?Something dings and Ricka pulls her tablet from inside her blazer. She taps on it and a video or audio begins playing. There’s chatter, a girl talking about getting ready and her skincare routine, and then faintly you can hear Jullia.
?You’re fucking fated to the only full shifting demigod!
?Ricka turns her tablet and the girl who had been on the screen takes her tablet and points it to us. Jullia with her back facing the camera, wrapped in her pink towel and curly white hair clipped up on the top of her head. And me. My face visible for the camera, expression struck with ‘what the fuck did you just say very loudly that I know damn well everyone just heard’, hair pulled up into the ponytail I had it in while working out, and my robe wrapped tightly around myself.
?Then I slide past her and make a beeline for the last stall. I watch Jullia make a disbelieving face and march after me before I close the curtain behind us and everyone in the bathroom looks at one another before the camera gets pointed at Ricka and she’s kicking everyone out.
?“Already over a thousand views,” Ricka notifies before pulling her tablet back. Her eyes pass over the screen. “The comments are going to be golden.”
?Jullia stands up and peers over to read them with her. From Jullia’s expression I doubt it’s anything good. Ricka’s dry tone should have signaled that to me.
?“Don’t worry ladies, our prince charming wouldn’t slum it with a vampire,” Jullia reads with disgust. “They’re both lying, no way a demigod would be fated to trash. I mean just look at her. . . What the fuck are these!”
?Jullia is about to snatch the tablet from Ricka but she pulls it to her chest and steps back. “Jealous girls with nothing better to do. Such a waste especially because they’re all supposed to be smart.”
?“Oookay.” I clap my hands and then finally stand. “Welp, I’ve got to shower so get out.”
?Jullia scoffs at me but I snap the curtain in her face and then hook my shower caddy where it had dropped to the floor to the wall. I shrug out of my robe and throw it over the rail before turning on the water.
?Undoing my ponytail, I grab my brush and start untangling it as I kick at the freezing water. Then I get in.
?I can hear Jullia and Ricka whispering about the whole thing but I probably could care even less than I already do about it. It’s annoying, but as long as nothing major happens because of it. Cordellia has told me about her enemy to lovers high school setting romances where everyone bullies the girl. Not that we’re in high school, but I just don’t want to deal with that.
?When I’m done I turn the water off and ring out my hair as best as I can. Then I grab my robe, and because it is the same material as a towel it doubles as that as I wrap myself up. I grab my caddy and then start heading back towards the room. Jullia, who’s in the next stall, I leave to let her finish.
?No one else has come back into the bathroom and I meet no one else on my way back to my room. I’m halfway through getting dressed when Jullia comes back in. She says nothing to me and immediately grabs her tablet.
?There’s a knock a second after she gasps and since she’s glued to the screen and I have at least my shirt and skirt on, I go over and open the door. Asher and Callahan both are waiting on the other side, one looking pale and the other fuming.
?“Aha!!” Jullia shouts. “The fucking bitch is getting it now, Mavyn! Everyone is on your side because of the battle and they’ve corrected them because you are not a vampire.”
?Jullia looks up with a wide grin, still wrapped in her towel, and glitches when she sees me with Asher and Callahan in front of me. Someone grabs the door and slams it shut – I’m assuming Asher because Jullia is still in her towel, and the thing does nothing to cover her impressive cleavage.
?She bounces off the bed and chirps, “This’ll be fun.”
?No, actually, it freaking won’t.
?Quietly sighing, I bow my head before lugging myself back over to my bed and finish getting ready. I had used my actual towel to dry my hair as much as possible, and I let it hang down my back to finish air drying.
?I slip my shoes on after my thigh highs and then sit at my desk to watch Lasairorm while Jullia finishes. She slithers out ofher cave and lifts her head up to the corner top of her enclosure. Letting me know that she wants out.
?Usually I would keep her primarily around my shoulders when I was around the brothel. Since she was imprinted on me she wouldn’t hurt anyone who wasn’t a direct threat to me, but she is still extremely venomous.
?I lift the roof of her enclosure and let her wrap around my forearm before setting the top back in place anyways. She slithers up my arm until she’s resting on my shoulders like she used to. It’s a familiar position and the familiar weight helps ease the anxiety I’m trying to ignore. I really, really don’t want to deal with everything I know I’m about to deal with.
?When Jullia’s ready we grab our tablets and she grabs her bag and then opens the door.
?Asher and Callahan are both still where they were standing before, though now both of them are scowling.
?Asher’s olive green eyes point at me and then he clears his throat. “Please make sure you both are properly covered before opening the door when you don’t know who’s behind it.”
?Jullia tisks at her boyfriend and grabs his arm as she starts walking. Leaving me standing in front of Callahan. His glaring golden eyes do not make contact with mine and his jaw is clenched.
?I did not have the courage to claw my own eyes out when I was five, but I wonder if I could do it now. I wonder if that would be a start to ripping my soul out.
?Instead of trying to speak and start whatever is going to be started, I step past Callahan and make to leave.
?“When did you know?”
