The Story of Aminnie: The First Night
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Over the obsidian water, the full moon shone bright, reflecting upon the cool streams surrounding Wyndham Academy at each side of its foundation. Its exterior was dark brown, with wooden alcoves between its brick structures. One of these was his window, quietly hidden among the rest of the dormitory panes. The glass looked dark, but it reflected a bit of yellow light from the turrets shining above. There was a tapping sound that came from behind it.
On the other side, Vincenzo was putting his fingernails into the edges of the frame, removing the protective sheet between himself and the glass. The plastic clanked against the wall, and he turned his head, wondering if the people on the other side of the wall had heard it.
You might be wondering why he hadn’t opened the window with the more easy option of magic. His shadows were weak now though, after the magic he had conducted earlier in the day. Plus, the plastic was phobic to his powers, reverberating them off of the protective shield. Not many others had them at the academy, he knew that, but Vincenzo was one of the few students who were required to have them. Not because he disobeyed the headmaster, but because he had… a bad track record outside of school. Silly Adrian Dear, however, had made the mistake of thinking that making it magic proof would deter Vincenzo. Who was he kidding, it just needed to be pushed down, then pulled at an angle. Any mere mortal could pull it off.
With one last hitch of the material, Vincenzo had gotten the filter out. He slid it out gently, then placed the thing reclined back on the wall below the window. He placed his hands on the little ledge it had, and raised his body, swinging over, and placing a hand on the rim to jump down. His feet met the ground with a thud, and then he straightened his back, taking in the array of bricks that made up the roof. Before going, he checked his pockets to see if he had brought his flask with him, patting his pants lightly. He remembered his flask had stayed in the pocket of his jacket, though, and he pulled it out of there, taking a swig as he looked back, where his eyes scanned the dormitory windows to confirm that no one saw him.
In the distance, he noticed a light was on in one of the other rooms. Weird, he thought. But because he had already gotten out of the window, he only waited a few more seconds before proceeding. He walked a tiny bit down the flatter part of the roof, and then got to one of the angular portions, where he intended to step with one foot directly in front of the other. But before he put his foot down, he heard a window open, causing him to freeze.
Shit, he thought, and then turned around, hoping he wasn’t caught.
In the window, a brown-skinned woman appeared to be sneaking out just like he was, practicing similar steps as he had, except probably without the protective shield on the window. He could not quite make out her face against the light, but her silhouette was very beautiful. She had a thin, tall frame, with curves that looked defined even from the distance. She wore clothes that looked like she might be going out, too, hugging her skin tightly. She had on a dark green turtleneck; the color of an emerald hidden in shadows, and a small but rigid black skirt over dark tights. Tilting her head down as she managed her exit, he could only see her hair, which was dark with lots of volume.
He stayed quiet for the moment, staying calm because he knew the woman at the window was likely a student, but still observing to see what she did. He had to admit he was a bit intruiged by he, especially since her window was only a few spaces away from his. Had a pretty girl managed to sneak her way into the nightshade brotherhood?
As suspected, she hopped up on to the window, swinging her legs over one by one, and then she sat, looking for how she might get down from the slight drop. She still hadn’t noticed Vincenzo’s presence.
“Careful, you don’t want Adrian to catch you,” he broke the silence, teasing her with the implication that they were currently in the same boat. Taking a step closer so she could see him with her bedroom light. “And how come you sleep in the umbra coven, miss?”
Long ass scene (Amani and fiance must read)
Today marked a remarkable event in the halls of the Monet abode, where an air thick with anticipation and gravity enveloped the family’s gathering. This was to be Amani’s first year at the university, at Ninth house and she was just 18 as she found herself amidst a whirlwind of preparations, ensconced within the lavish confines of their estate.
“Dear, don’t forget your designer’s belt,” her mother began, delicately placing it inside the luggage. “It is your 45th favorite, after all.” Her eldest brother added, “And your books,” carefully arranging them in the suitcase.
“And your—” Her sister started, but Amani cut her off with a firm, “Ok, Ok! I think I have packed more than enough.” She looked around at her bustling family with a small smile, and the butler, discreetly zipping up her brimming luggage, muttered, ‘Thank God, these bags are filled to their core.’
Imani Kitto Monet, her father, approached, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I think one of the bags can still fit one thing more. Isn’t that right, Geofrey?” Amani turned to her father, who held a mysterious gift. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. “We are all going to miss you, sweetheart. The house is empty without you.”
Amani’s eyes shimmered with a mix of excitement and nostalgia as she took the slender, elegantly wrapped box from her father. “What’s this?” she inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity.
“It’s something very special, something to keep you grounded and remind you of home,” her father replied, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled.
The butler, Geofreyy, raised an eyebrow at Amani’s father, signaling that there was, indeed, room for another item in the meticulously packed luggage. Amani’s eyes lit up with curiosity as her father presented a slender, leather-bound tome. It was an old family journal, passed down through generations, filled with the secrets, achievements, and, inevitably, the burdens of the Monet lineage.
“I thought you might find this interesting,” her father said, his eyes reflecting the solemnity of their family history. Amani accepted the gift, fingers tracing the intricate patterns on the cover. As she opened it, the yellowed pages whispered tales of forbidden knowledge, family alliances, and ancient rituals. Each entry was a confession, a piece of the Monet legacy etched in ink.
Amani closed the journal. Her eyes dull as she kept looking down at it, so her family would not see her expression. When she saw that her father had a gift for her, she was expecting or more like wanted jewels, not this. Another reminder that she had a legacy to continue, another reminder of where she came from. When she looked back up at her father’s proud face, her expression brightened, it was fake but of course her family did not know. “Thank you, Thank you so much daddy, but you didn’t have to” She said as she clutched the book to her chest as if truly in love with it. Her family, oblivious to her true feelings of the journal, beamed with pride.
Geofreyy, the butler, discreetly signaled to Amani’s father, suggesting it was time for the final touches on the luggage. Amani’s mother, brothers, and sister continued their well-intentioned bustling.
As the last zipper was closed and the luggage stood ready for the journey, Amani’s father held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Remember, Amani, you carry the legacy of the Monet name. This journal has been a guide for generations. Atticus had it, Marium had it, Francis had it, now you and remember” He bent down to whisper something into her ear and Amani nodded. He enveloped her in a warm, tight embrace, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke, “Oh, my little girl, I’m going to miss you so much. Do you really want to go to Ninth house? You could-”
“No, no. I think I shall like it at Ninth house, Marium, Atticus and Francis all went, I want to go to.” it was also the fact that Amani wanted to be far away from the house for a while, to have more freedom and to not be constantly reminded of him. Speaking of him- Azrial entered the room, wrapping his arms around Amani waist, as he rested his chin against on her shoulder. Kissing her shoulder, causing a dissaproving glance from her father and making Azriel reluctantly released his face from her shoulder, offering an apologetic glance in response. “Sorry, Sir,” Azriel said, smiling down at Amani as he kissed her forehead. “I’m just going to miss my wife,” Wife, there was a lot of emphasis he placed on that word as he stared down at Amani, while Amani gave him a fake smile,making him laugh, seeing the obvious disapproval on her face.
“What’s so funny?” Atticus asked, crossing his arms as he stared at Azriel. He liked Azriel, truly he did, Azriel was a good kid, and Atticus like his father and his mother thought he was good for Amani- and good for the family, just like everyone else- everyone except Amani herself of course. But that did not mean he still did not feel uncomfortable, seeing his youngest sister who to his eyes was still just a little kid, having a fiance.
Azriel chuckled, "Oh, nothing much, just teasing my wife about how she will miss me terrible once she’s off to Ninth house. Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you “Mani?” she had never been sure of something more in her life.
Amani smiled at him, “But then how will I ever get the chance to miss you?” She asked, “Talking about missing, Azriel how about we go outside and have a talk?” Amani asked, a small fond smile on her face. He grinned mischievously, catching onto her implication. [/color] “Oh, I see what you’re getting at,” he replied with a suggestive wink. “Sure, let’s go outside and have a talk.” He emphasized the word ‘talk’ with a suggestive tone.
As they stepped outside into the crisp air of the estate’s garden, Amani turned to Azriel with a glare, her expression hardened with resentment. “And what do you think you were doing inside the manor, Azriel?” she demanded, her tone sharp and accusatory.
Azriel’s grin faltered, and for a moment, he said nothing, his gaze fixed on Amani with a stern intensity. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken tension, before he took another step closer to her.
Amani instinctively took a step back, her eyes narrowing which caused Azriel to chuckle as he took another step closer to her, knowing she wasn’t going to take another one back. He continued to be quiet, just looking at her, amusement in his eyes, “Have I ever told you I like your eyes?” He questioned, causing Amani to roll her eyes, “I hope our future children have your eyes.” He told her, taking another step closer to her, as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her hair, causing Amani to slap his hands away from her face. “You’re so mean to your husband,” he commented, looking at the hand Amani had smacked away.
“Banks,” Amani began warningly.
“Yes, Mrs Banks?” Mockingly, he had said raising a brow. “You should stick to calling me Azriel, it’s going to be weird when If you call me Banks, Ms. Banks. It’s also going to be weird if you try anything at Wyndham College. Like whoring yourself around,” His eyes hardened, as he grabbed her jaw gently, “I let it pass in secondary school, you’re 18 now and our wedding date is nearing.”
He released his hands from her jaw, his eyes still on her and unreadable expression until he cracked a grin. "Remember Nolan? He’s going to be in umbra with you, and many more. "
Amani’s jaw clenched at Azriel’s words, her anger boiling beneath the surface. “You have eyes everywhere, don’t you?” she retorted, her voice dripping with disdain.
“Your father also has eyes everywhere, why do you think you’re in Umbra?” Azriel shrugs. “And besides,” Azriel leaned in closer, his breath warm against her ear as he whispered something causing Amani’s expression to harden but before she could say anything, Azriel’s lips crashed against hers in a sudden, forceful kiss. Amani’s eyes widened in shock as she pushed him away, wiping her lips in disgust.
“Get away from me,” she spat.
Azriel merely laughed, the sound grating on her nerves as he regarded her with amusement. “You’re so pretty when you’re angry,” he remarked, his tone smug and self-assured. “I hope our kids get your personality.” Azriel winks. "Have fun in Ninth house, Mani’’
She had gotten a text, a text from a friend, the night of her arrival at Wyndham, telling her to sneak out to come with them to the party and how could Amani resist? Perhaps, she should be more careful considering what Azriel had told her but tonight was not about Azriel was it? No, it was about her in Wyndham, already planning to see just how much fun she could truly have with the suppose eyes watching her. She wasn’t scared of the bllshit that Azriel had whispered to her or the eyes, she was used to it- eyes had always been following her since high school and she still managed to enjoy herself, because Amani understood her family- she knew them quite well, and how much they adored her enough to overlook certain things. Besides, a little fun has never hurt anyone has it? No, it has not and thus why should Amani resist the allure of fun?
As Amani adorned herself in her signature attire, a green tight turtleneck shirt paired with a really short black skirt and tights underneath, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief coursing through her veins-it was a good thing tomorrow was not a day filled with classes but instead a ball from what she had heard.
Anyways, With practiced ease, she utilized her magic to quietly open the window, her little ‘friend’ serving as a lookout for any unwelcome guests. Sensing no imminent danger, Amani gracefully maneuvered onto the windowsill, her heart pounding with anticipation. She had a lot of experience with sneaking out, after all, she did it a lot when she was in high school and was rarely caught, she was only ever caught twice- once by Francis who had sworn to secrecy and the second by Azriel who had been very pleased to hold it against her for a while. But that had been years ago and she had never been caught again before.
As she prepared to descend from the window, a sudden voice startled her, causing her to perk up. She turned to look at the voice as they came closer, arching a brow. “With how loud you’re being, it will be hard for him not to catch us,” she had said ‘us’, because from the looks of it they were definitely on the same boat. She had dropped down from the window using her shadows to keep her from falling, and cleaning any dust from her skirt. The stranger- was quite tall, about the same height as Azriel, with blue eyes and pale skin. He had asked a question, causing amusement to dance in her eyes. how come you sleep in the umbra coven, miss?, that was question- was more of a 'aren’t you girl? Why do you reside in a brotherhood?" question and it was quite obvious to tell. There were so many responses she could have given, she could have ignored him and walked towards her destination- it was not like he was going to report her to he headmaster because after all he was also sneaking around, she could have firmly told him to mind his business, or something of that matter but instead she had said, “Why not?” she had questioned, “A house with only a bunch of men is bound to destruction, someone needs to keep them in line, don’t you think? They need a touch of grace, someone to keep it interesting. A brotherhood was never bound to last after all” Her tone was light, teasing, as she brushed past him, her movement as fluid as a shadow slipping through the night. “Do you always appear in front of people questioning their choice of home? If i’m special, I’m incredible flattered,” her voice was mocking, "But I’d much rather be on my way than answering questions.” She added a light, tinkling laugh, as if the mysteries of the Umbra Coven and her place within them were simply too trivial to dwell on any further. She had continued to walk pass him, scouting the area for where the perfect place would be to leave the campus, where could she leave, where could she leave indeed.
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He chuckled hearing her reply. Snarky, he noted. “Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone nearby is listening, anyway. It’s way too late at night,” Vincenzo replied, taking her comment more like a joke than anything else, and wanting to know more about the stranger leaving her window.
“So, what are you doing out at this hour?”
Logically, he could assume she was going out to a party or something, definitely somewhere public based on her outfit. He wondered who she was going to meet, as well. Were they another student from Wyndham? Was she familiar enough with the area to have friends nearby? He was unsure, but it was quite intriguing how unlikely it was that he run into someone at this hour in this location, yet he still did.
Knowing his situation, Enzo thought maybe Adrian had sent someone to surveil him. It may sound overdramatic, but he was definitely someone worth the effort of monitoring, especially considering his apparent affinity for violence. In Enzo’s opinion, it was hardly that. He only had one offense, and only half of it had been his fault. He was merely the one to take the fall.
And in that same building, he knew Jesse was sleeping soundly somewhere. It made his blood boil, and begged him to wait a bit before going out into the city. He wanted to first climb up the walls until he saw the man’s horribly gelled hair and arrogant smolder, sound asleep and unsuspecting. But sadly, that would only kick him back to square one, and he didn’t want that.
It seemed Adrian might not have wanted that either, sending the tall, slender woman in his direction just when he was about to go against the man’s will and leave.
Back in his room, Vincenzo’s dorm was fully clean and vacant. The bed was made with bland, defaulted white sheets, there was nothing on the floor, the bathroom sink had nothing on it. The floors and mirrors were spotless. The basic furniture pieces were lifeless. Enzo hadn’t bothered getting comfortable in the room, not when he had no wish to be in the school anyway. Disciplined magic, Jesse, other entitled students, and that weird headmaster? It sounded like a recipe for disaster. The school would never be his home in his eyes, it was just his ticket out. The truth was; the moment he jumped out of that bedroom window, Vincenzo had no intent on returning.
Did the headmaster know he was going to try this? And more importantly, had he prepared for it?
Because if so, Vincenzo was already falling for the trap.
It had been so long since he had seen a girl all dressed up like that. Since he had seen pretty long nails with blown out hair. A cute, feminine body dressed in nice clothing. It was tempting to stare, to make small talk before he likely never saw her again. And he did exactly that, long before he thought enough to realize what it might have meant for him. The fact that she was the only girl did not help calm his nerves. Now he had to think of how to diffuse the situation.
“Someone needs to keep them in line, don’t you think?”
She spoke, and her reply only furthered Enzo’s theory that she was not a student, or at least not a member of the Umbra Coven. It was a bit obvious, though, almost too much. He thought maybe he was getting too much into his head, and needed to exit that mentality where he thought everyone was trying to hurt him. For a moment, he got out of his head, and watched her mock him again, walking past him swiftly. This time he didn’t laugh, and instead countered her, turning around to face her again.
“I thought maybe they’d let a girl in if she was good enough with her shadows. But sure, your spiel about supervising us makes sense too, I guess,” He teased back.
The girl reached the angular part of the roof that he observed earlier. If she had not studied the roof in advance, which seemed presumable based on her sudden halt, it was probably safe to say she would be struggling to get down. That was a point in her favor, at least; seeming uneducated about the school architecture. For the moment, he just waited to see if she was going to figure it out, or need his help, speaking once more to encourage her to share more.
“I’m Enzo, by the way.”
'Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone nearby is listening, anyways."
That had made Amani’s brow raised, “You’re very confident about that,” she had said descending from the window, “If we are up this late at night what makes you think someone else isn’t too?” Wyndham was far too much of a prestigious university not to have a lot of security, and Amani was certainly not praying to be caught. She was prepared to start heading to her destination, turning the other way when the stranger had asked her what she was doing at this hour. “I don’t really understand how that is any of your concern.” She said, "Besides, isn’t it obvious?’ She had done a little mock twirl as if to add an ironical touch to what she was saying, "I’m obviously sneaking out to praise the Lord Jesus Christ. Shall you be interested in a gospel? “Et pour vous appliquer à vivre paisiblement, à vous occuper de vos propres affaires, et à travailler de vos mains, comme nous vous l’avons recommandé, afin que vous vous conduisiez honnêtement envers ceux du dehors, et que vous n’ayez besoin de personne.”
He sure asked too many questions, Amani thought. Way too many questions. She would have been suspicious if his posture and the way he dressed signified that he might be working for the headmaster, but they did not. Instead, he had quite the rugged look, with messy hair and tired eyes. He wore a black jacket and looked like just another student. There was nothing particularly suspicious about him except for his questions.
“Plenty of people are good enough at shadows,” she began, her voice laced with a sardonic edge. “I do not think that all Headmaster Adrian shall need to accept a girl into a coven for boys is that she had to be good enough with her shadows.” Amani continued, taking a step closer, leaning in, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, “Perhaps it’s because of my supervising skills or perhaps it’s because I’m good at so many different things,” she said teasingly, before pulling away. There were so many different things she could be implying by that, and she did not really care how he chose to interpret it.
She brushed past him, her eyes scanning the area for the perfect place to leave the campus. She wondered if Wyndham had any secret passages, places that students of the past had used to sneak out, whether it was to dorm rooms of other groups or outside the campus. But before she could truly think of a way out, the guy interrupted her, pulling her away from her thoughts as he introduced himself. “I’m Enzo, by the way.”
Good for him, but Amani did not really ask for his name did she? She stayed silent, scanning the place again, before she sigh realizing she had made a mistake in not mapping the place as soon as she entered campus but by then she was already tired. She turned to the boy, perhaps he can be of help? “Ditto,” she said finally, mustering a playful smile,
“Now, Enzo, You wouldn’t happen to know a discreet exit, would you? A passage unbeknownst to the watchful eyes of our esteemed guardians?”
With a sassy tone, the girl asked how he knew no one else was awake. Vincenzo’s shadows swirled through the cracks between the dormitory windows out of their sight, and then disintegrated into nothingness.
He smiled slyly. “I have a feeling.”
But she gave him a discrediting look, and he admitted to what he had done. “I just sent my shadows to check,” he said, a bit guilty because it took him so long. “But I’ll hand it to you that I probably could have done it earlier, then I would have known that there was a tall brunette I’d have to worry about finding me,” he said, speaking with a bit of sweetness in his voice.
He chuckled listening to her jokes, including her switch to French. She was funny, and he knew he had tracked a faint accent. Although he was technically Italian in terms of nationality, Vincenzo felt that he had come to the United Kingdom far back enough that he knew he sounded no different from the rest of his English peers. He wondered where this mysterious girl may have lived before arriving at Wyndham, as she did not sound quite new to the country, either.
When she finished her sing-songy words, he replied to the main part of her dialogue which he understood.
“Because that’s the kind of outfit you wear to church, I’m sure," he teased back, his eyes lightly grazing over her silhouette once more.
Amani disagreed with him, stating that her ability to manipulate shadows should not be enough for the headmaster to place her in the Umbra Coven, but honestly he did not know enough about the man to give his opinion. He had just met the man in person a few months before enrolling into school, and they were also still in their first days of living on campus. He hardly knew anything about him aside from his weird, all-knowing tendencies, but he acted like he knew Vincenzo perfectly well. Possibly, he did, it might not have been hard for him to obtain his records from the prison he used to live in, or perhaps it was the institution he spoke to more. He wasn’t quite sure, but either way, Vincenzo didn’t trust him nor his school, all the more reasoning to suspect of the girl standing in front of him.
He was going to comment on it, but before he could say anything, she got quite close, and pressed her lips to his ear. In that brief moment, he felt his heart stutter out its next beat. A quick wave of heat had gone over him, but he resurges from it quickly.
Was she trying to seduce him? Because if that was her aim, then she was making it very easy to guess that she was a spy. It was almost annoying how cliché that would be; an angered old man sending in a woman to do his dirty work for him, but of course she couldn’t use her wits or her technique to corner him. She had to flip her hair and push up her breasts with her hands to seduce a man who knew no better than his evolutionary condition. How insulting it was to the both of them.
He put his hand at her waist, and let his fingers slide off of her figure as she slipped away. He wanted to talk to her, and tell her not to play games with him, but a part of him still wanted to give in, so he wasted his time resisting temptation instead.
“You know what? I believe you, but I think you only say it because you want to keep the real reason hidden.” He finally confessed a bit, his mood altered by the tickle of her voice on his earlobe.
When he told her his name, she said “Ditto,” and he couldn’t tell if that was her name or the phrase she was using at first. It sounded a bit cryptic, like she was trying to indicate that she was copying something, but either way, he liked the way that the syllable echoed from her mouth.
”Now, Enzo , You wouldn’t happen to know a discreet exit, would you? A passage unbeknownst to the watchful eyes of our esteemed guardians?”
Whoever Adrian Dear hired for this, if his hunch was even right at this point because it seemed so easily decipherable, was doing a terrible job at discretion. The woman… whom he thought was trying to figure out his reason and potential plan for leaving the school… literally just asked him, plain and simple, if he knew any good routes to sneak off through.
Luckily for him, she had also been dumb enough to assume he would answer truthfully.
Vincenzo had studied the way that the roof looked beforehand, he had sent his shadows to study their surface, sometimes it felt like they were so connected to him that he had been there too, feeling the shingles of its surface with a soft running hand lifting and sloping with its pattern. If he was lucky, and his powers were tiptoeing on enough power to do so, he could even picture the scene, as far away as it may have been.
He knew the way that the decking of it spread out, and the overlap of the tiles like fallen dominos. He knew if perfectly well enough to know which path was the safest to take.
If ‘Ditto’ was a spy, then she most likely did too.
“Yeah, just keep going straight,” he lied. If the girl was going to do that, then he knew she would have to cross over the very old and cobwebbed turrets of the building, their use and existence dating back to the creation of the school. Not only was there no one present inside the walls in case of an emergency, but she would have to rotate around the center. That was, if she made it there at all. Before that rise, the roof wasn’t very well maintained either, with rough patches and stumps that one could trip over so easily. If she went alone, she was sure to fall.
If she did what he expected her to do, and nervously found a reason to avoid it, then he would know he was right in his assumption, and have no choice but to turn back and try again another time.
To his surprise, though, she did not protest, and actually started walking.
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