you heard? They're announcing the Midnight Trials at dinner tonight!"
"The what?" Luna asked.
"The Midnight Trials," Rafe explained. "It's a competition held every year. Different challenges to test magical ability, strength, wit-that sort of thing."
"And as the mascot," Pixie added excitedly, "you'll be expected to compete!"
Luna's heart sank. "But I don't have magic. Or supernatural strength. Or anything that would help me in a magical competition."
"That's what makes it interesting," Selene said, her voice soft but firm. "The mascot always competes. It's tradition."
Luna looked from Selene to Lior to Rafe, hoping one of them would tell her this was all a joke. But their expressions remained serious.
"Great," Luna muttered. "Just great. First day of school, and I'm already being thrown to the wolves." She glanced at Rafe. "No offense."
Rafe grinned, showing just a hint of fang. "None taken. And don't worry, mascot. Like Lior said-we've got your back."
As the others began discussing the trials, Luna gazed out the stained-glass window, watching as the colored light danced across the table. She'd come to Midnight Academy hoping for a fresh start, a place where she might finally belong.
Instead, she'd become the mascot-a human symbol in a supernatural world, expected to compete in trials she couldn't possibly win.
And yet, as she looked at her new friends-Lior with his mischievous smile, Rafe with his boisterous loyalty, Pixie with her boundless enthusiasm, and even Selene with her enigmatic interest-Luna felt something she hadn't experienced in a long time: hope.
Maybe, just maybe, being the mascot of Midnight Academy wouldn't be so bad after all.
As long as the trials didn't kill her first.