And suddenly all my wonder and awe came crashing down upon me as Auwei’s words sank in.
They don’t much like new-bloods…
… you’ll probably face more like her.
That is something that hasn’t much changed over my nine lifetimes…
I had thought myself invincible now that I was Chosen, but I was starting to see, this was still only the very beginning of a long journey. I blinked a few times as this realization settled on me. But then…
Oooohhhh! Auwei said as if shivering.I felt that.
I’d felt it too, a hardening in my stomach, a core of resolve and rededication to my goals: True-Bonded, then Noble, then… maybe even someday… queen? I gave a hard, grim smile.
That, that right there. That’s why I Chose you, Birch. And… oh!
I looked over at Auwei, who was hovering just above my right shoulder. At that moment she was descending and tiny tendrils seemed to be sprouting from her. She settled on my shoulder and a moment later those thin tendrils formed into legs; eight legs. A tiny cream-yellow glowing ball, with eight legs. Two over-large eyes appeared on the orb as well, blinking.
Auwei laughed.You have Chosen our shape, Birch. We’re—
No, please don’t say what I think you’re about to say.
—A spider.
Bloody bones! A spider? Really?I was certain that wasn’t going to go over so well with the other girls.
Spirits of the Mists!This was going to be a long three months.
I squared my shoulders, drew in a long breath, then headed for the admitting woman.
“Name,” she barked, voice level and cold, as I drew up before her. She hadn’t even looked at me.
“Birch.”
She flipped through her lists and used a wrapped piece of charcoal to check off a spot. “Primary dorm, room seventeen.” She pointed, looked back toward the dorm. “You can go in that door there. Your room will be near the end of the hall on the left.” Only then did her head swing back and look at me.
“Spirits Within! What is that?” She shrieked eyes going wide, pointing at Auwei.
She seemed to realize what she was seeing as I said the words: “That’s my Lumani.”
The woman blinked. “You’ve Chosen your avatar already?” She seemed an odd combination of astounded and disgusted. She gave a shiver.
I stood there a moment longer, wondering if there was more before she said, “Shoo, go! You know your room number, everything you need will be there.” As I moved away, I caught her muttering, “Some young women these days! A spider? Truly?”
Ahead of me, Cedar and River had paused at the lady’s outburst, then turned to each other and hurried ahead to the dorm. I had no desire to join them, so I made my way slowly, trying to savor and enjoy these first moments at Silverveil… and failing miserably.
I entered the dorm, through a door at the end. Dove had mentioned that each Chosen got their own room. She’d been a bit stunned and surprised at that, seeing as she and I had shared a room for as long as I’d been with the Clark family. The doors down the left side of the hall had odd numbers starting with one, and on the right side were even numbers starting with two. I looked ahead down the hall and caught Cedar and River giggling as they came out of a room, which — I couldn’t quite tell from this distance — I thought was mine. They looked down the hall at me.
“Ooops!” Cedar called out to me. “Wrong room!” They were hiding something from me. Had they taken something from my room?
There isn’t much to take, Auwei said.But those two certainly seem like they’re up to no good.
I hurried down the hall as they moved away and exited the far end of the dorm. If Dove’s letters were any indication, there would be a girl’s common room at that end of the dorm with doors from this dorm and the secondary dorm, as well as a door leading outside. I didn’t want to chase the girls, so I just went into my room to see what they might have done.
I didn’t see anything out of place and sighed.
Hmmm, Auwei hummed softly.I think I know what those girls did.
“Oh?” I moved in. The room was narrow with a good-sized window on the far side. I was on the south side of the building, so lots of sunlight streamed in. A bed stood with its head against the far wall and its side against the right wall. Between the foot of the bed and the wall with the door was a large cabinet on the right-hand wall. A chair was tucked into a void at the bottom of one side of the cabinet. The cupboard doors were odd. There was a long door, the full height of the cabinet on the left side. Next to that were two cupboard doors up top, an open desk-like area in the middle then the void with the chair below that.
