Page 3

Show me what you can do, Summer.

I shiver again. The hair stands up on the back of my neck, and I fight the urge to look over my shoulder.

Shifters tend to prefer to stick together as well, so they can remain in their archaicmight-makes-rightmentality throughout their whole lives. I’d researched some before coming here. What basic knowledge I could find was patchwork at best, mostly based on what had become legends in my old realm. I think that is what I am most looking forward to in coming here. Avalon University supposedly has one of the best libraries in all the realms.

I slide past more tearful goodbyes and embraces of excitement, making my way up the stairs to number 215. The door unlocks at the touch of my hand, and I step inside, surprised to find the space bigger and much nicer than I expected.

Someone is already standing in the middle of the room. The woman is shorter than me, and her hair is chopped in a messy bob. The tips are blonde, whereas the roots are a darker brown color. Her dark brown gaze is fixed on the mini refrigerator sitting within one of the counter spaces. She barely comes to my shoulder, yet anger radiates from her like a furnace, all directed at the miniature appliance.

“This is just pathetic,” she grumbles, placing her hands on her hips.

My lips twitch. “Don’t imagine you’d have much to put in there, anyway.”

She jumps, her dark brown eyes swinging to me. “What the fuck! How did you sneak up on me?” she asks, placing her hand over her heart.

I tilt my head, dropping my bag on the floor. “An easily startled vampire? Interesting.”

I had met a handful of vampires in my home realm, though they were all male. Were all the females so tiny? She gives me a droll look, crossing her arms over her chest. “Well, not normally. As you’re some weird kind of fae, I’m going to pretend it was because of that and not because I was too busy considering the size of our ridiculous fridge.” She holds out a hand to me. “Alice.”

“Summer.” I hesitate for a moment before shaking her hand. I had thought I’d slip into my room and drop my bag off, avoiding the person I would share my dorm with as much as possible over the next year. Friends aren’t really something I’ve ever had. They ask too many questions and get hurt when I won’t answer. It is easier not to have them, but something about this vamp is… familiar and comforting. Strange for someone whose main source of sustenance is blood.

Alice smiles, her long fangs sitting proudly among the rest of her teeth. Her eyes dart to my bag and then around, assessing me. “No family with you?”

Here they come. The questions I don’t have any answers to.

I shake my head. “Looks like I’m not the only one,” I say through clenched teeth, biting back the venom seeping into my voice.

Alice doesn’t seem to notice the harshness of my words. “Oh yeah, Dad couldn’t get rid of me fast enough. Surprised he didn’t turn to ash with how fast he ran.” Alice shrugs, her gaze going back to the fridge.

She says it so casually.So yeah, me too, no worries.A laugh bubbles in my chest, and I blink as the sound fills the room. I look around, trying to find the source. Surprise fills me when I realize it came from me. When I look back at the vampire, she’s watching me with a glimmer of humor in her eyes.

She was alone, like me, yet it didn’t seem to bother her even a little bit. In some ways, she seems relieved her father hadleft as quickly as he had. Everyone else had family and friends surrounding them as they arrived here. I assumed I’d be isolated again like I was before. A loner like always, and maybe I will be, but it seems like maybe she will be, too. That thought makes me feel a little less alone.

Alice smiles, then shifts from foot to foot, glancing away. “I uh… don’t know anyone here, so… Do you want to come with me to the first-year tour after you unpack?”

My stomach twists. Say no. Even if I have some strange sense of familiarity with my new roommate, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay here. It is better not to have any connections when I have to run.

“Sure,” I answer. Wait, what? I was going to say no. Why did I agree to go with her? The word was out before I could stop it.

Alice looks up, her eyes flickering with something that looks like vulnerability before her smile morphs into an arrogant smirk. I can’t take the words back now. Alice pulls out her phone and taps at the screen. Her smirk deepens. “The new fridge will be here in the next few days, thanks to Daddy dearest. I love some revenge spending.”

2

Summer

My bedroom is a basic empty shell. There’s a bed sitting against the wall, a bedside table, and a desk. A faint smell of paint makes my nose burn slightly as I inhale. They must have redecorated before we newbies moved in, which was nice of them. I don’t fancy sleeping in a room with peeling paint and the smell of pot laced into the walls. The only personal touch is the thick packet with my name expertly written on the front lying on the nightstand. I dump my bag on the floor and pick it up. The bed squeaks faintly as I sit down on it, and the sound of paper tearing fills the room as I open the envelope.

Welcome to Avalon,

This is a time of upheaval and struggling to find your way in a completely new world. Many feel lost at first, adrift. I know I did when I was in your shoes many years ago.

There is a mandatory assembly at three pm today so take some time to figure out the campus.

Avalon can be a haven for the lost souls who have never felt like they belong.

Headmaster Emrys

Never felt like they belong, huh? From what I have seen of the student body, it doesn’t seem that any of them feel out of place. I put the letter to the side and look through the rest of the contents. There is a pamphlet about the amenities on the grounds and some information about the neighboring town. They have included a printout of my class schedule and a calendar for upcoming events on campus. There are endless leaflets about the various groups, and my eyes are drawn to the one for the Fair Folk. My fingers clench on the paper, crushing it in my fist. I drop it onto the ground and glare at it, the words having melted into nothing. Fuck the Fair Folk Club. Fuck the fae.