“Alexander!” I cried out as my stomach dropped.
All eyes turned to our table, and Evanora lingered over us. I searched her face for some kind of answer, but she looked just as confused as I felt.
“Oh, Satan,” Vesta breathed as she stared at my convulsing familiar with wide, silver eyes. “What’s happening, Professor?”
“I’m not sure,” the pink-haired woman responded slowly. “The only explanation I can think of is he’s evolving toward the next stage, but it’s such a rapid transformation that it could kill him.”
“Kill him?” I repeated as my heart hammered in my chest.
“It’s a possibility,” Evanora replied.
I turned away from her and stared down at Alexander. His body continued to convulse, and his glassy brown eyes looked up toward the ceiling. He was paralyzed with fear, and I felt the same way. I had done this to him, and I wasn’t sure if I could ever forgive myself if something happened to him.
“Come on, buddy,” I muttered. “Fight it.”
He quivered on the desk and started to squeal out in pain, and I sucked in a sharp breath as he rolled onto his back and extended out all his limbs. His arms and legs trembled violently as he squeaked in agony, and as his dark eyes rolled into the back of his head, I thought this was the end for him, but to my amazement, something remarkable happened.
His body slowly started to morph.
I watched in fascination as his legs, arms, and head began to turn black, and as his back arched upward, his entire body grew gradually. His brown eyes shifted to red, his whiskers grew longer, and his paws swelled to at least three sizes their original size.
It took me a good second to realize he had turned into a black rabbit, and I exhaled sharply.
“Alexander?” I murmured, and he suddenly hopped on the desk and twitched his new whiskers.
I breathed a long sigh of relief, and my coven started to clap while the entire class muttered in excitement as they stared at the new Alexander. He sniffed at the air with his small black nose and turned his crimson eyes toward me.
Well, that fucking hurt, asshole, he growled.
I laughed and softly patted his head. He could have called me anything, and it didn’t matter. He was alive, and that’s all I cared about.
“How are you feeling, Alexander?” I asked aloud.
Fine, I guess… I mean, I’m a rabbit now, he sighed. That’s fine… I guess… Do you know if there are any female rabbits in this castle? I wanna fuck so bad.
“I’m not sure, but I bet being a rabbit is better than being a mouse,” I laughed. “Count your unholy blessings.”
“What is he saying?” Vesta grinned.
“He’s just being a little shit,” I teased.
Am not! he protested.
“Are, too,” I chuckled.
The class continued to mummer amongst each other until Evanora clapped her hands and looked at each of us. The room grew silent, and the professor simply smiled before her eyes flashed to the door.
“Well, well, well,” she chimed. “I think that’s enough excitement for one class. You are officially dismissed for the day. You can continue practicing with your familiars, but I do highly suggest you proceed with caution. You don’t want to end up with splattered guts instead of a healthy, growing familiar. Just because Cole successfully managed to transform his animal doesn’t mean you will, too.”
Everyone groaned as they slammed their books shut and then made their way to the door. The table behind us all began to collect their belongings as well until Evanora stepped in between our desks.
“No, not you nine,” she said. “We’ll be taking our tournament practice outside for today.”
“We’re practicing all together?” Akira grumbled, unable to hide her disdain. “But--”
“Of course, you are,” Evanora cut her off. “Did you think that you’d be taught separately just because you’re opposing teams? You’re all representing Scholomance, and you will all receive the same amount of dedication and time from each professor. There will be no special treatment of any kind.”
When she spoke those last words, her bright eyes darted in my direction, but I ignored the remark and maintained a neutral expression. Then Evanora flashed us another smile and headed over to her cabinet.
“A common theme we see in soul magic is the ability to control one’s familiar in the battlefield,” she said. “The strength and power of a mental connection are essential. We will practice again with different creatures so we won’t hurt your actual familiars, and if you make quick progress, we can move on to your actual familiars… but it depends on how well you succeed with the test subjects, so don’t get too excited.”
I furrowed my brow and stared at my coven’s familiars. They hadn’t evolved into anything new, and I wondered if they’d be able to evolve into anything more substantial before the first game.
“Professor,” I said as she rummaged through the clutter. “Why did Alexander change into another creature after one incantation? No one else--”
“Your bond must be stronger than anyone else’s,” she said without turning around to look at me. “It’s the only explanation that I can think of… although I have to admit, it was the first time I’ve seen such a rapid transition after one try.”
“It’s troll-shit,” one of the twins behind me muttered, and when I turned to glance over my shoulder, the twin with the pink streak in her hair glared at me.
“Shut up, Iris,” Akira growled. “You think we’d be in Cole’s coven if he wasn’t a badass? Don’t be a dumb bitch.”
“Don’t tell my sister to shut up,” the twin with the blue streak of hair snapped. “You’re the dumb bitch; obeying a man. It’s pathetic.”
“I wouldn’t insult Cole, Ivy.” Morgana smirked. “It never ends well for anyone.”
The light-haired brunette with the heavy bangs rolled her eyes and looked at her nails as if she couldn’t be bothered with this conversation.
“Can we just get this practice over with?” she sighed. “The less time we have to spend together, the better.”
“You do realize I have the hearing of an owl, right, Beatrix?” Evanora asked before she turned around. “I’d be careful with my words. You’re all in this together, and repeating myself is getting to be tiresome.”
She was holding a jar filled with bright red crab looking creatures, and when I looked closer, I noticed they had suction cups along their legs and bright yellow eyes. They crawled all over each other and plastered their limbs against the glass in protest, and they were clearly pissed off about their small confinement.
“What are those?” Penelope asked with her small nose turned up.
“A carcinus,” Faye replied. “They originate from Marina, a realm that mostly consists of saltwater--”
“I wasn’t asking you,” the orange-haired witch sneered.
“She answered your fucking question, didn’t she?” Akira barked.
“Excuse me!” Penelope roared. “Just who the hell do you think you are, you man-loving slut?”
“Are you quite finished?” Evanora hissed.
Everyone went deadly quiet as the professor stared long and hard at us. Her eyes narrowed at the groups as if we were a bunch of children in need of a good scolding, but she finally sighed and then closed the cabinets.
“You all need to understand something,” she said, “and I’m only going to say this once. You need to work together when it comes to practice. You may technically be competing against each other, but as I said, you are still Scholomance students. Treat each other with respect whenever I’m around because I won’t tolerate such juvenile behavior. Understood?"
We obediently nodded our heads, but I still caught Akira glaring at Penelope. I knew my black-eyed witch would respect Evanoras' wishes, but I also knew there would be plenty of tension out on the grounds.
I could feel it.
“Now,” Evanora said, “let’s stop wasting time and head down to the woods.”
We nodded again and followed the pink-haired professor down the halls before she led us past the iron gates and toward the grounds. We stopped right at the edge of the forest, and she whipped around to face us, with the jar of carcinus in her slender pale hands.
“Our first exercise will involve a little bit of a cat and mouse game.” She smiled. “This is something you will face during the first game, so pay close attention. You need to maintain a strong mental bond to know exactly where your familiar is at all times.”
“So, how do these creatures help us with that?” Ivy asked as she ran her hand through her blue-streaked hair.
“She’s obviously going to set them loose, and we’re going to have to keep up with our respective pair.” Morgana rolled her blue eyes.
“I wasn’t asking--” Ivy started to argue, but Evanora shot her a warning glare. “Um… never mind.”
“That’s what I thought,” Evanora muttered. “Anyway, the first spell we’ll learn is a soul-binding incantation. This will help you locate your familiar, no matter where they are. A successful partnership relies on constant communication. It is important to bear in mind that this kind of connection is not the same as… other wicca bonds. Animals and witches can only hear each other’s thoughts, but we cannot force them to do anything against their will. Now, repeat after me… without your wands, of course. Vinculum meam.”
We repeated the spell, and Evanora nodded slowly. She was about to unscrew the lid but then stopped to look at each of us.
“Do I have to remind you what will happen should you misquote the spell?” she asked with a pink arched eyebrow.
“No, professor,” we replied in unison.
“Fantastic,” she said. “Now, as soon as I release the creatures, you must choose one to connect with and blast it with the incantation as quickly as possible. Is everyone ready?”
Everyone retrieved their wands, and Evanora bent down to release the creatures. Then she muttered under her breath as nine small crab-like animals escaped from their confinement and quickly began to scurry away.
“Quickly,” Evanora urged. “Blast them with the spell.”
Everyone swiftly aimed their wands, and I focused on a small one that was a couple of feet in front of me. I recited the spell and missed by an inch, but before I could try again, another pink blast came out of nowhere, and I jumped back before it could hit my foot. When I whipped my head around to see who was trying to catch my carcinus, I caught Penelope smiling at me.
“Oops,” she said in a sing-song voice.
I shook my head, ignored her attempts to piss me off, and only focused on catching one of the critters before it wandered deeper into the woods.
“Vinculum meam!” I said as I aimed my wand at one of them.
The carcinus squeaked as soon as my spell hit it, and the creature flinched as it tried to regain its balance. Then it shook its small head and started to head into the forest.
Just try and catch me again, motherfucker, a shrill, feminine voice said in my head.
“Huh?” I muttered, momentarily caught off guard.
Wow, Alexander snickered, she sounds like a bitch… maybe you should just let the forest kill her.
“Quiet, Alexander,” I demanded. “She may be a bitch, but I need to find her.”
While the others were still trying to catch their own creatures, I ran into the woods and tried to follow the voice of the carcinus. Meanwhile, Alexander was running by my feet as we bolted into the thicket. I tried to home in on the female crab-monster, but I couldn’t hear a thing, and I began to worry I’d already lost her.
“Where the hell are you?” I whispered to myself.
I took in a deep, steady breath and tried to feel for her. It took a moment, but I sensed she was heading east, so I took off again with Alexander running by my side.
Oh, well done! she giggled. Come and catch me, human! See if you can.
I huffed under my breath and continued to run. Broken tree branches crunched under my feet as I sped through the woods, and I could still hear her cackling in my head as I struggled to keep going.
Worthless human… you can’t find me, no matter how hard you try, she cackled.
“Yeah, but I can still hear you,” I panted.
We should totally kill her once we’re done with her, Alexander said as he bounded at my heels. My diet might technically be considered vegetarian, but I’m willing to make an exception.
“Easy there,” I breathed. “One problem at a time… first, I need to find her.”
She’s a bit of a cunt, Alexander chirped at my feet.
“Stop talking,” I told him. “If she gets too far away, then I won’t be able to hear her.”
Fine, he agreed. But I’m not looking forward to my turn.
“You won’t even have a turn if I can’t find her,” I grumbled, and by now I was completely out of breath.
I had to stop. I could barely breathe, and there was no use running through the woods if I was going to pass out from exhaustion at any moment.
“Satan,” I sighed as I skidded to a stop. “Where are you?”
There was a long pause, and at first, all I could hear was the sound of the wind rustling the dead leaves beneath my feet. So, I closed my eyes and strained to listen to my surroundings. I heard ravens and crows cawing above me and the sound of an owl hooting off in the distance, and again, I thought I’d lost her until I heard a familiar and eerie cackle.
Come and find meeee, my carcinus taunted. You’ll never catch meeee.
“There you are,” I muttered.
I looked down at Alexander, who was just staring at me with eagerness in his red eyes.
“Let’s get this bitch.” I grinned.
We sped onward and ran down a grayish-green hill and past the black trees and thick, prickly branches that tried to stop us from moving ahead. I was running so fast I could hear the blood pumping in my ears, and my chest felt tight as my heart continued to hammer violently against my chest.
She was nearby. I could feel it.
Well done, human, the carcinus said. You’re getting closer than I thought you would.
I thought I’d have to keep running until I passed out, but then, in the distance, I spotted something red and still straight ahead of me. I stopped dead in my tracks, and Alexander came up quietly behind me.
You can see me, can’t you? she asked. I bet you want to squish me for being such a little pest.
“No,” I muttered, “I just want to catch you.”
Well, you found me… she giggled. I didn’t expect our connection to last this long… there is a strength that lingers in you… one others do not possess.
“What are you talking about?” I asked as I took a small step forward.
The carcinus still hadn’t moved, and I was hoping she would remain still enough for me to catch her.
I’m just a simple creature, with thoughts of my own, she replied mysteriously. What do I know?
“Maybe you know more than you’re letting on,” I replied as I took another small step.
Perhaps, she answered. Even so, I don’t feel like talking to you or returning to that jar, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way now.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” I growled before I quickly raised my wand.
She was about to wriggle away, but I was too quick for her.
“Conligo!” I shouted.
The creature stopped right in her tracks as a blast of light hit her in the back.
Shit, she screeched. Foul, loathsome human!
Nice one, Cole! Alexander squeaked.
“Thanks,” I breathed.
I headed down to pick up the carcinus, and when I snatched her, she remained frozen in my hand. I knew once the spell faded, she would put up a fight, so I held on to her tightly, and Alexander hopped by my side as we made our way back to the professor.
“So,” I said after a while. “What did you mean back there?”
There was no response, and I looked down at the red creature in my hand. She blinked her eyes, but there was no voice in my head.
“Um,” I said slowly, “hello?”
She can’t speak anymore, Alexander replied. I think once you held her, the spell faded away.
“Oh,” I muttered, and I was somewhat disappointed. “Well, that makes sense, I suppose.”
When we returned to the border of the forest, Professor Evanora was waiting there with a small smile on her beautiful face. Her hands were clasped together, and she looked like a goddess on the field.
Then I spotted one of the twins on the ground, and she was twirling grass in between her fingers. I noticed bits and pieces of red crustacean around her, and I figured she accidentally killed her creature before she could actually hunt it down using soul senses. It was the twin with the pink strand of hair, and she glared at me when I approached Evanora with the creature in my hands.
“Well done, Cole,” the pink-haired woman said before I handed her the strange little beast.
“Professor,” I muttered, “that thing… she said something strange while I was hunting her down--”
“Oh, pay no need to that,” she chuckled. “These little troublemakers are known for being tricksters when placed under a soul spell.”
“But--” I started to say until she interrupted me.
“Look, here comes your coven.” She gestured.
I couldn’t tell if she was trying to distract me, or if she was genuinely glad to see they had returned. Either way, I turned around and my face broke out into a smile. My witches each carried a carcinus in their hands, and they’d successfully completed the task.
“Nasty little fuckers.” Akira smirked before she handed hers over to Evanora. “That wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Faye added. “I might love animals, but this one was just a pain in the ass.”
“Not to mention how incredibly rude they were,” Morgana sighed as she handed her creature off and dusted her hands. “Mine felt the need to continuously call me a ‘beastly little bitch.’”
Akira burst out laughing, and Morgana just rolled her eyes.
“Hey,” I chuckled. “I think the most important thing here is we completed the exercise and made it back before the others.”
“Yeah.” Vesta nodded. “He’s right… we managed to do what we set out to do.”
“Which is why you can stop bragging and return to the castle,” Evanora replied with a small smile. “Well done, you lot. Now, if I were you, ladies, I would spend the rest of your valuable time trying to grow those familiars of yours. The first game is in three days, and you won’t find mice to be all that useful. In the meantime, I’ll be waiting for the other group to return, which could be a while.”
“Yes, Professor.” Morgana nodded. “We won’t stop until we succeed.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” The pink-haired woman smiled.
We left Evanora and the grounds to make our way to the library. As the pink-haired professor mentioned, we only had three days to grow the rest of the familiars, and I was worried we wouldn’t be able to in time.
For the next two days, we went to Evanora’s lessons and then spent all our spare time in the study hall. We tried to grow the other familiars, but so far, nothing had happened.
Finally, on the day before the first game, Akira lost all her patience.
“What in the fucking hell?” she cried out as she glared down at her familiar, a squirrel named Damien. “Why won’t they just grow?”
“You have to be patient, Akira,” Morgana said.
“We have been patient,” she hissed. “And what good has it done us? The first tournament is tomorrow, for fuck’s sake.”
“Yelling isn’t going to get you anywhere,” Morgana snapped.
“You know what, Morgana--” Akira growled until I raised my hand up to interrupt her.
“She’s right, Akira,” I said. “We need to be free of all emotion when we do this. You’re completely angry, frustrated, and impatient, and it’s blocking your ability to use soul magic. It’s similar to premonition… you need to clear your mind. Not constantly worry.”
“Can you blame me for being anxious?” she bit back. “The first game is tomorrow!”
“No, I don’t blame you,” I sighed. “But you’re not the only one feeling this way.”
“Whatever,” the black-eyed witch grumbled as she slumped in her seat.
“You’re all stressed out,” I said as I turned to look at the others and forced a smile. “I get it, and I know it’s a difficult feeling to control, but you’re going to have to try and manage your feelings.”
“How?” Akira demanded.
“Everyone take a long, deep breath,” I ordered. “Close your eyes, and just focus on the air around you. Feel the darkness and soak it up.”
My women did as they were told, and I carefully watched them as they sat there, still as stone. Their breasts heaved up and down in a steady rhythm as they took in deep, steady breaths, and I could feel their turbulent emotions through our bond.
“Now, I know it may seem silly, but just try and free your mind from all the chaos that is preventing you from excelling,” I said. “Do not worry about the things you cannot control. Focus instead on the presence around you.”
They remained quiet and kept their eyes squeezed shut. I briefly wondered if this would work, because if it didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to compete with a full-grown familiar. When I felt like the air around me had settled, and their minds had been freed, though, I knew it was time for them to try one more time.
“Alright,” I said, “open your eyes.
They slowly peeled their eyes open and stared right at me.
“Now, try again,” I whispered. “You can do this.”
The witches slowly closed their eyes again and began to mutter the spell. At first, nothing happened, and I was nearly prepared to give up entirely until my eyes widened in amazement.
Slowly, each familiar started to morph into something else. Akira’s familiar began to tremble and squeal as scales started to replace its fur. It was beginning to change into a baby-sized, blue komodo dragon with bright golden eyes and a bulky tail with spikes on the end.
Faye’s creature continued to grow a long neck as its fur started to shift to white, and it took me a moment to realize it was turning into a ferret.
Morgana’s animal also began to grow, and its eyes turned black as its fur changed from brown to black, white, and gray. A small raccoon had replaced the pathetic little mouse, and finally, Vesta’s familiar turned into a chevrotain, with hooved feet and tiny, curious dark eyes.
Even though the process had caused the familiars to squeak and squawk, none of the witches opened their eyes during the transformation. Perhaps they were afraid to see what laid beneath them.
“You did it!” I exclaimed. “Hey, open your eyes! You did it!”
Each witch slowly peeled their eyes open, as if they couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but when they looked down and saw their familiars’ new forms, the coven couldn’t contain their excitement.
“Oh, Damien!” Akira exclaimed, and a broad grin stretched across her usually sour face. “You look fucking fantastic.”
The blue komodo dragon looked up at the short-haired witch and playfully stuck its tongue out at her, so Akira giggled and scooped him up to look at him more closely.
Morgana started to whisper with her own familiar and shook her head whenever the raccoon said something she didn’t approve of, while Vesta and Faye couldn’t stop smiling as they petted their individual animals.
Well, they did it! Alexander cheered. Nice work.
“Yep, they did,” I quietly replied.
I knew they would.
We were all laughing amongst each other until Morgana’s familiar suddenly jumped away from the table and made a run for it.
“Silvia!” the brunette cried out. “Just where the hell do you think you’re going?”
She ran off and followed after her disobedient raccoon, and we all grabbed our own familiars and bolted after her.
“Wow,” Akira panted, “Silvia is a bit of a bitch, isn’t she?”
“Well, she did say that you and Silvia had a lot in common,” Vesta snickered.
We struggled to not laugh as we followed Morgana down a corridor I was not familiar with and through a small arched doorway. An unsettling feeling coursed through me as we headed through it, though. There was a flight of stone steps leading downstairs to a level I’d never been down to before. Morgana had already flown down the steps and was probably halfway down there, but I had a bad feeling about something or someone who was down there.
“Wait!” I called out. “Morgana, wait up!”
She didn’t listen. She continued to fly down the steps, and we all followed behind her. When we finally came to a stop, we all stood there and stared down the pale stone hallway. There were no paintings down here, which seemed highly unusual. The floors were also bare, and the only thing down here were wall sconces to light the way and plain wooden doors along the walls.
When we spotted Morgana, she was crouched down, and even with her back turned, we could tell she was struggling to control Silvia. When she finally stood up and turned around, she held the squirming raccoon in her hands again.
“Great, you have the little bitch,” Akira breathed. “Can we go, now? Something feels weird about these hallways.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re not supposed to be down here?” a familiar voice giggled.
I saw a flash of blue appear from the corner of the hall, and I realized it was Nyx. Her bright, piercing eyes bored into mine as she smiled at me, but she turned away and focused on Morgana before she broke into cruel laughter.
“Did you have a little trouble with your familiar?” she snickered. “They can be tricky little pests, can’t they?”
“They’re only tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing,” another voice said.
Another witch turned around the same corner and laughed. It was the witch I’d made eye contact with from the banquet hall. She tossed back her long, burgundy hair and grinned a sharp-toothed smile. Her small red horns twinkled under the dim firelight, and she crossed her arms before leaning against the wall.
“You’re going to have to learn to control your beasts before the game,” Nyx told Morgana. “Or, actually, on second thought, maybe don’t. Let us just have an easy win. We all know Scholomance doesn’t stand a chance, isn’t that right, Esther?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Akira growled. “Why don’t you go back to wherever you crawled out from, and we can settle this tomorrow, witch to witch?”
“Maybe you should crawl back upstairs where you belong,” the horned witch spat. “You’re the ones who are trespassing. These halls were assigned for Vipera students, by your own headmistress, so I suggest you make yourselves scarce.”
“Fine, we’ll leave,” Vesta replied. “Try not to worry too much about tomorrow, where we can settle this on the field.”
“Oh, we can’t wait for that,” the burgundy witch giggled. “We’re going to crush you, and those warlock pricks.”
“We’ll see about that,” Morgana said with her chin raised.
“Would you rather settle it now?” Nyx teased.
“Nah, fuck that,” Faye growled, and her green-gold eyes flashed in the dim light. “Come on, let’s get out of here… they aren’t worth it.”
We glared at them one last time before we turned our backs on them.
“Ta-ta,” the Vipera witches cooed before bursting into laughter.
“What a bunch of bitches,” Akira said as we climbed back up the stairs.
“You only met two of them,” Morgana pointed out. “Technically, it was a couple of bitches.”
“Well, two were enough,” the black-eyed witch hissed. “Satan, I wanted to punch both of them in their smug little faces.”
“Just save that anger for the game,” I said.
We were all about to head our separate ways until we heard quick, angry footsteps approaching, and we turned around and saw Vanessa marching toward us in a long deep emerald gown and black boots. She looked irritated, more so than usual, and I wondered if it had anything to do with our little trespassing down at the Vipera level.
“Professor,” Morgana greeted when Vanessa approached us. “Is something wrong--?”
“Come with me,” she interrupted in a firm voice before she whipped around and went through a door on our right-hand side.
We all looked at each other and shrugged before we followed her through the corridor. We flew up a flight of stairs before we reached a massive painting of a beautiful, blonde woman in long, dark robes and piercing blue eyes. Vanessa muttered the spell “templum” under her breath, and the painting swung open and revealed a long, black stone stairwell that led up to another level. As soon as she pushed past an arched, black wood doorway, my jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
We were staring at a massive living room with an extensive fireplace and a wall covered in books. Deep red carpets covered the sleek wooden floors, and there were black antique sofas placed in front of the fire. A gorgeous and intricate black iron and diamond chandelier dangled from the ceiling, but what really caught my attention was the massive clear window placed in between two narrow staircases. It was the only window in the castle that was large and clear enough to see the grounds down below. The sky was a deep crimson, and purple clouds had drifted over the woodlands.
I was rendered speechless by the magnificent view. I could hardly believe it.
“Professor?” I began in an awed tone. “What--?”
“These are your new quarters,” Vanessa cut me off in a bored tone. “I don’t care if you like it, but we decided it would make more sense for you all to share a space so I don’t have to keep running around trying to collect you lot. The meeting room is here, as you can obviously see, and Cole, your room is up on the right staircase, and ladies, you are on the left. Have a good night.”
Before we could even say a word, she left and slammed the door behind her.
“Something tells me she didn’t approve of this idea,” Morgana muttered.
“She probably hates that we’re getting special treatment.” Akira shrugged with a grin. “But who gives a broom-flying fuck! Look at this space, it’s all ours!”
“It is incredible.” Morgana nodded.
“Well, as amazing as it is,” I said, “I suggest we take full advantage of it after the game tomorrow.”
“You’re right.” Vesta nodded. “We should probably get to sleep.”
“Goodnight,” I said before I headed up the small flight of stairs and into my own bedroom.
For a moment, I was confused because it looked just like my old room. The only difference was the bed was slightly larger, and so was the bathroom. Alexander, who had been hopping by my side, sprung up onto the bed and curled up into a ball.
Nice digs, he said before he softly began to snore.
I was also ready to fall asleep, even though my mind was racing with thoughts about tomorrow. There was no point in dwelling on what I could not control, so I forced myself to fall asleep, and when I woke up the next morning, I smiled to myself.
I was ready to win this fucking game, and all the rest to come.