Behind Velvet Doors: 1. The New Arrival

The iron gates of St. Clarissa’s Academy for Girls loomed like the jaws of some elegant predator. They swung open with slow, deliberate grace as the black town car rolled forward, its tires crunching over the pale gravel drive. The air smelled faintly of rain and lilies, and the stone façade of the main building glistened under a grey sky.

Isobel Vale pressed her forehead lightly against the cool glass, watching the ivy cling to the walls like an old secret. Everything here looked perfectly polished—too polished. She could already feel the stiffness in the air, the way rules must thread themselves through every corridor.

Her fingers toyed with the silver ring she wore on a chain under her blouse. She’d been at three different schools in the past two years. St. Clarissa’s was supposed to be the one she stayed in until graduation. Her father’s voice echoed in her memory as the driver opened the door for her: Behave this time. I won’t move you again.

The moment her bo