Chapter 17 - The Sleepover

September 4

As fast as the Queen of the Southern Wastes had appeared she was gone. I didn’t get to say anything to her, but before she left, she gave me a sleepy smile and winked. I looked at Filomena puzzled, but she just said she’d explain later.

Groundskeeper gave me a hug that was far too tight, and Ms. Proctor simply smiled, touching my shoulder and welcoming me into their family. To say that I was happy was putting things too simply. What I was feeling was relief, happiness, and nervousness all in one. I wanted to shout from joy, and cry from the relief of being safe. Once more I had a family. It was a strange one, true, but I didn’t care about that. I belonged somewhere again. There was a place that I could permanently call home, and people that were mine.

Groundskeeper took us all out to a nice restaurant and ordered way more than we could possibly eat. By the time the meal was done, I was stuffed to bursting and we all carried home three takeout boxes each. We spent the walk home laughing, and carrying on, and it reminded me so much of the times I’d spent with my parents. I wondered how they were doing wherever they were, and if they were also happy for me.

The next morning, Mailman arrived with hearty congratulations on my adoption and a letter for me. It was bright yellow and had more stickers than was sensible on the front. At first I couldn’t tell who it was from but when I read the card inside inviting me to a sleepover in my new dorm room, I knew it had to be Amy.

I groaned.

The next few days were a whir of making ready for the new school year. Acquiring textbooks, supplies, and getting uniforms made. Apparently, the first one was free, after that you had to have them made. Thankfully, it was something that could be managed quickly through careful application of tailoring magic, because everyone had to go through the same shop for their uniforms.

Finally, the night before my first day of school arrived, and Ms. Proctor and Groundskeeper escorted me to the edge of Den House.

“Good luck, kid!” Groundskeeper said with her signature back slap that was a little too hard even though she meant to hold back.

“Remember if there is anything you need, we’re just across the campus, and we’re happy to help,” Ms. Proctor said, her eyes were slightly teary, as she gave me a hug.

This drew no end of attention from the students around us, even though they were also saying their farewells to their own parents. I guess it makes sense. They were all familiar with Ms. Proctor because of the entrance exam, and here was some kid getting a tearful hug from her. It raises questions. How could it not?

“Oh! Before I forget, we got you this book of furniture circles,” Groundskeeper said, handing me a large hardcover book, “That way you and your friends can do up your room however you like.”

I opened the book to a random page. On one side was a picture of a cozy room with an overstuffed black leather recliner, next to a mahogany side table with a very old-fashioned lamp. On the other, was a label saying the circle below it was for the recliner. It pointed out the runes for color and materials so that you could change them to whatever you wanted by swapping them for runes found on another page.

“Thank you.”

“Eh, I know it’s a bit of an old person thing, but I’m sure you kids can make it cool.”

“I like it.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. You hear that Ms. Proctor, we adopted a nerd.”

“Good, that means she should do well in school.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Alright, get going. It’s not cool to hang out with your folks. You’ll get teased mercilessly.”

I started to walk away.

“Study hard!”

“If you get bored, come back to the cottage and I’ll put you to work.”

Den House was a bustle of frantic activity. Students went to and fro through the common areas and the stairs on the way to the different levels were just as bad. I finally made it to the room, with what felt like the minimum amount of elbows to ribs, and I still had all my stuff. I was then presented with a conundrum- the closed door.

Should I just walk in? What if someone is changing and that’s why the door is closed. Maybe I should knock? Was that awkward? Was waiting in the hall even more awkward?

I looked at Filomena.

“Are we going in?”

“I mean… I think so. Should I knock?”

“It’s probably fine to knock and then open the door if there is no response.”

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I was about to knock when Amy opened the door.

“Max!” she jumped at me hugging me tight, and then pulled me in unceremoniously, “Guys, Max is finally here!”

“We’re not guys,” Sarah said gruffly from a bed on the left side of the room that was absolutely piled with clothing, books, and other things.

“Oh, you know what I mean, silly. Oh, right, our side of the room is over here. You should put your things down. We were just talking about the best way to arrange things.”

“Right. I’ve got this if it helps,” I said, showing them the book Groundskeeper had given me.

“Hey, me too!” Amy said, pulling out an exact copy of the book.

Sarah pulled another out of her pile of things.

Julie shyly held her copy up for everyone to see.

“Oh.”

Filomena snickered quietly behind me.

Sarah had a conflicted expression on her face. Amy looked serious for a split second before her face lit up again.

“Ooh, I know, we should meet each other’s familiars! This,” Amy pulled out what looked like a large fluffy black cat that did not look amused to be held, “is Cinder. She’s a matrem.”

Sarah huffed a long-suffering sigh, but grabbed a long, fuzzy, cream and black weasel looking creature with far more legs than it ought to have. It yawned and curled up in her lap, clearly more interested in sleep than meeting others.

“This is Theophania, she’s a trifeter.”

“This is bao,” Julie said quietly, “She’s a spriteling.”

The creature on Julie’s shoulder was aptly named, it was small and shaped like a little dumpling. If it didn’t clearly have eyes, I would have taken it for some kind of large food item.

“Oh, wow. I’ve heard those can get crazy strong,” Amy said, truly impressed.

It certainly didn’t look very strong, but what did I know? My parents had intentionally kept me far away from the world of hollows, and I always wondered why, but it never seemed the right time to bring it up. I suppose I would never know now. My introspection was interrupted by the realization that everyone was staring at me, and Filomena.

“Um,” I said looking at everyone, “This is Filomena. She’s a fem-”

“I’m sure she could tell us herself,” Sarah interrupted with a scowl.

“I am capable of it, human. I am a femtagh after all,” Filomena said back coldly.

The trifeter in Sarah’s lap opened her mouth as though she were saying something to her, and Sarah listened intently. Nodding at the imperceptible speech.

“Are you sure?” Sarah said.

I looked at the others who were also frowning and listening to their familiars speaking silently. Is that something they could do? Why didn’t Filomena tell me that was possible? What were they saying?

“I apologize for my mistress’ arrogance, Filomena,” Theophania said, after a moment, “She is still young and foolhardy.”

Sarah looked chastised and upset by whatever silent rebuke had just occurred. The other girls were oddly sullen as well. I was completely lost, but Filomena looked unconcerned so it couldn’t be too bad. Right?

“Think nothing of it, dear Theophania. She doesn’t yet know how things work. These children are here to learn that so I am unoffended. Their wisdom will come with age and experience.”

“Your magnanimity proves you are truly worthy of the title Princess.”

Theophania may as well have dropped a bomb on the dorm room. Suddenly everyone was talking all at once, and I was completely lost in it. Even the normally reserved Julie was asking Filomena a stream of questions, hardly waiting for the answer before asking the next. At one point Amy was just jumping all around the barren room screaming the word princess repeatedly.

It took Wilma coming in and telling us to keep the noise down, for everything to calm down. It took another hour after that before I was able to get started on the furniture for my quarter of the room. Filomena and I had decided that a bunk bed was probably the smart move, since we had to fit three people into the space for two.

I put a dresser next to the head of my bed that I could use as a nightstand, and put a little desk lamp there. Amy liked the idea so much, I ended up having to turn it into a double dresser. She mirrored the bunk bed, but hers had a desk underneath for her to study at. I put a little table and chair at the end of my bed for a similar purpose.

This was after a lot of trial and error. We all poured over the books, Sarah making a concerted effort to keep her distance from Filomena and me. There was so much magic filling up the room, and strange furniture being constructed, deconstructed, and shifted. It was a miracle we could breathe with all of that magical sand we produced.

After everyone was unpacked, we each vacuumed our individual areas and ate the snacks that Ms. Proctor had given me. Everyone except Sarah. She sullenly ate her own food in bed away from the rest of us. No amount of coaxing from Amy would change her mind. Eventually, she told us to keep it down, and lay in her bed with her back to us. Theophania curled up beside her.

The rest of us talked about what to expect the next day, but no one seemed to know what would happen. We talked about everything and nothing. Julie slowly got a little more comfortable but she seemed to be nervous around me for some reason. Maybe Filomena intimidated her? One by one we slowly said our goodnights and went to our beds.

I ended up in bed far too late in the night. Even so it was hours before sleep finally claimed me. I was too excited, and nervous, about the upcoming school day. I had no idea what to expect. My mind cringed at every possible thing I had done that evening that was awkward or strange. I wondered if maybe I would have been better off on my own like the one non-binary student from the other day.

I struggled with the fact that I was clearly making Julie nervous, and I’d done something to make Sarah hate me. I didn’t think it was possible for Amy to be truly unhappy, but maybe she was overcompensating and I really didn’t belong here.

These thoughts whirled around my mind, and I tossed and turned. I don’t even know when I finally fell asleep, but I sure remember when I woke up. I was facing an obnoxiously bright pink wall, and had the mother of all headaches. The bell that woke me was loud and brooked no argument that it was time to be awake. My head rebelled at the concept of existing, and made sure that I heard its complaint loud and clear.

When the bell finally stopped, the pain in my head did not. I rolled over and suddenly the pain in my head was the least of my worries.

I was not alone.