The interior of the academy was grand. The entrance had a high ceiling. Tabards hung from the walls depicting different races. In the center of the wall in front of us was a large picture with four people standing together. I guessed that these were the founders. Aunt Brenda tugged me towards a very long hallway.

 About halfway down the hallway, aunt Brenda stopped at one of the doors. It was a beautiful mahogany door. I knew it was mahogany because it was one of my dad’s obsessions. When he wasn’t working, he would carve in his spare time.

 “This is my office,” aunt Brenda said as she opened the door. The inside of her office took my breath away. There were pictures and statues of wolves everywhere. Behind the desk was a picture of my aunt and my mom. Seeing the picture almost brought me to tears. They were both so young in the picture.

 “That was taken the night of graduation. Your mom looked so happy about it. I just wish it had stayed that way. But falling in love with your dad cause a lot of problems. If only ignorant people could have gotten over the stupidity of a war that ended hundreds of years ago, maybe they both would still be alive today.” She said. I didn’t know if I saw things, but it looked like there were tears in her eyes.

It took about an hour for aunt Brenda to finish the paperwork. I signed a few things and answered some questions. It felt like any boring registering for the year day.

 After she finally finished, we left her office and headed back down the hallway towards the entrance. Then we headed down the hallway on the opposite side. We continued down the hallway until we came to a spiral staircase. She led me up the stairs to the second floor, which opened into another hallway. We headed down the hallway until we came to a pair of double doors.

“This is the entrance to the girls’ dormitory,” she said before opening the double doors. Inside the double doors was a lounge area with a large TV, a few couches, and beanbags. To the right were a kitchenette and cabinets lined the wall, along with a few refrigerators.

 “I’m sure I don’t have to explain what this is?” aunt Brenda said with a smile on her face. She was right. She didn’t have to explain.

 “Now, while lunch and dinner will be eaten in the dining hall,  you can find many sortments of breakfast cereals and such in the cabinets, as well as other snacks. The refrigerators are stocked with various fruits and vegetables, except for one.” She said, pointing to the last fridge next to the wall. “That fridge is strictly for blood.” I cringed at the word, even though my mouth started to water. It was a sickening and confusing feeling.

We then walked over to another set of double doors that led into another hallway. This one was littered with doorways, as well as another staircase. It didn’t take much to realize that these were the bedrooms. Judging by the distance between the doors, I guessed that they were pretty decent sized rooms.

We walked down the hallway until we came to the door, marked 6. Then aunt Brenda opened the door to a room with two beds. There had to be at least eight feet distance between them. At the foot of each bed was a wardrobe.

“This is your dorm room. As you can see, your roommate has already moved in. Some of the students come early as they have to travel ways,” aunt Brenda said as she gestured to the bed on the right. Looking over, I saw that the mattress was covered with a pink bed set. There were posters of pokemon on the wall, as well as pictures of Sailor Moon. I was surprised to see them since it was a show that my mom said she grew up watching.

“Tomorrow, we can move your stuff and have a day to get to know your roommate and some of the other girls before orientation. I am sorry that everything is moving so fast. Still, unfortunately, your birthday is right before school starts,” Aunt Brenda said with a look of sympathy.

After being shown a few more places, including the dining hall and her classroom, we headed back home. While she drove, she told me what to expect with a few of my professors. The one that really intrigued me was my history teacher. She said that he was a centaur. They had always been one of my favorite mythical creatures, though I guess mythical wasn’t exactly right.

By the time we got home, it was time to start dinner. Aunt Brenda headed to the kitchen while I went into the living room where the twins were already sitting down watching a movie.

“Welcome back, Michi. How was the tour?” Ally said, her bubbly personality showing through.

“It was cool, I guess,” I said, though it wasn’t entirely true. I still wished I was back at home, where I had friends who I had grown up with.

“Did you meet any cute guys?” Erin asked. I shook my head. I know that they weren’t asking for me because they knew I wasn’t into boys. They wanted to see for themselves. I thought about telling them about the girl I saw but decided not to. I didn’t need them teasing me.

By the time dinner was done, the twins and I had watched an entire movie. It was an excellent movie, and probably one of the few times where I felt normal.

Dinner was quiet. Everyone seemed lost in thought. This was fine with me because it gave me time to think about what I would say to my roommate when I meet her tomorrow.

After dinner, I headed to my room. I began packing my things up so that I would be ready for Tomorrow. Once everything was packed up, I sat on my bed, contemplating what my roommate would be like. I already knew from her bed and such that she was more of a girly girl. It didn’t matter what my thoughts were because I would get to find out first hand. I smiled at the idea before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, aunt Brenda got me up at seven. This was the second time I was moving, but I knew that it was only temporary. Neither of us said anything during the drive, as it was still early. At least that was the reason I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know why aunt Brenda wasn’t talking.

When we arrived at the portal, other people were going in. I guess I wasn’t the only one going to school early. Heading through the portal, we were standing in the woods again. It felt weird that I was actually excited about meeting new people.

“Are you ready for your first semester?” my aunt asked as she led the way. I nodded as we walked. I kept wondering who my roommate was, hoping that we would become friends or good roommates. For a moment, I wondered if this was how my parents felt when they first came here.

When we finally made it inside, there were more students with their parents. It was like a knife was being stabbed in my heart. I would have given anything for my parents to be here with me now. Sighing, I walked towards the girls’ dormitory, my aunt not far behind me. I just wanted to get to my room to not have to deal with that pain.

As we got close to the dorm, you could hear the sound of people talking. Opening the double doors, there were a few girls in the lounge area talking with one another. They all stopped for a moment as we walked in. I waved at them momentarily before my aunt ushered me towards my room. As we passed the kitchenette, I noticed the girl named Keaira from the other day. It took everything in me not to stare at her as we headed towards the hall.

As we got to my room, the door was open. Looking inside, a girl was lying on the bed listening to her iPod, her eyes closed. She had brown curly hair that reached her shoulders. Her skin was fair, and she was dressed in all black. As I sat my suitcase down, she turned to look at me, then jumped out of bed.

“Oh my Goddess, it’s you, Michala. She said before running up and giving me a hug without asking permission. I wondered briefly how she knew me.

“Ah, Ariel, it’s good to see you are here today. How is your grandma?” my aunt Brenda asked. I guess they knew each other. I think it wasn’t hard since my aunt was the headmistress.

“She’s well. Still the same wacky person everyone loves.” Ariel replied. Then she looked back at me.

“Although you have already met her, this is my niece, Michala. Michala, this is Ariel Gladfield. She was one of the wolves at the ritual,” my aunt said. I guess that is how she knew me. I gave a shy wave as I sat on my bed. “Now, I have other matters to attend to. You girls have a good morning. I will see you during lunch,” my aunt said before leaving Ariel and me alone.

“So, are you ready for your new life?” Ariel asked as she plopped down on her bed.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said as I laid down on my bed. I had a lot on my mind. I guess she could see it because she went back to listening to her iPod. This is going to be a long day, I thought before closing my eyes.