A/N, I know that someone's done a similar fic, but this one is going to be totally different, I promise.
Chapter 1
I paid the man at the rental car place and went to retrieve my bags from the cab- or, rather, taxi- that brought me here.
Dagda mewed as I popped his carrier on the passenger seat and put the seat belt around him. He had the right to be annoyed- he had just spent several hours on a plane and several more in quarantine. I could tell that he was dying to get out and stretch his little kitten legs- I felt guilty knowing that his carrier wasn't exactly big enough for him.
At least I could bask in the fact that he was annoyed because he missed me, and not because he hated me. He misses our family almost as much as I do, I'll bet. Right now, they'd be sitting down to breakfast at some unnatural hour, with toast, eggs, pop tarts maybe…
My stomach grumbled. I wonder if they even sold pop tarts over here. Although from the way Hunter had reacted to them, I can only assume that they didn't. I'll have to find something new, something that contained the fatty goodness of a chocolate pop tart. I did try some of that Marmite stuff that Sky brought to Widow's Vale and I can sum what I thought of that in one word: gross. Hunter and Sky got a good laugh out of it though- apparently I had the look of death on my face when I ate it.
An unexpected laugh escaped my throat. Here I was, about to attend Dùbhlan Cuan- one of the most prestigious places to study the Craft- and I'm concerned about Pop Tarts, of all things!
I slid into the rental car- I'd chosen a Honda, to remind me of Hunter- and adjusted the upholstered seat. I suddenly missed Das Boot, despite its scary blue hood, and its outdated vinyl seats. I missed sitting in a car that was the size of a small ferry.
On the bright side, this car was fuel efficient, and it had air conditioned- perfect for the hot June weather.
A car honked and knocked me out of my daze. I realised that I was about to drive head on into another car, so I swerved into the right lane. Dagda's carrier slid across the seat, so I grabbed it with my left hand. He meowed at me, half out of irritation, half out of fear.
I really hope I can get used to this road system. The other driver gave me the finger before driving off at about 70 miles an hour. Charming! Glad to know that the drivers in the UK are similar to the ones in Widow's Vale.
Lucky for me, Eoife gave me easy directions to follow and I was headed towards the school in no time. As Dùbhlan Cuan came into view, I noticed how medieval this place looked- it was practically glowing with magick, too.
It suddenly occurred to me that I would be the only American student here. True, I was Irish and Scottish by genetics, but I was born and raised in the USA. I was going to stick out like a sore thumb.
I fingered my claddagh ring and traced the rune that Hunter had engraved on it. I wish Hunter was here to help me adjust, but he's in England with his dad. I'm going to have to get on without him here, and I can't exactly function when I keep thinking that I need my boyfriend to hold my hand can I?
I am Morgan Rowlands. I am strong. I can do this.
I took a deep breath and got out of the car. I picked up Dagda's carrier and we headed into the school.
It didn't take long for me to find the main office. The principle was seated at her desk, ticking off some kind of list. She looked very youthful, but she still shone with years of wisdom. Straight black hair, flecked with silver, framed her mildly tanned face. She must have sensed me come in, because she immediately looked up and met my eyes. If she noticed me assessing her, she made no show of it,
"Hello," she greeted me with a soft Scottish accent, "You must be Morgan Rowlands." She stood up and extended her hand, which I shook. She smiled,
"Eoife has been telling me a lot about you. I'm Mrs. Alder, although the students and staff refer to me as Shannen."
"It's great to meet you Shannen." I replied politely, stupidly worrying that my accent made me sound really informal. Shannen picked up the list, which I now knew was a list of students and where they were staying.
"You are staying in the student housing, correct?" Shannen asked me. I nodded,
"Yes." I wondered what my room would be like and who I'd be sharing with.
"Great." She started with another smile, "You'll be staying in room 175, with Ajeeta Mowry and Stacy Carroll. Both lovely girls, around your age."
She handed me a map of the dormitory. It was very simple and easy to follow. My homework journal from my high school was harder to read, so I've had a lot of practice deciphering maps. I shook her hand again and picked up Dagda, who meowed at me. This caught Shannen's attention.
"Isn't he a sweetheart? His name is Dagda, right?" I nodded, not really surprised that she knew his name, although I started wondering whether or not it was alright for Dagda to be staying with me- had the rules changed?
Shannen smiled reassuringly at me,
"Don't worry- you can keep him here, just as long as you have the proper facilities to house him." I nodded, almost too enthusiastically,
"I do- I've packed his litter tray, kitty litter, his bowl and his bed. I bought some food on my way here." Inwardly I cringed at the now high-pitched sound of my voice. I sounded like a young child eager to impress her new teacher. In a way, I was… but I didn't particularly want to sound like one.
I was pretty sure that Shannen had heard my rambling inner monologue, as she couldn't hide the look of amusement on her face. However, she made no mention of it. She kept the subject on Dagda,
"Is he comfortable sharing a roof with another cat?"
I didn't quite understand what Shannen was getting at, and a look of pure confusion and curiosity appeared on my face.
"One of your roommates also has a cat." Shannen explained. After mentally scolding myself for being so dim, I replied,
"Yeah, he'll be fine. He isn't a violent cat." Shannen nodded once more,
"Good. There shouldn't be any problems then. Just as long as he isn't carrying any diseases."
I shook my head earnestly, mildly scared of the possibility of my Dagda being ill. He meowed again, this time more insistent. I held the cat carrier to my head so that I was eye to eye with Dagda,
"Hey, you'll be out soon." I assured him. His feline features took on a form that could only be described as a frown. He almost seemed to be saying 'make it quick…'
As soon as I retrieved my bags from my rental Honda, I headed up to room 175- my new home for the next two months.
