It wasn't until after sunset that the Louds and their guests were allowed to return to Royal Woods. The police had to interrogate them all, separately of course, and investigate the property for evidence while taking those found on the property into custody, but once they were finished the Louds could leave. And as promised, she took them for pizza. While they ate, she explained things as best she could to Sid and Clyde. Needless to say, the two were quite shocked about their new reality.
Rather than send everyone home and deal with a lot more questions, Rita had everyone stay in a Nevermore hotel that night. Sleep should have been difficult, but frankly they all were exhausted and passed out. Morning came, everyone woke up and got themselves ready, and then close to noon the group returned home. Or more specifically, Rita brought them to Tall Timbers Park.
"Okay everyone, earlier I sent a mass text to all your parents. They should be here in a few minutes, and then we can resolve this as best we can. For now, let's wait and relax." She told them, standing by the parking lot.
"My parents too?" Clyde asked, human now since Rita was holding onto the crystal.
"No, I do have a question for them but it can wait until later."
Everyone passed the time until their families showed up. As expected, everyone who arrived got out of their cars and rushed to check on the kids.
"Ronalda! I'm so glad that you're alright!" Maria Santiago said, practically squeezing her daughter. Her son Bobby had showed up too and he joined in on the group hug. Or as Ronnie Anne would have described it, a pressed sandwich with her as the meat.
"Stella, we're so sorry. This is all our fault. We should have told them no or taken them to court when they started making demands." Judy Zhau and her husband Ken Zhau told their daughter when they reunited with her, hugging her but a little less tight.
"Sid? What happened? We got a call from the school about you being kidnapped? What did they do to you?" Sid's parents asked, checking out her altered appearance. They did not like the discoloration or the visible stitches already healing.
"Lincoln? Bro, you okay?" Lana asked with her adjourning sisters essentially saying the same thing but in different ways. Lori was there too, having come with Bobby of course.
"Everyone if I can have your attention please!" Rita called out, silencing them all. "I know you have questions and I can answer most if not all of them! But first let's go somewhere a little more private and shady! Lynn dear, did you bring the you-know-what?"
Lynn Sr nodded and held up a manilla envelope. For some reason, he wore a glove while holding it.
"Good. Okay everyone, let's go."
Everyone followed the Loud matriarch, though the majority was greatly confused. They didn't go far, just into the park and away from where people were likely to notice them. Everyone kept quiet, but that didn't stop a few whispers from being made.
"Okay, this should be private enough." Rita said, arriving in a clearing surrounded by trees. Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Stella went to the shade and sighed in relief while taking their sunglasses off.
And so Rita Loud began the long process of filling in everyone about what had happened. Everything, from her and Lucy being witches to the encounter at the Hawthorne house. Naturally there was some skepticism.
"You seriously expect us to believe that real vampires were behind all this?" Maria replied, looking like she knew she was being lied to.
"And no offense Mom, but there's no way you and Luce are actually witches." Lola added.
"Clyde? Could you come up here please?" Rita said.
Having a good idea what she was referring to, Clyde nodded and stepped up to the Loud matriarch. She took out the crystal and gave it to him. He looked at the assembled families and watched their reactions to him returning to being a werewolf. They all were speechless, though some were not for a lack of trying. He handed the crystal back and returned to human form.
"Clyde's a werewolf?" Lana asked.
"He just got a lot more interesting." Lisa remarked, looking like she was already planning multiple tests to perform on him.
"This has got to be a trick." Lori muttered.
Rita sighed and conjured a flame above her hands. Lucy did the same.
"Touch it if you think it's not actually real." Lucy dared her sister, who shook her head. Lucy and Rita then dispelled the flames.
"Yes Lori, vampires, werewolves, and monsters in general do exist. And one of them tried to kill your brother and his friends. These three were bitten by a genuine vampire, and unless we can get them a type of potion, they will die next Halloween."
"I still don't believe you." Maria countered, though she didn't sound as certain as she wanted to.
"Mom?" Ronnie Anne said to get her attention, then she showed off her new fangs. Maria and Bobby gasped, clearly able to see that these weren't costume fangs. Still, just to be certain, Maria carefully took hold of one and gently pulled. It did not budge.
"Oh my God…" She said as this all sank in for her.
"What do you mean they'll die next Halloween?" Bobby asked.
"Listen everyone, vampire bites kill slowly. Like a type of slow-acting poison. For the next year, Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Stella will essentially be half-vampires because of that poison in their blood, and unless they get a specific potion in time, the poison will finally kill them off."
"Can't you just make it yourself?" Stella's mom asked.
Rita frowned. "When you have a headache, do you make your own tylenol? Potions are medicine, not magic kool-aid. You need a professional to make them. If I tried, I could end up making things worse."
"How can things for our children get worse?" Stella's dad asked.
Rita sighed. "There's one part I left out. I didn't want to scare the kids. You see, when a half-vampire dies, they don't just become dead. They… become a zombie."
"A zombie?!" Numerous people repeated.
"Wait Mom, you mean like those zombies we saw at the Hawthorne place?" Lincoln asked.
Rita nodded. "Yes son, odds are every single one of those zombies used to be a dhampir that couldn't get the right potion in time."
Lincoln, Stella, and Ronnie Anne all looked at each other in horror. Having a deadline to die was bad enough, but becoming something like that was just salt in the wound.
"You've seen actual zombies?" Lola asked.
"Cool! Were they all Walking Dead or were they more Evil Dead?" Lana asked.
"Lana, when did you watch Evil Dead?" Lynn Sr asked his daughter, making her laugh sheepishly.
"What about Sid?" Sid's mom asked, noticing that at no point did Rita say her daughter had been turned.
"She's still human… I think. They didn't bite her, but it looks like they altered her in some way."
"They turned me into a Frankenstein." Sid confessed, holding up her hands. Everyone could see faint sparks jumping from one finger to the next.
"That's odd. But yeah, she's basically right." Rita said, and Sid's parents engulfed her in a hug.
"A real Frankenstein? Now this I must investigate personally." Lisa insisted.
"I'm no lab animal." Sid countered.
"Please tell me there's a way to fix all of this, Mom." Lori asked.
"Yes, there is. There is a school in another city for people like this, a monster school. They can handle our three kids and make sure they don't accidentally hurt themselves or others and make sure that they get the necessary potions in time. But I have two things to tell you all first."
Everyone listened intently.
"First, this potion is not a permanent cure. It will not return these three to pure human again, only keep them from becoming a zombie for another year. Think of it like an insulin shot, it won't cure your diabetes but it will buy you time."
"That's not good enough! I demand a cure!" Maria firmly declared.
"If I knew where to get one, do you think we'd be having this discussion?" Rita asked, silencing the Santiago matriarch.
"So there is no cure?" Bobby asked.
"If there is, I don't know how to get it. But I will spend every day looking if I have to. For now, buying time is better than nothing. And the second thing is I don't know how to treat Sid here. Right now the deal with the school doesn't include her, but I can get you in contact with them if you believe she's better off there than in Great Lake."
"Can they return her to normal?" Sid's father asked.
Rita shrugged. "I can't make that promise. I don't even know what it is they did to her in the first place. My best guess is they removed her organs and put Frankenperson organs in their place. How? Why? I don't know. But I'm pretty sure this is something no potion can resolve."
"We'll have to talk about it." Sid's mom told her.
"Maybe I can do something." Lisa suggested, grinning like she was anticipating something fun.
"No way Lisa. You'd end up turning her into a cyborg or something." Lily objected.
"Would it not be an improvement?" Lisa asked.
"No cyborg!" Sid declared vehemently.
"What about him?" Lori asked, gesturing towards Clyde.
"Clyde is going to stay in Royal Woods for now. I'm going to inspect his situation directly. I have a hunch on what is going on here, but I will need to do some sleuthing."
"So if I'm understanding you correctly, the important thing is you're going to send these kids to a monster school that can keep them alive?" Judy asked.
Rita nodded. "With your consent after all. You are still their parents."
"I'm not having Ronnie Anne-" Maria started.
"No Mom!" Ronnie Anne protested. "I'm not turning into a zombie just because this scares you!"
"I'm not scared." Maria objected.
"Yes you are Mom, you're scared for me. I am too. But you can't wrap your arms around me and protect me from this. I need to do this. I need to go."
"Same here." Stella agreed, standing beside the Hispanic girl.
"Me too." Lincoln said, joining them.
"This is what you all want?" Bobby asked.
"This is what we need." Ronnie Anne stated.
For a time nobody said anything.
"If there is no cure, then what happens when these guys graduate?" Sid's father asked.
"By then, I am hoping we'll have stocked up on the right potions and maybe I've learned how to actually make it myself." Lucy offered.
"Will we be able to check up on them?" Ken asked.
"Of course. Visits will be difficult but not impossible." Rita claimed.
Maria sighed. "I guess if it really is for the best, we should do it. But not tonight. I want one last night with my daughter."
Rita nodded. "That was my plan. They need to pack anyway."
At home, Lincoln and Lucy were both packing a case for them to take. Their sisters were all there to help. Lola and Lana were helping Lucy, and Lori, Lisa, and Lily were with Lincoln.
"Lincoln, if you allow me to take a sample of your blood, I believe I can figure out some way to engineer an antidote." Lisa offered.
"I'm not sure if it will work, but sure. But only a little, got it?"
Lisa nodded and used a needle to prick his finger and collect some blood on a tissue before rushing to her lab.
"You'll call us all the time, right?" Lily asked.
Lincoln smiled and tousled her hair. "Of course Lily. I'll be sure to come back for Christmas no matter what."
"And no biting people, you hear." Lily warned, making him laugh.
"Just a little?" He teased, making her laugh in return.
"I wonder if we should tell the others." Lori commented, organizing his suitcase so his stuff would fit better. Or at least to her standards.
"I think for now it's best if they don't know. I mean, how can you prove it to them and even if they believe you, what can they do about it?" Lisa explained.
"Perhaps you're right." Lori agreed.
In Lucy's room, Lola was going over her sister's clothes trying to determine which were worth taking while Lana was talking Lucy's ear off.
"You've had magic this whole time? Tell me you can turn me into a dragon. Ooh, put a curse on my math teacher."
"No curses! Curses are very bad things!" Lucy told her.
"Oh don't be chicken. What, is your skin going to turn green if you cast a curse?" Lana replied sardonically.
"Bad things happen to witches who use their magic for evil purposes."
"Like what?" Lana asked.
"Does making a dress out of gold and diamonds count as evil?" Lola asked.
"No, but it is illegal. It's the magical version of counterfeiting."
Lola sighed. "Sheesh, what can you do?"
"I could possibly acquire some temporary become-an adult potions."
Lola and Lana perked up but also looked confused.
"That's legal?" Lana asked.
"A bit of a gray area, but it's not a crime as long as you don't do anything that requires an ID. Like driving or drinking beer."
Lana and Lola groaned, but noticed she didn't say no.
The Casagrande household held a large dinner worthy of a holiday to say their goodbye to Ronnie Anne that night. Try as she might, she just couldn't enjoy the human food, it was like eating something she couldn't taste and didn't want to keep down in the first place. Fortunately her extended family believed that she was just a little queasy and didn't push her. But she was eyeing the garbage can, waiting for the right moment to get something she could stomach.
"So Ronnie Anne, are you ready for the big trip?" Carlos asked.
Ronnie Anne nodded. "Yeah, I'm eager to see where I'll be staying for the next few months."
"I hope you have fun. Be sure to have fun and meet a cute boy or two." Carlota said supportively, though it did make her cousin blush.
Maria watched this unfold and wasn't sure how to take it. Lynn Sr had handed her some strange purple paper but insisted she not actually touch it. He said if she wrote something on it and showed it to the rest of her family while they touched it, they'd believe whatever she wrote on it. No questions asked. Their minds would fill in the blanks in whatever way made the most sense to them.
Apparently he had brought this in case she or anyone else just could not accept the truth, and he could spare them the agony. While Maria was struggling with this knowledge, she refused to choose ignorance. However, the rest of her family was another story.
So to avoid admitting the truth about her daughter's condition, Maria had taken the enchanted paper and written that Ronnie Anne had been enrolled in a student exchange program some time ago and had been approved, and it was now time to go on the trip. When she got home, she showed them the paper and made sure they all handled it, while making sure she, Bobby, and Ronnie Anne never touched it. And it seemed to do its job; everyone was convinced that Ronnie Anne was just going to be a part of a school program. None of them were asking for proof or details, it was like they didn't need them.
'On the one hand, I'm glad it's this easy. But at the same time, I really don't like the idea of someone controlling our minds this easily.' She thought.
"Let us know when you get there." Rosa told her granddaughter.
"You're not nervous, are you?" Hector asked, wondering if her lack of appetite was from anxiety.
"No, not really. But I'd be lying if I said I'm not expecting some big changes." Ronnie Anne admitted.
"Don't worry, it can't be that big a change from here." Frida assured her.
"Sure, Tia Frida. How different can it really be?" Ronnie Anne asked, being sure not to roll her eyes or laugh.
"Stella, we're so sorry." Judy said to her daughter for the umpteenth time since they got home.
"Mom, I told you it's not your fault. It's Blake's fault. At least the guy can't hurt me anymore."
"To think my relatives knowingly tried to sell you to a vampire. And turned that other girl into a Frankenstein. And all for money?" Judy lamented.
"The worst part is we can't take them to the cops. I mean, what are we going to tell them? People sold our daughter to a vampire?" Ken rued.
"Mom, Dad, don't obsess over it. If it'll make you feel better, do something about Mom's siblings. Mrs Loud showed me there are Nevermore cops, maybe you can get in touch with them. They should take this seriously."
Judy and Ken looked at each other and smiled. This idea made them happy, and eager for justice.
"First we have to find them." Ken pointed out.
Stella raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't the cops be the ones doing that?"
Judy shook her head. "This is personal sweetie. If my siblings are criminals, I want to know just what it is they've been up to. And if we're on the hook for anything."
Ken nodded. "For all we know, they've been setting us up as the fall guys all this time."
"But the Hawthornes are on the run now. What if they come for you?" Stella asked, fearing retaliation from some pissed off vampires.
"We're going to speak with Mrs Loud about ways to protect us from them. If nothing else, we're sure not inviting them inside anytime soon."
Stella laughed a little. "Better stock up on wooden stakes then."
Her parents laughed too. "And some garlic."
The whole Zhau family laughed together, glad to be able to do so at this moment.
The day came, the day four kids would leave home and go to another school. Usually this sort of thing happened all the time, especially when said kids were college-aged. But this time it was different.
Lincoln, Lucy, and Stella were brought to Great Lake by their parents, meeting up at Ronnie Anne's house. Her family was saying goodbye to her, so no one rushed it. But it didn't take long, so she got with the others.
"We taking another wagon ride?" Ronnie Anne asked, suitcase in hand.
Rita shook her head. "No, this time I'm going to show you kids a simpler way to get there. That way, you all can come back when you want if you choose to."
So everyone got into Vanzilla and headed to one of Great Lake City's subway stations.
"You're not seriously saying we can take the subway there, are you?" Ronnie Anne asked.
Rita didn't answer her, instead she went to one of the ATMs and inserted a card. To the others, it looked like she was just making a withdrawal, but Lincoln and Lucy knew something was up. Lincoln had never seen this card before, it was not Rita's normal debit card or her credit card. Rita pushed some buttons like she was inputting a pin number, and then there was a ding followed by four pieces of paper coming out.
"Alright, here's where it gets odd. Each of you go into the public restrooms and be sure to get into the handicapped stalls. Try not to be noticed, but just to be safe, once you're inside, flush the toilet and knock on the wall three times while the water's draining. That will trigger a temporary memory gap spell in anyone else in the room so they'll forget you were ever there, and the next part will happen. From there, Lucy can guide the rest of the way."
"You're not coming?" Lincoln asked.
Rita shook her head. "This part you don't need me for. You'll be fine."
She handed them the pieces of paper, which up close looked like tickets that seemed somehow yellow and silver at the same time, depending on the angle you were looking at them. Then she handed them some kidnas.
"This will help if you need something to eat along the way. I'll try to send some money if you need more, but I'm trusting you four to not go crazy over there."
"It's a monster school, I'm expecting some crazy." Ronnie Anne commented.
"Oh definitely. I mean, there was skinny-dipping on our first day." Lincoln added, but he immediately regretted it after getting dirty looks from the girls.
"Best of luck kids, have fun at Grimswood. But not too much fun." Rita said to save her son.
Lucy quickly hugged her, with Lincoln doing the same. After that, Rita said goodbye and walked away.
"Let's go." Lucy told them.
The quartet headed to the public restrooms, obviously separating for their genders. Lincoln found the handicapped stall empty and went in, locking the door behind him. He paused for a moment to avoid it looking too weird, then did as instructed. He flushed the toilet and swiftly knocked on the wall thrice. Right away everything went silent, almost as if the world around him went on pause, and to his surprise the wall opened like there had been a door built into it. Lincoln shrugged and went through, with the door closing behind him. He descended some stairs like he was going to the basement, finding another station that was empty.
"Am I in the right place?" He asked, looking around.
"I sure hope so." Stella said, coming up behind him on a separate staircase, joined by Lucy and Ronnie Anne.
"Wait, did all three of you go into the stall at the same time? Did no one find that suspicious?" He asked.
"They'll forget it ever happened." Lucy reminded him. "You didn't lock the door, did you?"
"I was in the bathroom, of course I did." He answered.
"Well, that sucks for the next person who needs to use the toilet." Lucy remarked with an apathetic shrug. "C'mon, let's see how long until the next train shows up."
"This feels like something out of Harry Potter." Stella noted.
"We're going to a monster school, I think a lot of things are going to feel like something out of Harry Potter." Lincoln replied.
Lucy checked the train schedule. "Alright, we've got an hour until the next one east comes through. Let's get comfortable."
The hour went by with the teens trying to entertain themselves. The lack of others allowed them to not censor themselves or their volume. Then the train came, looking like a black subway, making them quiet down and grab their stuff. It stopped and a few people departed, all looking normal. You would never guess that they were Nevermore if you weren't told beforehand.
Lucy went onboard and the others followed. Right away they were greeted by someone in a suit who requested to see their tickets, and they gave them. Then they were allowed to sit down, and naturally they stuck together.
"How long until we get to Grimswood?" Lincoln asked.
"Not sure, this thing should go fast but it's not an emergency, so it will take its time. We might as well get comfortable." Lucy answered, relaxing in her seat.
Back in Royal Woods, Sid was in her bedroom looking herself over in a mirror.
"How exactly am I going to hide this?" She asked herself, not for the first time. The stitches looked healed, but she had no intention of testing them right now. The bolt in the side of her head kept drawing her attention, so she moved her hair to cover it. It worked, but she was not certain it would work forever. And no, she couldn't just pull it out of her head. She had tried.
A notification on her phone caught her attention so she answered it. There were some sparks at her fingers when she did so.
"Oh crap, I hope I didn't just wreck it." She muttered. Fortunately the phone appeared normal, and she got a text from Ronnie Anne.
RA: On a train heading for the school. How r u?
Sid: Trying to figure out how not to look like I'm still wearing a Halloween costume at school. At least you still look normal.
RA: At least you can still eat regular food.
Sid: Hey you've got Lincoln there with you. You know what that means?
To her surprise, Ronnie Anne was taking her time responding.
Sid: Ronnie? Did you go thru a tunnel?
RA: I'm here and yeah I know what you mean.
Sid: Why do I get the feeling that you're not as excited as I expected you to be?
RA: Could we talk about this later?
Sid: Don't tell me you're going to break up with him.
RA: What? No of course not!
Sid: Then what's the big deal? There's no more distance between you.
RA: That's the problem. Now there's no distance at all. We will see each other every day. I didn't think about that until now.
Sid: Then what's the freaking problem?
RA: Isn't it bad to date someone you already see every day? Don't crap where you eat, that sort of thing?
Sid took a moment to get herself calm, because while she was sympathetic to her friend, she was also annoyed and making more sparks. Damaging her phone would be risky if she kept going without taking a few breaths.
Sid: Ronnie, I say this to you as your friend, but girl you need to grow a spine. Ever since we were thirteen I've heard you say how much you wish you didn't have hundreds of miles between you and Lincoln. Now here you are going to the same school again and now you're looking for another problem? Do you actually want to be Lincoln's girlfriend?
RA: Of course I do! You know I do!
Sid: Really? Because it sounds to me like you're looking for a way out.
RA: I'm not!
Sid: Then make your move and if you really are scared of having no me time then establish boundaries. Because if you won't I'm sure some other girl there will notice him. Hel, I might even take a shot at him.
RA: You wouldn't.
Sid: He's my friend too you know and frankly the only reason I never made a move before was because I didn't want to hurt you like that. But if you're not going to mark your territory when you have the golden opportunity to, then as far as I'm concerned he's a free agent.
Ronnie Anne said nothing, and Sid worried she had gone too far.
Sid: Ronnie?
RA: You like Lincoln?
Sid: He's cute and I've seen why you're into him. I respect you too much to try and take him from you, but if you spend 3 years wishing for something and run away when it finally becomes real, then you can't be mad when someone else goes for it.
Ronnie Anne was silent for a bit. Sid could picture her sighing in defeat.
RA: You're right, I've got to do it. But what do I do to not blow it?
Sid: PRetend I'm Lincoln. How would you start?
Time went by and the four teens spent most of it on their phones, chatting on occasion along the way. A few stops were made and more passengers got on or off as they went.
"Next stop, Salem, Massachusetts." The conductor called out.
"That's us." Lucy told them.
"How do we get to the school from the station?" Stella asked.
"Mom called ahead, said we'd need to be picked up. Someone should be there waiting for us."
The train arrived in Salem and they got off, along with several others. This station was more crowded than the one in Great Lake. For a moment, the teens had no idea where to go other than away from the train.
"Any idea what we should be looking for?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"I think that's a good place to start." Stella suggested, pointing to her right. Everyone looked and saw a woman with green hair and a white flower in it holding a piece of paper that said 'Loud'.
"Hi, I'm Lucy Loud and this is my brother Lincoln Loud." Lucy greeted when she got up to the woman.
"Four kids, check. My name is Molly Blackroot. Follow me." She replied, throwing away the paper and taking them up some stairs. Unlike the way down, the way up simply deposited them in the lobby of one of Salem's bus stations. Nobody in the station acted like they even noticed or cared about the sudden appearance of five more people.
"Wait, so there's a trick for getting into the Nevermore train, but not one for getting out of it?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"We don't want Normals getting in by accident, but if they ever do it's best that they can leave as easily as possible." Lucy clarified.
They were led to what looked like a small school bus and told to go inside, so they did. No one else was inside except for a driver who looked like a gangly Hispanic man. Each person took an individual seat, and the bus drove off.
"Now children, before we get to Grimswood I've been instructed to inform you on a few details." Blackroot addressed from her own seat. "First is that dorms are separate and you cannot go into the opposite dorm no matter what. Not even to 'hang out'. If you wish to socialize, do so on campus or off. Speaking of which, you are of course allowed off campus and are free to explore the city of Haven at your discretion, so long as you make sure to attend class as required. Jobs are allowed, but again not if they interfere with your schoolwork. And each one of you has to join a club or sport, but considering that you are new students that won't be required until the next semester. The cafeteria will provide for those of you with specific dietary requirements, and there is a place to do laundry when you need to. Any questions?"
"What do the students think of dhampirs?" Lincoln asked.
"Good point, I don't recall ever being told what kind of reaction we'd get." Stella added.
"Dhampirs are low threat Nevermores, so no one's likely to be afraid or intimidated by you on that basis alone. Odds are you'll be expected to prove yourselves as deserving of respect. Not to mention scavengers aren't exactly popular. So best be prepared for some judgment from your new peers." Blackroot informed them.
The bus left Salem and drove through a forest. The air shimmered a little and things changed inside. Blackroot turned into some kind of plant person, like a dryad or something similar, and the bus driver turned into a skeleton. Specifically one that looked like a figure from Dia de los Muertos.
Ronnie Anne was surprised to see that. "Excuse me, was that skeleton once a living person?"
"I may not have ears but I can still hear." The skeleton called back in a Hispanic accent.
"Sorry." Ronnie Anne said, wondering if she had offended him.
"Skeletons are in fact a form of undead, but unlike zombies they are civilized and legal to make. This man here was given a second life, but at the cost of being as is." Blackroot explained. "You will learn more about it at school."
"Did you want to become a skeleton?" Ronnie Anne asked the driver.
"It's better than dying of cancer." He answered, making her uncomfortable.
The rest of the drive was awkwardly silent, but it didn't last for long. Soon they pulled into the Grimswood parking lot and the bus parked. No one was waiting for them.
"Alright, the school day is over, I should show you to your dorms so you all can get settled for the night." Blackroot offered when they got off the bus.
Getting to the dorms wasn't difficult, but this time it felt awkward since the courtyard had several students out watching them. Various types could be seen, some looking like humanoid animals and at least one looked like he was on fire. Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Stella tried not to look like they were staring, something Lucy was doing quite well right now.
"Alright, here we are, the Oberon dorm for the boys and the Titania dorm for the girls. Let's see…" Blackroot said as she pulled out her phone, though it was shaped like a coffin. "Ah yes. Ronnie Anne Santiago and Stella Zhau, you two will be in room 113."
"What?" Both girls asked, looking at each other for a moment then back at the plant woman.
"Weren't you told? You will have roommates. And clearly it's easier to transition if you're with someone familiar. Is there a reason you two can't cohabitate?" Blackroot asked.
"Well, no. It's just we're not that familiar with each other." Stella clarified.
"Will the two of you try to kill each other?" Blackroot asked.
"No." Both said.
"Then you'll be fine." Blackroot replied, looking back at her phone. "Lucy Loud and Lincoln Loud will be in room 211. Wait, that can't be right."
All four teens blinked. Was she saying what they thought she was saying?
Blackroot looked annoyed. "There must be a mistake. According to this, Lucy and Lincoln are roommates."
"You mean… I've got to be in the girls' dorm?" Lincoln asked, already embarrassed.
"This has to be a mistake. Wait here, I'll contact the headmistress." Blackroot said before walking off.
Lucy, Stella, and Ronnie Anne stared at Lincoln, making him more uncomfortable than he already was.
"Hey! Don't look at me! This wasn't my idea!"
"Don't get any funny ideas Lincoln." Stella warned.
"We're going to have some boundaries, brother." Lucy added.
Lincoln sighed. "Just like old times I guess."