"Hot showers always make me feel better," I hummed to myself, closing my eyes and enjoying the hot droplets that rained down from the shower head above.
Having my dorm mates be so accepting of me had really lifted a burden off my shoulders. Natala was a nice community on the outside, but not everyone was kind enough to keep your secrets without a price.
I took a deep breath, letting the water stream down my face and hair. I finally had a chance to really take everything in, from the test to the overall atmosphere of the campus. I also took the time to do a mental review of each of the guys in my mind.
Nixon Rose, 23 years old. He was 6'4”, Caucasian with black eyes that turned red when he used magic with small little black magic circles that allowed him to see the true side of people, or so he stated. His long red hair reached his lower back, making me curious as to why he chose to keep it so long. He loved to tease Logan and seemed to be the very relaxed type. He had a shyness to him but also a confident side, not afraid to stand off against someone or explain his thoughts. I felt he probably had some secrets and a past, which was the reason why he looked somewhat closed off at times.
Maximus Copperfield was 24 years old. He was 6'6” and had a mixed heritage which I still hadn't acquired information on. I was confident about my hunch that he had an African background but still couldn't put a finger on the other half. He had short brown hair which turned to gold when he used magic. He gave off a strong superior look, based on his muscle and defined build, but had a soft side to him and an apparent shyness towards girls.
Then there was Kage Park, who was 22. He was 6'3” and had shoulder-length navy blue hair and bright green eyes with hints of turquoise blue in them. He was soft spoken and liked to ask questions, his curiosity contributing to his cute appearance and attitude. He was knowledgeable about familiars and knew Alice was really a female instead of a male, a normal assumption when people saw her owl form.
Next was Zane Park, who was the youngest at 21. He was Kage's younger brother, but I thought he acted like the older sibling. He was 6'3” with purple hair and his green eyes were a lot darker than his brother’s, almost reminding me of emeralds with hints of purple lines in them. He had a strong personality and seemed to enjoy joking around. He had an exciting persona, making him come across as very friendly.
The only person I'd yet to meet was Braxton Park, Kage and Zane's older brother. He was two years older than Kage, being twenty-four years old which made me really curious. He could have been accepted into Brighten three years ago. Why would he wait until now to enter, especially when he had power and skills to finish the test by himself and still get a perfect score?
I wonder which personality he'd have more of, Kage's curious yet shy side or Zane's upfront and outgoing attitude?
I turned the tap off, allowing the beads of water to run down my body to the wet, tiled floor. I stared absently at the floor, wondering if Mother was okay. Hey Gabriel, can you make sure Mom's doing alright? I know Dad is probably watching over her while you watch over me, but just make sure she's okay and isn’t lonely.
I opened the shower door, looking for where I placed my towel. I'd been in the washroom for forty minutes, thirty of which had been dedicated to a really hot shower to help loosen my muscles. I would have liked to take a bath, but I wanted to wash my hair after not getting the chance yesterday.
I felt a cold draft come into the room, but I stayed focused on finding my towel. At least the vent is working to clear the steam.
"Why is it so hard to see through steam? I swear. Ah, there's my tow-OOF!" I crashed into something hard and lost my balance. An arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back up. Then my body was pressed right against theirs.
Green eyes locked onto mine, little gold lines could be seen around the irises, the green reminding me of lime. The unfamiliar man holding me had short bright red hair that reminded me of Nixon's, but had hints of gold at the roots. He had an oval face and his complexion automatically told me he was of Korean descent. His soft features reminded me of Zane and Kage. He was tall, looking to be about 6'7” and a giant compared to my 5'8”. My eyes slowly trailed to his bare chest filled with muscle and lower. At that point I realized I was pressed against a very naked Braxton.
Don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak out, Jewel Starfire. There's a logical explanation for this.
"I didn't know dorms accepted females,” he mumbled, his Korean accent thick as he took a look at my breasts. He looked calm but I noticed his obvious attraction to me, making my head spin and my face burn with such intensity my brain shut down. FREAK THE FUCK OUT.
I let out a loud scream, pushing the person who I hoped to the heavens was Braxton away from me. My eyes lowered to his cock and I swear the world stopped as I stared at his massive length. How does he fit that into anything? Or into ANYONE! OMG, why am I staring? AH!!!!!
"JEWEL!" Logan and Nixon rushed into the washroom. I slowly turned to them realizing I was still completely naked. Just my luck. My boyfriend, his rival, and now a stranger get to have a lovely view of me completely nude.
Their hungry gazes took in my entire body from head to toe, then back up again. I didn't know what to do. Run away? Yes running away and pretending this never happened seems like a great idea.
I slowly backed up, my eyes scanning the room for anywhere else I could run to. Maybe I could shrink myself and go through the ventilation system and run back home. Yup, totally running back home naked and never showing my face ag-
My left foot stepped onto something slippery and I let out a shriek as my body fell backward. "Jewel!" I heard Logan and Nixon call out together. I landed on my back, hitting my head against the tiled floor and blacked out.
Yup, just my damn luck.
"There's no way I'll be able to do this."
I stood again in the same place: the balcony where brother would once again fall to his death. He appeared at the end of the hall with a small smile on his face. "What makes you think that?"
"I screwed up. Twice. How do you think I'll survive a semester here, let alone a year? It's going to be impossible," I stressed, knowing I didn't have much time.
Brother began his slow walk towards me and I tried to hold back the fear and sadness that wanted to overtake me and leave me in despair like every dream I remembered.
"People make mistakes, but it doesn't mean your path ends here," Gabriel explained as his gold eyes met mine. Regret was written all over them as he got closer and closer to where I stood.
"My dorm mates. They won't cover for me forever! People aren't nice like that. There's always a catch," I emphasized.
People always gave their perfect innocent faces, like when we asked for help during Gabriel's funeral. We didn't know later they would be expecting some type of compensation for their assistance.
No payback resulted in mockery and them trying their best to ruin my mom's name behind her back. That was until she got her disease; then people couldn't continue with that plan because it would make them look like the bad individuals they truly were. Everyone knew appearances mattered. Why would these guys be okay with protecting mine with no promise of anything in return?
Brother reached my side, turning his head to face me. "You need to have more faith in people, my sweet sister,” he whispered before continuing his journey to the ledge.
"How can I have faith when people always let me down?" I asked softly.
"There are good and bad people in this world, sis. It comes down to who you choose to have by your side and protect you versus those who are poking you in the sides with needles. Trust those instincts of yours," he explained.
He turned around to face me, preparing to fall back off the balcony like always.
"What if my instincts are wrong? What if they're clouded because of..." I couldn't finish, unsure what was really affecting my instincts. Attraction? Acceptance? The reality I was in a dorm with six men whose looks alone would be enough to send me straight to the burning pits down below for my ways of thinking.
"Jewel."
I lifted my head to see my brother's wide smile as tears pooled in those gold orbs of his. "Your instincts are never wrong. Listen to them. End the cycle."
His body leaned back and just like always, he fell over the edge. The only difference was I didn't have the strength to scream this time.
"Jewel?"
I stirred at Logan's gentle voice. I didn't feel like waking up, trying to focus on my dream a little longer. Listen to my instincts? End the cycle? What cycle, Gabriel?
"This is all Brother’s fault," Kage sighed.
"None of this is my fault. Maximus told me it was the room with the door open!" The stranger with the Korean accent declared, sounding pissed off.
"You’re the idiot that didn't read your damn paper! Ms. Landsford totally wrote the room down for you!" Maximus argued.
"Not to mention that she even drew you a little diagram with a damn arrow. I question how you get perfect scores in everything but can't read simple directions," Zane mocked.
"Fuck off brother! You're lucky I'm here."
"We don't want you here," Zane replied back.
"No one asked you to enter this year," Kage mumbled.
"Can you guys argue later? It’s giving me a headache. I wanna nap," Nixon sighed.
"Nap later!" Kage, Zane, and the new person snarled in unison.
"Ah! So loud. You guys are the reason Jewel's gonna wake up cranky," Nixon emphasized.
"Wait, we woke her up?" Kage asked.
"Anyone would wake up with how loud all of you are. Go to the other fucking room!" Logan ordered. "NOW!"
"Ugh, Logan’s such a pain when he's angry," Kage whined.
"Right," Zane agreed.
"I think someone needs anger management," Maximus whispered.
"I agree with you," the new voice replied.
"Let's not forgot, Jewel hit her head thanks to Braxton Park who can't read directions or see through steam," Nixon hummed.
"Fuck off!"
I felt my body being lifted up from what must have been a couch of some sort. The swaying motion was rather relaxing, helping me drift back to sleep for hopefully a few more minutes.
"Jewel? Can you hear me?" Logan's voice woke me up again a while later. This time I opened my eyes. The lights were dim and it took a moment for my vision to adjust. When I turned my head, I saw Logan's relieved expression.
"Hey Precious," he whispered.
"Hey. What's wrong?" I asked, unsure why he still looked uneasy now that I was awake.
"Do you remember what happened before you hit your head?"
"I hit my head?" I replied, coming up with a big blank otherwise.
Logan frowned. "I'm so killing Braxton,” he mumbled.
"Who's Braxton? The name sounds familiar… hold on." I thought for a moment, knowing I had heard it before, but my brain was still very sluggishly playing catch up.
"Is Jewel experiencing memory loss?"
I lifted my gaze to see Nixon come in with a cup of water. Logan sighed and nodded. "I think so. She doesn't remember what happened or Braxton so far."
"With Braxton, that's understandable. He didn't introduce himself. As for what happened, give her a few minutes," Nixon suggested. I looked at the glass of water, now feeling thirsty. Nixon smiled and came to kneel next to Logan.
"I figured you'd want some water, Jewel. Can you sit up?" Nixon asked.
"Sure," I replied. Logan helped me sit up and Nixon offered me the glass. I accepted it, giving them both a smile before I drank the cool liquid. Something felt off with the taste but I didn't mind. I was super thirsty and even after I finished the entire glass, I didn't feel satisfied. How long have I been unconscious for?
I felt something move under my blanket and Alice's fox formed popped out from underneath. "You've been knocked out for a couple of hours. It's evening now." Her soft voice entered my mind.
A few hours? Hmm… wait I think my memory is coming back. I tried to recall what happened and the pieces were finally starting to come together.
I remembered I took a long shower, and thinking that I hoped Mother was okay. I got out of the shower to look for a towel and bumped into a huge mammoth of a beast and his cock… Oh no! Nope, never mind I don't want to remember. Reverse that!
"Jewel? Do you remember now?" Logan inquired.
"She should. I put magic in the water to help her recall," Nixon revealed.
Logan glanced at him accusingly. "Do you poison everything?"
Nixon rolled his eyes. "It's not poison, it’s magic and no. Just felt it would be better to help her remember earlier on than waiting for it to hit her all at once when she saw Braxton again," Nixon shrugged.
I blushed, feeling utterly embarrassed that Nixon, Braxton, and Logan all saw me naked before I slipped and passed out. Oh my goodness. What if I fell with my legs wide open? Free pussy viewing! I'm gonna die.
Alice moved up the blanket to rest on my lap. "If it makes you feel any better, you didn't. Logan did some crazy magic thing and a towel fell on you before Nixon and Braxton got a good glimpse. He then ordered them both out and made sure you were clothed before bringing you out for medical attention."
"Medical attention?" I asked out loud.
"I'm assuming Alice just told you a summarized version of what happened after you passed out?" Logan clarified. I knew he was trying to hide his own shyness regarding the matter, but his cheeks tinted a light red despite his efforts.
I gave my empty cup back to Nixon who looked relaxed as usual. I lifted the blanket to hide beneath it. "Goodbye cruel world." I mumbled, wanting to go back to sleep and just be unconscious forever.
"So dramatic," Alice snorted, moving around the blanket until she found the opening and snuck beneath it to cuddle next to my face.
You're not helping.
"I'm here to cuddle with you while you forget your most embarrassing moments which have all somehow happened in less than 24 hours. Bravo," she replied.
Yup, TOTALLY NOT HELPFUL.
"Jewel, come out. It's not that bad," Logan reassured. I slowly poked my head out from the blanket to frown at him.
"In less than 24 hours, I not only failed at hiding my disguise, three different men got a lovely first class view of my body. Oh wait, scratch that. Four strangers saw me in nothing but my lingerie. THEN, two strangers and my boyfriend saw me completely naked before I slipped on I don't even know what and knocked my butt naked self out," I concluded.
Logan opened his mouth to retaliate but then his face grew red and he looked away. I groaned. "SEE!" I pointed to him.
Nixon got up and sat on the edge of the bed next to me, making me realize I wasn't in our bunk bed but on his bed. "If it makes you feel better, you have a nice body,” he stated, revealing barely any emotion.
"Thanks… I mean, ugh! That does not, Nixon!" I whined, slapping his shoulder.
He shrugged. "You should be proud that you have a sexy body. You shouldn’t be embarrassed. Logan's lucky,” he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
Alice moved from where she'd snuggled next to my shoulder to sit next to Nixon. He smiled, petting her on the head. "See, you humans always overreact to everything," she teased.
"I hope one day you get to enjoy the life as a human every day for a good week. Then you’ll understand my agony," I complained. Nixon and Logan turned to me, raising an eyebrow.
"Alice is being silly. Ignore me." I relaxed back into the sheets and stared up at at the ceiling. The familiar face from before suddenly hovered above my face and I blushed.
"Is she alive?" he questioned, looking down at me.
Logan huffed. "Move your face out of my girlfriend's personal space, Braxton. Jeez, you heard her rant when you walked in."
Braxton frowned and rolled his eyes, leaning back. I turned my head to the left to see him standing in a grey t-shirt and black shorts. He definitely looked better naked but I tried really hard not to focus on that detail.
"My apologies, sexy girl. Didn't mean to intrude during your shower,” the man apologized.
"I'm just going to assume you’re Braxton," I determined and he nodded.
"Braxton Park. A pleasure to meet you."
"Jewel Starfire," I replied. He smiled at the name, the first time I’d seen a softer expression on his face. "If you ever want to dump Logan, can I be next in line?" he asked.
"Hey! Why is everyone hitting on my girlfriend?" Logan exclaimed.
"Actually Braxton, I'm next in line, but you can be after me. Actually, we can share. Sharing is caring," Nixon offered.
"That would be nice. She's hot," Braxton pointed out. "But I'm not sharing with my brothers. They suck at sharing."
"That could be arranged," Nixon nodded in understanding.
"Why do I feel like I'm a part of a business exchange?" I commented, though I didn't really mind the fact they wanted to share me. Ugh, I really hit my head hard. I'm becoming delusional.
"Hey! I didn't agree with sharing," Logan grumbled, rising from his kneeling position to stand.
"Sharing is caring!' Kage spoke as he and Zane entered the room with a plate of food. I blinked before slowly sitting up. I glanced down to make sure I wasn't naked, thankful to see I was wearing a long red shirt. I didn't know whose it was though. I took a small sniff of it and smiled.
"Strawberries," I commented, lifting my gaze to Nixon. "This is yours," I confirmed.
Nixon glanced away, his cheeks turning slightly red. "Yup,” he answered.
"Awww. He's all embarrassed that you know what he smells like. I can see a harem forming," Alice hummed in my mind as she began hopping on the bed at my feet.
"Ugh, Alice, go bother Kage," I huffed. Alice stuck out her little fox tongue and jumped off the bed and began a slow climb up Kage's clothes. He chuckled.
"Hold up, Alice. I'm still holding half of the food,” he laughed. Braxton walked over and took the trays from both of them before placing the food gently on my lap. I stared at the large amount of food, a combination of breakfast and dinner. There were pancakes with cut strawberries and blueberries covered in maple syrup, while the other tray had broccoli and cheese soup and a thick slice of whole wheat bread and butter.
"You should eat. The guys said they haven't seen you eat since they met you and Logan was no help,” Braxton encouraged
"You didn't even ask me," Logan sighed, looking exhausted. I had a hunch the guys really liked teasing him because it always got a reaction out of him.
"Thanks. I am really hungry. Is it still Tuesday?" I inquired. I had no sense of time. Our exam was Monday and we had been at the house for almost a full day when I fell and passed out.
Maximus walked into the room holding a glass of water and what looked like medication.
"It's Tuesday evening. You were knocked out for a few hours. We ended up calling the main nurse. Her name was Savannah. She said you should take one of these. It'll prevent you from getting any headaches," Maximus offered, coming over to hand me the glass of water and a pill from the foil package.
"That's why we made food! Savannah said you need to take it with food or it'll make your stomach upset," Zane stressed.
"But we didn't know if you would want more of a breakfast meal or lunch meal since you missed both," Kage added.
"So you guys made both?" I asked, giving the three of them a wide smile as thanks before taking the pill, drinking a good half of the chilled water which tasted normal, and not laced with Nixon’s magic.
"Yup. We wanted you to have variety," Zane said proudly. Braxton slapped his head. "Ow! What did I do?" Zane whined.
"It was my idea to give her different kinds of food. Don't stand there and act like I did nothing,” he growled.
Kage chuckled. "Zane got caught." He kept laughing and I smiled at the three brothers, noticing how close they were. It made me wonder if Braxton waited until his brothers got into Brighten before applying so he could go with them. But Kage could have gotten in last year. Maybe something happened.
I looked down to my food, wondering what I wanted first. Since the soup was still steaming hot, I decided to start with the pancakes.
"Want me to feed you, Jewel?" Nixon offered.
"I should feed her since it's my fault she got injured," Braxton pointed out.
"Can we feed her since we made the food?" Kage asked as Alice roamed about on his shoulder.
"Ya, we volunteer to feed Jewel!" Zane enthused.
"I brought her medication and was actually listening when Savannah was explaining all the symptoms to watch out for. I should get to feed her," Maximus insisted.
"No one is feeding her," Logan sighed. I snickered which turned into a full laugh, causing all of them to stare at me.
"Was laughing a side effect, Maximus?" Kage asked.
"To be honest, I wasn't paying attention to half of the things she said,” he confessed, making me laugh harder.
"I'm sorry. I’ve just never met a group of guys who get along so well." I continued to giggle.
"We don't get along," they all declared.
"Sure," I replied sarcastically. Once I was done with my giggle fit, I turned to look at Braxton. "So did they did they tell you about me?" I asked.
"Yup. Jinn male, Jewel female. No one but Ms. Landsford, Savannah, and the Headmaster know. Your secret’s safe with me," he shrugged, looking like it wasn't a big deal. I was quiet for a moment, staring at each of them. Logan moved into Maximus’ spot while he moved back to give him space. He gently touched my shoulder.
"Hey, what's wrong?” Logan asked. He knew me long enough to know when something was bothering me.
"Don't you guys want something in return?" I asked. The others all stared at me with confused expressions before looking at one another, as if one of them would understand.
"Why would we want something?" Kage asked, tilting his head to the side, as if uncertain.
"That's how it was back home," I whispered looking back at Logan who frowned then slowly nodded.
"In our town Natala… it’s hard to lean on or ask people for help because they always expect something in return. It doesn't matter how small the deed. If you’re helping a kid, typically nothing is expected but once you reach your teens, simple acts of kindness usually have a hidden meaning to them and are never without consequences," Logan explained.
"If you helped someone study to get a good grade, they owe you and you can expect that person to help you in a jam in the future. If they don't, you have the right to spread around the town that they didn't return the favor," I explained, giving them an example.
Braxton looked upset, exchanging a look with Maximus who had his arms crossed. "We have an idea of what you're referring to, but we would never help someone seeking personal benefit. Either you help out of the goodness of your heart or you don't. That’s how it should be," Braxton declared.
Maximus nodded his agreement. "I get your worry, but I'm not here for favors. If so, we'd actually be in debt to you for helping us pass the exam. We had one of the hardest tests from what I've heard going around campus, and thanks to your quick thinking, we made it. The least we can do is keep your secret."
"Maybe there's even a reason why the headmaster and the other staff want you here? They wouldn't accept you just because your mom made an error," Kage proposed thoughtfully.
"I have to agree. Regardless of their reasoning, I don't think it’s a hassle at all. Plus you’re pretty cool, both as a girl and a guy," Zane complimented.
"And you're a good cuddler," Nixon added. Logan shook his head, his teeth clenched, while the others snickered.
"Nixon needs to be a professor in napping." Maximus joked.
"Would be nice. I'd get paid to sleep,” he replied with a smile. We shook our heads, but it was nice to see Nixon smile once in a while.
"So it’s agreed. We’re all cool with Jewel being Jinn?" Maximus asked. Everyone nodded.
"Cool with me," Braxton replied.
"Yes for us," Kage said sweetly, petting Alice who was still lounging on his shoulder.
"Us as in me too," Zane chimed in, resting his hands behind his head.
"I'm down with it," Maximus added.
"Yup," Nixon said with a yawn.
"I’m already on board with all of this so I'm perfectly fine with the idea. Just no more walking into washrooms naked or unannounced," Logan pointed out, staring at Braxton who huffed.
"No one warned me there was a girl in the house. Why should I bring clothes to the washroom in an all-male house?"
"Because no one wants to see your huge cock," Maximus complained.
"Right. You're giving Jewel unrealistic expectations," Zane nodded.
Kage leaned in to whisper to Zane. "Ya, Brother's cock is larger than both of ours. I think we're screwed since Jewel must have got a glimpse."
I blushed at his quiet words and the others groaned. "Well, we don't have a chance now," Maximus groaned.
"Guess Jewel better dump Logan now," Nixon suggested.
"She's not dumping me. My cock is perfectly average," Logan confessed, his cheeks burning red.
"Average like male average or average like Braxton average?" Kage asked.
"Braxton is NOT anywhere NEAR average!" Zane stressed.
"Can I finish my food before we talk cock length?" I asked. They paused, looking as if they had completely forgotten I was there; they all started to blush.
They all gave their assent and I giggled before taking a slurp of my soup.
"By the way. My length is just a little smaller than Braxton's," I purred, using my thumb and index finger to show how slight the difference was.
"UGH!" The guys all groaned and I laughed.
"Good one," Alice giggled in my mind. I observed them as I continued to eat. I realized I actually felt confident in Brother's words.
I just need to have more faith in people.