Page 13

A lot of Feral Bloods have decent homes, but plenty of us don’t, and I can’t blame people for wanting to get a nice dorm for a short while. Honestly, any room without Mr. Peters lurking outside is going to be amazing.

“Look, there’s a side door.” Ever tips her head toward the building.

Off to the side, about a hundred yards from the front, is a smaller door. A few paranorms in our order have broken off to go that way, but the majority are too focused on getting inside the main one to notice. Ever and I share a look, nod in understanding, and set off at a run. We close the distance in milliseconds, catching the door right before it closes behind another group.

The inside of the Vanguard spire is militaristic and clean, but there’s not enough time to take it all in because a rush of footsteps pounds toward us.

“Fuck. Time to go,” I murmur, quickening my pace and dipping into the first hall to peek into the dorms before immediately round-abouting. Those rooms are barely as big as a closet. “Next hall.”

Ever nods and checks it, grimacing at me. “Next.”

The rooms in the third, if you can even call them that, are still tiny. I shake my head and race to join Ever as she steps into the fourth hall. These spaces are a little bigger, and we’re officially out of time. Students pour into the building. Shoving, cursing, and fighting their way to rooms.

Ever and I share another glance. Somehow we’ve already learned to communicate with looks alone. She steps into a room, and I slip into the one across from her.

“See you tomorrow?”

Before I can respond, two paranorms slam into the wall beside my room. Fists, half-shifted claws, growls and snarls. Goddess, above. This is madness. “Tomorrow,” I tell Ever before grasping the knob. Magic buzzes against my skin, a biometric lock calibrating to my touch, and as soon as the power releases me, I snap the door shut, officially claiming my place in the Vanguard spire.

There must be a sound dampening spell on the door because most of the noises fade away. The silence is loud but more than welcome. My muscles slowly loosen. I had no idea how overwhelmed I was, but now in the quiet, relief rushes through me.

My room is more long than it is wide, and the narrow space has enough room for me to practice the basic exercises and stretches I like to run through every morning. The bed is small, but there’s a frame and headboard, which is better than sleeping on the floor, like I did at Mr. Peters’s. A backpack full of supplies sits on the simple pine desk. I rifle through it, noting the contents. A laptop, notebooks, a handful of other supplies. The closet is tiny, big enough to hang up a dozen outfits and has a small cubby for shoes.

Closing the rickety door, I set my bag aside and drop onto the bed, thinking over everything that’s happened. I fiddle with my necklace. The Threshold almost killed me. I don’t know why the Goddess spared me, but I’m not going to waste this opportunity. I’ll get a job on campus to build up my savings, spend as much of my free time as I can researching where Addy might be, and most importantly, figure out how to access my magic. If I can’t do that, I’m not sure how I’ll survive, when basically everyone at Diremount is better equipped than me.

Early in the morning, there’s a knock on my door. I drag myself out of bed, cursing whoever it is. Paranorms don’t need as much sleep as humans, but for whatever reason, I swear I could lie in bed for days and still wouldn’t feel fully energized. Maybe that’s a side effect of my missing magic?

I trudge to the door and open it, finding no one there. I glance around, confused, and take a step out. Paper crinkles underfoot. My gaze drops and my eyebrows lift. There’s a bag outside my door. I look side to side again, but there’s no sign of anyone, not even a trace of a scent.

Even as suspicion crawls up my spine, I pick it up, eyeing the other doors. They don’t have anything. I reluctantly bring it inside despite my anxiety screaming that it might be a bomb.

A yawn cracks my jaw as I open the bag and take out a pair of black athletic pants with the Diremount insignia embroidered at the top of one leg. What the—? I pull out a few more pairs of pants and a handful of V-neck shirts, in the same dark blue that’s on the Vanguard banners.

Clothing was a luxury with Mr. Peters. He allowed exactly one of each type of outfit he deemed worthy, which left me with a pair of workout pants, a sports top, jeans that were a bit too short for me, a pair of shorts, and my favorite—a few oversized T-shirts.

I definitely need the extra clothes, but I’m not sure why I received them.

Setting aside the pants and top, I dig through the rest of the bag. There are a few basic supplies: a detangling hairbrush, towels, shampoo, conditioner, a light, citrusy soap, and a pair of combat boots. Part of me wonders if there’s some sort of catch, what accepting these freebies might cost me, but the other part is simply happy to have more. Deciding not to overthink it, I try on a pair of athletic pants and one of the blue tops. Both fit surprisingly well. They’re not fancy, but they’re also not worn out with holes, so, hey, silver linings.

After stretching, some push-ups and squats, I strap on my weapons. I’m not sure if there will be any fighting today, but it’s better to be prepared for anything. At least with my Diremount clothes, I might blend in better.

Three raps on my door draw my attention from the mirror. I finish finger brushing my hair up into a ponytail, snapping the tie into place before opening the door.

Ever’s smiling face greets me. What’s it like to wake up happy?

“Morning! Did you sleep well?” she asks.

“Not really,” I admit. The bed is as hard as a rock, and every time I closed my eyes, I kept thinking about Addy and the few memories that surfaced. I spent an hour trying to remember more from my past, only to run into blank space after blank space. Needless to say, I’m tired as shit.

Ever grimaces. “Yeah, me neither. There was too much going on yesterday.” She takes me in. “Cute outfit. How very school spirit of you.”

I glance at it, then at hers. She’s in bright pink leggings and a black top, wearing sneakers instead of boots, like mine. The people emerging from their rooms are all in different clothes as well.

Frowning, I turn back to her. “Didn’t you get a uniform this morning?”

“No. Why, did you?”

Chewing on my cheek, I debate if I should tell the truth. I don’t know Ever well, and I don’t know how she’ll react. She had my back yesterday, though, so I ignore the worried voice in my head and tell her the truth. “There were clothes outside my door this morning.” I sweep my hand down my outfit. “I thought it was a uniform, but seeing everyone else, I guess not?”