Aralyn's POV
I could feel the words building in my throat the whole time Velmira was talking. Words I wanted to scream, cry, or just throw at the wall, but I kept them there, locked behind clenched teeth and a tightening jaw.
"You're saying… there's no other room?" I asked, hoping she hadn't said what I thought she just said. Hoping I misheard, and praying that I misheard.
Velmira's expression was kind, but firm. "I'm sorry, Aralyn. The academy only allows first-years to room with other first-years, and Serenessa is the only one with an open bed."
I stared at her, not blinking, and my rotten-turned-purple hand was still cradled in my lap like it was some sort of exhibit.
"Right," I muttered. "The girl who literally told me she'd rot my entire body if I didn't leave her room… is my only option."
Velmira sighed like she'd already had this conversation in her head and knew how it would go. "I'll talk to her, and I'll give her a very stern warning, but for now, yes… you'll have to find a way to coexist."
That word, coexist, hit something inside me like a slap.
Coexist? With someone who tried to kill me? What was I supposed to do, make friendship bracelets? Bake cookies?
"Velmira," I said, trying hard to keep my voice from shaking. "She cursed me. She grabbed my hand and started turning it brown, like, actual rot. I thought I was going to lose it."
"I understand that—"
"No," I cut in before I could stop myself. "You don't, because if you did, you wouldn't be asking me to just deal with her until she 'adapts.'" I added air quotes with my fingers.
Velmira pressed her lips together but didn't scold me. Instead, she just gave me that calm, unreadable look she always seemed to wear, like she was deciding whether to explain more or back off.
"She's not used to people," she finally said. "Serenessa's had… a very isolated upbringing, and I know that it doesn't excuse what she did to you, but it might explain why she acts the way she does."
I almost scoffed. Almost.
Because what I wanted to say was: That's not my problem. What I wanted to say was: I'm the one who woke up in a strange world where people have wings and long ears, and magic is real, and I'm suddenly supposed to be some chosen person for a reason I still don't understand.
What I wanted to say was: I'm the one who should be allowed to throw a tantrum.
But I didn't say any of that. I bit down on the inside of my cheek and kept quiet.
Velmira tilted her head slightly, watching me. "You don't have to like her," she said gently. "But you do have to survive here, Aralyn, and trust me, there are bigger dangers at Shadowvale than a roommate with a temper."
That gave me pause.
I looked up. "What do you mean?"
But she didn't answer, not directly. Instead, she reached out and placed a soft hand on my shoulder.
"Take this as your first lesson," she said. "Survival starts with keeping your enemies closer than your friends."
I didn't know what to do with that, so I nodded slowly, even though my chest was tight and my head was spinning.
"I'll take you back," she said. "And I'll speak to Serenessa myself."
My stomach turned at the idea of going back to that room, but I stood anyway because what other choice did I have?
When we finally reached the door to my room, Velmira didn't hesitate. She pushed it open, and I followed her in quietly, but the second I stepped through the doorway, I gasped.
"What… what the hell?"
My side of the room was ruined.
No, ruined wasn't even the right word. It looked like nature had swallowed it whole. My bed was barely visible under vines and roots that curled around the frame like they were trying to pull it into the floor.
Branches stuck out of the walls like they'd grown in anger. The floor was littered with dead leaves and moss, and something wet dripped from the ceiling onto my blanket.
It was like a cursed forest had decided to live on my side of the room, and only my side.
Velmira stopped in her tracks, her mouth tightening. She turned toward the curtain that separated Serenessa's side from mine.
"Serenessa," she called out sharply, not bothering to mask her irritation. "Come out now."
No response.
Velmira didn't wait. She stormed across the room and yanked the curtain aside.
Serenessa was lounging on her bed like nothing had happened, with a book hovering midair in front of her. She didn't even flinch.
Velmira narrowed her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "Have you forgotten that using magic to damage school property without cause is a direct violation of the Academy's laws?"
Serenessa looked up slowly, tilting her head with an expression that was just a little too calm.
"Oh, this?" she asked innocently, gesturing vaguely toward the jungle she had conjured. "I was practicing. Things just… got out of control." She gave Velmira a fake, sugary smile. "As far as I know, practicing isn't against the rules."
The sarcasm in her voice made my skin crawl.
Velmira wasn't buying it. "Practicing doesn't involve turning your roommate's bed into a nest of vines, and your magic didn't spill to your own side, did it? Funny how that happened."
Serenessa didn't respond, she just stretched her legs out like she was settling in for a nap.
Velmira let out a breath through her nose. "Enough."
She turned to the mess, raised one hand, and snapped her fingers.
The effect was instant, as the roots started to unwind themselves, the vines entered back into the walls, the branches shrank, and vanished, the moss burned away, and the leaves dissolved like dust.
In seconds, my side of the room looked exactly like it had before.
Clean, untouched, and normal. If it weren't for the ache in my chest, I might've cried from relief.
Velmira turned back to Serenessa, and her voice was calm but icy. "This is your final warning. If you so much as lift a finger against Aralyn again, I'll report you directly to the High Priestess."
That's when it happened.
The shift.
Serenessa's expression froze. Her eyes flicked to Velmira's face, and for the first time since I'd met her, I saw something that looked a lot like fear.
It was subtle, but I caught it. Her jaw clenched, her smile dropped, and her hands, which had been lazily draped on her lap, gripped her blanket just a little tighter.
Velmira held her stare a second longer, then turned to me.
"You'll be safe," she said gently. "And if anything else happens, come to me right away."
I nodded. My voice didn't want to work, so I just whispered, "Okay."
With that, Velmira left, and I was alone again, with her.