I spent the weekend relaxing and packing up for the move into the dorm, Guy trusted me enough to take the muzzle off at home which was a pure relief. It felt inhumane and frustrating to have to walk about with it on, like I was some kind of nasty attack dog. I had a lot of music to catch up on as well, honestly a lot of it just got worse and worse. I couldn’t say I was a fan of where modern pop went. Although the amount of good electronica had increased by a huge degree which was brilliant, I even found out that there was a band of harpies that were taking the charts by storm and I had to admit, it was pretty entrancing to listen to them.

Then around came Monday, the day of the move. We got up super early and packed the little Suzuki full of boxes and I climbed in the front seat with Colin on my lap. I was wearing a scarf over an old leather jacket with a long denim skirt and boots. I spent the journey tapping excitedly on the back of his carapice whilst he picked at a bit of lettuce leaf I’d given him. Guy brought the car around the back of the college and right by the entrance to the dorm where Mrs Murray was right there to meet us. She gave me a warm smile with no hesitation and helped Guy pick up a couple of boxes from the boot. I just stood close by hugging Colin to my chest, my slight anxiety coming back about the whole ordeal, about finding friends and stuff. I shook my head and fought those negative thoughts back down.

Mrs Murrary flashes a little card at the door and it slides open, we follow her to a lift and the keycard comes out again. This is all new stuff to me, who technology wise is still stuck in the mindset of 10 years prior. I let out a little gasp the first time I must admit. Once inside she hits the button at the top for the top floor, which is apparently where my room is.

“Sylvie, due to the length of your absence, the school board has decided that it would probably be best for you to start off at the beginning” I wasn’t exactly surprised by this news. I’d forgotten a lot in the years I spent in the darkness talking to no-one in particular. I give her a nod. “Also, you have your first class in the afternoon so you have a bit of time to settle in, all the rooms have a little screen by the door which shows your timetable for the day, they also have a little camera so we can print you a card like this” she jangles the card on her chain. “Which will grant you access to all the buildings and the classrooms”

I won’t lie thats sorta cool. Connectivity like that didn’t exist before, it was the era of schools still using old ceiling projectors and fax, Windows bloody 95. The lift reached the top floor in no real time at all and we followed her into my new room. I was absolutely flabbergasted, one entire wall was made of window and outside was a large balcony you could exit out onto with a bunch of plants and benches. There was a screen you pulled down at night for your privacy that turned the window wall into an opaque block.

The bed was of average size which was more than enough room for someone of short stature like myself. There was a nice space for an enclosure for Colin, and on the desk a sleek looking laptop was placed along what looked like an A4 sized black pill. I pick it up and a screen lights up.

“Oh, you probably haven’t seen these much prior. This is a tablet, like a computer but without a keyboard and you touch it to control it” Guy speaks up, having placed down the boxes by the door. Woah, this is really neat. I slide a finger across the screen and it settles on a home screen. There are a few icons and programs there, including a voice synthesizer. Mrs Murray coughs.

“Most students don’t have these. We allocated one to you so you can use it mainly as a communication aid, its a bit less clunky than a whiteboard. I’ll show you how to use it” She says. “Guy heres the card, you don’t mind fetching the rest of her stuff whilst I show her how this works?”

“No I don’t mind” Guy responds, itching his facial hair, which is a habit I’ve noticed he has picked up. The speech app thing turned out to be super cool. I could adjust the voice it outputs tonally and make it male or female and even adjust the accent somewhat. I very much stuck it on female and tuned the characteristics until I was super happy with it. The voice I chose was quite breathy and melodic and made me a bit sad to be honest, a reminder of what I lost and most desire to reclaim. Mrs Murray notices my change in mood and embraces me in a hug, patting my back with her hand.

“I’m sure we’ll rediscover your voice soon Sylvie, don’t fret” We untangled before Guy got back, he was still my little brother and that would have been awkward, soon we had Colin’s enclosure set up, I was even allowed to take him for walks around campus, not that he could go very fast but still it would be healthy for him to get out and about. I guess I’ll be known around campus as the mad tortoise zombie. We left setting up the TV and games consoles I’d brought for me to do in the evening, it was almost lunch by the point we were done unpacking.

“Right, Sylvie, I'll leave you to it and see Guy off, you know where the canteen is, don't you?” I nod, a tiny bit anxious about going there for the first time alone, I swallow the anxiety and wave Guy goodbye.
“I’ll visit you on the weekends Sylvie” He says. “Don’t let anyone torment you!” and with that they left, and it was down to me to get to the canteen by myself for the first time.

I wait a couple of minutes by myself, looking out the window at the balcony, theres nobody about. I stick my head out the door and don’t see anyone in the hallway. I zip up the jacket and grab the card that the machine printed for me and left the room, making my way to the lift at the end of the hallway. The hallway had staggered doors on either side and you always opened your door to see a board with some sort of student made thing on it. In my case it was a painting which looked to be of some old house, possibly abandoned and decaying. The inscription on the bottom reads: “Granger Farmhouse, by Grace Kilton'' I don’t know if theres any irony or joke being had here, but its certainly a striking coincidence.

Once outside of the dorm building I follow the signs to the canteen. Quite a few people notice me but say nothing, its lunchtime and a lot of people are busy eating on benches or standing about chatting. I was busy looking at the ground trying to ignore some of the odd looks when..

BLAM

I bump into someone headfirst, knocking my head to the ground right off my body. My body sinks to its knees searching around for my head.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry!” Something long and scaly wraps around my head and lifts it up off the ground and into a pair of hands. A face veers into view, a girl’s one with long black hair. I blow a strand of my long white hair out of my face. The girl places my head back onto my body and it heals itself quickly with a pop, the sewn lines returning. I quickly tapped away at the tablet.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention to what was in front of me”

“Its okay” she says succinctly, I got my first proper look at her and damn she is cute, long black hair framing a mature looking face with stern blue eyes and a dimple on her cheek, she had a pair of horns that sprout out of the side of her head above her ears. In contrast to her stern expression and straight haircut, she was dressed kind of sloppily, with just a tank top underneath an unzipped running jacket and sports shorts. Small wings poked out from behind her as well as a scaly tail. I suppose she was doing some sports course or something with her outfit. I must admit I found her sorta attractive, although it was hard to tell what she thought of me. She looked me up and down. “You’re new aren’t you?”

“Yes! Unfortunately I cannot speak, my voice doesn’t work”

“Thats unfortunate, so you’re a zombie huh, what courses are you doing?”

“Music and English, I used to be quite into singing. One day I’ll get my voice back!” I clench a fist and try to put on a brave face, this seems to win her over a bit.

“I’m Erina, Erina Hartley. I do PE and English so we might be in the same class” She stretches out a hand for a handshake and I take it.

“Sylvie Wade”

“Well Sylvie” Erina says with a small smile. “What are you up to?”

“On my way to the canteen to eat. I have a special diet now it seems”

“It seems?” she asks, looking slightly perplexed.

“I was only awakened the other week, I’m apparently the first of my kind. I’m only agreeing to wear this stupid mask because they don’t know whether or not I’ll go feral, which I don’t think I will” I tug at the strap of the muzzle.

“Well lets go then, I’m not doing anything and I am kinda hungry myself. Be nice to talk to the new girl, get my claws into you before anyone else does”

I hope that means good things, I chuckle internally. I was always into girls rather than guys, guys are cool but girls are cute and that means more. I never told anyone that before I died, my parents would have never approved of that. Erina gave off pure big sister energy and I liked that. I guess 10 years alone had turned me into more of an introvert than I used to be. I straightened my jacket and nodded.

“Lets go indeed”

We made our way slowly towards the canteen, students were still giving me funny looks but seeing me alongside Erina seemed to calm some of their worries. A few people said hi, whilst others just gave momentary glances before looking away, seemingly content that I was nothing more strange than normal. In the meantime I’d learnt quite a bit about Erina, she was a half-breed between her more draconic mother and a human father, and had inherited quite a few traits of her mother, but maintains a primarily human form.

“Flying is fun, you don’t know what you’re missing out on, also I can fly much quicker than I can run so its good for getting to classes on time. Not that I’m ever late” She winks at me, I brush a long white strand of hair away from my face, the wind having picked up and blowing down the pathways between the buildings. Once at the canteen I knocked on the side door as I was instructed to do and Mr Lawrence let me in.

“Its good to see you Sylvie, I have your food prepared” I look back at Erina, not wanting to be separated from my new friend

“Go ahea-” she was interrupted by Mr Lawrence.

“You can come in too, sit in the back room” He gestures inwards and I follow, Erina pauses for a moment and follows too.

“I don’t often get to venture into staff areas like this” she confesses.

“Awh its fine, just don’t touch the equipment and stay away from the main kitchen bit and theres no worry” He seats us down in a back room where they would usually eat on their breaks, opposite the sportsfield where a couple of people were busy kicking a football about. It was warm here due to all the cookers and machines in close vicinity so I unwrap my scarf and unbutton and take off my jacket. I smooth out my skirt underneath me and bring up a video streaming site on the tablet, setting on some music on a low volume.

“Huh, I don’t recognise that song. Is it new?” Erina asks, who had also taken off her sports jacket. I shake my head, it was a song that was popular just before I was taken on a trip facefirst down a road. I push the tablet across to her side of the table and point at the date of upload. “Two thousand and...four? Thats from when I was still a toddler…if I may ask when did you...you know?” She looked a little sad, although her eyes told me that she was asking sincerely. I flashed her all five digits on my hand three times.

“You missed out on 15 years…” She stood suddenly and made her way to my side of the table, putting her hands on my shoulders. “You’ve had a rough time of it, I’ll put my details into your tablet. If you ever have an issue contact me okay?” At this point in time Ms Collins pokes her head in.

“Foods ready! Oh, am I interrupting something?”