The Phantom Calling: Dragonwood

Hello, I'm Marrowfrost - Hazelholly and I finally decided to post my original story on here (after debating it for several weeks), seeing as I'm always looking for feedback and constructive critique on my works of fiction! Currently 15 out of 45(?) chapters have been written, and I'll be updating this every other day (or when I remember to do it). Keep in mind that I've been making minor tweaks to some of the older chapters, so if you read the earlier chapters on here and then read them on FictionPress for example, the older drafts would still be on there. This is a work in process, and is one of the stories I've been working on for over a year now. I don't plan on dropping it any time soon, as this is the first in an original series where I really like the characters I'm writing. I might do some coding for this page in general, as the chapters are really long (2,000 - 5,000 words per chapter).

Summary:
''On an island far away, a school called Dragonwood Academy resides there. It claims that it's to help take care of the students with special abilities, but many of them doubt it. And many more doubt it when daily disappearances take place in this very school. Silverfire, a young fifteen-year-old must make some unlikely allies if he is to put an end to the dubious foe behind it.''

^ Ehhhh most of my stories are rated PG-13 or T for a reason, this one will definitely have blood and death in it

Cast of Characters:
Silverfire - Male - POV

Violet - Female - POV

Holly - Female - POV

Tristan - Male - POV

Twyla - Female - Main

Stone - Male - Main

Ivy - Female - Main

Jayson - Male - Main

Hazel - Non-binary (She/they) - Side

Stargaze - Male - Side

Columbia - Female - Side

Silverfire-
Walking onto the docks where several other people stood, I awaited for the boat to come, feeling the salty breeze brush against my hair. My guardians -or parents, as they like to call themselves- enrolled me to one of the best schools out there for “gifted” children; what they truly are? Liars. Oppressors. Deceivers. They plan to imprison us because of our skills- then again, why aren’t I surprised? The both of them are about as dense as a rock, even I have more common sense than them.

“Silverfire, cool it.” Turning around to see my brother Stargaze, I held back the urge to roll my eyes. He didn’t understand why I’m so angry anyways- why should I care about what he says? “It’s not like you’re the only one going.”

Stargaze was rather hard to see in the dim lighting- his face was dark skinned, not to mention how it was harder to spot his freckles. However, his pitch black hair was worse to find in the dead of night, as well as the fact that he’s short enough to the point where I could accidentally trip over him at this time of day, so I guess I really didn’t have the right to complain. The only part of his face that I could see properly was his pale silver eyes reflecting the clouded moonlight; my older brother had his glare focused on me, his eyes narrow. He was holding onto his bags, which I guessed was full of personal items.

Glaring at him, I muttered, “But you had the choice to go or not; I didn’t.” Stargaze shook his head and sighed, slight frustration showing in his eyes. He simply reached up and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I want to make sure you’re okay, Silverfire,” Stargaze whispered, his tone of voice stern.

“I-I…thanks,” I mumbled. Looking around, I caught the glimpse of my older sister talking to our guardians. From what I could tell, she was dressed in formal attire- she was dressed in a light brown shirt with a black tie over it. Her auburn hair was tied into a messy bun, and something told me that she was rushing to add some finishing touches before we left. After some back and forth conversation, Hazel stomped over to me and Stargaze with an irritable expression on her face.

“I’m coming with you,” She told us, her voice oddly snappish. Hazel was coming with us? Honestly, that was a pleasant surprise- I like her much better than Stargaze, he’s worse having to put up with when he’s in a bad mood. “The ferry’s going to arrive soon. Might as well grab our bags.”  Hazel picked up her bag containing her stuff and then gestured for us to do the same.

Grabbing my backpack, me and my siblings walked closer to the docking area, with me grimacing as I kept getting bumped into by other people. Other students were gathered there, also going to the same school. Surprisingly, some were genuinely excited. In my opinion, they’re fools. They don’t realize why they’re being sent to this prison yet.

Suddenly the loud chitchat of the students started to die down, much to my relief. Oh, thank Bright Scar. They know how to shut up, at least. Most of the people there were people I’ve never seen before, though it wasn’t I was allowed around other humans for various different reasons.

“Ahem! May I please have your attention?” There was a man with blond hair and green eyes looking at all of us, standing atop from a soapbox, oddly enough. Everyone nearby seemed to give him their attention, or at least, mostly everyone. “My name’s Mr. Connor. I’m the Headmaster of Dragonwood Academy. We’re so glad you’ve chosen our school to help your little ones grow and learn.” Yeah, right, you lying sack of scum. I hate you already.

“...you keep saying that…” A girl behind me muttered, flipping her black hair. At least she has the right idea, unlike these other idiots gathered around me.

The Headmaster kept talking, much to my dismay. “The ferry will be arriving soon to escort the students to school. There they will meet their roommates and receive their schedules.” Once he finished, a large boat sailed over to the docks. “Trust me when I say, your child will be a brand-new person by the end of our two-year program.” Two years?! It’s like they’re sending us to boot camp, though I’m not really surprised. This is a school for the “gifted”, after all. The other students got aboard the boat, including me, Stargaze and Hazel. Though really, it was mainly Stargaze and Hazel dragging me onto the boat as I refused to step one inch onto that contraption.

“Alright now, we’ll meet again in two years! Goodbye, everyone!” Mr. Connor shouted before the boat took off. I sighed to myself; time for my imminent doom. Feeling a hand touch my shoulder, I whipped my head around to face Hazel, whose warm hazel gaze glittered with concern; everything I needed to know about how she was feeling.

“Silverfire, don’t act like that. We won’t die,” Hazel reassured me. She’s not helping at all. In fact, she’s making it worse. That is to say, if it wasn’t considered ‘worse’ to begin with.

Stargaze glanced at us. “That’s right. We might as well meet some of the other students if we’re stuck here with them for two years.” He walked away to talk to some other people, much to my surprise and dismay; Stargaze wasn’t exactly the most social person, from my experience. Awkwardly shuffling away from Hazel, I decided to attempt to make a run for it- to escape with my life and never think of this place again.

That was until Hazel grabbed my hand. “You’re coming with me,” She demanded, annoyance flaring through her gaze. We went over to a corner, with Hazel dragging me everywhere she went. Suddenly I ran into something -no, someone- that made me (thankfully) lose Hazel’s grip. Is she in a hurry, or what? I guess I should be grateful, though- I’d rather not be tortured by being dragged along to socialize with Hazel. I nearly fell down, but I somehow managed to stay up, though I was just barely on my knees. Looking at the ground, I saw who I’d ran into.

The person I’d bumped into was a girl who looked a little older than me. She had black hair and small amber eyes that seemed to shine like the sun. Her skin looked pale- not exactly sickly but not exactly healthy looking, either. As well as that, there was a large blush across her face, though it was probably due to the fact that her eyes widened, her entire body shaking violently. The frightened girl stayed on the ground, whimpering to herself.

“I-I’m so sorry!” She wailed. I could tell without a doubt that she was genuinely sorry for it, though her facial expression pretty much gave it away, if you asked me. “I should’ve been paying attention!”

Shaking my head, I sighed, feeling my cheeks redden. “I-It’s okay. I wasn’t paying attention either.” Looking around the ship’s crowded deck, I couldn’t find Hazel nor Stargaze in the crowd. Well, that’s odd; Hazel usually notices if she accidentally leaves me behind. Then again, this is probably the lucky chance when Hazel doesn’t notice that she left me behind; might as well take that as I will. “And now I don’t know where my older siblings went, so now there’s that.”

“You’re also lost…?” She murmured. Nodding in reply, I couldn’t help but smile in an awkward fashion; I wasn’t sure what to say, not to mention I do have trouble talking to attractive people… “I don’t know where my sister Twyla went, either. C-Can I tag along with you?”

“Sure. Just stay by me,” I told her. She smiled a little and then stood up next to me, her amber eyes gleaming with relief.

“M-My name’s Violet, by the way,” She added, her voice soft. Her name’s Violet? That’s actually…a really pretty name, especially for someone like her, I suppose. I guess it also does fit well with her silky hair and- I really should stop gawking at her. And thinking about her features so much. Maybe that might make things less awkward. A small blush spread across Violet’s cheeks, though her gaze drifted off to the floor momentarily before looking back up at me. Just what was that about?

Chuckling a little, I murmured, “My name is Silverfire. Nice to meet you too.” Violet smiled back at me, a hint of excitement dancing through her eyes. Does she like me or something? We walked over to the ship’s Western rim, looking at the ocean water shimmering against the moon’s pale glow. The waves of the ocean created ripples spreading across the sea, making me exhale gently to myself. It’s so beautiful...no. It’s a trick.

“Hey, Vi!” I turned around to see a girl with long brownish-green hair and light green eyes. She had on silver glasses, which I hated to admit made her decent looking. Is she Twyla? “Who’s your boyfriend?” She asked, confounded as to why I was with her. B-Boyfriend?! I hardly even know her! Violet seemed to have the same reaction, though she looked more uncomfortable by the idea of having a boyfriend, if anything.

“I was hanging with Silverfire until I was found. He’s also lost,” Violet corrected Twyla, slightly irritated glimmer in her eyes. Twyla glared directly at me, her light green eyes burning with hostility.

“I doubt your real name is Silverfire,” Twyla hissed. She looked at Violet. “I can’t believe you just went with the first person you bumped into!” Literally. “Have you forgotten Aspen already?” Huh? Who’s Aspen? Well, whoever they are, they must’ve done something to harm Twyla and Violet if they’re acting like this at the mention of their name- probably about to start fighting any minute if things worsened.

Violet growled at Twyla. “Yes, and unlike you, I’ve moved on from that incident.” Twyla glowered at me and Violet for a split second before walking away, headed towards a slightly younger boy who had similar features to both Twyla and Violet. Were they related? Violet turned to me, sorrow in her amber eyes. “I-I’m sorry, it’s just...me and Twyla haven’t gotten along ever since...that man entered our lives.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I sympathetically murmured. She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “H-Hey, don’t cry. It’ll be alright.” Wiping away her tears, Violet soon stopped sniveling, though some snot rolled down her face in addition to that, much to my disgust.

“T-Thanks, Silverfire,” She mumbled, glancing around the deck. “I wonder where your siblings went.”

I scratched my head, shrugging my shoulders. “I have literally no clue.” Soon the boat came to a sudden stop, almost making me fall on top of Violet again. Luckily that didn’t happen, because then it would’ve made things feel more embarrassing, mostly from my side of things.

“Alright students of Dragonwood Academy, we’re here at last! You may calmly walk onto the school docks so you can get your schedules and find your dorm rooms.” Mr. Connor ordered from the top deck of the ferry. Ugh. I really dislike you. Everyone else got off as quick as they could, pushing and shoving everyone in their way; again, I’m not that surprised- these people are idiots too. That Twyla girl included. Violet visibly winced after I’d thought that, and I had to wonder just what was up with her, but I had no time nor patience to really care.

As soon as I started walking, I felt someone grabbing onto my arm, causing me to halt in my tracks. I turned to see Violet latching onto my sweatshirt, her eyes wide with anxiety. “Could I stay with you until we find out our roommates for our dorms?” She whispered. Violet’s not going to leave me alone yet, is she?

Finally giving in, I nodded to affirm my answer; though I wasn’t exactly the happiest about it. She should be doing this herself. Or with her sister, for Bright Scar’s sake! Once we walked off the docks, a hulking building with tons of windows came into view, along with a somewhat similar and smaller building to its right. It had dark green vines growing along the sides, as if it was drilled on. The coloring of the building looked pitch-black when compared to the night sky, which was already dark enough, in my opinion. In Bright Scar’s name, what on earth did my guardians force me into?

Violet-
“Come on, Violet.” Silverfire’s voice disrupted my thoughts, taking my attention away from the school building. “Let’s go.” I followed him over to the front of the crowd, hoping that he wouldn’t leave me in the dust.

My head began to split in two as the loud noises became more crowded and obnoxious. The voices of the people around me were hurting my head, but not as much as their thoughts! The people coming here all have powers of some sort- I’m no exception. Humans with powers are rare in certain countries, while they’re common in others. Being someone from a place where powers are rare, you can imagine the struggle to fit in. Now imagine that struggle being multiplied by at least ten when you have a power that is “blessed” upon those born upon a special and rare moon, otherwise known as the Blood Moon. An extremely rare power known as mind-reading. It sounds great to some of the people who know, but in reality? It sucks. I can’t really control my powers that well, so I’m pretty much always surrounded by noise. Noise cancelling headphones don’t even help, which is a shame. The only people who know so far are Twyla, our little brother Daniel, and our older sister Helen.

I can’t believe I’m stuck here, One voice growled, an edge to their voice.

Another voice whimpered. What if I get kicked out?

I wonder if Violet’s in my dorm. I realized that it was Silverfire’s thoughts I’d heard at once. D-Does he want me in his dorm? Discreetly, I took a step closer to him to hear more, being the giant eavesdropper that I am. She seems nice enough, I guess. He thinks I’m...nice? Usually people think I’m a wimp or annoying instead. Suddenly Silverfire stopped, his gaze full of shock and annoyance; which was surprising, as he’s had a scowl on his face for most of this walk.

He put his arm in front of me. “Wait! I think I see who’s giving out the schedules. Maybe our dorm numbers will be on it.” Silverfire took me by the hand and pretty much dragged me over there, with me hardly bothering to resist. Hey, he’s yanking me over there- I’m not stopping him, seeing as he’s not pulling too hard on my arm anyways. Once we got across a bunch of other students, we managed to get to the stand, but it was probably due to Silverfire pushing several people out of the way.

“Oh, hello! I’m Ms. Johnson.” The teacher greeted us with a warm and welcoming smile. “Tell me your names so I can give you your schedules.”

When I looked over to Silverfire, all I heard was, “It’s all a trick.” He really thinks of this place like a prison, doesn’t he?

“Spencer Rowe,” He sighed. His real name is Spencer? I honestly think that’s such a cute name for someone like him. Why’s he so upset about it? Silverfire gestured for me to do the same.

“V-Violet Haynes,” I squeaked like a pathetic little mouse. Bright Scar knows why I’m such a coward. What’s wrong with me? Ms. Johnson handed us our schedules, inhaling deeply. Me and Silverfire walked away from the crowd. Looking down at my schedule, I decided to see which classes they decided to put me in.

VIOLET HAYNES, 12-16-XXXX

MRS. CRACKLE - MAGIC

MR. TUNDRA - ART

MS. JOHNSON - HISTORY

FIREBURNER - PHYSICAL EDUCATION

MR. BARTON - SCIENCE

MRS. QUINCY - BATTLE TRAINING

DORM 113

Well that was a surprise. I wonder if Silverfire’s in my dorm too...I like him, in a more grateful sort of way. He’s not a complete jerk from what I’ve seen so far, so I guess he’s okay? I sure hope so.

“What dorm are you in?” Silverfire bluntly asked. Before telling him, I tried to look into his thoughts. Maybe she’s in the same dorm as me… Well, that didn’t reveal much at all. Then again, I really shouldn’t be sneaking into his thoughts so much to begin with…

“I-I’m in 113,” I stammered. He smiled a little.

“Really? That’s also my dorm,” Silverfire informed me, though he didn’t look that excited despite the smile on his face. Does he actually like me? Or is he just tolerating me? I mean, either one is possible. Silverfire turned to look at where the other students were going. “I think we go over there.”

We walked over to two other students who were arguing over something; whatever that something was, they certainly seemed to be deadly serious about it. Not knowing who they were, I looked into Silverfire’s thoughts to see if he knew them. And of course when I find Stargaze and Hazel, they’re fighting over SOMETHING. Silverfire’s thoughts rang clearly in my head. Are Stargaze and Hazel his older siblings? It makes sense if they are; after all, it doesn’t look like Silverfire gets out much, if I’m being blunt… Silverfire was muttering something to himself once the two of them took notice of us.

“Oh. Hi, Silverfire.” The girl named Hazel greeted him. She glanced over in my direction, tilting her head. “Who’s she?”

Silverfire sighed. Is he upset? “Me and Violet both were lost so we stuck together.”

Hazel raised an eyebrow. “Guess I didn’t notice your masterful escape, eh Silverfire?” Silverfire just glared at her, his silver gaze burning with intensity. She shrugged her shoulders. “But you talked to someone! Isn’t that great? You’re doing better with socializing than we thought you’d do!” He rolled his silver eyes.

Come on, at least pretend to look interested… Hazel internally willed her little brother, although it was in vain. There was no interesting Silverfire in anything at this point- or getting him to play along with the conversation, at least.. He wasn’t even bothered to look at Hazel now, with his gaze drifting off to the left. Stargaze seemed to notice this, and lightly nudged Hazel’s elbow.

“Hey, at least he managed to talk to a human without any advice!” Stargaze awkwardly chuckled. “That’s worth celebrating, right?” There was a light tease in his voice as if he was trying to aggravate Silverfire a little bit, though I was hoping it was just me being overly suspicious. Seeing Silverfire lose it doesn’t seem like a good idea. Hazel’s eyes widened in fear, which I guessed which was of Silverfire. Hasn’t he ever talked with anyone outside of family? I guess I’m the first person he’s talked to then…that doesn’t make me feel any better, actually.

Silverfire hissed at his brother. “No, it’s not. What’s wrong with you both, thinking that I’ll be able to survive this prison full of idiots?” Inwardly flinching, I resisted the urge to just run away at that moment. Does he actually think of me as an idiot? Because I wholeheartedly agree with him on that matter. He cast a sideways glance at me. “She’s okay at best.” A small sigh of relief almost escaped from my chest. He’s alright with me. That’s…strangely relieving. But I shouldn’t be relieved. I hardly know him.

Hazel just sighed and shook her head. “At least you made an acquaintance,” She muttered.

Stargaze seemed unfazed by Silverfire’s sudden outburst. “So what dorm are you in? Me and Hazel are in 105.” Aw, poor Silverfire. He won’t get to be in the same dorm as Hazel and Stargaze. I mean, it looks like he doesn’t like them, but at least he’d be better off with them instead of me. I’m just a nobody. That’s all I am.

“I’m in 113 with Violet,” Silverfire responded, an edge to his voice. Is he alright? “Do you know who you’re with?” They both shook their heads. That makes me wonder…who else is in my and Silverfire’s dorm room? “Well, see ya later. We’ve gotta go to our dorm and unpack, maybe meet our other roommates. Hope I see you in class.” Not. Was his instant reply in his head. He really doesn’t like anybody, does he? He walked away from them and headed towards the cluster nearby a somewhat smaller building next to the school. I waved bye to them and followed Silverfire over there. I don’t get it. If I don’t even know him, why am I following him around so much? It’s weird. Once I caught up with him, he immediately tensed up.

W-What if I snap? He panicked to himself. I could see actual sweat dripping down his forehead. This must be really serious. Should I be peeking in here so much? It’s so wrong. But at the same time, it feels so right. And his voice is really attractive, even in his head. ''What if I accidentally kill someone? What if I accidentally hurt Violet? Wait, I why am I worrying about her? I don’t even know her! But still…'' He’s…worried about me? But why? I’m not worth worrying about, really. And how could he of all people be able to kill someone? He might be able to poison someone, sure- but he doesn’t look all that strong if you get what I mean. Silverfire honestly looks like that one extremely handsome jerk who somehow manages to get along with everybody and get away with anything. Or the one that everyone hates for good reason; I can see that as well.

To be fair, I have reason to believe this. Both me and Twyla, actually. My twin sister’s ex-boyfriend was apparently “hot”, according to Twyla- I like to say aesthetically pleasing. I unfortunately must admit it; he’s very aesthetically pleasing. But he was an absolutely conceited- I’m not going to say the whole thing, but he was really bad. Imagine getting bullied by someone at school, but the person also gangs up on you in your house and outside of home and school. That’s not even mentioning what he did to me and Twyla- we’ve never been able to fully recover since. Once Twyla dumped him, our family was a wreck ever since. Why I’m mentioning all of this? Silverfire’s actually really good-looking for a guy, can you blame me? He has messy dark auburn hair with silver eyes, dark tan skin with freckles and a black spot on his right cheek. Of course I’d think that. Twyla dislikes him, but she’s hated most people since the whole ‘Aspen Incident’, so can you really blame her?

“Hey Violet, you still alive?” Silverfire voice broke into my thoughts. There was a glint of genuine concern in his eyes, although it looked like he was trying to hide it. Is he still unsure how to feel about me? Because I don’t blame him- I’m not sure how to feel about myself either. “Earth to Violet. Are you feeling alright?” I nodded weakly, feeling faint. This is the most draining experience of my social life so far. Silverfire narrowed his eyes, doubt flashing through them but he didn’t press further. “Let’s keep going.” We walked on in the dormitory, ready to find our room and all that jazz. Compared to the outside, the inside looked quite nice. The outside and the school is hands down terrifying. I almost wet myself. Okay, I should rephrase that. I wet myself a little. I know, I know. I’m pathetic. Just noticing Silverfire was gone, I went into a silent panic. What happened? Did he leave me? Oh Bright Scar, I’m going to throw up… Soon he came back holding a key in his hands.

''Is Violet alright? She looks paler than she usually does. Is she that attached to me already…?'' He thought, unaware that I could hear him. Answers to your questions: I’m not okay, plus this is my normal skin color, get it right. Unfortunately, yes I am. In some way or another. ''Am I feeling attached to her? I mean, she’s okay but…why can’t I seem to keep away from her? She should be figuring this out for herself.'' I’ve never heard something truer. He walked up to me, grumbling to himself about…well, something. After some more following Silverfire around the place, we finally found our room: 113. Once we took a step in, I realized two people were in it already. Are they our roommates?

There was a tall woman with tan skin and deep black silky hair. Her eyes were a piercing dark green that glimmered in despair. The man who was laying on the floor stuffing his face looked older than both me and Silverfire, but from what I could tell, the woman is older than him. He had light brown hair that on the right side formed a little spike, which in all honesty, is very cute. The guy also had green eyes and a lot of freckles underneath them.

Huh, that guy who just came in is cute… I soon realized that this was the woman. ''But whatever. I’m not staying here long, so I’m not going to pursue him anyway. He doesn’t even look the type to socialize either.'' Yeah, I’ll have to agree with that. Silverfire can be very reclusive, and that’s coming from me, the princess of reclusiveness. And what does she mean by she’s not staying long? Was she not on the ferry, or am I mistaken? This is confusing and stressing…

“Oh. I guess you’re our roommates,” The man greeted us. Silverfire huffed and rolled his eyes, now walking over to a small chair at the opposite end of the small room. “I guess I’ll introduce myself.” He sighed. “I’m Tristan, and that jerk is-”

“Shut it, Tristan. Before I have you beheaded,” She interrupted, her voice a hiss. She turned towards us, her eyes sparkling in a fit of annoyance and rage. “I’m Princess Holly, daughter of King Brokenfire. Unpleased to make your acquaintance,” She snapped. “I hate you all already. Especially you, Tristan.” Tristan just shrugged his shoulders and slumped back onto the floor. Well then, this looks enjoyable.

''Who am I kidding? I actually like Tristan. And I don’t hate my roommates. I just wish I wasn’t the daughter of a tyrant…'' Holly sighed to herself. ''As long as I act like this, they won’t want to be my friend. Then they won’t have to put up with my royal blood.'' Is it wrong that I want to be her friend? She seems really lonely, like me…no. I’d doubt she’d accept my help.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s in one of her moods,” Tristan grumbled loud enough so Holly could hear. She hissed at him before sitting down on the chair behind her. “Do you have names? Either way, I don’t really care…”

“I’ll put it in stupid people terms for you: Me Silverfire, her Violet. Understand?” Silverfire growled. Tristan rolled his green eyes and nodded weakly. “Good. Now leave me alone, I’m not in the mood for anyone’s stupidity.” Glaring at everyone, he let himself slide down on his chair, his lip curled.. I’m trying really hard to understand him, but he makes it really difficult.

''I don’t even like these people all that much. Sure, Violet’s okay but what if she finds out? What if anyone finds out about my curse? I can’t stay here.'' Silverfire hissed to himself. I’ve gotta- The thought abruptly ended as soon as I noticed him watching me.

“What are you looking at me for?” Silverfire snarled, as if I’m his enemy. I winced, stepping back a little. “I don't really appreciate you- wait.”

“W-What is it?” I whimpered. Silverfire’s silver eyes glittered in pure rage. Why’s he so upset? Did I do something wrong? Wait, did he…? Oh Bright Scar, please no. Silverfire glowered me some more before speaking.

“You’re a mind-reader, aren’t you Violet?” He snapped.

Chapter 2
WIP

Chapter 3
WIP

Chapter 4
WIP