Page 8 of Misfit Monsters
A couple of other symbols mark the sides of the badge. One is a swirling line, the other a starburst with six points.
I tap them. “What do these mean?”
“Oh.” Pearl giggles, but the cheerful vibe beaming off her like buttered popcorn dwindles. “That’s to help the staff and other students know what precautions to take. The left side indicates how cooperative or defiant you are. The swirl means we’re not sure yet. The right side tells people how dangerous you might be. The star means you’ve harmed mortals. They can have up to ten points.”
I stare down at the imprint for a few more seconds. If the school’s overseers knew how much more damage I’ve caused beyond the recent incidents they talked about, would they have marked me with all ten?
Pearl chatters merrily onward. “It’s not a big deal here since almost everyone is shadowkind anyway. You want to watch your step around anyone who’s got a ring around their star. That means they’ve hurt shadowkind too.”
At least I can say I don’t think I’ve ever done that.
When I look up again, we’re passing several beings standing in small clusters in the halls. Their gazes slide over me with traces of curiosity, but no one speaks.
I smile at them. Most avert their eyes to go back to talking to their companions.
Well, they don’t know me yet. I’ll show them how cooperative and helpful I can be.
I’ll learn everything I need to undo the damage I caused before.
We head up a flight of stairs. After a few steps, a jolt of pain quivers up from my ankles through my calves.
I suppress my wince, but Pearl catches my discomfort anyway. “Are you all right?”
I nod quickly. “It’s not a big deal. My legs are just a little… weak. Sometimes I get wobbly when I’m in human-like form for a while.”
Her mouth slants with a frown. “It’s policy that students stay human-esque as much as possible, for practice. But if you need to take little breaks in the shadows here and there to look after yourself, that’s totally okay.”
I give her my brightest smile. “I’m sure it’ll be all right. It doesn’t bother me that much.”
Not anywhere near as much as the memories of how my legs got that way, which I’ll keep shut away in the back of my mind.
Pearl doesn’t look totally convinced, but she accepts my answer. “If you need guidance any time, you can look for me or the other board members… Well, maybe Al wouldn’t be the best bet—I don’t know if it’s a vampire thing, but he acts like emotions are cooties he might catch.”
She rolls her eyes.
So the pale man at the table is a vampire? The comment reminds me of another name I never got to attach to a being. “What about Rollick? You were talking about him—who’s he?”
Pearl’s expression turns wistful. “He’s the shadowkind who came up with the idea for this school and got it off the ground. He’s been around for millennia, built up lots of resources to create awesome places like this. So he’s the big boss—all the final calls go through him. But he’s had some other important stuff to deal with, always very busy, so he hasn’t been around much in the past few months.”
I don’t know how long I’ve been in existence—there’s not much sense of time in the shadow realm—but I think my first trek into the mortal world was only a couple of decades ago. What would a thousands-years-old being make of me?
Maybe it’s better I didn’t have to find that out.
As we reach the top of the stairs, she taps her own badge: a simpler one than mine, bronze instead of tin, with a single symbol like a church spire. “You can turn to any of the staff—look for badges like this. It’s better for all of us if you have everything you need to thrive.”
On the second floor, late-afternoon sunlight beams through a series of skylights set in the angled ceiling. The illumination buoys my hopes.
Getting dragged into this school might be the best thing that could have happened to me. If I’d known it existed, I’d have come looking for them instead of the other way around.
They could have just asked nicely instead of throwing me in a cage.
What does that say about the other “reform” students if they did need to be hauled here?
We take a right, and Pearl motions to an arched doorway up ahead. “You’re in the Lugosi dorm.”
“Lugosi?”
“Rollick thinks he’s funny.” She winks at me as if there’s a joke I’ve missed and peeks at her phone. “It looks like you’ve been assigned to room 5. The class schedule will be posted in the common area. Since the day’s almost over, you can get started with your education tomorrow. Take some time to meet your dormmates and settle in.”
