Laced In Glass & Fire
Graymoor University.
A school so grand, it didn’t look like a school at all.
It looked like a palace—like something out of a fairytale book with silver towers and gardens that smelled like roses kissed by early morning dew.
Sky Alexander Leigh Demetre Quinn stood in front of the massive iron gates, one hand clutching the strap of his sleek black designer bag. The other? Tucked casually in his pocket. His eyes, cool and observant, scanned the grounds with quiet curiosity.
“It looks like a castle,” Sky texted his friend with a wry smile.
Sky ➤ Emmanuel
Sky: Campus looks like a castle.
I feel like if I breathe wrong, a chandelier’s gonna fall on me. 💅
Emmanuel: You're being dramatic.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime.
Sky: It’s giving: ‘study hard or get socially assassinated.’
Anyway, where’s the main building? I might cry if I get lost.
In public. In Prada.
Emmanuel: Look for the fountain with the golden lions.
Behind it’s the Hall of First Years.
Don’t sass your way into a scandal, okay?
Sky: Me? A scandal?
Never.
Not unless they pronounce my name wrong.
He chuckled softly, slipping his phone back into his pocket. The sun reflected off the glass walls of the campus buildings, making everything shimmer like magic. Students passed him, some in crisp uniforms, some already whispering and laughing in tight little circles.
Sky adjusted his collar and walked forward, his steps confident but light—like he belonged here, even if deep down, he wasn’t quite sure yet.
Inside the Orientation Hall, everything felt stiff and formal. Rows of students sat in perfect posture, uniforms pressed, shoes polished to a shine. It smelled faintly of citrus and leather-bound books.
Sky took a seat in the middle row, ignoring the occasional glance from his left and right. A tall professor with salt-and-pepper hair stepped up to the microphone.
“Next,” the professor said, voice echoing in the grand hall, “we’ll welcome one of our newest additions to the BS Biology program. Please stand, Mr. Sky Quinn.”
There was a pause.
Heads turned.
One name—and the air changed.
Student A (whispering): “Quinn...?”
Student B (frowning): “As in Dr. Sebastian Swalle Archie Quinn from Aurora Med?”
Student C (eyes wide): “And Leighnaria Cassandra Quinn—the film empress?!”
Sky rose slowly. Calmly. He had no desire to dazzle anyone. He just gave a polite nod, voice cool and polite.
“Good morning. I’m Sky Quinn,” he said, his tone smooth but distant. “Looking forward to my pre-med track.”
Then he sat down. No dramatic pause. No flourish. But the silence that followed was louder than any applause.
In the faculty lounge, murmurs bloomed like vines on a wall.
“That’s the Quinn boy, isn’t it?” Professor Reyes asked over her cup of tea.
“He is,” answered Professor Salonga, flipping through a file. “Top of his class. National Science Olympiad finalist. Impressive résumé.”
“But he didn’t mention any of it,” Reyes said, raising an eyebrow.
Salonga smiled thoughtfully. “Humble. Rare here.”
Meanwhile, inside the Student Council Office, light poured in through towering glass windows. Everything in the room was sleek and intimidating—like a room designed to judge and rule.
Behind the large desk sat Archaell Lorenzo Ezra Gray, student council president.
He flipped through student files with a face carved from marble—sharp, unreadable.
“Fresh batch looks intense,” said Cassandra, the secretary, tapping a folder. “Especially this one: Sky Alexander Leigh Demetre Quinn.”
Archaell didn’t look up. “That’s a long name. What’s special?”
“Excellent record,” Cassandra said. “Quiet. Doesn’t flaunt anything. But the staff’s already whispering.”
“Let them whisper,” Archaell muttered. “People with perfect records usually crack the loudest.”
Cassandra laughed. “Says the guy with a 4.0 and a trust fund.”
He didn’t reply, but something in his gaze shifted—just a flicker.
Sky ➤ Emmanuel
Sky: Already got stared at during roll call.
Didn’t even do anything yet.
Emmanuel: You’re a Quinn. That’s doing enough.
Just survive Day One.
No sass-battles with rich brats.
Sky: Too late.
Someone sneezed and said, “Ugh, public schoolers.”
I almost threw my pen. 😒
Archaell ➤ Matteo
Matteo: One of the new bio kids—Quinn. Heard of him?
Archaell: Briefly.
Matteo: Seems quiet.
Too quiet, for someone with a name like that.
Archaell: Quieter flames burn longer.
We’ll see what he really wants from Graymoor.
-
As the day ended, the sun dipped low over the shining rooftops of Graymoor.
Sky walked out of the Orientation Hall, cool breeze lifting the strands of his dark brown hair. His hands were in his coat pockets, his mind still lingering on the stares and whispers.
From the opposite end of the hallway, four figures walked in—dressed sharply in council uniforms. Archaell was among them, eyes fixed ahead, mind somewhere else.
They passed each other—close, but not close enough.
They didn’t see each other.
Not yet.
But the air felt different.
Like something was beginning.
Sky’s thoughts, quiet and steady:
This school’s too polished. Too perfect.
Let’s see how long it takes to crack.
End of Episode 1: The Quinn Nobody Knows
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