14. Nim
Chapter 14
Nim
“Hey, Nim. Nim? Wake up.”
I flinch when someone touches my arm and sit bolt upright in bed, blinking warily at Romi. From the cast of light in the room it’s early morning, maybe eight or nine. I croak out a reluctant, “Hey.”
“Morning.” She looks faintly apologetic as she sinks down onto the edge of my bed. “I didn’t want to wake you yesterday. I’m glad you made it back here in one piece.”
“No thanks to you.” I groan and fall back onto the bed, throwing my arm over my eyes. “Now everyone’s calling me an illegal immigrant.”
“That’s nice of them,” Romi says sourly. “A lot of freshmen would have paid good money to be called that last week.”
I peek at her from under my arm. “What do you mean?”
“In case you forgot, you’re not the only freshman.” She turns her nails in to study them, kicking up a leg. “God, I remember my first week here. It was brutal. You’ve lucked out—classes started last week, so I doubt anyone but the Serpents have time to haze you this week.”
“Classes have already started? I thought school only begins this week?”
Romi shakes her head. “They don’t mess around in this place. There’s no such thing as orientation week. We started classes last week Monday. You’re seriously behind.”
“Great,” I say through another groan, and give her a push. “Go away and stop giving me bad news.”
“You skipping breakfast?”
My stomach rumbles noisily on my behalf. “No,” I mumble against my pillow. “But can’t it come to me?”
“Don’t let those goddamn elitist fucks get the better of you. Come on, get up.”
“Whoa,” I say through a laugh as I roll onto my back. “Romi has teeth, and she bites. Where was that sass yesterday when I needed it?”
Romi scowls at me. “Get up, Winters. I need to make sure you’re dressed properly so we don’t catch hell from the Serpents again.”
I’d felt icky after my run-in with Knox and his crew yesterday, so I’d taken a bath and tried to forget how miserable my life was. But I couldn’t forget—not even for a minute—so I crawled into bed and went to sleep without supper. In the morning light, I feel like my behavior was nothing short of childish. Also, Romi’s attitude gives me a little courage. She’s definitely not one of those who “worship the ground they walk on”, but it appears she’s one of those who “quake in fear” in their presence. I can’t imagine what my semester would have been like if I’d landed a Serpent worshiper as a roommate.
Oh God.
I’m stuck in this hell hole with three savage killers for a whole semester. I groan and rub my temples. I don’t know if I can do this.
Romi squeezes my hand. “Relax. If you arrived last week it would all be over already. They’ve probably already lost interest.”
This might look like simple hazing to her, but I know the real reason the Serpents are giving me shit. They need me to understand that they’re in control. Which, it seems, they are. From what I witnessed yesterday, they have the power of Gods.
“That Knox guy, is he like a hall monitor or something?” I say as I head into the bathroom to wash my face.
“No,” Romi says through a sigh. “He’s the Student Body President. It’s one of the many perks of being an elite. ”
“Guys like that get away with all kinds of shit,”I say sourly.
Like murder.
“Preach, sister.” Romi’s voice changes as she moves around our room. “So which courses did you take?”
“Oh, I haven’t decided yet.” I grab my toothbrush and walk back into the other room. “I actually have no clue what I want to major in, in case you were wondering.”
“Nope, that’s pretty apparent,” she says, but at least there’s a hint of a smile on her mouth.
I didn’t think I was going to like Romi, not with how standoffish she was at first, but after yesterday it seems like we’re on the same page. Just two gals fighting off the elitist scum making our lives miserable.
Romi walks over to my closet and opens it. “Ta-da,” she says dryly.
I walk up beside her, eying the three rows of uniforms hanging up in my closet as I brush my teeth for a few seconds. “I’m guessing there’s no option for pants?”
Romi laughs. “Cinderhart is as patriarchal as they come. The Academy is no exception. Best get used to the fact, sweetheart .”
When I look at her, I can’t help but roll my eyes.
“Go on,” she says, waving at the closet. “Get dressed.”
When I don’t move, she digs in my closet and pulls out a pair of gym shorts and a vest with the Cinderhart crest on it. “Uniform or gym clothes during school hours.”
I open my mouth, but she cuts me off with a shake of her head. “And no, the gym clothes are only if you’re actually doing sports.”
“Great.”
I go spit out the toothpaste, and come back to pull out a shirt, a dress, and a blazer. “Even the stockings?”
She twists her legs, staring down. “You get used to them.”
I make a face as I head for the bathroom. “Is there time for me to shower?”
“Yeah, sure, but don’t take your time.” She closes my closet and heads for her bed.
I drag my duffle bag into the bathroom with me. I don’t know why I bothered to pack anything. Juliet was right—the academy has everything I need. Shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, disposable razors, fluffy white towels.
While I’m washing up, memories of my first ever visit to Cinderhart come back to haunt me. I’d worked so hard to forget…but all it took was seeing those three monsters for my carefully built walls to come crashing down. I look down at the scar on my leg. I’ve managed to ignore it for months. I made sure everything I wore since then covered it, but I have a feeling the dress might be a little too short. Maybe I can get the hem taken down.
It’s almost as if they planned it that way. But that’s impossible…right? They couldn’t have known I was going to study here.
I trace my finger over the S on my thigh, frowning.
I still don’t know who sponsored me or paid my tuition. Could it be one of them? Was this their way of keeping an eye on me? No, that’s ridiculous. If anything, they would want to forget I existed…Exactly like I was trying to forget them.
The dress fits pretty well, especially after I tighten the belt. I ladder the first pair of stockings I try to put on, and Romi looks up from a well-worn paperback when I storm back to my closet to get a fresh pair.
“You okay in there?”
“Damn stockings,” I mutter.
“Try filing your nails.”
I turn to glare at her, but she just snorts and carries on reading. Her book looks like one of those old bodice rippers from the eighties—there’s a guy with long black hair on the cover, and he’s desperately trying to undress or cover up the redhead swooning in front of him.
The second pair of stockings I get on without an issue. They feel...weird. Especially the garters just above my knee.
I look in the mirror, and do a little twist. I look kinda cute, actually. But I was right—the bottom half of the S peeks out from the hem of the black skirt
I find a pair of black mules like Romi’s in my closet. “So, uh, how did they know my shoe size?”
My roommate marks her place in the book with a finger and looks up at me. “When they went through your bag, duh.”
My cheeks heat up. “They went through my bags?”
Romi frowns. “How else would they know what size you were, or whether you were trying to sneak in drugs?”
“That’s an invasion of privacy.”
She quirks an eyebrow at me. “Guess what, sweetheart …you don’t have rights anymore.”
I roll my eyes at her as I slip on my new shoes. “Right, I’m ready.”
She glances up at me, and shakes her head. “No, you’re not. Hair has to be up. And you gotta file those nails.”
I thought she was joking about the nails. “What?”
“Hair up?—”
“God, yes, I heard you the first time.”
She kicks her legs up, crossing them at her ankles and swaying side to side. “Didn’t sound like it.”
“What trash are you reading anyway? I thought they confiscated stuff like that.”
This earns me a sniff. I hurriedly pull my hair into a messy bun and go back to the bathroom to wipe off the makeup I’d just applied.
Honestly shouldn’t have bothered packing. Could have been here an hour earlier. Might have avoided the Elites for all I know.
Nah. Fate seems pretty determined to keep me within range of a bunch of psychopaths. Why not? Seems I’ve lived a boring enough life up until this point. Obviously the universe thinks I can handle more.
I eventually find a nail file in my cosmetics bag and hurriedly file my nails down to the quick.
“Nail polish?”
“Nope.”
“Goddammit.” It takes me five minutes to get rid of what’s left of my black nail polish.
“Now we’re running late,” Romi says when I step back into the room.She’s standing by the door, glancing at her dainty gold watch and sighing.
“Shit.” I hurry for the door, but she clicks her fingers and points at the blazer I threw over the foot of the bed. I come to stand beside her, frowning as she gives me a critical once-over.
“I’m sorry, was I supposed to pluck my nose hair or something?”
She sniffs again, but at least there’s a sparkle in her brown eyes. “This will all be worth it, Nim.” She shrugs and opens the door. “You’ll see.”
I very much fucking doubt it. But she’s making an effort—I guess I should too. “Thanks.”
“Welcome.” She holds open the door and closes it once I’m through.
“Wait, so you haven’t selected any courses yet?” she asks when we’re halfway down the hall.
“Nope. Any recommendations?” I hope she doesn’t say something like physics.
“I’m confused. According to the schedule on your desk, you’re enrolled in several courses already.”
I stop walking. “ Several ?”
“Yeah.” She stops too, a frown springing onto her face. “You didn’t?—?”
“Oh, yeah, right. Actually…” I start walking again, tapping my temple. “There was this form thingy...”
“Yeah, you’re gonna do great here,” Romi mumbles.
I give her a punch on the shoulder, and she chuckles. I try to laugh too, but my mind is working overtime. The sponsorship, the tuition fee, now my courses? It’s like someone is mapping out my life, dictating where I should be, what I should be doing, and when.
The busybody in me just got a girl boner.
I should be terrified, instead I’m fascinated. I have to figure out what I’m doing here. More importantly…what I’m doing here with them.