“Good. Here,” he said, handing me a paper folder. I already picked up your schedule. There’s a campus map in there as well and a list of the books you need to get. Some you can download if you prefer digital, but most of them you can’t.”
I took the paper folder and looked at the sheaf of papers inside. I blanched when I saw the course list. I was going to have to study my ass off. Biology I, Biochemistry I, Introduction to Psychology, Calculus I, Latin I, and American Literature filled my schedule. The math was going to be a considerable problem, nevermind the rest of it.
“I’m rusty in math,” I said as he opened the door to enter the main building.
“Then why did you sign up for calculus?”
“My parents picked my courses,” I said. “Just like they picked my schools.” It wasn’t that far off from the truth, after all.
“Oh,” he said, looking at me with sympathy now. “I’m good at math, majoring in architecture,” he said, beaming proudly. His smile lit up his entire face. I thought he looked like an angel before but now he was positively ethereal. I was so busy drinking him in, I almost missed what he said next. “I can tutor you if you want.”
“Yes, please. Things, ah, happened over the summer, and I can barely remember any algebra or anything.” I decided to go for broke. “I was in a bad car accident.”
Shannon stopped walking. “That’s horrible! Did you suffer a head injury?”
That would make a good cover for anything I should know, including any people, I decided. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry, if I’d known that you spent the summer recuperating from that, I’d not have said what I did.”
“It’s okay. It’s not like it’s something to go about broadcasting. I’m sure Ms. Hawthorn thought I’d like things to feel normal, so she didn’t mention it.”
He made a zipper motion over his lips, miming throwing away the key. “I won’t say a word.” His expression darkened. “Probably best to not let it get too much about. Certain assholes would twist it about to make fun of you.”
Right, legacies who acted like assholes. I’d have to watch for them lest they report back to the Family and get me pulled. That would not end well for me at all, that was for sure.
“Right, so this is the main building. Offices are over there,” he pointed as we walked past. “Study halls are down that way. You can book a room to use the computer there; it’s the only way to get to use the internet in this place unless you pay for your data plan and tether to your phone or something. Your internet log in will be listed in your welcome packet shit there.”
We exited out a rear door. Two looming buildings stood on either side of a path. They couldn’t look any more different from the main building if they tried. Long concrete balconies ran the length of the squat eight-story structures. They looked almost like parking garages, to be honest.
“That’s A Wing,” he said, pointing to the left. Then, jutting his thumb at the identical structure on the opposite side, “and that’s B wing. The dorms where we all stay during our delightful sojourn in this educational paradise.”
“She said I was in B Wing.”
“Yep, and I’ll take you there in just a moment. The building right next to B wing is the cafeteria. The bookstore is the one closest to A wing on that side.”
They were in yet a third structural style, one I mentally called sixties office block.
“Now, see that large brick building over there?” he pointed to a two-story brick structure with floor to ceiling windows flanking two sets of double glass doors. “That’s where you go for your math and science classes. And the concrete block building just past it is the Humanities building. You’ll take your Latin and Lit classes there. Oh, and your Psych class. Now that you know how to find your classes, let’s go find your room.”
That sounded like a great idea. So did carrying the map until I was used to finding my way around. While I could easily see the buildings he pointed out, I didn’t see the student hangouts the driver mentioned. A glance at my map showed they were along some footpath that meandered about from behind A Wing and ended at the Prep school’s dorm quad.
My room was another revelation. During my time with the Family thus far, I had not seen opulence like this, not even at Father’s. Then again, Father tried to blend in with what I thought of as average joes. These people came from money. I guess this was their Family’s way of blending in, playing the part of prince and princesses. Given what Father had said, I wondered if one of his brothers was here somewhere, on hand lest he be needed to make a legacy before his or her expected time. I guessed that if and when I needed to know, I’d be informed. They’d given me this fancy-ass phone after all.
I glanced about the space I was to live in while getting my degree, taking in the fact that despite the luxurious furnishings, there were two beds, two dressers, two mirrors, two desks, and two closets. I had a roommate. I didn’t see them, so after thanking Shannon, I closed the door and went to the side of the room where I saw my bags sat on the bed. I began opening the bags and putting them away. Raymond had thought of everything. I had socks, underwear, jeans, shirts, and even three different suits for more formal occasions. I was happy to see that the closet held a nice set of sturdy wooden hangers, though not all of them were empty. Three sets of full uniforms hung there, all of it in my size. Black trousers, medium blue button-downs, and a black blazer edged in the same shade of blue, with the name of the school embroidered under the school crest, which was an ouroboros encircling a piece of parchment and a book. That done, I went to go check out the bathroom.
“Oh, God, who have they stuck me with?” I heard someone say dramatically. I left the bathroom, deciding that it was a bit of a let down with its tiny shower and no tub after the luxury of the bedroom.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi, yourself. Who are you?” the copper headed boy demanded.
“I’m…River,” I said, catching myself before I gave the wrong name.
“River?” he sneered. “Great, I have some fool whose parents couldn’t come up with a real name!”
The blond-haired boy standing next to him snickered. I flushed.
“As I was saying,” I said, drawing myself up haughtily, “I’m River Montgomery.”
