Splitterkristall - The Shadow Chronicles Vol. 1 E-Book

Michael S. V. Preis

• Herausgeber: Projekt VielSeitig
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

15-year-old Mira is absolutely horrified: her mother has suddenly decided to send her off to boarding school, miles away from anywhere. Their relationship may have been strained for years now, but living a life of strict rules away from the city is unthinkable for a free spirit like Mira! It comes as no surprise, then, that she quickly becomes known as a notorious troublemaker at school. Discovering a mysterious glow in an abandoned house, however, sparks her curiosity. What’s behind the mysterious light? Surely it can’t hurt to take a quick look … Imagine you open the door to a mysterious magic world. Would you close it again? Splitterkristall is a dark fairytale youth fantasy series. It is aimed at young adults and everyone who likes setting off on exciting journeys through magic worlds. Join Mira and her friends on their adventures and find out what is going on with the strange light in the window at number 16…

Leseprobe

Splitterkristall

The Shadow Chronicles

Vol. 1

Michael S.V. Preis

„for my son“

1st Edition: January 2025

Copyright © 2024 by Michael S.V. Preis

Publisher / Editor

Projekt VielSeitig – Sieger GbR

Michael Sieger (responsible)

Grund 3, 42653 Solingen, Germany

Phone: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

Editing (German Version)

Katharina Zwilling

Translating & Editing (English Version)

Charlotte Pangraz

Illustrations

Anastassia Schitz (Cottony Art)

ISBN: 978-3-945310-22-9 (eBook)

Contact address according to EU Product Safety Regulation:

[email protected]

www.splitterkristall.de

www.projekt-vielseitig.de

Splitterkristall is a registered trademark of Projekt VielSeitig – Sieger GbR.

Mira Rother

Mira is a self-assured lone wolf. Having been sent off to a cloister boarding school against her will by her mother, Mira is now supposed to learn to fit in and follow the rules, both of which go completely against her nature. It comes as no surprise then that she and her roommate, Eleonora, often get into arguments.

NoahGruber

Life at boarding school is not sunshine and roses for everyone – Noah learnt that the hard way. Seeing him as an outsider, Jakob and his friends make life especially difficult for him.

EleonoraDuboc

The good-looking head girl is one of the best in the year. Together with her clique she is very much under the impression that she has the moral high ground over others and makes every effort to impose her idea of “right” and “wrong” whenever she can.

VanessaFernandez

Vanessas defining features are her striking curly hair and empathy. She mostly just goes along with Eleonora whenever there are any disagreements because Eleonora’s the one who normally calls the shots in their clique – even if Vanessa often disagrees with Eleonora’s ideas.

Headmistress Diekmann

Strict and old-school – that’s your first impression of Mrs Diekmann, the boarding school headmistress, when you meet her. But hang on, was that a smile we just saw?

Jakob Kappler

As the son of the lawyer Dr. Kappler, who was instrumental in converting the cloister into a boarding school, Jakob enjoys certain privileges at school – and doesn’t shy away from taking advantage of them. He’s close to Eleonora and her friends.

The boarding school

Steeped in history, Engelsbach cloister was converted into a boarding school a few years ago. Did the expropriation of the monks living there go according to plan? There’s still a part of the cloister grounds inhabited by the men in dark robes, yet the pupils hardly ever seem to catch a glimpse of these members of this mysterious order. Many people ask themselves, and with good reason: What are they hiding there? And why is there a part of the library that can only be accessed by the monks?

Prologue

It was done. After all the years of preparation, sacrifices and suffering, he had finally managed it.

A contented smile flitted over the pale, emaciated face of the man they called ‘Il Nocthur’. A fact attributable not only to his dark clothes and long, black hair. The name originated in the ancient languages and could be translated as ‘the shadow’. He didn’t call himself by that name yet it gave him a quiet satisfaction when his fearful, angst-ridden enemies did so. You wouldn’t have known he was barely 30 when you looked at him. The hard years had taken their toll and aged him quickly.

His gaze glazed over the city that was once so magnificent. It lay in ruins. Thick clouds of smoke snaked along the destroyed temple grounds, the citizens of which had lost hope in those they thought would protect them.

The last wave of offensives had gone perfectly to plan. As if out of nowhere, his army had attacked the defenders of this holy place. For a long time, he had let them believe their preparations would, at the very least, be enough to be able to retaliate against the enemy one last time. Yet the severity of the invasion had caught them all off guard.

The smell of burnt wood lingered in the air while a man passed through the wreckage, all the while keeping his eye on the entrance of the one remaining building that was intact. The building that his soldiers had left consciously untouched: the big temple in the centre of the city.

Only a few more moments now separated ‘the shadow’ from absolute power. Then he would have achieved everything he hadn’t even dared to dream for so long; finally, the world would see what he saw. Would understand what he understood.

In spite of all the years living in exile, suffering under the persecution of the inhabitants of this place, it was a feeling of awe that he felt as he entered the impressive temple through the monumental entrance gate. You could feel the power of this place everywhere and it gave him goosebumps.

He carefully followed the stairs that would lead him down to the holy site.

There was a hissing sound. Out of nowhere a pitch-black fog materialised right next to the man. The contours of a figure emerged in the billowing darkness. Its outline seemed blurry and its body appeared to consist of dark smoke.

“My master,” the shadowy figure spoke and lowered its head reverently.

“It is done, Raszcar,” the man aimed at his new companion. “Your soldiers have once again proven themselves to be exceptionally reliable. No one can stop us anymore.”

Together, the two dark figures took the last step and entered the long hall. It was flanked by high pillars, at the end of which stood a high pedestal that had a brightly shining object floating above it.

More shadow creatures appeared along the walls. Their wavering bodies twitched longingly as they crept around the pillars. Lurking like predators, waiting for their prey.

The man felt his heartbeat quickening and his muscles contracting. Breathing calmly, he stepped through the hall, his gaze fixed on the luminescence. He avoided direct eye contact with the shadow creatures. Even after so many years there was still something frightening about them. They might be obeying him now, but they were beasts at heart, and if one tiny thing were to change, they would rip their own master apart in an instant. But ‘the shadow’ would soon also be leaving this behind him forever.

A shiver crept down his back again. He had reached the pedestal. The glowing object was almost within reach. His legs were shaking as he continued to climb.

It took the man’s eyes a moment to get used to the bright light coming out of the very core of the object. Then he saw it for the first time with his own eyes: the glass crystal.

The man had read a lot about it, heard every story in existence about it, and learnt everything there was to know about it. Yet standing right in front of this magical source and taking it in with all his own senses gave him a feeling of pure ecstasy.

The glass surface of the crystal twinkled, and a low crackle and a hum escaped from it. In this holy object lay the foundations of all the magic of this world. It had been claimed by the guardians of this place for so many years; it had given them the power to shape the world. It was beyond their wildest imagination that there could possibly be something even more powerful than them out there. For hundreds of years, they had been intent on obstinately and arrogantly following its traditions. And that had made them blind to what had finally led to their downfall.

“What are you waiting for?” sounded the hoarse voice of the shadow creatures next to the man.

Raszcar was right. Something was holding him back. He had prepared for this day for so long, and now it was here, and his doubts were resurfacing. Was he really up to taking on full power? Would he truly be able to keep it under control?

“Your doubts are all unfounded, my master.” One of the shadow creatures’ sinister traits was the ability to look into people’s souls. Although the man had successfully developed mental techniques to resist this kind of control, it was hard in this euphoric moment for him to wholly shield himself from it. His excitement about the unknown had made him careless.

Staring at him out of the billowing black of its body were haunting, expressionless eyes, whose gaze seemed to permeate through him.

“You have no choice,” hissed the hoarse voice. “You made a pact with the queen.”

The man chuckled: “Raszcar, beings like you might be able to enter our heads, but you will never fully understand the whole spectrum of our emotions and feelings.” Doubts were stirring up inside him of course, it was only human. But these would never be able to distract him from his mission.

He focused on the crystal again. He raised both arms and started the enchantment that would break the protective spell surrounding the hovering object.

A bright lightning bolt turned the hall into daylight for a few seconds, simultaneously causing a piercing pain to run through the man’s body. Gasping, he fell onto his knees. Immediately realising that this sort of magic hadn’t come from the crystal, he spun his head round.

Someone was standing at the foot of the stairs. He recognised her straight away.

The shadow beings scattered behind the pillars only to rematerialise almost instantly, this time facing the entrance in attack position. The woman’s arms had turned into long, sharp weapons, black fog rising from the blades.

“Stop!” the man shouted at the top of his voice. “No one attack her!”

A reluctant hissing sounded. The creatures didn’t seem to like the order.

“I’m sorry,” the voice of the woman rang in his ear. “I cannot allow it.”

“It’s too late! Go away!” the man shrieked back, infuriated.

“It’s not too late to put a stop to all this nonsense!” her tone was one of desperation.

The man painstakingly got up again. The attack had caught him off guard, yet he wouldn’t allow himself to be blindsided again.

“Mother,” he began, “you have never really understood it. I did it for you too.”

“Yes, I do understand.” Unhappy, the woman lowered her gaze and slowly went up to her son. “It’s my fault. I’m the one who planted this madness in your head. It was me who fuelled your hatred for all these years.”

“Then you understand I had no choice either.”

“It was wrong.” She raised her hands in despair. “You killed them all. That was not what I wanted, ever.”

“They cast you out,” he said angrily as he made his hands into fists. “They took your husband and ruined your life. They don’t deserve any different!”

“Hate drained me for a long time and I blindly passed it on to you. I will never forgive myself for that.”

The shadow creature at the man’s side gave out a seething whisper. “Enough! If you do not silence her, my soldiers will.”

The man turned towards him and looked at him, filled with animosity. “Don’t you dare touch her, or you’ll be the first one I destroy when I possess the power of the stone.”

Instead of giving an answer, the shadow creature stared at the man blankly.

The man returned his gaze to the hall. “I will relieve your pain, mother. You’ll see.”

“Don’t do it. I beg you.” She raised her hand and directed it at her son.

“You can’t stop me.” He turned away from her and laid his hand on the invisible protective spell that was still surrounding the crystal.

“Please don’t make me...” the woman’s voice was shaking.

A lightning bolt flared up again. This time, however, her son was ready for it. The spell ricocheted off a magic barrier, which he had created unnoticed shortly beforehand, before offloading its charge on all sides. The flashes barged into the pillars sideways with a loud bang; particles of dust and minute little stones flew into the room.

“Give it up, Mother,” he briefly interrupted the enchantment. “It has been so long since you have been able to match my power.”

He could sense that he had almost done it and started again to destroy the field of force around the crystal. It became visible and began to flicker. Then it collapsed. The crystal’s light went out, and it started to fall. Instinctively, the man caught the object - an object so sought-after - in his hand. His body tingled comfortingly as his finger touched the smooth surface of the magical object. For just a moment he was able to forget everything around him.

“You’re right!” His mother’s voice pulled him back into reality. “I can’t match your power.”

Something in her tone of voice made him stir. He turned towards her. She had approached him and was now only a few metres away. His mother didn’t look a day older! Her face was smooth and flawless. Her long, jet-black hair fell over her shoulders in light waves. Just like he remembered it. The exterior appearance she had chosen wouldn’t allow anyone to suspect that this woman was his mother. His sister at most.

Raszcar stared at the woman. He wasn’t going to take any order from anyone. He was resolute in defending his master and the crystal, should she dare take another step.

“Stay away from me!” the man commanded his mother.

“I hope you will be able to forgive me one day, my son.” She raised her arm again. She hesitated for a short while longer. “I love you!” she added wistfully. By the time he understood that the spell his mother was casting wasn’t for him, it was too late. The crystal started vibrating in his hand, and the light within it flared up into a brighter, more blinding light than before. The surface of the stone started cracking and got so hot that it burnt itself into the man’s skin. Filled with pain, he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. A deafening bang shook the temple hall, and the crystal shattered into many tiny splinters.

Then there was silence. The outline of the rooms blurred in front of the man’s eyes as if he were slowly going blind.

He felt an invisible force taking his soul and ripping it out of his body. Harsh, white flames blazed up around him; he no longer had any control over himself. With his last drop of strength, he tried to fight against it, but it was no use. Whatever his mother had done to him, he was powerless. Helplessness spread through him. He had allowed himself weakness, and at the height of his power, he seemed to have lost everything.

A new life

By the time the black Jaguar turned into Rosenstrasse, it was already dark, the weak light of a streetlamp casting a beam on the abandoned pavements every few metres.

Mira was sitting in the back seat of the car, buried in thought, watching the facades of the old houses with growing doubt. At the same time, her fingers were typing nervously on her mobile phone screen, the same album playing through her headphones for the umpteenth time. The sinister sounds of electronic music accompanied by the vocals of a low female voice underlined the heavy feeling inside her.

“Everything all right, love?” the voice of an older man broke through to her. Mira looked away from the window and forward into the rearview mirror. The driver’s dark eyes glanced briefly at her before facing the road again.

A pained smile flitted over Mira’s lips. She reached for one of the small earphones and pulled it out. “How long until we’re there?”

The man in the driver’s seat took a quick look at the navigation display on the dashboard. “Twenty minutes, then we’ve made it.”

“Then I still have a bit of time left,” Mira observed glumly.

“I’m sure your mother only wants what’s best for you.”

“Whatever…” The earphone bud disappeared into Mira’s ear, and she shifted her gaze back outside again. She really did like Nikolai, but not even he could help her right now. Her mother had decided to send her to this abandoned place. Away from her friends and far away from everything that could have given her a sense of normality. Mira was aware that things weren’t always plain sailing with her. She was stubborn and had most definitely not always made her mother’s life easy, but she could never have imagined that she’d go so far as to send her daughter away from home. To boarding school somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

The song was getting to its instrumental climax, the electronic sounds accentuated by the fine playing of a violin. Heavy with emotion, the female voice sang: “You can’t see me, and you never will. I’m outside the mirror, and the glass is about to break.”

Mira let her head sink onto the cold window and stared into the night. At that moment, she felt really quite alone.

“You can’t be serious.” Nikolai’s voice ripped her from her melancholy. “This useless thing is sending me down the same street again.” The car slowed down, and Nikolai steered into a bus stop.

“What’s wrong?” Mira leant forward.

“The stupid sat nav keeps sending me in circles. The street that is supposed to take us to the school doesn’t seem to exist.”

“What a shame. In that case, maybe we should just turn around and drive back.”

“Stop it. That’s not funny. We’re already far too late because of the accident on the 48. The lady on the phone didn’t exactly sound delighted when I told her that we’d be getting there after dark.

“So what?” Mira said back. She couldn’t care less about what people’s first impressions of her were in the place she would now be living, and she threw herself back into her seat.

“And you can’t see anything on these ridiculous maps either,” Nikolai carried on cursing, wildly tapping on his mobile phone.

Mira could definitely have helped; she knew that Nikolai wasn’t the most resourceful when it came to modern technology. Yet putting off the inevitable a little longer calmed her down.

“I’ll just make a call.” The cool night air drifted in as Nikolai pushed the driver’s door open.

Mira undid her seatbelt and leant forwards towards the screen. The blue arrow on the navigation system was clearly pointing left. Following a scrutinising look out of the window, Mira realised that rather than a street, the only thing to be seen was an old building. It fitted seamlessly into the other terraced houses either side of it, although the doors and windows were boarded up, and a ‘For sale’ sign was hanging prominently on the little wall in the small front garden.

Mira stared at the display again in thought. Of course streets changed every now and again, and Nikolai most likely didn’t have the most up-to-date version on his phone. But this house didn’t look as though it had been built recently. It must have really been a mistake in the mapping data. A short flash of light turned Mira’s gaze back to the house. Had she just imagined it, or had someone just switched on a light behind the panels? Mira inspected the boarded-up windows. There it was again! A quick flicker on the top floor. Her heart started beating faster. Was there going to be something interesting here after all? She had run away from home several times in the last two years and had made friends on the street. That’s how she also knew that it made sense to find shelter with a roof for the colder times of the year. And empty old houses were a welcome camp for the night in that scene. Mira had always felt at home when she was with runaways - like part of a real family. Something it seemed her mother would never understand. Mira felt the people there were less shallow and less arrogant than most of the people in her mother’s world.

“We can get moving again.” Nikolai got back in the car. “Must be a mistake in the sat nav. But I’ve got the right way now.”

The thought of there being a possibility to escape from school, should she not be able to bear it there, had awakened a glimmer of hope in Mira. As Nikolai went into reverse and drove out of the bus stop more energetically than he meant to, Mira’s long, shoulder-length hair fell onto her face. The white streak that flashed through her hair had been there since birth. It was a pigment disorder, most people said. Mira had been subjected to a few stupid comments because of it, but she wasn’t one to care about other people’s opinions. While the car was driving back onto the road, Mira turned around again and took a last look at the house with the number 16 on it.

Nikolai and Mira went over two more crossings, past the ‘Thank you for driving through our village’ sign and turned onto a country road. There weren’t any street lamps anymore. A few minutes passed, then it went from country road to a bumpy, unsurfaced lane, which led straight into a bit of woodland. A glance at the sat nav told them that there was a big lake not far from the forest track, though you wouldn’t have known it in the dark. Anything around at all had to be left to the imagination when you looked out of the window. The golden autumn leaves falling to the ground that Mira had observed when they left sparkled all around in the blaze of the headlights. Mira normally looked forward to this time of year as the days got shorter and the air cooler. Yet right then, it only intensified her depressed state of mind. The drive through the forest dragged on for a good ten minutes before the dark weave of the treetops gave way again to the moonlight.

Mira could finally make out the words ‘House guests’ and ‘P’ for ‘Parking’ on a sign that was lit up. The arrow next to it pointed right. Nikolai ignored the directions and steered the car over a gravel driveway up to an imposing pair of iron gates.

He put the window down, leaned out, and pressed the button on the intercom. A shrill sound rang out.

Mira felt a growing unrest building up inside her. There was no going back now. Not that that had ever really been an option, but at least the drive here had given her the chance to pretend it wasn’t all really happening. But it all felt very real now.

“Yes, hello, how can I help you?” sounded the distorted voice of a man through the intercom.

“Mira Rother, you’ve been expecting us...” Nikolai had barely finished his sentence when they heard a loud creaking and both gates opened very slowly inwards.

“Well, he’s a chatty chap,” Nikolai joked, aiming it at Mira. Mira just shrugged her shoulders briefly. She didn’t feel like joking. She felt her stomach tightening and started to feel a bit queasy.

The car passed through the gate and continued down the street, which quickly made a sharp bend right, past several garages on the left and greenhouses on the right. Nikolai and Mira then found themselves in a big square, bordered by a few different buildings, where Nikolai parked his Jaguar and switched off the engine.

Mira’s gaze wandered. It was hard to recognise the buildings in their entirety out of the car. Mira took her earphones and her mobile and stuffed them both into her trouser pocket. Then she grabbed her coat, an oversized olive-green anorak, breathed in deeply, and opened the door.

To her left, some wide stairs emerged in the darkness, leading to a forecourt. Three large, monumental towers belonging to a majestic church soared against the moonlight. It was a building made up of six open arches on each side and a large one in the middle. The entrance was surrounded by two sturdy columns. Although Mira wasn’t at all religious, buildings like this did have a spellbinding effect on her. She let her gaze wander further. A long, light building stretched out directly in front of her. The entrance was reached through a porch with a short flight of stairs leading up to it. The main building was situated on the right and had a dark roof. A narrow tower with a round clock rose directly above the entrance. To the left of the stairs, you could read the words ‘Cloister’ and ‘Door’. A sign reading ‘Boarding School Entrance’ had been put up underneath it.

Nikolai had come over to Mira. “Come on, let’s go inside. It’s pretty cold out here.” He gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. She nodded tentatively. Her legs felt heavy walking up the six stone steps to the boarding school entrance. The burning sensation in her stomach was getting stronger with every step. At the top of the stairs, there was another short flat area in the building, with a bronze door at the end, flanked by arches.

As soon as Mira and Nikolai reached the door, it creaked open loudly. An older man appeared, eyeing up the two latecomers sternly.

“The Rother family?” he greeted them curtly, followed by a: “Follow me, please.”

Mira darted a questioning look at Nikolai. But he simply raised his eyebrows briefly before trying to keep up with the man.

They crossed the entrance hall together and then turned left into a long corridor. The dark parquet flooring was made up of one-by-one metre squares, fitted so that the grain was always offset. The walls were dressed in a rough, ivory-white stone. There were windows interspersed between the pillars at regular intervals, and opposite them were paintings of old men, evidently priests or cardinals. Mira didn’t know very much about that sort of thing. Where on earth had her mother dumped her? Mira didn’t even know this place existed until now. The only certainty to come out of their last big argument was that Mira’s mother was going to send her to boarding school. But no one said a word about where it was going to be. The fact that her mother had kept her decision to bring Mira to a place somewhere in the middle of the forest from her was, Mira decided, a mean attempt of her mother’s to assert power over her daughter. Sometimes, Mira thought her mum must actually hate her. Although this thought did also seem a little harsh to Mira. But just then it was hard for her to believe anything to the contrary.

The corridor was separated by a construction made of glass and wood, with a door in the middle of it. The older man opened it and let Mira and Nikolai step into the hallway behind it.

“Pretty impressive,” Nikolai attempted some small talk, but the old man just let out an incomprehensible grunt. “I mean, it’s quite big,” Nikolai added.

“The headmistress’s office is just over there,” the man muttered. He finally came to a stop in front of an unlikely, inconspicuous wooden door on the right of the hallway and knocked.

“Come in,” sounded a female voice behind the door.

The interior was clearly an office. Inside, a solid timber desk was framed by ceiling-high shelves and cupboards. The furniture was antique and the air was filled with the smell of old wood and paper. There weren’t any windows. An uplighter, standing right behind the desk, gave the place some light, its modern look not quite in keeping with the overall impression of the room.

Sitting behind the desk was an older lady, her short, grey hair combed straight back. Her glasses were sitting right at the end of her thin nose, making her gaunt face look extraordinarily severe.

“Thank you very much, August. Do go to bed. I’ll take care of our new arrival.”

The headmistress beckoned Nikolai and Mira over whilst the man left the room without a goodbye.

“Good evening, Mr Mazurek, Miss Rother. Do take a seat.” She pointed at the two chairs standing in front of the desk. “First of all, I’d like to point out that I do not appreciate tardiness, although I did notice that you contacted us in good time, meaning we were at least prepared for it.”

“Please let me express my sincerest apologies again. As I said on the phone, there was an accident on our route,” Nikolai tried to apologise.

“Let’s leave it at that.” The headmistress nodded briefly and turned to look at Mira. “My name is Mrs Diekmann. I’m the headmistress of this historic institution, and I wish you a very warm welcome to our school. Because it’s so late already...” Looking down at the clock on the wall confirmed that it was already just after 11 p.m. “...we’ll postpone the full induction to tomorrow morning. School doesn’t start until 10 am for you. I expect you to be in my office at 7:30 a.m. sharp, Miss Rother.”

Mira was overwhelmed by the whole situation. It all felt like a film happening in front of her eyes, one in which she was unable to take over the story. She was used to controlling things, even if - or perhaps because of - the very fact that her cheekiness had often led her to some tricky situations. But what was happening here escaped her control.

“Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, 7:30,” Mira stammered.

“Well, Miss Rother. Now I would kindly ask you to get your luggage and meet me in the entrance hall, and then I’ll show you to your room. Will you find the way?”

“Yes, thank you very much,” Nikolai jumped in, thanked the headmistress, and left the office with Mira.

“Everything ok?” he wanted to know, once they were alone again.

“No, nothing’s ok! What a load of bullshit!” it all suddenly burst out of Mira. Her tension, her fears about everything here, and her anger towards her mother. “What am I doing here, Nikolai? What the hell is this? I do not want to stay here!” Mira had tears in her eyes. She hated it when she cried, but she just couldn’t hold it back.

“Oh, love. I know. I’m so sorry. If I could...” He tried to take her in his arms, but she pushed him away.

“Leave me alone.” Clenching her hands into fists, she ran off. Through the partition door, down the corridor all the way to the entrance hall, tearing the bronze door open with one hefty swing. The cold night air hit her. She tried to slam the door shut behind her, but it didn’t work. The mechanics of the door were designed to make the door fall quietly closed on its own.

“Stupid thing! Even that doesn’t work!” Mira shouted at the door and kicked the metal. She stopped briefly. All she wanted was to carry on running. But if she was being completely honest with herself, she knew that running through the forest in the middle of the night wouldn’t get her very far.

By the time the front door opened again and Nikolai caught up with Mira, she was already sitting on the steps, staring down at her worn-out Converses in silence.

“There you are. I was worried you were up to something silly.” Nikolai sat down next to her. “What a shit show. But maybe it won’t be so bad after all. At least you might meet some new people here.”

“Well, isn’t that just great? Probably the exact same sort of elitist idiots as at the other schools. Nothing but snobs and spoiled kids.”

“Why don’t you just wait before ruining it for yourself? And if it really is as bad as all that, you know where I am. Then I promise I’ll speak to your mother. And now off with you, otherwise we’ll both catch our deaths sitting on these cold stairs.”

Resigned, Mira stood up and trotted to the car. The boot jumped open and she grabbed hold of her backpack. Nikolai carried the heavy bag with the clothes in it. They made their way back up to the entrance area together, where Headmistress Diekmann was waiting as promised.

“Follow me, please.”

The hall was a good twenty metres long. At the other end, there was a double door with glass inserts in it, clearly leading to a courtyard. It was surrounded by two wide staircases, winding up to meet at the top again on a landing.

“The common rooms are downstairs. Dorms are on the upper floors. Teaching staff, apart from the ones who live off-site, have their living quarters in the west wing. That’s also where the classrooms are,” the headmistress explained while showing Mira and Nikolai out.

“Seems quite old already,” Nikolai thought aloud. Realising that the headmistress was looking at him sceptically, he quickly added: “Please don’t take it the wrong way, I mean in a good way.”

“Indeed. A historically significant estate. The cloister was built in 1903,” Mrs Diekmann explained, after they had reached the top floor. “Of course it’s been renovated several times every now and again over the years. Until a few years ago the resident monks here were still living in the rooms. The buildings over there are still run by them today.” She gestured through a glass door, behind which, as on the ground floor, there was a glimpse of a courtyard. Mira could make out the front of another big building at the bottom of the garden in the moonlight.

“Crossing over into most of those areas is strictly forbidden for teachers and pupils - unless they’re planning on joining the Church.”

Mira looked at the headmistress in amazement. Was that a hint at a glimmer of humour? Mrs Diekmann had not given off the impression of being a particularly funny person, and she didn’t bat an eyelid.

“Anyway, let’s go on. It’s late enough as it is.” The headmistress turned away from the glass door and pointed in the other direction. “Dorms for the boys on the left, girls on the right. We attach great importance to separating boys and girls.”

“It just gets better and better...” Mira murmured.

“Did you say something, young lady?”

“Never mind.”

The headmistress opened the door to the right wing. There was a long corridor behind it. This one was less elegantly furnished and considerably narrower than the one downstairs. The floor was brightly tiled; on it lay a long red carpet that looked noticeably worn in several places. On the right-hand side of the corridor, there was a row of doors next to each other. Each one had a golden sign with a number on it. Opposite them were windows. Round lamps hung from the ceiling from long sticks that threw a weak light onto the hallway.

“This is your room.” Mrs Diekmann pointed at door number 132. “Please be quiet when you go in; your roommate will most likely be asleep already.”

“My roommate?” Mira looked at Nikolai in utter dismay. “They’re twin rooms. Always two to a room. Didn’t you know?” Mrs Diekmann raised an eyebrow. Mira was boiling with rage. Her mother had kept her in the dark about that too.

“In any case, before I bid you goodnight, I must ask you to hand over your mobile phone.”

That was it! Who did she think she was? “No! I most certainly will not give you my mobile.” Defiantly, Mira turned to her side.

“Not with that tone, young lady. We have clear rules here and I’m horrified that your parents don’t seem to have talked to you about that beforehand.”

“My mother.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“It was my mother - not my parents. And I will not be giving you my mobile.” Mira persisted. Nikolai attempted to reconcile the situation: “Could you perhaps make an exception? It’s late and we’re all tired.”

A sigh could be heard coming from the headmistress. “Given it’s so late and the unfortunate circumstances I am prepared to postpone this talk until tomorrow.”

Mira was taken aback. She was just starting to get warmed up, ready to carry on this argument.

“Then I hope you have a good first night,” Mrs Diekmann went on suddenly. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” “And you, Mr Mazurek, I wish you a good journey home.”

“Thank you. Good night to you, too,” Nikolai answered. Mira just twisted her lips into a brief, forced smile.

The headmistress purposefully left the dorm area through the door and returned to the staircase, leaving Nikolai and Mira alone.

“Don’t say it!” she warned him, seeing his worried look. “I’ve got myself into enough of a tizz today. I’ll go into this stupid room and then see what’s in store for me tomorrow.”

Nikolai couldn’t help but smile. “That’s the spirit.”

“Are you driving straight back?” Mira asked, thinking about the fact that Nikolai now had a several-hour journey ahead of him.

“I’ll make sure I get a hotel room somewhere. It’s been a long day and I don’t want to end up in a ditch. I’m exhausted.” Nikolai beckoned Mira over. “Well, come here. Let me hug you. Look after yourself. And if you need anything - call me.”

Mira gratefully accepted Nikolai’s invitation. In all the unfairness and chaos of this world it felt good knowing she had a few constants at least. Unlike most of Mira’s mother’s other employees, Nikolai had been with them for many years already and had won a place in Mira’s heart. Even if he wasn’t really a father substitute, he was a good friend at least.

Mira felt her eyes tearing up again. She quickly pulled away from Nikolai‘s arms and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “Right, enough of all this sentimental stuff now. Get home safely. I’ll be in touch.”

“Take care.” Nikolai briefly raised his hand to say goodbye.

When he had disappeared from sight, Mira opened the door very slightly, took a last deep breath, and stepped inside.

As expected, the room was dark.

“No mobile,” Mira thought gloomily, putting her suitcase next to the door and reaching into her pocket. “How else am I supposed to be able to see anything?”

Following a short swipe of the screen and a click of the torch symbol, the room lit up with the mobile’s white light.

There were two beds against the wall, on the left and right respectively. In between them, there was a desk and chair. The wardrobes were right in front of the beds. Immediately next to the door, Mira could make out a small alcove with a basin and mirror. She could smell sweet perfume in the air.

Mira curiously got closer to the bed on the left. So that’s where her roommate was sleeping. You couldn’t make out very much. The girl was lying on her side, facing the wall, her long, light hair shining in the mobile phone light.

“Turn that off and lie down,” she murmured all of a sudden.

“I need to get changed,” Mira replied tersely, turning around and walking to her suitcase.

“Then come on and hurry up, will you! I want to sleep,” said the girl, annoyed.

“All right.” Mira rolled her eyes. She quickly opened her suitcase and rummaged around in it. It took her a moment to finally find her XXL sleeping jumper, comfy cotton jogging trousers, and her toothbrush and toothpaste. One look at the floor told her that she had quite a bit to sort out tomorrow – which wasn’t particularly new to her. Being tidy wasn’t exactly Mira’s strong suit.

An annoyed groan confirmed that the process wasn’t moving fast enough for her roommate, but Mira pretended not to hear it. She got changed and then inched to the basin in her socks to brush her teeth.

“Are you finally done?” the girl clearly couldn’t resist making more acid remarks.

But Mira didn’t worry about it; she washed her mouth out and wiped it dry on her sleeve. Having got into bed, she grabbed her mobile and switched the torch off. Then she opened the music app and chose the album she’d already listened to a few dozen times on the way there. She hesitated for a second, then tapped on the photo app. She felt a stabbing in her chest as her finger brushed over the ‘Favourites’ album. The only pictures in the folder were two Polaroid photos. Both pictures were of a young man. He was alone in one of them. In the other, there was a little girl with a light streak in her dark hair sitting on his lap. The photo was of Mira and her father. “Why did you have to leave me alone?” she whispered.

The screen got darker, but Mira didn’t react. It wasn’t until the light had completely gone out that she sank back into the bed with her earphones in her ears and closed her eyes.

Every beginning...

“For crying out loud...” murmured Mira, turning onto her side, restless. In all the excitement of the last hours she had completely forgotten something: no one had told her where the toilets were, and she had to retaliate now. Sleeping was out of the question. She had to do a wee so badly.

She took her mobile and pushed the duvet to the side. She just used the weak light of the screen this time. Her roommate’s regular breathing made her think that she was asleep by now - and Mira wanted to keep it that way. She crept quietly into the corridor on the soles of her feet. The icy cold of the tiles went through her thin socks to her feet.

Luckily, the lights seemed to be on all night in the corridor, meaning Mira could put her mobile back in her pocket again.

Mira was sure that there must be a bathroom here somewhere. At least the headmistress had mentioned the fact that girls and boys were strictly ­separated – implying that both must have bathrooms too. She didn‘t have that many options to choose from; the only thing to the left was the stairway, so she carried on down the corridor. Realising with every step that she was starting to get really quite desperate; she moved faster. The corridor split into two again at the end. On the right, there were more dorm areas. Fortunately, Mira found herself in front of a door with ‘Shower/WC’ on it. Feeling grateful, she pushed the heavy door handle down and scurried inside. As you entered, there were basins along the wall with a sign just behind them pointing to the showers, changing rooms, and the toilets she’d been needing so much.

Very relieved, Mira washed her hands a few minutes later. She found herself gazing absently into the mirror, lost in thought. Her facial features, normally soft, seemed tired and exhausted, a state that surely had a lot to do with the time of day but also the tiring last few weeks. Mira’s relationship with her mother had reached a new low. They had always fought a lot. It was especially since Mira’s father had died in a lab accident almost five years ago that it had got a lot worse. Mira’s mother had always been very focused on her career. She was a director at a private research institute, where Mira’s father had also worked part-time, so she was rarely at home – they had never had the chance to build a real mother-daughter relationship. The complete opposite from her connection with her father. Things changed a lot when he died. So Mira’s mother had taken a clear step back and worked a lot from home. Mira was constantly very aware, however, that it wasn’t really what her mother would have wanted in life. Moreover, her mother had given her the feeling that Mira was responsible for things changing for the worse. Her mother could never have given her what Mira really needed throughout that difficult time – someone who took her in their arms, comforted her, and helped her get through her loss.

Mira let cold water run through her folded palms and plunged her head into it. The coolness was comforting, and the slight burning sensation on her skin chased away her nostalgia. Without a towel to hand, she dried her face on her sleeve.

Back in the corridor, she hurried to her room so she could get into the warm bed. She was halfway there when something steered her attention to one of the windows. She could see a bright pillar of light in the dark of the night. It extended like a long piece of tape somewhere in the distance from the ground up to the sky, meaning Mira couldn’t make out where it ended. She had seen something like that before in front of clubs, laser beams directed at the sky, but this light was different. It was so bright, as if she were standing right in front of it, with no sign of dimming the higher it reached. Mira imagined that she could feel the warmth of the light on her face, which was impossible of course. There were probably several kilometres between the source of the column of light and her. While Mira was still thinking about the strange phenomenon, the light flickered and then died away again. Mira stared out into the dark a bit longer, perplexed, then she pulled herself away from the window and carried on pensively but without any further interruptions.

The next morning began for Mira just as chaotically as the previous day had ended. She was woken up by a loud clatter, and she needed a moment to orientate herself before she realised where she was. She looked at her watch quickly and saw it was already after seven.

“Fuck!” Mira cursed loudly. “Overslept. Shit, why didn’t I set an alarm?”

Someone was clearing their throat. Only then did Mira realise that she wasn’t alone in the room. Mira’s roommate was standing at the basin. She stopped brushing her light blonde hair and turned to Mira. The girl had a doll-like appearance. Admittedly, she had a pretty face, but it was missing that special something. Replaceable and boring, Mira thought to herself. The clothes her roommate was wearing appeared to be some sort of boarding school uniform. A grey skirt that came down over the knee, along with a blue V-neck jumper, edged in red, and a white shirt underneath.

The expression on the girl’s face gave off a general sense of disapproval. “First you get here in the middle of the night and then you get up too late – not a good first impression.”

“Thank you for the assessment,” Mira countered and shook her head. That was just what she needed – stupid comments coming out of the mouth of a spoiled boarding school brat.

“I’m just saying. Mrs Diekmann won’t be particularly pleased if you’re late on your very first day.” The girl had turned back to her own reflection in the mirror and continued brushing her hair.

“Do you have anything helpful to add?” Mira made no secret of the fact that she was annoyed by how the girl was behaving. Mira’s roommate opened her mouth briefly, without an answer coming out of it, and then shut it again.

Pleased that she had managed to shut her roommate up, even if only for a moment, Mira slipped out of bed and went to where she had left her suitcase yesterday, only to find it wasn’t there.

“Where’s my suitcase?” Mira snapped at the girl.

“You mean this mess that you left here last night? I took care of it – everything’s put away into the cupboard.”

“You did what? You can’t just go through my things!” Mira moaned. Horrified, she flung the cupboard door open, ready to strangle her. To Mira’s complete and utter surprise her things were all neatly folded and put away in the cupboard. She most probably wouldn’t have managed to do a better job herself.

“You’re welcome,” sounded the voice from the basin in the corner of the room.

Mira wasn’t sure whether she should be angry that her roommate had rummaged through her things or whether she actually meant well in doing the chore for her.

Mira quickly grabbed clean underwear, a pair of very worn leggings, a tank top, and a hoodie, and promptly started getting dressed.

“What’s your name, by the way?” asked Mira while putting her things on.

“Eleonora,” she responded tersely. “And yours?”

“Mira.”

An uneasy silence resumed between these two very different girls.

The clock on Mira’s phone told her she had less than five minutes left. “Shit, I need to go.”

Eleonora, who in the meantime had put down her brush, was eyeballing Mira. Mira’s style clearly wasn’t her cup of tea.

“Then good luck.”

---ENDE DER LESEPROBE---