Chapter Two: Cursed Toys

I couldn’t help but eagerly nod and follow as she walked past the vast tapestries into what looked like common room. We passed many students on the way in, staring at me. I could feel a harsh blush form across my pale cheeks, as I met each set of eyes. Something about the looks they were giving me set me on edge, but I tried to shake it off as I followed closely behind Morgan.

“Don’t worry about them, they’re just curious about you. You’re the new girl, after all,” Morgan said, as if reading my thoughts.

“What happens if the new girl doesn’t want to be checked out?” I mumble out loud, trying to duck my head so I wouldn’t have to see the staring eyes. I was never someone who wanted to be the centre of attention, but I guess that’s what I get since I’m so shiny and new here.

The common room is exactly what it sounded like. There was only one photo on the walls, and it was a portrait of a man holding a scroll, just like the one in the main foyer. It looked as if his eyes watched you where you went in the room, which made me feel uneasy. The room was lined with shelves of books, and multiple couches. The colors were a mix of red and golds. It reminded me of a room straight out of Hogwarts. The fireplace underneath the portrait was what looked like huge marble stones, and I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful it looked.

The students sitting in the common room were less friendly then the ones we passed in the hallway, staring, and whispering to each other as Morgan pulled me passed them through a small door leading to a set of stairs. There was a small alcove before the stairs that had a what looked like a set of figurines and a huge bookshelf.

“Why don’t you wait here? I’ll go find my father,” Morgan said. I nodded at her words and plopped down in one of the seats that faced the chess board. My eyes began getting heavy as I sat in the chair, so I decided to look at the titles in the bookshelf.

They all looked like history books, until I came across a title I knew very well, “The Divine Comedy,” I spoke aloud, trailing my finger down it’s spine. After taking the book from the shelf and sitting back in the chair my eyes drifted down to the set of characters in front of me. The pieces all looked like intricately carved, as my eyes roamed each piece.

It looked as if each peice was a different looking monster, almost as if they meant something. My eyes skimmed through each individual piece falling on the Vampire. I couldn’t help but giggle to myself when I realized what I was looking at. A werewolf, a dragon, a vampire, and a witch. It was the most peculiar figurine set I had ever seen, but also the most one of the most beautiful.

“I’d be careful with those if I were you, I heard it’s cursed.”

I jumped, startled by the unknown voice that spooked me. I put the hand carved piece back down knocking the others in the process and turned to face the unknown person. I was met with the most intense eyes I had ever seen, staring back at me as if they wanted to consume my soul. As soon as my eyes met his, I bowed my head yanking my gaze away from his harsh eyes. I swear I thought his eyes changed colors, but I looked away so fast that I wasn't exactly sure if I was just seeing things.

A huge grin had formed on his face, making my pale skin blush from the small gesture. He had the sharpest jawline I had ever seen, which usually wouldn’t be attractive on a male, but somehow, he made it work. His dark grey eyes looked lifeless, as if there was no one behind them. He was tall, definitely a lot taller then my 5’5 height, and he looked like a wallof muscle. Although he was wearing a thick sweater and jeans, I could see he was built like the gods. Was this guy a student or a teacher?

“Who’s cursed?” I mumble, trying to break this awkward silence between us. He reaches past me, holding up the Vampire peice. He held it inbetween his fingers, running the pad of his thumb up and down the peice as if he was very fond of it. Although he was carved by man, his features did make him look angry. As if he was scowling, “It’s just a carved set of figurines.”

“Your point?” his husky voice asked, "Annabelle was just a toy."

“Do you always think your toys are cursed?” I chuckled, trying to act normal under his heated gaze.

His eyes narrowed at me, causing a shiver to run down my spine. This man oozed of danger, of something dark and yet, I was drawn to whatever it was. Maybe trying to revel in the fact that someones soul could be as dark as mine.

“The more a thing is dangerous, the more it feels pleasure and pain,” he says. I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrow in his direction. There was no way he just quoted my favorite book wrong! Before I could even think of closing my mouth the correction poured out of me.

“Perfect,” I corrected. His eyebrows flew up at me as if asking me a question. His face was a mixture of curiosity, and annoyance.

“The quote. It’s “The more a thing is perfect, the more it feels pleasure and pain,” I said, looking back into his dangerous eyes, “I’ve read this book more times then I can count.”

“Is that so? I like my version better,” he said.

“You like your version even though your version is wrong?” I said, giving him a mocking smile, "That sounds like something a typical man would say."

“I like my version of the quote, especially because it’s wrong.”