Ch 5 – A treatise on why you shouldn’t confuse rabbit and snake holes. Particularly when you find yourself falling into one.

“Ah, good morning Gwen. I’m happy to say I just finished reading your paper on the theiraria cactus. Quite well written, I must admit.”

I blinked and looked up at the professor, surprised to see a genuine smile on her face. I’d been certain that her lips had been twisted into a near permanent scowl at this point. The smile looked truly out of place.

Gwen smiled back, as though such an occurrence was completely normal. “Thank you! I’ll admit, I was rather worried about what you’d think of the second half.”

Was this really happening right now?

Professor Fell waved a hand in dismissal. “No no, I assure you, it was well done. Even if your thoughts on the potential uses of its spines might lean toward the controversial.”

Gwen’s face brightened further as she gave the professor another heartfelt thanks.

Despite the seeming absurdity of it, it did in fact seem that we were stopping in the hall for a conversation with this ‘Gwen’ and her other, also plainly unimportant, friend. A person who was now openly staring at me. Luckily, feigning to look elsewhere in indifference came naturally to me. I could only hope their little conversation went quickly. Was this really the time for this? I couldn’t help but fidget as my fingers continued to grasp at nothing beneath the smelly cape, searching for daggers that weren’t there.

Gwen followed her friend’s gaze, and it took everything I had in my not to cower away when two pairs of eyes quickly became three. Cowardice. Weakness. Don’t let them see. My mind swirled. I could almost hear my father’s scathing remarks. How pathetic. No son of mine will be this weak. Just barely, I held onto my air of apparent nonchalance, resisting the urge to tighten the flimsy cape further.

“Ah, yes. I’m sure you're curious about the demon,” the professor said, her standard scowl finally back. At this point, I couldn’t pretend to ignore them any longer, finally meeting their collective eyes, before once more looking away.

“What, umm. Have you taken up…” Gwen’s question trailed.

Fell was quick to respond. “No no, nothing of the sort. It is a complicated matter, but for the moment, this creature is going to be joining the academy as a student.” It was plainly clear in her tone just what the professor thought of the idea. I felt my muscles as they clenched tighter.

Luckily, Professor Fell had the two younger ladies’ attention once more.

“A student, professor? Surely you don’t mean—” the other girl spoke out.

“I do. Not my idea, I can assure you. I’m sure you two ladies will hear all about it before the day’s end. For the moment, I’ve been tasked with assigning her a room.”

The two leaned back, as though the professor had suggested theirs in particular. My teeth clenched tighter.

“Well, I wish you, umm, luck, Professor Fell,” Gwen muttered out.

“Thank you, Gwen. I’ll see you in class.”

The girl gave one last nod and shifted past us, only to turn when her friend didn’t immediately follow. The other woman stood still, peering into me with a curious and focused stare, eyes ever-so-slightly narrowed in thought. Her head tilted marginally to the side. For the briefest moment, I was certain she could see right through me, into the heart of everything I was and had become.

Then her friend tugged at her robe, and she looked away.

“Come on, Selene.”

To my relief, the professor began walking once more. The tension in my muscles eased marginally as I scurried forth just behind. In little time at all, we reached the intersection with the first hall of rooms. I followed narrowly behind Fell as she turned down the right side, cursing my weakness even as my stomach twisted with anguish.

Peering around her shoulder, I eyed the surprisingly pristine, yet narrow, hall. It lacked windows, instead using several sconces held magical white and red orbs to brighten it, much like the men’s dorm. A couple of ladies stood outside of a door chatting with each other. One girl smiled with a grinning smirk at the others, before we managed to catch their eyes.

To the best of my ability, I used the teacher as cover, taking advantage of my short stature. Yet it took only seconds before we passed door after door, one or two open. Casual chatter turned to silence and then soft whispers. Curious gazes peered out from cracked doorways, beginning with one, yet quickly growing. I did my best to ignore them, focusing on anything else in the hall that I could. The floors appeared a little more worn here, but still a great deal better looking—not to mention gentler on my bare feet—than the cold stone of the men’s building. Several decorated paintings and other displays lined the walls between rooms, most being portraits of various men and women who’d taught or attended here in the past. Despite that, it didn’t feel as well-decorated as the previous halls.

We passed the women standing quietly in the hall, all three of which shifted out of the way as the professor walked past. Their eyes weighed on me like a heavy burden atop my shoulders, along with various others piercing into my back. I could hear the soft opening of doors and even a few light whispers that carried through the quiet air of the hall. To the best of my ability, I stood tall, tilting my head up in feigned confidence. I doubted the act was particularly convincing. My body was too stiff, the tension never-ending.

Finally, the professor came to a stop a few doors from the end. This time I was far enough behind that I didn’t nearly trip into her. My relief that we weren’t going to one of the upper floors was palpable. Even one hall felt too much. Professor Fell cast a subtle glance to our backs, a sharp look that filled the entire corridor. I turned to watch as what appeared to be nearly half the freshmen girls in the school scuffled back into their rooms, doors thudding shut down the length of the hall as each pretended they hadn’t just been snooping at our backs.

In scant seconds, it was quiet once more, empty, yet retaining that curious air of suspension in their wake. Satisfied, Fell faced the door, knocking against it with a light rap of her knuckles. I could hear a soft shuffling in response, followed by a gentle clack of shoes, both easily distinguishable in the otherwise muted corridor. The handle clicked and turned downward, and the door eased open, swinging out toward me. As she stepped just into view, I eyed my new temporary roommate.

Long, dark-brown hair flowed halfway down her back, curling gently near the ends. Her neatly trimmed bangs curved across her brows, framing bright green eyes. She stood several inches taller than me, I noticed with some minor annoyance, though that was something I was admittedly used it.  The young woman was dressed for the day, her white cape curving across her shoulders with a silken sheen. Several golden pins and a bowtie tied the silk cape around her white blouse. The one stark difference from the normal lady’s uniform was the short black trousers that ended a little above her knees instead of the usual skirt or dress.

More important than all of that, however, was the fact that I immediately recognized the woman: Lady Lilis Espir.

She blinked, eyebrows rising with gentle surprise, upon realizing it was a professor at her door rather than a student. Despite that, Lilis spoke in a decidedly neutral tone.

“Oh, Professor Fell.”

Her lips parted, likely to ask what the teacher was here for, only to pause as she spotted my presence, partially obscured by the door. Lilis’s brows furrowed as she looked back and forth between the two of us, failing to piece together the strange puzzle in front of her: a teacher tapping at her door, with a demon nary heretofore.

“Good morning, Miss Espir. Forgive me if I’m disturbing you.”

“No, not at all,” she quickly assured. “I was just doing some morning exercise before heading out to the library.” There was a lingering note of flat suspicion in her voice. Her eyes once more glanced my way.

Professor Fell gave the girl a smile, one which didn’t fully meet her eyes. “Excellent. I’ve been tasked with finding a suitable roommate for our new student here, and felt certain there was no one better for the job than the prestigious Lilis Espir.”

Lilis stared at the professor, plainly unable to believe what she was implying. “Could you,” she paused, “perhaps repeat that?”

“I’m quite happy to. As of today, the demon to my left here, by decree of Provost Selvune, has become a student.” She paused as her eyes momentarily met my own. I couldn’t help but scowl at her. She was being deliberately snide toward both of us. “The provost has asked me to find a suitable room for it, and you were the first to come to mind, given your noted competency and distinction in class and the reputation of your family.”

An awkward silence lingered following her statement.

“Professor, while I do appreciate your praise,” Lilis said, with the barest hint of sarcasm laced in, “if this is some kind of joke, I must politely state that I do not at all appreciate your taste.”

“I am quite serious, in fact. Surely the task isn’t too much of a challenge for you.” Professor Fell raised a brow, bringing her statement into more of a question. “You are one of my best first-year students.”

Lilis softly cleared her throat. “If you’re looking to punish me, professor, I’d much prefer a more proper form rather than—”

The professor waved her words away. “I’ll acknowledge that you have a tendency toward being a bit too opinionated and disruptive in class, I assure you this has nothing to do with that.” Her smile held an edge to it that suggested just the opposite. “I merely thought that, given you and your family’s esteemed reputation, something as minor as this would be of little consequence for you to handle.”

I should have expected I was getting tossed onto someone based on some feud between families. That was fine, though, so long as Lilis didn’t cause me any problems. From the little that I knew of her, she seemed the type to keep to herself, which suited me perfectly. Besides, I was ready to be rid of this annoying woman.

The girl studied the professor with a calculated stare, careful to keep her expression neutral. Fell just continued to smile politely back, content to wait. I shifted my posture as tension between the two held, until eventually, Lilis let out a sigh.

“I imagine that I don’t have much of a choice in the matter, do I?”

“You always have a choice, my dear.”

Left out was the obvious fact that having a choice didn’t mean there wasn’t a wrong and right one. Saying no was the decision of the naive.

“Fine,” Lilis stated curtly.

But a ‘yes’ was the mistake of fools. She should have subtly offered a trade of some kind, or better, already had something over the professor to threaten or bargain with. The young woman would have to learn that lesson, if she wanted to make it out of this school without falling into someone else’s snares. In a way, the professor was doing her a favor.

Professor Fell gave her a shark-like grin. “Excellent. A few points of note, before I go. He was Gellin Zelian, another of the freshmen students, before becoming the succubus to my left here. I’m sure you’re familiar with the Zelian family,” she said dismissively. “Keep the demon out of trouble and unscathed, if you could. I’m sure it won’t be a problem for you.” The teacher gave her one last condescending smile.

Lilis blinked. “She—what?”

The green-eyed girl looked back and forth between myself and the professor, the latter already turning to leave. Fell waved a hand through the air as she moved down the hall.

“Don’t let me down, Miss Espir.”

Not bothering to wait for a reply, she turned the corner, out of sight. Lilis stared in her wake a moment longer before letting out a frustrated groan. Her hands tightened into fists as she glared menacingly down the empty hallway. With a huff, she stomped back into her room, leaving me standing awkwardly alone in the hall. Knowing that other students would soon be peeking back out into the hall, I decided it was probably best to slip in after her.

Quietly following her into the room, I couldn’t help but feel like I was intruding. Though I needed to stay somewhere, didn’t I?

“Damn that woman,” Lilis growled under her breath.

Balled fists slowly relaxed as she stood around the middle the room, her back facing me. The woman closed her eyes, tilted her chin up, and let out a long steady breath. After another, her shoulders slumped, tension falling out of them.

I took a moment to consider what I knew of her, which wasn’t much, unfortunately. She was from the Espir family, a powerful, yet isolated group that focused almost exclusively on witchcraft. I’d noted the girl’s presence around the academy a few times, though we’d never properly interacted. She did have a few interesting rumors circling around her, however.

Many referred to her as the Thorn Princess, somewhat jokingly comparing her to the likeness of a rose: beautiful to look at, but not worth handling with your own hands. A couple of men had dared to approach her once or twice, and both came to quickly regret the experience, becoming sick for days due to a mysterious ingestion of rare poisons. Both claimed that she’d slipped it into their foods, but no one was certain exactly how. It was admittedly impressive.

Lilis’s eyes reopened, and she turned toward me. We stared, each scrutinizing the other. A tense silence lingered, neither of us certain of what was next to come.