Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
A year and a half later
LORELEI
M y heart pounds as I gaze at the fourth college I’ve transferred to in two years. My soul is tired, my mind won’t quiet, and I wish I had never stopped at that fortune teller’s tent.
My body changed on the side of that road two years ago, my body reacting differently to the world. My eyes are extra sensitive to light, my skin doesn’t like certain types of fabric, and I need things done in a certain way. I make my roommates insane when I have them, but I can’t help it.
The curtains need to sit a certain way, the clothes need to be washed in detergent without any scent, and I’m not above offering to do their laundry if it means I don’t have to smell them. It doesn’t matter if my roommates are humans or monsters, this is what I need.
I also noticed that I have a scent to my skin that makes people follow me around. I smell like cherries and cream no matter how many times I wash my skin with scentless body soap. This is what I smell like, and it gets worse when I’m aroused.
I’ve done tons of research, but the internet isn’t helping, the libraries are useless, and after two months of this, I was almost raped by a demon with two of his friends.
They kept mentioning that it was my fault, because I smelled so sweet.
So, I took a chemistry course and learned to make a lotion that masked my scent by pulling out the oils of my skin. I wear three thick pairs of panties to keep my scent from leaking from my arousal too.
My life is insane.
Every semester, I find myself transferring to a different school, my grades helping me to find a scholarship at the next one. It got easier once I perfected the lotion, and I reapply it every few hours. It’s exhausting, however I would rather do this than have to face the terror of realizing that my choices are meaningless.
My dreams are plagued with the memories of my reading, a need to find whatever these scent matches are filling me with urgency. It feels as if fate is raising her head and yelling at me to move faster, and I want to yell back at her.
She’s a pushy bitch. I can’t find someone who remains as hidden as I am.
Rolling my eyes at myself, I drive myself to the dormitories. I am sharing the space with two other people, and each of us will have our own room. I’m thankful not to have to share anything closer than that, because my ritual of slathering on my lotion is obsessive and odd to an outsider. It goes beyond someone with a good skin care routine, though my skin is very soft now.
I just picked up my keys, welcome packet, and new schedule from the student office. Now, to see if this school is going to stick or not. The University of Monsters and Education takes humans, but they’re very selective. The Dean of admissions was only swayed by my good grades and my insistence that I’m searching for the right school for my education.
It was a hard sell, but she agreed finally.
I don’t want to give her any reason to rescind my acceptance of admission or the sizable scholarship either. The need to transfer schools is unlike anything I can describe. It’s a warmth, soreness, and excruciating need to run. My body curls up as I whimper, all of my nerve endings screaming at me to jump into action.
The moment I send off the necessary applications and emails with intent to transfer, the alarm bells ease off and I am able to drop into a cleansing sleep. There’s nothing that sets it off, except my body warning me something terrible will happen to me if I don’t transfer.
Better safe than sorry.
Everything I own is in the back of my car. I don’t know how I’ve been able to keep it in working condition. Every move takes me states away, causing me to pray to anyone and anything that’ll listen that I make it. I’ve managed to save every penny possible, knowing the damn vehicle will suck it right up.
I have five hundred dollars to my name now after a costly breakdown on the way here. I can’t afford a new car, so Bertie and I are stuck together.
Parking the vehicle in the lot in front of the dormitories, I hang my parking permit on the rearview mirror and rub my steering wheel affectionately. The ole girl may piss me off and is expensive, but we’ve had some interesting adventures together. No one has lasted this long in my life, and that’s to be celebrated.
Turning off the engine, I haul myself out of the car and shut the door behind myself before I lock it. There’s nothing upgraded or fancy on this thing, but that’s alright. Striding toward the front door of my new home with my welcome packet in hand, I decide to scope out the dorm. I’m not unloading a single item before I do.
What if there was a mixup or something is wrong with the room? I don’t even know what the names of my roommates are. I couldn’t afford to gather all the information this time before I moved.
Walking through the hallways of monsters that are much taller than me, I find that I actually like it. Being one of the only humans around makes it easier for me to hide the things that are different about me. It sounds crazy, but the truth is that it’s what’s kept me ahead of whatever future is coming.
My seemingly arrogant behavior is a front, one I’m good at. If people think I know what I’m doing, they’re more likely to go with my crazy ideas, and I enjoy getting my way.
There are demons, wolves, reptiles, and more walking the hallways, while I’m a human happy to weave around them on my way to my room. Finding it open draws a frown to my face. Most people have moved in since I’m arriving a day or two after everyone else. Classes haven’t begun yet, but I’m cutting it close.
It took three days to fix Bertie, and I wasn’t counting on the delay.
“Hello?” I ask, peeking my head in. It hasn’t escaped me that there were a lot of males in this dorm. Are they co-ed?
“Who are you?” A man asks, sitting up on the couch.
While humans go to school at a normal age, monsters can be anywhere from eighteen to over a hundred years old when they choose to attend. There’s no hurry for them, unlike someone like me.
“I’m your new roommate, I think?” I’m unsure of a lot. “This is room twelve-oh-seven, right?”
“Yeah, it is. I heard we were getting someone new, but I didn’t think she’d be quite so…blonde,” he says wryly. “I’m Adares.”
As he stands, I see that he’s eight feet tall to my five feet, and that he has spiky red hair. As he walks toward me, I inanely notice how tall the ceilings are, made to accommodate the different heights of species. He’s wearing dark jeans, a black t-shirt, and his skin is a teal hue.
“Did you think I’d be a girl?” I ask him, amused as I take his offered hand. His nails are well trimmed, buffed, and his hands are soft.
“These dorms are often mixed between the two, so we don’t really pay attention to it much,” he says with a shrug. “And you are?”
“Lorelei,” I introduce myself.
“Interesting name,” he mutters. I don’t mention that I could say the same for him, simply because I’m more polite. “Your room is over here. It’s a bit of a mess.”
Walking over to my room, he opens the unlocked door with a small wince. As I follow him slowly, I wrinkle my nose at the musty scent.
“A reptile shifter lived here,” he says apologetically. “It’s impossible to rid ourselves of the scent, so we left it. There are boxes here you’ll need to move out before you can bring your stuff up. Good luck, new girl.”
Adares waltzes out without any fanfare, leaving the door wide open. Asshole. Ugh, this smell has got to go. Walking around, I throw open the windows before closing and locking the front door of the apartment style dorm room. Beginning to hunt for cleaning supplies, I decide to start by making this space inhabitable.
I also manage to make some of my own, because my love of chemistry didn’t end with just making my own body lotion. I can MacGyver my way out of almost anything. If I’d learned how to work on cars, I would have been able to save a shit ton of money.
Music on my phone accompanies me as I break down the boxes in the room, and then clean it until the tile floors gleam. I wish there was carpet, but I doubt the stench would have ever left if there was. Afterward, I’m on a roll, which leads to my cleaning the rest of the shared areas in the dorm.
My heart is beating hard from exertion once I’m done, and I lock my room before taking the cardboard boxes to the recycling bin. Continuing downstairs, I begin to bring my belongings upstairs, ignoring everyone around me as I fix things the way I like.
My closet is small, but I’m able to hang up my clothing on one side and lay down blankets and pillows on the other. Ever since I turned eighteen, I’ve been having trouble with wide open spaces to sleep in. Instead, I make the bed as if it’s a couch so I can study on it, and then hang curtains on the windows to block out a lot of the light.
The overhead bulb is harsh, already giving me a headache, so I shut it off immediately in lieu of the lamp next to the bed. Breathing a sigh of relief, I hang up my pretty fairy lights around the room as well. It doesn’t matter how long I’m going to be here, this is a ritual I have to complete.
My body relaxes as I look around, happy with the way things look. The only thing I’m missing is the bathroom. I really hope that there isn’t a communal one, because I’ll have to shower at odd hours if there is.
Sniffing at my skin suspiciously, I grab my lotion and rub myself down. I’ve unfortunately found that if I sweat, the composition breaks down. The same is true of being rained on. It makes living really nerve wracking. I’m so glad I don’t have to be involved in any kind of sports while in college.
Biting my lip, I step out of my bedroom, ensuring I have my keys with me as I lock it behind me. While I closed my closet door, I’m aware that my oddities could be called into question. On the other hand, if I’m living with all male monsters, they may ignore me completely.
“Did you clean?” a large man asks, crossing his arms over his chest. His skin is gray, his eyes a slate blue as he glares at me. Calling them all monsters feels awkward when I know there are so many different kinds. “Adares told me we had a roommate.”
“I had some excess energy to work off,” I explain, not sure if he’ll understand. “Once I finished my room, I had to keep going.”
“Huh,” he mutters. “I get like that when I hit a groove in my workouts. I’m Thorley. Do you need anything before I head out?”
Surprised he asked, I nod slowly because I really need to know where the bathroom is. My bladder is screaming at me.
“Do we have a bathroom in our dorm, or are they outside of the room?” I ask. “I haven’t had a chance to become familiar with everything.”
“Adares is also an arrogant fucker,” he mutters. “There’s a bathroom in the hallway here. We all have odd schedules, so you’ll have to pop in while you can. Are you a girly girl who takes forever?”
“No?” I ask, wrinkling my nose in confusion. My only real issue is my toiletries and how long that takes, but I don’t mind showering really early or late at night. “If I need to do any ‘girly’ things, I can take care of them in my room. I don’t need to hog the bathroom for that. I won’t be in the way.”
“That was rude of me to assume,” he grumbles. “You have all of that hair.”
And he has none. My lips twitch at the realization that he’s making assumptions because he probably takes two seconds to shower and get ready.
“I do have a lot of hair, but I’ve figured out how to take care of it without inconveniencing anyone,” I explain. “I do have some, um, quirks?”
“Hit me with them,” he says, amused.
“As you can see, I’m kind of obsessed with cleanliness,” I say gently. “I’m also allergic to chemicals so I tend to clean without any harsh cleaning products. That also means I wash my clothes in scent-free detergent.”
“We have a laundromat style room in the building so you can use whatever you want there,” he says. “It’s a floor up from this one. As far as cleaning, I wouldn’t say that we’re messy. Due to our odd hours, it’s hard to find the time though.”
“Would anyone be annoyed if I just took care of it?” I ask.
“Not at all,” he says. “We have a small kitchen here so you can cook your meals. You seem very normal for a human girl. We shouldn’t have any issues.”
“Good,” I say with a smile, beginning to walk past him to go to the bathroom.
“Hey, aren’t you forgetting something?” he asks, getting my attention.
“Did I?” I ask, turning around.
“What is your name?” he asks.
“Lorelei,” I answer. I guess Adares really is self absorbed and forgot to tell him that.
Nodding, Thorley says, “We have one other roommate. He’s a teacher who is living with us because they’re renovating the teacher’s apartments. I doubt you’ll see him much.”
“I doubt I’ll see much of anyone,” I say truthfully. “My class schedule is pretty stacked. Thanks for the rundown.”
A look passes over his face but I’m already turning away and shutting myself in the bathroom. Whatever it is that he’s thinking about, I don’t need to know.
Breathing a sigh of relief once I’m done, I flush the toilet and wash my hands. I need to take a walk around the campus with a map to learn where everything is, and I also have an appointment later today with the head of the chemistry department.
He is interested in finding out if I want to minor in chemistry after I talked to the school admission board on video conference about how much I enjoyed it. Apparently, there are a lot of possible jobs I can find within the field.
It’s worth a conversation since I have no idea where my life is taking me. Fate is just jerking me around by the nose at this point. I’ve considered a degree in pharmaceuticals because the science portion of things is fascinating to me, but I’m still up in the air. I know that at some point, the school is going to make me choose.
That is, if I stay here for any length of time.
Drying my hands, I shriek when someone bangs on the door. I was barely in here. Fucking hell, living with men may be worse than women. Monsters or not.
Yes, I’m irritated, so this person is a dickweed.
Opening the door with wide eyes, I see an annoyed Adares standing there.
“Is this going to be common practice now? You’re going to take forever in here?” he asks.
“No, not at all. You’re going to need some patience,” I shoot back, pushing past him.
“This is not the beginning of a beautiful friendship in case you’re wondering!” he yells, walking inside and slamming the door.
God, what a prick.
Rolling my eyes, I walk back to my room, unlocking the door to find my campus map, purse with my phone, and the time I’m meeting the chemistry department head. If I decide to add the minor, I’ll also be adding an extra class to my already packed schedule.
I need that as much as a hole in the head, but it’ll be good to stay busy. Six hours of sleep, a busy mind, and good self care are all I really need.
I ignore my roommate as I walk out of my room, locking the door behind me.
“Hiding a drug habit?” he asks. “As you can see, we don’t really lock doors here.”
“I’m a female in a mostly male dorm,” I remind him. “My locked door is for my peace of mind and not for a nefarious activity your overactive mind has created.”
His bark of laughter is obnoxious and loud as I leave, making a point to lock the outer door as well. I’ve trained more difficult dogs than him.
The hallway is still full as I dodge around people to get to the elevator. I can’t take the stairs while I’m living on the twelfth floor or I’ll be a sweaty mess by the time I hit the first floor. When the elevator doors open, I find a corner to stand in until we hit the lobby, and then I make my break to explore.
Dubious roommates or not, I’m going to make the best of this place before I’m forced to move on. A tiny part of me believes that there’s no such thing as scent matches and that the fortune teller cursed me instead.
There’s been too many changes in my life to not allow some sort of disgruntlement to seep in.
My first day of classes is not going the way I expected. I managed to get everyone’s schedules through a mixture of sneaking around and sleuthing. The professor we live with has his classes online so I’m basing his schedule on that and his posted office hours. Then I stole and copied Adares’ and Thorley’s schedules out of their bags that they left in the living room and took photos of them.
I should not have someone knocking on the door at four in the morning as I shower.
“I’m almost done!” I call out, shaking my head in frustration as I rinse out my hair.
“The pipes groan, do you seriously need to be up so early?” a voice groans.
I didn’t know there was that issue or that the running water would wake any of them up. Ugh.
“I have early classes,” I say through the door as I begin to wash my body with scentless body wash. I can’t fuck up my descenting routine or I won’t be safe. I’m convinced the lotion won’t adhere well if I don’t wash my skin properly.
My heart begins to pound as I wait for him to leave. I have to apply my lotion in the bathroom or I’ll trail my scent through our dorm rooms. That’s unacceptable.
“Ugh,” the guy groans, stomping back to his room.
God, he must be really fun to deal with in his classes as he teaches. I take a twenty minute shower, it really isn’t that intense.
Ten minutes later, I’m walking out of the bathroom fully moisturized, dressed, and ready outside of my hair. I’m just going to run some product through it and let my hair curl as it dries. All of my products come out with me in a shower caddy, I don’t leave my hair behind, I'm a responsible and clean roommate.
They can eat a dick if they’re unhappy with my early hours.
Heading back to my room, I drop my clothing and towel into the hamper to take care of later. I’m going to have to collect a few days worth of clothes at a time if I have to go upstairs to do laundry.
Curling up in my bed with my pillows and blankets, I begin going through the different syllabi for my classes, even reading the chapters I need for my first classes. I’ve gotten a lot done in the last four days, and I’m hoping the rest of today goes better.
At seven in the morning, I peek my head out, finding the dorm quiet. Everyone’s doors are open while the front door is closed, which means they must be gone. Breathing a sigh of relief, I make myself breakfast, wash all of the dishes left in the sink and tidy everything up before heading into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m downstairs headed to my first class. Unfortunately, because of my height, I have to jump out of the way of several people who can’t be bothered to look down. Damn monsters.
Finally, I find myself walking on the grass rather than the sidewalk because it’s the only way to keep from being trampled. I’m at their school essentially, I’m just going to have to get used to this.
My meeting with the head of the chemistry department went well, and I added another class to my schedule before the cut off. I’m going to basically live in my room and the library. If these so-called scent matches are here, I hope they figure out how to find me.
A self deprecating smile graces my lips as I trek to my History of Ancient Civilization course. It’s a required course at this school, one that discusses how monsters and humans coexist. I suppose it’s important to understand so we don’t repeat past mistakes. It’s simply a very early time for me, and it’s going to take a lot of concentration.
I skipped out on my coffee this morning because I didn’t see a coffee maker. I’ve made a thorough search of all the cabinets, which means it doesn’t exist. The housing manual doesn’t say we can’t have one, which means I’m going to need to order one once I start my job.
Over the last few days of getting used to the large campus, figuring out where everything is, I also found both the grocery store in town and the local bars. There was only one place that was hiring, which was a strip club. I know the tips will be good, and it’ll help me restock my dwindling cash flow.
The rest doesn’t matter. Hailee is the manager at the club, and she reassured me the boss is above board. I have worked for shitty bosses in the past, it would be nice to have a change of pace where I can count on the people I work for.
The boss may end up being a stick of dick cheese, so I’ll reserve judgement for now.
Hurrying through the hallway of the history department, I find myself shuddering in revulsion. There’s a musty smell coming from the walls, the stone tells me that water must be trapped behind it somehow. This is going to be one of my least favorite buildings due to the smell.
Breathing through my mouth, I open my class door, peering in to make sure I’m in the right room before I step in. There are what appears to be two other humans in the room and a scattering of monsters. I don’t really believe my eyes because glamour is something that’s bitten me in the ass more than once.
Walking up the steps to find a seat, I allow myself to take a full breath, almost tripping. Is that…peaches?
Shaking my head at the way the scent is making me feel, I scoot into an aisle seat. It’ll be easier for me to escape after class if needed.
My head feels fuzzy, and my skin is flushing uncomfortably. Searching for the origin of the scent since I’m sitting in the second row away from everyone else, I meet the swirling blue-green eyes of my professor as he glares at me. It feels as if I've been punched in the chest, but I fist my hands in my lap, forcing myself not to rub it.
I won’t give anything away. The pain I feel only I know, my face is written with indifference as I pull out my notebook and a pen.
Is the scent of peaches coming from him? I don’t know what it means, but I can hear Madam Sera’s voice in my head telling me to trust my instincts.
How do I do that though when I don't know what any of this means?