ONLY TWO WORDS came to mind when Sophie stepped into the dining hall. Enormous and extravagant.

It literally felt like she'd just stepped into a five-star restaurant. Ceilings hovered over her head, a good twenty feet high, constructed of rich wooden beams and panels of clear glass that reflected the dark sky. Tables dotted the floor in front of her, covered in bleached white cloth. Each had maroon colored flowers, and silverware wrapped in matching colored cloth napkins. The walls, a soft creamy color, were decorated with magnificent art; Sophie's favorite hovered over a large stage made of the same wood as the ceiling, and it depicted the image of a waterfall splashing down into a rocky pond.

Tabatha's arm looped through Sophie's and she pulled the dazzled girl forward. "It's gorgeous, I know. And the food here is absolutely divine." She licked her lips.

"What do they have?" Sophie asked, as she sat down at one of the tables, across from Tabatha.

The girl shrugged. "Whatever you want. You just name the dish, and the waiter or waitress will tell one of the cooks. They can make pretty much anything."

Sophie gaped as a man, sporting a black vest on atop a white button-up and dark slacks, walked past their table with a silver tray balanced on his hand. "So it's like a restaurant!"

"Well, yeah," Tabatha said, chuckling. "It is a restaurant. It's included in the bill."

"What bill?" Sophie's excitement vanished, and she looked around worriedly. She was about as broke as a hobo, and was certain her father couldn't afford even a single meal from a place like this. Everything suddenly felt wrong and out of place, now that she realized there would be money involved.

But her obvious concern only made Tabatha laugh harder. "Sophie, Sophie," she said, reaching out when Sophie started to get up. Sophie's eyebrows merged together as she stared at Tabatha, confused. "You received an invitation, correct?" Tabatha grinned.

Sophie nodded.

"Then you don't have to worry about it. The bill is more metaphorical; everything we do here costs a lot of money, but because we are invited, then we don't have to pay for the services. It's like we have a never ending tab that never has to be paid," Tabatha explained.

"Then why does it exist?"

"Because there are kids who weren't invited attending this school, and for them, it does exist." Tabatha looked up as a busty girl with fiery red hair slumped into the velvet chair beside Sophie, and grinned at her. "Hey, Em."

"-ma," the girl finished for her and then sucked in a mouthful of air, which made her look like a puffer-fish. She nodded at Sophie and flashed her a quick smile. "It's Emma, for the new girl. Sophie is it?"

Sophie opened her mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off by another new addition to the table. "Sophie, Sophie Lynn Brooks." A girl with thick round classes plopped into the chair beside Tabatha, and shot her a quirky grin. "I read up on every newbie at the school, it's a pastime of mine. I'm Ellie-"

"My annoying twin sister." Emma scowled at the girl with glasses, "Now shut up, you sound like a freaky stalker."

Ellie's freckled nose flushed a beat red color, and she pushed her glasses a little further up her nose. Behind them, sat bright violet eyes, the color of lavender flowers, which almost identically matched Emma's thickly lashed peepers. "It's not my fault! I have nothing else to do when I'm working in the office."

"Because you need a life." Emma smartly retorted. She leaned forward in her seat and ran her fingers through her long ironed hair, fluffing it up a bit.

"Both of you, quiet," Tabatha said, rubbing at her temples. "Before I whip out a spray bottle and douse the both of you."

Two sets of flaming lilac eyes turned toward Tabatha, but nobody said a word as a waiter paused at the table. It was a girl, with pink streaks through her chestnut colored hair. Her honey colored eyes glanced over the group, and then she looked over her shoulder.

"Just sit down already," Emma huffed, and the waitress slid into the last open seat.

"I hate this freaking job," the girl growled.

"Kitty, this is my new roommate Sophie." Tabatha smiled at an overwhelmed Sophie. "Sophie, this is our non-invited friend, Katherine."

Kitty looked exhausted, but she grinned sweetly at Sophie. "You can just call me Kitty. It's how most people address me here, anyways." Someone rushed by their table, but stopped long enough to tap Kitty's shoulder. She looked up and then groaned, as the waiter gave her a pitiful look and then carried about his business. "Stupid jerks," Kitty said as she stood and brushed off her back end as if she'd sat in a pile of dirt. Her eyes blazed a hole into the table.

"If you hadn't skipped so much, then you wouldn't have to work," Tabatha chastised, and then wiggled a finger at Kitty when the girl made to stalk off. "I'll have a coke, wench."

"And I might just spit in it," Kitty snapped back, but scribbled the order down. She glanced around the table, and as her eyes locked on each occupant, they told her their drink order. Ellie asked for an entire pitcher of sweet tea, which surprised Sophie until Ellie explained that she'd had it poured on her way too many times to count, and now preferred to pour it herself. Sophie ordered a coke, like Tabatha, and Emma demanded a glass of water, claiming that they all drank too many carbs.

Kitty vanished through a pair of metal double doors. Tabatha leaned forward toward Sophie and giggled, "When you screw up around here, instead of detention, we usually have to work. Usually it's with the janitors, and you have to unclog the toilets and shit. But Kitty's parents are good friends with the Headmaster, so this time she got one of the easier jobs."

Sophie watched as Kitty came back through the doors, carrying a tray like some of the other wait staff did. She lowered their drinks down in front of each girl, and then hastily took their food order before leaving once more.

"Remind me not to get in trouble then," she muttered.

Suddenly, the light chatter that had encased the room died down drastically, and a different pair of double doors --of doors that Sophie had never noticed before-- burst open. Emma swiveled around in her seat, propping her elbows against the back of her chair, and rested her chin in her palms. Even Tabatha and Ellie leaned forward in their seats. Tabatha almost climbed to her feet, her palms supporting her weight as she hovered over the table to get a better look at the open mahogany doors. Sophie stared at all her table-mates in confusion and then looked over her shoulder.

And couldn't help but gasp.

"Oh my god." The words fumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, as a group of inhumanly beautiful people waltzed into the room like they owned the place.

"That, my dear Sophie, is the Night Class," Tabatha purred. Then Emma, Tabatha, and even Ellie all let out a dreamy sigh and seemed to melt into the table top.

Sophie fully twisted around in her seat to get a better look, and glanced around the room only to realize that the hoard of other girls who had gathered for dinner were also turned around awkwardly in their seats --and shamelessly drooling as the group of people dispersed atop a slightly risen platform, and took their seats at the tables there.

One of the beautiful kids caught her eye, but it wasn't the one she was looking for.

Aubrey's lips stretched back into a wicked smile when Sophie's gaze landed on her, and the model held her eyes for a few moments, before and turning around entirely --and snubbing her. Sophie grit her teeth, just as Kitty placed a basket of bread down onto the table in front of her, muttering about some lucky waitress who got to serve a table on the risen platform.

"What is her problem?" She found herself demanding, as she whirled around to face the rest of the table.

Tabatha stopped gawking long enough to send her a pitying look. Then she returned her attentions back to the group behind Sophie, who sunk down into her seat and tried not to sulk. Whatever she had done to rub Aubrey the wrong way, Sophie would happily apologize for. It wasn't that she wanted to be her friend, Sophie just didn't like the idea of someone hating her, or feeling like they had to be mean toward her. She just hated the drama.

A plate was set down in front of her, filled with a pile of fries and a burger.

Sophie leaned forward, mouth watering, and took a big bite of her food. The other girls ignored their food in favor of ogling at the Night Class for a few minutes longer.

When she was about halfway through, Sophie sighed and asked, "Am I the only one who's going to eat?"

"No," Tabatha said and lowered herself back into her seat. She smiled almost apologetically at Sophie and scooped up a forkful of her mac n'cheese. Ellie and Emma slowly did the same, turning around and sitting down so they could eat properly.

Sophie's stomach growled and she took another huge bite of her burger.

Suddenly, Tabatha's eyes grew wide, and then she hissed, "Chew it. Hurry up and swallow. Eli is coming this way!"

"Who?" Sophie tried to ask around her mouthful.

"Too late," Tabatha murmured, as a boy squatted down beside the table --beside Sophie. She looked down into his wild mismatched eyes, her own eyes wide and cheeks rounded around half-chewed burger. He had a shock of golden blond hair, almost a shade lighter than Aubrey's had been, and a wide smile. His arms folded atop the armrest of Sophie's chair, his chin resting on top of them.

"Wow," he said, his voice smooth and velvety, and his caramel-and-hazel green eyes twinkled, "You are as pretty as my sister said."

Sophie gulped down the food in her mouth, and almost choked. She held up her index finger and grabbed her glass of coke, almost drowning in it. Then she set it down and turned back to the beautiful boy hanging off her armrest. "What?" Her voice sounded a bit husky, and she cleared her throat before trying again.

He laughed at her. "I'm Eli Jane, little brother to the notorious Night Class matriarch, Aubrey Jane. I assume you met her earlier today? She always scouts out the new students for possible candidates for the Night Class, and she's been talking about you nonstop."

"Why would she do that?" Sophie stared at him strangely, trying to make sense of the words coming out of his very kissable lips.

"Mm," he purred. "Why indeed."

Then he stood and towered over where she sat like a giant. Her head craned back as he moved, her eyes following his face. He stood at least six foot tall, give or take a few inches. "Well," he said with an easy grin and a sly wink, "I just wanted to check you out for myself."

Eli looked up, finally acknowledging the rest of the table. "You ladies have a nice night."

They all silently watched him walk back to the risen platform, and Sophie bit her lower lip when he slid into an open seat beside Aubrey. She inclined her head towards him and after a few moments of stillness, her lips began to move around hasty, unreadable words.

When Sophie twisted back to face the table, she picked up a fry and stared at it. "Well, that was weird."

"Definitely," Tabatha remarked, with a sense of awe in her tone. "It's one thing when the Queen herself walks you around, but another thing entirely if her brother decides to check up on you. He's never come down here before."

"The only one who has actually talked to a member of the Day Class is Aubrey," Ellie said. She also stared at Sophie, only instead of admiration her gaze was curious and calculating. "And that's because it's in the job description."

Sophie crinkled her brows at her and Ellie smiled at her quiet question. "Both the Day Class and the Night Class have a single representative, either in the form of a matriarch or a patriarch. They are elected by their peers and hold onto the reigns for at least a year, before they are either reelected --like Aubrey-- or a new leader steps up to take their place. Aubrey has held office for four years now, and I believe this one will be her last."

"The leaders," Tabatha further explained, "basically do all the dirty work. They represent each class when it comes to extra school activities, like dances, or decided upon a new club to be added, and it's their job to make each student feel welcome at the school. Think of them as a student council leader, kind of."

"I see," Sophie said and looked back over her shoulder, her eyes scanning over the crowd of students once again --searching. Plenty of the beautiful teenagers had black hair, but none of them looked like the guy she'd run over earlier. A wave of disappointment flooded through her, and her eyes flickered back to Aubrey's table. Eli was watching her, with his mismatched eyes. His boyish grin grew wider when their eyes locked, and then Sophie whirled around, trying to avoid his gaze. He was weird; he came over for practically no reason, and she didn't feel comfortable in his attention.

A buzz sounded, followed by a squeaky voice. "As it is almost ten o'clock, I must ask that all members of the Day Class are to return to their dorm rooms."

"Stupid curfew," Emma groaned, as she pushed her half-eaten bowl of salad aside and begrudgingly climbed to her feet.

"Curfew?" Sophie asked as Tabatha scooped her last bite of noodles into her mouth, and stood.

"Yeah," Ellie responded, "Day Class have to be in their dorms by ten. We don't have to go to bed, we just have to clear the campus for the Night Class. They have their classes at night, and are usually finished by the time we wake up."

Sophie nodded.

For one last time, she looked back at the group of models and almost desperately scanned them over. She had really hoped to see him there, at least to see if he had any friends. Or girlfriends, a small part of her mind wondered. Maybe someone could look past the coldness he'd shown towards her earlier, and sit at his table.

Or maybe, she'd only seen the cold side of him because she didn't know him.

She mentally nodded, and hoped that was the case. Those baby blues were too startling to belong to a truly cold hearted person. Right?

Sophie surely hoped so.