Dark Love

Part 9

Saera walked back to the office following the throng of students who noisily made their way back. Each discussing the outrageous news they'd just heard. It was odd no one was freaking out about the doors to hell being splayed wide open but then that was probably not news to them, as it was to her. Did Massey know? How could she not? She prided herself in being all knowing even being out of the loop as she was. Why didn't she tell her?

Then again why marry her off to a perfect stranger who wanted nothing more than to remain a perfect stranger.

Shaking her head in confusion she decided to put a pin in it for now. Reaching the office she sought her belongings, completed her registration and then collected her keys, class schedule and the compound map that would guide her with where to go. It was all very old school. Not a wink of magic to spin it all about on its head. The mundane did not appeal to her. She had that already in abundance. But she could appreciate the reluctance to splash power where it isn't needed. Especially if what was said at the assembly was true.

Still she wasn't happy knowing she was here to weaponize her powers instead of learning to use it to make her life better. She was no fighter. Not because she was soft but because fighting was stupid on all counts. Still how else did one battle hell other than with sheer brute force?

It's not as if you could reason with the monsters to return to whence they came.

Her nose burried in her map, she made her way unseeingly across the campus till her slight frame disappeared between the doors that would house her for the next three years. Her dorm was two floors up. Taking the stairs, she read up on what was on the brochure about Giddon House. The house was founded by Thomas Giddon who was a great wizard and contributed greatly to the the witchling society. Saera read on silently, as she made her way towards the open dorms.

She pushed open the door that led to the Kinling Dorm. A great Hall with beds lined up on either side. There was a total twenty beds in the room and Saera found her name magically emblazoned across one of the beds. A great way for her to locate it as well as informing the rest of her dorm mates on just who their newest member is.

"You're a Shore?" Came a disgusted snort behind her as she dropped her bags alongside her bed.

"Yeah,so." Was her short reply. She had no expectations to make any friends while she was here.

"So, I'm not sharing a dorm with a thief," said the same voice, who suddenly sounded familiar. Saera clenched her teeth and muffled back a curse. What were the odds she would end up sharing a dorm with the one person she'd been caught stealing from?

Saera turned to face her accusor knowing that denying the accusation was not an option especially when Lyra Fry, the self-declared queen of the Annandale witchling society,was the one pointing the finger. Saera looked about her now taking in the other high society witches she'd found herself sharing a dorm with and bit back another muffled curse. She should have known she'd be placed with the rest of the power house that dominated the witchling society. Everyone who was anyone, was in this dorm with her.

Turning back to address Lyra, she said almost absently, "Take it up with admin, Fry. No need to bitch about it with me." Dismissing the now livid Fry, Saera turned back towards her trunk. Fumbling with the lock she unlatched it and proceeded to pull out her meagre amount of clothing and hanging them out in the magically enhanced closet. A small cupboard on the outside that expanded on the inside to accommodate a voluminous amount of clothing she, unlike her dorm mates, did not have.

Two pairs of jeans were hung up and four loose fitting hand-me-down-shirts, next to it. Saera placed her only other pair of shoes beneath it and stacked her assortment of t-shirts and shorts on the shelves beside it. Her patched up underwears and socks, she tossed into the drawer beneath the shelves. The unexpanded closet space now stared back at her. Saera shrugged out of the jacket covering her back and slid that too on the hanger and hung it along side the rest on the rack. Whipping out her still damp towel she hung it on the foot of her bed and looked up to find an audience of sneers staring down at her. Saera grinned back.

She'd been sneered at, laughed at and snubbed by high society all her life. There was nothing new or unexpected in their regard of her. That familiarity alone was comfort in itself. Her grin widened at the looks of disgust that promptly replaced the sneers.

It was probably just as well her dorm mates knew just who was sharing the room with them. She'd robbed most of their families off potions and spells to be sold on to the black market at some point or other. Not something she should be proud of but she was proud she did what she'd had to to survive. Even if that meant thieving from those more fortunate than her or marrying and bedding a random stranger.

She was a survivor first and foremost. Dignity of knowing better and conforming to those ideals were for the rich.