It poured rain the day Elliott Darcy was introduced to us.

I remember that day strangely well because it hadn’t rained for nearly a month, maybe a bit more, and it seemed to be all people could talk about. It was almost as if his arrival brought rain back to our little border town. And while Holloway was known for its moody weather, we hadn’t experienced such a long and bad drought in years, which is why it concerned the townsfolk more than they liked to admit.

And so, Darcy’s arrival to the town felt like an omen, almost as if it signified the end of something. An era, perhaps? At first, I’d thought his arrival was nothing more but a mere rumor that was circling around in the underground world, rapidly spreading the word like a plague terrorizing its victims.

It wasn’t until the moment, he walked past the threshold of my classroom, that I knew it was him. There was no doubt, no matter how much I scowled or gritted my teeth in distaste. Up until now, no one really knew how exactly he looked like, even though his name was often spoken in quiet whispers, carried to me by beings that shouldn’t exist in the first place or the criminals who lurked in the shadows.

The only place you could never hear his name spoken was among the Nobles, and if they did happen to slip it past their lips: it was barely louder than a whisper. Almost as if they were afraid of being overheard by the wrong person, a mere implication of a Noble supporting Elliott Darcy could bring the Peace Keepers knocking on anyone’s door. Even mine.

“Name’s Elliott Darcy, a pleasure to know you all,” Darcy’s voice sounded controlled, slightly strained. It reminded me of a snake, slick and smooth but dangerous to the core. However, I hadn’t expected him to be so young, so close to my age - he didn’t look older than eighteen. Give or take a year or two.

Since my seat was in the middle of the class, I could see his features a bit better than that of my younger twin brother, who was currently taking a nap. Darcy’s short, mahogany brown hair was combed neatly, pushed back in a style that oddly suited him. His hair didn’t reach past his ears. His handsome facial features were enough to draw attention, and I could already hear barely contained excited whispers.

However, it wasn’t his stormy Grey eyes that caught my attention or the fact that he wore gloves made from the Black Salamander’s skin, but the scar that ran down his left cheek. It started from his left eye all the way down his chin, appearing to be old enough to make me curious as to who put it on him. Because from what I’ve seen, scars like this only come around after you’ve pissed someone off.

Or were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“You can take the empty seat next to Lady Hale, the red-haired one,” Miss Hanson said, sounding nonchalant and uncaring. And while she didn’t say anything out loud, I knew she detested me. Her manicured hand pointed in my general direction, and with me being the only red-haired girl in the classroom I gave them a lazy wave.

Darcy nodded, however, as he approached his newly designated seat, I couldn’t help but notice how his eyes glanced around, silently taking in his surroundings. Almost as if he was memorizing where everyone sits, and where things were placed. Like a predator hunting its prey.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Darcy,” I said, the moment Darcy sat down and folded his hands on the desk. I was grinning like a mischievous fox, my green eyes sparkled with a silent warning. “I’m Theresa Hale.”

“Didn’t she call you Lady Hale?” Darcy asked, eying me in a curious manner that probably reflected everyone else in this class, right now. Yet, I could hear an underlying dark tone in his voice. It brought a slight shiver down my spine.

“Ah, it’s no big deal, just call me Theresa,” I laughed, shaking my head, attempting to look casually bashful. I could hear a snort behind me, followed by an inaudible muttering, which I chose to ignore. Although, I did extend my leg and smashed my heels on Ezra’s leg. Ezra let out a loud yelp, and a curse, as his hands flew to nurture his wounded leg.

Ezra’s girlish scream got nearly everyone’s attention, including that of Miss Hanson who was giving me a warning look as if she knew exactly what I’d done. I merely blinked in an innocent manner. Someone clapped Ezra’s back in a comforting manner, while a few guys looked relieved it wasn’t their leg I’d kicked. It wouldn’t be the first time I did it, nor the last.

They knew that I packed a mean punch, especially if I was annoyed.

Darcy looked slightly taken aback, and his eyes were darting between me and nearly crying Ezra. Oops, my bad. I thought as I may or may not have had used more force than necessary. Oh, Ezra will get over it. If not, I’ll be sure to reward him later. He has been asking for a better job to do, saying how he’s starting to get sick at having to constantly guard the doors to the bar. Especially when there was nothing worth to be mentioned happening, not even among the homeless who were loitering around.

“Then, call me Elliott,” he said, eying our still cursing classmate warily.

It was at that moment when Miss Hanson clapped her hands loudly to catch the attention of her students. I glanced at where my brother was, finding him to be awake and rubbing his eyes, looking as though he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Stuck in a classroom, unable to sleep while he was surrounded by the dead. Ed’s mentioned, in a passing, that the school was one of the most heavily populated places in Holloway. And by populated, he means ghost, spirits of the dead.

Sometimes, he had difficulties telling who was alive and who wasn’t; that’s how strong their presence was at our school. I watched as Ed’s green eyes, the same shade as my own, followed something to Darcy’s seat. His expression seemed to take a fast turn from a bored to interested look as if he only now noticed Elliott Darcy. And whatever it was that came with the guy.

“Alright, as exciting it is to have a new classmate, let’s resume with the class,” Miss Hanson’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I was going to have a much-needed talk with my brother after school. But for now, I wanted him to rest. “The last time we spoke about…”