Page 22 of Darkness Defined

“If you try to let go, I will win.” The spark in his eyes made them look like they were gemstones, momentarily distracting me… again.

I frowned at my lack of focus and his weird attitude. “Fine.”

“Try not to break my arm, okay?”

I didn’t even have a chance to ask what the hell he meant before he pressed. I tightened my grip and pushed back. To my infinite surprise, nothing happened. We were in a perfect stalemate. I pushed harder and so did he. His grin widened.

I tried harder. Still no difference. My jaw tightened as I really laid it on. There was no way this lanky guy could match me for arm strength. I didn’t care if he was freaking six feet tall and secretly ripped beneath that shirt. No one had ever come close to besting me like this.

I glanced at him. He wasn’t even focusing on our hands. He was watching me, a smile teasing his lips and shimmering in his absurdly green eyes.

He’s enjoying this.

The revelation only pissed me off further. I pushed past reason and gave it all I had. Finally, his arm slowly descended until it gave a decisive smack against the thin wooden table. Alex laughed as he rubbed his arm.

“What’s so funny? You lost.” I huffed and fought the desire to give my arm the same treatment. That had been hard.

He continued laughing anyway. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who could do that.” He pushed away from the table and stood. “I’m telling you, Matt, you don’t need a gym to be strong, but if you insist, there’s a student gym not far,” he said, then promptly disappeared into his room. Rude.

Before I could call him out for being a lying jerk, he returned holding a map. Guilt wormed around in my chest. I should know better than most not to judge people on appearances. Just because Alex was put together and seemed to take all of this in stride, didn’t automatically make him a privileged know-it-all.

He laid the map down on the table where my arm was still resting. “This is where we are.” He pointed to a cluster of rectangles. “This is Mysterio College.” His finger swept across a wide swatch of open space to circle another square. “If you go this way,” I followed the path he traced, “you’ll run into the main dining hall. To the left is the student gym. I confess, though, I know nothing about it past that.”

I stared at the map, trying to commit it to memory.

He slid it closer. “Take it. You’re right. I have this whole place memorized.”

“Thanks,” I said, now officially feeling like an asshole for my behavior earlier. I folded it and stuck it in my back pocket. Then I made my way to the door, scooping up my key from the table.

“Hey, Matt.”

I turned back. He was smiling again. Shocker.

“Thanks for not breaking my arm. You may not know it yet, but it wouldn’t have been hard.”

I shrugged, not knowing what else to say, and left. Once the door closed behind me, I took the map back out and made my way outside. In the early twilight, the campus spread out before me, a daunting arrangement of shrouded buildings and infinite unknowns. A tiny amount of fear wriggled up.

Pull it together. If you can make it on the streets, then you can make it here.

Except the streets didn’t have expectations, and food, and a roommate that looked at you funny. I shook off the feeling and walked over to the nearest lamppost. In the dim light, I mentally traced the path Alex had pointed out, then glanced around. I oriented myself with Starling Hall at my back and set off.

The gym was at once closer and farther than I expected. I found the cafeteria no problem, and finally understood what Alex had meant when he said there was a grocery. Behind pristine glass doors were not only the expected food options, but at the back was what looked to be a small store. There was even a sign advertising fresh fruit.

In retrospect, I probably should have grabbed the dining card Alex had found. At any rate, I could always come back. Now that I wasn’t locked in that hotel, I had all the freedom in the world.

I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. I was free. Did the Nebraska age of majority apply over here? Even though Vera had failed to elaborate on where exactly here was, the brochures had mentioned Austria and a name with too many vowels and accent dots. I wasn’t about to admit out loud that I didn’t know where that was supposed to be, but it didn’t take a genius to realize I definitely wasn’t state-side anymore. Between the accents and languages I’d heard since I arrived, it seemed a safe guess that I was in Europe… somewhere.

I referenced the map again and looked around for the promised building. Now that I had found the cafeteria where Alex had said it was, I had faith that the gym would be as well. Except there was nothing. I spun around, searching the amber grounds for any kind of sign.

Finally, a discreet plaque far off to my right declared Campus and Recreation Center. I walked inside to the familiar sound of clanging metal and grunts of effort. At first glance, it looked like a typical gym, until you considered the odd assortment of patrons. Some appeared human enough, but others were decidedly not.

Lying on a bench was a rocky-looking creature, casually tossing up what looked to be hundreds of pounds in weights like they were nothing more than loaves of bread. In the corner, a man-sized lizard did flips up a Jacob’s Ladder. And dead-center of it all was someone who looked human enough, except his legs were nothing more than a blur on the treadmill. Already these people were just as strange if not stranger than what I’d run into at Superno House.

How did this many types of beings exist and I’d never known? How was it even remotely possible that I was one of them? I didn’t have horns, or wings, or a tail. Wasn’t a demon supposed to? But then, Alex hadn’t had any of those things either, and he was definitely… something. I thought about what he’d said as I walked the perimeter about demons being inherently strong. He seemed convinced that I could’ve broken his arm, but it felt like he’d held his own to me.

At a sudden shout, I tore my gaze away from a guy with static dancing in his hair to see a rail of a girl plummeting towards the padded floor. Horror rooted me to the spot as I realized she was totally going to splat. Why wasn’t anyone doing anything?

Then, mere feet from the ground, she turned into a bright point of light that immediately zipped upwards. My eyes widened in alarm as I discovered another layer to this madhouse. Suspended forty feet in the air was a full gymnasium swarming with acrobats. These people were certifiable.