Her mental health seemed to be there as well. From their May treatment until she left early June, she acted consistent with her own behavior and not significantly different from a regular human her age, her experiences included. There would be a full examination after she awoke, of course. Based on how she acted between his arrival and the ritual, Devon didn’t expect much. Not unless Arachne had its claws in the girl deeper than he wanted.
Devon decided to stick around for a while. To check out this school and the environment his life’s work was being raised in. He wanted to do so over the rest of summer, he didn’t expect the girl to leave the day she told him about the school. Between his injury and the Elysium Sisters swarming around looking for him, Devon scarcely had a moment’s rest.
He moved to a seat in the corner of the room and organized his notes. There he’d wait until the magic within the ritual circle consumed itself and the treatment would finish.
At least there were no Elysium Sisters up here.
Chapter 012
Zoe Baxter stalked down the halls.
A wet young girl skipped along at her heels.
Zoe finally managed to drag the girl out of the hot tubs. She made a beeline for the rocky pools the moment the tour stopped by. She jumped in without even removing her clothes.
Now she happily skipped along with a towel around her, drawing several odd stares from passing students. She was oblivious to it all.
Zoe stopped outside a specific door on the third floor and knocked.
Conversation on the other side of the door stopped. The door opened a second after.
“Time for inspection already?” the black-haired girl asked. “I’ll grab Rach and be out of the room if you’d like.”
“No inspection today, Miss Eva.” Zoe stepped aside, glad the wet girl hadn’t run off. “Your third roommate has arrived. May we come in?”
Eva blinked at the wet girl then blinked again. She seemed to recover herself as she stepped backwards and waved them in. “Yes of course, I was just working on a little project.”
The room was much the same as when the girls first moved in. Neither saw fit to decorate or even personalize the place much. The only decorations were the black envelopes attached to the ceiling that had spread through much of the girl’s dorms.
When asked, everyone responded that they were for luck or to ward off bad dreams. Obvious lies. Attempting to gain access to them caused the contents to turn to foul-smelling slime. Scrying into them produced adverse effects.
The staff considered confiscating them until Juliana and Eva came forth as the creators and explained they were to prevent scrying. Zoe had Eva explain every symbol on the sheets making sure nothing would harm the students. Satisfied with the results, the two girls were allowed to continue their business.
Eva appeared to be in the middle of making additional runes if the pens and rune covered papers on her desk were any indication. Juliana had a book in hand, though she looked up at the intruders.
The blond erred on the side of caution, these days. She carried two wands everywhere she went. With her in a short-sleeved shirt, Zoe could see the metal bands she wore around her forearms. Each sported intricate designs made with the girl’s own ferrokinesis. Sadly, she often covered them up with long-sleeved shirts or jackets.
Apart from the additions to her attire, the girl seemed less bothered by her incident than Zoe expected. Zoe had had several talks with her over the course of the last week and she seemed fairly normal. Not talkative, but Juliana never was a chatty sort. She insisted on continuing her urban explorations, though she promised to contact Zoe at the first sign of anything abnormal.
She set down her book and walked over near Eva.
“This is your new roommate, Shalise Ward.”
The girls looked to the dark-haired girl and looked her over before introducing themselves.
“Eva.”
“Juliana.”
“Shalise,” the girl said with a happy nod.
“If you don’t mind my asking,” Eva started, “why are you wet?”
Shalise rubbed the back of her wet brown hair. “I slipped into the spa on our tour.”
Lies. There was nothing accidental about that ‘fall’ into the tubs.
“Do you want to use the shower? We can talk afterwards.”
“I’d just change into wet clothes. I don’t have anything else with me.”
Juliana looked the girl up and down. “You look about my size, if my clothes are fine with you.”
“I don’t want to be a bother on my first day–”
“Nonsense.” Eva waved her off. “I would have offered my clothes if Juliana didn’t.”
The girls pulled out a set of clothes and sent Shalise to the shower.
“School starts next week,” Zoe said after the bathroom door shut, “are you girls ready?”
“Can’t wait,” Eva immediately replied, “I don’t know what you were thinking when you made everyone show up three months early.”
Juliana nodded. “I’ve read half the library and that’s aside from my other activities.”
Eva raised an eyebrow at the blond, but brushed it off. “I mean, your seminars are alright. Apart from that, there is nothing interesting around here.”
“I wouldn’t say nothing,” Juliana said. “But it could stand to be more fun around here.”
Zoe looked between the two girls. She wondered if they weren’t just sparing her feelings by saying her seminar was the highlight of their summer.
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Maybe if they had come several years ago when the town was in full swing. “Miss Ward is completely new to magic. She’s never cast a spell once in her life. Perhaps helping her get school supplies around town and maybe showing her some simple things will alleviate some of your tedium until school starts.”
Eva gave an indifferent shrug. “I haven’t bought a uniform yet.” She looked towards Juliana.
“Same” was the response.
“Good,” Zoe said. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted to your new roommate. Do play nice.”
The girls nodded and said their farewells.
As soon as the door closed, Zoe flicked out her knife and entered between. She could have left from their room, but that left a bad taste in her mouth. It just felt rude.
Zoe moved into her private quarters and took a seat at her own desk. She pulled out a notebook and set to work. Zoe intended to fulfill her promise to Shalise as soon as possible.
She just had to find out where to get the money.
—
The three girls headed out to the same circular market Eva first shopped at.
Unlike last time, there were a handful of students milling about the plaza. Students looking to get last-minute supplies for the most part.
Shalise gaped at each advertisement around the plaza. First the dancing uniforms, the cauldron’s overflowing contents that vanished just above the heads of students, and the rest. She dragged Eva and Juliana to the most crowded store to watch the dancing uniforms up close.
Irene stood inside the store. She looked to be troubled over choosing between skirts or pants.
Juliana dragged the group up to the girl. “Hey, on your own today?”
Irene half jumped and turned to face the group. “Juliana, Eva,” she said. She turned to the third member of their crew and cocked her head to one side.
“Shalise.” She offered her hand.
Irene moved to shake, but her hands were full of clothes. Shalise grabbed the hand anyway and shook with a smile.
“Irene,” she offered. “And yeah, everyone else bought their uniforms already.”
Eva pulled a skirt off the rack. “Neither of us have, and Shalise is brand new today.”
The skirts seemed to come in many different sizes. From ankle length dresses to barely there skirts. All of them black with teal trim. The longer ones occasionally had teal patterns sewn into them.