To Build a Home

Chapter 2

I smiled at him, and responded with a quick thank you as I slipped out the door.

"Shall we go?" he said with a smile, laughter sparkling in his eyes.

I nodded, uncertain and suddenly nervous. I trailed behind him as we walked downstairs in silence.

I felt bad, as he was clearly trying to be friendly to me. However, I was too scared to talk. How many boys would there be? What if they hated me?

This... was stressful.

When we finally reached the foyer, Arthur turned to me. "The dining hall is right over there, are you ready?" It's okay if you're not, I can talk to Hermes and—"

"I'm fine." I cut him off with a small smile. "I'm excited to meet everyone."

He looked back at me, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "If you're sure, man." With that, he walked into a room to the left.

I trailed after him, but quite nearly sprinted right back out. There was a massive table, longer than my hallway back home. At the far end sat Hermes, who was talking to a ginger sat directly to his right. The table was filled with people, and there appeared to be six others besides Arthur, Hermes, and me.

I swallowed, my confidence wavering. Arthur had already taken a seat next to a boy with dark, shiny hair, and they were quietly talking with each other. I hovered awkwardly by the door, uncertain and unnoticed.

Before I could make a break for the safety of my room, however, someone slammed into my back. Startled, I spun around. I came face to face with a boy who was around my height. He had curly black hair, sparkling, cerulean eyes, and pink lips that were currently carved into a frown.

"Sorry," he said. "People don't usually loiter in doorways." He glared at me, before shoving past and sitting down to the left of the ginger, who smirked at me maliciously and then looked away.

Great. Glad to see that they've already established who the resident "mean girls" are. Do they wear pink on Wednesdays here? Is that something I should take note of?

I stared after him, eyes narrowed. When I finally dragged my gaze away, it seemed that our little scene had drawn the attention of the others, who were now staring. At me. Lovely.

I glanced towards the head of the establishment. Hermes smiled, but it faltered and hardened as his eyes flickered over to the boy who had shoved past me. "Lu, it's lovely that you could join us. Would you like to sit beside me?" he gestured to the chair on his left, which was empty, with a gentle smile.

I nodded at him, crossing the room. As I did, I could feel the weight of the other boys eyes on me.

How awkward. I hated being the center of attention, as whenever I was, I forgot how to do basic human functions. Like walking. And how to stand without looking dumb. Oh, and also breathing. Breathing became quite difficult.

I pulled my chair out, cringing at the squeak it made as it dragged across the wooden floor.

The room had become unbearably quiet, with all the people in it watching me. I felt like a small mouse, exposed and alone in a field as a flock of hawks circled me.

I sat, before glancing up and around. However, it seemed that everyone was engrossed in their own conversations.

Huh. Maybe I was mistaken. I mean, they probably saw new guys come practically every month, why would they care about me specifically?