Page 19 of Darkness Defined

Her disappearance was met with muffled surprise that rippled across the room. However, the aforementioned Anne didn’t seem the least bit phased as she stepped up to take Vera’s place. Anne held up a tablet and began reading. “Duncan and Roman, you’ll be in room 2708 in Starling Hall.”

Surprised to hear my name listed first, I glanced around in search of “Duncan”. Sadly, no one besides me seemed to react to the announcement. I glanced back towards the entrance, curious if the attendee list was still there.

I casually made my way over, trying not to draw attention. Anne continued to call out assignments behind me, but I didn’t care. I was on a mission. As I approached the podium by the door, I only had one desperate thought—please be Matt, please be Matt. At last, the list was within reach. But with only fifteen of us to be paired, I was running out of time fast. I quickly scanned the names.

I finally found the “Duncan” scribbled in at the bottom like it had been a last-minute addition. Even scrawled, the name clearly read Matthew Duncan. I could have whooped for joy. Suddenly, I realized Anne had finished and people were shuffling toward the exit. I stole another quick glance to see if he had a power level listed. My curiosity was rewarded with nothing more than a question mark.

The sound of people getting closer brought me back to reality. As close as I already was to the door, I had no choice but to be the first one out. I looked over my shoulder, hoping Matt was nearby and we could leave together. No such luck. Reluctantly, I exited the room solo. Despite my determination to wait, after several minutes of milling around the front of Mysterio College, it seemed like Matt was intentionally hanging back. With a sigh, I walked across the lawn to Starling Hall.

After a short flight of stairs, I found myself on the second floor of the dormitory. At first glance, I was reminded of an old hotel my mom had taken us to once. Deep green carpet flowed down the walkway like a plush river. I reached out and touched wallpaper far more intricate and, frankly, ancient than befit a college dormitory. Further down the hall, a door opened. A resident with a tail as long as they were tall emerged, ran three doors down, then disappeared into another. The only sound to betray the commotion was the door slamming home.

I continued on, eying each entryway. As far as I could tell, all the rooms had locks. The farther I went, the more concerned I was that I’d missed Anne mentioning where to get our keys. Maybe that’s why Matt had held back. He’d actually been paying attention.

I smiled to myself, still a little amazed at my good luck. Now all I had to do was make sure he didn’t hate me for interfering with George. My mind called up those incredible blues he had for eyes, recalling with perfect clarity the fires that had danced within. An angry fire—at my intervention. I grimaced. We hadn’t even been properly introduced, and I was already making a mess of things.

Like you do everything, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Daniel added without mercy. I shook my head and refocused on the room numbers. Finally, I found it. On the outside of a door that looked positively ancient were two envelopes with the names Roman and Duncan written on them, respectively.

I grabbed mine, dubious about the wisdom of leaving our keys where anyone could take them, though both looked untouched. There was just enough time to register the thick vellum before the entire envelope vanished. A heavy bronze key befitting the antique lock fell with a muffled thud to the floor. Curious, I touched the other envelope. Nothing happened. Spelled envelopes, of course.

I retrieved my key from the carpet and turned it in the lock. The door swung open on silent hinges to reveal an interior that did not match the aged door, or the rest of the dorm, for that matter. Where I’d expected to find a traditional, cramped dorm room with barely enough room for two beds, there was instead what amounted to a modern apartment, complete with open living space, a kitchen at the back, and even a small breakfast table. No beds, though. I stepped deeper into the living room and the door swung shut behind me, the lock automatically clicking in place.

Note to self: don’t lose your key.

A quick inspection revealed that the place was fully furnished with a red fabric couch, plates, silverware, pots and pans, and even a TV. My excitement surged at the increasingly pleasant turn of events. I doubted my mother had anticipated my having so much independence my first semester.

I glanced around for beds or somewhere that might hide beds. What I found were doors on either side of the space that each led to a bedroom with its own bathroom. My things were set up in the room on the left. Which meant the other luggage had to belong to Matt. Bit of a bummer that we didn’t actually get to share a bedroom, but I supposed the killer apartment sort of made up for that.

I was inspecting the kitchen when the door clicked again. Time for damage control. I stole a moment to gather myself, then turned around to greet my college roomie, mentally crossing my fingers that I wouldn’t bugger this worse than I already had.

Matt stood, holding his key and looking a little out of sorts. His uncertainty was quickly replaced when he caught sight of me. “It would have to be you, wouldn’t it?” he said, blander than dry giouvarlakia. He tossed his key on the coffee table. It clattered a moment, then went still with a hollow thud. “Today just keeps getting better and better.”

I frowned at the obvious sarcasm. “What’s wrong with me?”

He gave me an incredulous look. “For starters, you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. Not to mention, you’re an arrogant suck up who probably thinks they’re great at everything.” The words were unnecessarily hostile and clearly chosen to get a rise out of me.

I refused to give in so easily. Daniel used to say way worse when he was in a mood. Matt, I could handle. “Maybe that’s just because you don’t know me.”

“How long have you been here?”

“A while,” I answered honestly.

He crossed his arms and basically glared at me. “I bet you know this whole campus like the back of your hand.”

I shrugged. He wasn’t wrong.

“Privilege.” He shook his head in blatant scorn.

“For the record, all of us were recruited.” Taking a gamble, I added, “I heard Vera picked you up herself.”

He gave me a searching look, but rather than answer, he asked a question of his own. “What’s your name?”

“Alexi.”

He stared blankly back at me. “That’s a weird name for a guy.” He looked away, and it seemed like that would be the end of our very brief, unusual conversation.

In a moment of inspiration, I said, “Then call me Alex.” No one in my entire life had ever called me Alex, but if it made Matt comfortable enough to talk to me, then I would learn to answer.

“Okay.”