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The smile she offered was so warm and motherly, it reminded me of Mom’s smile. Queue the lump to constrict my throat again.

I coughed unevenly and said, “Thank you.”

Celeste mercifully closed the door, leaving me alone at last.

I stood in the middle of my new room for a few minutes, the weight of my anguish washing over me like the first wave of a tsunami. Drowning in it, I no longer had the strength to make it to the bed.

I crumbled to the floor and sobbed.

Chapter 5

Arya

What’s more intimidating than a first day at a new school? A first day at a school for shape-shifters when you’re the only one who knows nothing about the shifter world.

I hardly slept that night, so I was up when I heard shuffling and chatter in the hall outside my door. Celeste had said the other students in this section were all mermaids—like me, supposedly. But I was hesitant to go out there.

How would I possibly fit in? These other students had probably known their whole lives what they were. I had no knowledge of their customs or history. It was like I was in a foreign country and I didn’t speak the language.

I sluggishly slid off the bed and picked up the tablet that sat on the desk. A quick tap revealed the class schedule.

Monday-Wednesday-Thursday:

8:00 Mastery

9:00 Algebra

10:00 Chemistry

11:00 English

2:00 Defense

Tuesday-Friday:

8:00 Shifter Biology

9:00 Shifter History

10:00 Transformation

11:00 Music

2:00 Defense

There was a note at the bottom to skip Defense class for the first day, which I was perfectly fine with because it sounded too physical, and I was completely exhausted.

Today was Thursday, which meant I had Shifter Biology first. I looked at the digital clock sitting next to the closed laptop on the desk. Six-forty-five AM. I had about fifteen minutes to get dressed before venturing to find some breakfast.

I had no idea what I’d wear. I hadn’t had the chance to grab clothes before rushing out of the house, and I was still in the same slimming jeans and t-shirt from the party last night. Though they didn’t smell like they’d gone through a rough night, I had no desire to wear the proof of my horrors a minute longer.

Hoping against hope, I slid open the closet door. Surprisingly, the shelves were filled with black slacks, and the rack had a row of black polos, all with a little blue swirl on the left breast.

Apparently, this school had a uniform policy, which I was surprised to be grateful for. I’d always hated schools like that, as I enjoyed expressing myself through fashion—hence the blue streaks in my hair. But wearing the same outfit as everyone else might help me stand out a little less, and I desperately needed that today.

I quickly changed into one of the sets, brushed my hair and teeth, and tied my shoes. I grabbed the tablet, loaded with the schedule and the school map, and readied myself to start the day, when I realized I didn’t have any school supplies whatsoever: no pen, pencil, paper, nothing.

I couldn’t just show up to classes empty-handed, regardless of the haphazard way I got here. I looked around the room, hoping to once again find a surprise resource, but there was nothing in the desk drawers or anywhere else in this modest space. Just a detached keyboard that had been sitting under the tablet.