Avery's POV


Consciousness slowly floods back through me; with it a wave of nauseous realisation. Oh gods.

My eyes pry themselves open. The dull morning light hits me, making me lurch back slightly. That's new. I've never had a window in my room before, but this... isn't my room.

I press my face into the quilted pattern of my pillowcase, trying to subdue the jittery feelings of excitement and fear. I'm really here.

A new smell seeps into my senses. It's a wafty, artificial scent; nothing like the homey smell of old hay and barn that I'm used to. It's kinda nice; a smell I could get used to.

I pull myself into a sitting position. My tail sweeps out from under the blankie and hangs limply at the bedside. The scene of a classic college dorm room is spread out before me.

I glance over to my right. A tiny little lump under velvety red sheets sleeps soundly. I've always been the first one up in the morning; it seems my record still stands. I'd told Mavis I'd try not to wake her, and I plan on keeping that promise.

I hang my feet over the side of the bed, slowly lowering myself down to test the weathered wood floor.

It's cold, but there's no sound. I press a little harder; still no creak. I slide my other foot off the bed, slowly standing to put my whole weight down. Not a single peep.

Huh. Woulda thought something like this would squeak. I'm used to floors that crack and rumble with every step you take, so this is another new perk.

Several satisfactory pops crackle up my spine as I stand up and stretch. I'm still a little dizzy, which is partly from waking up, but mostly from jubilation and a slight bit of anxiety. I've never done anything like this; I suppose no freshman on this campus ever has. This is all our first time on our own. The first taste of independence; first taste of being alone… But that's what college is all about, right?

I sigh, rubbing the bridge of my flat nose. This is what I've been dreaming of since middle school, and now I'm here, and I just don't know exactly how to feel.

Well, one thing's for sure… I think to myself as my gaze shifts to the window. Warm ripples of sunlight are slowly seeping in over the horizon, blanketing the campus with a soft, orange glow. There is no way I'm sleeping in today.

I quickly creep my way over to my new desk, cautious as to not wake my roommate. My bag sits on the floor, leaning against my desk. I give it a once over, leafing through the notebooks, folders, and loose paper that I may need for my classes.

The drowsiness fades from my mind. I rush over to the mini closet on my side of the room, swinging the door open with glee. The frill of my tail twitches with anticipation as my pale, yellow eyes scan over a variety of clothing. Well, 'variety' may be stretching it. It's more of a wide array of jackets and a few tank tops; not necessarily a neat one either.

I pluck out my favorite one, a navy blue hoodie with creamy white down lining, before closing the closet door and shoving my arm down the first sleeve. My bulky wings slip through the holes in the back with little resistance.

I tug the hood so that it lays evenly on my shoulders, then snatch the Aviation textbook off my desk and lug my bag over my arm. The door is the only thing that stands between me and my new freedom.

A wishful smirk creeps across my face as I take one last, deep breath. My hooked claws reach out for the handle. Just a few more steps...

Crrrreeeeeeeeeaaak.

The floorboards in front of the door moan under my weight, creating an eerie wail that could wake the dead.

The telltale rustling of satin sheets alerts me that I have, indeed, messed up.

I turn slowly, wincing to myself.

A little white monster sits on the bed across mine, rubbing fresh sleep from her eyes.

She blinks at me, a curious stare written upon her blank features.

I offer a timid smile. "Uh… 'Morning, Mavis."

Mavis nods ever so slightly and holds back the urge to yawn as she looks at the clock.

It's 7:22.

She squints questioningly.

I shift nervously, my talons scraping uneasily against the polished floor. "You, um… You okay?"

She glances back over at me, a small hint of surprise in her crimson eyes. But she nods, smiling at me as if to say "You're fine".

I blink in amazement. I don't exactly know what I was expecting, but under normal circumstances I'm the only one that enjoys being up at this time. Most everyone in my household, given the chance, would be snoring away at this point, taking every second of sleep like droplets from the holy grail.

As if to astound me further, she holds up her hand, signaling for me to wait. Her pale, lithe form slips from under the blankies, and she swiftly jumps over to her own closet. Before I know it, she's popped a grey MU sweatshirt over her head and is standing right in front of me, books in her arms and ready to go.

My eyes widen in surprise. I certainly hadn't been expecting that.

Mavis just rocks back and forth on her heels, innocently looking up at me with those shimmering, red eyes.

"Heh," A small chuckle escapes my teeth as my smirk returns. "I think I'll have quite the time getting used to you."

Mavis clutches her books tighter and smiles brighter, a small wheese of a laugh eludes her. The look in her eyes is almost thankful.

I stifle a small snicker. "Okay, let's go."

I ease the door open, not wanting to wake any other monsters who probably wouldn't be as forgiving. Mavis slips past me and waits patiently as I close and lock the door.

Once the lock clicks back into place, we make our way down the blue carpeted hall. New smells flood in like little streams feeding a coursing river. With each room we pass, there are different monsters; with different monsters, there are different smells. I'm sure in the future I'll be able to tune them out, but right now it's all so overwhelming.

Mavis trots happily in front of me, her flat, slender tail swaying delicately behind her as she rounds the corner; somehow making hardly any sound whatsoever.

On the other hand, I don't have the graceful advantage. Yesterday I found that there were some loose strings in this carpet that could easily snag on my sickle-like claws, which is not fun.


In the lobby, we found that there were a few monsters who'd also risen early. Most of them were heading out for a morning jog or a pick-me-up coffee; others were simply chatting before getting a head start at the library.

Once we finally reach the outside world, we're hit with the sweet warmth of the morning sun. The campus of Monsters University is spread out before us.

I take a deep breath as the crisp smell of fresh greenery dances around me. If there had been a bell attached to my tail, I'm sure every monster in Monstropolis would get a very rude awakening.

Mavis's eyes are slow to adjust, but she still takes her time to admire the beautiful scenery through the shadow of her sweater sleeve.

Funny. I don't exactly have a plan at this point.

"So…" I raise my arms over my head to give my back and wings a good stretching. "I've got Intro to Aviation at eight, and you've got Scaring at eight-thirty, right?"

Mavis nods silently as she shifts her Scare textbooks in her arms.

"Think we've got time for a little breakfast at the cafe?" I ask as I place my hands on my hips. "It should be about a ten minute walk to the student center. How 'bout it?"

Her little pink nose twitches in thought; she nods.

A small grin spreads across my face. "Alright then," I say with as much confidence as possible as I tuck my wings tightly against my back. "Let's go."


Mavis's POV


The stroll to the Monster Cafe is leisurely enough once my eyes adjusted to the morning light. Occasionally, Avery points out various buildings and lists off certain facts that she has stored away. She says her parents met here at Monsters University; that's where she got all the "random history trivia". I have to admit, I didn't expect her to be so knowledgeable. She seems to have quite the story behind her.

She holds the door open for me as we enter what seems to be a simple cafeteria. A few other early birds are picking at some of the fresh dishes set up at the buffet.

My stomach grumbles at the sight of food. I didn't exactly have the time to eat much yesterday.

Avery places her bags at one of the tables far from the other monsters, which is fine with me. "Looks like we get our trays up there," she says as she points to a counter up front.

I set my books down next to hers and quickly skip after her tail.

Behind the counter is a very bored looking slug with a horn-net on her head.

"Good morning." Avery says timidly, but still friendly enough to bring a half-smile to the lunch lady's face.

"ID cards, please." She drawls in a scratchy tone.

Avery's quills prick to attention. "Oh yes, of course." She digs in her jacket pocket and pulls out her card before handing it to the lunch lady.

I hand her mine as well. She punches in a few numbers into her a computer before returning our cards.

"Thank you." Avery says as she bows her head politely, once more bringing a smile to the seemingly stoic woman.

We grab our trays and begin to look over the options at the buffet. Avery leaves me to inspect the array of savory molds at another table, and I find myself picking through an arrangement of seafood.

I snatch an urchin from a steaming bowl and plunk it next to a pile of tentacle fries. My claws tap on the side of my tray, wondering what it is that's missing.

Suddenly, my mouth waters at the sight of a dish of giant clamshells, freshly caught and ripe for the taking. I grab two.


Five minutes after joining Avery back at our table and I'm cracking into my second clam, while she is already returning her tray.

I peel away at the shell as she sits down, clawing at her face like there's something on it. I'm assuming it's a self conscious habit that she's picked up.

She yawns, giving her wings another stretch before wrapping them around her shoulders like a cape. I chuckle a little bit. I've never seen a monster wear their wings like a cape; I wonder where she learned that.

Her golden eyes peek up at me from examining her claws. She must have heard me. "So," She begins, a small smirk pulling at her lips. "Scaring, huh? And... You're mute. How exactly...um..."

Yes? I spoon down the rest of the clam meat, savoring its salty flavor, before pulling my notepad and pen from my pocket, patiently waiting for her to finish.

"Don't you have to..." She purses her lips, fumbling with her fingers as she tries find the right word. "Roar?"

I pull my notebook from my pocket. Well, yes, some scarers are expected to roar, hiss, or whatever specific scare may be required to scare their child, but not all. Some scares can be achieved in complete silence, which is what I aspire to specialize in.

Her golden eyes read over the paper curiously, taking in every word and letting it sink in. I begin to worry, seeing just the slightest hint of doubt behind her void expression, but she snickers. "Well, you gave me quite the frighten last night." She waves her claws in front of her eyes, clearly referencing my third eyelids.

My cheeks blush a bright shade of red. I look down at my wrists where my white fur fades to pink, abashed that I'd given her such a startle. I did not expect a reaction like that.

When I look back up, Avery is grinning; grinning happily as if there's nothing wrong in the world. "I don't see any reason better to do something if you're good at it." She says.

Something within that moment caused this pure, jittery feeling to arise. There's just something the way Avery speaks, with complete and total honesty, that makes me believe that everything might just be okay.

I return her smile with a nod. Thank you. Then a little pinprick of an idea appears. I take back my notepad and jot my words down a few lines below my previous ones.

So, why Aviation?

I hand the note back to Avery. Her playful smirk returns, and it almost looks like she had been waiting for this question. "Well, my parents wanted me to get some degree in Science, sense that's pretty much what our family is all about," She shrugs. "But none of the typical sci majors really called out to me, so I just thought 'heck' and went with Aviation."

I breathe out a slight chuckle at her choice of words, which she notices, bringing a little light to her eyes.

"I mean, aerodynamics is influenced greatly by physics, and then there's wing types and different conditions that you have to consider," She waves her hands like she could go on and on, "so it's like a more hands on approach to something that suits me."

I nod, taking in every word. It sounds like things will really work out great for you. Says the little voice in my head, though I'm not exactly sure who it's talking to.

Avery chuckles half-heartedly. "Ah I'm rambling. I'm sure all of this sounds like a bunch of nonsense…" She looks down at her claws, the light in her eyes fading a little bit. A small blush turns her cheeks a light shade of green. I feel the need to reach out to her, but before I can she whips her head around to look at the clock.

"Oh geez," It's 7:53. "We should get going."

I sigh, but do nothing. We do need to get to class. I hadn't realized how much time had passed.

Avery throws her bag over her shoulder as I go to return my tray. I scrape what's left of the tentacle fries into the trash bin and place the blue tray on the counter. I turn to go fetch my books, but before I know it I've fallen face first onto the cold tile. There is a sharp pain in my side where something hit me.

"Hey watch it, tiny!" Correction: someone.

I push myself to my knees, trying to shake the small bout of dizziness away. When I look up, I find myself eyes to eye with a scowling, red crab.

He snarls, showing off what few teeth he has. "Better watch it, tiny, before I-"

"Hey!" Oh thank goodness, thank you so much. Avery's voice calls out like a siren of freedom as she comes to my rescue. "Something the matter over here?" She asks. She looks down at the crab, her expression less than pleased, but somehow her tone is calm.

"I-I uh…" His eye goes wide as he stares up at her. I can't blame him. She's nearly twice his size, if I were him I would be running for cover.

"Here's your books Mavis." She says as she hands me my Scaring textbooks.

The crab shuffles uncomfortably, adjusting his hat with the letters 'ROR' monogrammed on it.

Avery looks back down at him, unamused. "You need something, bud?"

He chuckles slightly, fear evident in his eye, before scuttling out the doors from which he had come.

Avery looks after him, appearing to be half asleep until she turns to me with her usual warm expression. "That was weird, wasn't it?" She asks as if she didn't just threaten someone.

Yeah, I nod as I peer out of the open the doors. Weird.


Avery asked if I wanted her to accompany me back to the School of Scaring, but I declined. Her first class was starting in a few minutes anyway, and I could tell she didn't want to make a bad impression.

"Heh, ye got me there," She says, baring her yellow teeth in a humorous chuckle. "Do you want to meet up after our classes are over? Maybe to get some lunch or something?"

Scaring ends at 10. I write. How does that work?

She takes a mental note of the time, nodding, "Sounds good, now I'd better get going." With one last goodbye, she runs off.

A stay there for a few moments, watching her her tail sway with her movements, when she suddenly stops next to a lamppost.

My webbed ears twist in confusion.

She stares up at it questioningly. She mutters something, then wraps her claws around the metal beam, hoisting herself up, large claws acting like a hiker's pick.

My eyes widen in awe as she reaches the top, surveying her surroundings like a bird of prey. She flares open her wings, letting the pale webbing catch in the air. Her wingspan must be twelve feet at least!

And then she pushes off, gliding away like it was effortless childsplay.

Wow, says the little voice in my head. She's got her work cut out for her. I turn around, seeing the roof of the Scaring school as it towers above the rest of campus.

Now how about you?


Woot! There we go! The second chapter is out! Thank goodness for winter break or this wouldn't be finished until spring. Anyway, this fic will be my main priority until Craze settles itself down in my mind. There's a very good chance that I'm going to rewrite it (I'm sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry…), but I'm not giving up! This stuff is my life and I don't plan on letting go of it anytime soon. I mean, this fandom has made itself a defining part of me. I actually got a Roar Omega Roar t-shirt for Christmas. I kid you not! This is my life. So I'll try to update as soon as possible. If you guys have any questions, ideas, or input, I'd be happy to hear it. I'll see ya later, Elf out!