Chapter Three Edith #3
“He seems… interesting,” I say, struggling to find something to fill the silence.
Emilía laughs. “That’s one word for it.”
Nils shoots her a look.
“Sorry, sorry,” she says, before turning to me. “Nils here is actually one of Egill’s descendants, along with the headmistress and—”
“You’re related to that guy?” I ask.
Nils rubs the back of his neck. “I mean, pretty distantly now. He lived more than a thousand years ago.”
“Yes, yes, it’s very cool and all.” Emilía ushers us onward.
“Let’s just chalk up Nils kicking my butt in Art of Staves class to his famous ancestors and not just that he’s unfairly good at seier.
” She snorts, and Nils’s cheeks redden a bit.
“Okay, so, from the quad, you can get to the different sections of Skallagrim. As you know, we just came from the berserkir section. If you take the left here, you’ll go to the witch side of campus.
On the right is the hunter side. We’ll start with the left—”
“Wait.” There’s another path straight ahead. “What’s that way?”
“Um, that’s the seer campus.” Nils frowns. “It’s no longer in use.”
“Seer?” I ask, blinking a few times.
“Wow, you really know nothing,” Emilía says.
She turns to me, her face breaking into a wicked grin.
“Seers have the ability to leave their bodies behind and walk the spirit realm to commune with the dead. It’s a pretty awesome power, if you ask me.
Even better than being able to use staves.
I would love to…” She trails off, her smile falling.
“Although we shouldn’t be talking about them, I guess.
We’re not really supposed to. There’s no longer any of them at Skallagrim anyway, not since the Tragedy thirty years ago. ”
“Uh… tragedy?” Is there something else I’ll have to worry about here?
Emilía fidgets with her hair. “A bunch of students died, but no one really knows the details. It was a long time ago.”
“No one goes to that part of campus anymore,” Nils adds with a frown.
“Why not?” Bea asks.
Emilía leans closer and whispers, “Because it’s haunted.”
I squeeze the handle of my luggage tighter. “Yeah right.”
“Well, that’s what I’ve heard,” Emilía says with a shrug.
“A few students have snuck in there on dares, or to break the rules, but after they’ve been once, none of them have ever been willing to go back.
They said there were flickering lights, even though the school hasn’t had power in years, or that they heard voices and saw students’ ghosts wandering the halls. All harmless. Mostly.”
Before I can ask what that means, Nils heads down the right walkway.
“Unlike the hunters,” Nils says as Emilía and I rush to catch up. “This is their campus. Over there is the training grounds.”
The hunters, dressed in leather armor, are lined up in front of archery targets.
With a wave of their instructor’s hand, they unleash a barrage of arrows, each one finding its mark with a thunk.
My stomach flips as I look over the line of students.
All of them are dedicated to hunting—and killing—people like me.
And I unknowingly interacted with one earlier.
Thankfully, I don’t see Amund among them.
“Generally a good idea to steer clear of hunters,” Nils adds quickly.
“Yeah, I can tell.”
Nils smiles. “I knew I liked you.”
Emilía claps her hands together. “Now, let’s go to my favorite campus, the witch side.”
I breathe a sigh of relief once we’re out of the hunter area. This side is almost all girls. Unlike the hunters, they’re wearing normal clothes—jeans, skirts, dresses. Some carry ancient-looking books, while some younger girls are drawing elaborate symbols with chalk on the walkway.
“What are those?” Bea asks excitedly.
“Staves,” Emilía says.
“Magic sigils, basically,” Nils adds.
I know Helga told me magic exists—I’ve been struggling to accept it the past few weeks—but actually seeing it? A sense of awe fills me. I can’t help but think about my favorite childhood fairy tales full of magic. Witches, werewolves, huntsmen. At Skallagrim, they’re real.
“Both of you are witches?” I ask, looking between Nils and Emilía.
Nils laughs, but not unkindly. “Most practitioners are women, but there are a few guys like me, too.” He must mistake my stare for disbelief because he adds, “Odin himself was one.”
I shake my head, feeling a stab of sympathy for Nils. He seems so defensive. “No, I think it’s really cool. I’m just surprised to hear you talk about magic so openly. Spells? Whatever. All of this is still new to me. It’s a lot to take in.”
“I think you mean totally awesome,” Bea chimes in.
Something in Nils’s expression softens, and a smile spreads across his face. “Of course. I’ve grown up with it, so for me it seems natural.”
“You grew up here?” I ask him.
“Ah, yeah. I’ve lived at Skallagrim all my life, actually.” He sighs. “My whole family is here.”
I frown. Clearly, it’s not something he wants to discuss.
Speaking of family… I turn to Bea, kneeling before her. She’s been surprisingly quiet for most of the tour—I’m used to her chattering the ears off anyone who will listen. “How are you doing?”
“Awesome.” Her eyes gleam. “Skallagrim is even awesomer than I imagined.”
Smiling, I pat her head. “More awesome, you mean.”
Somehow I’m not surprised. Bea always takes everything in stride.
“How about we head over to your dorm?” Nils asks, stifling another laugh. “I think you’ve seen enough of Skallagrim for one day.”
Before long, we’re heading into Odin Hall.
Our dorm is more modern on the inside. Bright lights illuminate the hallway, revealing two long rows of alternating doors, so at least some places here have electricity. While I walk down the hall with Bea and Emilía, Nils fumbles in his pocket before pulling out two keys.
“Looks like this is your suite, Bea,” Nils says, stopping in front of 116.
As soon as he unlocks the door, Bea rushes inside.
She pouts as she looks around the empty common area.
Clearly, the idea of having a berserkir suitemate doesn’t bother her as it does me.
Not only that, but this will be our first time living apart.
A pang of sadness hits me as I take in the room. One door is wide open, waiting for her.
Bea rolls her suitcase over. “I’m guessing this is my room?”
“Yup!” Emilía says.
Once Bea is settled in, I crouch beside her, grabbing her shoulders. “Remember what I told you, all right? Just because you’re here doesn’t mean you’re a berserkr,” I say, but I’m not sure which of us I’m really trying to convince. “Helga might be wrong. You still could be normal.”
Bea frowns. “Why would I want to be normal?”
Iwish I could be. I purse my lips. “Being normal is a good thing, Bea.”
She doesn’t look convinced.
“Jim and Patricia are normal,” I point out.
Bea leans forward, whispering conspiratorially, “And boring.”
I laugh, pulling her into a tight hug. “Just promise me you won’t go berserk, okay?”
“Promise,” Bea says, but crosses her fingers behind her back.
I roll my eyes. “I can see your hand, you know. I’m serious, Bea. It’s for your own good. Berserking is bad. It only hurts people.”
“Okay, okay.” She returns my hug briefly before wriggling free. “Bye!”
Nils is leaning in the doorway, watching the two of us.
As I join Emilía and Nils, I nibble on one of my nails, hoping I was able to get through to her. With Bea, it’s impossible to tell. She usually ends up doing whatever she wants anyway.
“Bea is lucky to have you,” Nils says once we’re in the hall.
Emilía smiles. “Definitely. I’m an only child, but I’ve always wanted a sister.”
“Th-thanks.” My face flushes. “She thinks I’m overprotective.”
“That’s how older siblings should be,” Nils says. “I wish my brother was more like you.”
I don’t know why, but that surprises me. “You have a brother?”
“We aren’t really close.” Nils hesitates before adding, “We barely talk anymore.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I say, and mean it.
Nils gives a half shrug.
“Come on, let’s go find your room,” Emilía says excitedly. “I can’t wait to see who you’ll be living with.”
I follow her and Nils up the stairs and down a long hall until we reach room 223.
“This one is yours,” he says, handing me the key.
“Okay,” I say, more focused on what—or rather, who—might be waiting for me inside.
Thankfully, no one is here, either.
I guess since it’s the middle of the day, most students would be in classes.
“Ooh, very nice,” Emilía says.
Relieved, I look around at the sofa with a coffee table. Behind it is a dining table and chairs. I doubt I’ll use either. “Why do we have suites anyway when the witches share rooms?”
Nils shakes his head. “Berserkir need their own bedrooms, as a precaution.”
I suddenly wish I hadn’t asked. “Right, I… I guess that makes sense,” I say weakly, glancing down at my nails again.
Still pink and round.
No claws.
Yet.
Either way, I’m glad to have a room to myself. Since I was expelled, I’ve spent the past three weeks living in fear around my foster family. I didn’t want to lose control again. I didn’t want Jim and Patricia to see me like that. Or worse, Bea.
Maybe precautions are what I need.
Just like Bea’s suite, only one door is ajar. The room feels too big for just me. There’s a twin-sized bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a dresser. The furniture all seems like actual wood, a big step up from the IKEA I had in my childhood bedroom. It’s strange having something that’s all mine.
Emilía’s phone chimes. She frowns as she stares at her screen. “Sorry, I have to go help the headmistress with the Unity Celebration. It was so great meeting you though. Hey, why don’t we swap numbers?”
She hands me her phone. Emilía and Nils both seem so nice. Neither of them judged me for being a berserkr. I’m grateful they were my tour guides and not someone like Amund. I’m sure he would judge me if he knew. I finish punching my number in and hand her phone back.
Emilía grins. “You’re going to love it here. See you later!”
With that, she hurries off.
“Well, guess I’ll leave you to it.” Nils hesitates on his way to the door, shoving a hand through his curls like he’s gathering his courage. “Unless you’d like some help unpacking?”
“I’m good, but thank you.” I smile, and I think it’s actually a real one. “You’ve already helped me a lot.”
Nils nods. “Then I’ll see you around, Edith.”