Becoming

by Dakota Brown

  "Yeah?"

  "How do you feel about magic users and, uh, you know, werewolves and stuff?"

  I almost tripped over my own feet, and my heart raced in my chest. She couldn't possibly know? No, there was no way. We had just met, and if she were a shifter or a mage, she wouldn't be telling me right away. Would she? No way. It was too dangerous. Supernaturals didn't talk about what they were to outsiders. Sometimes not even to other supernaturals.

  "Um," I stalled while I thought. How did I answer that question? "I guess I haven't thought that much about it."

  "Oh," she replied. "Well, I have to tell you, I'm an activist. So, if you're against mages and shifters having equal rights with humans, we need to talk now, otherwise it's going to be a very long year."

  "An activist?" I couldn't help the surprise in my voice.

  "Yeah."

  We stood in the middle of the walkway, and a few students carrying bags moved around us as we stared at each other. Her steady gaze carried a challenge, and I was pretty sure I looked like a deer caught in the beam of some very bright headlights.

  "Oh." I just didn't know what to say.

  I was saved when two boys our age came up to us. "You two moving in?"

  We turned our attention away from each other.

  "Yes," we answered together. Victoria was carrying my backpack while I wheeled my large suitcase and clutched my water bottle.

  "Great, we'll help. I'm Edgar, but, you know, I go by Ed. This is Allan." Ed bounced on his toes when he gestured at the other guy. He was tall, muscled like a football player, and had short light blond hair and vibrant sky-blue eyes. Were all the men in this town unbelievably handsome? If my heart hadn't already been racing from Victoria's question, it would have started.

  Allan was similar in height, just as nicely muscled with sandy blond hair and steel gray eyes, and a friendly smile on his face.

  I'd read once about a person's eyes having the wilderness in them. As if with a moment's notice, they could go from being comfortable in civilization, to being at home in the wild. I had never understood what it meant until I met both Ed and Allan's gazes. It didn't make me uncomfortable, it just surprised me.

  "Thanks," I replied. "We don't really have much."

  "Doesn't matter," Allan replied. "It's not quite peak move in time yet, give it another hour for everyone to finish with their breakfasts, and then we'll be busy. We're bored right now."

  Both had soothing voices, with the faintest hint of a drawl. I wondered where they were from. They were clearly brothers, though I didn't think they were twins.

  I glanced at Victoria. She was smiling. "Sure, why not?" After a quick look at me, she handed over my backpack to Ed. I gave my suitcase to Allan. The guys grinned at us.

  "We're on the third floor," Victoria told them.

  "Great," Ed answered, sky-blue eyes sparkling happily.

  They acted so excited to help, almost like a pair of puppies given a fun game to play. A pair of very muscular and easy to look at puppies.

  When we got back to the dorm, someone had propped the door open and a paper sign read, 'open for move-in only'.

  We followed the boys, and I tried not to openly stare at their asses. Victoria nudged my arm and winked, making my cheeks heat.

  "We're both freshmen," Ed continued as we walked in. "Allan is older, but waited a year for college. Long story. Hopefully, we'll be in some classes together. Where are you two from?"

  "Nebraska," I answered.

  "Denver," Victoria replied.

  "Cool. We've lived in Sunnyglade for a few years. You'll like it here."

  "Thanks." Was everyone here this friendly? If so, I could really get used to this. At least I hadn't spilled coffee on these two locals.

  Ed and Allan shared a quick glance before heading to the elevator. Neither of us objected, and we all squeezed in together. No one spoke for the quick trip up, and then we followed the boys to our room.

  "Here you go." Ed grinned, and they handed our things back. "Just shout if you need any help. We'll be around for the rest of the day."

  "Thank you," I replied, and we both watched as they headed back down the hallway and into the stairwell.

  As soon as the fire door clanged shut, we both burst out giggling, though I wasn't really sure why.

  Victoria shook her head, smiling as she opened our door and we went inside.

  "Hey, I didn't mean to spring the activist thing on you before. I just…" She hesitated. "You know, it's a big part of my life, and if you're against it, we need to have it out now so we can get along."

  "Oh, it's okay. You just surprised me. We don't see a lot of that in most of the places I've lived. No, I don't have anything against mages or shifters, or I guess any other supernatural beings. I just hadn't thought about it much either way."

  "Great! I'll try not to get too crazy, but winning them their rights so they can be out in the open is kind of a passion for my family. We come from a long line of equal rights activists."

  "It sounds very exciting."

  "Mostly it's trying to get people to sign petitions, trying to get lawyers interested in cases, and the occasional demonstration. I probably won't be as active while I chase my degree, but I'll still be involved. I'll head down to Denver a few weekends a month, things like that."

  "Sounds good." I had no idea what to say to that, and I hoped she wouldn't expect me to join in. It was all well for a normal human to get involved. I had to stay hidden.

  "Let's get you organized, then we can compare schedules. I bet we'll have a lot of the same classes, since it's our first year and all. Do you know your major yet?"

  I shook my head. "You?"

  "I haven't completely decided yet. Maybe journalism and political science."

  "Sounds like that would be in your interests." I smiled to make sure there was no unintended insult. Victoria just nodded.

  We chatted for a while, and she helped me unpack. Once we had my stuff put away, we both made her bed and helped her get settled, too.

  "Let's go wander the campus and find our classes. The dining hall is open for lunch. And tonight, I know of this great pizza place. A lot of students eat there. You know about the party tomorrow, right?"

  "Party? No, I hadn't heard." I wondered how long Victoria had been here if she knew all this all ready. Of course, she didn't live too far from here. Maybe she had come up to visit a few times in the summer.

  "Yeah, it's a mixer for the students and teachers. Not everyone will be there, but enough that we can get to know some people. It's down in the Square. I'll show you."

  "Thanks."

  "Of course, Sofia. I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine."

  "I do, too." I grinned, and we headed out to grab lunch and wander around campus.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Victoria wasn't exaggerating when she had called the pizza place great. I stood just inside the door and took a deep breath. Marinara mingled with garlic and promised to coat the yeasty dough with exquisite taste. I hoped I wasn't drooling.

  "We might have to wait for a few minutes, but it's worth it." Victoria grinned as we walked up to the hostess.

  "Two?"

  I nodded.

  "Booth okay?"

  "That's great," I answered.

  "Right this way," the hostess replied.

  Victoria grinned. "Wow, I had to wait a half an hour last Friday. That's great."

  Holding in a smile, I shrugged. I never had to wait at restaurants. I supposed I had good timing or something.

  We followed the teen through the crowded restaurant. My stomach growled, and I couldn't wait for our pizza.

  She led us to a corner table. Five people could sit there if they liked each other. I slid in and Victoria sat across from me. The hostess handed us menus and told us our server would be with us shortly.

  "Want to split a pizza?" I studied the menu. "I like most."

  "How about this one. It's got basil, tomatoes, lots of cheese, and sau
sage," Victoria said. "If we get a large, we can have leftovers. Their version of large is pretty big."

  "Sure. Sounds great to me." I studied the surroundings while we waited. Lights suspended from the ceiling illuminated the individual tables, and various mountain or ranch scenes decorated the walls. Classic rock filtered out of the speakers. Most of the patrons were younger, though I saw some older couples with young children at some of the booths.

  A young man, probably a few years older than I was, came over to our table. "Hi, I'm Nate. What can I get you to drink?"

  His friendly smile put me at ease, and we ordered drinks and our pizza since we were ready. He promised to have it right up and went off to the next table.

  Victoria and I settled into a comfortable silence as we both people watched. It was nice to share a comfortable silence. I liked to talk well enough. I also liked this.

  "Sofia!"

  I groaned.

  Victoria raised her eyebrows and glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, he's cute. Friend of yours?"

  Sighing, I shook my head. "I dumped coffee all over him this morning."

  "On accident, I'm assuming, or he probably wouldn't be so happy to see you."

  I laughed. "Yeah. I wasn't paying attention and ran into him with a full cup of coffee. His name is Alex."

  A big smile lit up his face and made his sapphire blue eyes sparkle when I gestured for him to join us. He threaded his way around the crowded tables, eyes locked on me.

  "I just got here, I was supposed to meet some friends, but I think they're late. Mind if I join you for a little bit?"

  I glanced at Victoria, and she shrugged.

  "Sure. Alex, this is Victoria." Since I knew him marginally better than my roommate did, I scooted over and let him sit next to me on the end.

  Our server returned with our drinks and glanced at Alex.

  "Oh, I'm just waiting for friends," he said.

  "You might as well get a drink while you wait," Victoria suggested.

  He glanced at me, and when I shrugged, he also ordered a soft drink. The server left a menu with him. "I didn't mean to intrude or anything."

  "No, it's fine." I relaxed. "I'm glad to see you." Strangely, I was. Maybe it was simply another familiar face in a new town, maybe it was something else, but I was glad he was there.

  This time, our silence wasn't quite as easy. We were probably all trying to come up with something to say.

  "So, I hear you like coffee." Victoria grinned after the silence stretched a little too long.

  I groaned. "Really?" I muttered.

  Alex laughed. "Yes, I do. Mocha usually. And Sofia likes lattes. And coffee cake."

  "Oh, already have her habits figured out, do you?" Victoria grinned.

  "Hope I'm not stepping on any toes," Alex replied.

  She waved at me. "Nope, roommates only."

  I tried to sink into the bench. Good gods, what was she doing to me?

  Victoria laughed. "If you turn any redder..."

  I picked up the menu and hid behind it.

  Alex joined her laughter.

  The arrival of our pizza interrupted them, and I reluctantly lowered the menu. The pizza was huge, and it smelled amazing.

  Alex glanced at his phone and frowned. "Well, that explains why they're late. They canceled on me. Something came up at home." He sighed.

  "We've got plenty. Have some pizza with us," Victoria offered.

  I nodded, resigned, when Alex looked at me for permission. "There's plenty, and I'm about as embarrassed as I can be already, so you may as well stay."

  Alex's smile lit up his face, and I melted a little, my insides fluttering. Forcing my attention away from my rather handsome new friend, I pulled a piece of pizza off the serving tray and took a bite.

  "Wow, you might want to let that cool off," Victoria cautioned.

  I frowned. "It's fine. Try it." It was more than fine, the buttery crust melded perfectly with sauce and cheese, and I groaned in pleasure.

  Alex had paused with a piece halfway to his plate and stared at me, sapphire eyes glinting in the low light. He looked shocked.

  "What?"

  He shook his head. "Nothing."

  "Huh, you're right, the pizza is perfect. I nearly burned my mouth last time." Victoria shrugged, and we fell to stuffing our faces.

  I caught Alex studying me a few times during the evening, but I ignored it, still embarrassed. The pizza was everything I had ever wanted in a pizza, and I was exhausted after a long day.

  Between the three of us, we finished off the pizza. Alex surprised us by paying. "I intruded, it's only fair that I buy you both dinner. Though I must say, I enjoyed your company immensely. Perhaps we can do it again sometime."

  Victoria agreed immediately, and I nodded sleepily.

  "Can I give you my phone number?"

  "Sure." I pulled out my phone and entered the digits along with his name. Then I grabbed Victoria's number while I was at it. I sent both a quick text, and then we were connected. My first friends at college–an adorably hot guy and a really nice roommate. I hoped this was a good sign as to how the year would go.

  Chapter 2

  Sofia

  "Are you going to dress up?" Victoria knocked on the half-wall that divided our small dorm room. It was the next evening, and we were getting ready to head out to the student-faculty mixer. We had spent the day going over our schedules, walking to our classrooms and getting to know each other.

  "Should I? I don't have a ton of experience with school parties outside of dances," I admitted.

  Victoria shrugged. "I don't either, and this is Colorado, so it's probably pretty casual. I just didn't know what you normally wore. I saw one dress when I was helping you unpack."

  I laughed. "Hopefully that will be all I need, or I'll have to go shopping."

  "I think the college does mixers and parties a couple of times a semester for students and faculty. The flier didn't say anything about dressing up, though."

  "Okay, great. So, jeans and a button-down shirt should be okay?"

  My roommate laughed. "You're getting the hang of Colorado already. Have you texted Alex to see if he'll be there?"

  I blushed. I couldn't help it. "Um, no. Should I?"

  "Girl, haven't you ever had a boyfriend?" She put her hands on her hips.

  "Uh, yeah, a few. You?"

  She threw her hands up in the air. "You're hopeless. Yes. I'm already taken, though. My guy is going to UD." She frowned. "We'll only see each other a couple of times a semester."

  "Oh. I was going to suggest you text Alex, but I guess I won't."

  "What, he not cute enough for you?"

  "I dumped coffee all over him." I flopped backward onto my bed.

  "He's clearly over it, unlike my crazy roommate. He seems nice. Give him a chance."

  I sighed. Victoria was right, I needed to get over it. He was cute.

  "Fine, I'll text him. I really don't think anyone else will even remember the coffee incident in a few more days." Victoria stared at her phone for a moment and then smiled. "Oh, he's quick. Yes, he's coming. He'll see us there."

  My phone vibrated, and I fished it out of my pocket.

  Alex: See you tonight.

  Well, I couldn't not reply.

  Sofia: Yeah, looking forward to it.

  He replied with a smiley face.

  "Oh, you probably want to bring a light jacket, too."

  "Really? It was pretty warm last time I was outside."

  "It will cool off as soon as the sun drops behind the mountains. You'll want it."

  I studied my roommate. She was tying a windbreaker around her waist. Deciding to trust her, I dug in my closet until I found a light sweater I could tie by the arms around my waist. Grabbing my backpack purse, I slung it over my shoulders and followed her out the door.

  It was cooler, and a light breeze had kicked up. Though still comfortable without the jacket, she was right, I would want one in another hour or so. We headed for the Sq
uare, a section of the college near the library that had been set aside for outdoor gatherings. Earlier in the day when I had walked by, the school had set up a large white tent and put tables underneath.

  When we arrived, it was already crowded with students and faculty. Most of the students looked older, and I thought that maybe they had come early to help welcome the freshman. If so, that was pretty cool.

  "Sofia!" The voice was familiar, but it wasn't Alex's.

  "Oh, it's the guys who helped us move in." Victoria grinned.

  "Ed and Allan, right?"

  "I think so. A couple more hotties if you are into muscles. You should get their numbers, too."

  I covered my mouth and laughed. "What?"

  "Options, girl. You just got here."

  "Oh my god." I buried my face in my hand for a moment, before peeking between my fingers.

  Ed wore a plain blue t-shirt that was tight across his shoulders and muscular upper arms with jeans. His sky-blue eyes sparkled merrily, and he trotted over to us, grinning.

  Allan followed behind, also dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and just as nicely muscled as his brother. He smiled when he reached us, and his steel gray eyes studied me and Victoria as if gauging our reactions to their presence.

  "Sofia, Victoria, hi. We wanted to introduce you to a friend of ours," Edgar said. His sky-blue eyes were soft and welcoming despite the wildness that lurked just below the surface. He held out his hand, just seeming to think I would take it.

  Not seeing a reason not to, I put my hand in his. His skin was almost shockingly hot. If he didn't otherwise look to be in peak health, I would have worried he was running a fever. He tugged me after him, and I followed. Something on his wrist caught my attention. It looked like he had three paw prints tattooed on the inside of his right wrist. Interesting.

  I glanced over my shoulder. Victoria and Allan followed. Victoria winked when she saw me look at her with wide eyes.

  Why she had all of a sudden decided she was in charge of my dating life was beyond me. Besides, I couldn't imagine that Alex, Ed, or Allan were single, considering how attractive they all were.

  Ed dragged me through a crowd of students and teachers until we reached the other side near the drink table. A couple of men stood talking to each other, and Ed pulled me that way.