As Aleera and I entered, the closing door behind us released a sound of a distant bird which was quickly replaced by a slightly echoing thunderclap when they closed. I look at the corners—at the hinges which are taller than me—and realize the giant gates, like the door Aleera and I just passed through, open inwards. Thick black rings are thrown across the inner surface of the gates, close to the middle.

I look around me in awe. We are thrown inside another world that took the form of a long and tall corridor. If they left the gates open Nibbles could've easily flown us through the length of it. Despite all of the open space inside the cliff, the corridor is surprisingly well-lit. This place must use more crystals than my entire moss. Hanging on iron chains, far above, are wide shallow glass plates brimming with shiny blue and some yellow crystals. Most of them are left in their raw natural form, but there are some spherically carved ones.

Two fat lines of highly polished bronze, in the far upper reaches of the corridor—flanking the sides of the space—deflect the light of the crystals, making the vastness which swallows us feel less...void-like. Together with the ones in carved niches, there are scores upon scores of Cobalts and Ambers lighting the corridor.

While the facade was dull in color this straight maw is alive with it.

Shallow carved decorative arches continue on both sides until the distance devours them—they remind me of the southeastern waterway Aleera and I saw. Well...a little bit anyway. On the undersides of the shallow arches, there are bronze cast flowers neatly arranged to follow the inside curvature of each. Within the tops of most, placed in special nooks far above, bundles of fist-sized fully charged Cobalts shine. Their blue light also spills over the fat lines of the shiny bronze.

Essentially, the sides of the looming entrance corridor are an imitation of a colonnade with shallow carved pillars and polished bronze-clad entablature.

I see the gray sky above me with strange patches of blue. The vivid frescoes of the high vaulted ceiling depict carvings that are not there, giving me the false impression of the open sky. During our stride forward—always forward—I continue to look up at the row of continuing vaults, each with its own colorful mural paintings.

Ahead, three figures draped in violet coats pass to our left. ''Sister,'' one of the women among them nods to Aleera in acknowledgment as the trio continues to move behind.

I look at the space around me. ''Is everything big in this place?'' I notice there is no echo following my voice. I like that.

''Yes, girl. There is a world, deep inside this cliff.'' Aleera notices my parched lips and stops. She then pulls a waterskin out of the bag hanging at her left hip and gives it to me.

''Thank you.'' I haven't drank water in days. I forgot. Even though I'm not that thirsty I gladly take a few sips. I give her back the waterskin and wipe my mouth with the red cloak.

From what I know this corridor leads to the central chamber which is supposedly ″the most magnanimous space of all the Academy,″ if Imani is to be believed. We continue our marching for what seems a smidgen of eternity and my mind starts to escape this...Throat of the cliff?

The tip of my finger runs across the small fluffy pouch of my left ear. Thoughts of home are never far. I'd wish to have brought with me the exquisitely made earrings of Viridian, carved by my father as a gift for my ninth spring but someone might steal them and we are not allowed to bring jewelry with us. I cheated this a little with my bronze fibula which clasps the simple, blood-red, thickly-woven woolen cloak, at my right shoulder. The round, ring-shaped fibula has a sturdy pin whose head is shaped like a lion's one. The head of the lion is no bigger than a nail but highly elaborate, with the addition of two tiny green crystals for the eyes, expertly shaped by my father into spheres. He wanted to sell it, but after noticing how much I liked it he gave it to me. The brooch is a small enameled work of art but it would look plain to most people so I doubt anyone will notice.

After passing through the gullet of this stone monster the corridor ends in a similar way it began, with another large gate and a smaller doorway to the side, leading us to what I assume is its belly.

Goddess Acrona stares at me.

The oversized statue of the Second Daughter stands in the center of a cavernous chamber. Her little toe is bigger than me. The depiction is that of a beautiful woman with wide hips, large breasts, and long ravishing hair. The swaying ocean of the statue's tunic is painted with that blue-green color of turquoise. Masterfully crafted uncharged spherical blue crystals—that must be the size of a small child—are placed in the eye sockets. Father once said that smooth circular shapes are some of the hardest to make without fracturing the crystal and making you end up with nothing but a pile of useless dust. The face of the statue is dignified with a hint of a smile just appearing. Some say if you are an optimist you'll see the smile and if you're a naysayer there is none to be found. I don't know who says that but the manuscript I've read stated so. A small thought occurred to me to say all that to Aleera or ask her if she saw the smile, but then, I thought otherwise.

That is pretty. The sporadic glowing lines across her face are stunning.

''Is that katadron?'' I ask.

The corner of Aleera's mouth quirked up. ''Not bad, girl. You clearly weren't idle months prior to coming here.'' She lifts her chin, looking at the statue. The rock itself has that nice color of the fertile black soil where the most bountiful crops grow. At first glance, there are glowing cracks all over the smooth surface but looks are sometimes deceiving. The cracks are more akin to exposed veins of the flesh—an inseparable part of katadron. These veins have a constant dark blue glow that never dies—their light is mild in strength and pleasing to the eye. ''It is a rock even more valuable than khar-nogoon and far stronger,'' Aleera continues. ''A chunk of it the size of a baby can buy you a nice house. Like all the most precious things in life, katadron is rarer than an honorable man.''

Her last words are met with my blank stare.

''Ignore my bitter tongue, girl. Old people always tend to say one word too many,'' Aleera notes.

''You don't look old to me,'' I say.

Aleera just looks at me as if expecting laughter to burst out of my face. Moments later her mood seems to improve. ''Your parents raised a good daughter.'' She hesitates before continuing. Carefully choosing her next words. ''I know this is not easy for you nor your parents,'' she puts a hand on my right shoulder, her eyes bore into me. ''It can't be. But know that the Academy serves a pivotal purpose. You will understand one day. My words feel empty to you now but that doesn't make them any less true. You will understand.''

I know the exact purpose of this place. Everyone does. But I suspect Aleera talks about the fairness of it all. For me to be taken away from my home, and my entire future to be chained with responsibility and service I did not choose. When she says, ''You will understand,'' she really means ''You will accept your fate...eventually.''

I give her a tiny smile. ''Thank you, Sister. When my mother visited your temple she spoke about how helpful you were. You must forgive my father, though. He works so hard and---''

''There is nothing to forgive girl,'' Aleera cuts me off. She looks in the distance, to the south of the statue—at least I think that's the south, it's hard to say inside this place. ''Time is never kind. To pretty girls or old women. That means you and I should hurry up. We need to move on.''

I clear my throat. ''Of course.''

We march on and I can't stop gaping everywhere with that lost look of a person that is obviously here for the first time. Aleera read my face and told me this place is called the Great Chamber and that almost all the main corridors are leading to it. This again reminds me of what our neighbor Imani told me and my mom—that this is the biggest space in the entire Academy. Despite Imani's words, my eyes did not expect to see all this open expanse. Why does it feel like we're outside?

I scratch the side of my throat and continue to inspect my new antihome. Directly above the statue, the center of the sky-wide dome is crowned with giant Cobalt. Even at this distance, the beauty of the blue crystal is undiminished. This Alldora-wide dome is left naked except for the bluish light bathing the swirling lines of blushing pink sandstone, exposing the innards of natural rock far above. It must be one of the largest crystals there is although it's hard to judge due to distance and bright light. There are scores of decently-sized, mostly six-faceted, Cobalts and Ambers around Aleera and me but none, none of them come even close to the shining blue eye above.

How do they possibly charge it? Aleera must have noticed me saunter behind, and throw an occasional stare upwards so she accommodatingly answers the unvoiced question. Apparently, my face is an open manuscript for her. ''Hidden high up in the facade are two wide passageways.'' Aleera looks up for a moment, regarding the large blue crystal with fondness, before the bright light makes her look sideways. ''They have sheets of polished silver inside them that channel the pale sunlight towards the large Cobalt, in the hours past midday.'' For some reason, she looks at me with eyes full of compassion. ''Come along now, you will have plenty of time to absorb the sights.''

The effect on my eyes is annoying as I try to blink away the hazy afterimage.

Hmm...never doubt your neighbor. My head swings left to right as I soak in the hidden world around me. Goddess. The height of the dome may not be anything near to that of the facade, nonetheless, the long Winged that brought us here wouldn't have complained at the scale of these chromatic skies. A thick ring of highly polished bronze—several times thicker than the straight fat lines of the corridor—traces the base of the main dome and helps reflect the light of Great Chamber's many crystals. Most of them give away a delightful blue-colored hue but there is a decent amount of Ambers and even Viridians. Not to mention that blazing blue eye at sky-dome's apex.

We are deep inside the cliff but it does not feel like it.

Metallic sheen of reflected crystal light snaps my attention back toward the Second Daughter. Acrona's long hair is clad with alamarium panels. Polished to a silvery shine, it rivals the splendor of even the largest waterfalls that Nibbles showed us. Thousands of swords could be made from her ''hair.'' I've heard that the Academy would occasionally let some of the worshipers come and pray to Acrona at the bottom of the statue.

At the moment no one is praying, though. Smallish clusters of people are lost in this expanse. There must be over a hundred—if I count the space above the ground level. More. I almost didn't notice the guards, somehow the red-cloaked bastards know how to look like statues. I mostly ignore all the people in the Great Chamber since studying the layout of these dungeons takes precedence.

The floor is made of large squares which combine to form a seemingly never ending horizontal plane with ripple-like patterns of mostly white and gray. While lagging behind Aleera I notice a circle of pale red stone on the floor, dozens of strides wide, surrounded by much smaller ones, each of which with its own distinctive tint of green, red, and gray. All of the circles are framed in a square of inlaid night-black stone making them stand out even more in this ocean of white-gray.

I look up again. Below the height of the unpainted main central dome is a total of nine, much smaller but still gargantuan, half-domes with golden mosaics depicting scaly, feathery, and downy familiars and animals with what seem to be artificial plants. They create additional semicircular partly darkened spaces dotted with crystal-holding nooks and silver sconces everywhere around me. The farthest ones are nothing more than distant blue fireflies hugging the rock. Not all are shiny. Instead of gold, few of these half-domes have frescoes—on a far larger scale than the vaults of the corridor. I strain my eyes to see more. Again with that nice blue color interrupted with patches of pure white.

The vast space of the chamber itself spills over into a continuation of a sprawling mezzanine, not really that high above Aleera and me. Higher up are more balconies and passageways.

The priestess guides me from the prodigious chamber to a place below the mezzanine where I hand over all I brought with me to a young man sitting at a wide sturdy desk. A tall guard on my left swoops in and in no time at all starts to roughly sort through my stuff like an animal. He would be more careful with the satchel if it was his. Roughneck!

The young man said that whatever is allowed will be sorted and sent back to me later.

Aleera nods me to the side. She scratches her left gloved hand. Only now I notice she never took them off. ''I've already said what I wanted to say.'' Aleera looks at me with stone-cold eyes. ''Goodbye, girl.''

''Goodbye.'' That is all I manage to say. The priestess then leaves without any hesitation.

After that, I'm left on my own.

For a time I further survey the space around me and small hammers begin smashing onto the inside of my skull. I notice other girls and boys close to my age are clearly scared and reserved. Smiles that don't touch the eyes, a slight slouch, the way of talking, breathing—when people are nervous they begin to breathe through their mouths more—all make a hill of clues as I read the room like a chunky book. They don't want to be here any more than I do.

I notice a pretty girl standing alone. I'm surprised a boy or a few girls are not around her, although the entire atmosphere here is far from jovial. After standing alone in this large space for some time and a half, a certain disquiet in my chest forces my legs to move.

I look closer at her face. Unlike my bright green eyes, hers are a much darker shade. The sort of eyes some people have that always seem to be smiling. Her straight, daffodil-yellow hair is tied at the back of her head with two side tresses framing a nice face. She notices me staring so I smile and wave awkwardly. Idiot. She waves back. I'm a genius.

After promenading toward her we clasp each other's forearms and I make an attempt to present the question as sort of a joke. ''Tell me, are you petrified?'' I fail miserably. Goddess, take me. That was so bad.

She stares at my shoulder for a few annoying moments. Her smile is tiny, like Acrona's, and honest looking. ''Hi. I'm Hebe Idunn,'' for some reason her voice is lowered and guarded.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

I was careful not to make my grip too tight. ''Hi. Anaya but call me Ann.'' Void's curse! I should've added my last name.

Hebe nods a tiny bit too eagerly and looks around us. ''I think we all are.'' Nice of her to answer my pathetic-joke-question.

''Did a Winged bring you here?'' I ask

''No, I was on a boat pulled by an Aquatic.'' She has a charming green cloak and nicely woven white tunic. Her fine leather sandals look brand new.

''Did it take long?'' Am I asking too many questions? Void's arse, that was another question.

''It wasn't as long as I thought it would be.'' Hebe's answer interrupts my rambling chain of thoughts. We continue to talk about our homes, families, and other mundane things of that sort. While she speaks I keep thinking of new questions or topics...to avoid awkward silence. Despite me being half a head taller I found out she is a year older than me and comes from the northern part of Lodestar. After Hebe's test was positive and she was proven to be one of the ''Blessed ones'' it seems her parents took that decently well.

I look around me. For some reason, most of us whisper and talk as if we were sharing the world's greatest secrets. The overall mood of other children in the Great Chamber is more befitting a funeral.

Hebe looked up at the mezzanine, roughly toward the direction I was now glancing. ''Do you know who she is?'' She points her chin at two people surveying us all. A tall woman and an elderly man. There is also a man-sized eagle perched at the thick handrail to the woman's right—it is the only familiar I've seen so far inside the Great Chamber.

I lift my arm at the woman above. ''You mean her?''

''Don't point with your hand.'' Hebe almost whispers. ''Sorry, but it draws attention and the person knows you are talking about them.''

It seems the duo above didn't notice us at all. I do the thing with my eyes, that I promised Mom I won't do ever again, and focus on the woman that seems to unnerve Hebe.

She is tall with brown eyes and matching skin. Her large bulk of braided hair falls back to waist level. Nice full lips, and a highly symmetrical face. Relatively smooth skin for a woman in her forties. Some women are really good at hiding their age but their eyes never lie. I'm really good at that, telling someone's age with an error of maybe plus maybe minus a few years. I spotted the intricate tattoos on her neck and her right hand when she pet the eagle. Hmm...the creature must be hers. She looks akin to a mistress of her own palace, regarding the guests with mild interest. Spotless black coat, unbuttoned, reveals purple shirt. It is hard to find a flaw on her, except maybe that cold stare. She has the bearing of those pillars in front of the middle gate—and is somehow more imposing than that eagle. I can understand Hebe's reluctance at being noticed by her.

''Yeah...I wasn't thinking,'' I say.

''That is Chairwoman Amina Zaria.'' Hebe continues, locking her eyes back to mine. ''She is basically a consul in all but name. Supposedly the Chairwoman is the only one allowed to have more than three battle familiars.'' As Hebe continues to talk about Amina and her relationship with the Senate I try to focus my hearing on the two people above.

Crap, I'm not that good. Need to practice more. What are they saying?

''The first year looks strong,'' Chairwoman Amina Zaria notes. Her human-sized familiar was on the balustrade, next to her looking down on the students with contempt.

''I recall a time we had a class of at least forty students.'' Archmaster Pinarius was a man in his late sixties. Despite being hairless at the top he grew his pure white side hair long. Wild silver-gray eyebrows, warm eyes, and a long beard gave him the look of a loving grandfather. Even though standing on Chairwoman's left-hand side, Archmaster Pinarius was her right hand and an old friend.

''Quality over quantity, Metion,'' Chairwoman said while petting her eagle.

Archmaster Pinarius looks at the future students below. ''Hmm...too soon to tell. They look like baby lambs, just taken from the ewe's udder.''

''They will be weaned soon enough.'' She looks at the far distance, toward the closed inner gates.

Archmaster clears his throat. ''Some of the lambs have lions for parents. It would be wise---''

Chairwoman Zaria's gaze stops him from continuing. ''They are in the same pen now...you stubborn old man.'' Her last words held no malice and were said in a tone used between family members or, as is the case now, between a ruler of an underground kingdom and her closest advisor-friend. While they continued their private conversation a strange and rude little lamb, standing down below, kept trying to listen in.

To the Void with it. I give Hebe back my full attention. After talking to her some more I learned she knows a surprising amount about spices. My nose instinctively wrinkles for a moment.

She suddenly looks ahead at one approaching guard. ''It's time.''

Before I can ask her to elaborate, seven additional guards begin to surround us.

We are herded like sheep into one cluster of scared children. I look up. Acrona's stare has no pity for us. Our group numbers a total of twenty-five, thirteen of which are girls.

''Boys over there,'' a heavyset Crimson Guard member in his forties points to his left. ''Girls move here.'' He points to the other side. After a little commotion and ''gentle'' guidance from the other seven spear-holding brutes, we are divided. He then tells us to wait.

About twenty paces away, a man in blue says something to the boys and then takes them away.

A young woman smashes her hands together with loud clapping that grabs all of our attention. Just when I thought she would start addressing us an elderly woman, appearing out of nowhere, stands next to her and starts talking instead. The twelve girls around me are so quiet I can hear their lightly-quivering breaths.

''My name is Leto Vitellia. I'm one of the caretakers of this place.'' Like so many people I've seen at the Academy, she also wears a smooth dark-blue woolen surcoat over her white tunic. In her right hand she holds a simple iron lantern with a single shining, adult-fist-sized Cobalt, firmly fixed inside the casing. ''Over the next weeks and months we will get to know each other well enough. For now, all you need to know is this: respect others of my ilk and me so that your stay here is lambswool-smooth. Now follow me and try not to get lost.''

A voidload of staircases and a plethora of corridors combined to form a labyrinth of twists and turns that led us to the main classrooms we need to memorize. Carvings of signs and arrows on the walls reduce the possibility of getting lost—I mean...they help a little bit but during the near future I intend to follow the other students while at the same time pretending to know this place like I know the roof of my home.

After being shown where the classrooms are, and a few other main spots of interest like the communal showering cavern, The Hall, and the latrine, we are nearing the dormitory. All of us are told that within a few weeks, we will quickly learn where the other facilities and amenities are—especially outside ones.

''Obviously, we had to divide you into male and female quarters. You are only to mix during classes,'' Vitellia tells us. She keeps talking about this place with great reverence. I ignore her words about the history of the Academy since I've read most of that stuff.

I think about everything I've seen so far and wonder why so many large chambers and even some smaller rooms in this place have a dome-like ceiling. Most classrooms shown to us seemed unprepared for classes and were in complete darkness—the light of the Caretaker Vitellia's crystal lantern wasn't nearly enough for me to see deeper inside. She mostly focused on showing us the entry door and the numbers carved on them. The tour is unimpressive and somehow seems to have made me feel more disoriented. I'm not a mole.

''Once the classes start the classrooms and corridors leading to them will light up more than stripling's eyes at seeing honeyed figs,'' the older woman guiding us had said.

As our group is walking through what I believe is our seventy-seventh corridor of rock, four women wearing bronze helmets and holding steel-tipped spears are passing to our left—they might as well be passing a cockroach cemetery for the amount of heed they paid us. Their red cloaks sway behind them, almost kissing the floor. This area of the mole kingdom has mostly female members of the Crimson Guard. I don't know whether to be comforted or unnerved by that.

Do people ever shut up? My ears easily pick up the soft susurration coming in a form of neverending periodic waves from a dozen girls around me.

''...When are we going to eat?...''

''...Zuri, look at that. I told you...''

''...It doesn't look so bad...''

''...The old woman doesn't shut up...''

''...Lower your voice...''

''...They took all my things...''

''...What is Red's last name?...''

Enough. Something in their voices...I can't say it scared me but they remind me of myself. That's not really shocking. I instinctively lower my ability to hear. There was a time, not so long ago, when the world around me was screaming in my ear but I've learned how to turn those screams to whispers or snuff them out completely. With the same ease of someone lifting their arm. It's effortless.

Our squad climbs the last set of carved stairs and finally walks into the dormitory—this is after traversing the, oh I don't know, the seventy-eighth corridor. Caretaker Vitellia ushers us inside and I take in the layout.

I did not expect this. Which is stupid of me considering what I've seen so far. The space is immense and nicely lit with the pleasant glow of fully charged Cobalts. There are long twelve faceted ones, spherical, slightly crooked in raw form, bundles of nail-sized crystals all clustered in one spot, carved into an egg shape, double-terminated, raw clusters of them, pebble-shaped and so on. Together they provide more than just what would be considered reading light; not the brightness of the day, perhaps, but not that far off either.

I wonder if my neck will hurt from constantly looking up. The vaulted ceiling of the dormitory reminds me a little of that giant corridor Aleera and I went through. All that space above my head will never be used but I like this expanse, for some reason.

It is a rectangular room, with mostly just beds really. There are about twenty chairs, and dozens of small tables arranged around the spacious clearing in the center or tucked in the distant corners. Each table is enough for one or two students to use. The top opens up for additional storage. Some of them are left open. Same as with chairs there are twenty beds in total, all equally spaced, with plenty of room for twice as many.

Ah!

Out of nowhere, three apparitions appear. The three young women start to hand out fat iron keys to all the girls. I forgot they were trailing us.

''Do not lose those.'' Our elderly guide begins. ''Look at your number at the grip. Find your chest and you found your bed.'' Most of us just stand in the middle of the dormitory, unsure of what to do, like calves who just lost their mother.

''Move it!'' One of the three younger women yelled. The same one that was clapping loudly before Vitellia first spoke. It was a crude but effective way to snap us into action.

The large key has a pleasant weight in my hand. Nine. There is a hefty stonewood chest at the end of each bed. I notice a few girls are already unlocking and rummaging through theirs. That didn't take long. I scratch my eyebrow and move to do the same.

My bed is roughly in the middle of the room. I regard the straw-filled mattress with slight disdain before removing the cute fibula and throwing my red cloak on the bed. The air of the dormitory is surprisingly brisk and not far from pleasant.

After a satisfying click-clack I open my chest to find coats, tunics, spare clothes, wax tablets, a golden stylus, wide strips of linen, and there is even some parchment tucked in the compartment at the inside of the lid. It was kinda hidden so I showed Hebe where to find it after locking back the chest.

''Thank you,'' Hebe says. She got bed number thirteen. ''Look under your bed.''

There are several pairs of sandals, two pairs of reddish-brown tall boots—that seem like would fit very snugly around my feet—below each bed. Also, a simple clay pot is placed closer to the chest.

''Welcome to the Academy girls.'' I almost forgot Caretaker Vitellia was here. I stand up and glance to the side. The look in Hebe's eyes is similar to that of the other eleven girls. They remind me of pretty little birds stuck in a cage.

One of those three women that gave us the keys whispers something in Vitellia's ear as she passes next to her. ''All are present.''

Vitellia nods. ''We will speak more later,'' she continues addressing us. ''Now is the time for you to talk to each other and slowly settle.'' Her eyes carom from one girl to the next while she speaks. ''The time you should use well for it will not be tolerated during bedtime. In the next few days, you will get things which you brought here from home.'' Caretaker Vitellia moves toward the exit. ''If...they passed the inspection of course.'' She waits for the three young women to leave before closing the new-looking door behind her.

After she leaves we are left all alone for hours before bedtime. They want us to get to know each other and adjust to new surroundings—that's my guess anyway. I'm in no mood to talk to anyone and so I further inspect the room instead.

Near the ceiling height, there are strange rabbit-sized holes, placed in various places around the dormitory. They are easy to miss, but I noticed other rooms had them too. The latrines especially had many. Most of the chambers shown to us had blue and green murals showing imaginary landscapes and animals. Dormitory is no different. Fitting the theme of this whole place, there is a mural of a grotto with calm turquoise water in the background and lush green plants smudging the dark-gray rock. Placed above my bed.

Our time together was only interrupted when two female guards came. Sent by Caretaker Vitellia. They gave us all a decent amount of time to use the latrines since apparently walking the corridors during the night is not tolerated. It was really weird having an armed escort while going to piss. An arrangement we are told is only temporary until we learn the layout.

After we came back I didn't bother talking to other girls, except Hebe. Fact which I will have to rectify in future days—my mom told me not to stand out in any way, and I will listen, just not today. Or is it tonight? It has to be dark outside. This place is so disorientating.

Again, unease in my legs causes me to move and I prowl to see our schedule pinned on a large board at the end of the dormitory. I could practice my eyes and try to read it all the way from near my bed but that would probably make me look weird. Two other girls are standing near the brown-green board. I ignore them.

The way I understood it from Imani is that if we don't pass certain classes this year they will follow us into the next like a bag of rocks. This can't be right. Strange. The schedule looks like something largely taken from a military academy in Lodestar. Why such a heavy focus on the physical aspect? I don't even care anymore. Physically I feel exceptional but my mind laughs at that. How can I feel tired and not be tired at the same time?

I move back, to sit on my bed—the Trashy Nine. Perhaps that's not really fair since all the beds in the dormitory possess similar levels of trashiness. My fingers twiddle with the folds of the cloak and then the fibula.

I need a distraction. I look up and focus my eyes. Murals are not everywhere and there are areas in the upper reaches of the wall where striking soft red-lined patterns of rock mix with the shine of the blue crystals. I'm surprised at how large the dormitory is. It is a cold-looking place but vast. No...it is a cold-feeling place. That doesn't make sense. A hidden sigh passes my lips. I keep my chin up and look straight so I can portray the face of someone perfectly at ease. Like all this is just a routine—a minor inconvenience really.

Beyond the murmurs around me—which for some strange reason I've allowed become my background noise—I can barely hear walking in the corridor outside. Moments later the door to the right of my bed opened. The young trio of women caretakers is back. In no time at all, they begin collecting all the crystals in the dormitory into wide, white-brown baskets made of the wisteria vine.

''Girls. Girls.'' One of the three women started, quieting the room. This time she is not yelling at us. ''It's time for dream hunting. After the last of the Cobalts are removed there will be no more talking. No noise. Otherwise, we will have to disturb Caretaker Vitellia to come and quiet you all.'' She is odd. The woman is in her early twenties but talks with an air of authority and confidence that makes her words hard to ignore. Since she never bothered giving us her name I'm gonna call her Rings because she has more than a few of those choking her black hair. ''If you give respect you will receive it,'' Rings continues. ''Yelling, arguing, stealing, fighting, or any other way of disrespecting this place is rewarded with two nights sleeping completely alone on bare rock—in the deepest dungeons, the Academy has to offer. Minimum. Prove that your group has more discipline than the boys do and do not embarrass yourselves.'' Clever. The male students are probably told the same about us. Using threats of punishment, sort of hidden competition between us and boys, and potential for embarrassment all to make the students behave.

The other two women don't say anything and strut into the corridor, taking the last of the shining blue crystals with them. Their crystal-filled baskets are held with both hands in front. The thirteen of us are left in almost total darkness, with only the small light coming through the open door and the corridor outside.

''Now would be a good time for all of you to move to your beds.'' Rings then swings to mosey toward the other two women—the light of the crystals gleams across the metallic bindings of her long mane. She waits a good few moments in the doorway. ''For minor emergencies in the night, you have a pot below the bed which you will empty in the morning.'' She grabs the door handle. ''Goodnight girls.''

''Goodnight,'' our lukewarm voices chant to the growing darkness. The closing door consumes the last sliver of light and the thirteen of us prepare for sleep.

I lie on my bed of straw and the moment my head touches the also straw pillow my mind takes me to my own feathery-stuffed one. Sometimes a feather or two would push through to poke at my cheek but it was a tiny sacrifice for the snugly comfort it gave me. At this very moment, I wish to scream like a zero-year-old just to get it back. As always, I will probably spend most of the night awake. Despite the darkness, I will lie still, close my eyes, and slow down my breathing. Yes, it is a bit excessive but, like Mom said: ''Details make it perfect.''

Not long after the last of the glowing chunky Cobalts are taken away, I start hearing some sobbing in the dark. Somewhere to the left, another girl is quietly singing. They are both shushed by the girl around my right. I close my eyes and think of home.