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“If the professordoesn’t show up in fifteen minutes, we can leave, right?”A smiling redhead with glowing umber skin turned to face me.
I felt so solitary walking into the lecture hall today—everyone else seemed to be walking with their roommates, and I didn’t have one. (Gaksi didn’t count). I requested special accommodations for my ‘service animal,’ but maybe that had been a mistake. Would people think I was strange? Arriving without company?
Most of the other students hesitantly waved at dorm friends and whispered amongst themselves. The teaching assistants relieved anxious students, answering their “What can I do to get ahead?” questions with, “It’s the first day, relax.”
Be nice, be pleasant, be polite,I coached myself.Make a good impression.
Problem was, I needed another person to be nice to. Was it my skin? Did I look like a freak here? I’d plopped down on the first seat available, but nobody had come to join me.
Until this freckled girl sat next to me and started talking.
I tuned back in to our conversation.
“Maybe? I’m Luna.” I gave my best smile. Would my attempts at approachability work? I hoped so.
“Cordelia,” the redhead replied. With dimples and freckles that moved when she smiled, she had the most childlike, innocent quality.
“Is it okay if I sit here? The lecture hall is filled today,” she said, gesturing to the class. Students packed themselves like sardines in every row, crowding themselves amongst water bottles, backpacks, and tablets. Some students even lingered at the balcony railing, peering below for empty seats.
“Of course,” I responded.Good work, I thought to myself. At least I’d made one friend today.
“Dr. Ansi is only five minutes late, though,” I said. “I’m sure she’ll be here eventually, so we can’t leave yet.”
“Yeah, right,” a smooth male voice said, sliding into the seat beside me. My head had to tilt up to smile at him. With tanned skin, blonde hair, and warm brown eyes, he resembled a bohemian surfer who had strayed too far from the beach. He was the boy with magnificent hair I’d seen out my window this morning, the one I was way too shy to approach.
“Are you guys fish?” he drawled.
“Fish?” Cordelia asked. Her face paled.
“Yeah. Fish out of water. Freshmen.” The gentle tenor of his voice smoothed over the insult like we were all part of an inside joke.
“Are you not?” I asked. “This is History of Aether University 101. It’s one of the first courses freshmen take.”
“I’m a teaching assistant, or T.A.,” he said. “I’m avoiding the overachievers and socializing here instead.” He winked, making me smile.
“I’m Luna,” I said. “This is Cordelia.”
He nodded at us. “Lukas.” He gestured to the two tall guys fielding off questions upfront. “The big broad guy is Adam, and the shorter one is Xavier. They’re Alpha and Beta of Wolf House, respectively.”
Alpha and Beta of Wolf House? Powerful upperclassmen, most likely.
“If they’re that important, what are they doing here?” Cordelia asked.
“Can I let you in on a secret?” Lukas whispered, leaning in toward us. Cordelia and I mimicked him. I didn’t know why, but I trusted him intrinsically. He had such a calming presence.
“Lots of upperclassmen like to become T.A.s to scope out new talent for their houses,” he murmured conspiratorially.
“So, are you another Wolf house recruiter?” I asked in a hushed voice.
“Even better,” he practically sang. His voice was like butter. “Siren House. Where all the beautiful and charismatic people go.”
“Siren House?” Cordelia sputtered. As soon as she reacted, I snapped out of whatever Siren haze Lukas trapped us in. “Is that why I like you so much? Because you’re manipulating us into doing it?”
Lukas leaned back and chuckled. “I only turned on the charm a little, ginger. The rest was just you having good taste.”
Cordelia shivered. “Sirens are so manipulative,” she stated. “I’ve never seen such a pretty group of—”
