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Book: Academia of the Beast: A Dark Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by K.N. Lee
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Authors: K.N. Lee
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bowed in prayer.
Sister Margaret stormed over and slapped Allyn so hard that she was nearly knocked out.
“Tomorrow,” Sister Margaret said, heaving. “We call the priest.”
A LLYN WOKE UP in a pool of sweat that made her clothes cling to her body. The nightmares were back, and she couldn’t shake the dread that filled her entire body. Those memories had been tucked deep into the darkest crevices of her mind, yet they sometimes came back, ready to ruin any hopes for happiness.
She never told her father about her treatment. She kept that secret to spare him any more pain than he already had. Still, those nights in the darkness of the well would forever haunt her. She had yet to see or experience anything more terrifying.
She sat up, greeted by an eerie darkness that made her skin crawl. The silence that surrounded her was unnerving, and it was cold. Her breath puffed from her lips in a fog before her face.
This was the second time she’d woken up in a stranger’s bed, and fear settled in much quicker when she realized that she had no clue where she was.
She pulled thick covers from beneath her chin and sat up. A screeching sound came from outside, and her eyes shot to the large oval window that looked out to the wintry outdoors.
It’s just the wind, Allyn told herself as she looked around the room decorated with expensive furniture that looked as if it belonged to another time. Vintage, elaborate, and beautiful. She realized that the bed she was in had a black canopy with sheer white drapes that cascaded around the top of the bed frame.
The large bedroom was the size of the apartment she’d shared with Byron. From the moonlight that shone onto her from between the open crimson drapes, it appeared to have a vanity and a sitting room with two chairs facing a small library.
Allyn pulled her shirt from her chest to let air circulate and cool her. Her throat was dry, and her head pounded.
Where am I? She looked down at the white shirt she wore instead of the sweater and jeans she remembered wearing.
She tensed when someone turned the knob of the bedroom door. She looked around for a place to hide, panic setting in as she realized that there wasn’t a closet, only a tall ornate wardrobe and that she didn’t have the time to run to it and hide.
The door opened, and Allyn pulled the covers up when a slim older woman peeked in on her. Her white hair was pulled up in a tight bun at her nape, and she wore a black dress that went to her feet.
“You’re awake,” the woman said as she stepped into the room and turned on the lights.
Allyn winced at the sudden brightness. “I am. Who are you?” She licked her lips, uncertain if she should be afraid or grateful.
She folded her hands before her as she stood at the edge of the bed. “I am Calinda,” the woman said, as Allyn noticed that her eyes were a bit too bright to be natural.
She wanted a closer look, to see why Calinda’s eyes seemed to be white. Her hand covered her mouth as Calinda moved closer to her, her body floating above the ground, translucence to her body that sent chills up Allyn’s spine.
Her face paled and she froze. “You’re a ghost.” Heart thumping in her chest, she wasn’t sure what to make of the supernatural being before her.
Calinda smiled. “I am. We all are. The staff and guards, that is.”
“What is this place? How did I get here?”
“Calm down,” Calinda said, her emotionless eyes peering at her in the darkness. “You are safe.”
“Where is Byron? Please tell me or I will scream.”
“Scream? But, what would that do?”
The ghost before her didn’t seem moved by Allyn’s show of fear or her threats.
“The master will explain everything to you, miss. It’s best that you just keep calm and wait until all things are explained. No need to fret, dear.”
Allyn shivered, suddenly more afraid of the dark than she’d ever been. She’d heard voices since she was a child, but to see a ghost...
Had she gone
Sister Margaret stormed over and slapped Allyn so hard that she was nearly knocked out.
“Tomorrow,” Sister Margaret said, heaving. “We call the priest.”
A LLYN WOKE UP in a pool of sweat that made her clothes cling to her body. The nightmares were back, and she couldn’t shake the dread that filled her entire body. Those memories had been tucked deep into the darkest crevices of her mind, yet they sometimes came back, ready to ruin any hopes for happiness.
She never told her father about her treatment. She kept that secret to spare him any more pain than he already had. Still, those nights in the darkness of the well would forever haunt her. She had yet to see or experience anything more terrifying.
She sat up, greeted by an eerie darkness that made her skin crawl. The silence that surrounded her was unnerving, and it was cold. Her breath puffed from her lips in a fog before her face.
This was the second time she’d woken up in a stranger’s bed, and fear settled in much quicker when she realized that she had no clue where she was.
She pulled thick covers from beneath her chin and sat up. A screeching sound came from outside, and her eyes shot to the large oval window that looked out to the wintry outdoors.
It’s just the wind, Allyn told herself as she looked around the room decorated with expensive furniture that looked as if it belonged to another time. Vintage, elaborate, and beautiful. She realized that the bed she was in had a black canopy with sheer white drapes that cascaded around the top of the bed frame.
The large bedroom was the size of the apartment she’d shared with Byron. From the moonlight that shone onto her from between the open crimson drapes, it appeared to have a vanity and a sitting room with two chairs facing a small library.
Allyn pulled her shirt from her chest to let air circulate and cool her. Her throat was dry, and her head pounded.
Where am I? She looked down at the white shirt she wore instead of the sweater and jeans she remembered wearing.
She tensed when someone turned the knob of the bedroom door. She looked around for a place to hide, panic setting in as she realized that there wasn’t a closet, only a tall ornate wardrobe and that she didn’t have the time to run to it and hide.
The door opened, and Allyn pulled the covers up when a slim older woman peeked in on her. Her white hair was pulled up in a tight bun at her nape, and she wore a black dress that went to her feet.
“You’re awake,” the woman said as she stepped into the room and turned on the lights.
Allyn winced at the sudden brightness. “I am. Who are you?” She licked her lips, uncertain if she should be afraid or grateful.
She folded her hands before her as she stood at the edge of the bed. “I am Calinda,” the woman said, as Allyn noticed that her eyes were a bit too bright to be natural.
She wanted a closer look, to see why Calinda’s eyes seemed to be white. Her hand covered her mouth as Calinda moved closer to her, her body floating above the ground, translucence to her body that sent chills up Allyn’s spine.
Her face paled and she froze. “You’re a ghost.” Heart thumping in her chest, she wasn’t sure what to make of the supernatural being before her.
Calinda smiled. “I am. We all are. The staff and guards, that is.”
“What is this place? How did I get here?”
“Calm down,” Calinda said, her emotionless eyes peering at her in the darkness. “You are safe.”
“Where is Byron? Please tell me or I will scream.”
“Scream? But, what would that do?”
The ghost before her didn’t seem moved by Allyn’s show of fear or her threats.
“The master will explain everything to you, miss. It’s best that you just keep calm and wait until all things are explained. No need to fret, dear.”
Allyn shivered, suddenly more afraid of the dark than she’d ever been. She’d heard voices since she was a child, but to see a ghost...
Had she gone
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