Page 13 of Blood & Betrayals

The shower does wonders for my hangover, and I’m able to function enough to recall a rune to lessen the effects even more.

Runes have always come naturally to me. When I was a child living in the wrong realm, they used to get me into enormous trouble with my caretaker. She would admonish me for anything remotely to do with magic. Most, I was able to conceal, to hidewithin myself, accepting that it was somehow wrong. Yet, it’s always been so potent in my life. They come into my mind when I need them most, and when they’re so clear in my head, it’s difficult to ignore the impulse to draw them. I used to have notebooks and diaries full of them littered around my caretaker’s home, but without a key ingredient, runes are just symbols. They require magic to power them.

I grab a small blade from my toiletry bag and slice my finger. The sting is so familiar to me now that I barely feel it. Something within me always seems to wake at the small bite of pain. I wipe the mirror clear of condensation and then turn my back to it, slowly drawing the swooping rune of hydration onto my left shoulder. The long line curls at both ends and is tied with a sweeping slash across the middle. The rune is so clear to me that I don’t have to watch as I draw it, though I do if only to appreciate how my fingers masterfully glide the blood over my skin.

The rune glows faintly before my skin absorbs the blood, leaving only the shimmer of its shape. I flex my shoulder, and the light catches on the iridescent mark. This is a temporary rune and only lasts a few hours. There are some runes on my body that are much longer lasting, but all of them are the same glittering iridescent shade.

The rune’s effects are immediate, and I can brush my teeth without the fear of vomiting. I walk back to my bedroom and notice that the wardrobe doors have a note attached to them. I pull it off, reading it.

Miss Tuatha De Daanan,

Avalon has a strict uniform policy, and we have provided all you need. Please wear as per the school rules included in your information packet.

Regards,

Ms Dune, School Administrator

I lift an eyebrow, dread filling me at what I might find behind the doors. Will the uniform be ugly? Shapeless? Oh fuck. What if it is brown?

Taking a deep breath, I open the door and am surprised to find it full of immaculate black clothing. Thank the gods. I sift through them, looking at the options, and I am impressed to note that they all seem perfectly tailored to me. It’s probably an enchantment of some kind. I open the jacket, and as I suspected, find the runes embroidered along the hem with blood string. Someone drenched the thread in their blood and then used it to create the runes. Based on the black stitching, it must be a sorcerer.

Embroidered on the left breast of the jacket is the Avalon insignia. This isn’t like the one the tour guide had on her shirt. This is much more akin to what I expected from such a prestigious university. The bordering circle proudly displays the school’s motto,Fear Fire Fury. Within the circle is an intricate-lookingAformed of hard lines and loopy swoops. Beneath is what looks like an unrolled scroll with the wordsTo know is not enoughwritten on it.

I pull out a pleated skirt and a black shirt. The black and silver tie I choose matches the stitches on the skirt and jacket. After I pull on my underwear, I slip the skirt on first and study my reflection in the mirror. It is short, very fucking short, but it’s also the nicest skirt I’ve ever owned in both quality and design. I try the black shirt on and tuck it in, surprised again that it fits so perfectly. Instead of wearing the tie up at my throat, I decide to let it hang midway down my chest. The tailored jacket is cut tight to my form, the decorative silver stitching flickering along the edges.

Alice walks into my room, having opted for a pair of fitted black slacks and a black shirt. She’s not wearing the jacket, but it is hanging over her arm. “I mean, I know why we have to wear them, but… uniforms are weird.”

“Are there any rules about shoes?” I ask, glancing at her.

She shrugs and points to her black boots. “I’m just wearing these.”

I decide to wear something similar for my first day. The skirt is enough, and I do not want to draw more attention to myself by wearing heels. I step in front of the mirror and tilt my head. Something isn’t quite right. I roll the waistband of the skirt, making it even shorter, and then nod at my reflection before pulling on socks and my baseball boots.

“You’re making it shorter?” Alice snorts.

“Why not?” My lips twitch.

As we leave the dorm, it’s clear that news of ourfunlast night has flooded the campus. Several people stop to stare at us, whispering incoherently. People gawking at me is nothing new. At my last school, everyone knew there was something different about me, but it was my non-mortal nature that they suspected there.

“Coffee, please. Large,” I order when we reach the coffee cart in the middle of the quad.

“Make that two,” Alice adds, scrolling through her phone. “Oh, looks like somebody uploaded pictures of the fight last night.”

She turns her phone so I can see a post from an account called@TheOtherTwin. The picture shows me punching the shifter bitch. The look of surprise on her face is incredible.

“Oh, my gods!” I gasp, grabbing her phone to look at it. “I looked so hot last night. You did not hype me up enough.”

Alice snorts and pulls me closer, lifting her phone to take a selfie. I wink in the picture, pouting a little as Alice laughs. Itoccurs to me that I have arrived at a crossroads. I can hide away as I’ve always done or embrace this a little, leaning fully into it. If my time at Avalon is temporary, I may as well enjoy myself, right?

“What are you going to caption it?” I ask, glancing at her phone over her shoulder.

I laugh and grab our coffees from the barista.

“What’s your username? I’ll tag you.”

“Oh. I don’t think I have that,” I say, frowning at her phone. I’ve never heard ofNexusbefore. It looks kind of like the socials from my previous realm, but… more.

“Oh, my fucking gods! You’ve been deprived!” Alice shrieks. “We’re making you one right now.” She grabs my phone and downloads the app before making a profile for me. Her thumbs practically blur as she types out my bio.

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