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“Don’t you want it? Maybe a plum?” Alara plucked one and held it out to me. “It’s all there for the eating.”
“Really? We can just help ourselves? What if we eat all of it?” I mean, obviously the others were doing it, but it was a such a gorgeous display.
“They’re trees, and they’ll grow more.” She was looking at me oddly as she spoke, and I supposed I understood. Of course trees would grow more, but in the town I grew up in, they would have not only been stripped of fruit but probably damaged if not destroyed by careless hands. And it took a whole year to grow more fruit.
But then I remembered the basicduhfact that if they weren’t picked, they’d fall to the slate floor and rot. So of course we’d eat them, but it did seem weird that if students were traveling this tunnel every night, the trees would still have fruit.
And the row of trees was just the start. At the end of the tunnel, we walked into one of those conservatories I was talking about. It was at an end of the main building not visible from the front drive, or I for sure would have noticed. The slate flooring continued throughout, except where trees, not dwarfs this time, sent their roots into the soil beneath. Plants were suspended everywhere, by some means I couldn’t detect, but the effect was incredibly beautiful. The sun was still hovering to the west, lighting the space with its golden glow, but I could see all sorts of candelabra that would provide light when necessary. Lots more fruits and berries…tropical plants with spreading fronds in some areas. Giant ferns you might find in the Pacific Northwest. So much to take in, but as I turned in a circle, gaping, Alara grabbed my arm.
“Come on, we have to get a seat before the opening speeches.”
“There are speeches every night at dinner? Like church?” That didn’t sound fun. Not that we’d been churchgoing people. My parents said you could find God, well, they said the Goddess, in nature, and we often did just that on the weekends. We were big campers when I was little, traveling places like national forests and the Grand Canyon, secluded beaches, lakes you had to hike to for hours or even days.
She giggled. “Of course not, but this is the first full sit-down dinner of the summer term, and it’s a big deal. Coming here is a true rite of passage into adulthood, you know.”
Well, it was college, and I knew that much.
But before I could comment, everyone was scuttling into seats, and we grabbed two at the table nearest where we stood. There were already several girls there, heads close together as if they were fast friends, and they didn’t acknowledge us at all.
“Bunch of snobs,” Alara whispered to me. “Minor nobility.” I looked closer and recognized among them the girls from the limo. Snobs for sure.
Titania stood from where she sat at a table on a raised platform at the far end of the room. The other faculty members I’d met were there as well, and a few more, although I suspected they weren’t the entire staff. “Welcome, again, to the summer term, students. We are so glad to have such a diverse group this year. In case you haven’t guessed, it’s about fifty-fifty from each side, and a great opportunity to get to know your distant cousins.”
Laughter rippled through the diners as Titania went on to say a lot more things I didn’t understand about both sides of the “veil,” and then waved to the buffet set out along both walls. “You’d better eat before it gets cold. We’ll have lots of opportunities to chat as the weeks go along. My office is always open to you as those of you with older siblings who’ve attended no doubt are fully aware.”
More laughter, then we were all swarming the long tables laden with food. Alara had been understated when she talked about it because it was the best I’d ever eaten. So fresh, lots of beautiful salads and soups as well as anything else you could want. Even a carving station, although the line for that was so long, I never got close enough to see what they were carving. Still, it was all delicious, and I ate far too much.
The girls at our table never did acknowledge our existence, but if they were some kind of nobility, I guess it wasn’t surprising, and with their attitude, I didn’t want to chat with them anyway.
As we headed back through the tunnel, Alara said we’d sit with a better group next time, and I agreed. We’d been a little late tonight. And surely the other meals would be more casual. Probably casseroles and stuff. Or whatever college kitchens turned out.
“Take an apple for later,” she urged, and I did, noting how much fruit there still was on the trees, considering. I didn’t think I’d have room for it, but it was good to have a snack in case I did wake up hungry.
Overall, a pretty good—if somewhat confusing—day.
Chapter Thirteen
Fairy combat.
It was like the worst oxymoron. I could just imagine the fairy from that Peter movie, brandishing a sword and trying to take down bees or something.
“Good afternoon, class.” A woman, tall and lithe, but had shoulders that looked perfect for medieval armor, stood in front of the class, moving her arms up and down, trying to get everyone to take a seat. She didn’t have to use her arms, though, as her voice was commanding and yet retained a softness that was so feminine, it was almost like silk. “I am Maeve, and this first session will be in the classroom. We need to identify the factors of battle and why this class is needed. After that, we will progress to the gym. Now, a few rules.”
The hair on the back of my neck rose up as goose bumps covered my flesh. I covertly looked around to scope out if my sixth sense was correct. Across the room, sitting in a middle desk was Nissa. I was right. She was looking at me, but in no way was it the look of someone who wanted to be my friend. Her eyes were targeted on me, and her knee was bouncing in place.
I sighed and turned back to the teacher, trying to focus on what I had to learn. It seemed like I was already behind in all things at this school. My high school learning basically meant nothing.
The last thing I needed, wanted, or would welcome was some mean-girl drama.
“Now, who are the enemies?”
No one answered. One girl beside me put her head down as though the notion of the word enemy had broken her already.
“Come on, this is your chance to get it all out in the open. That phrase, know your enemies, is what we are doing right this moment. The headmistress isn’t here. Your parents aren’t here. No one is over your shoulder telling you not to talk about this. Out with it.”
One guy raised his hand. “The Unseelie.”
“Good. That’s a start. How do we recognize the Unseelie?”
