"Nick," Carmen said as way of introduction, "Meet Adam and Kristen Stevenson. They're sophomores like me."
"Hi, nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out to shake.
Adam snorted at the proffered hand and stalked back to his seat on the couch, though his sister took it with feigned politeness and a dark sort of smile.
"Pleasure," Kristen drawled lazily, "I'm sure you'll fit right in here." She gave Carmen a strange smirk that I didn't understand and then walked off to join her brother.
I gave Carmen a questioning glance, but she didn't explain. No one else came to us, so Carmen took me to them. Hershel smiled blandly at me when Carmen introduced us.
"We already met." The black guy, a couple of years older than me, said as he stood to tower over me and shake my hand, nearly crushing it in his grip.
The big mage leaned in and said softly, "I found Max by the way. I pounded him a bit."
"…You beat him up?" I asked blankly.
Hershel just smirked.
"Hershel's a star linebacker on the school's football team." Carmen offered as an interesting tidbit of information as the older mage crushed my hand. She didn't seem to understand our short byplay, and neither of us explained.
"I can see why." I joked weakly; rubbing my pained hand after Hershel was kind enough to release it.
"This is Angela Lin, junior." Carmen gestured to a diminutive, quiet Chinese girl sitting on the couch.
She didn't stand, but nodded softly to me, "Welcome." Her voice was low, almost inaudible over the sound of the fighting on TV and Vik's hoots as he beat up Adam's character.
I nodded back and automatically turned to look at the last person on the couch, and I found that he was already watching me contemplatively, a small grin on stretching his face amiably. I didn't recognize him, though I was sure I had seen him several times with Larry's group. He was Asian as well, but wasn't Chinese like Larry or Angela. He had much darker skin, a healthy bronze similar to Carmen's, rather than Larry or Angela's pale milky complexion. His eyes didn't share their slant either, but were as equally sharp as Larry's.
"This is Les Domingo." Carmen introduced, "Les is a junior, and he'll be your teacher over the next two years."
Les stood, and I found he was shorter than I was by a few inches, but his stocky frame contained a poised balance that I lacked. His build was similar to Mehdy's, well-muscled but thin and lithe, in comparison to Ruark, Hershel, or Vik who were definitely a lot bulkier. Speed, not strength.
"Very nice to finally meet you." Les said as I shook his hand and his grin widened, "I have a feeling we're going to make a good team."
Gulp. For some reason, the way he said it scared me.
Not that I was really afraid or anything, bravery was my middle name. I just said that because if you had been in my shoes and heard him speak and saw the grin, you would be very frightened. I wasn't… like at all.
"Likewise," I replied as he let go and sat back down on the couch, apparently done introducing himself to me, even though we were supposedly stuck with each other for the next two years. Carmen led me off towards the fireplace now, before I could say anything else anyways.
"You already know Yasmina and Mehdy." Carmen said with a smile and a nod, "You met Larry at the rooftop… and this is Kevin."
Yasmina and Mehdy had smiled at me, Larry continued to ignore my existence, and Kevin only looked up at the sound of his name, as if he had been completely oblivious to the fact that anything had occurred at all, until that very moment.
The blue-eyed senior tilted his head at me and toyed with his scruffy goatee, "Nicholas Stratus," He murmured, more to himself than anyone else. The mage was dressed in a black cutoff shirt that displayed the raw definition of his body, and I was pretty sure that since I had last seen him, he had bulked up significantly. Frankly, he put David, Vik, or even linebacker Hershel to shame.
Ruark stood and covered the some five feet or so between us in only a few steps. He inspected me from head to foot, eyes calculating for a moment, before finally holding out his own well-calloused hand for me to grip, "It's a pleasure to see you, as always."
His smile was cheerful, grip strong, and tone suggested none of the previous distress I had sensed in our last meeting, so near after Emily's death. Ruark, for all intents and purposes, seemed over it.
I took his hand, smiling back at the older mage and attempted to hide how nervous I felt. This was the mage who had taken Rodriguez's gun from me, months ago. The very next day, Emily was dead, using the very same weapon.
He must know that I know, I thought anxiously, even as Ruark let go of my hand, still grinning as the muscular User sat back down in his seat to return to the book that he had been reading.
Archanos had significant power. I had been out of jail in less than a day, after being accused as a very likely suspect in two cases, murder and assault. Not only that, the arresting officer and my accuser had been forced to apologize to me. If Carmen knew enough to explain exactly how I had gotten jailed in the first place, than everyone here probably had a similar level of knowledge.
To my surprise, Carmen didn't move to sit down with the others; instead she tugged on my arm again, pulling me towards the far doorway, where I had glimpsed the staircase before.
"Come on," My tour guide said, "We can go see upstairs."
I nodded and followed obediently, still feeling very out of place in this house of mages, who apparently lived together so casually. It was the largest congregation of Users that I had seen in my life, and I distinctly felt out of depth in their presence.
"Dinner soon, don't forget!" Vik called after us as we left, "And don't go in my room, I'll know if you do!"
This next room contained nothing but a darkened staircase that I had glimpsed before, and hallway that appeared to connect to the longer one I had originally seen from the entrance of the house. Carmen ignored it for the stairs, which squawked with aged protest as we climbed them.
"Was that everybody?" I asked her quietly as we ascended, as if afraid that they could hear me even when we were this far out of earshot.
"Pretty much," The girl responded with a shrug, "Your friends aren't here yet, but Danae should be rounding them up. I only had to get you. We don't usually congregate like that except for a meeting, or to greet new members."
Carmen paused for a moment, then admitted, "Not everyone particularly likes each other."
"Cliques within a clique?" I joked halfheartedly.
She smiled at the joke, we had reached the top and stood in another hallway, both sides of it littered with equally interspersed doorways, some closed, some open. I peered into a few and saw an assorted mish-mash of beds and randomly thrown clothes. Other rooms looked immaculate and untouched, and I idly wondered who slept where.
"You aren't wrong about that." The girl said as we strolled down the hallway, "I stick with Danae because I have no choice as her apprentice, and Kristen adores her. If we're with any of the boys, it's with Vik, who usually has Hershel and Adam to order around. Ruark keeps to himself, though he's usually on good terms with Yasmina and Mehdy. Larry taught Les, and they share a lot of the same Normal friends. Angela usually is trailing after Les, I think because she has a crush on him, so she sticks with them, if anyone."
"Pretty divided." I commented with a frown, "I thought fraternities were supposed to be all about bringing people together."
"They are." Carmen said, shrugging, "But we aren't like a normal frat. We accept anyone who has magical ability, we don't discriminate based on whether we like them or not. So you get a lot of different types of personalities that don't necessarily mesh."
"I see."
We stopped outside a closed door at the very end of the hall, near a decorative tinted blue window that faced the direction of campus. I could vaguely see some of the taller campus buildings like RT from here. Carmen dug into her pocket and produced another key and handed it to me; it was a near twin to the front door's key.
"Open it,
" She said with a smile, gesturing to the door. I was a little confused, but did so. The key slid into the lock easily, a perfect fit. I turned it and heard the door unlock quietly. Carmen was still smiling as I grasped the pale gold doorknob and let the door swing open.
The room was dark, quiet, and bare except for two clean beds, two desks, and an empty bookcase with drawers stacked beneath it. Carmen stepped inside after I did and flipped on the light that had been on the wall near the door. The singular bulb in the middle cast the room into sudden clarity with cheerful yellow incandescence.
"It's your room." Carmen informed me as I looked around, "Not everyone lives in the house, but you can if you want. You'll have to pay rent every semester, but it's still a lot cheaper than living on campus, utilities included too."
"Why don't you live here?" I asked curiously.
Carmen shrugged, "Emily and I came to the university together, we liked living at RT… plus it's hard to explain to your parents that you're going to live in a frat house where boys live too."
"Oh, yeah." I understood that for sure, I had no idea how I would explain to my parents that I had joined a fraternity. It would probably be best for me not to mention it at all… but then I would have to explain why they suddenly had to pay so much less for living expenses. I figured I would get to it when it came up.
More future problems for future Nick to enjoy.
Carmen had inched closer to me when I hadn't been paying attention, and I didn't notice until she had gently taken my hands in her own. The girl turned me to face her, dark eyes peering at me almost contemplatively.
"Do I have something on my face?" I joked weakly, wondering where exactly this was going.
She kissed me.
Softly, hesitantly, and only for a moment before pulling away. It had been so quick, I didn't even have time to really comprehend the fact that it was happening until it was already done. That seemed kind of unfair, though I wasn't really in a position to protest. I had been mainly trying to regain the ability to speak. I gaped at the pretty girl stupidly, as she giggled at the dumbfounded expression on my face, shaking her head and moving away.
"Freshman." Carmen said, but unlike the first time she had said it contemptuously all those months ago when I had come to her dorm room, she said it with affection, "You remind me of her, you know? I think it's your eyes, you have the same eyes."
"Who?" I asked, puzzled.
The Hispanic girl moved to stand by the only window in the room, possibly to avoid looking at me. Maybe I wasn't the only one that was embarrassed by the situation.
"Emily." She said quietly, "Maybe it's the whole trust thing with the Magus Touch, or because you make me laugh just like she used to, but I… when I'm with you, I can remember the good times with her. I can forget about… about her death."
"You kissed me because I remind you of her?" I wondered aloud, "That's kind of… hot." I instantly thought maybe that was the wrong thing to say or joke about, but Carmen immediately started laughing.
"Just like that." Carmen giggled, "Stupid little stuff. She would say the same thing. You both have no filter like that. She could always make me laugh."
The girl walked back over to me, "I kissed you, Nick, because life is too short." She then pecked me on the cheek, "And because I wanted to kiss you. Don't turn it into a huge thing, okay?"
With that, she strode out of the room like nothing had happened. After a second or two, I scuttled after her, wondering exactly how I wasn't going to 'turn it into a huge thing.' It seemed like a very huge thing to me.
Did she like me? Did she not like me? Did she want to date, or was this casual? Was it nothing at all? Was I overreacting? Underreacting?
I had no answer to any of those questions.
Sometimes, I felt like God only created women only for the sole purpose of confusing the hell out of men.
Chapter 12: No Rest for the Wicked
Dinner had been a strange affair. I had expected that we would sit at a long dining room table, Vik at the end, toasting us like some Mafioso crime boss, but it was nothing like that.
We ate in the living room where everyone had been introduced, and Vik had ordered pizza. The different mages squabbled over pizza toppings and it reminded me of a very eclectic and dysfunctional family… but a normal one, nonetheless.
Yasmina and Mehdy never seemed to be out of each other's embrace, looking every bit of the cutesy couple that they were. Vik and Adam still squabbled over the controllers even while eating, getting grease from the pizzas all over them, much to Hershel's displeasure, since it was his gaming system. Les and Larry shared quiet conversation and basically ignored everyone else, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Angela glancing at Les every few seconds from her carefully chosen seat just outside his periphery.
Danae spat out barbs like party favors, but every hurtful thing she said was treated as a joke, and even the ice queen herself was left smiling in the end. Kristen hung on to every word the other girl said, even though Danae treated her as one would treat a annoying younger sibling that they didn't particularly enjoy having around. Still, it was clear that if not well-liked, Danae and Kristen were accepted factors and tolerated thusly. Ruark watched over everyone from his spot in the corner and reminded me of an affectionate great-uncle, just far enough outside the family to be forgotten, but always present, always caring.
If anyone seemed out of place, it was myself and the other new members. Nishi and Jimmy stuck close to each other and seemed distinctly uncomfortable, like they had arrived at the wrong party but were too embarrassed to leave early. Carmen stuck close to me, not really participating with the others, but generally seeming happy.
Libin was a bit shy and perplexed at first, but definitely warmed up fast. One thing I had noticed about the newest freshman User was his inexplicable ability to turn people into his friends very quickly. He had taken to hanging out alongside our Normal friends and turned the freshman mage trio into a quartet.
"So," Libin laughed gleefully, "You found him and pounded his ass, huh?"
Hershel nodded, smirking, "Yeah. Max ain't gonna be cheating on me with no damn cheerleaders no more. Damn lucky I decided to forgive him."
Vik had his arms around both of their necks, "To friendship!" He shouted drunkenly, already finished with his sixth beer, sloshing around a seventh in a toast.
"To beer!" Libin exclaimed, raising his own bottle. They clinked bottles noisily and chugged their respective drinks simultaneously. It was the ultimate form of male bonding, wizard or otherwise.
The rest of us watched, trading bemused glances as the three of them were attempting to drink each other under the table. I was surprised that Libin as a freshman was actually holding his own, and I was tempted to take Adam's bet that he would outlast a shaky looking Hershel. I knew I would never be able to drink that much back at that age.
…It was strange. There was none of the tension I had sensed months earlier between the Archanos initiates. For all intents and purposes, whatever had happened before had seemingly been swept under a rug and forgotten. Once again, I got the feeling that the reason APA Rush had happened so late was because of whatever happened with Emily, the schism, and the aftermath. I wondered to myself if maybe people would be more likely to talk about it now.
Near the end of the night, I saw a final, bizarre moment.
Nishi had cornered Vik and I heard them quietly arguing. It was the first time I had ever seen Nishi actually argue with anyone. Not to mention the usually affable and unshakable Vik looked more than a little angry about what she was saying.
"I know… you… he would never…" I managed to catch her saying in a furious whisper.
Vik's reply was equally low and just as hot, "You don't know… he was… just stay out of it, alright?" And then the frat leader shoved past the diminutive girl, who eyed his back like she was attempting to burn a hole there. Nishi turned for a moment to catch my eye, but instead of coming over, she moved away as if she hadn't
seen me at all.
Completely bizarre. If Adam hadn't drunkenly elbowed me at that moment, I probably would have thought more on it, maybe chased after Nishi.
But now the male twin had my attention, and Adam waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "You and Carmen huh?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked off laughing, "Good luck, buddy."
He hadn't been the only one to notice Carmen's sudden closeness to me, I had met Danae's icy stare just once during the night, and it hadn't been a pleasant moment. I got the very distinct notion that she would have killed me then and there if she could. Possibly an overreaction, but a person could never be quite sure where they stood with Danae Lincoln. It was usually along the range of 'disliked' to 'I will murder him soon.'
Although we definitely seemed closer than friends that night, I couldn't really say exactly what it really was, between us. Carmen didn't personally acknowledge me when she went to bed that night, nor did I see her in the next few days before I left. We texted, but she was still busy with finals, and neither of us mentioned the kiss or anything of that nature.
I headed for the airport the next day after work at the SEL. There were still finals appropriated over next week, but mine had all already taken place earlier, so my vacation would be a bit longer than everyone who still had tests to complete.
It was a glum plane ride home, as my teachers had posted my grades with alarming speed. My Classics, English, and Bio lab grades were posted Friday night, and Bio lecture was posted in the afternoon on Saturday. I figured I would have at least until Monday to contemplate optimistically about doing well in the class before I had to show the grades to my parents.
I had A's in everything except English (where my Dayquil-addled brain must have screwed up my final paper) and Biology lecture. An A- in English and a B- in Biology. Dammit.
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