It seems like the entire school breaks for lunch now. Calli’s tour had been rushed and incomplete, and she hadn’t mentioned where lunch is held, but I just follow the crowd. On the opposite side of the sprawling campus decorated by blossom trees throughout, past a line of perfectly sculptured bushes are benches and tables. A line of students march into a wide, single-story building, and the line marches out through another door. The smell of meat and spices linger in the air, and I grin. I’m definitely a carnivore, and I’m glad that we aren’t forced to be vegetarians even though there might be a cow or pig shifter among the students for all I know. It would suck to shift into a rat, not that cow or pig or chicken would be better. Hmm. Maybe shifters are lucky enough that they’re only big cats and dogs and dragons.
Not that I want to be around a dragon right now.
My hand rubs my lower back. For the most part, it only hurts when I think about it, so I do my best to distract myself and get into line. Is food included? Do I need to pay for it? I don’t exactly have money to spend, and it kinda feels so strange and backward that I’m enrolled here and able to take classes, and I haven’t registered or anything. I know Logan said my tuition and room and board were all paid for, and it’s not until now that I even consider who might’ve done such a thing. Why would someone sponsor me? And it has to cost some serious coin to come here.
Feeling awkward and out of sorts, I keep moving forward. The line moves swiftly. Some of the kids who have already gotten their food walk by, and I don’t recognize any of it. Weird meat and sauce in bread bowls, something that looks like cheese rolls but filled with nuts and honey or vegetables.
Soon, the student in front of me whips out a card of some kind and hands it to the lady sitting at a desk with a tablet. She scans the card and gives it back to the student with a smile.
I awkwardly move to stand in front of her. “Ah…”
"You're a first year?" she asks in a cheerful voice. Her attire can only be described as fitting for a medieval peasant woman. She's a little plump and fairly young, early twenties maybe.
“Yes.”
“First ever semester?”
I nod.
“All right. Your name?”
“Mirella.”
She doesn't ask me for my last name, just types on the tablet. To my surprise, a card pops out. The woman scans it and hands it to me. "There you go, Mirella. Don't lose this. It will cover all of your meals."
The student in front of me has already moved forward enough that I can let the next student have their card scanned, but I linger and blurt out, “Who paid for this?”
Her light eyebrows knit together. “I don’t understand.”
“My schooling. My room and board. This.” I wave the card.
The woman smiles, her entire face brightening. “The food meal is a part of room and board. I don’t know who paid for you, though.”
“Thanks.” I nod and move ahead.
After a few more paces, I realize the line breaks apart into two. People can go this way or that after grabbing a tray.
The tray is plastic and red, a typical one from a normal school, and I glance around, confused, uncertain where to go. Finally, I just slip into an open slot.
“Do you want some chicken liver pate and bread?” the woman behind the glass display asks.
“No.”
Her grin widens. “You never know. You might like it.”
“N—Never say never. All right.”
Her lips stretch even wider. “You don’t have to, witch.”
“Might as well try everything once. It’s not spicy, though, right?”
“Not spicy,” she assures me. She grabs a plate and piles on some of the chicken liver pate and bread. “Try the smoked pork too and a smoked fresh trout fillet. You don’t have any food allergies, do you?”
“Not that I know of.”
“There’s ham salad down a bit. Get some, and you might want to try the candied ginger for a bit of a treat.” She hands me the plate.
I just stare at the sheer amount of food on my plate. It’s insane.
“Thanks,” I murmur.
I pass on the ham salad even though it does look delicious, but I do snatch a few of the candied gingers, a napkin, and silverware.
Maybe the food’s not as strange as I think. It’s not as if the orphanage supplied us with a lot of options. We tended to eat a meal on Monday and then have leftovers through Friday. Saturday and Sunday were wild cards, normally just pasta or pizza or something similar to feed a horde of kids.
I leave out the other door and refuse to act as if I’m out of place. Head high, I march over to the first available empty table and sit on the bench. I can’t help looking around quickly before staring back at my plate. One guy catches my eye, but I don’t want him to notice I’m looking his way, but, seriously, who has green hair? He is so very tall and looks incredibly strong, and I have no idea at all what he could be, and when I do risk another look, he’s gone.
Oh, well. It’s not as if I was going to work up the courage to talk to him. With a shrug, I dig into my food. The pork is amazing, the trout fillet spiced without being fiery, and, yes, I’m avoiding the chicken liver pate a bit.
Just when I work up the courage to try a forkful, Logan plops down across from me. “How’s your day going? How’s your back?”
I stiffen. “I’m fine.”
Calli bumps her shoulder against mine as she sits right next to me. “Oh, you didn’t get a salad!”
I glance over. Her salad is huge, but there’s no meat in it. “You didn’t want the ham?”
“I don’t eat meat,” she says. “I don’t need much food at all.”
"Just blood. Of course." I'm glad her glass is black, so I don't see if the liquid inside is red or not.
Calli shrugs. “I can’t help my nature.”
The blond vampire stands and waves frantically. Several students come over, and Calli and Logan introduce me to everyone, and it's hard to keep track of everyone, but I do my best.
The first girl is a female elf. She’s stately beautiful, tall, thin, porcelain skin, long, blond hair with a hint of waves, piercing light blue eyes, thick, full lips, and pointy ears. She’s a bit quieter than the others, and I’m pretty sure her name is Dalinda Ancientshield.
Across from her is a short man, very stout, so muscular. He has a bushy, auburn beard and matching mustache. Even his knuckles have hair on them. A dwarf named Doland Warhonor, he laughs easily and within seconds has asked Logan and the other male present, a goblin named Wold Shadow, to duel. He likes to fight this Doland, and I have no doubt he’s been playing with blades since he was three… if he hadn’t been born with a dagger in his tiny fist.
Wold the goblin has green skin. He’s a little lean but strong too, and his eyes are red. I’ll be honest. I’m glad he’s not sitting across from me because he looks so different. He’s the first creature I’ve seen up close, and I hate myself for feeling this way. I’m not afraid of him, and I just… I don’t know what to say to him.
Then again, I don’t know what to say to any of them outside of Calli and Logan.
The last one in our motley crew is a gorgon named Ziala. If it weren’t for her normal ears and the snakes in her hair, she would look as stately beautiful as the elf.
I touch my forehead. “I love your hairpiece,” I tell her.
“Thank you.” Ziala smiles, and her tongue slithers out of her mouth. It’s forked.
Her necklace rests right on her collarbone. Its metal is twisted into the shape of a snake, the head dipping slightly toward her cleavage. Although it looks kinda cool, I can't bring myself to compliment her on it.
"How are all the werewolf classes?" Calli asks Logan.
“Not too bad.” He shrugs. “I’m not going to learn anything new for a year or more.”
“I think it would be better to have a leg up on everything.”
“Don’t you mean paw?” Doland laughs. The dwarf has such a great laugh, deep and booming, full barreled. Almost like Santa.
I grin.
“Yeah, yeah,” Logan says, waving his hand. “How original.”
Doland eyes Dalinda. The elf hasn’t said much at all, and I’m curious how the two get along. Is there whole animosity thing between elves and dwarves real or just Hollywood?
“How has your day gone?” he asks.
“Good enough, I suppose,” she says softly.
“Better than mine, I’m sure,” I tell her.
“You deserve to have a day as wonderful as you are beautiful,” Doland says.
Dalinda ignores him. “What hasn’t gone right for you?”
“It would be easier to tell you what has gone right, which is nothing. Nothing at all.” I shrug, not wanting to go into details in front of everyone but also not wanting her to think I don’t want to talk. “I’ll tell you specifics later if you want.”
“I don’t have to hear about your failures. Only your successes. Don’t worry. It takes time to master who you are.”
Yeah, but it'll take longer for me. All of the other students had parents, families. They've grown up their entire lives adjusting to what they are and developing their powers and abilities. Sure, I've used mine here or there accidentally, but I've had no guidance, no training.
I glance around. There are so many witches here, and there’s no doubting that I’m going to be left far behind the others. I’m willing to put in the time and effort, but they have years of experience on me. Nothing can replace that.
“Are you going to eat that?” Wold Shadow asks me, pointing to my chicken liver pate.
“I’m going to try it.”
And I do.
As much as I want to spit it out, I don’t. Not after everything with Mrs. Cook. I swallow and then frown and take another bite.
Nope. Definitely don’t want it.
I shove the chicken onto the goblin’s plate and eat the rest of the meat. I plop a candied ginger into my mouth. Pungent, sweet enough that I can handle the spiciness, moist and chewy. Not bad.
“In a few months, the ball planning will have to start,” Logan says, drawing me back into their conversation.
“I can’t wait!” Calli smiles. “I know just what I want for it.”
“It’ll be wonderful just because I will be there,” Doland says with a laugh.
They all seem so utterly excited by just the thought of the ball, but I’m left feeling out of sorts. A ball? That does not seem like my idea of a good time at all. The orphanage never had any, and that suited me just fine.
“A ball?” I wince and admit, “I don’t know how to dance.”
Logan chuckles, and the others laugh, too. I try not to feel self-conscious. Aren't balls dances? A really fancy one? Or is the ball something else here? Clearly, I'm missing something, but if it's important, I'll learn about it soon enough.