I stare down at my lap as we wait, unsure what to do or say. At least it sounds like they're not going to turn me away for being a freak, but that doesn't do much to put my mind at ease. All I can do now is wait… and hope this President Hawthorne feels the same way as the others.
A few minutes later, the door to the office opens, and I look up. A guy who looks to be around my age pokes his head into the room. "Mrs. Fairbanks?" he says. His voice is melodic, with a slight Cheshire lilt in the accent. His hair is an ashy shade of blonde, his eyes a bright gray. "Professor Abernathy sent me to ask you about wolfsbane. Tomorrow's a full moon."
A full moon? I think. Does this mean he’s a wolf shifter?
I'm once again a little surprised by how nonchalant the students here are about their abilities--will I ever get to that point? Not if you only ever turn into an abomination like you did earlier, sneers a cynical part of me, but I do my best to ignore it.
"Ah, Mr. Ivis," says Mrs. Fairbanks. "We received a new shipment this morning. Would you be a dear and make sure it got to the nurse's office?"
"Of course," the guy says, giving her a nod. He glances at Samantha and Josie before his eyes come to rest on me, giving me a curious once-over. I'm not sure whether it's the fact that he's obviously handsome or the fact that I must look a mess, but I duck my head a little. His eyes linger on me for a moment longer before he clears his throat and leaves the office.
"Good kid," remarks Josie. "That was Shade Ivis, Millie. He's a wolf shifter. Before long you'll learn the names of most of the students here."
I open my mouth to respond, but then the door opens again, and a tall man enters the office. He's stately, handsome, and well-groomed, with salt-and-pepper hair and a trim goatee. His dark suit is a stark contrast to the white school uniforms. "Good morning, ladies," he says, approaching Mrs. Fairbanks' side of the desk. "May I?" he asks, indicating a free chair. Mrs. Fairbanks nods, and he sits down, leaning back and folding his hands. "I was told we have a bit of an unusual case here," he says, his dark eyes settling on me.
I listen as Josie and Samantha reiterate the story, from their charm alerting them to a new shifter to bringing me back here. Mrs. Fairbanks chimes in to confirm what they saw in my aura. For a long while after, nobody speaks, and I feel incredibly small under the headmaster's unreadable gaze.
Finally he speaks up. "Well, you're right that this is an unusual case," he says. "In fact, I've only heard of something like this happening once before. It was centuries ago, when a group of rogue witches tried to create a hybrid shifter using the abilities of the other clans. It was deemed an abomination and destroyed." My heart sinks.
Samantha's brow furrows. "You're not actually thinking about--"
"Of course not," Hawthorne replies. "That was a long time ago. We're more civilized now, more evolved. Obviously, we'll want to see how your abilities manifest, Millie, and some research will need to be done into your background and parentage, but you're entitled to an education here, the same as everyone else." He smiles at me.
Did they ever tell him my name? I wonder. They must have, right? I honestly can't remember. Before I can consider this further, he’s standing up, straightening his suit. “You said she showed signatures of all five clans. We’ll have to start her in introductory courses for each of them. As for her last period…” He considers for a moment. “Coexisting with Humankind. That will give you plenty to do this semester, I think.” Once again, he gives me that toothy grin. “It’s a pleasure to have you here, Ms. Brix. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
With that, President Hawthorne excuses himself.
“See?” says Mrs. Fairbanks, turning back to me. “Nothing to worry about. Our headmaster is very progressive.”
“I can see that,” I say, nodding. “What kind of shifter is he, anyway?”
Mrs. Fairbanks blinks. “Why, he’s not a shifter at all, Millie. President Hawthorne is a human.”
Chapter 8
The dormitory was an equally ornate building on the other side of the drive from the academy itself. “You’ll be on the fifth floor,” Josie says as she leads me down the cobblestone path. Samantha stayed with Mrs. Fairbanks to do my intake paperwork, and with President Hawthorne having gone back to his offices, that only left bringing my stuff to my new living quarters, which I can only hope won’t be too difficult to find. “Everyone has a single room, so privacy won’t be an issue. Lights out is at ten PM, after the last bell rings.” She glances at me, frowning. “Are you okay? You look… I don’t know, worried.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, shaking myself. “I’m still just trying to process everything. Yesterday I was going to regular high school and walking home in the rain, and now… It’s just all so surreal.” A beat passes, and I add sheepishly, “Come to think of it, I’m also pretty tired.”
Josie laughs. “You’ve had a long twenty-four hours. Well, don’t worry--you won’t be expected in classes tomorrow, so you can spend the rest of the day decompressing.”
“Maybe this is a stupid question,” I say as the road levels out beneath our feet, “but do I need to bring anything tomorrow?”
“There should be notebooks and pencils in your dorm room,” Josie replies, “but other than that… Oh, wait! That reminds me: what’s your clothing size?”
I purse my lips. “Medium, I suppose.”
She nods.
