Crescent Wolves - G. Bailey Page 0,21
pick the left one at random and head for the stairs, not wanting to waste any more time. I need a shower and a nap.
If I was expecting the stairs to move or somehow teleport me to the fifth floor, I was sorely mistaken. By the time I’m two flights up, I’m already breathing hard, and I’m just glad nobody is around to see me struggling. Have I always been this out of shape? Gritting my teeth, I power up a few more levels, finally arriving at the fifth floor landing and turning into a long hallway. Nondescript wooden doors line either side, along with windows that let in a great deal of the daytime light. I start to hurry down the hallway, keeping my eyes peeled for my room, and I’m so distracted that I don’t see the guy heading my way until it’s too late.
I collide with him, coming to a sudden stop in the middle of the hallway and staring up at the newcomer with wide eyes. He’s tall and sturdily built, and bumping into him seems to have done more damage to me than to him. His eyes are a golden brown, standing in sharp contrast to his jet-black hair. His features are rugged, and I notice a scar running from his upper lip to just above his chin on the left side. Embarrassed, and a little intimidated, I take a couple steps back. “I’m so sorry,” I say, holding my hands up. “I was completely distracted. I didn’t even see you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” the guy says, giving me a half-smile. “I’m pretty hard to knock down.”
I chuckle, rubbing the back of my neck. “I can see that, yeah.”
He takes in my clothes and says, “You’re new here, aren’t you?”
Sighing, I reply, “I guess it’s pretty obvious, right? You’re the second person in, like, five minutes who’s asked me that.”
“Well,” he says, his smile growing a little, “considering the rest of us have to dress like we’re in some kind of new-age cult, it’s pretty easy to tell.” He gestures down at his pristine white uniform, and I snort. “Anyway,” he says, “I’m guessing you’re looking for your dorm room, right?” I nod, and he replies, “That’s what I thought. Some bad news for you, though: this is the boys’ wing.”
Groaning, I run a hand through my hair. “That means I’m going to have to walk up all those stairs again, doesn’t it?”
The guy laughs at that. “You’ll get used to it. Anyway, though, it’s nice to see a new face around here. I’ll see you around.”
He turns to leave, looking surprisingly happier than he did when I first ran into him. He’s almost out of sight before I think to call after him. “Hey! What’s your name?”
The guy turns back around, an amused but thoughtful look on his face. “Silas,” he calls back. “Silas Aconite.” And before I have the chance to say anything else, he’s turning the corner and disappearing out of view.
I’m left to go back down the stairs and slog up to the girls’ wing, where I easily find room 12-B and unlock the door with the skeleton key. It’s not elaborately furnished--no more than a double bed, desk, and dresser--but the window is big, with a view of the sunny campus and the rolling hills and forests stretching into the distance beyond. I pause for a minute to take it in, still unable to quite believe I’m here, but too caught up in it at this point to do anything but marvel.
Soon, though, I’m hit with another wave of exhaustion, and it’s all I can do to strip off my threadbare jumper and collapse into bed, the weight of everything that’s happened falling on me all at once. Before I even get around to pulling the covers over myself, I’m already asleep.
Chapter 9
I’ve never been a heavy sleeper in my life, so I’m astonished when I start awake, roused by what sounds like the chiming of an old church bell. It’s loud--loud enough to carry into the dormitory, even though it’s clearly coming from outside. Frowning, I clamber out of bed, peering out the window and trying to find the source of the noise. Sure enough, around my corner of the building, practically out of sight in the courtyard between the dormitory and the main academic facility, is an enormous brick clock tower, the bell ringing rhythmically. Part of me wonders if its volume is due more to the acoustics