Ariyah-
We must have been on the other side of the campus. The further we got to the the main entrance, the more people I seen gathered together in groups. When we got closer to one of, what I assume was a main building, I noticed a girl off to the right that was talking on her phone. We stopped just at the edge of the sidewalk, that lead up the walkway to the doors. Imani got really excited and said, 'Hey there's Bella.' Shannon threw up some air quotes and made the sarcastic comment, 'I wonder if she's picking up her class schedule?' I'm not sure what that was all about, so I just ignored it. I figured Imani knew. They walked up to her and I followed suit.
Interrupting the poor girl's phone call, Shannon says hey. Looking up and realizing who was speaking to her, she got all excited and hung up the phone. The girls start picking on her, but I noticed that she started to look at me very strange, as if she's trying to figure out who I am. Imani kept picking on her but she interrupted her to ask who their new friend was. Obviously, she was referring to me. Chuckling Imani responded, 'I see what you did there!' Imani turned around and told Shannon to go ahead and take me to their magical buff and that she would fill us in later on what her and Bella had talked about. Shannon just shrugged her shoulders and told Bella to be prepared for the interrogation that she was about to get from Imani about she was talking to on the phone.
Once again, I was standing in an awkward situation, not knowing what was going on. I spoke up and told them that I was ready if they were, well if she was so we could head on in and try to get some answers, finally. Shannon agreed with a night and told me to follow her and she let me up the stairs and into the main door.
We walked down a few corridors and finally came to a big heavy wooden door with an old brass lock. Further inspecting it, I noticed that unlike every other door that we had passed that seem modern, this brass lock had to be opened with a skeleton key. It was like this one office in this entire building, was stuck back hundreds of years ago and never replaced. I see Shannon reach up to grab a old knocker ring, that itself looked like it was twenty pounds, and she knocked it three times. We waited for a few moments and then I heard the door handle turn as the door, slowly, opened.
I was a little startled when I heard a soft voice say, 'good morning Miss Fletcher' before the door was completely open and she could see us. Shannon must have sensed the fact that it spooked me a bit because she grabbed ahold of my hand and squeezed it for reassurance. This in itself, should have thrown me for a loop a little bit, but it didn't. It, actually, felt comforting. I heard her mumble under her breath, 'Everything is okay, just trust me.' Oddly enough, I did just that. I trusted her.
Looking all around the room, when we finally entered, everything seem to look aged. It was like it wasn't even from this era. I took a seat beside Shannon in the two chairs that were in front of this lady's desk. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just looked around and then found my eyes going back to the woman, who sat across the desk from me, she was gorgeous. In noticing the book shelves full of older books, I took it as she was a wise woman, but she didn't look much older than us. Deep down, I knew she had to be much older than her teens. Her should length, wavy hair radiated with a strawberry blond hue. The large round rimmed glasses were the only bit of her that showed age. It wasn't the style but how the engravings were down the side that made them seem vintage.
Once everyone was situated, Shannon greeted her and addressed her by the name Ms Scarlett. I, immediately, assumed that she must be a teacher of some sort. It would explain why they called her a magical buff, maybe she teaches magical history from the medieval time. The teacher lowered her glasses and greeted her back. 'Good morning, miss Fletcher, who is your friend?' Shannon, sheepishly, rubber her neck and told her that I was the reason we were stopping by. Ms Scarlett leaned back in her chair and asked what she could do for the both of us.
I cut in and introduced myself, explaining that Shannon thought she could help me figure out my dilemma. Once again, I found myself going over every detail that happened to me. My mind is starting to play tricks on me, cause the more I explain the more insane, I feel, I sound. Before I got to the point where I met Zeke and he was a douche, she asked me if I could explain the blue blob that I had witnessed.
I explained how it engulfed me and that it seemed to cloaked everything in side it. Making sure to add in all the flashing of different hues, followed my the vortex that sucked me in and spit me out at the park. She asked what happened right before it appeared. For a second it dawned on me, that during all this madness, I completely forgot that my family crest was on that tree. After explaining that the glistening caught my attention, I made sure to tell her that I removed the moss and touch the crest.
She asked me if there was anything significant about the crest other than it was my family crest. I thought about it and the only thing I could tell her was that I was adopted and that family crest was the connection I had to find my birth family. She kept asking me off the wall questions, one being if the crest was on the tree before. I knew she was just trying to gather all the information, but it made me feel like she was questioning my sanity at the same time. After explaining that I had only every seen the crest on my blanket until that moment, she she leaned up like a light bulb had just clicked on in her mind.
The next few words out of her mouth threw me for a loop. 'Well, sounds to me like you have just experienced your very first portal.' My jaw must have hit the floor when she said it, cause both her and Shannon chuckled at me. Super embarrassed all I could manage was, "Excuse me, my what?" In an instant I think I finally registered that I was in the dark with the essence of this place. She looked at the teacher and expressed that she believed I came from a place where magic doesn't exist.
I feel like I am stuck in some dream I can't wake up from. I can't really call it a nightmare, but rather an peculiar dream. Nodding in agreeance to Shannon, she looked my direction and said, 'That explains a lot, so I am assuming that means you are from the human world? Once again with the deer in the head light look, I only nodded. Few seconds later, I told them up until this very moment, I thought that the human world was the only one that existed!! Curiosity quickly took over and I wanted to know which world I was in if it wasn't where humans existed. I, also, couldn't hold back asking what creature they were if humans didn't exist here.
Soon as Ms. Scarlett opened her mouth to answer, Shannon cut her off. She expressed that it might make me a little more comfortable if they eased me in, while adding in, 'especially if she's human.' I am not sure if that was meant as insult or not, but I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me. Shannon turned my way and put her hand on my upper arm and reassured me that everything might be overwhelming at first but she would help the best she can. I get consumed by so many emotions, from sad to worried and scared. They gave me a few moments to process the bits they told me before the teacher asked me how I felt about it. She stuttered a as she asked cause I completely forgot to introduced me self. She just finished the sentence with miss in a question form. "Jackson, my name is Ariyah Jackson. This all seems so surreal to me.
She pushed her chair back so she could stand, so we followed suit. Walking around the desk she put her hand out for me to shake. All while formally introducing herself too. 'You know my name but I am the dean her at Mezora University. My office is always open and if you leave all your information with me, I'll get you enrolled here at MU.' Well, I guess she's not a history teacher like I thought. Thanking her, as I shook her hand, I told her that I could do that. I was planning on applying at colleges back home but who knows if I can make deadlines now. Before sitting back down, she told us to enjoy the rest of our day and we let ourselves out.
Walking back through the corridors that we had entered I exited out of a different door. Across the courtyard, I could Zeke, Bella and Imani. They were accompanied by two other people and they seemed to be deep into conversation. The closer we got the more of their conversation I was able to hear. Bella had brought up that the first week of college wasn't too far off. She seemed genuinely excited about going. It all seemed like a nice normal conversatin until the bone head opened his mouth. Doing some funky ass moves, which I assume were his dance moves, Zeke started chanting. ' Oh yeah. Finally the time has come...ZEKE WE ARE ADULTS!!!' His chants turned into screams. I swear the entire campus had to have heard him. Without hesitation, Bella did a booty shake to his chant.
Shaking my head, I hear one of the other guys call her out and said he couldn't believe she had just done that. He too, was shaking his head in disbelief. Imani, Zeke and Bella all buckled over laughing, as the other guy held his straight face. We were mere steps away when the one on the right told the one speaking to Bella, 'That's your girl there, Mason!' I assume that means they are boyfriend and girlfriend. They all seem legitimately happy. My nerves got the best of me and I told Shannon to head over to her friends, I needed a moment. She rubbed my shoulder and told me to take my time, she'd introduce me when I was ready.
Shannon-
I didn't want Ariyah to feel like she was being forced to meet all these people at once. After finding out she is clueless about super-naturals, I wanted to give her as much breathing space as possible. The crew had no idea I was behind them, I could here Carter asking the others if what her heard bout new meat being on campus was true. I stopped in my tracks and giggled when Imani turned around to slap the shit out of him. At this point, I wish I was standing in front of them so I could see his reaction. He had that one coming. Poor soul, has no idea that Imani has already met her.
It didn't dawn on me right away that that wasn't the actual reason that she slapped him. Well, that wasn't the only reason anyways. She looked him in the eyes and told him, she couldn't believe that he had just said that. All of them turned to face Mason when Zeke chimed in to be an asshole. He snarked, 'What's wrong Mason? Lacking energy today, are we?' Bella's demeanor changed and she was pissed. I realized Imani had smacked Carter for what he said in front of Mason.
Bella glared at Zeke and told him that now was not the time for his nonsense. I walked up to Mason but before I could apologize to him for Zeke being a dick, he was gone in an instant. Bella was pissed off even more, now. She released her fangs and hissed at Zeke, startling him. She yelled at him as she started to leave, 'Smooth Zeke, real smooth! Was that really necessary?' Just like Mason within a blink of an eye, she too was gone.
"What in the actual fuck, Zeke. You know exactly why he was acting groggy!" I screamed at him. He was so upset that I couldn't even calm him down with casting my essence. By the time I tried touching him to fully calm him he bolted. Brushing it off like he always does, Zeke said that he got it and that I should take a chill pill. He's lucky Ariyah walked up, cause I wanted to rip him a new one.
Ariyah-
Watching them all start to get heated, made me want to introduce myself real quick then leave, so I don't have to be involved. As soon as I walk up I here the one on the left right say, 'Mr. Banana brain over here, opened his trap when he shouldn't have. We all know how Mason gets when it's time to..' Shannon interrupted him and dared him to finish that sentence. I knew she did it, solely, cause I was not in the loop with everything here.
I am thankful that she thought to shield me but also annoyed cause I don't want to be treated like I am a fragile piece of glass. If I am here and stuck here until who knows when, then I need to know, exactly, what I am up against. He seemed utterly confused and asked her why he shouldn't say anything. He clearly hadn't seen me standing beside him yet. She just told him she'd explain later.
She shifted the attention to me, 'Guys, meet Ariyah. She's new to town so I'll be showing her around.' Zeke was confused at first also, but once he seen I was the reason, he rolled his eyes. He got all sarcastic, raised a brow and said, 'So, we meet again.' Crossing his arms, I ignored him and greeted everyone else. It didn't sit well with Imani. She threatened to give him the same reward that Carter had received. Watching them from afar I knew she was referring to the slap.
Being the childish person I known him to be, in the few hours that I have known of him, he reacts like he's in shock that someone would be mean to him. I think deep down he knew she would follow through on her threat cause he slouched over and just sighed in defeat. Everyone else had a smirk on their face. He's obnoxious to everyone, noted. Easing the atmosphere, the guy on the right introduced himself as Carter. Not aware that I had already met him, he told me the bonehead was Zeke.
Jokingly, I rolled my eyes and sighed, "We've already met." They all laughed. Well, except Zeke. Shannon looked over at Imani to continue the introductions, 'And you have already met Karoline. Ariyah just spoke to Ms Scarlett to get enrolled here at MU so, I'm going to give her the low down of our town. We'll meet up with you guys later!' They all nodded at me and I told them it was nice to meet them all. Before we walked off, I made sure to wink at Zeke first. Disgusted, he snarled his nose and crossed is arm in annoyance. Mentioned that I was looking forward to getting to know all of them, except that ass hat, pointing at Zeke. They all looked shocked at my comment, as I chuckled, following Shannon down the sidewalk.