Elena
As Alexa began unpacking her things, I fell backwards onto my bed, a smile playing at my lips. Just yesterday I was worried about not making friends or fitting in or having fun. And today, I felt like I was making friends with Noel at least. My roommate seemed awesome, and I was sure we would be friends, too. I had even kissed a boy on my second day here. Grandma would be so happy for me.
Not that it was a real kiss. A kiss by accident can't be a real kiss, can it? I had been taken by surprise, but I hoped I played it off coolly so Noel didn't feel embarrassed about what happened. It wasn't anything to be ashamed of, after all, and Noel was shy enough. I didn't want him receding further into his quiet mode.
That hadn't been my first kiss by any means, but it had been my first with a guy as sweet and nice as Noel. Transferring between high schools had been an interesting transition for me. I traced my lips with my finger for a moment, remembering that moment between Noel and I.
"Are you going to take a nap? Need me to be quieter with the unpacking?" Alexa asked me. I saw she was stacking some books on the top of her dresser, but she stopped with a couple books in her hand, blinking her eyes expectantly at me.
I flushed, sitting up, "No, no. Sorry, I was just... thinking." Jeez, that's not weird at all. I really wanted to make a good impression with Alexa. I wanted her to like me. She definitely looked like a intelligent girl that didn't care about what anyone thought about her. I envied people with that attitude.
When I pushed off the bed, my hand touched an envelope I hadn't noticed was sitting next to my pillow. Furrowing my brows, I picked it up. The envelope was a bluish purple color. I turned it to look on both sides. My name was scrawled on one side in elegant, cursive, calligraphy. The other side had the University's symbol in the seal.
"Did you see anyone come into the room at all today? This definitely wasn't here earlier," I glanced over to Alexa's side of the room to her bed and noticed she didn't have one. I tried to remember if I had signed up for any extracurricular activites, but I didn't think so. I had wanted to check out the school and feel out my classes to see what I'd have time for before I tried to commit.
Alexa shook her head, "I haven't been here long enough to see anyone come in or out. Maybe someone put it in here while you were out, before we came back?" she shrugged and went back to her books.
I nodded in agreement. "That would make sense." I broke the seal and opened the flap.
Hello Elena,
You have been selected to take part in an event that will change your life and the way you view things for the rest of your life. Please note that it’s not just anyone who was selected to take part in this event. Everyone that was selected has their own unique ability that makes them compatible with each other.
Please come to the Wolf statue that stands in the center of campus at 6pm tonight. Thank you for your time and I hope to see you tonight.
Sincerely,
Mr. Black
I frowned, slightly confused. I didn't really want to say anything to Alexa if I was selected for something and she wasn't. I had gotten enough jealousy and envy to last me a lifetime in high school. I didn't want to deal with that here. Besides, I still had no idea what this was actually for as the letter never actually said.
"Well, what does it say?" Alexa asked, she had finished unpacking one box of books, and she was pulling out another box and started working on that one.
"Oh, uh, some sort of initiation, I think to some activity or other on campus," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders in a way I hoped came off as though I didn't really care. But deep down, I did care. This meant a lot to me that I was selected for something. It would be a good resume builder!
I glanced at the clock and noticed I still had a few hours to kill. I wondered if Noel or his roommate had received a letter, too. "I think I'm going to go talk to Noel," I told Alexa. "And then I'll probably head out for this initiation thing. So I'll see you when I get back. Hopefully it doesn't run too late so you and I can hang out."
"Sounds good. Have fun," she gave me a genuine smile.
With that, I grabbed my phone off my dresser and my key card, slipping both into my pocket as I made my way down the hall and down the steps. I tried to remember what room number Noel said he and Austin were in. As I got to the first floor, I turned down the hall until I made my way to room number 101.
Their door was open, so I peeked inside and saw Noel reading over a letter of his own. "You got one, too!" I exclaimed as way of greeting, and I scared Noel so much, he dropped his envelope. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" I grimaced as I hurried into the room, picked up the letter and handed it back to Noel.
"I-it's fine. Just unexpected," he replied quietly, his eyes staring down at the floor as he accepted the letter back.
"Jeez, Elena, I think you shortened my life!" Austin told me from his perch on his desk. It looked like he was setting up his laptop at the time.
"I'm sorry!" I repeated before turning back to Noel. "I got one, too!" I took out my envelope from my back pocket. "Do you have any idea what it's for?" I was really happy Noel and I would be in at least one activity together.
He shook his head, barely looking at me. "N-no. I don't know what it is."
"Well, I figured we could hang out together until we had to head to the meeting spot and find out together? Does that work?" I asked him, looking down at him.
He finally met my eyes, "Yes, th-that would be fine."
I smiled at him. "Perfect! I can't wait!"
Eevie
As we were sitting and waiting, I took stock of all the other demons milling around now in the room. I watched as the council greeted everyone in turn. There was a pretty decent turnout. I didn't realize so many demons would want to bond with a human. So many had a distaste for humans.
My family being one of them. Heaven forbid someone in the family has an open mind. Just remembering how upset my father had been when he had found out about my human love. He would have thrown me out of the family had I not been his only heir. But our relationship was forever ruined. I would never trust his motives, and he would never accept me for me.
I pretended to be a doting daughter in front of visiting nobles as long as he didn't try telling me what to do with my personal life anymore. We had fallen into a companionable relationship. He knew I could charm just about anyone when I put my mind to it, so it was valuable to keep me around.
But the hatred and anger in my father's eyes the day he had caught me with my lover. I thought he was going to kill me, and had my mother not been there with him, I had a suspicion that he would have. Slapping me across the face and shaking my shoulders hadn't been good enough.
Glancing around the rooms, I tried to decide if one of these nobles were my betrothed. I wouldn't know until my parents actually forced me to meet him, but I couldn't help picturing me with any one of them, and I couldn't do it. They were all so stuck up. So pompous. So typically noble. So not me.
"Do you recognize anyone here?" Nori pulled me out of my heated thoughts, and I turned to face him. His expression was one of curiosity.
"No, I don't recognize anyone here," I told him honestly.
"You had such a distasteful look about your face, I thought perhaps you had history with some of them," Nori replied nonchalantly.
Hardly. "Sorry, my mind was wondering."
"Oh, do tell. I would love to know what causes you such trepidation."
I shook my head, a smirk working its way to my lips, "Upon our first date? I think not. That'll have to be a future conversation. Many dates from now."
"So you think we'll be on more dates?" Nori asked, one brown raised, his expression amused.
"I know there will. You're not done with me, yet."
A couple other demons came and sat across from us. I smiled warmly at them as I introduced myself and Nori.
The girl of the group bowed her head slightly and introduced herself as Hermione and her friend as Rhys. “What brings a couple of royals here to be bonded with a human?” she asked, a little too forward in my opinion.
“Personal reasons," Nori and I replied at the same time. I frowned and glanced at Nori. I had had my suspicions, of course. But now that he had confirmed it, I wondered which noble family he was from.
I hadn't had time to ask him about it when Hermione started talking about her human she was bonding with, and pretty soon I was lost in the conversation. I just wanted the humans to arrive. I wanted to get bonded with my human. The more time passed, the more worried I was that my father would show up and ruin everything.
