"Let me guess, you're shooting for Hospitallers?"
She nods. "I've wanted to study medicine my whole life. I'd ask what you're hoping for, but I think everyone knows you'll be in Templar."
I shrug. "Yeah, I guess. I haven't really thought too much about it."
She blinks and looks away. "Right. You've had so much to deal with." She looks back at me, her eyes kind and open. I've never seen eyes like hers. So… purple. Of course I've only recently been able to see in color, so maybe purple eyes are the new fad, and I've just been missing out.
"I'm sorry you've been alone here," she says. "But that's why I'm here. Jax told me you still don't have your school supplies. I thought I could show you around the city and help you get them. He wanted to, but he's busy going over the curriculum. He wrote you this." She hands me a note folded like a flying airplane. "Not sure what he has against using his eGlass."
I look at the airplane, studying the lines in the paper. I have to choke back my emotions as I think about our life before all this. "It's something we used to do."
I open the note to Jax's familiar scrawl.
Sorry I can't show you around, but Corrine is awesome. I thought you should get to know each other before classes start.
-Friends to the end
Our old signature. I fold the airplane back together and send it flying toward my desk. It lands on my notebook right where I aimed. "Are you and Jax close?" I ask Corinne. I still can't believe how much I don't know about my best friend and his life outside of our small Montana town.
"We've spent time together here over the years," she says, a blush forming over her cheeks. "He's a good friend."
Yeah, just a friend.
"Actually, I was wondering, are you two…" she pulls a strand of pink hair into her fingers and starts twisting it. "Are you two dating?"
"No," I say. I used to wish I could answer yes, but now I just don't know. I have bigger things to worry about than Jax and our confusing relationship status.
"Okay. Thanks," Corinne says. She stands and looks down at her suitcases. "Maybe I'll unpack while you get ready? I've got an awesome day planned for us."
"I thought we were just getting school supplies," I say, swinging my legs out of bed. I shiver as my feet hit the cold stone floors. We need to get some rugs in here.
"At first," she says, as she pulls brightly colored scarves out of her suitcase and hangs them in her closet. "But Jax told me you haven't seen much of New York, so I'm taking you to the zoo. And after, we're going to see my favorite show, Nox Aeterna."
I've seen a lot as Nightfall. But executions and rebel planning probably don't count for what she has in mind. "Nox Aeterna? Night Eternal. Sounds like my kind of show."
"Yay." She finishes putting away her clothes and scoots her suitcases under her bed, then organizes an assortment of books and art supplies on her shelves and desk. "Oh, and wear something semi-casual. Eden Fashionables are hot right now."
She holds up her bracelet of leaves and dangles it for me to see. As I watch a flower bud blossoms, releasing a sweet aroma into the air. She grins and drapes a purple and green scarf around her neck, tying it to drape expertly across her silk blouse. She looks at me a moment, smiling. "You're really beautiful. Is your hair naturally that blond or do you use EZ-Dye?"
I pull at a strand of my pale hair. "It's natural. I take it yours isn't?"
She laughs and it sounds like bells. "Nope. Normally my hair is dark brown." She pulls a silver and blue scarf from her closet and holds it up to my face. "This would be so perfect with your eyes. Want to borrow it?"
"Um, sure. Thanks." I take it from her and set it on my bed.
"You have really pretty eyes, too," I say, trying to get into this girl-sharing thing.
She looks away at the compliment. "A family trait." She puts sunglasses on and reaches for her purse. "I'm going to grab us something to eat. Meet you by the gate in ten?"
I nod and she leaves me alone to dress. I grab Evie from my dresser and slip her over my ear. "Good morning, Scarlett. You're up earlier than normal," she says in her own crisp British accent.
"No kidding. Looks like this is going to be a thing." I hold up my schedule for Evie to scan.
"How will you make time for your Nightfall training and work as well? Humans need so much sleep. It's quite a waste."
I pull on a pair of black slacks and a button-up blue blouse and hope it's 'semi-casual' enough for the day Corinne has planned. I pick up the silk scarf and try to recreate the knot Corinne made with hers, but I fail and instead just drape it around my neck like a noose. "Evie, if you can figure out how to let me survive with no sleep, I'll love you forever."
"That requires considerably more hacking skills than you've programmed me with."
I snort and slip my feet into black boots, then pull my hair into a messy bun. Makeup or no makeup? I decide on mascara and lip gloss. "Any news on my blood test?"
"I rescanned all files within Castle V. No test shows up."
I sigh. It's been two weeks since I gained my Initiate's ring and had my blood drawn. That test could have revealed me as Nephilim. I've wanted to adjust the information, but if they've lost it… Then I suppose it doesn't matter.