Now, there was no turning back, and she was finally ready to begin her new life.
Leaving everything she’d ever known behind was scary, but luckily, she hadn’t had to do it alone. Starla’s best friend, Roxy Lucre, had helped her every step of the way. Roxy was a fairy-human hybrid who had grown up spending part of the year with her relatives in the Fairy Realm.
Starla’s parents had been adamantly against their friendship, which had only made her more determined to defy them. They believed that associating with anyone outside of their own kind was an unnecessary risk and a betrayal of their traditional values. Whenever Starla mentioned spending time with Roxy, her parents would express their disapproval, warning her that such connections could only bring trouble or shame to their family. Despite their objections, Starla refused to let their closed-mindedness dictate her choices.
In contrast, Roxy’s family had welcomed her with open arms, offering her an acceptance and warmth she never experienced at home. Whenever Starla visited, she was treated like another member of the family. They invited her to meals, included her in family traditions, and showed her genuine care and support. Roxy’s relatives understood what it felt like to navigate between different worlds, so they valued inclusivity and open-mindedness. Their home became a safe haven for Starla, a place where she didn’t have to hide who she was or worry about being judged for her choices.
It wasn’t easy for her to keep in touch with her friend whenever Roxy’s family returned to their home in the Human Realm, but they created magical mailboxes that allowed them to send letters back and forth between the realms. Since that type of magic was highly restricted, they’d had to keep what they’d made hidden from everyone. That wasn’t a problem since they’d shared countless secrets over the years.
Getting into the magical academy at Trifecta University had been easy for Starla based on her skill level. However, learning how to blend in with the other students was a different matter. Over the past few weeks, Starla had gotten a crash course on how to behave like a human from Roxy and her family while shewaited for her official acceptance letter. She had learned a lot from her friend over the years, but actually being surrounded by humans was a completely new experience for her.
She had been staying with Roxy since she had arrived in the Human Realm, finding comfort and familiarity in the warmth of Roxy’s family and their welcoming home. They wanted her to continue living with them while she was attending school, but she had ultimately turned down their offer. She wanted the full experience of being a student at the university, including living on campus, meeting new people, and embracing every aspect of college life on her own terms.
For Starla, living on campus represented more than just convenience. It was about embracing the adventure and challenges that came with forging her own path and starting a brand-new life. She believed that stepping out of her comfort zone was essential to growing into her new identity as a fairy living in the Human Realm.
It was a shame Roxy couldn’t be her roommate, but she still had another year before she was eligible to attend the magical academy. Still, Roxy’s family lived in Mystic, so they were only a few minutes away. Even if Starla wasn’t staying with them, it was comforting to know they would be close by in case she needed them.
Rather than living alone, she had opted to stay in a dorm room with another first-year supernatural. They each had their own bedroom and bathroom but shared a common area that included a large living room, small kitchen, and a wide balcony. Although Starla had enough money to afford her own place, she thought having a roommate would help her acclimate to campus life more easily.
Trifecta University was known as one of the best schools in the Human Realm. Not only was it a top-tier school in academics and athletics, but the name alone had the ability to open doorsfor future job prospects. Over the last few days, all the first-year supernatural students had gone through magical testing. Those tests had been simple enough, and she had gotten several exemptions from basic required classes. That pleased her since it allowed her to fit some human classes into her schedule.
Like most pixies and fairies, she loved to cook, but she didn’t just depend on her magic to create dishes. She also enjoyed doing it the physical way, using her hands and all her senses, especially when she was creating something new. Cooking schools weren’t really a thing in the Fairy Realm, but Trifecta University had an excellent culinary program that she had gotten accepted into.
Splitting her time between cooking classes and her magical studies would be a little time-consuming, but she was definitely up to the task. She was looking forward to learning from professional chefs and professors, and she couldn’t wait to taste all kinds of new food so she could recreate them and put her own spin on things.
Since magical testing started a few weeks before regular classes began, it gave the new supernatural students a chance to acclimate to the magical academy and get to know one another without the rest of the humans around.
“To celebrate testing being over, we should go to the welcome celebration,” Starla suggested to her new roommate, Jessica.
Jessica Klein was a gifted witch who came from a wealthy family who lived on the East Coast. She was a pretty human with short brown hair and a splash of appealing freckles across her cheeks, though it was a shame she used a masking spell to cover most of them up.
When they had first met, she seemed really shy and standoffish, but she had warmed up once they had started talking and getting to know one another. Jessica had an impressive spellbook collection that took up most of bothbookcases in the common area. She had apologized profusely for taking up so much space, but Starla had assured her that it was fine.
Most of Starla’s fairy magic came naturally to her, so she didn’t require spellbooks. However, she was grateful Jessica offered to let her use whatever books she wanted since she was interested in learning more about how the other races’ magic worked as well. In exchange, she promised to share any samples she got to take home from her culinary classes.
Jessica shot her a skeptical glance. “Do you really want to go to that thing? It’s just going to be a bunch of drunk supernaturals running around acting silly.”
“That sounds like fun!” Starla laughed when Jessica wrinkled her nose. “Come on. It will be a great way for us to meet some other students before classes officially begin.”
At the sound of a knock on the door to their suite, she danced her way over to answer it. Opening the door, she beamed a welcoming smile at the two females who lived across the hall. Lana Darling was a petite demon-witch hybrid who had grown up overseas before her family had moved to the States. She had a high-class British accent and an even more posh sense of style that always had her looking like she’d just stepped off a runway.
Lana’s roommate, Claudia Snow, was her complete opposite. Tall and imposing, Claudia was a snow leopard shifter who had been born and raised in Mystic. She had an intriguing mix of black and white hair that looked like it had been specially highlighted, but it was actually natural. The contrasting shades blended together in a wild, beautiful pattern that gave her a distinctly exotic appearance.
Her hair was just as striking as Starla’s own silver locks, which made her feel better about fitting in. Even though she had been told it was common for humans to dye their hair various colors, seeing someone else with such a unique look madeStarla feel less self-conscious about her own appearance. It was comforting to know that, in this new environment, individuality was celebrated, whether it came from magical heritage or simply personal style.
“So, we going to the party tonight or what?” Claudia asked, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned against the doorframe. Dressed in a pair of black cargo pants with about a dozen pockets, a black crop top, a tan leather jacket, and combat boots, the casual outfit accentuated her perfect physique and made her look like a modern warrior.
Pushing past them, Lana invited herself inside the suite. “I need to approve your outfit choices before I go anywhere with you.”
Claudia just rolled her eyes at that. Although Lana’s words sounded harsh, Starla laughed. She liked the contrasting personalities of her new friends.
“I didn’t bring much with me,” Starla admitted. “But you can just tell me what I should wear, and I should be able to create it.”
“No need,” Lana muttered, circling around her like a shark eying its prey. “I’ve got something that should suit you if you don’t have anything that works.”
For testing earlier, Starla had dressed herself in an oversized sweatshirt with the university’s logo and a pair of black leggings. She’d obviously dressed for comfort more than style, and while it had been warm outside, she wasn’t used to the cold from the air conditioner blasting in each building.
“She’s not kidding. She brought a freaking department store with her, and half the shit still has tags on it,” Claudia announced as she sauntered into the room. She sat down on the couch next to Jessica and threw her leg over the armrest.
