You mustered up as much confidence as possible, before picking up your carry on, and stepping off the train.

Eleanor stopped behind you, but he wasn't the only one awestruck at how enchanting the castle was in the starlight.

It wasn't until a gentleman in a dark cloak and matching hat strode forward and commanded the attention of everyone within eyesight that the group focused on him instead.

"Students, of the day class at Arcadia Castle Academy..." he said with a sly smile, "on behalf of all of us here, I welcome you; those returning, and those here for the first time."

At that, the man's eyes flickered to you beneath the shadow of his hat. It was for a fraction of a second- or maybe he just knew you were an unfamiliar face. Eleanor was behind you. The chances were that the new students had found each other.

"Now if you will do so kindly as to follow me," the man said, holding up his lantern and turning around without looking back, his cloak gliding across the cool night air.

He didn't wait for anyone to follow him- he was already striding toward a series of amber glowing steps.

The crowd quickly followed and Eleanor walked by your side, near the middle of the crowd but closer to the front.

You exchanged a glance, as if to say, "who is this man?" but Eleanor shrugged, and kept his skepticism to himself.

But you weren't alone. You could hear the other students murmuring about this cloaked enigma.

"I don't know-"

"It's like the fog follows him when he walks..."

"He might as well be the Phantom of the Opera-"

Suddenly, Eleanor added his voice to the mix.

"I've heard of him." He said quickly to you, still focusing on the figure up ahead. "Maurice might have mentioned him."

You continued walking over the hill of glowing steps and began to cross intriqutely crafted archways joined with the trees. Torches lit the way, but they still couldn't compete with the darkness.

"When Maurice was at school, he'd sometimes write about this mysterious man who dressed like Snape."

You laughed at the notion. You could see it.

"Maurice described this fellow as a reaper of sorts," Explained Eleanor hesitantly. "Most students stayed away from him, but Maurice constantly tried to go over to the night class to talk to the girls. That's where the guy usually spent his time."

You raised an eyebrow.

"Patrolling the night class, not around the girls." Eleanor clarified.

Everyone followed until the last of the steps took you to one of the castle towers. It was magnificent. The marble was laid out with other ancient looking stone. But you didn't climb the tower, you just proceeded onwards towards the centre of the school.

The darkness ceased against the brighter light in this section of the castle. A few students strode by in their navy blue uniforms.

"Day students." Whispered Eleanor when he saw you looking at them.

This area was like a small town all on its own. At the center, was a large fountain with a statue of a woman pouring water from a vase into the rest of it. Different towers and sections hugged the plaza that graced the center of the school. It was rather like being at a university, you thought. If Hogwarts were a university.

A few of the uniformed students hussled about, pointing to your group. They seemed older, but it was hard to tell. A few cliques strolled by from one room to the next, waving to some people in your crowd.

You almost forgot, at least half of the students you were with had been here for a year ready. You found it curious that the ones whispering about the man were the ones who were new. Maybe the older students knew better than to talk about the man in the cloak. Maybe there was a reason for that. You made note of it to find out.

The man stopped near the fountain and motioned for the large group of second years to gather around. Why were half of the second years new and half weren't?

"Now, welcome to Arcadia Plaza." The man gestured to the area. His voice was melodic in nature, and didn't seem old enough to suit his choice of clothes. "This is where you'll find yourself spending much of your free time, for those of you who are new. Those returning, will already be aware of the amenities and luxuries we have to offer when you aren't in class."

You could tell some of the newer students wanted to ask who the man even was, but they didn't. And you couldn't blame them. They were probably intimidated by the lantern illuminating his sharp features while his eyes remained invisible under his hat.

"But as it is late, you will go on a proper tour in the morning." The man said. "For now, you will follow me to your dorms to get settled in in."

Again, the man strode forward without warning, his cape beckoning the group to follow behind. He made his way past the centre and from there you could see two bridges that overlooked the shimmering lake.

"I hope you're not afraid of water." The man said without looking back.

You glanced at Eleanor who suddenly seemed unsure, before making your way down the smaller bridge. It lead to a rather dark common area. From your view before, you thought there were only two bridges. You crossed a smaller one to get to this area over the water, and could see it connected yet again to another section of the castle. It was beautiful enough on its own but it was just a small piece of the puzzle that was Arcadia Castle.

What you didn't see at first, however, was the bridge going the opposite way. For the bridge was almost entirely covered in darkness. The thick fog seemed to favour this side of the castle in particular, but you could just make out a similar looking building across the lake.

The man stopped between the two bridges.

"That is your dormitory," He said calmly; gesturing to the brighter side. "You will spend your evenings there, and adhere to the curfew strictly and promptly."

"What's that over there?" Some courageous soul said in the back. He didn't have to point for everyone to know he was referring to the other, rather frightening looking area.

"That," the man said, taking a step forward, "is the night students' dormitory."

The figure set his lantern down on the ledge of the bridge and paced around the group with slow, deliberate steps.

"Now, I am only going to say this once... none of you are to cross that bridge to go to the night dormitory."

At that, you saw his attention turn your way, but he was actually looking at Eleanor.

"The night students don't interfere with your studies during the day, so I expect you not to interfere with their studies during the night." The man said.

"Why is their side so much darker than ours?" You found yourself asking before you could stop yourself.

The group turned all their attention to you and you almost wished you hadn't said anything.

"What is your name?" The man asked with his hands behind his back. You couldn't see his eyes but you still felt as if they were staring straight through you.

"Y/n, sir..." You replied softly.

"Well, miss y/n," He said before turning his back to you and gazing at the night dormitory. "They're accustomed to the night and prefer to keep it that way. It also makes it less likely for the curious ones to take their chances over the bridge."

He turned around to the group once more and leaned over to you.

"But I know you'll be smarter than that, won't you, y/n?" He said quietly.

You nodded quickly.

"What time is curfew?" Piped up Eleanor. You figured he already knew but was trying to take some of the attention away from you.

It worked.

The man who still hadn't introduced himself, shifted his attention to the boy in the glasses.

"Curfew is at 8:00pm sharp," He stated, as complaints and murmurs began to drown him out. "At WHICH point you are expected to be in your dormitories after supper." He raised his voice. The chatter stopped.

"But I know you'll follow my rules better than Maurice did, won't you....?" The man inquired.

"Eleanor." He answered.

"Yes, Eleanor..." he said, his eyes playing a tennis match between the two of you. "You're lucky you have your curious friend here, to keep you out of trouble."

The man stepped back and addressed the crowd.

"Stay out of the dormitories that aren't yours and follow curfew." He said. "That goes for all of you."

Everyone stared at the man inquisitively before he tipped his hat.

"And before the rumours start, I am Sir Enebris, but you may call me Cadere." He explained. "I am head of the night class."

"Why isn't the head of the day class here?" That same brave voice called from the back.

"Because it very well isn't day time, is it?" He said simply.

Before anyone could say anything else, Cadere strode past the bridge as if he owned it and disappeared into the fog, leaving his lantern behind on the ledge as if he never really needed it anyway.

He was right to leave because as soon as he made his exit, the chatter rose again. Slowly but surely, everyone grouped up and made their way down the bridge, which was still fairly dark, but not nearly as dark as its twin.

"I knew it was him." Said Eleanor to himself more than anyone else.

"Maurice said he looked like Snape, he didn't say he acted like him too." You muttered to Eleanor, who laughed.

"Yeah, shoot." Eleanor said, pushing up his glasses. "Now he has it in for me because he knows I'm Maurice's brother."

"You're like James!" You said laughing.

"I've got the glasses and everything." He said with a chuckle, ruffling his sandy hair.

Both of you gave your attention to the magnificent castle area that you couldn't believe would be your home for the next year.

The massive door was open already, and you welcomed the light that flowed out into the darkness. Everyone filled the common room and you heard a boy and a girl from the front of the crowd, not far off, give directions to the new students.

"If you are returning, you know where to go," Said the girl.

"If you are new here, we will find your room in a minute. You are sharing with a roommate until third year." The boy said.

You recognized his voice as the brave one who'd asked Cadere a bunch of questions. That's why he didn't ask his name- Cadere knew him already.

And it was odd but even though the girl hadn't asked any questions, her voice seemed familiar too.

Suddenly, Eleanor grabbed your arm and pulled you out of your thoughts and into the next room while the other half scattered like mice.

There was a lot more space with half the group gone.

"Boys, follow me," the boy said. You didn't see before but he had striking red hair.

Eleanor gave you an apologetic smile, and was off with the rest of the new boys.

"Okay, so I'm going to take you to your rooms," the girl said. "Please follow me."

It was then that you recognized her as the girl on the train serving snacks and drinks.

She explained how this half was for girls and the boys dorms were on the other side. She cautioned against visiting the boys, and as the group was divided into the roommates who hurried into their rooms to get some sleep, eventually you were the only one left.

"Um... where is my room?" You asked the girl with the black hair over her eyes. You could see silvery blue irises peeking from beneath.

"Our room." She said with a small smile. "We're roommates."

"Oh, hi," you said awkwardly. "I'm y/n."

She shook your hand just outside your room, the room nearest the lake on the farthest side.

"My name's Simone." She said. "I'm not a new student."

She gave you a key and proceeded to unlock the door with her own.

"I hope you like the room." She said softly. But her eyes lit up with expectancy.

The door swung open and so did your mouth as you took in the sight before you. The most beautifully furnished room adorned with an enormous window overlooking the lake greeted your eyes. A grand fireplace was accompanied by a few love seats and an old looking sofa. But beautiful nonetheless. To one side there was a table and small kitchen area, but no stove or fridge. Just a pantry.

The living space wasn't enormous but its design was fit for a princess. Or two, in this case. When your eyes took notice of the curtain providing privacy to two beds, you were suddenly more tired than you initially thought. The only true room was near the kitchen, and you assumed it was the washroom.

It was like you had your own little kingdom.

"This is amazing." You spoke softly.

"Glad you like it." Said Simone with a happy smile.

"Like it? I LOVE it!" You said with a laugh as you gave Simone a big hug.

"Please don't touch me." She winced.

You let go immediately, and awkwardly rubbed the back of your neck.

"Sorry." You said with a smile.

But she waved it off.

"I call this bed." She said, plopping onto the matress and pulling the crimson curtain over it. "Our things have already been brought upstairs."

You shuffled to your bed which was just near Simone's, but while her things were near her dresser, there was nothing at all on your side.

"Um... where did you say my things were?" You asked, panic beginning to set in. You couldn't lose your things- not before the first day!

"They should be beside your bed." Simone groaned.

"They're not there." You said.

The curtain over Simone's bed whipped open with a snap. She furiously marched over to your bed but saw what you saw- or rather what you didn't see.

"I don't understand." Simone said, looking under the bed. "Your things should be here! We brought everything in, I remember yours because of that cute stuffed bear..."

"Okay so where did it go?" You asked loudly, getting flustered.

"Ugh, I don't know." She said, folding her arms. "It's probably one of those stupid night kids again."

"What?" You said.

"They do all kinds of things and get away with everything." She explained, having a seat on your bed. "I have an extra pair of pajamas you can wear."

"But what about the uniform?" You asked, pacing back and forth.

Simone looked crestfallen.

"You'll get in big trouble tomorrow if you don't have a uniform." She stated calmly.

"But it's not my fault someone lost it or took it-"

"I know." She said calmly. "Maybe it's on the train. Or we can ask Cadere."

You started making your way towards the door.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" She asked.

"To find my things." You replied.

You were about to close the door.

"Wait wait, I'm coming with you." She said, standing up and zipping up her jacket. "You'll get lost otherwise."

She met you at the door, gave one last scan of the room, and closed the door.

"You know, my roommate last year disappeared after losing her stuff on the first day she came." Simone whispered as she locked the door.

Your eyed widened.

"What?" You whisper yelled.

Simone matched your frightened expression before a huge grin lit up her features. She punched you playfully in the arm.

"Relax, y/n!" She whispered a bit loudly. "I'm joking."

She checked to see if the door was locked, and when there was no turning back, she gave you a nod that was supposed to mean something and made her way down the hall.

"Wait! Simone." You whispered nervously. She stopped.

"I don't want to get in trouble." You told her.

"Relax y/n," she replied. "You'll get in more trouble tomorrow than you will today."

You raised an eyebrow.

"And it's just as risky here as it is out there." She said, nodding downstairs. "Just ask my roommate last year. She disappeared not even halfway through the semester."

"What?!" You cried, your hand on the doorknob. "I thought you said you were joking!"

Simone shrugged apathetically.

"I was..." She said. "The girl never really lost her things!"

You stared at her.

"Come on, or you'll never hear the end of it tomorrow." She said.

You took a look at the door, and you took a look at Simone.

And before you could reasonably evaluate your options, your heart had a mind of its own. Without a chance to turn back, you found yourself at the bottom of the staircase, opening the grand doors to the chilling wind outside.