Page 26 of Mistaken Magic

Hetook the stack, pulled a few pages out, then passed the rest to me. "I'llpick up any supplies you need this evening, if that's ok?"

AllIcould do was shrug. "Dunno, is it?"

Thatmade the woman chuckle. "Ifyou give me a minute,I'llfind a tablet for you.Liam, her uniforms are in your office."

"Iget a tablet?"Ilooked atLiamto make sureIwasn't dreaming.

"Don'tget too excited," he warned. "It'swifi only, and your access to certain apps is limited due to your age.It'sjust for school, and maybe for talking to other people in school."

"It'sbetter thanIhave now,"Ipointed out. "I'mgoing to guess all social media is completely locked out?"

"Ohyeah."Herubbed my shoulder, the gesture almost playful. "Wewant our students to study, remember.Thatincludes you now."

"So, ifIdon't make straightA's,Iget grounded?"

Herolled his eyes. "No, but let's work forAsandBs, ok?Andif you need help with any of your classes,I'mhere."Hepointed to an office on the opposite side from the oneMs.Rhodeshad been in onFriday.Thenhe steered me that way. "So, the official uniform is either a black or a green-plaid skirt, a white button-down shirt, and a tie.Youcan wear a black sweater or blazer with it, and you're expected to pick one or the other.Blackshoes, your socks can be white or black, and tights are allowed under your skirts."

Hefinished just as he opened the door to his office.Sittingright in the middle of his desk was a rather large box.Thecardboard kind.Fromthe top, plastic-wrapped clothes peeked out.Newones, and from the green plaid,Icould only imagine this was one of the skirts he'd mentioned.

"So, not only doIget the clothes you already bought, but these too?"

"Imay have ordered a few things," he admitted. "Theskirts are yours.Theshirts too.Theblazers and ties will be returned at the end of the year.Youwill be issued a new set each year you're here.Ifyou outgrow anything - or undergrow - just let me know."

"Ok..."

Imoved to grab the box, butLiamoffered me the handle to my suitcase instead.Pickingthe box up took both of his arms, because it wasn't a small amount of clothes.Ijust heaved my suitcase against my hip and followed.Whenwe were back in the main part of the office, we stopped again.Thewoman working there handed me a tablet and instruction booklet, then had me sign for it.Onceall that was done,Liamled me back out of the office and towards the atrium.

Whenwe passed,Icouldn't help but look at the trees again.Asplit second later,Inoticed the students.Thespace was clearly popular, and groups hung out among the vegetation.Theyweren't in uniforms, though.Mostpeople out there were just wearing jeans and t-shirts or long-sleeves.Isupposed that meant the uniform was for class only?

Liamdidn't even slow.Notuntil he made it all the way around the other side and pressed a button for an elevator.Thelights at the top began moving, andIwanted to steal another look at my new fellow students.Ialso didn't dare.IfIlooked desperate, they'd smell it.Senseit.Whatever.Nomatter whatIcalled it,Iknew how this went.I'dbeen the new girl enough times to be a pro at it.

Whenthe elevator finally arrived, we got on,Liampressed the button for the fourth floor, and up we went.Themotion was what finally made me start feeling anxious.Iwas actually doing this!Iwas enrolled in college.Iwas moving into my own dorm.Ihonestly had no idea what to expect, but this was real.Itwas happening!

Andthen the doors opened.Liamjust kept leading, although the trip wasn't far.Immediatelyto my right was one door.Tothe left was a set of double doors, which had been thrown open.Beyondthose was a very long hall that stretched the length of this massive wing.Dozensof doors were visible along it, and most had signs or whiteboards on them.

Liamaimed for the second door on the left.Jugglingthe box, he managed to pull out a key, then opened it, tilting his head for me to step through first.Idid, and then stopped hard.I'dseen pictures of dorms, andI'dwatched enough movies to get the basic idea.This?Itwas not like that.

Thiswasamazing.

Theroom was big.Onthe far side was a full-sized bed.Anentire set of built-in drawers and shelves took up the rest of that wall.Straightacross from the door was a window, and the big kind.Fourpeople could easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder in front of it.Therewas a desk to my right, another door to the left, and a pretty green-and-silver rug in the middle.Theplace looked like a luxury suite!

"Whoa,"Ibreathed, setting my things down in the first open spotIfound.

"Ineed a spot for this,"Liamsaid as he shuffled in behind me. "Ok."Heset the box down on the desk, then dusted off his hands. "Thisis your room,Rain.Thatdoor..."Hepointed to the one to my left. "...leads to the bathroom you share withAspen."Hewalked over and knocked on it.Gettingno response, he opened it to show me what was inside. "Doublesink."

Istepped in behind him to see this was a lot more private thanI'dexpected.Thesinks were in full view, but there was a door for the toilet, making it almost like a stall but built more like a tiny room.Thenthere was a set of cabinets, and behind themIcould make out a shower nook.Abig shower, not the institutionalized type found in most locker rooms.Onethat wasn't immediately visible to someone at the sink.

"Thisis really nice,"Ibreathed.

"Yep."Liamheaded back to my room. "So, now is when we get to talk about all the not-fun stuff.Sitdown,Rain.It'llbe easier that way."

Imoved to my bed and sat, but something about it felt ominous.Evidently, this was when the other shoe dropped.

Chapter Thirteen

Liampulled out the chair from my desk, then turned it around to face me.Everythingabout his mannerisms had changed.Thesmile was gone and the man looked tense.Ipulled my legs up, crossing them under me on the pretty mint-green comforter, and just waited.

"So..." he tried before blowing out a heavy breath. "Yeah,I'dhoped that practicing this would make it easier, but it's not really helping.Rain, this isn't a normal school."

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