The corridors were long and the darkness in the tunnels was her only cover. Nothing was saving her from being hit by an arrow or stepping on a hex. The darkness was all she had as she ran down the corridor. She knew there was staircase leading up into the building but no matter how fast or how far she ran. She never saw it. The endless corridor was beginning worry her. If she wasn't far enough she they would catch up. She looked over her shoulder but only saw a small figure zooming out of sight before she hit her head with something solid.
Ash sat up straight, the sound of the impact still ringing in her ears. The ghost of a pain made her temple throb and sweat matted her sheets. Rumbled and tangled in her legs, skirt riding up and shirt bunched in odd places.
At the end of her bed, her luggage stood silently. She looked across from her and found the seer sleeping peacefully. There was a soft glow under her skin. It reminded her of the invisible layer of air she had experienced over her own skin yesterday.
It was clearly a part of her unknown ability but what ability could that be was unknown. Ash checked the time. It was late afternoon already. How long she had been running in her dream, she couldn't say. She got out of bed and checked her schedule. A class with golems and goblins, and a repeat of werewolves and nixies. She was even given the privilege to participate in the night's blessing ceremony by the witches. Apart from the wolf of the MoonBlessed, Karlene, the wolves had not been bad. She was even looking forward to her class with golems, looking forward to seeing her friend again but goblins and nixies? One she was nervous about and one reluctant.
She picked up a pair of clothes from her bag, put in a pair of jeans and two shirts in it, stuffed it with water, eatables and headed to the restroom. Her stomach growled as she shut the door.
About 15 minutes later, she stepped out and found the seer awake.
"Go meet Mayra first. She came in this morning to check on you. I will come and pick you up after your class with nixies. The chancellor said it did not go well."
She thanked the man silently and left the room. In the corridor, she checked the map and found the cafeteria was located under the library. The only doors to enter were the two doors from the corridor and two doors from the back, from outside, for the kitchen.
At the sirens' dorm she paused. She wanted to talk to Mayra and her interaction with the sirens paled in comparison to what happened with Nixies or the Werecats. Imagining the relief of darkness, last night, around her, she pushed opened the door.
The sirens were mostly in bed. Some were lazing around, scrolling while others were getting out, eating things and waddling around. At the sight of her, all of them stopped.
"How… how did you get in?" one of them asked.
Mayra got out of bed for her and said, "the warden must have given her the key."
Ash was about to deny it when Mayra shot straight for her, eyes wide, caution swimming in them. Ash stepped out of the room and Mayra came with her.
Once the door was closed, Ash asked, "does the warden lock you inside?"
Mayra shook her head, "no. There is a curfew time to return after classes for each of them and the door is enchanted by the witch to lock for anyone who was past their curfew time. Only the warden has a key."
"But I don't have a key," Ash spoke finally and Mayra smiled, "I know and I also know that none of the spells work on you, so that might as well be a regular door for you."
Ash looked behind Mayra, "it doesn't look special."
Mayra smiled, "open it for me."
Ash opened the door and Mayra stepped in, saying, "you can come crash with me anytime. We have two more empty beds and I'd rather have you here with me then the next room over. All day I couldn't get out of the room and it was very frustrating. I heard what happened. Are you alright?"
Ash smiled brightly, "I have a class with golem today, so today ought to be sorted."
Myra smiled sadly, hearing the meaning behind her words. "What times do you classes finish, I will come find you."
"Four hours, then a dinner break and the ceremony after that. That's it."
"They are letting you join the ceremony?" one of the sirens asked.
"Yes. I am very grateful. The ceremony is very sacred and none but the witches are allowed close."
"But they are making an exception for a human. Are you planning to take witch studies in the future?" a siren, who was sitting with a vanity mirror on her bed, fixing her lashes asked.
"That was the plan when I came here…" she trailed off, unable to explain the rest. In name, she was enrolled in the same course as the witches, as the high priestess and the seer but in reality, it was just on paper. In the chancellor's office, there was a pile of paperwork, all showing her enrolled in various subjects. They have made multiple plans before her arrival. In the end, whatever path she decided on, will be the paperwork that will be sealed as official. There were perks to having people in your corner. With the chancellor in her corner, she could take a little more time than a single semester to figure out her life, her abilities ahead. Though the throne was out of her hands, there was still the protection of the island to think about.
Irrespective of what she planned to study, the blessing of the moon goddess was a must, so that she could take it back to her island and calm the unrest.
"I will get changed and be right back. Let me come with, I am starving."
Knowing her schedule, her body clock- there was no one who knew her like Mayra did. Together they went down to the canteen while Mayra bubbled over with excitement, "this feels like those big twisty castles. The canteen was a single floor under the library, above the underground campus for vampires. The myterious corridor behind the information desk was really the entrance to it. She felt stupid for believing the lies C's collegues had fed him.
"How much more cool could this place be?"
The walls were tall and all manner of creatures from centaurs to werewolves to vampires to golem all ate in one place, even if they ate in their own groups. It was a semicircular room, with two wide lanes leading outward right under the dorm, all laden with tables. It was like an insect's head with antennas. She could guess the other door from the corridor would look somewhat similar.
Suddenly, her eyes met that of a familiar person, eyes broody, almost sleepy, lips red, glasses larger than his face slipping down his nose with the same carefree attitude that his hair had been slicked back. Today, he was not sleepy, but he wasn't awake either. When their eyes met, the man's eye, opened a little more than usual before he looked away, to the person next to him. Queen B was sitting beside the man that had caught Ash's eye and she was just noticing him.
Whatever Queen B had said must have surprised him, for he turned and started to chat with her. Ash looked down at the food in her plate, blinking away the remnants of his face for a moment.
Mayra cleared her throat. "He is just your type and he is with a woman who likes you. Maybe she can introduce you."
"Mayra. Focus. I have 40 minutes before my class starts."
"Right." They each sat down for food, ate without a word, and stood up. At the right moment when Mayra was turning away, she stole a glance and their eyes met. Again. Surprised and unsure, she turned, naturally, with her plate and dumped it in the designated spot and left the room.
In the corridor, Ash spoke softly, "I don't think I have the energy to work for something, only for it to come to naught."
Mayra opened her mouth but Ash shook her head, "not now. I am heading out. What about you?"
"I want to explore the campus before the classes begin."
"Keep your map and phone with you at all times."
Mayra patted her small bag slung across and they parted way outside. The short walk to her first nixie class was far too small and she still had time left, so he took a sharp turn entered the mansion through the side door and found the small stand for umbrellas in the corner. She picked the smallest one, tugged it in her bag and hurried back to the first class.
As soon as she entered the building, there was a cloud forming above the entrance. To avoid another rain episode, Ash went around the building and opened the creaky back door. A few people were already caught in the rain, some giggling and dancing nixies, a frustrated professor, and a kelpie who walked right through it. Ash went after the kelpie professor and followed him upstairs but a thick fog welcomed them on the first floor. Unable to follow the professor, she moved blindly, checking every class room she could find. None of the numbers matched and the room assigned yesterday was not the same as the room assigned today.
At the end of the building, she saw a glass pane and the last room to the right. Seeing the fog thinner in this part, she peeked through the door. Slowly, the door creaked open and a splash of water hit her in the back, as if someone had hit her with a jet.
She wheeled around and found the fog thickening right before her face, darker and darker every moment.
Quietly but quickly, she went around the collecting fog and…
Locked. The door was locked. The turned the knob, pushed against the frame, even jammed her shoulder like C taught her. Unable to make it budge, she stepped back, remembering all the training C had given her on opening locked doors.
Before she could put her method to use, the door opened the kelpie professor from earlier stood there. Brows furrowed, he turned and marched back, entering the class she was to be in.
The corridor was empty with clear visibility but it was raining the entire length of the corridor and doors on both side were open wide with nixies peering out. Water was everywhere on the floor and the nixies laughed. Ash could not say if they were laughing at her or the mischief.
Their individual professors ushered them in. Opening her umbrella, she made her way back, quickly following the kelpie professor.
The door was slightly ajar and the scene was unlike before. The nixies were all standing together, grouped as one, with lightning, rain and thunder in the room, while the professor, the kelpie, stood on the other side, as dry as the nixies, eyes sharp, moving between each nixie.
With her hand on the umbrella tighter, she slipped inside the wetland of a classroom. The professor's eyes slipped to her and back. The nixies noticed her just as quickly. The cloud over the entire class shifted, moving with purpose, right over her head. Unsure, even of her umbrella, she was contemplating their next move when she felt something buzz on her skin where hand wrapped around the umbrella. Shocked for a moment, her and the nixies looked at each other.
"Enough. Mischief is one matter but an attack of this magnitude could have serious injuries. Such behavior of violence is not tolerated in class. Who did this? Tell me now or the consequences will be worse."
The nixies looked at one another first and shook their head in a chorus of, "I do not know."
"Alright. Since you wish for collective punishment. The next class will be taken by the chancellor himself. If you fail to behave while he is in the building, you can say goodbye to your room, your building, your territory, your clubs and your entire education.
All hands moved, in the blink of an eye, and pointed at a single nixie standing to the front of the group.
The professor shook his head, "too late. Miss Ore, if you will come to the front of the class please."
"Miss…" The professor moved his attendance book but paused. Ash filled in helpfully, "Ash."
The kelpie smiled, "you can join the class from tomorrow and everyday forth until I see the class come to behave."
Ash grit her teeth. For them to suffer, she had to suffer twice as much and she was unwilling to be part of that. As the cloud dissipated slowly, a white thing hung in the room, galloping in the back like a horse. The professor's face had red hot fury written all over it.
Ash turned tail and made her way out as quickly at possible. Her rush was broken by a blob of mud that came splattering on her dry clothes.
Not far from the staircase, a familiar face waved. Golem, with his hands caked in mud, stood before her. His arm got shorter and shorter, the closer she got.
"What are you doing here?"
"The warden sent a message that she might not be able to make it, so I should go and get you as early as possible. I could only come now because the messenger got the message wrong."