The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 34

I gape a little as we walk down the long, dark tunnel towards…

I mean, I don’t even know what we’re walking towards.

“Where are we going?” I ask Rafe, a little breathless with intrigue and excitement.

“Into the Academy,” he hisses back, like it’s a secret, but I know he’s kidding even before I glare up at him.

“Uniforms,” Jesse says smoothly, running a hand through his hair like he’s very suave. “We’ve got to get fitted, because Academy cadets always look good.”

“What?” I say, a little confused. “Honestly, that can’t be first –”

“His dad,” Rafe says, “the vainest man in the world –”

“Um, justifiably,” Jesse counters, grinning.

“Yeah, whatever,” Rafe says, grinning, “anyway, Uncle Roger really did decide that all of the cadets enrolled here need to look their best at all times. So, yeah,” he shrugs, “first thing is fittings for uniforms.”

“Whoa,” I say, and my awe is not simply for Uncle Roger’s semi–predictable flare for looking good, but also for the cavernous room we walk into next. Because, I mean, the tunnel was literally just that a tunnel, with rough walls and low lighting.

But this?

“Damn,” Luca says, a smirk on his face as he comes up next to Jesse. “Looks like this city boy has finally made it, haven’t I?‘

I nod as I stare around the room, with its three–story arching stone ceilings and polished floors. And I mean, this is the bottom of the castle, where I assumed the dungeons were. If this is here, what the hell is upstairs?

“This way,” Rafe says, tugging me along towards a line of professors waiting at a set of tables ahead of us, a set of boxes in front of them.

“Ah, Cadet Sinclair,” one of the professors says, smiling at Rafe as he steps forward. “Naturally we thought you’d be one of the first to appear, but now I see that you

Chapter 34

he peers beyond Rafe and blinks a little at Ben and 1, clearly having no idea who we

Rafe says blandly, smiling at the professor and putting on his best

your candidate apparel. Also within the box is your dorm information and key, the Cadet Handbook, and a map of the parts

interestedly, and I jump a little when I hear my own

name.

surprise that it’s the dark–haired professor again – the one who made us hold that strange orb this afternoon. I move eagerly towards him, seeing he has what I assume is my box in his hands. “Congratulations, Cadet.” he says,

I say, and then I hesitate because…I mean, he’s just staring at me in this

“I’ll look forward to seeing much,

says they look forward to seeing me again, but

am on much shakier ground here, and under a great deal more

don’t know, masculine. “Thank you,

pleased and entertained, and nods

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their own boxes, my mind racing as

covered in mirrors. I look around passively, my mind

teach? They’re so different – I can’t imagine,

go very still in shock before I suddenly burst out laughing, realizing that I’m looking at myself in the mirror on

asks, coming to my side.

say, grinning at myself as I turn a little, observing my plain face with no makeup, my hair tucked expertly up below my cap, my baggy

at me for a second and then looks across the room like I’m doing, his face bursting into a grin as he sees my

no one takes me seriously,” I murmur. Because honestly, I do look like a boy, but I’m sure that I’m the smallest, wimpiest, most pink–cheeked little guy that’s ever walked through

shock as she laughs a little too and waves me forward. I mean, it’s not like I recognize the voice or anything – it’s just….a girl. “A lot of guys have that reaction when they see themselves for the first time in candidate grey after two weeks,” she says, smiling at me.

round platform in front of which she kneels on a little ottoman. “Come forward,” she says. “I’ll

realizing suddenly that

wants to touch my

my form. And while my baggy candidate

SUN, LU Mar

Chapter 21

to some details I don’t want anyone to

worries, if you’re shy, I can take