Orrin begged off as tired, getting Wren to show him to the dorms. She’d waived off his attempt to pay for the Mana Signatures class, scribbling the exemption next to his name in the registrar’s book. Someone would come looking for the extra money, she assured him.

With the prices people paid for this school, Orrin was pleasantly surprised to find room and board was included with the price of one class. Wren led him up three flights of stairs, pointing out different hallways to classes, a dining hall and kitchen, teachers’ offices, and the library on different floors. The top floor was dorms. They walked down multiple hallways, each with a board of names that Orrin didn’t have time to read. Nearing the end of the hallway, Wren stopped before one that wasn’t filled.

“Write your name here and slide the nameplate into any open spot. It will key the corresponding door to your mana. Nobody can enter your room without your permission,” Wren handed him a piece of chalk. “Of course, you can pull someone into your room. We don’t have rules against it but it’s better not to get involved with other students. It never ends well.”

Orrin felt the exhaustion of his day hit him as he started to write his own name. A quick flourish changed the O into a C. “Anywhere is fine?”

The board had twenty spots and over half were taken. He peered down the dimly lit hallway. Ten doors on either side and a dead end. He considered taking the room at the very end of the hall. That’s what Orrin would have done. Do his best to avoid the group and try to study. Make sure to socialize the absolute bare minimum.

“Most of the rooms fill up quickly. You’re lucky we have a smaller class this semester or you might have had to stay off campus. Don’t worry if you don’t get a room next semester. When a student drops out or dies, the empty dorm room goes up for grabs.”

“Die?”

“That hasn’t happened in years,” Wren assured him.

He groaned internally as he put his nameplate into the next open spot. Casimir would be rooming next to Ellis Glevrasker, whoever that was. A quick scan of the names showed none of his targets were on this floor.

“How will I know when and where my classes are tomorrow?” Orrin asked, hoisting the small satchel back up on his shoulder. He wanted to be away from Wren and her enthused teaching but had yet to see anyone else in the school. The rain was still pattering away at the nearby windows, but the darkness outside and his exhaustion made him think it was late at night. “Or later today?”

“It’s still before midnight.” Wren readjusted the stray nameplates on the table under the listed names. “We’ll have orientation in the morning before breakfast. You’ll receive your schedule then. I’ll spoil you and tell you that our first class will be on the third day of classes. I look forward to seeing what you can do.”

Orrin smiled politely and tried to escape. “I’ll see you then. Thanks for all the help.”

“If you have questions, feel free to stop by my classroom. You remember how to get there?”

Orrin didn’t but was sure he could find his way back using [Map]. “Of course, I do,” he lied.

When the door was shut behind him, he slumped against the wall. If Professor Wren was any hint of what was to come, Orrin’s social batteries were going to be wiped out each day. He studied his new living quarters.

A step up from the dungeon but not as nice as Anabella’s house.

A desk was positioned under the single window in the room. Orrin glanced out the glass before he untied the drapes and covered the window from anyone looking up from outside. From what he’d been able to gather, the entire school was situated in a long rectangle, with a large courtyard of grass outside his window. He was on the northern side of the building, so his window wouldn’t get much natural light but he’d be able to see the full run of the interior yard.

The bed was twin-sized but with nice sheets and a pillow that rivaled anything he’d used recently. A small chest of drawers by the foot of the bed was the final piece of furniture. Against the wall above the bed was a shadow left behind from a removed frame. The nail still hung and Orrin could make out the dimensions of whatever had been there before. The yellow paint of the walls was slightly brighter where the artwork had hung.

He really needed to plan a bit more. He had only let Wren coerce him into her class because Finley was in it as well. Anabella thought he needed more facetime with him, as she’d mentioned he might be the hardest to get close to. Rhys was younger and thus according to her logic, easier to manipulate. Maeve was socially awkward and would be elated to be the center of attention.

Orrin was beginning to seriously doubt Anabella’s theories. The descriptions of the classes available here, which he’d been reading over, were things he hadn’t even begun to discover in the books he’d read in Dey. Even the beginner classes had made mention of spell mechanics that Orrin was unsure of.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

I have 26 days to figure it out. Learning is secondary here. I need to play Anabella as long as possible and figure out a way to get close to Rhys, Maeve, and Finley without getting too friendly. If it comes down to it, I’ll let Anabella take over this stupid country. As long as she keeps her promise and gets me back to Dey. Orrin tossed his satchel with all his provisions on the floor. Of course, if you want to move a little faster and save me before that, D, I wouldn’t complain.

With a sigh, Orrin grabbed the relic from the bag and jotted his required nightly note to Anabella, letting her know he’d arrived and convinced Wren to let him into Mana Signatures with Finley. Orrin wanted to ask about Daniel’s attempted rescue but didn’t want to tip her off that he knew. He tapped the stylus against his lip as he thought of how to word the question. He ended up simply signing the end with “I hope everyone is well” and gave up trying to be clever.

He made the mistake of writing all this in bed and by the time he finished, he was half-asleep. Orrin dropped the relic book on the floor and was out within minutes.

“Well done. I have sent an extra 200 gold to make up the difference. You may keep the remainder for class essentials. Let me know if more is required. Trespassers retreated once you escaped. No casualties.”

Orrin woke to the sound of doors opening and shutting down the hall. When he threw his legs off the bed, he’d almost stepped on the relic. Orrin frowned at the frustrating message in the Twin Book of Sending. He hadn’t been worried about the price, as Anabella had told him she’d pay the difference but it still irked him she didn’t care.

“I think I deserve more than a ‘well done’ for bypassing an entire class,” he muttered. He didn’t know if it was common to be able to skip a prerequisite but as his mysterious grandmother hadn’t mentioned it as a possibility, he’d assumed she would be impressed more than she apparently was.

A knock on the door interrupted his dark mood. I need coffee.

“Is there someone in there? We have ten minutes to get to orientation,” the male voice cracked on the last word. “Orientation,” the boy repeated in a lower voice. “Hey, are you sure there’s someone in this room?”

Orrin tucked the magical book into his storage skill and rubbed his hair down as he walked to the door. “Sorry, I got in late. I’ll be—”

As Orrin opened the door, the boy on the other side fell back a step with wide eyes. Orrin instantly crouched and turned, ready for an attack.

“What…” Nothing was behind him.

“So—Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” The kid, because Orrin couldn’t really call him a man, was looking at the ground. He was younger than Orrin by a couple of years at least. “My name is Ellis. Ellis Glevrasker. I’m in the room next to yours.”

“You looked like you saw a monster attacking,” Orrin joked. “I thought I was dead before classes started. I’m… Casimir. Nice to meet you.”

Orrin held out his hand, which the youngster took in both his own. He was getting the weirdest vibe from Ellis and couldn’t put a finger on it.

“It’s nice to meet you, Casimir. Did you arrive last night? I thought I was the last one to get here and pick a room the other day. Have you settled alright? If you need anything, let me know. I was going to head on down, but I can wait for you if you want. It’s not a bother at all.” Ellis still had Orrin’s hand between his as he sputtered out his words.

Orrin wished the dorm room had a mirror because Ellis was nervous. Did Anabella’s [Glamour] mess up while I slept or something? Did I grow horns?

Orrin pulled his hand back gently and rubbed his fingers through his hair again. No horns.

“I-if you’re not ready right now, I can save you a seat at orientation?”

Orrin put the problem away for later. “Yes, please. I just woke up and should put on something that doesn’t smell,” he said, pulling his collar up to sniff at it in an exaggerated fashion. “Do you know if they’ll have coffee at orientation or even just breakfast?”

Ellis practically jumped. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out. I’ll get you some.”

“Wait, you don’t…” He was too late. Ellis had fled. “Is it my breath?”

Orrin changed into one of the outfits packed for him, a black silk shirt with the slightest ruffle around the collar and black pants with a strip of green on the side. It wasn’t exactly Orrin’s style but he noticed a lot of people shooting him glances as he made his way with the other stragglers down the stairs. An auditorium was situated on the western side of the campus. Orrin found Ellis waving from a row near the back, a cup gripped tightly in his other hand.

He made his way to the boy and smiled. “Thanks, Ellis. I needed this.”

Ellis smiled wide back at him as he took the coffee. A groan of enjoyment slipped out at the first sip.

“I didn’t know if you’d want cream or sugar so I brought both.” Ellis moved his books, pens, and two small containers from one of the seats. “You can sit here and then you can take what you want.”

Orrin pointed at the mug. “Perfect as it is. Scoot over.”

The two sat down. Orrin noticed more glances his way as the room began to fill. “Ellis, this is my first semester here. Do I have something in my teeth? People keep staring at me.”

Ellis was trying to balance the milk and sugar containers on his books, which were barely staying on his folded knees. He didn’t look at Orrin as he responded. “It’s my first semester, too! Uhm… I didn’t notice anything in your teeth.”

Orrin grabbed the milk before it fell and put it under his own chair. “Weird.”

Wren entered the room and slapped the podium at the front with her knuckles. “Sit down. Hurry up.” She waited until the last person entered behind her and gestured toward the open door. “Professor Graem Balint would like to say a few words before the semester officially begins.”

Graem entered the room, looking much better than the last time Orrin had seen him. He shook his sister’s hand and straightened the podium. Graem rolled the sleeves of his robe up and rested his arms on the podium stand. He studied the dozens of students in front of him, watching and not saying a single word.

Someone coughed.

“You there with the blue and green staff. You’ll fail out within two weeks. You, up there, with the feathered hat, I give you two days. You with the ugly face, you might pass half your classes if you study hard.”

Orrin watched in shock and terror as the professor pointed out nearly ten students and told them they would fail in some way. He waited for his own turn, the years of high school rushing back in a flood of bad memories but Graem never turned his way.

“If I didn’t call on you, good luck. Try not to die. I don’t want to deal with the paperwork,” Graem finished with a flourish and flipped off Wren as he strode out of the room.