Hollow Hearts (The Harkwright Trilogy)

“It’s beautiful,” says Millie, spinning around slowly, trying to take it all in.

“It’s just a garden, get over it,” Carly is definitely not trying to make friends, this is going to be a lonely month.

A woman steps out of the mansion, castle, I don’t even know what to call it. It’s insane how large it is, I can’t help but worry that I will end up getting lost once I’m inside.

“Good evening zeroes, I am Miss Martins and I will escort you to your room for the next month. We will not permit you to leave your designated area until someone collects you tomorrow morning, because of this you will have dinner brought to your room. Now, follow me and I will explain everything else once we arrive,” Miss Martins is fierce.

She has dark blond hair pulled back in a tight bun, a pencil line skirt with a crisp, wrinkle free blouse and a dark grey waistcoat. She has to be in her thirties but I can’t see a hint of laughter lines surrounding her cold blue eyes. I guess the Harkwrights don’t employ cheery people.

We climb the stone steps and follow behind as she takes us inside our new home and my mouth falls open the minute I cross the threshold. We’re in a foyer with a reception in the center of the room but set along the back wall are two winding staircases - with dark oak balustrades - leading up to a balcony with walls covered in the Harkwrights who are no longer taking part within the Academy. Two crystal chandeliers fall from the ceiling and the lights reflect beautifully upon the wall and a stained window above the door. The floor is marble with a black plush rug running up to the desk and there are so many doors branching off from this one room that it confirms my first suspicion. I will get lost.

“Come along girls, we need to have you situated by seven pm and that only gives us ten minutes,” she glances at her crystal watch before tapping its face and ascending the stairs.

I can barely take anything else in, other than the fact that we are heading down the east side of the place and there are even more photos of men with no smiles but devilishly handsome features. Sharp jaws and aquiline noses, eyes as warm as melted chocolate or as clear blue as the Caribbean Sea, but there isn’t an ounce of emotion to be detected. Other than the air of self entitlement that they all seem to share. We enter a door with a plaque above saying East Wing and the hall is lined with a red runner on the ground, curved windows with seated areas and every other space has a sconce with a candle lighting our way.

The numbers above the doors start at fifteen and I watch as they go higher and higher until we come to door number thirty and then we enter through another door and come to another hallway in the same style as the one before. Only this one had numbers from thirty to fifty but that’s where the numbers end. There aren’t anymore doors other than an old brown one that has been warped with age. We huddle around it and wait for Miss Martins to carry on moving but she’s just standing here, watching us.

"Zeros don’t last and rarely make it into a different room, therefore this is your new home for the next month. You are not allowed to join in with any of the extracurricular activities and seeing as the classes won’t begin for another month, you won’t be taking part in those either. For your meals, you are allowed to dine in the mess hall and your access has been granted to the library, gardens and our smaller pool,” she looks at us with an air of indifference before twisting the handle and pushing the door open, it groans from the movement. “A list with the clothing you are permitted to wea

r has been provided, this is mandatory, do not try to test boundaries it will only end badly for you. The brief list of places you may visit during your reserved place will be within your pack, again this will be updated if any of you become a more permanent face. There will be no arguments over who gets which bed, these too, have been assigned and we forbid swapping. Enjoy your night girls, an escort will be here to retrieve you at six am sharp, do not be a second late.”

She gives us one last look before turning around and walking away and all we can really do is enter our room and discover what is waiting for us.

If this is the reserve room, I think a more permanent one may kill me. Yes it’s ‘basic’ as Carly points out derisively but it’s pure luxury to me. The walls are painted magnolia and there’s a cream carpet on the floor. We have a small sofa and a coffee table and there’s a breakfast style bar with five stools for us to eat around. The sofa has seen better days and Millie has already found a spring sticking out but it’s only for a month and I’m more than happy to sit on my bed to relax. And the breakfast bar may be wobbly and at least one stool has a crack running through the seat but we can still use it.

The beds have cotton sheets and thin comforters, with two pillows each but they’re still comfortable and small nightstands with a lamp each and a pack waiting for each of us. They have placed my name on the wall above the bed closest to the door, for some reason this is making Carly smirk but I’m happy with my assigned place, thank you very much.

I grab my pack and flick through it, seeing the itinerary for the tour tomorrow. We can’t even enter more than half of the places we’re being shown, so they can only show us where they are. No perusals for us, again I’m not bothered. Besides my list of where I can go means the world to me.

Permitted Areas for Luna Carter

The small swimming pool

Gardens

The maze

Mess Hall

Kitchens when not in use

Basic gymnasium

Library

I am more than happy with that, to be fair they could forbid me from entering every room but this one and the kitchen and I would be more than content. What am I saying, I wouldn’t even need this one, as long as I can bake when things get too much I know I’ll do just fine.

“Get that moronic smile off your face, you may be happy being second best but I’m not.”

“Fuck off Carly, don’t be a bitch all your life,” says Melissa, the only one who has said nothing this entire time.

“Go back to Vegas and sell yourself the way everyone else does,” is her retort and I really wish I didn’t have to stay in here for the rest of the night.

“Do you two know each other?” Millie asks and everyone turns to the pair who are staring with equal amounts of hatred written all over their faces.

“We’re cousins unfortunately, not of the close variety. Never know what you’ll catch off her mother’s side,” Carly throws it out with a smirk right before Melissa slams her fist into her face and a loud crack fills the air.

“It was worth it,” she says with a serene smile as she turns to the door and walks out, even though we’re not allowed to leave.