Page 3 of Misfit Monsters (Pack of Outcasts #1)

Periwinkle

“ I think you’ll like it here,” Pearl says with a swish of her blond curls as she leads me through the pale blue halls. “There are so many interesting students with different stories. Lots of emotions flowing. You won’t go hungry!”

The most upbeat of my interrogators volunteered to show me to my dorm after her colleagues finished my initial orientation. At least this area is a little more vibrant than the dreary room where I met Pearl.

I peer around me at the various doors with their frosted glass windows. “And there’ll be classes that will teach me how to control my power?”

“Yep! And all sorts of other support to help you exist among mortals.” Pearl pats my arm. “Lots of shadowkind prefer hanging out in this world rather than the shadow realm. You’re in good company. Just follow the rules, and you’ll be fine.”

The rules. I look down at the badge attached to my dress—the metal crest Shanty pinned there right before I left the interrogation room.

You start at level one , the more solemn woman told me, tapping the number imprinted at the top of the crest. Then she touched a triangle underneath it.

You’re in the reform division, for beings who’ve been actively struggling with their behavior.

The weekly schedule for each level and division is posted in the dorm areas.

We expect you to attend all your assigned classes.

Show commitment and perform well, and you’ll graduate to the next level.

There’s something I forgot to ask. I glance over at Pearl. “How many levels are there?”

How much graduating do I need to do before I can be sure it’s safe for me to leave?

“Five!” Pearl replies. “And level five is really just some final finessing. Once you make it even to three, you’re well on your way.”

A couple of other symbols mark the sides of the badge. One is a swirling line, the other a starburst with six points.

I tap them. “What do these mean?”

“Oh.” Pearl giggles, but the cheerful vibe beaming off her like buttered popcorn dwindles.

“That’s to help the staff and other students know what precautions to take.

The left side indicates how cooperative or defiant you are.

The swirl means we’re not sure yet. The right side tells people how dangerous you might be.

The star means you’ve harmed mortals. They can have up to ten points. ”

I stare down at the imprint for a few more seconds. If the school’s overseers knew how much more damage I’ve caused beyond the recent incidents they talked about, would they have marked me with all ten ?

Pearl chatters merrily onward. “It’s not a big deal here since almost everyone is shadowkind anyway. You want to watch your step around anyone who’s got a ring around their star. That means they’ve hurt shadowkind too.”

At least I can say I don’t think I’ve ever done that.

When I look up again, we’re passing several beings standing in small clusters in the halls. Their gazes slide over me with traces of curiosity, but no one speaks.

I smile at them. Most avert their eyes to go back to talking to their companions.

Well, they don’t know me yet. I’ll show them how cooperative and helpful I can be.

I’ll learn everything I need to undo the damage I caused before.

We head up a flight of stairs. After a few steps, a jolt of pain quivers up from my ankles through my calves.

I suppress my wince, but Pearl catches my discomfort anyway. “Are you all right?”

I nod quickly. “It’s not a big deal. My legs are just a little… weak. Sometimes I get wobbly when I’m in human-like form for a while.”

Her mouth slants with a frown. “It’s policy that students stay human-esque as much as possible, for practice. But if you need to take little breaks in the shadows here and there to look after yourself, that’s totally okay.”

I give her my brightest smile. “I’m sure it’ll be all right. It doesn’t bother me that much.”

Not anywhere near as much as the memories of how my legs got that way, which I’ll keep shut away in the back of my mind.

Pearl doesn’t look totally convinced, but she accepts my answer. “If you need guidance any time, you can look for me or the other board members… Well, maybe Al wouldn’t be th e best bet—I don’t know if it’s a vampire thing, but he acts like emotions are cooties he might catch.”

She rolls her eyes.

So the pale man at the table is a vampire? The comment reminds me of another name I never got to attach to a being. “What about Rollick? You were talking about him—who’s he?”

Pearl’s expression turns wistful. “He’s the shadowkind who came up with the idea for this school and got it off the ground.

He’s been around for millennia, built up lots of resources to create awesome places like this.

So he’s the big boss—all the final calls go through him.

But he’s had some other important stuff to deal with, always very busy, so he hasn’t been around much in the past few months. ”

I don’t know how long I’ve been in existence—there’s not much sense of time in the shadow realm—but I think my first trek into the mortal world was only a couple of decades ago. What would a thousands-years-old being make of me?

Maybe it’s better I didn’t have to find that out.

As we reach the top of the stairs, she taps her own badge: a simpler one than mine, bronze instead of tin, with a single symbol like a church spire. “You can turn to any of the staff—look for badges like this. It’s better for all of us if you have everything you need to thrive.”

On the second floor, late-afternoon sunlight beams through a series of skylights set in the angled ceiling. The illumination buoys my hopes.

Getting dragged into this school might be the best thing that could have happened to me. If I’d known it existed, I’d have come looking for them instead of the other way around.

They could have just asked nicely instead of throwing me in a cage.

What does that say about the other “reform” students if they did need to be hauled here ?

We take a right, and Pearl motions to an arched doorway up ahead. “You’re in the Lugosi dorm.”

“Lugosi?”

“Rollick thinks he’s funny.” She winks at me as if there’s a joke I’ve missed and peeks at her phone.

“It looks like you’ve been assigned to room 5.

The class schedule will be posted in the common area.

Since the day’s almost over, you can get started with your education tomorrow.

Take some time to meet your dormmates and settle in. ”

She sashays back the way we came.

All right. It’s the new kid’s first day! Let’s make it a good one.

With my lips stretched into a sunny smile, I reach to open the door.

In the wider hall on the other side, several doors line both walls. A line of sofas and armchairs stretches down the middle of the space with an occasional side table in between.

All sorts of beings lounge on and around the furnishings. Many of them look over to see who the new arrival is.

A flurry of understated emotions tickles me from across the distance—intrigue and irritation and anticipation swirled together in a jumbled stew.

My attention stalls on a group of students off to one side of the hall. Several beings have gathered around a tall, slim man who’s propped against the wall in a cavalier pose.

I’d imagine many people’s eyes would be drawn to him.

He’s handsome in a particularly striking way, with blond hair so light it’s almost silver, sharp features that could have been carved out of ivory, and startlingly dark blue eyes gleaming amid all that paleness.

Even leaning nonchalantly, he gives off an impression of cool authority.

Not only that, he has some interesting magic going on. Despite his dispassionate expression, a figurine that looks like a towering pine is forming over his hand with an icy gleam. He’s conjuring it out of the air while the beings around him exclaim with much more enthusiasm than he’s showing.

That’s what catches my attention more than his looks or his chilly power: the undercurrent of emotion drifting off him. For all his apparent nonchalance, frustration bubbles beneath his surface like a bitter curry.

One of his companions cuts off my view, stepping toward me with a graceful but haughty air. She’s nearly as tall and equally gorgeous, her snow-white skin contrasting with her waterfall of black hair.

“We have a new rogue,” she says in a smooth, crystalline voice that fits her looks perfectly. Her gaze flicks to my badge. “And a threat to humankind as well. What did you do to get tossed in here?”

I resist the urge to dive under the nearest sofa. It’s time to spread some friendliness around, since it seems to be in somewhat short supply. “It was just an accident. I’m looking forward to learning with all of you!”

I catch a few muffled giggles and snorts, cotton candy fluffs of amusement. But everyone who’s here made the choice to stay, didn’t they? They must have thought it was a good idea.

Another shadowkind woman, shorter but similarly svelte, sidles up beside the haughty one. She sneers at me. “Sure you are.”

The first woman taps her friend with her elbow. “We can be welcoming.”

She holds out her hand to me. “My name is Gloss. I sometimes drop in on the reform division for the… invigorating company.”

She tosses a grin over her shoulder toward the icily handsome man, and I notice her badge, pinned to the bodice of her sleek burgundy dress. It has a circle etched on it beneath the number 4, not a triangle like mine .

Does that mean she’s a student who came voluntarily?

I give her hand a tentative shake and smile wider to make up for my hesitation. “I’m Periwinkle. But you can call me Peri. It’s nice to meet you.”

Another woman steps around Gloss to peer at me. “She doesn’t seem like she could warrant a six-pointed star, huh?”

“Not at all. So sweet. We’ll have to find out what she’s made of.” The look Gloss gives me seems a bit pointed, but she gives off so little emotion it’s hard for me to tell. “What room did they give you?”