User: KnightoftheRealm

As Leo waved his parents' car goodbye, he found himself wishing for the umpteenth time that they had a nicer vehicle. Their silver Dodge minivan was barely three years old, but it looked positively ancient next to the sleek sports cars that sped away from Carter Hill Academy's elegant entrance.

Annoyed by his thoughts, Leo cursed himself. He knew full well that if his parents had a more expensive car, they wouldn't have been able to afford buying him Carter Hill's preppy uniform. 

Shouldering his laptop bag and picking up his briefcase, Leo made his way across the grassy quad. He threaded his way through laughing, chattering groups of students. Leo snuck glances at them, taking in their expensive luggage and well-dressed parents. 

Feeling a few curious eyes dart to him, Leo bowed his head, praying they hadn't glimpsed his reddening face. Leo knew few students earned academic records impressive enough to attend Carter Hollow on a scholarship, but he felt his face heat up. Shame and anger bubbled up in him, quickly replaced by envy of his new classmates' riches. 

Aware of the watching eyes, Leo gripped the well-worn shoulder strap of his bag tighter, ploughing ahead until he reached the doors of his dorm.

Covered in ancient ivy, Weathersby Hall was a grand, imposing dormitory. Its brick walls housed thick glass windows facing the quad. Marble steps led up to a dark wooden door with a tarnished gold knocker. 

            After entering, Leo's hurried footsteps echoed in the building's hot corridors as he neared the elevator. The first floor of Weathersby Hall was sweltering because of the heat outside, but a welcome wave of cold air hit Leo as he entered the elevator. 

            Reaching his floor, Leo was assailed with the scents of sweat, dirty laundry, and food. Disgusted, he rushed through the gleaming wooden hallway until he reached his room.

            Leo's dorm was almost as he had left it earlier in the morning, smelling of cleaning products and his stash of cookies. The front door opened onto a living room. There was a loveseat, TV, and small fridge, along with a large desk with two chairs. To the right of the entrance, a gleaming porcelain bathroom gurgled as if the toiled had just been flushed. 

Turning left, Leo walked a few steps before entering the bedroom he shared with an unknown student. Against the right and left walls were twin beds. At the foot of the beds were wooden chests, and farther down each wall were dressers. Lastly, a spacious closet graced the wall to the left of the bedroom's entrance. 

When Leo had arrived in the morning, he had promptly put away his belongings. There had been no sign of his roommate. Now, a half-hour later, bags, boxes, and bundles were clustered on and around the unclaimed bed.

Setting his briefcase and laptop bag between the trunk and the dresser, Leo glanced over at the other bed. On what looked like a bag of sports equipment, a faded tag read "Bryn Hafer."  

Laying in his bed, Leo settled down to read. After working through a few chapter of Fahrenheit 451, Leo wandered into the living room. A gaming console blinked, reminding Leo that he had just missed meeting his roommate. 

-:-

A few hours later, Leo found himself headed to the auditorium. A notice on to the bulletin board next to the elevators had informed Leo that an orientation would occur at noon. 

Pushing through the throngs of students, Leo scanned the rapidly filling auditorium for an empty seat. Luckily, he saw one next to an aisle. Leo slid into his seat just as the auditorium's lights dimmed. Vaguely, he noticed a girl sitting to his left. 

A dark, sharply dressed man appeared onstage behind the podium. To Leo's eyes, adjusting to the dark, the man looked uncannily familiar—maybe even like Howard Stark. As Leo shook the thought away, the man began to speak.

"Welcome to the Carter Hollow Academy, and a new year of learning! Welcome to the new students, and to the old students, welcome back! I am Adam Bennet, and I am your principal for this year. Returning students, please help the new people around, and new people, please work hard. If there are any concerns related to clubs, learning, sports, of other things, then please come by my office and tell me—I am here to help. So, let the year begin and grow!"

            Politely, Leo clapped along with the crowd's forced applause. 

"Go Chimaeras!" The sudden voice from the audience caused laughter and cheers. 

"Also, I'd like to introduce Arabella Blackwell," Bennet added.  "She'll be evaluating our campus and student progress this year." Throwing a look offstage, Bennet walked off, replace by a woman who was grimacing beautifully. 

"Welcome, students, to Carter Hollow Academy. I'm happy to be here with you and I look forward to watching you all grow over the course of this year. I hope that you can all leave this school with the same level of appreciation for it that I did. Have a great year!" 

Stiffly, she stalked off. Surprisingly, enthusiastic applause greeted her departure, far more than Bennet received. After a few minutes with an empty stage, the crowd became restless. 

Bored, Leo heard voices whispering around him, and turned to see if the girl next to him was speaking.

The girl, dressed in Carter Hollow's uniform, had long brown curls. She wore gleaming shoes, but Leo noticed a tiny scuff mark in them. She had been looking at the students behind her, but turned her head as if she felt his gaze. Grey-blue eyes searched his face, and a mixture of excitement and nervousness flitted across her face. 

Embarrassed to be caught staring, Leo quickly nudged her.

"I heard she's the last descendant of the founder. You know, Carter Sparrow," he said.

The girl looked at the stage, then back at him and nodded. "Yeah, I can see that."

"How?"

"You know, same eyebrows."

Her response made Leo laugh. Trying to keep their conversation alive, he gestured vaguely at the multitude around him. "So, I bet you're not one of the regulars."

"What do you mean?" She said sharply.

 Afraid he'd offended her, Leo rushed his reply. "I mean, you're not carrying a fancy purse, or wearing designer clothes, or anything."

A look of annoyance crossed her face, and she groaned. "Is it really that obvious?"

"No...well, kinda," Leo admitted. "But if it makes you feel better, I'm not one of them either."

A grin flashed across the girl's face. "It does, actually."

"I'm Leo Ramirez, sophomore" he said. "I'm looking for an Ivy League school, and earned a scholarship here for my magnificent brain," Leo says mockingly. 

The girl's features relaxed visibly, and she giggled. "Hi, I'm Ariadne Rane, freshman, and looking for the same thing and got here the same way you did." 

Hearing her words, an idea sparked in Leo's head. "Y'know, we could start a study club. We both need our grades to stay here, and to get into a good school," he said. 

"Haha, yeah, we should. Assuming we have enough time outside of homework and stuff."

"Well, I'll see you next Wednesday in the Sparrow Library,  third floor, window section." 

"You're actually serious?!" Ariadne seemed surprised at his suggestion. 

"Sure, why not?" Leo retorted. "We both need all the help we can get." 

Thankfully, another woman soon appeared onstage and informed the crowd thet information packets containing schedules and other papers would soon be delivered. 

            As soon as she dismissed the crowd, Leo dashed out the auditorium, headed to the library. 

-:-

            By four in the afternoon, Leo has explored most of the Carter Hollow's campus. The library had enthralled him, with its aisled filled with thousands of books. Now, after spending most of the afternoon running around in the energy-sapping heat, Leo headed back to his dorm for a refreshing shower. 

            Out of the corner of his eye, Leo spotted Bennet, and the angry woman who trailed behind him. Blackwell was her name, Leo remembered.  Arabella Blackwell.

Suddenly, an irritatingly loud scream broke through the still summer air. More screams followed, causing Bennet to scurry away. Almost unconsciously, Leo tracked Arabella herding dazed parents away. 

His interest piqued, Leo headed to the front office. After all, he reasoned, Bennett told us to head there if we had questions.

As Leo arrived, a girl ran into the office a few seconds before he entered. 

"He's dead!" 

            The sobbing girl was rapidly led away by Arabella. Leo followed, and soon arrived at a tree with a body sprawled underneath. He noticed Bennet and Arabella's hurried conference, hearing a few whispered snatches of conversation. 

"...Murderer on campus...scandal...what they want to hear—an accident."

Shocked, Leo slowly backed away. Despite the heat, chills traveled won his spine as he jogged back to his dorm. 

Once in his room, Leo checked every room, under every bed, and in the closet. Sure it was empty, he finally allowed himself to think.

A murderer was loose on campus, and Leo had no idea if he was next on the murderer's  list.