Josh and Rufus escorts me to the nurse's office and explained to her, the best they could have, what happened to me. The nurse sent them away after letting me lay down. Josh protested a bit, wanting to stay with me so I wouldn't be lonely, but the nurse wasn't having it. She sent him away. She gave me some elf-approved medicine she found in the back of the closet and let me nap for an hour. After I woke, she examined me and then sent me on my way.

I walk down from the nurse's office to the lunchroom, my nerves eating away at my stomach lining. I wish Josh was walking down with me so I wouldn't feel so lonely. I stop at the entrance of the lunchroom and scan the room for Josh and the other boys. I see them sitting at a table, devouring the meatloaf the cafeteria is currently serving. Marcus and Ma'lakah are talking rapidly, Lucas is pinching Rufus's cheeks as Rufus is yelling at him. Josh is eating quietly on the end of the table. Admittedly, I have grown accustomed to seeing him laugh, it's weird to see him so quiet.

I gather myself up and walk over to their table, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling of hunger and nerves eating at my stomach. Each step I take tightens the knot in my stomach as I try to figure out how to explain what happened earlier. But how do I explain something I don't know myself? Hovering awkwardly in front of Josh, I clear my throat.

"Hey, Josh," I say, my voice cracking at the end of his name. He looks up, his face lighting up.

"Elfy, you're alright, It's only the second day—can't have you die on us yet!!" He laughs with genuine delight and jumps up, grabbing my arms and pulling me into the seat next to him. Placing my hands into his, Josh examines my face with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

" Yeah for now," I can feel my face turning red.

Josh's brows furrows slightly. "What do you mean, 'for now'?"

"I don't know if it'll happen again," I admit. "It's never happened to me before or to any other elf." I feel Josh's hands tighten around mine. His concern over me written all over his face. He pauses for a second, dropping both of my hands. He rubs his hand through his hair, that falls against his face again. He takes a deep breath and then smiles again.

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"Don't worry, Legolas," He says determinedly. " You got me — well, us. We'll help you figure this out. But first, let's get you something to eat." He forces me up on my feet again, and we go to the lunch line. As we are in line, he starts telling me about what happened in math class, calming some of my anxiety. Laughter floats throughout our conversation as we walk back to table. Lucas joins in and adds more to what happened. Ma'lakah and Josh starts messing with Rufus, who is arguing with them in Russian. I laugh so hard, milk squirts out of my nose, which causes more laughing throughout the room. It got so bad that Donny, the ghoul caretaker, floats over and starts threatening us.

"Ey, bro's gonna have a hissy fit," Lucas says, his thick Irish accent carrying out his words. We all start crying laughing. I don't know for sure if a ghoul can blush with embarrassment, but Donny sure can. He floats way, cursing under his breath. In the midst of my laughter, I realize how safe I feel with these guys. I feel a sense of belonging here. These boys are people I can see myself to be friends, no, brothers with.

As the boys laughed their day away, attending their classes and sharing secrets, a dark, unknown presence lurks in the background, watching young Legolas with earnest.

. . .

A month has passed, my emotions attack haven't come back. My first week, despite the first two days went by smoother than I expected. Rufus hasn't exactly been friendly to me but he hasn't been rude to me. Josh and I have gotten closer, to where we have shared secrets that we've told no one else. Marcus and Lucas have taken me out to witness Marcus hunt and to help Lucas gather ingredients for Josh's potions. I have grown fond of the Blessed House of the Power and I can feel my powers growing. I grew gardens to brighten up the castle's dark corners.

After attending my interspecies classes, it's time to attend my solo class. I wave goodbye to Josh and Lucas, who playfully blows a kiss goodbye in return. I pretend to catch it and blow one back to them, which leads them to pretend to fight over it. They end up tumbling on the ground, laughing as I walk down to the cafeteria to start my solo lessons.

I round the corner of the entrance to the cafeteria when I hear someone shouting harshly in Old Elivich. I hide behind the corner and listen closely.

"Why haven't you gather information on him yet?" the voice scolds harshly.