Angela’s POV
I stood there inside the tiny restroom stall with this equally tiny fae staring directly at me. Neither of us spoke for several seconds. Then her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh!” She slapped a hand against her forehead. “Where are my manners?”
Before I could ask what she meant, she grabbed my hand and gently tugged me out of the stall. “There.” She smiled proudly. “Much better.”
I glanced back at the stall in confusion. Stephanie dramatically wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead before pinching her nose shut. “Sheesh. I’m just glad nobody decided to take a poopsie in there.” She pulled the most ridiculous face I’d ever seen.
For a second, I just stared at her. Then I burst out laughing. A real laugh. The kind that escaped before I could stop it.
She pointed at me with a triumphant grin. “There it is.”
“What is?” I asked in confusion. Not knowing what she was referring to or talking about.
“Your smile,” she pointed to my face.
I shook my head, still laughing. “You are… different.”
“I get that a lot,” she replied proudly.
I had known her for less than ten minutes, yet somehow she’d managed to make me forget all about the pain in my neck. That alone deserved some kind of award. I already liked her.
“Well,” Stephanie said, clapping her hands together, “orientation should be over by now… or close enough.” She nodded toward the restroom door. “What do you say we head to our room?”
“That sounds wonderful.” I let out a relieved breath. “I could really use some peace and quiet.”
“And food,” she rubbed her stomach dramatically.
I smiled. “I wasn’t going to argue with that.”
“I knew I liked you.” She pushed open the restroom door, and we stepped back into the hallway.
Students wandered in every direction carrying boxes, luggage, and backpacks as they searched for their dorm assignments. The academy somehow looked even bigger than it had an hour ago.
As we passed the orientation hall, curiosity got the better of me. I slowed just enough to peek through the open doorway. Mr. Wilson was still talking while rows of students sat quietly in their seats. Then a familiar pair of sea-green eyes snapped toward the entrance. Mr. Lizard Boy. He was already looking straight at me.
Well… Since I’d been caught… I smiled sweetly and gave him a small wave. Before I could see his reaction, Stephanie grabbed my wrist and pulled me away.
“Oh my gosh,” she said between laughs. “Ang, what are you doing?”
“I waved,” I shrugged my shoulders and put on the most innocent look on my face I could.
“I saw that! He’s a dragon!” She whisper yelled at me.
I shrugged my shoulders once again. “So? He’s still a lizard.”
Stephanie stopped walking and stared at me. “You did not just call the Dragon Prince a lizard.” The look on her face was funny. She was absolutely stunned. Her eyes went wide. Her mouth gaped open.
“I absolutely did.”
She covered her mouth, trying to hold back another fit of laughter. “You’re going to get yourself into so much trouble.”
“He started it,” I pointed my finger at her.
“How?” She asked as she tilted her head slightly.
“He wanted my chair. I was sitting there first.”
She blinked her eyes. “You argued with him over a chair?”
“He acted like he owned it.”
Stephanie just stared for a moment before laughing again. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Neither do I.” I rolled my eyes. “He’s annoying.”
We continued down the hallway until I realized she was leading me toward the elevators. “My room is the other way,” I said, pointing down the opposite hall.
She didn’t even glance in that direction. “Your room was down there.”
I frowned. “What?”
She grinned. “Correction.” Her smile widened. “Roomies.” Before I could process what she’d said, she grabbed my hand again and practically skipped toward the elevator.
“Steph, I think you’re confused. My paperwork says…” I tried to explain before she interrupted me.
“Nope,” she dragged me behind her while she shook her head.
“I haven’t even unpacked,” I tried to explain.
“We’ll get your things later,” she pulled me into the elevator behind her. The elevator doors slid shut.
I folded my arms across my chest. “You really don’t listen very well.”
“I’ve been told.”
The elevator climbed. Second floor. Third. Fourth. Then the doors opened. Fifth floor. I stepped into the hallway and immediately stopped. This couldn’t be right. Even before arriving at Eclipse Academy, I’d heard stories about the fifth floor. Students from wealthy families. Royal bloodlines. Princes. Princesses. Future rulers. The elite.
I instinctively took a step back toward the elevator.I think we’re on the wrong floor.”
Before I could retreat, Stephanie caught my hand again. Seriously. This girl had a hand-holding addiction. She smiled knowingly. “Before you ask, no. I’m not royalty.” Some of the tension left my shoulders. “The royal fae bloodline disappeared years ago,” she explained. “The stories say they were cursed. Nobody really knows what happened. Every member of the royal family simply vanished.” A hint of sadness crossed her face before she shrugged it away. “Now there are just ordinary fae.” She pointed to herself with a grin. “Like me.”
I blinked my eyes. She’d somehow managed to give me an entire history lesson in less than a minute.
“My parents do have money, though,” she added with a dismissive wave. “That’s why I get to stay up here.”
“That was… a lot of information,” I continued to blink my eyes as I tried to catch up.
She laughed. “I ramble.” Hooking her arm through mine, she steered me farther down the elegant hallway. “We can grab your bags later. Right now, I’m starving.”
The hallway looked more like a luxury hotel than a student dormitory. Crystal light fixtures sparkled overhead. Large paintings decorated the walls. The carpet beneath my feet was so soft I almost hated walking on it.
Stephanie finally stopped in front of Room 500. She tapped her keycard against the reader. A soft beep sounded. The lock clicked open. She pushed the door wide and smiled. “Welcome home.”
I stepped inside… and froze. “This is beautiful.”
The suite looked nothing like a dorm room. High ceilings stretched overhead, and an enormous crystal chandelier scattered light across polished black-and-white marble floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the academy grounds, filling the suite with warm afternoon sunlight.
A sleek modern kitchen sat to one side, complete with gleaming countertops and appliances I’d only ever seen on television.
Cream-colored furniture surrounded a stone fireplace, making the entire place feel elegant and impossibly expensive.
I slowly turned in a circle. “This can’t be a student room.”
“It is,” Stephanie said with a laugh as she tossed her bag onto the couch. She disappeared into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “So… what are you hungry for?”
“I don’t even know where to start,” I answered honestly.
“I like that answer.” She reached inside the refrigerator just as voices drifted down the hallway outside.
I froze instantly. That voice. That irritating and annoying voice. My eyes slowly lifted toward the door. “Oh no.”
Stephanie looked over her shoulder. “What is it?”
I sighed. “Mr. Lizard Boy is outside.”
- End of Chapter -
