Page 10 of All Saints: Pledge

I groan, dropping my hand from his collar and rub my head. I have a sore circle on my forehead from where it rested on the desk. Around us, the library is dark, lit only by the little lampson the wooden desk tops. The sky outside the windows is dusky. Last thing I remember, the little one-room library had been full of students. The opposite is true now.

“Did you know you have a bed that you cansleep in?” Li asks, clearly delighted. “With anyone you choose, even.”

Dominic closes my laptop and hands it to me without drawing away. “You’re hardly the first to fall asleep here.” His accent isdelectable. My body hums when he says the word “sleep”, as if it’s an invitation. I swear, Helena 2.0 is just raring to lose the V-card to a man with an accent. Dominic isn’t the worst option a girl could have.

“We came to take you shopping.” Li glances between us, suspicion in her eyes. I’m not sure, but I might be getting the British version ofget a roomany moment now.

“Shopping?” I ask, and Dominic steps back while I gather my stuff. I don’t have a lot of budget for shopping but it sure sounds like a fun spectator sport.

“I know you need your robe before our first formal dinner, and Dom volunteered to keep us company.” Li eyes Dominic with suspicion. My heart lurches a little. Maybe he is showing me more interest than any of the other neighbors in the past, and I can’t say I’m upset if that’s the case.

I could do farfarworse. My eyes rove his chest, hidden beneath another beautiful wool coat. He has a cabby hat pulled down over his eyes, and truthfully if I wasn’t holding a piece of technology, I’d swear I’d gone back in time. He looks epically, timelessly, yummy.

And he’ssmart.

“Earth to Helena?” Li looks like she’s about to lose her temper at us.

“Um, sorry. I’m still trying to wake up.” I wipe my hand across my face, hoping I don’t find any dried drool and try tostraighten my hair. Idefinitelyhave a crease from my textbook on my cheek. Fantastic.

Good thing Dominic seems to find Library Sleeping Beauty compelling.

I consider my budget versus my want to do anything—anything—not in a library. I’ve been burning the candle at all ends for the past week…classes have started and they arehard. Unlike high school, most of the work is done outside of class and we focus on expanding our mastery of the topics in class. I’ve never stayed up late reading more in my life. And on top of that I’m waiting for some sign about the first test of All Saints. What little time I do spend in my bed is spent worrying about if I’ll pass the test, or be forced to go home in the middle of the night like my predecessors.

That, or I worry that I’ll be abducted a la American Sorority Hazing…forced out into Oxford’s chilly stone streets in nothing but my pajamas. I slept with makeup on for four nights, and have yet to put in my bite guard for fear of public humiliation. But nothing so far. Absolute silence.

As careful as I should be with my money…my mind wanders back to the secret room. Everyone there was so impeccably dressed. As carefully as I’d chosen my capsule wardrobe and thought that I’d enjoy pioneering a new bold look as Helena 2.0… I realize how much better I love the classic vibe here. People rarely wear jeans. A lot of khaki, tweed, skirts and dresses with tights, lots of lovely ethnic clothing from the myriad of cultures that Oxford attracts. My clothing feels ultra-American, and I don’t love it. If I’m going to be attending formal functions, I’m going to need to step up my game. Dress for the job you want, and all that.

An evening of shopping with my friends sounds perfect. Maybe my parent’s emergency credit card can stand alittle exercise, in the name of school and scholarship-related purchases. “Let’s do it,” I agree.

We hit several shops,and I pick up my quasi Harry Potter robes at a store on High Street. Next, we stop in a store and pick up incense and new pens for Li while Dominic loiters outside. Note to self: he hates aromatic scents.

Finally, we stop in a store where I know I’ve found my own personal paradise. Shelves and shelves of lovely sweaters and pencil skirts line the walls. It’s giving Dark Academia, complete with leather lace-up Oxford heels and dresses with buttons down the back. Li suggests the consignment section in the back as she and Dominic decide on a dinner destination.

The shop closes soon, so I don’t waste a minute. First thing, I grab a beautiful camel colored herringbone dress, along with several skirts and a pair of tweed trousers. The sweaters prove too temping, and I pile them on, in both teal and plum. On my way to the register, I stop and admire a long coat.

Jade green wool stands out against the muted colors in the shop in the most stunning way. Helena 1.0 wouldn’t even consider this coat. Helena 2.0 loves the bold green color. It’s a perfect intersection of classic vibes and striking uniqueness. I run my fingers down the length and sigh. I’m not buying it, and I don’t want to delay our dinner.

“It’s a lovely piece,” the girl at the register says, ringing up my other purchases.

“It is,” I agree.

“Just these, then?” She asks.

I nod, and watch as her eyes slide from where she’s packaging my clothes into pretty brown paper bags, to Dominic. “Is he with you?”

She’s watching Dom and Li regard something in the window. Li laughs and holds it up.

“Friends of mine,” I say. And I feel a warm glow that onlypartiallyhas to do with Dominic’s dark hair and handsome face. It’s Li too. Theyaremy friends. They care enough to wake me from my study coma and bring me out for the night.

“Is he…?” I donotlove the gleam in this girl’s eyes.

“Gay? I ask without batting an eyelash. “Yep. Have a delightful night!”

The spark diminishes in her eyes, and I turn, feeling only one small pang of guilt before joining my friends.

“Where to?” I ask, shoving as much of the clothing as I can into my backpack.

“Noodles,” Li says at the same time Dominic says, “Tuck Shop.”

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