Luke and I had just wrapped up class for the day, and it seemed like the perfect time to go find Nilla in her workshop. The stares I'd been getting all day hadn't let up; apparently, everyone at this school already knew who I was and all about that fiasco with my new sword. Lucky me. At least Luke wasn't scared off by all the attention. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it—especially when the girls were involved.

"So, where's this workshop anyway?" I asked, still clueless about where we were headed. Luke, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly where we were going, which was reassuring but also kind of annoying.

"Not too far. It's in the basement," he said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Wait, the basement? Miss Reid let a student set up shop in the basement?"

Luke had mentioned that Nilla was some kind of genius when it came to making stuff, but giving a sixteen-year-old her own workshop seemed a bit much. Then again, this was Kaderra Academy—nothing here was normal.

"The Headmistress is cool with it as long as she gets some of Nilla's inventions from time to time. Plus, she's not one to stifle creativity." Luke stopped in front of a door labelled School Workshop and turned to me with a smirk.

"So, what exactly does she make?" I asked, hoping for at least a hint.

"You'll see," Luke said, pushing open the door with a creak.

The room was a total mess, with parts and tools scattered everywhere. And there was Nilla, hunched over a workbench, goggles over her eyes, blowtorch in hand, looking like she was on a mission. She didn't even notice us coming in.

Luke cleared his throat, and Nilla whipped around so fast that I half-expected her to launch the blowtorch at us. Instead, she tossed it aside with a grin that made me seriously question her sanity.

"Oh hey, you actually came!" She pushed her goggles up onto her head, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. Then she darted across the room like a hyperactive squirrel.

"Where is it? I know it's here somewhere..." She started digging through a pile of what looked like weapons, her golden hair coming loose from her pigtails. Luke had said she was a genius, but I was starting to think 'mad scientist' might be more accurate.

"Ah, here it is!" Nilla skipped back over, holding something shiny in her hand.

"Sorry, Luke, I didn't make you anything this time. But if you put in a request, I could whip something up. Maybe explosive arrows? Or electrified knives? Or both?" She was talking a mile a minute, clearly lost in her own world of crazy ideas. It finally clicked—Nilla made weapons. I'd heard about the weapon-making class here but hadn't signed up. She must have been top of the class.

Luke, ever the calm one, chuckled. "That's alright, Nilla. But I think you've got something for Nate, right?"

"Oh, right!" She handed me the shiny object—a small gun.

I stared at it, feeling a mix of confusion and, I'll admit, a little disappointment. It was so small. How much damage could it actually do?

Nilla must've noticed my expression because she quickly added, "Don't let the size fool you. It's got different types of ammo—frost, fire, you name it. And if you press this button here—" she pointed to a tiny button on the side "—it switches to rapid-fire mode. Just be careful with the bullets. They're limited, so you'll have to come back to me for refills."

Okay, I had to admit, that was pretty cool. The girl was definitely a little unhinged, but she knew her stuff.

"Thanks, Nilla. It's awesome. But, uh, why make this for me? You don't even know me."

She had already turned back to her workbench, searching for the blowtorch she'd thrown earlier. Without looking up, she shrugged. "Well, a Prince has to protect himself, right?"

Luke gave me a gentle nudge, signalling that it was time to leave Nilla to her chaos.

***

"Hey, isn't that Luke with the new kid?"

As we were making our way back to the dorms, a group of students headed straight for us. The guy leading them was massive, easily taller than Mr Holt and built like a brick wall.

"Looks like trouble," Luke muttered, clearly recognising them and bracing for whatever was coming.

"Sup, pretty boy," the big guy called out, his voice gruff. "Heard you're the one with that demon sword, yeah?"

This guy sounded like he had rocks in his mouth. But I wasn't about to say that out loud, no matter how much of a buffoon he was. He definitely had that 'I own the world' vibe going on, and I wasn't in the mood for a fight.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I replied, hoping to avoid trouble on my first day. I just wanted to get back to the dorm and maybe grab a snack. But it seemed like the universe had other plans.

"How 'bout a duel, then?" The way he said it made it clear he wasn't asking.

"Like, a sword duel?" I asked, hoping for some clarity—and maybe a way out.

"Just a duel. Normal rules. Any weapons."

I wasn't too thrilled about the idea of fighting anyone, especially after my earlier sparring session with Mara. But if I could use my sword, I figured I'd be alright. That is, until I remembered I'd left it under my bed.

"Why should he duel you?" Luke cut in, reminding me he was still there.

"Not me. Her." The giant stepped aside, revealing a smaller girl with short, blue-black hair covering half her face. She was dressed in a white turtleneck, black pants, and suspenders—kind of an eccentric look, but she seemed less intimidating than the guy in front of me.

"Okay, I'm in," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

Luke pulled me aside, his eyes full of concern. "Are you sure about this?"

I was new to the school; I didn't know anyone but Luke did, which also meant he knew who to steer clear of. Just hearing him say that was worrying.

"Now I'm not," I admitted.

The mountain of a guy—who still hadn't introduced himself—stepped forward. "No backing out now. You agreed to the duel, so duel."

The girl stepped up, silent but ready to fight. She hadn't said a word this whole time, which was a little unsettling. Everyone else I'd met today had been loud and chatty, but not her.

Luke handed me a sword with a sigh. "Try to remember your own weapon next time," he grumbled. Then, as he walked back, he added quietly, "And watch out for her tail."

"What ta—" I started to ask, but before I could finish, a tail made entirely of flames burst from the girl's back, and she charged at me with twin daggers in her hands.

"Shit." I barely managed to parry her strikes, which were fast and relentless, driving me back until I was nearly pinned against the wall.

I knew I had to turn things around, so I knocked one of her daggers out of her hand and pushed past her. Quickly, I pulled out the gun Nilla had given me and fired.

For a second, I thought I'd won. But then her tail solidified and blocked the shot. Next thing I knew, she was back on me, both daggers in hand. She was so fast, I hadn't even seen her pick them back up.

I parried again and again, until she suddenly spun and whipped her fiery tail at me. I dodged, but just barely, and stumbled back, off balance. That's when her dagger sliced across my cheek, followed by another cutting into my arm.

Blood poured from the wound, but I wasn't about to back down. I rushed her, managing to catch her off guard, and brought my sword to her throat. Finally, it was over. I'd won.

"Well done, pretty boy. Looks like you're tougher than you look," the big guy said, clapping slowly as he helped the girl to her feet. "Better get that arm looked at before it gets infected."

With that, they left us alone.

"That was Blake Baxter," Luke said, rejoining me as we finally headed back to the dorm.

"He was tall," I stated, looking over my shoulder to catch sight of the tall, mountain boy once again.

"No, Blake was the girl. The guy's called Beast, he runs the school gang."

"Of course he does," I muttered, shaking my head.

Why is Luke's sister in their dorm? And how did she get into their room? Well, thanks for reading and don't forget to vote!