Chapter 8- The Dorms

Talia's sharp steps echo down the hall as she begins to list rules without even glancing back at me.

"You will not have to wear your muzzle unless you show extreme signs of aggression. I think it's rather ridiculous to require you to wear it in the first place. If you really can't behave enough to not wear one you should be at the detention center, not here. Give it to me." she snaps "I'll hold onto it."

Glad to be rid of the thing I drop it into her hands and suddenly feel much better. She flicks her hand and it disappears into the air behind her.

"That being said, if I feel you are unable to control yourself and are a danger to the students around you, the muzzle will be the least of your worries. I can't expel you but I won't hesitate to take away any freedom you may have. To the fae in this school my word is law and you will follow it."

I stay silent as my lips curl up into a snarl. I don't like her at all. She doesn't talk again until we arrive at a large set of ornate doors that momentarily distract me from my angry thoughts. Intricate patterns and words cover every inch of the door. The most eye-catching part is the living pictures of animals, fairies, and clawed creatures chasing each other through various landscapes. I almost reach out to touch a small wolf-like creature chasing a deer before I remember I have company.

"This is the entrance to the fae dorms." Talia states "Every dorm entrance in the school is equally as ornate, so you will know one when you see it. You are not allowed to enter any other dorm under any circumstances. Each dorm is designed to fit the supernaturals living there and are designed as a safe haven for the students. Fighting inside the dorm is highly frowned upon and will likely earn you more enemies then friends however it won't have any consequences unless it affects others. When you choose your room everything you need will apear inside it."

" The rooms are private but bathrooms are shared. Open rooms have a green light above the door. Trespassing into another student's room is strictly forbidden and will likely result in severe injuries. Now, I have other things to attend to. You have an appointment with professor Williams after lunch any questions about where you're supposed to be can be answered by your schedule." Talia then turns and walks down the hall leaving me alone at the door.

I look down at my schedule and sure enough, today is marked 'tutorials with professor Williams'. Apparently I'm supposed to meet him outside the front door at 1:30 pm. Sighing I look up at the door. This place is not giving good impressions and I wonder how long it will be before I can escape. I can't wait for the day I can leave and return to the forest.

With a deep breath I push open the doors and walk into the common room. The doors close behind me and I'm shocked by what I see. The room itself isn't all that unordinary. It's a large circular room with carpets couches and tables scattered throughout. Bookshelves line each wall and it's lit dimly, but the hallways leading off in every direction are what made me freeze. Each hallway is completely different. On the far left is a wide hallway with water on the floor. Going to the right of that is a hallway of sand, one of clouds, a field with blue and green grass as tall as me, a cave, a forest, an old city, a rocky plain, and a marshland. Each hallway is equally as space bending.

The hallway filled with water has a small walkway with deep water on either side of it. I walk up to the edge of the doorway and see that after 20 or so feet the hallway opens up to an ocean with what looks like a beach in the distance. The water extends under each wall and I almost step onto the path to look closer but I see something move within the depths and quickly take a step back. Feeling unsettled I move onto the next hallway.

This one also has a small path but either side of the path is lined with sand and flaming torches along the wall. I take another step toward it and see that the hall opens up just like the last one. The open area has a large desert with torches and cliffs. The ceiling looks to be spelled and has a large sun with no clouds in sight.

The next hallway looks like the floor is made out of clouds. Curious I walk to the edge of the hall and look up at the ceiling. The ceiling is really high up and after around 10 feet the walls of the hallway turn into house like structures made of cloud. I step into the hallway and smile. It feels like freedom and my wings twitch and I feel the sudden urge to fly. This is the best hall so far. I walk further into the room and feel a cold breeze that ruffles my feathers it feels nice but the entire place is white. Deciding to come back here if I don't find anything better in the other halls I reluctantly leave and move onto the next.

Just like the cloud hall this one has no walkway the floor is made of blue grass and wildflowers, the walls are made of cobblestone with small plants in the crevices. The ceiling isn't as high as the cloud room and the room opens up just like the others. The open part of the room is a vast grassy area with a few short trees and hill-like structures which I'm assuming are the rooms. It's nice but not for me. I move on and see that I've reached the middle of the halls. This hall is a cave. There is no other way to describe it. The light fades the further away from the entrance you get and in the distance I hear water and a soft clicking noise. I grew up in caves and forests so logically this should feel similar but instead its giving me a strange feeling. I quickly move on to the next and smile.

This one is a forest. The ceiling extends almost as high as the cloud room and tall trees tower high above. The dorm rooms are made of logs and stone and some places where there should be a room is a giant tree with a door. The rooms create what is essentially a valley in the forest and on top of the rooms is a large open area that resembles a forest. It looks like some students took it upon themselves to alter the hall because there are thin wooden planks stretching across the tops of the dorms creating bridges across the 'valley' created by the dorms. About 50 feet back wood stretches across the tops of the rooms completely covering them. On top of that wood is a layer of dirt with treas growing on top. Under the wood there are no lamps and darkness stretches all the way to the far wall.

This really is just like a forest. I can even hear what sounds like a stream in the distance. I take a deep breath and smile finally feeling a little more at home. Happy I know where I want my room to be, I decide to look at the last three halls out of curiosity. One of them looks a bit like a city but with less concrete and more clay, stone, glass, and wood. The rooms look like apartment buildings and have stairs leading to a basement. The roofs are flat and seem to be a gathering area for the students. The next is mostly loose rocks and boulders. There is a lot of wind and there are a few raised plateaus. The last is a swampy marshland with tall trees.

They really do have a little something for everyone here although I don't understand why they would put so much effort into dorm rooms.

"Hello! Are you new?"

A sudden voice from behind interrupts my thoughts and makes me jump into a fighting pose while letting out a low growl to warn off any would-be attackers. But instead of an attacker I see a girl with beautiful green hair, pale green skin, and big brown eyes. She has her hands up to show me she means no harm.

"Woah! Calm down! I didn't mean to startle you. My name's Aspen, I live here. I was just gonna offer to help you find a room if you want."

I slowly relax and think about her offer. She gives off a calming vibe and she's the first person I met here who wasn't immediately rude or unsettling, besides, it couldn't hurt to have help.

"Ok" I say

A smile lights up her face and she practically skips over to me

"Great! Which hall are you thinking about? I live there." she says pointing to the forest hall

"That's where I was thinking." I state

" That's awesome! Maybe we'll be roomies! Do you know what type of room you want?"

"Aren't they all the same?" I ask. Her overly upbeat attitude is confusing me. Why is she so excited if we don't know each other?

She bursts out laughing which furthers my assumption that she might not be as sane as I originally assumed.

"Oh gosh no. The halls are more complicated then they look. There are all types of room in each one so that everyone can be at least somewhat comfortable."

I cut in to ask a question that's been bothering me

"About that, why is this dorm so…"

"Unique" she offers

"Ya. Are all the dorms like this?"

"No. The fae dorm is a bit special. They are basically trying to shove every species of an entire planet into one place. Personally I believe they should at least split us up based on characteristics but the school says there's not enough of each type so we all get shoved together. Most species actually have their own academies but most fae aren't really the strong parenting types and I'm fairly certain that they just drop us off at the first place they see."

"Right." I drawl "So about the rooms..." I ask while remembering the information for later conversation.

She giggles and starts skipping forward. "Follow me I'll show you as we come across them"

I stare for a second before following behind her. I wish I was home.