Hello, I yet still live. Honestly, I got a bit caught up in writing other things, plus I wasn't really sure of my direction for this fic yet, but after putting in some major edits and moving it over to my main writing site, I think I'm getting back into the swing of things.

My feet knew the path
We walked in the dark, in the dark
I never gave a single thought
To where it might lead

- "The Moon Will Sing" by The Crane Wives

Chapter 2

A teaching aide came out to usher in our group and take roll after a little while. They led us through the campus at a leisurely pace, and honestly, I was in awe at the sheer size of it. Forks High School had been a fair size, but it was dwarfed in comparison to size of the college. I had honestly never really set foot on a college campus before, and it was definitely more than a little bit intimidating. The aide led us through to the History Building's main doors and came to a stop.

"Firstly, I would like to tell you all to never hold the door for anyone else on campus. It is in your best interests to not accidentally allow a human in," the tall woman started with a stern expression. The teaching aide was at least six foot tall and was quite the Amazonian beauty. Her curls were kept close cropped, and her eyeliner was sharp enough it could probably kill a man.

"If they are a part of the program, they will be able to allow themselves entry on their own," she continued. She looked over the crowd, making sure everyone was paying attention before continuing, "Alright. Now watch me open the doors. Make sure to do this exactly every time, otherwise you will be unable to get back in." She turned away from the group, reaching out to press her thumb on the handle. It glowed blue for just a moment, and then she pulled open the door to reveal a fairly inauspicious hallway.

However, once we were all inside, I could tell from the windows alone that we were definitely not at the university anymore. A hushed whisper stirred up from everyone around me as they took in the fantastical sight before us. There were huge trees that looked to be similar to redwoods but of all different kinds of trees that all seemed to be meticulously cared for as they all grew in gigantic and beautiful shapes.

"Welcome to the American Magical Studies Academy," the teaching aide began with a wide smile, taking in everyone's incredulous expressions in stride. I had a feeling she was a bit used to seeing them.

"This campus is a well-preserved magical subspace that is owned and operated by the Rare Magical Beings Preservation Cooperative. The land actually exists somewhere in rural Wyoming, and the entrances and land maintenance is all managed by the Cooperative. The campus was established around 1901, about eleven years after it became a state, by a family of refugees from Ireland. If you want to know more about the campus's history, you can learn about it from one of the books in the library or take a class on it," the teaching aide continued on. I was only half paying attention as I took in the cream tiled floors and the dark wood paneling of the building. It looked extremely well maintained.

"Now, it is important to remember that that door is the only exit back to the Washington State University campus. You will be using it to return home after the program ends, so please try to remember where it is," she stated sternly. I looked back at the glass door behind me, trying to burn its appearance into my memory.

"Now, I will show you to your dorms," the teaching aide motioned for everyone to follow her, and I tightened my grip on my duffel bag slightly, finding myself feeling even more excited for the classes that would be starting tomorrow. I almost wished I had someone to gush about it all to. I was having a really good day so far too. No headaches or shaking reality at all. Maybe on campus there was less stuff around to trigger it. I hoped that was the case.

The teaching aide led us out of the building we entered in, reminding us that our classes would be held in that building and to remember where it was as she led us down a smooth, stone pathway through the campus to the large dormitories. The entire place was similar in size to the Washington State University campus. However the landscaping was so much more plant and life friendly. There were all kinds of flora and fauna everywhere. The pathways were cracked with mint and clover leaves. I had never seen anywhere that looked so natural before. It was awe inspiring.

"Here are the dorms. Your room numbers are on these slips attached to the keys. Please come up and take it when I call your name," the teaching aide spoke up again at the entrance to a multistory cobb building with eclectic shaped windows, "There are three stories, so the first number is your floor and the other two are your room number." She handed out all of the keys and once everyone was taken care of, she poofed into a large leopard and padded off into the campus casually, leaving me blinking in shock.

I looked down at my key, seeing that I was in room 204, and decided to go ahead and make my way up to find it. Inside of the cobb house, the floors were lined with a simple light colored wood floor, and the walls had been painted with bright murals filled with color and life. I stared at all the little details of the walls as I walked along, some of it even seeming almost alive. It was so incredible to look at. I walked up the winding, stone stairs, my mind reeling at every little new thing I noticed about this place. It was almost insane that both vampires and werewolves knew nothing about all of this, but then again, neither did I.

I came to a stop at the wooden door that was marked with a placard that said "204". I had found my room. It hadn't been hard. The place only had one stairway and the halls were straightaways. I knocked lightly before unlocking the door. When I opened the door, a thin, petite girl was already inside, staring at her open suitcase with a pensive expression and tucking a lock of dirty blonde hair behind her ear.

"Oh, hi! You must be my roommate," she smiled, looking up at the sound of me entering the fairly bare looking room. It had only two beds, dressers, closets, and a set of desks in it. It felt a bit cramped, but I supposed I could make do with that for a couple of weeks.

"I'm Shelly," she said, holding a hand out toward me. I took her hand with a slight nod and a matching smile.

"Nice to meet you, roomie. I'm Maddie," I replied in an equally cheerful tone. Shelly chuckled a bit at this, and I hoped we were going to be fast friends.

I apologize for taking so long to update ya'll... TToTT forgive me.

Thanks for reading! Consider reviewing.

- Minatu

Vampress Princess of the Night: I'm so glad to hear you're excited to see what happens next! Sorry it took me so long to update.

romcarolinawithlove: man, oh man, do I feel that! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it so far! 3