Yeah. Apparently I smelt bad.
Charlotte
Yesterday had been a rollercoaster of events, and I had decided somewhere in the middle of the night that I didn't want to experience that again.
When I had walked into the attic the night before, the girl who was apparently my new roommate had already been there, sitting on one of the two beds.
The room itself had been quiet and dim, the slanted ceiling making the space feel smaller than it already was, low enough that you could only stand fully upright in the narrow strip down the middle. Two iron-framed beds sat on opposite walls with thin mattresses and plain covers, and a single window at the far end let in the cold night air.
For a moment we had simply looked at each other, or rather, I stared at her, waiting for her to say snarky words or send me out, but she just took hold of a blanket and started to unfold it.
I smiled a little; this was a good start, right? I introduced myself, just a small acknowledgement that we were now sharing a room and we might as well try to be civil about it.
But she looked at me, at my bags and my body, her eyes unreadable, and then she had simply turned over on her bed and pulled the blanket over her shoulder, ignoring my peace offering.
I had stood there for a moment with my bag still on my shoulder before letting out a quiet sigh and deciding I would try again later.
I had dropped onto my own bed without even bothering to change out of my clothes. The coat the kind fae had given me was still wrapped around my shoulders, and it was warm enough that the exhaustion from the day caught up with me almost immediately, and I had fallen asleep within minutes.
The bell ringing through the academy the next morning dragged me back into consciousness with a jolt. I sat up slowly, blinking while the sound echoed through the building, and turned to look at the other bed. My roommate was already gone. The blankets had been pulled neatly back into place, and the mattress looked untouched.
A yawn pushed past me as I reluctantly pulled the coat off my shoulders, unfolded it carefully, smoothed it out, and folded it properly. A small smile made its way to my lips as I remembered the warmth of it last night. I hoped to see the kind fae and return it.
But first I needed the bathroom. I rushed out of the attic and down the hallway to find it. Don't ask how I found it, but I did. When I was done with my morning business, I reached for the handle, but it didn't budge.
My brow pulled together in confusion. I tried again but it only rattled harder. I pressed my shoulder lightly against the door to see if it would shift.
Fuck no. I'd been locked in. I wasn't signing up for this first thing in the morning. I'd experienced enough since yesterday. I crouched down and looked through the thin gap between the door and the floor and saw three shadows moving faintly on the other side.
Someone was there and they had definitely locked me out from the outside. I breathed in, trying to be civilised, and wetted my lower lip.
"Hello there, can you please help me open the door? It seems like I've locked myself in," I called out softly, lying through my teeth, and hoped whoever was out there would help me.
When there was no response, I banged on the door again. "Open the goddamn door now!"
I was going to be late to class, and I wasn't signing up for that.
After minutes of banging, the door finally opened with my shoulder still against it and I nearly stumbled out. I caught myself before I fell and turned to come face-to-face with my ex-roommates wearing smug expressions — those three girls who had thrown me out of my assigned room.
One of them leaned casually against the wall while another inspected her nails. I scoffed, rolled my eyes, then walked toward them at a slow, unhurried pace. "Do you think it's funny?" I asked in a bored tone.
One of them stood tall, and I had never hated my shortness more than in that moment, but I raised my head higher. She couldn't make me cower because of her height. I had left last night because I was outnumbered — I knew when to pick my fights, even now.
"Yes, it is," she responded, and her two friends giggled in that annoying high-pitched tone. "It's funny because you are—"
I interrupted her because I didn't want to hear it. If I did, I might actually let my intrusive thoughts win, and I would be expelled from the school before I learned anything. "Shut up," I gritted.
Those girls looked shocked, glancing from one to another, eyes wide. As they moved to retort, I glared hard at them and they actually squeaked and flinched before scrambling out.
I was shocked at the reaction, but breathed in, then out, and closed my eyes. Inner peace, Char. I gathered my things and went back up to the attic to change. Breakfast would have already started. I grabbed my bag and headed out again.
My stomach had already started complaining before I even reached the corridor, and the smell of food hit me before I got anywhere near the dining hall — warm and thick enough in the air that my stomach cramped immediately in response.
Food.
For a moment, I thought I had made it in time. I pushed the door open, the smell intensified, and it took me a full second to register that every table was already cleared and the last students were walking out at an unhurried pace.
I wasn't late, was I? I whipped my head toward the clock and saw I still had three minutes before it was over. I walked toward the staff. I hadn't reached her before she turned to me with a scrunched nose.
Yeah. I mentally shrugged. Apparently I smelt.
"I haven't eaten," I said, and she stared at me.
"Next time come early. Shoo away, bug."
I bit my lower lip, swallowed the hunger, and forced myself to move. There was no time to argue, so I turned and hurried toward my first class.
I checked the grand clock and noticed I was already late. I prayed the professor wouldn't chew my head off or deduct from my points. With the staff behaving like this, I was fairly certain the professors would be just as bad.
The corridors were mostly empty now, and my footsteps echoed softly against the floor as I walked faster, mentally rehearsing the apology and innocent smile I was going to have to give when I arrived.
I finally found the door to my first class — History — stopped for a moment to straighten myself up, adjusted the strap of my bag, took a breath, and pushed it open.
Every head in the room turned toward me, and I gulped in the doorway because every set of eyes was on me for being an interruption. I blinked, feeling my heart rate pick up, and made myself take a step forward anyway, then another, keeping my eyes moving toward the front of the room and away from the faces watching me from either side.
My gaze swept across the classroom until it reached the front, searching for the professor, and found him standing near the board with a piece of chalk in his hand.
Long silver hair fell over his shoulders, forest green eyes with flecks of gold looked directly at me, freckles dotted the bridge of his nose, and his expression held the same quiet warmth I remembered from the corridor the night before.
The fae who had given me his coat was my professor. He watched me for a moment with what looked suspiciously like amusement before speaking.
"Miss Callahan," he said calmly. "You're late."
And I jolted.