I was ready and raring for an introduction.

Introductions always came easy for me, even where others tended to struggle. The kids in the neighborhood, the waiter at a restaurant, new friends at the poolside on a cruise ship who I would meet once and then never see again... it was all a breeze. Maybe it was a result of always being the new kid, maybe it’s because I felt like I had to stand out. Or maybe it was just me following the footsteps of the guy who was now haphazardly stringing together spaghetti wires on the back of a TV.

“Vito, just admit that you need my help with that.”

My older brother glared at me with one eye from behind the gray box.

“I said I got it, dude. This was in MY bedroom for 5 years.”

“Yeah, when mama set it up for you,” I quipped, tossing a stray HDMI from the ground in his general direction. He wouldn’t admit it to me, but I knew he needed one to make the blackened void click to life. Unfortunately, I misjudged the trajectory a bit. The curled up wire snaked out as I tossed it, flittering wildly through the air as Vito ducked behind his expensive glass shield.

“Santi! Mind your damn business, weón! Why don’t you make the bed for once?”

I glanced at the shredded rat’s nest of black and white checkered sheets hastily tossed onto the foam mattress, with no regard for how the fabric was meant to stretch around it. It matched well with the indistinguishable plywood bed frame on which the whole mess sat. “Nah… mom’s not here to make me do it this time.”

Vito stood up as delicately as he could given his hulking figure, edging his legs slowly out from behind the identically plain wooden dresser now that he finally got his old TV whirring to life. It was my hand-me-down now, just like practically everything else in my half of the room, but I didn't particularly care. The plastic box of static was small enough to be somewhat portable, but also big enough that it only barely fit on the dresser, which made it look particularly impressive. Perfect for arousing jealousy from any of the insecure 18-year-olds who'd be wandering these halls for the foreseeable future.

“Not even on the first day?” Vito asked. His eyes still fixated on his hard-fought victory against the machine, clicking haphazardly on the TV remote with one finger, the random blue menus popping up on the screen guaranteeing that everything worked fine. “Your roommate’s gonna think you have a pet emu with that bird’s nest.”

“And I’ll teach him to love it,” I replied with a smirk, turning away to let Vito focus his attention on his tech failings. I glanced around the room. This plain cinderblock encampment which would be my home for (hopefully) two semesters. Small aspects of my personality acting like stickers, slapped on top of the white walls and rickety plywood furniture that wouldn't look out of place in a jail cell. The whole place had seen a lot of wear-and-tear, the rounded edges of the desk hinting at the dozens of other teenage boys who had come and gone, laying claim to the land just as I had.

Vito and I had been here so long that we had run out of stuff to remember to unpack. On the desk sat my notebooks and binders, sitting here as part of a personal promise to try to keep myself more organized this year; only time would tell whether that would actually come to fruition. On the desk shelf above it sat all of my textbooks, exorbitantly priced despite already having been highlighted by the previous owner until it looked like the yellow pages. The intro-level stuff; biology, ecologies, chemistry, and unfortunately physics. I'd have to prove my worth with that base level knowledge before I'd be allowed anywhere near the more specialized science classes. My clothes hung in half of the darkened closet, with the barely functioning lightbulb adding a yellow tint to my name brand shirts and sports jerseys. We'd even found time to hang up the FIFA and Formula One posters on the wall over my bed. Maybe the plain white blocks would have been better decorated with something more practical, like a calendar or planner, but I was already here by the time I realized that. I'd have to contend with a fully set-up room, complete without that. Even if that was the case, as I wiped the sweat off my brow, I allowed myself to feel pride for yet another finished move under my belt.

Still, even after all that, the other half of the room sat empty. The wall, barren and white and almost blinding as the setting afternoon sun filtered into the room. The dresser and desk, still silently waiting for the next student to claim them. Half of the closet, conspicuously yellowed by the weak lightbulb that somehow highlighted the loneliness.

I turned around and approached the doorway, still sitting fully open for anyone who happened to wander in. Two triangular red and blue logos made of construction paper were carefully taped to the other side of the door. Apparently it was a reference to some video game, though the fact that they picked something so obscure gave me second-hand embarrassment. The dubious symbols had two names written neatly in black marker, in the kind of identical perfect handwriting that I somehow found in the hallways of every school I'd ever been to. One tag read “Rowan”, the other, “Santi██”. I had already taken the liberty of scribbling out the -ago with a pen. No one called me by my full name.

I peered out into the hallway, impatiently watching the chaos as twenty-five different families tried to move their kids’ stuff onto the same floor. With the amount of garbage some of these guys were hauling up the stairs, I couldn’t help but wonder if they forgot this wasn’t an apartment.

Of course, this also meant everyone was still too busy to talk to me. If this was one of those American movies I watched back home, I would have already bumped into a fat friend, a nerdy friend, and a supermodel love interest by now. Here in the real America, I didn’t even have a roommate. This Rowan character, still an enigma, with nothing to identify what he even looked like. Frankly, I had no concrete evidence he even existed. Perhaps he was just some computer glitch who'd spontaneously popped up onto the roster; some ghost of a former student who'd been uncaringly sorted next to my name by an algorithm.

I stepped out fully into the hall, letting the bustle assault my eardrums as every family said their goodbyes. Mothers holding back tears, dads patting their sons on the back. Some sons were studiedly blasé about their parents' affection, carefully watching to see if any floormates were looking at them. Others didn't care if they got stared at, giving their moms the tightest hugs and promising to call any chance they got. I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes, tuning into no conversation in particular.

“Oh, stop, Rowan. This is why I didn’t want to tell you; you were liable to blow your top like you always do!”

My eyes shot open upon hearing the voice from the next alcove. Rowan was here. With his mom, by the sound of it.

“Mom, I’m trying my hardest to keep my cool, but you are making it really difficult right now. Why the hell would you wait until NOW to tell me you didn’t order a single!?”

Rowan’s voice was higher pitched than I expected, and right now it was full of ire masked with a thin veil of softness. His mom, on the other hand, had a voice that reminded me of writing on a chalkboard. Usually the shrill vocal chords could be tolerated, but an occasional rasp slipped through that almost made my hair stand on end.

“Rowan, don’t start. I already told you when we first signed up, the single rooms are reserved for students with special needs.”

“That’s ME! I have special needs!”

“No, Rowan. You don’t.” Her voice took on an assertive tone, one that left no room for arguing back. Then it lowered to a whisper, but I could still make out, “You’re managing just fine. This will be no different; it’s a new environment, but you’re still my little boy and you make your mama so proud!”

I expected to hear another hushed retort, but to my surprise, my future roommate only sighed in response, seeming to admit defeat. Then, a moment later, the pair emerged into view.

The first thing I noticed was that Rowan was way shorter than I expected, only reaching up to my chest. The second thing I noticed was that he probably wasn’t really a “he”. A mane of scruffy blonde hair draped almost down to their shoulders. That, coupled with their outfit, convinced me it was a good idea to wait and hear what they wanted to be called. The mint and pink colored hoodie was certainly out-of-place in a dorm floor full of masculine energy. The gray sweatpants hanging lazily around their legs clashed sharply with the striking boots on their feet, which stood out like deep black pockets of void from the edgiest shop at the mall. They looked like the only part of the outfit they put any effort into, which made the mismatched loose nature of their clothing even more conspicuous.

Rowan's mom, dressed head-to-toe in campy red and blue Sylvia University gear, was evidently hoping some of her school spirit would rub off on the person who’s actually attending here. It might be a prestigious place, but even this seemed like far too much. I winced at the sight of it, and I locked eyes with her right at the same moment. If she noticed the look on my face, she didn’t pay it any mind.

“Oh, and speaking of new friends, here he is! Your roommate!”

Before I could open my mouth to respond, I was wrapped in a tightening hug as she wrestled my body away from the wall.

“Ohhhh,” she cooed. “Santiago! I was so excited to learn that my little boy is rooming with an international student! All the way from Chili!”

My smile turned into a slight grimace. “Chile,” I corrected.

She pulled one arm out of the hug to wave her hand dismissively. “Close enough for jazz!”

I didn’t push it. It was a losing battle. “Heh… yeah, I guess so. Anyway, glad to finally meet my roommate!”

I stuck my hand out towards Rowan. They stared at me cautiously through their huge circular glasses, like I was a caged animal that could attack if they stuck their fingers through the bars. Regardless, after an awkwardly long pause, they took my hand and shook it weakly.

“Introduce yourself!” their mom ordered in a coaxing yet firm manner.

“I’m Rowan,” they finally spoke up, barely audible over the dull droning that continued in the hallway.

“Santi,” I replied, putting on my most beaming smile. I knew full well that almost everyone was going to be nervous and shy at a time like this, so the best option was to give them a brighter energy that they could match if they wanted to.

Rowan didn’t light up immediately, but they smiled timidly as I continued. "We've finished putting together my side of the room, but don't worry, I left one half open for you."

I walked backwards into the room, gesturing in the direction if our new home. “...and it’s the perfect time, too,” I added. “Since Vito finally figured out how to make that TV work.”

I turned around to the dresser where the TV sat. I realized the screen was now flickering, and Vito turned on his heels sheepishly to face the new arrivals.

“Well, I DID figure it out,” he said, his voice totally shot. “And then this happened.”

Clearly no longer interested in his desperate musings in electronic hell, he turned his attention toward Rowan’s mom to introduce himself. He and I quickly found ourselves falling into the routine of expected questions.

“Your English is impressive!” I’ve been speaking it since I was born.

“Where’s your mom?” Back home in Chile.

“What’s it like in Chili?” Closer to the ocean.

"Is the food there spicy?" No, despite the name.

I was preparing to continue spitballing the next few by heart, when all of a sudden, Rowan’s mom’s eyes flared up, staring towards something past my head.

“Hey! Rowan! What do you think you’re doing!?”

I turned around to where she was looking, and saw Rowan behind the TV. The plasma colors were once again showing in their full glory, the green pitch of a football field clear as day.

Rowan looked up at their mom, confused. “I was just fixing it. I had a spare cord in my backpack, so–”

“Well that’s great, Rowan, but you’ll have plenty of time to fiddle with your roommate’s belongings after you get to know him first!” Their mom still beamed the same smile, but she was showing so many teeth that it would have put a shark to shame. “So why don’t you come over here and talk to him instead? It’s not every day you get an opportunity for cultural exchanges like this!”

I rolled my eyes toward Vito, expecting him to do the same. Instead, I caught him glaring at Rowan just like their mom did. “I was about to fix that myself. It was my TV first, you know.”

I knew where he was going. “Dude, it's no big deal!” I interjected, hoping to change the subject. I put my hand on his chest as though it would hold him back. “Besides, it only used to be your TV.”

Vito slapped my hand away. “Yeah, USED to be, and now it’s YOURS. Not your roommate’s.”

Rowan stepped out from behind the TV as ordered, just in time for Vito and their mom to approach. Their short stature was exacerbated even further as the pair loomed over them.

“He’s right, Rowan,” their mom agreed. “You can’t be touching your roommate’s things when you just met him! You’ve barely even said hello to him, and you’re already burying yourself into your electronics again. Ones that aren’t even yours! And for what!?”

Rowan buried balled-up fists in the pocket of their hoodie. “I-I was only trying to–”

“To show off!” Vito interrupted. “Consejo, weón: I know you’re going to a tech school and all and you want to make sure everyone knows you belong here. But you’re not making any friends acting like that. Think about how other people are gonna look at you, or you’re not gonna survive on your own. No matter how good you are at plugging shit in.”

I recognized Vito's mood and advice, though I was surprised to hear Rowan’s mom agreeing with it. I saw Rowan's eyes peeking out between the pair, staring at me as if I could anchor them and pull them out of the fray. Their mother continued her scolding right next to their ear.

“You really need to realize how rude that is, dearie! You haven’t even moved your own things into this room yet and you’re already invading your roommate’s space! I’m sure Santiago must be mortified right now!”

Now she was putting words in my mouth. I'd heard enough already. “It’s fine!” I yelled. “There's no issue here, we're cool!”

Vito and Rowan’s mom turned and looked at me with shock and bewilderment.

“Please, Santiago…” their mom's voice was reaching peak chalkboard at this point. “There’s no need to be polite here. Setting boundaries from the get-go is important!”

“Yeah,” Vito agreed. “Don’t let your roommate push you ar–”

“I told you it’s fine, pendejo!” I interrupted before he could finish his next jab. I avoided looking at the two supposed adults in the room, and made eye contact with Rowan. Looking past the round frames, I was able to clock their eyes as blue for a split second before they looked down and all I saw was hair. “It’s my room and my TV, so I make the rules. New rule; anyone can touch my TV as long as they’re not smashing it with a sledgehammer. So Rowan can fix it with any wires ‘e got.” I stumbled over the pronoun quickly enough so that nobody could make out what it was. No use trying to diffuse an argument with another argument.

Having lost their privilege to use me as their shit-talking sock puppet, the pair weren’t sure where to go next. All that was left now was an awkward silence that could have been anywhere from a second to an hour. In my head, it was an eternity that was finally broken by Vito.

“Whatever,” he scoffed, making no attempt at hiding his bruised ego. “It’s time for the floor meeting anyway, so I’ve got to get going. You both should go to that, though. They can teach you how to not touch your roommate’s shit.”

He stormed out of the room in a huff, muttering a rapid “see ya later” on the way out.

I sighed as I heard the door slam. I knew I wasn’t gonna get a mushy tearful goodbye from him, but I expected a bit more than that. I shook that thought out of my head, noticing the silence that still hung in the air like a bad odor as I stepped over to Rowan. I put my hand on their shoulder.

“Don’t let him get to you. He’s just a dick sometimes.” Another awkward silence. “....but he means well.”

I could hear Rowan mutter a barely audible “thank you” as their gaze stayed fixated on their boots, making sure their eyes were sufficiently covered by their long hair.

I felt my pristine first-impressions record slipping away by the second. For once, I was grateful to have an out.

“Well, uh, like my brother said, the floor meeting’s downstairs. You kinda missed the whole announcement, but Kevin the RA is going to give us a bunch of ground rules and stuff. And more importantly, we’ll get introduced to everyone else.”

“You can go on without us,” Rowan’s mom interjected before they even had a chance to respond. “Rowan and I need a little quiet time in here to get his room set up anyway. We haven’t even taken most of the stuff out of the car yet!”

“Oh, I’m already done with my side. I can help with that,” I offered.

Rowan glanced up at me with surprise, though once again they got no word in edgewise before their mom spoke up.

“Nope!” she replied. “You run along now, you’ve got a lot more people to meet! We’ll handle the unpacking ourselves; just a little more mother/son bonding before I say goodbye to my little chickadee flying the nest!”

Her enthusiasm was so obviously forced that I was surprised she even still tried. I nodded to Rowan.

“I’ll catch you up to speed later. We’re gonna be seeing a lot of each other, after all.”

I dashed out of the room quickly, desperate to escape the awkward air. Though on the way out, I heard Rowan’s barely audible response.

“Maybe.”

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I caught very little of the floor meeting. It was exactly what I knew it would be. Kevin the RA stood in front of us with the forced cheeriness of a wannabe stage actor, sporting the university gear which he was either forced to wear or was wearing because he was just that enthused about going here. It could have gone either way, given that he started his speech singing high praises about how much he adored Sylvia life. That lasted for only about a minute before he got into the ground rules for dorm life. No candles, no daisy-chaining, no loud noises during finals week… there was presumably something about alcohol too, but by that point I wasn't really listening.

Why did I agree to just go here with Vito? I knew how temperamental he got every time we moved, but I didn't expect he would get mad enough to sabotage my introduction. To a roommate who already wanted to get rid of me before they'd even laid eyes on me.

I grimaced at the thought of being the guy who loses his roommate in the first week. Social suicide. If anyone found out about that, I'd be done for. People would probably think it was because I didn't use deodorant, or stole their clothes, and maybe used those clothes as a rag for jerking off. And what would Rowan tell people about why they moved out? Because on the first day they felt vaguely threatened by Santi’s big bro?

I closed my eyes, balling up my fists as I hoped and prayed for Kevin to finish his droning a little faster.

“... so guys, please be nice to your RAs. We're here to help you, but you need to help us too. The last thing we want is for there to be an issue, but if we suspect there is one, I have to investigate. And I don't want to be the RA who calls campus security, because I am not a paperwork kinda guy. So please, just leave the tequila at home. I know the movies try to make you think otherwise, but you totally can have a good time without it!”

His voice was getting more nasal every second, like his nostrils were clogging in real time.

“And remember that the first day of classes for most of you is tomorrow, so wake up bright and early to give yourself more time than you need! Everyone gets lost on their first day here, so if you've got the time, I recommend exploring the campus and getting a feel for what's around town. Virgil’s Pine is a beautiful area, just avoid the seedy spots and don't go bar-hopping. So! Are there any questions?”

Please no questions, please no questions.

I looked around. All I saw seated on the crusty carpet of the common area were the deer-in-headlights faces that you can only get from bored teenagers. Looked like we were finally in the clear.

Kevin clapped his hands together. “Alright! Well, enjoy the rest of your nights, fellas! I will see you all tomorrow!”

The herd of sweaty guys stood up and all started making their way towards the stairway at the same time, the sound of conversations already reaching a fever pitch in seconds. The chatter groups quickly solidified before I had a chance to wiggle into one of them, speaking to their neighbors about their classes or any parties that were happening on campus later in the week. At that point, I didn’t care much that I wasn't being included. I was too interested in pushing my way towards the front of the crowd so I could get up to the third floor the fastest. There was no point trying to make any other friends here if I couldn’t get along with the one person who I truly needed to.

*************************************************************************************************************

Rowan let out a small yelp when I pushed the door open. I got a glimpse just in time to see them slam their laptop shut, the view of the screen getting obscured while the machine still loudly hummed with life. They then spun their office chair around to face me, watching me with the same apprehensiveness they had before.

Their mom was, thankfully, nowhere to be seen. It seemed like she just dropped off her child’s things and then left them to fend for themself. Except apparently, they couldn’t do that; most of their belongings were still sitting in a neat pile of boxes on the floor. It looked like the only thing they had managed to unpack in the 2 hours I’d been away were their laptop and the pristine pastel-colored bedspread perfectly lined up on their mattress.

I put on the same greeting smile I did before. “Hey… I think we got off on the wrong foot before. Sorry that Vito had to lose his cool like that.”

Rowan removed their headphones covered in cutesy stickers and shook their head in response. “No no no, I totally get it. Erica kinda did the same thing. Sorry you had to see that.”

I nodded. I was glad they were at least still talking to me, but given the sneer that came along with their mom's name, I knew staying on this topic wouldn’t get us anywhere. Luckily, I had the perfect bonding opportunity quite literally sitting right in front of me.

“Were you gonna start unpacking at some point?” I asked nonchalantly.

Rowan chuckled, slightly embarrassed as they looked down at the pile of boxes at the center of the room. It was almost the same size as their bed... how much stuff did they even have?

“Yeah… it’s already been kind of a stressful day. I’ll get to that later.”

“Later when?” I asked. “Don’t you have class tomorrow?”

They blinked, seemingly surprised that I was still talking. “Of course I do.”

“Well then, when are you gonna have time to unpack? That’s the whole reason they have a full move-in day! ‘Cause as soon as they’re giving you coursework, you won’t have time for anything else. If you're not doing it now, then you're definitely not gonna do it later."

Rowan stared even more intensely at the boxes now, as if they hoped they would all vaporize if they focused hard enough. I was right, and they knew it, but now the very idea of unpacking seemed to be shutting their brain down.

“My offer is still on the table, you know,” I added.

“Huh?” They shook their head and looked over at me, clearly having just been lost in thought.

“Helping you unpack. Your mom’s not around. You can say yes to my offer now. I promise no one’s gonna yell at you for whatever kind of rudeness you're committing with it."

Rowan sighed, leaning back in their chair. “I hate to admit it, but I do think I need it.”

With that, they stood up tiredly from the chair and slowly approached the daunting pile, every step forward seeming to weigh a dozen extra pounds. It may have looked overwhelming, but I knew that if they were able to get all of this stuff into boxes at their house, it couldn’t have been that hard to put it all back together. Rowan had already dug through and picked up all their electronics; their laptop, alarm clock, power cords, even a handheld gaming system they shoved into the drawer by the bed. Everything else still lay neatly packed away. I approached the pile quickly in an effort to spur Rowan onward. I dug my finger into the first box, tore away the tape, and our mission was a go.

I had already picked up a number of tricks from all the moves I'd done in my life. The number one way to get the job of packing done faster was to get everyone thinking about something else. So, like all the dominos falling neatly into place, I got to ask Rowan about Rowan.

The laptop was already a big hint they were a computer science major. The machine was clunky and heavy and probably came with a hefty price tag; there was only one major who would still opt to use one. It was pretty much only a formality to ask at that point, and they confirmed my suspicion. I took that as an opportunity to bring up my biology major, and my dream to one day study genetics. I thought that might spur them into talking about their dream job, but all they said in response was that they didn’t know what they wanted to do yet.

I helped them pull out and order several figurines of characters with spiky, neon-colored hair, and I got them to shyly admit they were from an anime. I didn’t really care which one it was from, and after noticing Rowan hide their face in their hair again, I decided not to ask. It was the same story with the posters they hung up over their bed, though there was one thing that did catch my eye.

When we were putting their clothes away, I noticed their affinity for matching pastel tones with black; not my style, but it matched Rowan’s hair and eyes. One thing I didn’t notice at first, though, was the odd design on the mint and pink hoodie they were wearing. When they lifted their arms, I spotted zippers running all the way down the sides; from the wrist, up to the armpit, and down to the waist. It was an odd design, to put it lightly, especially given how they didn't seem to be the type to wear unique or standoffish clothes aside from the boots.

“I’ve never seen a hoodie like that before!" I spoke up, hoping to find a new point of conversation. "You know, with the zippers on the sides. Is it uh, what is that called… techwear?”

For a split second, Rowan instinctually moved to hide the zippers before realizing there was no point now that I’d seen them. “It’s a custom design,” they conceded. “I had it special ordered.”

“Bit of a bold fashion choice,” I mused. “It’s a nice start, but if you’re trying to start a new trend, you might want something that isn’t so hidden at first. Or wait, is that actually the point?”

I was hoping to turn fashion into a pivot point that would spur on more conversation and finally speed things up, but those hopes were dashed once again. Rowan shifted the topic away quickly when they saw what box I was digging into next.

“Nope! No, no, no! Don’t touch Deano!”

As they gently pushed me aside and dug into the bottom of the box, I was surprised to see them pull out a little stuffed tuxedo cat plushie who looked like it had been through some serious wear-and-tear. It was missing an ear, sone stuffing was falling out of its paw, and the tail held onto its body only by a few thin threads. Rowan held the toy close to their chest, as if they were embarrassed to be caught with it despite announcing its name to me and placing it prominently on the front of their bed.

“Why is he named Deano?”

They turned around, and for the first time, I saw an almost full smile on their face. “I don’t know, ask 9-year-old Rowan. All I know is that it’s a really good name.”

I chuckled lightly in response. Truthfully, I got second-hand embarrassment seeing a grown adult displaying a plush toy so prominently in their room, but I knew it was unwise to say anything about that... at least not yet. I skirted around the topic to something that mattered more.

“Speaking of childhood, actually, where did you grow up? I told you a bit about Chile, but I don’t know where you’re from.”

Rowan laid down on their bed and stared up at the ceiling. “Well, that’s because there isn’t really a story to tell. I was born and raised here my whole life. So it only made sense that I’d stay here for college too.”

I raised my eyebrow. “Does it really? I mean, I’m a little biased since I moved all the way to the other side of the planet, but I want this to be a time when I'm a little more adventurous. I thought that’s what everyone does.”

Rowan giggled in response. “If you’re looking for adventure, you probably shouldn’t have come all the way to Virgil’s Pine. Or New Jersey in general. They don’t call us the armpit of America for nothing.”

“Well, if you’re saying that, why didn’t you decide to leave?”

Rowan took a moment to consider their reply. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. I guess I just feel like... this is where I belong?”

Their tone of voice didn't inspire confidence about the assertion. They avoided eye contact by glancing out the window wistfully for a second. Then, a moment later, their eyes shot open. They rapidly shifted on the bed, still laying down but now staring out the window intensely, like they were trying to see through the thick trees to glimpse the few city lights that were starting to pop up. Even the Axcelerate headquarters by the river’s edge could be seen if we squinted hard enough, the small tower looking extra mighty next to the other more historic buildings in the compact, mid-size town.

“Oh crap, has it gotten this dark out already?” Rowan asked, with a surprising amount of urgency in their voice.

“Well, you did come in super late. Of course it was gonna take a while to set things up. I thought you already ate dinner, though?”

Rowan jumped out of bed. “It’s not that! It’s…” their eyes scanned the room momentarily. “The boxes! I wanted to recycle all of them out back, but it might be too dark out now!”

I chuckled. Now them sleeping with a stuffed animal was starting to seem more in-character. “Is someone a little scared of the dark?” I teased. “Man, you’re lucky Vito’s not around to hear that!”

Rowan glared at me in response. “You can judge me for being scared of the dark later, can you please just pick up some boxes and help me toss them outside?”

“Can’t this wait until morning? We still have stuff to–”

“No!” Rowan responded, picking up an empty box and shoving it in my hands. “We need to go NOW. Please!”

It was the most forceful I’d seen them all day. I was so not used to it that I didn’t even know how to react. Clearly, being scared of the dark was a touchier topic than I expected for someone of their age.  But even so, getting this worked up out of it seemed grossly out of character compared to the soft impression I'd just built up about them.

Regardless of my personal thoughts on the matter, I figured they wouldn’t take no for an answer. The two of us both picked up a few more empty boxes, and once I couldn’t carry any more, I stepped out into the hallway.

As soon as I was out there, I heard a slam and a click. I turned around, only to find the two blue and red paper name badges staring back at me. I tried to twist the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Rowan, why’d you lock the door?”

“Sorry!” I heard their voice call faintly. “I’m just getting something ready! You go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”

I wasn’t buying it. I tossed my boxes on the ground so I could dig through my pocket and pull out my wallet. I shoved my fingers into the side to dig out my room key, but my heart stopped when I only felt the rough fabric of the interior. I knew that I hadn’t touched the key since I first put it there.

I knocked hard on the door, leaning my face into the peephole. “Did you take my key!?” I yelled.

“I-I-I’m sorry, okay!?” they called back sheepishly.

“So you DID!?”

“Santi, I didn’t want this to happen, but you just– you can’t stay here.” There was obvious shame in their voice, but the dismissiveness of it is what really got to me.

I kept pounding the door, feeling the blood rushing to my fingers either from the anger or the motion. “It’s my room too, asshole!!”

“I know, I know! But it wasn’t supposed to be! So you– you have to sleep somewhere else. Sorry.”

“Where the hell is ‘somewhere else’!?”

No reply. I pounded on the door once again. Still nothing. I leaned my ear into the peephole, straining to hear anything of note. Lots of digging through boxes, typing, and rustling of covers. They were tucking in for the night while leaving me stuck out in the hall to fend for myself!

I gritted my teeth as I stormed down the hallway, eyes fixated on the dusty gray tile floor. Unbelievable. So much for that good first impression. Going out of my way to help them unpack all their trash, just for them to turn around and pull this shit.

I wasn’t sure where they expected me to go, not that they actually cared. The only thing that was clear to me was that they didn’t know me very well. If there’s one thing my family taught me, it’s not to take any disrespect sitting down. And luckily, that wasn’t the only thing I learned from them.

I continued to scan the dreary hallway, glancing over the corkboards currently empty of posters unless you counted the construction-paper "WELCOME HOME" that lined each one. I didn’t find what i was looking for there, so I turned my attention to the floor lit up by the humming fluorescent lights above. I looked behind every alcove and under every door until my eyes came upon my exact target. In the midst of all the chaos of the earlier afternoon, some careless floormate had let a paperclip drop on the ground.

It was a sturdy variety, one that wasn’t liable to break if it got bent. Perfect. I picked it up, and as I stomped my way back towards MY room, I uncurled the sharp metal into its natural snakey form. Vito might not have been good at introducing me, but he made up for it by teaching me many other life skills.

As I arrived back at the Rowan and Santi door, I got on my knees and closely examined the doorknob. As I expected, the brick exterior and blocky interior of our dorm building weren’t the only things about it that were old. This golden, flaked doorknob was ancient, at least a few decades old. Whatever brand of lock was used on this thing was probably cracked ages ago. And now, it was going to be cracked again by me.

I jammed the thin rod into the keyhole, twisting it around little by little as I managed to dig deeper at just the right angles. I was never as skilled at this as my brother was, but when it came to the oldest locks, the brute-force method was tried and true. I knew that if I just kept twisting and turning, I'd find the right angle eventually.

The occasional banging of drawers and closets coming from inside the room made it especially hard to focus on the sounds of the doorknob… Weón better not be digging through MY stuff that they locked inside MY room. I gritted my teeth at the thought, but I remained focused on my mission. All my anger at this point was funneling straight into that keyhole, my only escape hatch back into what should have been my new home. Until finally…

I heard the faintest ka-click!

I stood up. Given that the constant shifting in the room didn’t change, I figured that Rowan must not have noticed the lock. I twisted the doorknob to the right, holding it in place so that it couldn’t get re-locked even if they did spot it.

“Listen up, Rowan!” I announced. “I know you said you wanted a single, but guess what? You didn’t get one. You got me instead. And we’re gonna be roommates, whether you like it or not.”

No response from inside. I slowly pushed the door open, stepping into the dorm with purpose.

“So if you have a problem with me, then say it to my f–!”

I only made it that far before the beast attacked me.

I screamed a real scream. It was the first horrified, guttural scream I had ever let out in my life. A moment later, I was knocked backwards, smacking my head against the cinderblock wall on the way down. In those split seconds of pure adrenaline, I managed a glimpse at only the most prominent features of the beast. The white fangs being bared, the skeletal and veiny wings, and the sharp claws at the end of them now strangling me. My eyes squeezed shut involuntarily, pain coursing through my head from the sharp blow by the wall. As I tried to orient myself, every sensation except my sight was heightened. I could feel the weight of the creature on top of me, and the pointy tips of their clawed appendages digging into me. One sat at the base of my neck, liable to slice it open at any second. But worse, the other ones clamped ferociously around my lower head, squeezing my lips and chin shut and preventing me from screaming more. I could feel coarse hair tickling my chin, a feeling which became more intense every time I tried to take a breath. But even if I did manage to scream, it would be drowned out by the noise the creature was making. It was a vicious mixture of high-pitched hisses and clicks, like a wildcat mixed with a broken car stereo. The sound seemed to dig its way past my ears and directly into my head, exacerbating the throbbing pain that was already in there.

Each second passing by in this state only caused the world around me to slow down and increase in volume. I felt blood pumping sharply throughout my body, pounding in my eardrums and causing a ghastly tingling in my fingers and toes. I could feel warm and moist air fogging up against the creature’s hand as I continued my short breaths, desperate to fill my lungs. Letting the time pass with my eyes shut caused the sickening feeling in my stomach to twist even further, as I wondered when and how I would finally be cut open, and how much worse it would be than the pain already in my skull.

I heard and felt the door shut next to my ear a moment later. Realizing that I was seconds away from being mauled with nobody knowing, I fought back as best I could. The adrenaline coursing through my body ironically made that much harder. I tried my best to mimic the kung fu moves I watched on TV as a kid, but all that translated into was flailing my arms in the general direction of the creature.

I made contact with it a few times. Sometimes I felt the same coarse fur, sometimes I felt wrinkly skin. But a few times, I was surprised to feel soft fabric. And when I landed a slap on the creature’s face, I felt something thin and hard. Desperate for any kind of out, I gripped onto the object… It was only upon really feeling it with my fingertips that I realized what it was.

I opened my eyes. My vision was finally coming back into focus as the pain in my head died down slightly. I took a better look at the creature looming over me, picking up on features that I hadn’t before. The giant concave leaf-shaped nose prominently taking up much of its wrinkled face was the first thing I spotted. But balanced right on top of that, I was surprised to see a pair of round glasses. Looking further upwards, I noted massive ridged ears jutting out of the top of the creature’s head. Surrounding its head on all sides was a shaggy mane of unkempt blonde hair. And looking past the jagged wings toward the creature’s torso, I spotted an eerily familiar mint and pink hoodie.

I stared into the creature’s alien face, still unsure whether I should feel sudden relief or further panic. In its blue eyes was where I found my answer. I saw the same pleading look that I saw from my roommate, when they were cornered against the TV and talked down to for daring to fix it. A look that begged me to take them away, so they could be anywhere but right here. My breathing began to slow in response, and the creature’s hissing died down in volume. Once it did so, I finally made out what it was trying to say.

“Shhhhhh….” the creature said, trying its best to comfort me. “Please, please, please be quiet!”

The voice was raspy, but it was alto and androgynous and unmistakably Rowan’s. I muffled something in response, but the claws at the end of Rowan’s wings were still clasping my mouth shut.

“I’m only going to let go if you promise you won’t make any more noise! I didn’t mean to scare you, really! I was freaked out, and I... just– please, Santi, don’t make this harder than it already is.”

I nodded. It’s not like I had much of a choice aside from agreeing with them. They shut their eyes slowly, seeming to contemplate if they could really trust me. Eventually, though, I felt their grip loosen. I reached up towards my face and pulled the hairy appendage away completely.

“What are you!?” I asked in a hushed whisper.

They shook their head, giving me a moment to study every wrinkly feature of their new face. “I don’t know, okay? I’ve been trying to figure that out ever since this happened to me. All I know is that every night, when the moon is high enough in the sky, I turn into this!”

They gestured down at their body. From head to toe, their human features seemed to have been haphazardly mixed with those of a much hairier mammal. Their toes were clawed and covered in dark brown fur, just like their hands which sat at the end of winged arms. Their wings stretched out all the way to their waist, a thin and veiny membrane of floppy excess skin meant to be stretched. Their clothing was surprisingly undamaged by the shift in form, and I realized that the zippers I spotted earlier were probably the reason for the still-intact hoodie. Their sweatpants, once baggy and practically falling off of them, now clung tightly to their more muscular body. Their round glasses still sat on their ridged nose, though slightly off-kilter from when I almost knocked them off their batty face.

As that word popped into my head, I finally realized what was so familiar about them. The ears, the nose, and especially the wings.

“You’re some kind of… were-bat?” I exclaimed. I felt childish hearing that word come out of my mouth. It was like announcing that Santa Claus was real–confidently proclaiming some belief that I should have abandoned when I entered middle school.

And yet, Rowan nodded their head almost imperceptibly in response. “That’s what I’ve been calling myself," they responded quietly, like they were ashamed to admit it.

I felt a chuckle escape from my lips. It was as though, for a second, my brain suddenly re-processed all that was happening to me. I ran a few scenarios through my head, like that perhaps this was a dream or some sort of elaborate prank. The terrifying feeling of getting knocked off my feet, coupled with the real pain of hitting the wall, confirmed that this wasn’t a dream. The prank idea was technically possible, but it would have taken a skillset beyond Hollywood's billions to fool each one of my senses so thoroughly. And even if there was someone who could do that, who would go through all that trouble just to fool me, some random college freshman nobody from a foreign country?

Every thought that came to mind just sent be back to the insane, unbelievable reality that was staring me in the face. My roommate was a were-bat. A monster. A creature of the night. And probably capable of tearing a person to shreds. Yet they were instead here on top of me, having a conversation. The overwhelming absurdity of the situation I confronted was so intense that no other reaction besides laughter was possible. It was a deep chuckle, a bitter concoction of nerves mixed with bewilderment and just a dash of humor at the idea that all of this was really happening.

Rowan's weight on my body loosened in response to the laughter, and I wondered if my reaction had somehow put them at ease. I had no time to consider that now, of course. There were a million more important things to ask.

"So, how did this happen to y–?"

Before I was able to finish my next question, Rowan's hairy mitts were clasped over my mouth again. Their eyes widened, and their newly giant ears swiveled towards the doorway.

"Someone's coming."

We both sat frozen for a few long seconds as those words sank in. I strained to try and hear what Rowan heard, but unsurprisingly, my puny human ears weren't as sensitive as theirs. I would have loved to try to figure out how much their hearing improved in this form, but Rowan was currently preoccupied trying to bore a hole through the door with their eyes.

For just one moment, as the seconds continued to tick by, I became convinced that they had made it up. Maybe their nerves were making them hear things, or maybe whoever was outside just passed us by.

Then came a knock at the door. Rowan shot to their feet in one extra nimble motion which was highly uncharacteristic of their human self, stepping backwards and rapidly scanning every corner of the room with their eyes and ears.

"Everything alright in there, you two? I know it's the first day and you're excited, but you can't be screaming at the top of your lungs!"

Rowan leaned close to me as I stood up from the ground. "Who's that!?" they asked in a harsh whisper. "Whoever it is, don't let him in!"

They looked about ready to keel over from anxiety, so I put my hands on their shoulders to steady them. I tried my best to ignore the alien nature of the bone structure that met my fingertips.

"Relax," I whispered, trying my best to keep my voice calm. "It's Kevin the RA. He's harmless."

I turned to the door, taking a deep breath to swallow my adrenaline before replying. "Yep!" I called out. "Todo bien, thank you!"

"Are you sure?" Kevin replied, sniffling in a futile effort to clear his sinuses. "People are saying that someone was screaming in there."

I felt Rowan's shoulders tensing up even harder, and I quickly realized it was because they were watching the doorknob turn. I dashed over and smacked my hands on the door, pushing it closed just as Kevin was starting to open it.

"I'm not decent!" I yelled. "That's why I was screaming. Someone tried to come in while I was changing. We're all good here now. Goodnight!"

I felt the door getting pushed back towards me. "Well, I want to at least say hi to Rowan! He's the only floor 3 buddy I haven't met yet!" Ugh, how could the guy who gave us such a monotonously long lecture about consent be so invasive!?

"Rowan's not here!" I called out, more angrily than I wanted. I glanced back towards Rowan, who glared at me and waved their winged arms to express their dissatisfaction with my answer.

The pushing on the door stopped. "Not here? Where'd he go? If he's not in his dorm, then he has to tell me so I can sign him out!" Signing out of your dorm room!? What kind of Gestapo college is this?

I stared at Rowan more intensely, searching for a hint of what to say next. By this point, they'd already backed themself into their corner of the room, but they could still communicate quite effectively with the glare in their eyes. They shook their head vigorously, leaving me to guess what the silent symbol meant.

"N-No. That's not what I meant. I..." I was floundering now. Why couldn't Sniffles just leave us alone!? "First of all, it's them. And they were here, but they had to duck out. Temporarily. They'll be back tomorrow, and I'll let them know to clear it with you next time."

I held my breath as I waited for Sniffles' reply. After the thousandth pregnant pause of the night, I heard him wheezing up to give his response.

"Listen, Santiago. It's your first night here, so I'm gonna be nice and not write anyone up this time. But given that there has been an incident, by Sylvia University orders I have to come in and investigate your room. It's just protocol, but it has to be done. So I'll wait outside here for a minute while you get decent, and then I'm coming in."

I turned back to Rowan, watching them desperately try to stick their hairy clawed foot underneath the bed. "Lock the door!" they pleaded in a whisper as I approached them.

I shook my head. "He has a key, that won't work. And you're not gonna fit under there either."

Rowan grimaced in response, knowing I was right. They barely held back tears as they gave me the same panicked look as before. "Please, you can't let him see me! Um, um, uh.... Can you fit me in the closet?"

The closet was filled to bursting with rows of clothing on top, and drawers filled with school and life supplies down below. Rowan was definitely regretting packing so many things now. With that said, even if there was time to take the drawers out, it'd be the first place Kevin checked.

I felt sweat accumulating on my furrowed brow as I joined Rowan in scanning the room for any place where we could hide a giant bat monster within the next 30 seconds. My eyes darted from the boxes to the dressers to the ceiling, but nothing fit the bill. As long as it was in this room, Kevin was liable to check it. Really, the only solution to this was to get Rowan out of the room entirely.

And now that I thought of it...

I put my hands on my roommate's winged shoulders.

"I've got an idea."