It was about an hour before classes were to start, and I was really a little giddy. A knock on the door as I was mid way through putting on my new uniform distracted me from my review of all the notes I’d gone through today day. I poked my head out and… BAM! There was Krys! Nose to nose, eye to eye, and just a twitch away from a kiss. Good grief my mind is smutty… but those beautiful lips… NO! Pull yourself together Lauren!

“Are you thinking about kissing me? Silly Lauren, you’re SOOOOOO predictable. And your boobs are hanging out of your shirt.” She said as she poked my exposed stomach.

I hurriedly finished buttoning my blouse and tied my bowtie. Stepping out of the room, I noticed Val was still asleep. I looked between her and Krys, questioning my duty. The look on my face must have been mirroring my internal strife. Krys yanked my out and closed the door. I was going to ask the burning question, but she stopped me and yanked me onward.

“You don’t want to wake her, she’ll get to classes on time. She’s not a daytime person… not even when there’s cake!” Krys explained excitedly.

“Ok… Well that answers that question.”

“Did Val try to spook you about me when you first got here? She’s silly like that, trying to scare people she's just met.”

"I don't think she tried to scare me..."

Needless to say, I was still a little lost on campus. So maybe it was a good thing I let Krys drag me along behind her, I mean with the uniforms we are issued, the view was not half bad. Her seemly legs filling out ever so wonderfully her thigh high socks, her skirt leaving just enough of an air of mystery about her choice of pantaloons… ah the things a mind could imagine. The images would have kept going had we not come to an abrupt stop. I snapped quickly out of my dream world and began looking about for the reason we had stopped.

“Lori, I need you to remain quiet for a moment. We’re about to pass through bee territory, and they are none too friendly. Just let me talk and we should be just fine.” Krys said quietly, her eyes focusing very coldly on a girl a little ways off.

The girl who Krys was glaring at stood dead center of a pack of students in the middle of an open courtyard. She had black hair with golden highlights, her nails were done in gold and obsidian, and her hosiery was done in the same colors. Queen bee might have been a figurative title if she had dressed any differently, but this was taking the concept to a whole new level. I gave a sideways glance to Krys for some context.

“Her name is Khani Honey-Guide, she has all the buzz. Don’t get her or the drones started.” She hissed as we began our attempt to go around this group.

“Oh Kryssia. My how good it is to see you. Is that another lost girl you plan to lead to the mines until she gets too greedy? Or are we hoping to protect her from the mean outside world?” Khani said, her voice so snobbish and irritating. The holier than thou act made me furious.

Krys, for all she was worth, just dragged me along until we were out of earshot. She then stopped for a moment to breathe deeply.

“Why did you let the little skank talk to you like that?” I asked, my temper getting the better of me.

Krys looked at me and smiled, “She will get what she deserves. Right now I have more important things to deal with.”

Then she looked like I did when I remembered something important I had forgotten to do and she rummaged around in her bag. Eventually she pulled out two loaves of still warm bread that smelled of honey and passed me one.

“I almost forgot to give you that. It’s my go to breakfast, and I always like to share one with people I meet. Now we have to hurry, professor Yuki is never happy to have late students.” She exclaimed all this, grabbed my arm again, shoved her loaf of bread in her mouth, and began again dragging me along at a breakneck pace.

We made first period with minutes to spare, and we brushed through second period as if it was nothing. I was then given directions to the remaining classes I had for the day when Krys and I had to split up.

It took a while for me to locate my third class, and when I managed to stumble in I was able to just barely find a seat in the back of the room. The girl next to me had light mocha skin, her hair was braided to mid-shoulder, and she had a more robust figure than most other women I had met so far. She looked at me for a moment, the way you might imagine a lizard looks at a new being in its territory. Then, apparently pleased with her cursory evaluation, she extended her hand to me.

“Hi, I’m Shuri. You must be the new girl I’ve heard so much about.” Her smile seemed almost predatory, but not in a bad sense.

“I’m Lauren.” I mumbled, reaching for her hand. It was somewhat dry, a little flaky, like she hadn’t used any moisturizer in ages and it was cold outside for a decade.

I think she saw my look of discomfort because she got a little red in the face and apologized for how her hands felt. She claimed she had a genetic disorder that caused extreme dryness and scaling. She then pulled out a bottle of lotion and rubbed it into her hands. She was kind of cute when she got all red in the face like that.

As it turned out, Shuri and I had most of my remaining classes together. She and I met up with Krys after last period, just in time to catch Val getting herself some sustenance before jetting off to class. All in all, I called it a successful day.

I returned to my room after chatting with Krys and Shuri for a bit and dug out my assignments for the evening… well I guess early morning is more accurate. Today was a grand adventure, but having classes start at 4 in the afternoon makes the average day seem to end fairly early. Each class has about an hour and a half of lecture and a half hour of study. This was why I was glad my books had shown up a few hours before I left the dorm, it gave me time to look over what I had missed.

I recalled Val telling me that there was a personal desktop in the desk I had been given, and that there was a laptop as well. I went over to my desk and popped the roll top open. Staring at me from its place on the violetta surface of the desk was a highly compact desktop with a 24” screen. Booting on the little guy I was greeted with an unfamiliar home desktop. The operating system on the computer looked as though it was made from scratch, but was so impressive that I questioned why it wasn’t out in the rest of the world.

It took me a little bit of mucking about, but I eventually got the hang of the system. I opened my internet browser, which I was pleased to discover was similar to what I was used to. The whole set up process took about an hour, and I was able to sync my preferences to the laptop in just a few easy minutes. It also seemed as though I had some emails to go through in the school issued mailbox.

One particular email caught my eye.

Miss Sidhe,

I do hope this email finds you in a more suitable shape than you were in last we met. I understand perfectly how tiring it can be moving to a new place, and I do apologize should my actions the other evening have bothered you. I just wish you to know that I will be keeping an eye on you until such a time as you prove yourself not to be an embarrassment to the name Avalon Girl’s Academy.

You will find attached to this email a map directing you to my office as head girl. I will do my very best to be present should you, or any other student really, need my aid. I’m also happy to sit down for a heart to heart should the need arise or should you ever question your way in our prestigious academic life.

I would also like to extend at this time an invitation to tea come this Saturday afternoon. As I doubt you will have joined any extra-curricular clubs or any extended courses, this should give you a chance to inquire about them, and I would be only to pleased to set up an introduction to one of the many fine activities we host regularly.

Looking ever so forward to your reply,

Fiann Bás

Head Girl, Avalon Girl’s Academy

Well that seems like a fun time… not. I’m going to make a total fool out of myself if nobody is there to keep me in check. Let’s see what Val says when she sneaks back in.

It was another few hours before my roommate popped her withdrawn head in the room again. She seemed more pale than she had earlier, and that was saying something. So I did what any good Samaritan would, I offered to make soup! The immediate rejection was a little stinging, but the offer to go out to the café was able to minimize it.

We sat in the shadiest corner, munching away on today’s specialty: Stroganoff with diced carrots, paired with Italian soda and for desert there was a cupcake. All in all, if I get nothing else out of this adventure in schooling, the food so far has been amazing. I waited a few minutes before I decided it was safe to bring up the email.

“So… does the head girl have to meet with all late transfers?” I asked.

Val looked up at me and shook her head. As her mouth was kind of full, I was relying on visual cues to continue.

“I may have gotten an email specifically asking that I attend a tea with her… and I think I’m going to make a dunce of myself.” I muttered just loud enough for Val to hear.

Val cracked a smile, her complexion seeming to get a little more color. She finished her smaller portion of this evening’s meal and cleared her throat.

“You know, it’s almost too cute watching you get flustered.” She gently teased as she dabbed at the stray splashes of sauce around her mouth.

I simply pouted at her more than a little correct insinuation.

“Why don’t you simply email her back and see about bringing a guest? I’m sure Kryssia would be ecstatic to play intermediary should your mouth… go slack.”

I hadn’t even really thought about that. I mean it was a brushed topic when I began panicking, but it got somewhat swept under the rug. But taking Krys along might be a little less than ideal. But I had a few days to plan things out, so there was no rush.

We went back to our dorm for the evening just as the sun began to rise. Val flopped down on her bed in a most unceremonious manner, her skirt flipping up just enough to catch a glimpse of the promised land.

“Quit looking at my butt and go to bed.” I heard her mutter from the safety of her duvet.

I spent a little longer gazing forlornly at her form spread out on the bed before I crawled into my own. It had been a pretty rough day, so I figured tucking in early was a wise decision.

The next thing I knew, I was wandering down a cavern. Small cutouts in the ceiling cast pale moonlight across my path, scattering shadows of trees about the walls. I walked for what seemed an eternity, eventually I reached a large opening, the heart of the cave. The path I was on was narrowly spanning half of the diameter of the room, the rest of the cavern was empty space and blackness. There, at the end of the walkway, was a tomb of chiseled rock.

Some compulsion pulled me further towards it. My feet moving as if they had a will of their own, and my eyes taking in the name of the occupant upon finally reaching the stone casket: Valerica Dalca

My hands reached for the cover, feverishly I worked the top of the stone to move. With all my strength I shoved the cover aside, casting my gaze on the inhabitant. My pale and beautiful roommate, her face horrifically altered. Her arms reaching out as though to grasp someone by the shoulders, her countenance a mask of rage and fear, fangs protruding from her open mouth. Pain and betrayal echoing in her eyes, and in her chest is a wooden stake.

I hear a scream echo throughout the cavern and then-

*beep-beep-beep-beep*

The sound of the alarm, my signal to return to the world of the waking, shattering the dream I had become so engrossed in.