Chapter 6: Sun Also Rises

Ophelia's POV

Her alarm clock sounded out of place in the dreamy cottage. Ophelia had explored with Lilac after lunch yesterday and found there was a communal kitchen in the cottage with a few pots and pans available for them to use. She considered attempting to make her own breakfast but decided against it. Ophelia realized she didn't have any groceries here. Maybe she could take a trip to town sometime soon.

She dressed quickly, a red and black plaid skirt, a white button up shirt, and a black sweater vest. Ophelia thought the knee high white socks with black dress shoes was a little over the top, but she wasn't about to test the dress code on day one.

Ophelia brushed her long brown hair, letting it fall past her shoulders. She brushed a little makeup on, taking care to line her eyes with sharp black eyeliner.

She gathered a notebook and several pens and pencils, jammed her cell phone into the pocket of her skirt, and hurried to the dining hall for breakfast.

Lilac arrived in line behind her, huffing and puffing.

"How did you get here so fast?" she demanded.

"I didn't. What took you so long?" Ophelia retorted.

"I snoozed my alarm one too many times," Lilac giggled.

Ophelia giggled, too.

"You're in luck, the blondes up there seem to have just made up their mind," Ophelia teased, gesturing to two women who were, indeed, holding up the line.

Ophelia recognized the both of them. One had been the one who had been so rude to Ophelia, the other blonde was the woman who taunted Lilac. Misery loves company.

Lilac sat her tray down at the same table where they had enjoyed both lunch and dinner the day before. It was becoming quickly apparent that there was some semblance of order within the dining hall. It appeared that people seemed to have settled into their cliques already, establishing seating areas and routines during meals.

"I have to hand it to them, the food here is surprisingly good." Lilac took a big bite of a cinnamon roll.

"You're not wrong. I haven't been disappointed yet." Ophelia cut into her omelet and stuffed a piece in her mouth.

"Are you ready to get this party started? If I'm being honest, I'm shaking in my patent leather shoes," Lilac laughed.

"You and me both," Ophelia admitted. "I have absolutely no idea what to expect."

"Me neither, really. You've been to school before, though. It can't be that different," Lilac shrugged.

"I guess not. Although, I've never taken any classes specific to shifting," Ophelia answered.

"Me neither. Maybe we can learn some hot gossip. These people love to talk," Lilac said around a bite of food, gesturing with her fork.

"What do you mean, these people? Aren't you, kind of, one of them?" Ophelia asked carefully.

"Sort of. I'm a legacy, sure, my mom graduated from here. But we were never super wealthy or influential or anything. My dad is the alpha of our pack back home, but it's just a small town in Wisconsin. It's not like Tiffany. Her brother is the alpha of a pack in New York City. They grandfather had been an alpha of a pack in Las Vegas. That's old money."

Lilac gestured towards a girl with platinum blonde hair, plump red lips, and tits nearly busting out of her uniform. She was probably every man's wet dream. She was stunning.

Ophelia just nodded and went back to her breakfast.

They finished their meal and carried their plates over to the basins of dishwater. The two women hurried to their first class of the day, eager for a glimpse of what their time here might look like.

Bellamy Hall was a building covered in spires and arches and gargoyles. It was made of some kind of black stone that almost made it look menacing. The opulence inside made it feel less dark, though it still reminded Ophelia of an incredibly expensive cave. Books, portraits, and busts lined the walls, a reminder of the lineage that had walked these halls before them.

The lecture hall for their first class was on the second floor, and it felt packed. The two girls shuffled in, trying hard to find a seat close enough to the front that they could see and hear, but not so close that they looked too eager. A row of girls lined the front row already, most in either incredibly revealing versions of the uniform, or with hair pulled back in sloppy ponytails with thick glasses and hard focused faces. It was a strange mix.

Ophelia gestured to one girl on the end, one with pigtails and a lot of visible cleavage.

"What are the odds that she has the 'love you' eye shadow from Indian Jones on," she teased.

Lilac barked a laugh. She immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the sound. A few of the women around them turned to stare at her, but luckily it didn't draw too much attention.

Ophelia could understand why some of the girls in the front row seemed so starstruck. The professor, Dr. Williams, was drop dead gorgeous. He was long and lean, his sleeves rolled up his forearms to reveal corded muscle running up his arms. His face was clean shaven, with gleaming blue eyes peeking out at the assembly from under a carefully arranged mop of hair. Gel held each individual sweeping lock in place. His tie was tucked into a gray vest, matched with his gray trousers.

"Good Goddess," Lilac breathed as he took his place at the podium.

Ophelia smothered a laugh.

The class passed uneventfully. It was mostly a day to go over the syllabus, with a quick introduction to the content at the end of class. The man strutted under the swooning eyes of the students, and Ophelia found herself cringing a little at his antics. He was handsome, there was no denying that, but she couldn't stand a man too full of himself.

Her next class, Pack Politics, was taught by a severe looking woman with gray hair. She was tiny, nearly a foot shorter than Ophelia. She took no nonsense, already sending one girl back to her dorm for being out of uniform.

Ophelia was relieved she had chosen not to push the matter this morning.

Lunch was uneventful as well. She ate a tomato sandwich with Lilac under a shade tree on the lawn of Frasier Hall. It was a beautiful day, and she wanted to soak up as much sunshine as she could.

Her class on shifting gifts was mildly more interesting. The class was divided into two parts, they discussed the classes of gifts, and then gave everyone the chance to experiment with what they learned.

Ophelia wasn't surprised to find she had no luck discovering some hidden talent on her first day.

"Not gifted either," a petite girl with hair so blonde it was nearly white murmured to Ophelia.

"I guess not. I wasn't expecting much," she said brightly. She offered a hand in greeting. "Ophelia."

The girl took her hand and shook it.

"Cricket," the girl greeted. "I'm willing to form an alliance if you are."

Ophelia giggled at the joke.

"Alliance formed," she reassured.

"What's your next class?" Cricket asked.

"I have self defense next," Ophelia answered, trying not to sound like she was complaining. She would complain if it was appropriate, but it seemed impolite to complain to a person she just met.

"No way! Me too," Cricket cheered. "Do you want to go together?"

"Sure. A friend of mine, Lilac, has it next, too. We could all sit together if you'd like," Ophelia offered.

"I would love that," Cricket answered, sounding relieved.

Class ended unceremoniously, and the two women made their way to Frasier Hall in search of gymnasium two.

Lilac waived wildly from her spot on the bleachers.

"Over there," Ophelia told Cricket, pointing to Lilac.

The two girls rushed to join her.

"Lilac, this is Cricket. I have my gifts class with her right before this," Ophelia introduced.

"It's so nice to meet you," Lilac greeted, shaking Cricket's tiny hand.

Cricket beamed at her.

"I'm so thankful to have found some friends for this class. I hear we have to take turns punching each other in the face," Cricket whispered loudly.

Ophelia giggled.

"I promise to hit you very gently," Ophelia said to Lilac.

Lilac laughed. "If anyone is hitting me in the face, it's going to be Cricket with those tiny little fists."

Cricket giggled and settled into her seat.

"Ladies," a booming voice called.

Ophelia turned, searching for the source of the sound.

Dr. Walters must have been a giant. He was definitely at least a foot taller than Ophelia, putting him at around six and a half feet tall. He had short, cropped hair, a tight trimmed beard, and piercing dark eyes. His skin was a golden tan that made Ophelia think of warm, sunny beaches.

"Oh, good Goddess," Lilac breathed.

"Me too," Ophelia agreed.

"Me three," Cricket breathed.

The three women giggled amongst the three of them.

"This is gonna be fun," Ophelia murmured.