Chapter 14
14
Sonny
T here’s rustling in the hallway, just outside my door. I’ve lived in my dorm for over a week and have barely heard my hallmates as they come and go, let alone any action happening in the common areas. When I leave for class, I’m lucky to find a random student in the elevator or lobby with their head stuffed into their phones or books at one of the study pods—a clear sign they don’t want to socialize. Beatrix never came back, and the resident advisor has yet to introduce herself.
Needless to say, the dorms are near-silent. Even this past weekend, I prowled through the building looking for an open nook or table to study the bloodlines at and found the lobby and study rooms completely deserted. Almost as if no one really even lives here. It’s the strangest phenomenon.
Which is why, when I hear the floor creaking and the low rumble of voices on the other side of my door, I’m taken off guard. I practically fling myself from the couch to the door, pressing my ear against the wood to see if I can hear them more clearly.
Of course, I can’t. The move just makes me look like a paranoid freak. I decide immediately that I won’t be telling Poppy this part when I share the day’s events with her.
I give my visitors a few moments to knock or make their presence known, but that never comes. Slowly working up the nerve, I pull the door open and am surprised to find two women standing on the other side, arguing in sharp whispers. Once they realize they’ve got an audience, they each straighten their backs and sober their expressions.
“Hi, I’m Ava. This is Beatrix,” the tall one says, large eyes blinking rapidly. Her golden-brown skin is impeccably smooth across high cheekbones and sharp jawline. Dark hair is pulled into a loose, curly ponytail that hangs down her back. She holds her hand out to Beatrix, the girl from my first day with blue hair.
“We’ve already met,” Beatrix reminds me, shooting her friend a rueful glare. “And I also told her we’d be back.”
“Of course.” I force a smile, my eyes shifting back to the first girl—Ava. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m your Resident Advisor,” Ava explains. “Beatrix has just told me you made it in, or I would have stopped by sooner. You’re our last new addition to the fifth floor. I wanted to introduce myself and let you know that if you have any questions or concerns, you can find me at the end of the hall.” She lifts an arm and points her finger to the left.
“Okay, perfect.”
I lean against the door, widening my eyes expectantly when the awkward silence falls between us.
Beatrix sighs, and Ava bites her lip before rushing out, “We’re pretty laid back here. Don’t smoke without opening a window and try not to get too rowdy. No one will bother you.”
“Pretty standard stuff,” I laugh, twisting the doorknob nervously. “Although, it must not be hard to enforce in a quiet place like this.”
“Ah, yes. I’m sure this is not what you expected when you flew off to college, is it?” Beatrix jokes, crossing her arms and leaning against the door jamb.
Ava frowns. “It’s always quiet like this at the beginning of the school year, when the new residents move in. They’re all too afraid to make a noise without the faculty reporting it and costing them their spot. Things will pick up in a few weeks.”
“Until then, the veterans usually hang out in the courtyard or with our friends in Vandenberg. It’s the regular upperclassmen residence hall. You could always check out Burton or Duren, too,” Beatrix explains, rattling off the list of residence halls I’ve seen signs for around campus.
“Makes sense. I haven’t ventured out of my dorm that much yet.”
“You totally should! The campus is beautiful. You can just feel the history in every building. Especially the original Landry estate.”
“Ava is a history major, if you can’t tell,” Beatrix explains, twisting her lips.
Ava straightens her shoulders with a proud smile that scrunches her nose and wrinkles her eyes, completely ignoring the teasing in Beatrix’s tone. “You can’t change the world if you don’t learn the mistakes of the past.”
“She thinks she’s a superhero, or something,” Beatrix scoffs and Ava responds by jabbing her elbow into her side. “Typical Viridia.”
That has my ears perking up. I survey Ava’s appearance, mentally comparing it to what the books described. Something about her presence feels so calm and comforting. I can certainly see how she could make a good healer.
“What’s your major?” Ava asks, ignoring her friend’s playful jab and my intrusive staring.
“Psychology with a minor in sociology.”
“Oooh, a girl set on saving the world. I like.”
Shrugging, I look toward my feet. “I just think there’s not enough compassion for people with mental disorders.”
“You must know someone who suffers, then,” Ava surmises. It’s not said in a rude or nosey way, just like she understands.
“I’m sure everyone does,” I say vaguely with a noncommittal shrug. Then, when I feel guilty for hardly answering, I go on to add, “Therapy is like planting little seeds of hope inside someone’s head. They’ve still got to put in the work, watering the seeds and nurturing the soil. That’s what I want to help with. Once we do that, the flowers that bloom are beautiful.”
The guilt disappears into mortification when a pregnant pause sits between us as they process what I’m saying with open mouths and eyebrows practically stuck to their hairline. I want to step back and slam the door to end the torture of this horrible, awkward moment.
Of course, I overshared and made it weird.
Beatrix is the first to recover. “That’s way better than studying documents written by old white men,” she jokes, and Ava swings her head toward her with a scowl.
“You’re the worst,” she says with a laugh, pushing her away.
I stand before them quietly, my mouth twisted into an awkward smile. Ironically, that’s exactly how I’ve spent my time at Ravenshurst so far.
Ava dramatically swings her body to give Beatrix her back, rolling her eyes. Then, her face grows serious. “I’m sure you’ll be able to save someone someday. I haven’t met a Valeria who couldn’t.”
Beatrix nods.
When I cock my head in confusion at how she knew Poppy’s bloodline, she holds her hands up to explain. “They have your bloodline listed in the chart they give me as RA. You know, so we’re aware of what shenanigans to look for.”
The scowl pinching my brows together finally relaxes.
No one knows my secret.
“Makes sense.”
A broad smile splits her face in half. “Although, I might call bullshit. Those eyes are Aeternum all the way. Are you a double legacy?”
“Nope,” is all I can manage to say, panic clenching around my chest so tightly that I can't get anything else out. All this work, and it’s going to be my eyes that give us away?
She shrugs, smiling as if she didn’t just send me into a deep spiral.
Luckily, they drop it after that, and I can finally breathe again when Beatrix shifts the topic to ask if I want to go eat dinner with them at the dining hall.
My knee jerk reaction is to decline, especially after I just embarrassed myself so thoroughly. But I’ve been here for days and they’re the first people who have gone out of the way to greet me—even if it was just an RA introduction. If I’m going to try to get a new start, I have to put myself out there more.
With that thought in mind, I accept their invitation.