Discovering Synergy, page 1
Discovering Synergy
Elementi: Book One
Elizabeth Knight
Copyright 2019 © Elizabeth Knight
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used to reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations for articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials.
Knight, Elizabeth
Discovering Synergy
Editing by Clever Girl Literary Services & LB Squared Associates, Inc.
Cover artist: Mecate Designs
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Discovering Synergy (Elementi, #1)
Chapter 1 Lailah
Chapter 2 Lailah
Chapter 3 Parker
Chapter 4 Lailah
Chapter 5 Brayden
Chapter 6 Lailah
Chapter 7 Lailah
Chapter 8 Lailah
Chapter 9 Micah
Chapter 10 Lailah
Chapter 11 Jay
Chapter 12 Lailah
Chapter 13 Lailah
Chapter 14 Hudson
Chapter 15 Lailah
Chapter 16 Brayden
Chapter 17 Lailah
Chapter 18 Lailah
Chapter 19 Lailah
Chapter 20 Micah
Chapter 21 Lailah
Chapter 22 Lailah
Chapter 23 Brayden
About the Author
Katie without you I wouldn’t have written this book twice....
You’re right it was better the second time
Chapter 1 Lailah
No matter how old you are, going to a new school always sucks. Add the fact that the new school is in a whole different country, and that makes it even worse. After graduation, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, so I decided not to force myself into choosing right away. I guess I realized that having no friends and no aspirations might be a small problem, especially since I was the only one in my family who had none. For the next few months after graduation, I helped out at my parents’ diner, which they begrudgingly let me do, while I added my name to every college list I could find. None of the schools I applied to seemed quite right until I received an email from a school overseas, Ryevick University.
I was immediately enraptured by the aesthetic of the school’s environment. Ryevick was whimsical, but modern at the same time. The grounds were filled with ornate gardens and buildings with architecture I’d only seen in history books. I’ve always had a soft spot for history because it is a chance to see what we’ve lost, but also to see how far we’ve come. Once I discovered Ryevick required an ancestry test with their application, I sent off my essay and pin prick test the very next day. Three weeks later, I received my acceptance letter in the mail with a full-ride scholarship, housing included.
Ryevick University is located in a small country in northwest Europe called Drittilyn. Although it was a country that I’d never heard of, it seemed too good to be true. Drittilyn is surrounded by so many countries, it's a wonder the common language of the people is English. They drive on the right side of the road and the U.S. dollar is worth double the value. Who knew that such a magical place existed? And I would never have known about the school in the first place if I hadn’t received that email.
I walked out of the airport into a new world, and it was nerve-wracking. I couldn’t even figure out where the taxis were located. My sense of direction has always been horrible. For the love of God, don’t tell me to go north then head east. Give me landmarks! The last time I thought I could find my way with these kinds of directions, I ended up in the boy’s locker room after a football game. So many naked men, my eyes burned for weeks. Not to mention the onslaught of voyeurism jokes from the football players in the halls for the next month.
I successfully found a taxi and smiled at the driver as he helped me with my two suitcases.
“Where to?” the driver asked with a hint of an accent I couldn’t place.
“Ryevick University, I’m a new student there,” I answered as I slipped into the back of the cab.
“I’ve done that trip twice today already, so you’re in good hands. It’ll take us about an hour if the traffic isn’t too bad,” he said as he pulled away from the curb. “Ever been to Drittilyn before?” he asked.
“No, I’ve never left the U.S. before,” I answered, letting the conversation end as I took in my surroundings.
Once we were outside the city, I felt like we had driven straight into a Jane Austen novel. The rolling hills stretched on for miles. They were covered with local farms and pastures full of sheep, cows, and goats eating their fill of grass. Amidst the greenery, old brick houses were covered in overgrown ivy. It reminded me of a Thomas Kinkade painting my mother had gotten for Christmas one year. It felt like I was traveling into a dream world, only I could never have come up with something so perfect on my own.
As we got closer to the school, the scenery started to transform into a more modern feel without losing the true nature of the land around it. The campus covered a vast acreage with historic-looking buildings blending with newer additions like the dorm that I would be staying in, Ashfall Hall. Thankfully, the taxi driver was familiar with the school grounds, so I didn’t have to navigate for him. With my lack of directional skills, we would have been driving around till dark and still not found the dorm.
As I got out of the taxi, I stared up at the two tall glass buildings that made up the dorms. The tempered glass reflected the waning sunlight, making it seem like it was glowing from the inside out. From the information booklet I had received with my acceptance letter, I knew one building was for the boys and the other was for the girls. Bridging the two buildings were three common rooms; one on the third floor, one on the fifth floor, and one on the tenth floor. Finally seeing it in person, the pictures sure as hell didn’t do it any justice.
As I looked around, what terrified me the most was ten floors full of complete strangers that I was going to be living with. I’d never had trouble getting along with people and I was always able to fit in, but my problem was finding a way to stand out, to be noticed, to be remembered. Pushing past my trepidation, I took a deep breath, gripped my suitcases tighter and strode in through the front doors. No turning back now.
My first impression of the dorm was chaos. In a small sitting area, crying mothers were hugging their children goodbye, while fathers carried in the last of the belongings. Old friends reunited and shrieked with excitement for the new school year to begin. I was a lost entity in the storm of activity and had no clue what I was supposed to do next.
“Hey, you! Are you here to check in for Ashfall Hall?” a girl carrying a clipboard and a haggard expression on her face asked.
“Yes, I’m Lailah, Lailah Mackenzie,” I answered.
The girl scanned down her list of names until she found mine, she frowned and looked up at me. “Oh, you're the scholarship kid.”
“Um, I guess,” I said unsure of how to respond.
“CAMI!” the girl yelled scaring me. “Your charity case is here for you!”
After the unflattering summons, a small ball of energy popped out of the crowd of people and walked toward us. Her silver hair was shaved on the sides and the longer strands on top were tousled in every direction. Cami wore a baggy gray sweatshirt that hung off one of her shoulders proudly displaying her neon yellow bra strap as well as what I would guess would be a full sleeve of tattoos. I wasn’t sure if she was even wearing pants, but I could see neon yellow shorts peeking out from under the sweatshirt. With wide green eyes and an expressive face, I couldn’t help but watch every move she made.
“Welcome to Ashfall Hall. Lailah Mackenzie I presume,” she said stopping in front of me and thrusting out her hand.
“Ah, yes that’s me,” I said shaking her hand.
“I’m Cami, your personal attaché for your first week of school,” she said with a wide grin.
“Attaché? Why would I need one of those?” I asked.
“Who knows, but it sounded like fun,” Cami shrugged her shoulders and grabbed my suitcase. “Come on, let me show you where you’ll be staying.”
I followed and couldn’t help but ask, “Why was that girl acting all weird about me having a scholarship? Doesn’t stuff like that happen all the time?”
“You, Missy, are the first female student to ever get a full-ride scholarship. At Ryevick there seems to be a predominantly male student body,” she continued, faking a gag at the thought. “So, when a girl gets to come here on a scholarship, you better believe she’ll be the talk of the town. They’re just jealous because they got way lower scores then you did. So they have to pay. They also miss out on my stellar company which I find is the bigger loss,” Cami said wagging her eyebrows at me.
I was shocked by this information. Sure, I’d always done well in school, but I wasn’t some savant wonder child. What score could I have possibly gotten on my ACTs that would have given me a full-ride scholarship?
“You must be tired from your flight,” Cami said of f handedly.
“How did you know I flew here?” I asked surprised.
Cami winked at me. “With an accent like yours, and the out of control mane you’ve got going on, it lets me know it’s been a long flight. So, my money's on somewhere in the States.”
A laugh burst out of me at her bluntness. “I’m from Wisconsin. I come from a small town no one’s heard of. The population is no more than a thousand people, most of them farmers.”
“Yeah, your clothes look like they come from a place no one’s ever heard of either. No need to fret, I’ve got you covered sister. I know all the best spots near the school to shop,” Cami said nudging my arm.
Cami and I stepped inside an elevator at the end of the hall and she hit the button for the tenth floor. It only took a few seconds and the doors to the elevator opened. Straight across the entry were huge glass windows that made it feel like there was no wall between us and the outside world. Since this was the top floor, I was overlooking the entire campus in all its glory. I could see small groups of people being taken on tours all over the campus. Just across the road was a large garden that spanned a few acres from what I could see. Close by, there was a large reflecting pool with a stunning fountain in the middle of it. Past that was a flower garden blooming with color. In the distance, behind ornate windbreak trees, hid a huge mansion that I could only see the top of. From what I could tell, whoever lived there would give Bill Gates a run for his money.
“Oh my gosh look at that place. Who lives there?” I gasped.
“Oh, that place, the students call it ‘The Manor’. The five prodigal sons live there. Trust me, you won’t want to worry about them. A cute girl like you would be too tempting for them,” Cami said winking at me. “If I thought I had a shot with you I’d be first in line, but something tells me that you live on the straight and narrow path.”
I blushed under the compliment and her teasing, unsure of what to say. It had been a long time since I'd had a girlfriend to hang with. I never seemed to find the right group of friends to fit in with. My biggest hope for this new adventure was to be more confident and make some friends. Cami seemed like the perfect person to start with.
“To be honest, I never thought I’d get into this school. It was just so breathtaking online I couldn’t help but send in my application. Then to find out I not only got in, but got a full ride. I couldn’t believe it,” I said following Cami as she walked down the hall.
“I guess it’s a pretty cool place. This building is super strange though because none of the dorm rooms have windows - weird right? They say this building was funded by a major corporation that wanted to construct an “energy-efficient” building,” Cami said using air quotations. “Not sure how trapping us in a box without sunlight is energy efficient, but whatever. The payoff is when you walk out of your room, you’ll have one of the best views of the grounds. Plus, you will be close to the common room and the elevator,” she continued as she walked.
“I never knew a place like this could exist,” I muttered to myself. “The dorms seem so modern where the school seems to be stuck in a time capsule.”
“Here we are, this is you,” Cami said excitedly guiding me to the door waving a keycard in front of the sensor.
I expected the room to be tiny with two twin beds, two desks, and a small closet. This quaint room clearly was meant for one person. The main area was open and simple. A brown loveseat and a low table made up the “living room” area. To the left of the couch was my bed bare waiting for me to dress it. Along another wall, there was a desk with a chair that would be perfect for doing schoolwork. On the opposite side of the room was a wall covered in wooden cubby squares for storage.
“So, what do you think?” Cami asked grinning, her hands on her hips.
“I can’t believe this is really going to be my dorm room for the next year,” I said returning her smile. “This will be the first time I’ll be on my own.”
“Now it’s time to party like a rock star. I saw that you shipped some boxes, I might know a guy who can help bring those up if you want me to ask,” Cami offered. “Oh, before I forget, classes start on Monday so make sure you have everything you need by Sunday. Normally all the shops are closed early on Saturdays and Sundays, but lucky for you they are open late this weekend.”
“Thank you for everything,” I said feeling my eyelids drooping with a wave of tiredness that hit me. “I don’t know what I would’ve done trying to manage this on my own.”
“Girl, don’t stress it. Hey if you want, I can go with you into town and help you find things you need,” Cami offered, squeezing my arm reassuringly.
I nodded my head in response. “Oh, God, I would love you forever, you have no idea how bad I am with directions in a new place. I might get lost and never be heard from again if I tried to go alone.”
Cami laughed at me like I must have been making a joke. Little did she know how bad it really was. “Let me see if I can get those boxes up here so you can take a nap, you’re fading faster than a stoner.”
As Cami left my room, I tried to stay awake by unpacking my suitcase. I found a dresser built into the wall by the cubbies and I thought that was a brilliant idea since space was limited. When I finally finished putting away the basics of my life. I trudged down the hall to find the bathroom. I needed to wash up badly, fifteen hours on a plane was brutal and I felt gross.
I found the girl’s bathroom in the opposite direction of the common room, as far away from my room as possible. I walked in carrying my gallon Ziplock bag of toiletries and set it on the long counter of sinks. I looked up at the mirror and groaned, my mascara had given me a lovely raccoon shadow to compliment my crystal blue eyes. I blew a rogue strand of my curly blonde hair out of my face as I bent down to wash my face. It wasn’t until I had rinsed off that I’d forgotten that I needed a towel. I looked around for something to use and found the dispenser for paper towels. I grabbed a few and started to dab at my face.
“Looks like the charity case can’t even afford a towel,” a girl commented as she passed me, coming out of one of the showers.
“I have one,” I called after her as she left. “I just forgot it in my room.”
Just what I needed was cattie girls to deal with. I hope this whole scholarship thing will blow over fast.
Not feeling very optimistic, I grabbed my Ziplock and left the bathroom without doing anything to the mass of curls on my head. I also didn’t want to be gone too long in case Cami’s connection brought up my stuff. Sure enough, when I got back, two boxes were sitting outside my door. The third and last box was filled with books and I kind of felt bad for whoever was roped into bringing them up. When I packed, there was no way I could leave behind the closest things to friends that I had. Shoving the first boxes in my room, I started to remove the tape when a knock sounded at my door.
“I have the last of your things. If you don’t mind opening the door, this one is a bit heavy,” a deep voice came from the other side.
“Be there in a sec,” I answered trotting over to the door.
I opened it to find a large black man with a charming smile on his face. I pulled the door open the rest of the way so he could walk in. As he set the box down, I noticed the back of his black polo read ‘Security’.
Cami had friends in Security? And she asked one of them to carry my boxes for me?
“Thank you very much for bringing all this up. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble. I wasn’t sure how much I was going to need from home,” I said a little embarrassed with all that I’d packed. It was almost as if I’d moved half my room by the time I’d packed everything.
“No trouble at all, Cami’s a good egg with all her crazy,” he said giving me a conspiratorial grin that I couldn’t help but reciprocate.
“I’m sorry, I feel so rude; I didn’t even ask your name. I’m Lailah,” I said, holding out my hand.
“Tony,” he said swallowing my own hand with his.
“Nice to meet you, Tony. How did Cami manage to rope you into helping me out? I’m sure as Security you’re very busy today with all the students and families coming and going,” I mused.
Tony just shrugged his broad shoulders, “This building is part of my zone, so when she asked me to help a damsel in distress - her words mind you - I couldn’t refuse. She doesn’t ask for too many favors and she doesn’t exactly blend in at this school, so making real friends is a little tough.”
