Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Izzy
My new room is incredible.
It’s an enormous bedroom that looks out onto the lush green lawn with a hint of silver moonlight glittering on the lake beyond. I never thought I’d live in a place where a golden crown on my dresser looks normal, but here it does. Which is crazy.
Luckily for me, the room seems to be mine alone; there’s only one bed, an enormous canopy bed with fluttering white curtains.
It’s exactly the kind of bed I dreamed about as a kid, and I bounce on the end of it, grinning to myself, before I get up and tuck my hair behind my ears and try to act like a real adult again.
Even though apparently I’m not just an adult. I’m a god. At least according to the people who run this school. People who may or may not be totally nuts.
There’s a walk-in closet, and someone has already unpacked my trash bag for me; my handful of clothes hang on the closet rod.
And, of course,my golden crown is set out as if it’s the most normal thing in the world.
I lean against the long, cool, glass windows, looking out over the beautiful view, and my stomach growls.
My stomach is not impressed by the scenery.
Mr. Time saw me to my room and left me with a class schedule for tomorrow, but he didn’t give me a whole lot of details on where I could, say, find a vending machine.
A part of me wants to pause and dig through my backpack, looking for the weird glowing book from the library, but another part of me feels like that’s the last thing I need right now.
More questions and no answers. So, I pull on my sweatshirt and head off to explore my new home.
Outside my room is a long, wooden hallway lined with art in heavy, gilt frames.
There are several thick, wooden doors, all closed, and I wonder who lives in those rooms. I’d like to meet my roommates.
It’s so eerily silent that I can hear my sneakers squeak across the highly-polished floor as I look around.
At the end of the corridor, there’s a student lounge, but it’s fancy.
It’s not what I would have expected. There’s a huge TV and an enormous sectional and a soft rug underfoot; there are fashion magazines on the coffee table alongside fresh flowers and the TV remotes.
I look around, wondering if I should even be in here. This can’t be for me.
“Excuse me, miss,” someone says behind me, and I turn, my heart hammering in my throat.
There’s an older woman standing in the doorway, and she looks at me warily, her eyes narrowed.
“Oh, you scared me,” I say, pressing my hand to my chest to still my rapidly-beating heart and flashing a smile at her. “I didn’t realize there was anyone else in here. Am I--am I not supposed to be here?”
She shakes her head, although she’s still staring at me hard. “No, miss. I just came to ask if you would like dinner.”
“Oh, that would be so nice! Thank you!”
“What would you like?”
What would I like? I stare back at her. There’s a cafeteria or something, right? Maybe she’s offering to get my meal for me because it’s after hours? That’s so nice of her.
“I don’t know. My name’s Izzy, by the way.” I hold out my hand as I take a step toward her.
She steps back so fast that she bumps into the doorway, and then tries to smile at me as if she’s covering up the misstep. “My name is Beth. What would you like for dinner, miss?”
My stomach growls again. I really wish she wouldn’t call me miss. It’s weird. But first priorities first; I really am dying for some food. What wouldn’t be too much trouble, that the cafeteria is sure to have?
“Cereal?” I ask.
“If you give me fifteen minutes, I’ll have your meal ready for you, miss.”
“Okay, thank you.” I have a little more time to explore, then.
I head for the door. As I do, she calls, “Miss.”
When I turn, she looks at me like she wants to say something, but then she shakes her head. “I guess you’re safe enough out there,” she mutters.
“Should I carry pepper spray?” Of course I don’t have pepper spray. It’s supposed to be a light-hearted comment, but a shiver just ran over me at her insinuation.
She gives me a strange look. “I wouldn’t think you would need it.”
Right. Because I’m a god. I don’t feel like a god, but surely, a god can go out safely after dark, even if she is also a girl. I should be good.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, then slip out into the evening.
A cold breeze whips around me, and I cross my arms over my chest, wishing I’d put on my sweatshirt before I came out here. The enormous, gray, stone building I’ve just left behind is one of a series of buildings that form a square around a grassy quad.
A few students walk by and I smile at them, but they stare at me coldly and walk past. Colder than the fall wind. All righty then.
I guess it wouldn’t surprise me if this place was full of kids with lots of money and not a lot of nice.
I walk the cobblestone path in the loop around the buildings. Flowering trees sway between the buildings; it’s all so beautiful.
Of course, I still don’t know where to find a vending machine, or anything else. Tomorrow morning is going to be an adventure. Each house seems to be a dorm. I’d go further, but I don’t want to miss my chance at dinner.
When I turn to head back to my dorm, there’s a guy in my path.
“Hi,” he says, flashing me a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s good-looking, dark haired and ruggedly handsome. “You look cold. Do you want my jacket?”
“Wow, that’s gallant. I couldn’t--”
“You are a god, right?” he asks. “You can have anything you want.”
Oh God, this conversation is awkward. “I’m very new….” I can’t bring myself to say I’m a new god. “I’m not exactly comfortable with the whole idea yet.”
“So you haven’t come into your powers yet?”
“No…” I say. “Anyway, I’m Izzy. What’s your name?”
He nods to someone behind me.
Suddenly, a hard arm loops around my waist. I’m swept off my feet.
I struggle and scream, but the guy who was just talking to me grabs my feet.
A hand clamps across my mouth, his fingers pressing painfully deep into my cheek.
“Scream again, and we’ll kill you. We don’t need your kind to try to destroy the world all over again.”