"Here's your schedule and dorm key. You may choose your dorm mate and are expected to stick with that. We don't encourage switching dorm mates just because you end up hating one another. Your dorm is ACE 7 on Spellbound Road,” the secretary instructed, handing me my package and my identification. I glanced at the card with my name 'JINN STARFIRE- MALE- SSS RANK- RED OR GOLD DIVISION’ written out with my picture on the left side.
"Thanks," I replied, turning around to walk back to the others who were checking out their own identifications and packages.
"ACE 7 anyone?" Maximus asked.
"Both of us," Zane and Kage said together, then high fived one another.
"Same," Logan mumbled, before glancing over at me.
I lifted my map that showed I was also in ACE 7 and he gave me a small smile but still looked in a bad mood. I was exhausted and wasn't in the mood to deal with whatever was going on in his mind right now, especially in my male form where I had to give off a more confident, slightly uncaring attitude. That's what I thought anyway.
Nixon shuffled over to my side, resting his head on my shoulder. "Jinn is in ACE 7 too? Jinn, let's be dorm buddies,” he suggested.
"No."
I returned my attention to Logan who strode up to my other side, glaring at Nixon who still had his head rested on my shoulder. "I'm staying with Jinn."
"But he'd be nice to cuddle with," Nixon mumbled. I didn't know if I was suffering from slow response syndrome or what, but I just stood there, unsure how to react to his comment while my mind was busy imagining what Nixon looked like without a shirt. This isn't healthy.
"You're not cuddling with Jinn. He's mine," Logan announced.
"He is?" Kage asked Maximus and Zane, who were staying out of the tense battle of 'Who gets to dorm with Jinn.'
"I think he means like friends?" Zane suggested.
"More like lovers. Hey Logan, are you gay?" Maximus asked.
Logan seemed to blink out of his angry gaze and slowly turned to Maximus. "No. I'm not."
"Then you don't get to cuddle with Jinn," Nixon said plainly.
"Is there a rule that if you're gay, you get to cuddle people?" Kage wondered.
"I don't think that's in the LGBT handbook, Kage," Zane pointed out.
"There's a handbook?" Kage inquired.
"I feel like we're missing the point here," Maximus exhaled slowly.
"Can we save the sexuality lesson for another time? Nixon isn't dorming with Jinn. I am! I'll fucking fight you if I have to,” he growled.
Nixon lifted his head off my shoulder and went up to Logan. Even with their two inch height difference, Logan wasn't intimidated in the least and looked like he wasn't going to budge. "You sure you can win, Cross? Last time I checked, you couldn't hold a triangle," Nixon whispered, his husky voice so low yet held a level of power that made goosebumps crawl up your arms.
"Jinn will be my dorm mate. I won't budge on this,” Logan declared. They stared each other down; Logan looked like his eyes could shoot daggers while Nixon looked calm with a hint of amusement on his lazy expression.
"Should have brought some popcorn with me," Maximus mumbled.
"I could grab some. There's a vending machine right there," Kage suggested, gesturing down the hall.
"You'd miss the action though," Zane reminded.
At this point, my brain gave up on trying to follow what was going on. Men. I'm too tired for this shit. I rolled up my papers, sliding them into my back pocket and tucking my ID in my front pocket before I began walking away, leaving them to do whatever.
"Uh. The person in question is leaving," Kage pointed out, but I kept on walking.
I turned down into the crowded hall leading to the exit. I didn't need a map to navigate to wherever this Spellbound road was. I remembered from years ago when my mom had taken me around the school campus; she said Spellbound road was one of the most popular and lavish blocks of Brighten property. I didn’t know how we got that lucky, but I'd worry about admiring whatever dorm we got after I had a chance to take a nap.
I got outside and walked down the stairs, breathing the clean air in deeply. It felt amazing to enjoy the fresh atmosphere after being stuck breathing AXE body spray and sweaty men. I couldn't say much, since I was also sweaty from that test and the exertion of it all.
Shower or nap… hmm. If I shower, that means I have to do it as a guy? Ugh, this is such a pain in the ass. Maybe we'll have private washrooms? I highly doubt it. Please, let me have a private washroom. Pretty please.
"You look like you could fall asleep on the floor." Alice's voice entered my mind and I scanned around to spot her owl form in a tree a few steps ahead.
She flew down and landed on my shoulder, rubbing her head against my cheek. I smiled, beginning to pet her as I continued to walk down the path. I noticed a sign that pointed straight to Spellbound road.
"I feel like shit. The test was harder than I expected," I spoke quietly to her, ignoring the stares I was getting. Seeing as I'd yet to see anyone else with a familiar, I figured Alice would be one of the few and a bringer of attention. Not like I wasn’t getting enough of that to begin with.
"Hoot," Alice replied. "At least you’re still able to keep your appearance, but you should try and take a nap. How are you going to change back to sleep?"
"I don't know. I honestly don't care at this point," I admitted. I always got bitchy when my magic levels were low. Hmm, can I even say bitchy as a guy? This is so silly. Why did I do this to myself? What possessed me to agree to these terms? Well, it was for Mom. Maybe for myself a bit too. I bet Gabriel and Father are up there in the heavens laughing at me.
"Hoot," Alice commented. "Ya, you need a nap."
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," I sighed heavily.
"You always get so bitchy when your magic is low… wait, can I say that about you since you’re a guy?"
I groaned, rolling my eyes, then pulled my hand out of my pocket to ruffle my hair. "I don't even know."
"Jinn!" I looked over my shoulder to see Logan running towards me. I came to a stop, waiting for him to catch up. Nixon and the rest of the guys were not too far behind.
"You didn't need to leave,” he huffed, totally out of breath.
"I feel like shit and you two are having a manly 'let’s all claim bids on Jinn' fight. I need a nap," I growled back, beginning to walk again. He sighed, speeding up to match my long strides.
"Are you upset?"
"I want to nap," I countered.
"It's more than that."
"No, it's not. My male instincts tell me that I want to nap," I defended.
"I really doubt that," Logan retorted. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him, lowering my voice.
"Logan. This isn't like when I'm a girl and care about the fact you and Nixon are in some type of male feud over me, which by the way, I don't understand why you're getting your balls in a knot about when he doesn't even know I'm you-know-what."
"Are we seriously arguing right now?" he asked.
"I. Want. To. Nap," I emphasized every word, my voice so low it sounded like I was about to fight his ass. I had to admit, I was slightly tempted.
"Hoot." Alice hopped off my shoulder and onto Logan's. "Go nap, I'll distract him."
"Alice. Not no- Ow. Why are you poking me? Don't tell me you're mad too," Logan complained, frowning at Alice who spread her wings and continued to poke Logan's cheek. I turned around, taking off and leaving him and the others behind. I just needed to sleep. Was that really so much to ask for?
"Jinn looks pissed off," I heard Maximus point out. They sounded only a few steps behind me. As we entered Spellbound road, the noise of the crowd quieted down.
"He needs a nap. If Logan would just let him be, he'd been asleep by now," Nixon commented.
"You really like naps, Nixon?" Kage asked.
"Ya. Sleep is the highlight of life. Don't need to deal with reality," Nixon said plainly. I frowned at his words that seemed to hold more meaning than the others picked up on. It made me curious as what happened in his life to make those words hold such weight.
"I think having a good time in bed is more of a highlight than sleep, but whatever rocks your socks," Maximus sighed, also sounding tired.
"Coming from the guy who's lucky to be able to hold a conversation with a female," Zane chuckled.
Kage laughed, "Maximus is the perfect example of the guy who can reel all the ladies in but becomes a shy mess as soon as they start talking, and they all run away."
I looked over to see Maximus’ face grow red. "That's not fucking true. They're just hard to understand,” he defended.
"Hard to understand, my ass," Nixon said with a yawn. I turned my attention forward, looking for our residence when I noticed a familiar face.
"Hmm? Ms. Landsford?" I asked, failing at hiding my shock. She gave me a wide grin and smiled.
"Ah. Jinn Starfire. A pleasure to finally meet you. Charlotte told me a lot about you and your family. Nice to see a Starfire joining Brighten,” she greeted.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and bowed my head in greeting. "Pleasure to meet you. Aunty Charlotte did say good things about this school. Decided to give it a shot." I played along and didn’t give in to the urge to smile. She glanced over at the others that approached us.
"Logan Cross, Nixon Rose, Zane and Kage Park, and Maximus Copperfield. A pleasure to meet you all." She greeted the others as they came up to where I stood. They all bowed their heads in greeting; their expressions varied from confused to curiosity.
"My name is Ms. Landsford and I'll be one of your professors here at Brighten Magic Academy. Residence ACE 7 will be your dorm for the duration of the semester. This can be changed if your grades don't meet the standards or if you do poorly on a magic test which will be held twice a semester. Each semester is four months long. This week is more of an orientation week. You'll have this time to settle into your dorms, buy your books, and get your wands handcrafted for the semester. Wands are not required, but I suggest you have them just in case a test ranks them as mandatory," Ms. Landsford explained. Her gaze landed on me, followed by Nixon during the final sentence.
I wonder if Nixon can use magic without a wand, like me. He did give me an extra boost during our exam and didn't use his wand for that.
"Hoot!" Alice spread her wings and flew up to land on my shoulder. Ms. Landsford smiled at Alice.
"Ali Starfire. You're one of the rare familiars on this campus. I took into account you have a familiar, Jinn, so your room has a spot for him to rest and a spare bed if in case he decides to stay in his human form. I believe that was what was written on your application."
"Hold up, the bird can change to a human?" Maximus asked, moving around to stare at Alice, who fluffed her feathers and snuggled closer to my head, glaring at Maximus.
"He doesn't like everyone. I wouldn't try petting him unless he shows that he wants you to, and to answer your question, yes. Ali can change into a human," I revealed.
"That's so cool." Kage came over to stand next to me, reaching his hand out but didn't touch Alice. She relaxed and lowered her head, allowing Kage to pet her.
"Kage has always been good with familiars.” Zane pointed out.
"Familiars are rare and energy costing. After that test and now knowing Jinn has a damn familiar, I'm surprised he's even standing," Maximus commented.
"Ali doesn't take a lot of mana from me," I replied, not wanting to spend too much time on the topic. It was hard enough to remind myself to call Alice by her male name, Ali. The longer we spent on the topic, the higher my chances were of slipping up.
I opened my mouth to brush off the subject but yawned. Fuck, I'm seriously tired.
"Hoot, hoot, hoot," Alice replied, hopping up and down on my shoulder. "Nap, nap, nap."
"Sorry to cut things short, Ms. Landsford, but Jinn needs a nap. He's really cranky when he doesn't sleep. We don't want to suffer the consequences of his lack of sleep," Nixon stressed, walking up and resting his head on my shoulder.
"Why are you even resting your head on his shoulder when HE'S the one who’s tired?" Maximus groaned.
"Because I need a nap too. Plus, I like doing this. It bugs the shit out of Logan,” he confessed. I glanced over at Logan whose eye literally twitched. These two are never going to get along.
"Hoot," Alice replied to my thoughts. "Agreed. Maybe they'll kill each other. That would be entertaining to watch though."
I sighed. Entertaining for you.
"My apologies. All of you must be exhausted. Let me give you a quick tour and then we'll be on our way. You will have one more roommate. He just went off to get his schedule," Ms. Landsford announced.
"Who’s that?" Maximus wondered. We all began to move towards the entrance door, Logan holding the gate open for all of us to enter.
"Braxton,” she answered simply. Kage and Zane stopped in their tracks, their jaws open in shock.
"BROTHER!" they explained together. We turned to look at both of them and they groaned.
"I knew there was a catch for him letting us apply," Kage sighed.
"I'm calling Mom. Fuck this, I won't be babysat by him!" Zane complained.
"Braxton's your brother?" I clarified. Both Kage and Zane looked young for sure, but no younger than the acceptance age of twenty-one.
"Yes. Ugh. If we don't get to go to at least one party I'm calling child services," Kage whined.
Maximus laughed. "You can't call child services on him, idiot. Braxton is chill,” he pointed out.
"Chill to YOU," Zane amended.
"Yeah, you guys are only a year apart. He's nice to you. He's a pain in our asses," Kage replied. He was the more soft-spoken of the two, which made his debate sound harmless compared to Zane, who had a more assertive tone to his deep voice.
"If you two are brothers, who is the older one?" Logan asked.
Zane pointed to Kage. "Sadly, Kage is older. He's twenty-two. I'm twenty-one."
"Everyone thinks Zane's the older one between us since he's more straight to the point and has little patience. Or maybe, it’s because my voice is softer," Kage considered, shrugging his shoulders.
"Hoot." Alice left my shoulder to fly over to Kage's. "I like him. He's kind-hearted."
Kage's expression brightened and he began petting Alice, who rubbed her head against his hand.
"He likes you," I pointed out as we entered the home.
"I'm glad," Kage replied, a bit of amusement in his eyes. I didn't understand why he was so entertained but I shrugged it off. I was getting closer and closer to a nice bed, so nothing else mattered at the moment.
"Let's do a quick tour, shall we?" Ms. Landsford suggested. She'd been quietly watching us interact which was kind of her. I bet she had other things to do but wanted us to try and get along. Logan stayed next to me during the tour and from his blank expression I could tell he was still upset. We'd have to have a talk before I took a nap or he'd be a pain in the ass later.
We rarely fought, except when one of us was feeling jealous. Even when we just considered each other as friends, if someone rubbed us the wrong way and tried to interfere with our friendship, whether it was a boy or girl, we'd argue about it.
"Your rooms have been assigned to you based on your performance. We normally let you choose where you want to bunk, but getting a dorm like this for first years is a rare occurrence and we'd like to encourage you to room with your fighting partners for when you have dual tests," Ms. Landsford explained.
We went up to the second floor of the large three-story house. This place had a pool, theatre, entertainment center and a training center on the floor above us.
"Maximus, you'll be partnered with Braxton and your room is here." Ms. Landsford pointed to the door on our right. Maximus opened the door to take a peek.
"Damn. This room is like it’s own apartment space,” he commented. We took a quick look, noticing that the large room was about the size of an apartment living room. There were two beds, desks, and what looked to be a bathroom inside. Yes! Private bathroom.
"Kage and Zane, you both will be rooming over here." Ms. Landsford indicated the door on the left. They both nodded and opened the door to check. It was a similar design to Maxi and Braxton's but had a large bunk bed.
"Why do we get a bunk bed?" Kage asked.
"I bet it’s because we're brothers. I want the bottom bunk, by the way," Zane replied.
Ms. Landsford laughed, shaking her head. "No. This home got renovated. Normally there are only four students. This semester, seven of you were chosen for this residence. This was determined due to your set of skills and your dual performance. The test you guys completed, in MOST cases, only four make it through."
"What about Brother? He wasn't a part of our test," Kage pointed out quietly.
"Braxton is the only one who passed his test and got a perfect score," Ms. Landsford revealed. Oh shit...
"Wow," Maxi and Nixon said together. I exchanged looks with Logan while Zane and Kage shrugged.
"Figures,” they said in unison, looking unsurprised by the fact their brother had gotten a perfect score.
"Anyways, Jinn, Logan, and Nixon. You three will be in the largest room," Ms. Landsford announced.
"All three of us?" Logan asked through clenched teeth.
"Yes. Again, the place was renovated so it doesn't have enough rooms to split you three up,” she explained.
"If there was enough space, what was the partnering supposed to be?" Nixon asked innocently. I bit my bottom lip, knowing Nixon wanted to figure out who would have been my dorm buddy if the layout of the house had been different. I looked into our assigned room as Ms. Landsford answered.
"You and Jinn would have been partnered up by default. Your magic levels are almost on the same wavelength. However, Jinn has the same level of power as Braxton. Maybe a little higher even,” she admitted.
"Interesting," Nixon remarked, his satisfaction with her revelation apparent in his voice. I didn't hear Logan reply while the others continued talking.
"Shit. Jinn is stronger than Brax!" Zane exclaimed.
"I guess I'm not surprised. He did do that crazy triple triangle thing and figured it out in less than three minutes," Maximus replied.
"He also saved us when we couldn't keep hold of the bubble," Kage reminded.
"And you can't forget he held up Logan's share last minute," Nixon announced with a smirk. I sighed, not wanting to hear an argument. My gaze landed on a red metallic bunk bed. I walked into the room, putting my stuff on the desk. I tugged at my tie, loosening it and putting it on the desk chair before unbuttoning my collar and top two buttons. I climbed up the ladder and got comfortable in the bed, throwing the blanket over me. Finally, a bed.
"Hoot." I heard Alice in the hallway, followed by her fluttering wings. A little click sound made me peek my left eye open. I turned my head slightly to see Alice resting on the rail.
"Aren't you supposed to change before you sleep?” she reminded. I groaned quietly and closed my eyes shut, not caring at this point. Even if I got sick, I couldn't care less. My exhaustion outweighed my decision-making skills.
"Where did Jinn go?" Kage called out.
"I think he's asleep," Zane replied. I heard footsteps but ignored them, my consciousness already beginning to drift in and out.
"He's tired. Let him sleep," Logan instructed. I didn't like the hardness in his voice, making me want to get back up and have a talk with him. I didn't want him thinking he was weak or incapable of fighting alongside me, and I could tell what happened during the test weighed on him.
We always knew I was the stronger one between us, but maybe he was more affected by it due to the fact I was a male now, instead of a girl?
I'll just have to work on it later. Alice?
"Hoot,” she replied. "Yes?"
Wake me up in two hours or when you think I'm losing too much energy. You can poke me.
"Hoot,” she agreed and I felt the shift of magic, followed by a soft tail brushing against my cheek.
I opened my heavy eyelids to see her white fox form and she curled up right next to my face. She licked my cheek and I smiled. Thank you.
I'd gotten into Brighten Academy, but was already exhausted with everything that had occurred today. I just hoped I could keep this facade up long enough to reach the first set of classes.