Chapter 5 5- Do Not Sit Next To The Fire Hazard

LEXI

As the crowd shuffles forward, I slip my schedule out of my bag and unfold it. It’s blank. Completely, impossibly blank.

“Huh?” I mutter. A spike of panic stabs through my chest. Did they forget me? Am I already failing school before stepping foot in a classroom?!  But before I can spiral too dramatically on my very first morning, the paper ripples in my hands. Dark ink bleeds up through the fibers like water soaking into a sponge, lines and letters forming and sharpening until actual words appear.

Schedule – Alexis Elle

Daily schedules can be found on the table by your bed each morning.

Please carry it with you at all times. Schedule may change at any time.

MONDAY

12pm – Shifter Basics

1:30pm – Lunch break

2:30pm – Medicinal Magic

4pm – Free time

7pm – Dinner

Academy Gates are locked at midnight. They will not be opened again until seven a.m. for any reason.

“Well, at least I only have two classes today. I can probably survive that.” I mumble. Maybe. Probably. Hopefully. We eventually reach a massive stone building that must be the dormitories. It’s even larger up close, with wide archways and tall carved doors, each etched with runes that glow faintly when a student walks past. Inside, several long hallways branch off like spokes on a wheel, each marked with big brass numbers. All the advanced students peel off toward the halls with the higher numbers, four, five, six, and so on, laughing, chatting, greeting friends like they never parted. Hall One yawns open in front of me like a mouth ready to swallow me whole.

“Alright, here goes nothing.” I whisper. I follow the corridor down until I spot a door halfway along with a small plaque mounted at eye level. My name glints back at me. ALEXIS ELLE That’s me. That’s my room. My stomach does a weird nervous flip. I pull out my key, still hanging on its long silver chain around my neck, and slide it into the lock. It turns easily, the door clicking open with a soft, welcoming hum. The room is… Honestly nicer than my bedroom at home. A queen-sized bed sits against the far wall, tucked beneath a bright window. The bedspread is fuzzy and soft-looking, a calming shade of blue that’s exactly the type of color I would have picked myself. There are at least a dozen pillows piled on top like a fluffy mountain. Also a large window. Which makes no sense, because I CLEARLY saw that there are corridors on either side of this hall. So this room should be internal. No windows. But here it is anyway.

“How did they-?” I start. Then cut myself off. The answer is obvious. Magic. Magic is going to be my explanation for a lot of things. There’s a tall, empty bookshelf against one wall, and a desk beside it with a brass lamp shaped like a curled-up fox. A small door on the left opens to a private bathroom, private! With clean tiles, fresh towels, and some kind of shower knob that glows faintly. That should be interesting to investigate later. I put my things away, lining my books neatly on the shelf and placing the framed photos of my parents on the desk. Then I notice the closet. Curious, I tug both doors open. It’s empty. Completely empty.

“No clothes… But they said I didn’t need to bring any…” I check my admissions letter, just to be sure. Yep. no clothes needed. Maybe uniforms get delivered? Maybe I’m supposed to pick something up later? Honestly, the possibilities are endless and I’m too tired to guess. I cross the room and look out the window. And freeze… Below me is a sweeping view of the Academy grounds from what has to be at least the third or fourth floor, trees, courtyards, the tops of other buildings. Except… I didn’t climb any stairs to get here. I walked straight. One hallway. No turns. No steps.

“I guess… Magic does whatever it wants.” I mutter to myself. Totally stunned. Because really, what else can I say? And something tells me I’m going to be thinking that exact thought a lot around here.

I pull my phone from my bag and check the time. 10:32 a.m. Great. A whole hour and a half until my first class. What exactly am I supposed to do? Sit on my fluffy blue bed and stare at the wall? Panic quietly? Pretend I’m not terrified of accidentally sprouting claws? Maybe exploring is the better option. If I’m lucky, I might even find an advanced student who can tell me which direction ‘Shifter Basics’ is in. Preferably someone who doesn’t think I’m a walking mystery waiting to blow up. I lock my door behind me and wander down the empty hallway. The dorms feel eerily quiet now that the crowd has dispersed, just the soft thud of my footsteps echoing against the stone floor. I make it back to the entrance, still undecided about which direction to go, when someone calls out to me.

“Lexi! Hi!” She says. I turn just in time to see Mallory sprinting toward me, red braid bouncing. A guy trails behind her, a tall, broad-shouldered guy with sandy hair and a permanent scowl.

“Lexi, this is Aaron Conners.” Mallory practically sparkles as she says his name.

“He’s a Wolf Shifter like me, but he started last year. He was about to give me a tour. You should come too! That is… If Aaron doesn’t mind. Is that okay, Aaron?” She asks, smiling up at him with hopeful eyes. Aaron pauses, looks me over slowly from head to toe like he’s inspecting a suspicious package, then gives a single, stiff nod.

“Yes, you may bring this girl along. Next time ask first.” He says bluntly. Then he turns on his heel toward the door. I blink. Excuse me? This girl? Ask first? Bossy much? Mallory doesn’t seem bothered at all. Actually, she looks pleased. She hooks her arm through mine and pulls me along.

“Aaron is my Alpha’s son. He’ll almost definitely be Alpha himself one day. He’s so good at taking charge.”  She explains in a dreamy voice. Good at taking charge? He’s good at giving orders, sure. But take charge? He seems more like the type who’d argue with a tree for standing in his way. I resist the urge to make a face. She didn’t ask for my opinion. And honestly… I do need a tour. So I swallow my commentary and follow them both out of the dorms.

To Aaron’s credit, once he gets started, he relaxes. Sort of. He’s still extremely… Intense. But he knows his stuff. He shows us the major buildings. classrooms, dining hall, the courtyard, the potions labs (which we are forbidden from entering alone), and a giant greenhouse full of magical plants that apparently bite. By the time he drops Mallory and I at our first class, it’s five minutes to twelve. The moment he spots another older student waving him over, Aaron mutters a quick goodbye and jogs off without waiting for a response. Mallory immediately spots another one of her wolf friends and abandons me mid-sentence. She practically launches herself at the girl, chatting animatedly as if I’ve vanished into mist. And once again… I’m alone. I take a breath and head inside the classroom. Almost everyone is already seated. Two empty seats in the very front row. And one at the very back. Beside Blake. My stomach dips. I COULD sit in the front. I really could. But sitting front-row in a class called Shifter Basics, when I don’t even know what species I am… Well it feels like setting myself up for disaster. And I DID promise myself I would talk to him. So I steel my spine, lift my chin, and walk down the aisle straight toward the back row. The room quiets slightly, and I can feel eyes following me, whispers picking up as people notice where I’m headed. Let them talk. It won’t kill me. Probably. Blake glances up as I approach. His expression shifts, confusion flickering across his features, followed by something cautious. Wary. Like he can’t decide if I’m about to attack him or something. For a fraction of a second, our eyes meet. His are even more striking up close, rich molten gold, unnervingly sharp, like he’s seeing far more than he should. Something warm curls low in my stomach. Then he looks away, quickly, to his left, jaw tightening. I stop beside the empty chair and clear my throat.

“Is this seat taken?”