NEIN (girlxgirl)

| 03 |

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S C H N A P S I D E E

(n.) An idea you had while drunk that you will probably regret. Literally a Schnapps idea.

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NATASJA STOOD outside the dorm Lily warned her about. She really couldn't imagine what could make Kael such a scary person, but then again one shouldn't judge so easily. Kael was a Sabrael, after all. Who knew what horrors she went through to make her the person she was now?

The other dorms were merely rooms or apartments inside buildings, next to the school. They had two large buildings that were about 15 floors tall each, both made of stone on the outside but without a doubt modernized on the inside. At the base of these buildings were restaurants and cafés, where trainees chatted, laughed and walked around. As Natasja walked past them, some regarded her curiously. These must be the buildings for the Galizurs and Dumas, Natasja thought to herself. So the Sabrael building would be... That.

Just up ahead, a stone house stood proudly. It was located almost at the very end of the academy campus, right next to the forest. It had about two to three floors, judging by the placement of the windows. Just like the castle, the stone was incorporated with white marble. It was quiet.

Natasja timidly knocked on the large wooden door, turning her head to try to see through the windows.

The door suddenly swung open, making Natasja yelp in surprise. A girl a few years older than her stood there. Her green-colored hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore a tank top and low-slung cargo pants tucked into combat boots. Natasja noticed a large tattoo of a dragon snaking down her collarbone to her left arm, making a sleeve.

"You must be the new girl," she chewed her gum, popping it. "You're on the third floor with Kael. Number 37."

"Oh thank you-" but the girl had already turned and walked away, her boots tapping on the white tiles.

Natasja shrugged slightly, making her way to the third floor to check out her room. Maybe she was busy.

She was too tired to notice the decor of the house, and found dorm #37 quite easily. She opened the door with a swipe of her wrist on the knob. Apparently her DNA had already been encoded into the room's security system. Her baggage were already delivered there, placed at the foot of a single bed with pristine white sheets. Not a wrinkle was in sight. The room itself was just like the room she was supposed to bunk in with Lily, except more... Dry. Kael's side of the room looked like it was never used. There were cabinets for their clothes, there were desks, chairs, and the usual furniture you see in a room. Everything was white and not a speck of dirt could be seen. They had a bathroom and it also looked like it had never been used before.

Natasja yawned and suddenly exhaustion hit; her long trip had given her little to no sleep. She didn't bother changing her clothes. She flopped down on her bed and as soon as her head hit her soft pillow, she was out like a light.

After what seemed like hours of sleep, she was startled awake by the door beeping and clicking open. The room was dark, which meant it was already night time. Natasja's eyes widened when a dark figured slipped in, the footsteps barely heard. She kept quiet, knowing that dark figure was Kael Maddox, her roommate. She wondered briefly why she didn't switch on the lights and thought that maybe she didn't want to disturb her sleep.

Oh my goodness, Natasja you idiot. She's blind. She doesn't need the light.

She stayed as still as she could, deciding to just get under the covers once Kael was asleep. The tall woman gave no indication that there was another person in the room with her.

The moonlight hit her figure and Natasja noted she hadn't changed from the same sweatpants and shirt. And the redhead's eyes widened even further when Kael Maddox started stripping.

She crossed her arms at the base of her shirt and pulled it over her head, exposing a black bra and a stunning body. Her slim waist curved into her low slung sweatpants, her toned abs and flat stomach gently sloping in. She had such beautifully cut arms that seemed to glisten in the moonlight as she dressed. She pulled off her pants next and the muscles there were just as prominent without it being too masculine.

Natasja knew she was being creepy and should stop staring, but the scars that adorned her body wouldn't let her look away. They criss-crossed across her stomach, down her back, and on her chest. She wondered at what stories her scars held, and they in no way made her any less attractive.

Natasja gulped. She was hot.

Kael finished dressing, then slipped into bed.

"You can slip under the covers now, Miss Armand," that voice rang out across the room. Natasja blushed to the very roots of her hair, getting up to change. Might as well, anyway. Kael knew she was awake. She probably looked stupid just laying there and staring creepily.

"How'd you know?" Natasja asked quietly as she took out her pajamas from her suitcase and quickly changed into them.

"I could hear your breathing," there was a smile in Kael's voice. "It's a bit too fast to be one for slumber." Her english was perfect, and yet you could hear the undertone of a German accent.

"Oh," was Natasja's soft reply. Of course, apart from being embarrassed about being caught staring by a blind woman, she also found it amazing that she was able to witness Kael Maddox's musings up close. She was hooked with the dark-haired woman for some reason. She was curious as hell about her scars, and just about everything that's related to this woman.

After she had slipped into her bed, a few minutes of silence went by, each  roommate lost in their own thoughts.

"Kael?" Natasja asked in a small voice, mentally slapping herself for probably disturbing her. It took a lot of courage in her to ask, but her want for knowledge pushed it.

"Yes, Natasja?" Kael's reply was soft.

"What happened-" Natasja caught herself, changing her mind. Now might not be the time. "Tell me more about Sabrael."

And to Natasja's surprise, Kael obliged. "Sabraels are stronger, mentally, and some physically. We've seen the worst sides of humanity. The darkest parts of this world. And we've experienced it all without going insane."

Natasja pondered about that, knowing it rang true within herself. What happened that night with her parents still made her sick. She never should have screamed. She should have listened to her mother. She should have-

"Stop," Kael spoke. "Regretting your past doesn't help. Accept it happened and keep going."

Natasja was speechless. In the years since that night people have spoken to her with soft, flowery words that they hoped could try to lift her up. They didn't work. And even though what Kael said was blunt and short, they worked in her more than those years of condolences from her closest friends and family ever did.

"Goodnight, Natasja," Kael spoke above a whisper when she didn't reply. "You have a big day tomorrow."

Then there was silence.

And Natasja lay there thinking about how different Kael was from what Lily warned her about. She was so sweet and kind, she couldn't understand why people were so afraid of her.

The next day, she saw why.