Page 16 of Darkness Defined

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure if I should be alarmed or not. “Um, what do we do about luggage?”

“That, you’ll leave with me. They’re waiting to give room assignments until orientation to make sure everyone can room with a classmate.”

“I’ll be rooming with another Shadow Demon?” The question didn’t sound more believable out loud. Another supernatural, sure, but another demon? And a classmate on top?

“Vera wants you to have as much opportunity as possible to spend time with your own kind, something you otherwise may never have had the chance to do.” Sadness clouded his features. “There are so few of you left.”

“She’s really thought this out.” Rooming with another Shadow Demon. I could’ve gone my whole life without meeting another one and now I’d be roommates with one for who knew how long.

“You have no idea. This has been her project since the rebuild started. It’s not right that Shadow Demons have been forced into seclusion. You all are surprisingly social for notorious loners.”

“Told you,” my mom whispered in my ear. “Now, let’s go explore before I officially have to send you to school,” she added, then promptly led me out of the office.

All around us, kids wandered around the campus. For summer, the school was surprisingly busy. If it wasn’t for some of the more blatant uses of magic or strange appearances, Arminius could have been any college campus, and it was hiding in plain sight. We’d seen no indication in the neighboring town that they were even remotely aware of who attended this ancient school. I couldn’t help but wonder how many students took summer classes just to be somewhere it was safe to be themselves.

Right in front of us, a group of girls passed a levitated book back and forth. A Frisbee spun overhead to be snatched out of the air by a tiny point of light that turned into a guy in his early twenties. Suddenly, I was very grateful that my very human mom had exposed me to as much of the supernatural world as possible. I still wasn’t entirely sure how she’d found the supernatural community in town.

“Thank you, mom,” I croaked out, my emotions dangerously close to overwhelming me.

“For what, dear?”

I smiled at the woman who had sacrificed so much for me. “For making me come and making sure I had a well-rounded childhood.”

“That’s what mothers do.” She gave me a good squeeze, and I didn’t even care that it was in front of half the student body. They didn’t seem to, either. “Are you going to show me some of these haunts or am I actually going to have to use this thing?” She waved the map.

I laughed and chose a direction at random. “Okay, okay, let’s start this way.”

The campus was massive, and even with a couple of hours to burn, we wouldn’t want to wander too much. I tried to point out the structures I’d dedicated to memory and offer what history I could. All around us, buildings rose up in various colors of bricks and stone, each one seeming more ancient than the last as we worked our way to the heart of the campus. It was incredible to see firsthand the sweeping banisters on some and turrets on others. The Witch’s College even looked like a full-blown medieval castle plopped right on the green.

It was as though we were walking through a life-size textbook on the History of Architecture. Literally, the only building even remotely modern, in as much that it had clear glass versus stained, was the commissary. We skirted around it, preferring to marvel like tourists at the ivy-covered structures. Eventually, we worked our way over to the building Marquis had circled. It wasn’t until we were right up on it, though, that I realized what it was. When I did, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s so funny?” My mother looked around for the source of my humor.

“Marquis’ joke makes more sense now. This part of the university was established three hundred years ago, officially making it the youngest section on campus. And this is Mysterio College. It was rededicated about fifty years ago to cover the more obscure arts. Fitting that Shadow Demons would be here.” My gaze traveled up the moss-covered stone. “I wonder if they’ll end up changing the name again.”

Mom kissed me on the cheek and rubbed my arms. “I guess it’s that time.”

“You’re not coming in?”

She shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “I think this is something you can handle on your own, and should.” She let out a sigh and her eyes turned sad. “When did you grow up?” She brushed the hair back from my face. “Call me once you’re settled and let me know how it went.” She wrapped me in another fierce hug.

I nodded and carefully squeezed her back, fighting back a sudden rush of tears. “I will. I love you, mom.”

She released me and I found her eyes equally misty. “You’ve got this, Alexi. I’m so proud of you.” She fanned her eyes. “Whoo! I better go before I make a scene. Right. You be good, stick to your studies, don’t forget to call.”

“I know, mom. I won’t.”

She blew me a kiss, turned, and made her way to the main entrance of the university. I watched her go until she was an indistinguishable blur, then looked back at the building. Now that everything was real, I was nervous again. It was easy to forget my anxiety when I was playing tour guide, but now the moment had finally come. I was officially a student at Arminius University and was about to meet the most infamous Shadow Demon in the world.

I pushed the doors open into an empty foyer. Where I’d been expecting a welcoming committee or maybe a TA, there was only a nondescript sign that said to go down the hall to classroom forty-two. I followed the trail of signs around two curves before I found the room in question.

When I stepped inside, a woman behind a podium with a name tag that read Anne, Student Affairs, greeted me. She was petite, with a blonde bob and a friendly smile.

“Good afternoon. We’re so pleased you could join us. Orientation will start in a few minutes. Could I get your name, please?”

Between the noise of too many people talking all at once and realizing they were all Shadow Demons, it took me a moment to realize she was talking to me. “Roman.”

I’d heard about demons being able to sense each other, but this was a first for me. Disorienting was a mild way to put it. I could understand the insistence that we be made to bunk together. I was now absolutely sure I’d never run into another Shadow Demon before today.