New: The Fluke

THE TRIP TO THE ACADEMY was long and tiring. I had been able to pack everything, of course, but I had had to forgo lunch and dinner in order to get it done. I had also only been able to get an hour or so of sleep and, with the way the car bumped and jerked, none of it had been en route. It also didn't help that the sun had been up most of the time. How Guide could stand the burning rays was beyond me, but no one knew how old he was and he certainly had built an immunity. Vampires' skin was too easily burned in sunlight when we were young and that made for uncomfortable traveling during the day. It had something to do with our bodies not being able to produce enough blood to keep up with the damage our skin received from roasting under the harsh heat. Thankfully, the windows of the car were heavily tinted, but, after the sun had set, those were just another hassle. I couldn't tell where we had gone or where we had been headed. However, when Guide had informed me we had arrived, tinted windows really hadn't mattered.
Cravorne Academy was situated on a cliff—as all witch havens seemed to be—grass growing around the massive structure as if untouched by the winter blanketing the rest of the world. Water from the large lake below the cliff beat against the rocks just under a very tall, very large clock tower of white stone, the intricate interface of the clock a bright brass and silver and gold that shone in the moonlight. Another large building made out of the same white stone was connected by a walkway in the back, spirals and towers spiking out of its roof and topped with oddly-shaped fixtures of different kinds and shades of metal.
The place looked imposing and bloody bright. There were windows everywhere along the buildings and towers. Windows meant light and I would bet my right fang that their schedule didn't cater to vampires and our aversion to sunlight. Not with windows that large.
Guide pulled the car to a stop along the winding driveway and got out, gesturing for me to follow. Obviously unable to stay where I was (although I admit to contemplating throwing a tantrum and just refusing to get out of the car, only to dash it away when it was obvious there was no way to do so and keep my pride in tact), I opened the door and was met with heat.
"What the hell?" I gasped, sucking in a breath of shockingly warm air. "Why does it feel like spring?"
"This is an academy for witches," a voice said. We both turned towards the building to see a girl standing there. "Something like climate control can be handled easily."
"And who are you?" I asked, not really because I it was polite, but more so because I actually wanted to know. A fact which momentarily stunned me. But, hell, it was hot here and this girl—this gorgeous girl—was wearing practically nothing, accompanied by a ball of light that floated at her shoulder. Anyone would want to know her name—along with various other tidbits of information.
In all black, she wore moderately skimpy leather shorts, knee-high suede boots and some odd shirt made out of the same leather as her shorts that seemed to be nothing more than a bra with two, larger belts crossed over her midsection and connecting to her real belt. She would no doubt be freezing if she stepped outside whatever perimeter was keeping this place warm. She had a knife strapped to her arm and another at her thigh, her long hair falling down her back in dark waves. She was no vampire, I had to say, but she was just as pretty as one with large, dark eyes and soft features and very, very kissable lips.
Not that that mattered in the least.
She inclined her head towards me in acknowledgement. "I am Aisling Judge. You must be Guide and Basil."
Guide shook her hand after she pulled off her fingerless gloves, shoving them into her back pocket. "Where is the Headmaster?"
"Waiting inside, of course." She turned and began walking into the large building, giving me a nice view of her ass in all that leather. It was nice, round and had enough meat to know that, while she worked out, she certainly didn’t miss meals. I wanted to sink my fangs into it, but I let my eyes travel down further. She had some outstanding legs, too, and as my eyes roamed over her slightly thick, but toned thighs and her small calves, I imagined myself nibbling all the way up their delectable lengths.
"Come on, Basil," Guide ordered, following her and snapping me out of my treacherous imagination. "No need to procrastinate now."
She was human. There was no fraternizing with humans except for food—and only food. It didn’t matter if said human made your mouth salivate or your blood shoot straight to your privates.
Shrugging off my jacket, I looped it over my arm and shoved my hands in my pockets, sighing as I followed Guide and this Aisling-girl through the one, very tall, very skinny door that was made of some type of old, stained wood and had wrought-iron twisting and curving all around it. Walking up to it was a little imposing, I had to admit, and it made me feel like I was twelve again, starting my first year at Gyn. But I had gotten through that and I would get through this. Until I convinced them to let me leave, of course.
However it was obvious as soon as I entered the school that this was not Gyn.
For one, the place was a hell of a lot bigger inside than it looked from the outside. It was one long, tall hall that seemed to go on forever both up and forward. The ceiling was vaulted like the inside of a cathedral, rafters and buttresses suspended from the walls and dripping in those little ball-lights in white and blue, creating a pretty, calm glow that would rival the sun for light. Railings of intricate and gleaming silver bordered the three floors of classrooms that lined the narrow hall. I glanced around, but I didn't see a staircase anywhere. It made me wonder how they got to the upper floors—and lowers, if there were any.
For another, it smelled. Like humans. Like a lot of humans who wore too much perfume, washed too many times a day or didn’t wash at all. At Gyn, every species except the pixies—who smelled like flowers and grass all the time—had a sensitive nose and it was because of that that no one wore any cologne or perfume or washed with fanciful smelling soaps. We also made it a point to shower on a regular basis. A fact that seemed to elude the human mind with obvious vigor. What was the point in covering up something as exotic and unique and alluring as a base scent for something fake that came from the bottle and made one sneeze? I never would understand it.
Aisling, I noticed, as I tried to decide whether to gag or sneeze, wasn’t wearing any perfume. Not that I could smell her over the cloying tangled of scents accosting my nose at the moment.
"This is the Main Hall," Aisling informed us and I rolled my eyes. I wasn't blind. Nose-deaf now, yes, but not blind. "Right now, everyone is in the Pavilion or the Training Grounds or their rooms."
As we made our way down the hall, I couldn't help but notice how bright it was in here. The walls were that same white stone as the exterior and there were extremely tall, inset windows that would no doubt cast an exceeding amount of light onto the well-polished, hardwood floor that echoed our footsteps. And that was not good.
"How bright would you say it gets in here?" I asked, eying a window as we passed it.
Grass on the ground with snow a few yards beyond it and a body of water to the side was not exactly natural, I silently commented.
"Very," Aisling answered, turning abruptly to the left as we reached almost the end of the hall. "This is the Headmaster's office. He is away on some personal business currently, so his son is in charge." She frowned and looked back at us. "He will explain things."
I frowned myself, glancing at the window next to the door. "Are you sure that's the right door, Legs? This window here is saying that it will lead to the outside."
Her brow rose at me in a most dignified way I would have to store away and use myself and she held my gaze as she turned the knob and pushed open the door. I was shocked to find an office on the other side. A large office. With no trees.
"That is completely improbable," I muttered.
"That," a middle-aged, dark-haired man in a suit started as we walked in, "is magic." He stood and his handsome face curved into a smile, making him look younger. "Welcome to Cravorne Academy. I am Cail Cravorne."
I shook his hand and took a seat in one of the two chairs, my brows raising slightly at his name. I crossed my arms and legs, draping my jacket over the arm of the chair. This was obviously the man I needed to talk to. "So, what's the deal here? It's not like I can join in on regular classes."
He looked at his watch, staring at the face of it. "I will explain in just a minute."
Before I could demand to know why I couldn't have answers now, a clock chimed. And by chimed, I mean that it rattled and rocked the entire place. The bells shook the bookshelves and the windows, tolling through the room in a delicate melody that surprised me considering the size of the clock tower. It tolled five times before fading out to the faint sound of footsteps, slamming doors and chatter.
Cail smiled, folding his hands onto the desk. "It's a dinner time.
"Now," he started, his smile still in place. "It's a pleasure to welcome you here, Basil. About your schedule. ." He held out a paper for me to take. "This has been modified for your condition. Since we've never had a vampire in the system before, we had to do some rearranging to accommodate your needs, but I'm sure this will work fine."
I bit back a sigh as I skimmed the schedule. Damn it all, the first class was Runes. I'd thought I'd left that behind at Gyn—not that I didn’t want to go back there, but it wasn’t exactly the right time to bring that up yet. The rest of the schedule looked rather interesting, honestly, and it piqued my interest that something might alleviate the boredom of my days.
Second period was Potions with a Krista Teller as the teacher. Third was Element Control with a Cullen Mason. Fourth was Change—whatever that was—with Mira Farthing. Fifth was Obstacles, which I personally was going to dread, I was sure, with Tosh Sybel. And, lastly, was Potent Spells with a Terreth Keller.
The times for all classes seemed fine and it looked as if I only collided with students during breakfast and dinner. Or, at least, I hoped that was the case. The less people I came in contact with, the less problems both sides had. Being new in a school was never fun and being new in a school where people could curse you for kicks and nicks sounded even less so.
"The times are alright," I commented, my eyes roaming over the hours, "but what about the professors? I'm sure none of them are used to teaching at these hours."
"Ah." Cail leaned back, nodding. "We've pulled some particular teachers who can handle the hours to teach you. Since you'll be the only student in class, things should go rather quickly. The times are just for show, really." He stood and walked over to one of the two windows. "They'll be able to help you exclusively which means that they can release you whenever they want."
"And blood?" I asked, my eyes narrowing in concern. The man had seemed to have thought of everything, but he was still a human. "I don't exactly have a donor packed amongst my belongings."
He turned to me, his eyes twinkling in a way I didn’t like. "We've taken care of that, as well. The school's doctor, Griffin Roabe, will give you a transfusion when you need it."
I nodded, wrinkling my nose. That was not an ideal way to get blood, but it would have to do. For now. Until I got a nice little girl to let me bite her. Like Aisling.
"Aisling will show you to your room and explain everything else you need to know." He said dismissively. Obviously, we were no longer needed. "I need to discuss a few things with Guide before he leaves."
I stood and gave him a slight bow, my head not so much reeling as trying to keep up. This man, whoever he was, was not to be trifled with, and he reminded me in some ways of Cornelius. His eyes didn’t shine with power like Roison’s did, but respect was due and I was easily able to give it. "Thank you."
Turning, I followed Aisling out, tired and annoyed with the whole situation. I really wanted to get out of here. Maybe not back to Gyn anymore, since this place seemed interesting for now, but I wanted to be alone. I wanted to go and sit in a pool somewhere. Anywhere. I just needed to think and calm down and sort out what my life was now going to be like.
"Does this place have a place where I can swim?" I asked before Legs could open her luscious mouth and say something boring.
She didn't even pause. "Yes. I will show you where everything is. Please pay attention. It may be confusing."
"I'm sure I can handle it," I told her stiffly, my fangs itching at the thought that she thought me a moron.
She didn't comment. Instead, she walked to the end of the hall and waited until I came up beside her.
Three doors sat in a line, identical versions of a slab half-oval wood sitting under a far away balcony, neat and tidy and triplets of each other except for the knobs. The one of the far left had a silver, wired knob that twisted around itself in a sort of odd, almost unintentional way. The middle door had a perfectly clear, glass knob that almost seemed to be floating in midair. The far right knob wasn't a knob at all, but a handle. One of those old-fashioned, iron handles with a lever you push with your thumb.
"The door on the left leads to the upper level," Aisling explained, gesturing to the silver-knobbed door. "There's another door at the opposite end of the hall that leads further up and so on. The top floor also has a connecting tunnel to the Clock Tower, though no one goes there."
"Why?" I asked. More because she seemed like she wanted to tell me than the fact that I wanted to know. Although I couldn’t deny that I wanted to hear her sultry voice more.
She gave a very tiny smile and my insides tightened. "Ghosts." Abruptly, she went back to telling me about the doors. "The middle door leads to the Pavilion and the door on the right leads to the Training Grounds.
"The Pavilion is where the students have their meals. It's outside, but not. You'll understand when you see it. Students practice spells there, as well, and on the opposite side is the door that leads to the dorm house and other facilities."
She crossed her arms. "The Training Grounds are completely outside and very extensive. I would not advise wandering around in there alone. You will get lost."
Lost, huh? That meant no one went there to get away. It seemed the Training Grounds and the Clock Tower would be where I spent my spare time.
"Your Obstacles class will be held at the Training Grounds," Aisling continued. "As well as Element Control. Runes is on this floor. Potent Spells is on the top floor, and Change and Potions are on the middle."
I had a feeling I was going to have to find my classes on my own if her tone was anything to go by. She didn’t seem to like tutorials. Not that I blamed her; no one wanted to be stuck showing the new kid around. "But for now?"
She reached out to the middle door. "For now we're going through the Pavilion and to the dorms. I will show you where the bathrooms are and the pool and then take you to your room."
After I nodded, she opened the door and my brows rose in surprise. Again, I was thrust into what seemed like another dimension. The "Pavilion", as she had called it, was shaped like an indoor coliseum. In a white-colored, shining stone that I could only guess was marble, endless rows of benches reached up like steps from all sides, breaking only for the wall that stopped them that dropped a good six feet to what could only be described as an arena. The ground there was a soft dirt, light in color, and there was an intricately woven, giant circle that seemed to glow an off-white with a pinkish-purple hue at the center of the oval center. On the far side, a closed, heavy looking door sat against the smooth wall that I was guessing led to the dorms.
The door we had come from had let us out somewhere in the middle of the benches and humans were everywhere. Some were eating, some were talking, others were just drinking and even some others were practicing spells. Down at the center, it seemed as if pairs or groups were battling one another, chanting or drawing in the air. All of them stopped to stare at least once before returning to their activities.
"This is where you eat?" I asked dryly. What a place. . . When she had said it had been outside, but not, I had expected something much along the lines of a greenhouse, but this was obviously different. The "roof" was a clean and clear sheet of what looked like glass apart from the slight rose tint that showed the sky above. A small breeze rustled the air. This seemed more outside than inside to me, though I had a feeling that oddly colored wall would protect from the worst of the weather.
Aisling's face stayed emotionless. "Yes." She turned and began walking down the benches. "Come. Try not to get hit."
I followed her, listening as she explained basic information she had probably recited a thousand times already.
"The Pavilion," she told me, "is spelled so that no spells can severely harm another witch. That's what the large protection circle is for, though you can't see it."
"I can see it," I interrupted absently, studying a pair of girls who had what looked like hooves instead of feet.
She stopped, turning to give me a surprised look. "Really? How interesting. Most witches can't." She continued walking down the step-like benches as if her interest hadn't been piqued only moments before. "That means you can see auras. Make sure you tell that to your instructors. It will make a difference in your teaching." She hopped down into the arena, landing gracefully on her feet and waited until I joined her, a soft cloud of dust gathering around our ankles.
"Now," she continued as she began walking straight across the oval. "As you can see with the students, some spells go wrong, resulting in sometimes permanently changed hair-color, eye-color, or even a new limb. Nothing serious."
"What exactly is 'nothing serious'?" I asked, looking around at more of the students. Sure enough, some of them had odd hair color or weird extremities. There was a boy with a tail, another with what seemed like gills and a few girls with more than your average fashion trend going on.
"Things like tails or wings," she told me as we walked through the center. "It's all fixed once you master the spell and learn to reverse it. Anything that can impede your day-to-day activities is fixed immediately by a teacher."
I eyed another girl who had what looked like claws for fingers and wondered what constituted an impediment to these people. I didn’t want to cast a spell wrong and suddenly end up with an extra eye that a teacher deemed “not an immediate problem”.
We exited the circle and I suddenly felt a little numb—as if a tingle I hadn't known was there left me and I shook my hands. How very odd.
She stopped in front of the door. "You will get used to how things work around here soon enough."
"Yes," I said irritably, knowing she noticed my discomfort but obviously didn’t care enough to explain it. "I suppose I will." I had to, after all. There was no telling how long I would be here, so I might as well get used to things sooner rather than later.
She opened the door and we walked into a large circle with a spiral staircase in the middle rising up through the ceiling and down through the floor. The room itself was one, long, curved mirror with no breaks and no scratches apart from where ceiling met wall and wall met floor.
"This is where things get tricky, so listen carefully." Aisling closed the door behind us and walked to the staircase, looking back at me. "Do not actually get on the staircase unless you need to visit a teacher. Stepping fully onto the steps will take you to their section of the dorms. Getting back is not so easy.
"The girls' dorms are below on the left and up to the right. Boys are below to the right and up to the left. To access them, you press the rail here—" She touched a round, metal ball topping the handrail "—and twist once for the girls' dorm upstairs, twice for the boys', three times for the girls' downstairs, and four times for the boys' downstairs. It will click as you turn it." She clicked the knob once to the right and the room—the mirrors—spun around us and suddenly we could see through them. Couches and window seats were scattered around us. The place was huge and filled with flowers.
"Can they see us?" I asked, looking around at the two or three girls milling about.
"Not until you leave the room, which is as simple as letting go of the knob. To get back inside and back to the mirrored entrance, you click the knob to the left." She clicked the knob again and the walls spun briefly before showing another large room. With this one, however, there were no flowers and everything was rather masculine in shape, placement, and color. A long hallway veered off into the back and massively curtained windows stretched from floor to ceiling.
Another click and the room spun the opposite direction, the mirrors melting away to reveal another room for the girls' lower dorm. Not because it was overly covered with flowers or had a sign, but because it was every shade of lavender and pastel-blue you could think of.
Thankfully, Aisling clicked the knob another time and the room spun, stopping to show a comforting room in blues and greens of all shades and dark-wood furniture decorating the spacious open floor plan.
"This is your dorm," Aisling informed me, letting go of the knob. The shimmery, mirror-like wall disappeared, but the stairs remained. The two boys already lounging on the Victorian-style furniture looked up briefly before going back to their books. Books, I was assuming, they'd gotten from the large and seemingly never-ending bookcase on the left wall. Windows in dark-blue drapes with indented, leather-covered seats sat at regular intervals along the circular room, showing the night sky beyond it.
Aisling pointed towards an arch. Beyond it was a large kitchen and then another archway. "That way is the kitchen. The hall next is the bathrooms. Another archway there leads to a pool, and another to a music room, and another yet to outside. You'll know which one is which." She walked towards a hall and went down it.
The hall opened almost as soon as we entered into another circle-like tower structure, doors lining the walls all the way up until they disappeared. No stairs were in sight and no elevators, either. I also noticed that there were no lights, and yet this place glowed with it endlessly, almost as if it was coming from the white stone itself.
"How do I get to my room?" I asked, wondering where the ceiling was.
She grabbed my hand, pulling it out of my pocket and gripping it firmly. Her fingers were strong, her skin soft and smooth and I tried not to jerk away at her touch. She seemed very much like the type of person that didn’t touch you unless it was necessary. "You say your room number." She took a breath then said loudly, "Twenty-one."
With a slight gasp of surprise from me, we rose into the air at an almost alarming speed until we stopped in front of one of the many simple doors numbered "twenty-one" in iridescent, glowing numbers. Without even so much as a how-to-do, Aisling stepped forward on nothing (still holding my hand, I might add and I was suddenly afraid of what might happen if she let go) and knocked on the door sharply.
The door opened and a small boy with large eyes looked up at us. His lips lifted into a mischievous grin. "Hey, Ais'," he greeted in a surprisingly deep voice. He only looked fourteen or so with his round head of black hair that was a very dark green at the roots and lavender-purple the tips. His overly large eyes reminded me of a pixie, but the color did not. They were a luminous and unnatural light-blue. They were almost neon, they were so bright, and the black eyeliner around them did nothing but enhance that.
"Basil," Aisling said, motioning to the small boy. "This is Avery Pinsor. Avery, this is Basil Hallowe, you new roommate."
I froze for an instant. "Wait, what? Roommate? No one said I had to share a room."
"Oh, no worries," Avery grinned. "The room's big enough for three people, not that we can’t make it bigger." He stepped aside and Aisling dragged me in as I tried to decipher what he meant.
The right side of the room was done in plaid paint. How that was possible, I wasn't quite sure, but there it was in black, white, blue and green. The large expanse was covered in ugly and weird, Gothic stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes. The giant canopy bed was done in black and grey and actually quite tasteful, and candles were everywhere, free standing or on holders or in them, all dripping wax and reflecting off the shiny black tile. Even for his odd taste in stuffed toys, I had to admit that his taste didn’t make you want to avert your eyes.
What I was assuming was my side of the room was blank, white, and dull. Carpet coated the floor that was way too soft and fluffy and there was no personality. It was just really boring. My brows rose in surprise, however, when I saw that in the corner were my trunks and suitcases and I wondered how they got there.
Right. . . Magic.
"Any idea where I can find someone to redecorate?" I asked, dropping my jacket on my trunks. I turned to look at Aisling, only to find that she was gone.
Avery hopped up on his bed, grabbed a black bunny with stitches for a mouth, and smirked. "You're the Fluke they've been talking about, aren't you?"
I frowned at him, not liking the term but sure I was going to hear it more often in the future. There was no time like the present to begin correcting people. "I am a vampire."
His eyes lit up at that and he set his rabbit aside to stand up and walk over to me. He was at least five inches shorter than I was, setting him up to be around five-five or so, and he leaned in towards me, cocking his head to the right, revealing little, black-star tattoos under his left ear. If he had been a girl, those tats would be enticing.
He gave me an interested smile. "You're really a vampire?"
I gave him a wary look. "Yes."
His smile grew. "I heard that bites from a vampire are really. . interesting."
I froze at his tone, my eyes narrowing on him. I wasn’t a homophobe in the least, having bitten a few men in my time and enjoyed it immensely, but that didn’t mean I wanted my new roommate giving me dreamy eyes and wanting to be a junkie. "I heard this was a boys' dorm. Is that true?" I had been hit on by guys before, too, but this Avery was just as pretty as any girl and Aisling hadn’t exactly seemed to like me, so maybe she had saddled me with a girl for a roommate. And wouldn’t that just be the most heinous of tortures?
His face seemed to stiffen, but he held his smile in place. He straightened and crooked a finger at me. Curious at his sudden change, I leaned forward and he pulled out the waistband of his pants. Unable to stop myself and mostly out of sheer instinct, I looked down and got a full view of his genitals. There was no doubt he was male.
"Jesus!" I exclaimed, jumping back, my face red and my eyes wide. "What the hell!"
His face was solemn as he turned back to his bed, but I noted the smugness to him. "You questioned my gender, so I figured I'd give you all the answers."
"Do you do that often?" I snapped. How the hell was I going to get that image out of my head?
"Only to men who think I'm a girl."
I sighed. I understood what it was like to be too pretty, having been that way as a child, but I certainly never exposed myself to unsuspecting people. That being said, I couldn’t say I blamed him, and his unique way of handling the situation was certainly effective, but that didn’t mean I wanted to know him intimately. "I'm not going to bite you, Avery, so don't even think about it."
His smile was back, sarcastic and dreamy. "Aw. And here I was thinking we could have some fun."
I felt the color drain from my face. "Please tell me you're not gay."
He laughed and it sounded slightly evil. "Don't worry, Fangs. I'm completely straight."
I let out a breath of relief and turned back to look at my bland room. It seemed he and I would get along fine, then. I mean, I’ve had a few bisexual tendencies in my life—being a vampire, it was impossible not to for emergency purposes—but complications of a cute roommate falling for the pretty-boy vampire would be bad business. Besides, he seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t like hurting the feelings of nice guys. "About that decorator. . ."
"Decorate it yourself," Avery told me without malice, sitting back on his bed. He crossed his legs and set his chin in his hand. "I decorated mine."
I rolled my eyes, scowling at him. "Not all of us can be talented with a paintbrush."
"No one said anything about a paintbrush," he said patiently and tapped the side of his head. "Use your imagination. You've got one of those. The room will change to fit you."
Not exactly understanding, I faced my wall. "How?"
Avery sighed and came over to stand by me. "Just see the room how you want it to be and it will be that. It's called willing."
My brows rose in interest. "So if I wanted the room to be bigger. . ?"
As I watched, the wall shot out, copying the image I had in my head as the room widened.
"Hmm. . ." I mused, tapping a finger to my lips. "How very interesting."
I could do anything I wanted in here; create anything I wanted. All I had to do was imagine it. That was something I was certainly going to take advantage of. My room back at Gyn hadn’t exactly been what I considered “homey” with its black, white and red accents, and painting had been a no-no, so having the possibilities be endless was both wonderful and daunting.
So I would start with the floor.
The carpet disappeared and water as smooth as glass took over the floor in crystal blue. The little twin bed that had been there was gone and the wall melted away to be replaced by a sheet of falling water maybe twenty feet away.
"Woah," Avery breathed, tapping a foot to find the floor dry. "Now that's cool. You really like water, don't you?"
I gave a small smile. "It's the only thing that's been consistent in my life."
"Right," he drawled, his tone saying that he wasn’t interested in my murky past. "Okay. You've got the basic layout of your half, but what about all your stuff?"
I frowned. Hadn't really thought about that.
A desk appeared made of dark wood along with two dressers, but sticking a bed out there was going to be a problem. Instead, I sunk in the floor in a large circle in the middle of the room and then thought better of it and brought the floor level and just stuck a large, four-poster bed like I had had at Gyn back near the water-wall. I may not have liked the walls at Gyn, but I had liked my bed. But now the room didn’t match at all.
Avery slapped a hand on my back as he noticed my frustrated expression. "It's okay. It took me two weeks before I settled on a room." He gave me a big grin. "I change it every few months or so." He turned back to his bed and crooked that rabbit under his arm. "Come on, Fangs. I'll introduce you to some interesting people."
Not really interested because I wanted to play with my room more, but seeing no way to refuse politely, I followed Avery out and wondered what kind of life I was going to have here. I suddenly had the feeling that if the people in this "group" he was going to introduce me to were anything at all like him, it seemed as though I was to be more than just a Fluke. I was going to be a misfit as well. As I left the room and Avery showed me how to get to the floor, laughing as I flopped on the ground, the thought hit me that maybe that’s now exactly what I was.