Brixton is the last to answer. “Of course not,” he says with a wink. “It’s good to have someone from Furycliff here in our little troop.”
“You’re from Furycliff too?” Holly asks me. “You guys didn’t even act like you knew each other. Didn’t you go to the same school?”
“Oh, we did,” I say, staring at my hands. “We just ran in different friend groups. We were in the same test group, though. Brixton was…”
Just at the mention of it, Brixton shakes his head minutely, side to side.
Interesting.He doesn’t want them to know he has a high-power level too.
“Brixton was thrilled when he made it into the academy,” I say instead.
He nods in agreement. “We didn’t run in different groups. You just never separated from that one mousy girl and her brother. You never wanted to hang out with anyone else.”
“Okay, Brixton James, first, Sadie is not mousy, and second, you know everyone avoided me like a leper when my sin never manifested.”
He looks a little sheepish after that remark. “Well, we should run in the same group now. This is my roommate, Sly.”
“And he also might happen to be my super hot boyfriend,” Holly interjects with a devious grin at Sly. “We’re both from Scarhold.”
“Sup, Sinless.” Sly nods at me. He’s tall and lean with shaggy blond hair and a ring through his lip.
“Wow, both you and your boyfriend got into the academy. That’s really lucky,” I reply, nodding my hello back at Sly.
“Yeah, I mean, we both developed our sin powers young, so we expected it, but you just never know,” Holly says.
“And this is Tabby and Cleo. They’re roommates from Gluttony. We met them the day before yesterday. Tabby gets around. She keeps us entertained.” My roomie blurts out like she hasn’t just insulted poor Tabby in front of us all.
I dart my gaze to see Tabby’s reaction. She has long, glossy black hair and thick lips. She’s gorgeous.
I’d hate to have to mess up her pretty face if we start throwing punches.
Thankfully, Tabby doesn’t look too worried. She just shrugs. “Have you seen the boys from Lust? What’s the point in having only four years to mingle amongst the factions if you’re not going to use them to indulge in the best sex of your life?”
“You’re incorrigible,” Cleo mutters, covering her face with her hand. Her roommate Cleo looks like a similar, nerdier version of Tabby with cropped shoulder length hair and glasses. “Who says you’re going to get four years to mingle amongst the factions? You might find the love of your life at the bond ceremony.”
“And be stuck with one dick for the rest of my life?” Tabby scoffs in response. “No, thank you.”
That’s right; the bond ceremony is this afternoon. I glance at Holly, and she has a wrinkle on her brow. Sly does too as he looks away from the table. Bond ceremonies are very stressful for couples that aren’t bonded. It wouldn’t be the first time a relationship was ruined when one individual from the couple found their bond. Since they grew up in the same city, someone likely already tested them for each other.
“Where did you two grow up in Gluttony?” I ask, changing the subject.
“I grew up in Feastwell,” Tabby responds. “Cleo is from Plethora.”
“Wow, Plethora is like the entertainment center of Vail,” I reply, looking at Cleo. “You must’ve had the funnest childhood ever.”
“Not really. The entertainment isn’t exactly child-friendly, and the Mafia completely runs the town. Your level of comfort is determined by how well your connections are to the mob and its inner circle.”
“But you’re at the academy, so your family must have some mafia ties?” I point out.
“Maybe,” she says, pushing her glasses up her nose, “but they’re not high level or anything. I did well in school, and I loved computers and coding. So, I taught myself to hack. It got the attention of my teachers, and I guess some higher-ups liked my work, so here I am.”
“Wow, so you’re here to train to join the mafia?” I ask her, intrigued. I do not see this little nerdy girl in the mafia. She is short, like really short. Her glasses are too big for her face, and she keeps having to push them up her nose. She is pale, with not a tattoo or bruise in sight.
“Aren’t mafia people supposed to be big and scary?” My very direct, no-filter roomie asks…I guess I was also wondering.
We’re interrupted before she can respond.
“Well, well… what do we have here?” I hear a woman’s voice behind me.
