Dorm 24

Magdalene found herself in a great deal of debt to Roman Morrison. He had given her a chance to live happily, begin a new education, not just as a witch but as a functional adult in society. He located her almost immediately upon her escape from Palazzo il Bicchiere. He said he knew her mother and was from the same clan as her. Magdalene did not trust him initially, but he wasn't a vampire, so it was a little easier to trust him than anyone else she had ever met in her life. He facilitated her entry into Harper's University. She had been homeschooled by a private tutor as a child, but was not used to formal institutionalized learning. Roman recommended attending Harper's University because many witch clans sent their college age students there. There was a high probability that Magdalene would meet other witches her own age there. Also, Roman's niece, Cassandra, was in her second year at the school and would be able to keep an eye on Magdalene.

It had taken sometime for Magdalene to convince her newly found guardian that she could reside on campus at Harper's University without his supervision. The biggest issue was how she could secretly receive blood without anyone discovering she was a half bred vampire. While there was a large population of secret witches on campus, there were no vampires, and even amongst witch clans Magdalene would be seen as a dangerous half breed. Magdalene didn't want anyone to find out her "condition," but she was confident that she would be able to manage her disease on her own.

Cassandra helped her case when she told Roman that one of her friends, Nathan, was studying at Harper's in the residential nursing program and had a job at the campus clinic. He was also a witch and would be able to facilitate Magdalene going to the clinic daily for blood infusions. Roman was hesitant until after he met Nathan. He seemed to agree that it was an alright plan, but he was still nervous.

"Ready, kid?"

Magdalene glanced to her left. Roman stepped up next to her holding a laundry basket of household supplies. He was a tall man, about six two, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. He was clean shaven with light brown hair that was long, giving him a shaggy appearance. There were flex of gray woven into his brown locks. Roman had stunning pale blue eyes that pierced the soul whenever they looked at someone. His skin was dark, tanned from the summer sun, but showed signs of age. Magdalene could only guess his age of about forty. She assumed as he knew her mother that he was about her age.

Magdalene nodded her head with confidence as the crosswalk light switched to green. She had been ready to be on her own for a long time. Roman led the way across the street to the dormitory. Magdalene followed closely, unsure of where she was going. Someone opened the door for them as they entered the building. Roman seemed to know where he was going because he made his way through the lobby, pass the front desk and down a long hall with dormitory doors on either side. At the end of the hall was an elevator. Magdalene pushed the button for Roman as his hands were full.

They didn't say anything to each other on the elevator. When they arrived on the third floor, Roman stepped out first, again as if he knew where he was going. Magdalene followed and took in her surroundings with ease. She noticed every detail of her environment, from the torn yellowing carpet in the hall, to the broken brass number seven on one of the doors as they passed.

The hall was crowded with people; college students moving in, socializing and parents saying good bye to their children. Dorm room doors were open, welcoming people to come in and make friends. Magdalene kept her head down as her eyes wandered. As excited as she was to be out of Palazzo del Te, she wasn't sure if she was excited to have friends and meet new people. Her anxiety started to rise; what if they asked about her past or her scars? Would they believe that she was abused, that she didn't hurt herself? How was she going to make friends if she had to start out by keeping secrets?

"Magdalene?"

She looked up at Roman who had stopped outside of dorm number twenty four. Magdalene stepped forward with her keys in hand. She unlocked and pushed open the door. Roman moved into the room first with her basket of belongings. The room was empty with the exception of two bunk bed frames, mattresses and matching wood desks. Magdalene smiled slightly, it was simplistic compared to the lavish lifestyle she lived with her father, but she loved it.

Roman set the laundry basket down on one of the desks and began to unpack it. There were sheets, comforter and pillow in the basket along with cleaning supplies. Magdalene opened one of the closet doors and found a dresser. She began to unpack the limited clothes she had with her. Once her belongings were organized Roman stood before her with his hands in his pockets to say good bye.

"Do you want me to wait until your roommate gets here?"

"I'll be able to tell if they're a witch or not," Magdalene said easily.

"You have the cell phone I gave you?"

Magdalene pulled it from the back pocket of her jeans and held it up to show him.

"You get into any shit, I'm always your first call," he said.

She rolled her eyes but smiled at him.

"Alright," she nodded. She glanced at him reluctantly.

"What is it?"

"I just…well, thank you, for everything."

"You've thanked me more in the last two weeks we've known each other than my ex wife ever did over the course of ten years of marriage," Roman laughed. He cupped Magdalene's cheek while beaming at her. "You're everything your mother hoped for. She'd be very proud of you."

Magdalene nodded her head, but looked uncomfortable.

"I hope so," she whispered. "I'll see ya?"

"Be good," Roman nodded before kissing her forehead and walking out of the dorm room.

He left the door open. Magdalene stood in the doorframe watching him walk down the hall back towards the elevator. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a slow breath to steady herself. She watched as people moved by her in the hall, wondering who was going to be her roommate?

She turned and retreated into the dorm. In her backpack, she pulled out a book Roman had given her about the history of the witch clans in the Midwest. She climbed up onto the bunk bed she had made for herself and opened the book to the marked page she had left off on.

"Hey, here it is!" shouted a voice. "Dorm twenty four. I didn't see the number because the door is open."

Magdalene had only been reading for a few minutes when a young man stopped in her doorframe with a box in his hands. He was looking down the hall, shouting at someone. After a moment, he turned into the room and put the box on the spare desk.

"Hey," he said to Magdalene who rolled onto her side to see who was walking into her room. "I'm Sonnie."

He held out his hand to Magdalene who shook it from her position on the bed. His name was appropriate for his appearance. He was tall, muscular, well tanned and had sunshine blonde hair that fell all the way to his shoulders. His eyes were dark hazelnut brown. He was wearing a loose fitting white tee shirt and board shorts.

"Magdalene," she said introducing herself.

Behind Sonnie, a bombshell blond walked in carrying three or four bags on her arms. She walked two steps into the room and dropped the bags to the floor.

"Thanks for the help," she said to Sonnie.

"I was carrying the box!"

Magdalene sat up on her bed. This had to be her roommate.

"Hi," the young woman said as she stepped over her bags towards the bunk bed. "I'm Rose."

"Magdalene, nice to meet you."

She took the woman in for a moment. She was tall, skinny and had a thin but beautiful face. Her pin straight blond hair fell all the way down to her lower back. As she lifted her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, Magdalene noticed a small four leaf clover tattoo on her wrist. Only one leaf of the clover was shaded in, the rest were just outlined. There were three small dots in a straight line below it moving towards her palm.

Rose was a witch.

Magdalene could tell because of the tattoo. The clover represented the clan she was a member of and the three dots were her rank. Magdalene was surprised that she already had three dots, it meant that she was a member of the clan for her entire life. Magdalene had not met many witches, but from what she had read the highest rank within American clans was five. It was usually reserved for clan or family leaders. If Rose was ranked third in her clan at the young age of eighteen, she must be a descendent of the clan leader.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she expanded her mind into the room and felt Rose's aura, which was bright and happy. Rose herself was anxious; she felt overwhelmed by being away from home and was not looking forward to having a roommate that she didn't know.

Empathy was one of the few vampiric powers Magdalene had inherited from her father. She learned over many years in her father's house to control and manage the power. If she didn't, she would feel everyone's emotions at the same time—walking into a crowded room could be debilitating because she would be overwhelmed with everyone's emotions. Empathy was one of the more difficult physical powers because it required so much control.

Magdalene bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure how she felt about Rose. She felt guilty reading the girl's feelings, but she had to confirm if she was a witch or not. Sonnie was also a witch based on his aura and emotions. Magdalene did not see a clan tattoo on Sonnie though. Either a tattoo wasn't visible or he did not have any clan affiliation yet, which wasn't unheard of.

"Well, I'm going to head down to my dorm," Sonnie said awkwardly. "I'll see you later, Rose. Magdalene, it was nice to meet you."

"Same to you," Magdalene said with a nod.

"Thanks for the help. I'll see you later," Rose said to Sonnie with a smile. He nodded his head before leaving the room. He closed the door to room twenty four behind him. Rose turned to Magdalene.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Magdalene asked in an attempt to make small talk.

"He wants to be," Rose replied as she opened one of her bags and began to unpack it.

"But you're not interested?"

Rose glanced at Magdalene for a moment. "It's not that I don't like him. I've just known him all my life. He's Sonnie. He's my best friend." She shrugged as she put her clothes away in the dresser in the closet. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Magdalene laughed. "No, no," she huffed before jumping off the bed. "I was home schooled...this entire experience is a bit outside my comfort zone."

Rose stopped and looked at Magdalene with sharp, intense blue eyes. "Mine too," she agreed. "I went to public school, but my family is so close I'm not thrilled about being away from them. "

"It's not bad to break out, get your own space," Magdalene said. "Gives you a chance to be free."

Rose shrugged. "You don't know anyone else here?"

"Some family friends," Magdalene shook her head. "But you're the first person I met."

"Your parents left already?"

"No," Magdalene hesitated. "They didn't drop me off. A family friend did."

Rose nodded as she studied Magdalene with those intense eyes again. Magdalene frowned slightly; she wasn't sure why Rose was staring at her so intently. Perhaps to sense if she were a vampire? Magdalene was not sure if anyone would be able to tell that she was a half breed. Vampires could smell the witch blood in her, but Roman was the first witch she had close contact with. He seemed to know who she was despite never meeting. Magdalene wasn't sure if a witch would be able to sense that she was a vampire.

"My dad isn't very active in my life," Rose said softly once she turned away from Magdalene. "He's the one who wanted me to go away to school. He and my mom are divorced…he doesn't really like my mom's family and how close we all are. He thinks it's unnatural…"

"My mom died in labor with me," Magdalene said bluntly. "And my father..." She hesitated. "He just died a little bit ago."

"I'm sorry," Rose said flabbergasted. She tucked her pretty blonde hair behind her ear. "I don't know what else to say…I'm sorry…"

Magdalene shrugged before turning away. "The world is a better place without him honestly."

Rose didn't know what to say to the comment. Magdalene frowned. "I like your tattoo," she said trying to change the subject. "What does it mean?"

"Luck," Rose said instantly. "The three dots represent the luck I've already used, that's why three of the leaves are just outlined."

"How much luck could you have used already?" Magdalene smirked.

"A lot," Rose said with a heavy sigh which caused Magdalene to look at her with raised eyebrows. Before anything else could be said, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Rose shouted from where she was unpacking.

The door opened to reveal Cassandra Morrison. Magdalene was relieved to see a familiar face.

"Hi Cassie," Magdalene said.

"Hey," she said coming into the room.

"This is my roommate Rose," Magdalene motioned to Rose who was standing up staring at Cassandra closely. The two seemed to take each other in before extending their hands to each other in greeting.

"Rose Blake?" Cassandra said.

Rose frowned but nodded. "What gave me away?"

"Rumor was that the youngest Blake witch was coming to Harper's this year," Cassandra said once she closed the door. Rose glanced at Magdalene.

"You're a witch?"

"Half of one," Magdalene said honestly. "My dad wasn't interested in me being a witch…pretty much beat it out of me."

Rose frowned and nodded. "My dad wasn't keen on me being one either."

"I'm Cassandra Morrison," Cassandra said.

"Fire Stone Clan?"

"Not yet," Cassandra shook her head. "No clan. Can't decide what is right for me."

Rose nodded. "The Morrison line has deep heritage in that clan. I imagine it would be difficult to break from it."

"Not as difficult as one would think," Cassandra responded with lowered eyebrows. "Magdalene, I came to see if you wanted to come to the WAH meet and greet?"

"Sure," Magdalene said.

"My friends are waiting down out front," Cassandra pointed to the window.

"Alright, I just want to change my clothes. I'll meet you down there."

Cassandra nodded. "Alright." She glanced at Rose. "See you."

Rose nodded her head, but said nothing. Cassandra exited the room as Magdalene moved to the closet to pull out a deep royal blue knit sweater. She pulled off her shirt with her back to Rose, who gasped slightly. Magdalene frowned and quickly pulled her sweater over her body. She hadn't thought about her scars all over her body from her father's abuse.

"Magdalene—I didn't mean—," Rose said quickly. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Magdalene said as she turned, pushing up the sleeve of her sweater to look at the crude designs on her arm. Markus' normal form of abuse was to cut detailed shapes all over Magdalene's body with a thin knife. Maybe he thought he could bleed the magic out of her. There were swirls, meaningless designs, and works of art all over her back, arms and torso. They looked like tattoos in white ink.

"I'm pretty used to people seeing them and having that reaction," she said softly before pulling the sleeve of her sweater down. "Or thinking I did it myself…"

"Did he do that to you?"

"My father?"

Rose nodded her head.

"Yes," Magdalene responded. "He wasn't the best father."

"Doesn't look like he was one at all."

"He could have killed me," Magdalene said mildly. "At least this way I lived."

Rose nodded her head as she studied Magdalene with crystal blue eyes. She was trying to read Magdalene. To figure out how strong of a witch she was? To see her past? Who knew…

"You're very brave," she finally whispered.

Magdalene looked out the window of the dorm with a slight frown. She didn't believe she was brave, just too numb to feel anything. Being brave had nothing to do with her survival. She had killed her Father out of hatred; there was nothing brave about murder. And there was nothing brave about praying that Markus would lose his control one day and instead of hurting her he'd put her out of her misery, killing her.

"Do you want to come with us to the meet and greet?" Magdalene asked turning back to Rose.

"Do you think Cassandra will mind?"

Magdalene shrugged. "I don't see why she would."

"Alright," Rose said grabbing a denim jacket from her clothes she had unpacked.

"Your family is well known?"

"Yea…my mother is Rosalyn Blake, head of the Clover Leaf Clan."

"So that stuff about your tattoo was just bullshit?"

Rose smiled. "No," she replied. "Not completely…I really am running out of luck."

Magdalene nodded with a smile as they left the dorm and Rose pulled her jacket on. She wondered what exactly Rose meant by that. As a young witch, how many bad experiences could she have in her past that made her think her luck was running out? Although, as a member of one of the most powerful and dangerous hunting clans, Magdalene realized that Rose had probably seen a lot of trauma through her life so far. Being away at Harper's may be the first time she lived an almost normal life, just like Magdalene.