Page 13 of Realm of Dreams & Shadows

Music and laughter drift from the common room, and even though the thing I want most is to hurry to my room, settle against my pillows, and try to recharge with a nap app, I find myself turning toward the party. I’d promised Tia, after all. And I’d rather sacrifice my chill time than screw up what I think has the potential to be a truly solid friendship.

Chapter

Six

The common room buzzes as freshmen gather in clusters, nursing sodas and cheap beer and even cheaper wine. Some are laughing, some flirting, some dancing to what’s probably from a playlist on someone’s phone. It’s a bouncy pop song, and I find myself moving in rhythm to the music as I maneuver through the room in search of Tia.

I find her on the far side, perched on the arm of a couch, gesturing wildly as she talks to a girl with short purple hair, a blinged septum, and multiple ear piercings. When she sees me, her whole face lights up.

“Cora!” She bounds over, grabbing my arm. “I was starting to think you’d chickened out.”

I hold my thumb and forefinger a smidge apart. “Almost.”

She grins, then shoulder bumps me. “Besties already. I knew you’d have my back.”

I bite back a goofy smile. I haven’t had a close friend since Sally Mayer in fifth grade. It’s hard growing up with a mom whose lack of sleep keeps her ultra-paranoid, terrified that dark and scary things will follow you in the neighborhood. Trust me. I know these things.

“How was dinner with the dean?” she asks, pulling me back to the sofa that Bling Girl has abandoned.

“Good,” I say. “But I think you’ve been having more fun.”

She laughs, then takes me on a visual tour around the room. “That’s Riley from down the hall,” she says, referring to Bling Girl. She’s a computer science major, but she’s in my Religious Studies class. And she knows way too much about occult symbolism for someone who grew up in Iowa.” Tia’s grin turns mischievous. “Also, she’s really cute.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And…?”

“And nothing,” she says with faux innocence. “A girl can appreciate good bone structure, can’t she?”

“Oh, sure,” I say, as she tugs me toward the snack table. “Appreciate away. Just remember to text me if I’m supposed to stay away from our room sometime.”

“You’re horrible,” she says. “And hopefully a little prescient.”

We’re laughing when we reach the pizza, which, despite being from what I’m assuming is the cheapest pizza delivery place in existence, is actually pretty good. Either that, or I didn’t eat enough at Uncle Finn’s.

For the next hour, I let myself get swept up in it all. Riley turns out to be funny and sharp, with opinions about everything from campus food to conspiracy theories about the library’s restricted section. I even feel a tug of jealousy, because I just found Tia, and I don’t want to lose her to another friend. That, however, is my neurosis talking, and I take another sip of wine with the hope of muting my Loner Girl angst.

It mostly works. Soon, Tia, Riley, and I are joined by a couple of sophomores, and I find myself laughing at stories about terrible roommates and even worse professors.

It’s fun and fabulous and wonderfully, refreshingly normal. No nightmares, no supernatural mysteries, no family secrets. Just college kids being college kids.

I’m in the middle of explaining that I don’t actually have any pull with the dean, despite him being my uncle, when Tia suddenly straightens, her attention caught by something across the room.

“Whoa,” she says. “That’s one pretty dude.”

I follow her gaze, and my stomach drops.

Chase stands near the entrance, scanning the room like he’s looking for someone. His dark hair is slightly mussed, and he’s changed from the button-down he wore earlier into a simple white T-shirt under a light jacket. More casual, but he still carries himself in a way that owns the room.

All in all, Tia’s right. He’s totally mouthwatering.

“That,” I say, trying to keep my voice casual, “is Chase. I bumped into him earlier on my way to Uncle Finn’s. I’ve met him before,” I add.

She turns to me. “Sounds like a story.”

“The epic kind,” I say, only teasing a little. “He rescued me from the big bad wolf years ago. Literally,” I add with a shudder, remembering the hairy creep.

“In that case, I definitely want to meet the guy. And hear the full story once we’re back in the room.”

“Happy to oblige,” I say, then cast a sideways glance toward Riley. “I want the full story too.”