Cursed to the Bone

2. A Warm Welcome

When I woke, my hand shot to the front of my neck, testing the gnarled scar that stretched from one side to the other. It was, unfortunately, still there. My heartbeat slowed as I blinked in the warm light pressing through the folds of the curtain. It had been a dream . . . just another mangled hallucination conjured from the day I was cursed.

I dropped my stare to the pink, knitted blanket that had somehow made its way atop me. In one swift movement, I rolled out of bed and took it with me.

Naomi was nowhere to be seen.

Folding the blanket, and assuming it was hers, I placed it on the end of her bed before going about my business.

Our school robes consisted of a button-up long-coat. That was it. The fabric was light, soft to touch, and spun with unnatural fibers of navy and gold. We were free to wear whatever tops and bottoms suited us, and in that way, I admired the neutrality of the uniform. I wore a turtle-neck with tights and sneakers. Black, of course. I had close to nothing in the way of athletic prowess, but I liked the comfort of athletic clothing.

Only Blake remained in the living area when I emerged. She tossed an apple my way, which I barely caught.

"You missed breakfast. Orientation is happening soon, and I don't think you'll want to miss that. It's pretty laid back here, but you don't wanna push your luck."

"Sorry," I said, examining the green apple. It was perfectly smooth and a rather vivid shade that suggested it wasn't grown in The Mundane. Even the smell was so potent my mouth watered. "I was dreaming."

"I know. Might have to get you a dream catcher."

"You know?"

Picking up on my incredulous look, Blake stood and dusted her hands on her pale-yellow skirt, which was almost the same shade as her hair. "Naomi mentioned it. Said you were probably in the deep planes and that I shouldn't wake you."

"Ah." I followed Blake outside at her gesture, and made a mental note to look into the deep planes another time. Uncertain of what to do with the apple, I squeezed it into my pocket. Our coats had the most wonderful, deep pockets. It was a nice change from all the clothes I had with pockets only big enough to hold thimbles or quarters.

"Tell me something about you, Vera."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Blake shrugged, leading me from the empty hall and through the courtyard. As we emerged from the dorm building, we came upon a stone stair that stood miles over the valley. The stair itself was framed by seamless walls of rock. From the top, I could see enough of the lake to tell it was massive, even as it vanished between the hills and buildings below. "What's your favorite area to study?"

"Distortion, probably."

"Hm. I had you figured for Clerical."

It would make sense that I embraced the healing elements of the Clerical branch of magic, but I couldn't help giving her a hard time. "Because of my curse?" I asked, never tearing my eyes from the steps.

"There's a lot in there that could help you, is all I meant. It's not all healing, you know. It's undeath, too."

I wanted to tell her it wasn't any of her business. Instead, I said, "I'll dabble in all the branches."

"Oh? Hoping to be like our very own Lacroix?"

I pictured the man I met at the entrance of the school and his impassive, crimson stare. "We'll see."

The quad ahead took the shape of a rhombus between four connected buildings riddled with miniature domes, cusped arches and windows, and baroque sculpting that must have taken a decade to finish. A domed tower with a glass top rose at the far end and loomed over the giant tree at the quad's center. The width of the tree was such that the branches overhead created a large shade to the stones around its base.