“Wait–” I say, cutting him off. “Do the dorm rooms each have their own fridges in them?” I hope the accommodations letter didn’t mean it only had a communal fridge.
“Yes, they each have a fridge; it’s not full size but they have one. Don’t worry princess, you don’t have to share with the commoners,” Rune snidely remarks as he turns to walk off, but before he gets more than two steps Marsh yanks him back by his arm so they are toe to toe. He definitely doesn’t want to be here, it seems. I feel both of their magics start to flare up around them. My brother is a hot head most of the time, but especially when it comes to me.
“I don’t care what your damage is, but you will not talk to my sister like that. She just fucking told you she’s a diabetic. She needs a fridge because the medication she is dependent on to live has to be kept in a fridge. I’m sure you can see why having expensive medication in a communal fridge wouldn’t be safe. I suggest you watch how you talk to her from now on.”
Marsh drops his arm and reaches around him to grab my hand. “I think we have it from here; let’s go, Maggie.” He maneuvers us away from Rune and starts leading me down the path toward our dorm. It’s a shame someone so hot has to be such a dick, I think to myself.
Once we are out of earshot of Rune, I glare at my twin. “You really didn’t have to do that, you know. Believe it or not, I can stand up for myself if I want.” Not that he’s ever giving me the chance. That’s one thing I want to change while at college; to be more confident to actually stand up and speak for myself and stop relying on my brother.
He leans over and bumps our shoulders together playfully. “I know sis, but you know you don’t have to. I will always be by your side to stand up and protect you since you are the most important person in my life.”
I nudge him back, grinning. “I love you, dork.”
We are almost to the entrance of Raven Hall when we hear hurried footsteps behind us, causing us to turn. As Rune gets closer, I can see his chest rising from the exertion of catching up to us. When he comes to a stop in front of us, cheeks pink and slightly breathless, he looks properly chastised. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I was wrong for taking my personal biases out on both of you. Most of the students here are entitled, spoiled brats, and quite a few of them love to make life difficult for anyone they don’t find worthy, and I’ve been on the receiving end of their taunts and humiliation on more occasions than I care to remember.” Well, maybe he’s not as much of an ass as I thought. The supe community definitely does have its rich and entitled brats, but there will always be those in the world who see themselves as better than others, regardless of whether or not they have magic abilities.
Marsh and I look at each other and bust out laughing, causing Rune to look at us as though we’ve suddenly lost our minds. Taking a breath, Marsh explains, “We grew up on a farm, in a town that still holds debutante balls, with only one school for kindergarten through 12th grade, and our Pop-pop was the only man of color in town when he moved there to be with our Nana after college. So we were the only kids whose ancestors didn’t come over willingly, then add the fact I was the only openly gay kid and Mags was the only witch with a disability… Catty, bitchy, and spoiled witches are pretty much our specialty.” That’s putting it mildly. I’m so glad none of the kids from home got into this school, too.
Rune steps around us, walking the couple steps to the door, and pulls it open with a sad smile on his face. “I truly hope you mean that, since we’ve had students drop out because it got too hard for them to handle.”
Marsh motions for me to walk through the door ahead of him, and Rune follows me. I pause as we come to a stop in the foyer, noticing that the dorm is beautiful but there is so much white everywhere. The floors are white marble to match the built-in countertops that are in the kitchen to our left, and an oversized, plush-looking, light gray couch to the right with several matching lounge chairs. The room is broken into two by an elevator bay directly across from the main door where Rune stands silently, watching as we take in our new home.
I turn to look at our guide, continuing the conversation. “We’re lucky enough to have something most people don’t.” He stares into my eyes like he’s trying to see into my soul. My whole body feels like it's going to combust. “Each other.”
“I would set the whole world ablaze, everyone else be damned, for her,” Marsh cuts in.
Rune gives us an appraising look, complete with a raised brow and subtle nod. “Good to know. I have a feeling you will need that kind of attitude to survive here.”
None of us speak as we follow him into the elevator where he pushes the button to the second floor. We step off toward the right and follow him down a long hallway. He glances over his shoulder at us as he leads the way. “It probably wasn’t easy to tell from where we came in, but all four of the hallways make a big square. In each house, the grades are separated by floor, and dorm fifteen will be the corner. Those are normally a coveted favorite since they have the most windows overall, and with you being in rooms two and three you’ll have the rooms with the best view.”
We come to a stop in front of the door at the very end of the hallway. Rune turns toward us and gestures at the door expectantly. “The dorms will only unlock for whoever is assigned, remember? One of you will have to open it.”
Marsh smiles at me, “Go ahead Mags, you do the honors.”
As I reach for the doorknob, I can feel the magic from the wards reach out and wrap around my hands; it feels curious yet familiar somehow. I turn the knob and there is a quiet click, so I push the door open and the sight that greets me takes my breath away. The room is decorated in golds, dark greens, and creams, though it definitely has the same ornate and imposing feeling as the rest of the school.
Walking through the door, with Marsh hot on my heels, I make my way to the living room, as if drawn to it by the natural light flooding in from the sliding glass door that offers a gorgeous view of the grounds. The floor throughout the entire suite is dark walnut, only broken by a beautiful red Victorian rug placed under the coffee table, and a plush-looking emerald green sectional sitting across from the fireplace, facing a large TV hanging above the mantel. The walls have a dark racing green wallpaper with beautiful gold details. The curtains are a light cream with a subtle damask pattern in swirling greens and reds. You’d think it would look like Christmas threw up in here, but with all the little features, it feels more like we walked into an old castle.
“Wow, this place is stunning. Do all the rooms look like this?” I ask Rune, practically speechless.
“Yes, all the dorms have the same gothic feel to them as the rest of campus. Obviously, each room has different color palettes. My dorm–which is right above, but a few floors up, this actually–is lighter, with more creams and whites. This school spared no expense when making sure all their rich students were happy.”
Marsh barks out a laugh. “Well, we are grateful for that! This is amazing. Let's check out our rooms.” He starts whizzing around our suite as though he were a hummingbird.
Turning around, I see Rune still standing in the doorway. “Are you coming in?”
“No, that’s alright. I’ll let you get settled. Dinner will be in the dining hall at five. If you go back to Manor Hall through the door we came out of, and take a left the dining hall is there. Your bags should already be in your rooms and anything you sent ahead would have been transported here as well.”
“Magnolia! You have to come look at our rooms!” I turn towards my brother's voice but when I glance back to the door a moment later, Rune is already gone.Well, okay then, I guess that conversation is done.
Shutting it with a shrug at our tour guide’s odd behavior, I follow the beating and banging around the corner to the right, where there are two dark doors that nearly match the floors. The one on the right is open, and I can see Marsh looking around excitedly, but the other is closed with a gold ‘3’ on it, so that must be mine. Opening the door, I’m even more blown away than I was by the living room. The wall across from me seems almost like nothing but windows; taking another step into the room, I can see that it’s actually full-length windows on either side of a sliding glass door that seems to lead to a personal balcony separate from the one off the living room. There is a corner deskunit and a TV on the wall directly to my left, and the wall to my right has two huge bay windows on either side of a four-poster queen-sized bed perfectly situated to lay back and relax while watching my favorite shows. The dark wood theme of the space is broken up by a beautiful emerald green rug that matches the couch in the living room, and the wallpaper that seems to be the same as well. The bay windows both have built-in seating that look just as comfortable as the bed.Those will be amazing to curl up and read in.On the sides of the bay windows are built-in bookshelves that make up both corners. The wall across from the balcony has two doors, so I start with the closest one.
Opening it, I reveal a stunning bathroom. A pocket door on my right leads to what can’t even be called a powder room, since it only contains a toilet.After eighteen years, I’m so glad I don’t have to share a toilet with my brother anymore.Just past the water closet is a nook on my right that seems to be set up for linen storage, and from the sounds coming from behind the door in front of me, I’m guessing that Marsh’s bedroom is on the other side. I make my way past two cutouts on either side of the Jack-and-Jill style doors, and am once again speechless at the sight that greets me.
On the wall adjacent to my bedroom there is a beautiful frosted glass shower with sleek gold hardware and a waterfall showerhead. On the wall against Marsh’s bedroom is an amazing soaking tub that looks like it has jacuzzi-style pressure jets. Between them, a long marble countertop with dual sinks and gold accents is separated by a vanity area. I see Marsh walk up behind me in the swivel mirrors mounted in the counter behind both sinks. It looks like they move multiple directions, able to angle from behind the sinks to the little vanity area that has two little stools tucked underneath. The bathroom seems more modern in decor than the rest of the suite, done in crisp whites, with accentuating blues, and contrasting shining golds. It goesperfectly with the ocean views I can see in the picture window behind the counter.
Going back into my room with Marsh following me, I slide open the last mystery door to discover a walk-in closet containing built-in shelves, plenty of racks to hang my nicer things, and even a spot designated for shoes. Thankfully, I also see all of my luggage and boxes stacked along the wall to one side.
“This place is stunning Mags, it’s definitely a far cry from staring at the Gulf or a swamp.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder and I relax into him.
