Page 20 of Spelling Disaster

The sun is way too bright when I step outside, tickling my skin and tugging hair loose from my ponytail.Take a beat. I have to stop for a breath, a moment to myself before I have to dive into life in this place.

What is it going to be like to have a roommate? And why doesn’t the resident adviser live in the dorm with me? Maybe she handles all first years. I have no idea how these things work.

I’ve been specially trained since birth to step into the cast of Clerics, which leaves me little better than a hermit in this case. I have no idea how to react. This is so outside of my scope it’s enough to give me palpitations.

Except I’m wasting time.

White knuckled, I lug my suitcase into the dorm building with the copper weathervane on top. The front door is painted yellow and stands out against the black shingles and shutters. One of the taller buildings, too. I find my Resident Advisor on floor two, exactly where the woman in the registration office told me she would be.

Amy.

She squeals when she sees me and wraps her arms around my shoulders with enough force to make me drop my luggage.

“I know I speak for everyone when I say we’re really happy to have you, Yasmine,” she says against my ear. “You’re going to love it here.”

“So everyone keeps telling me,” I reply.

She slings her arm over my shoulder like we’re best friends. “It’s true, though. It’s basically a fairytale. Where are you from? Why are you so late in the semester?”

What might have been nice is being briefed on the ride here, not on what to keep secret, but on what lies to say instead.

I offer Amy a few flimsy pieces of information which she seems to accept.

“It seems to me like you’re starting over,” she says. “And in my personal opinion, this is the best place to start over. People here are sweet and really sympathetic. A lot of other students have come from pretty bad backgrounds, too.”

Several things stand out immediately about Amy: she’s perky and forever optimistic. She’s the kind of person who can find the silver lining no matter how bleak the situation.

Her black hair is cut short and sharp around her chin. Sky-blue eyes dominate her face, and her lips are a cupid’s bow slicked with something shiny. “The dorms are assigned based on a witch’s top five talents and strengths,” she tells me, beckoning me into her room. “There’s no separation by years, only skills. Where your strengths lie and whatnot. As such, you’ve been sent to live in a dorm with others like you.”

With nowhere else to go, I follow her inside and she points to her bed. Flower print in bright pastel colors.

I should have guessed.

I gingerly sit on a corner of her mattress as she continues with, “The hope is that, by grouping young witches together, their talents will grow. You should try to make friends. You know, among the other students like you.”

“I’m not even sure what my talents are,” I say, squirming. “This is all super new to me.”

And I have to be as bland as possible. Amy seems like a really nice person but trusting her is a mistake.

Trusting anyone, at this point, is a mistake.

“You’ll learn.” She sounds so sure. “There are five main houses on campus. Otherwise known as ADZEX.” She says the acronym as one singular word and with a sing-song tone. Then proceeds to tick them off on her fingers. “There’s Alchemy and Astrology. Divination. Zeitgeist. Elementa, and Unknown.”

Said fingers wiggle on the last word. The mystery dorm for the misfits who don’t fit in, I take it.

“They’re all based on occult terms. You see?” she says with a toothy smile. “Unknown is symbolized by an X. There aren’t as many students there as you might think so it’s one of the smaller residences on campus.”

“That’s where I’m going. Isn’t it?” I haven’t even looked at my paperwork yet.

Amy nods. “Since you haven’t been tested then that’s where you’ll go until you are. Come on. I’ll show you the way.”

I blink at her. “Is this place one of the dorms?” I ask.

“No, no, this is where the staff stay. I’m the resident adviser so I need my own place for things along with the rest of us. There aren’t many but half of the building is used for offices and the other residences! You dig?” The finger wiggling stays in place. “Grab your suitcase, Yas. You don’t mind if I call youYas, do you? I’ll show you where you’re going to be staying.”

I follow her out into the open air like a lost puppy with my feet aching from all the walking I’ve done around campus already.

“Usually the testing takes place on the first day, right after registration. I’m sure they’ll have you scheduled in the next week or so. If you don’t hear anything, then let me know and I’ll get it set up for you.” Amy continues to point out each of the lovely buildings along the way to my dorm. Her chipper voice is the perfect cadence for storytelling. Especially to children. She doesn’t look like a witch, either. She looks like she belongs in a kid show talking to puppets or something.

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