Three other girls were chatting on the couches as some lame reality show played on the TV. It—this building, the way it was decorated, and the girls hanging out—all seemed so normal. I don’t know why that surprised me, but it did.
Dr. Gonzales cleared her throat. The girls paused the TV and swiveled on the couch to stare at me.
“Ladies, this is Tessa.”
They gave a chorus of “hi’s” as they gawked at me. I almost reached for my face to check for dirt when a tall, thin girl stood up. She flicked her perfectly silky straight light brown hair over one shoulder and smirked at me.
“You look familiar. Oh, right.” She laughed and tapped one of her friends. “That’s the girl who jumped out the window.”
I raised an eyebrow at Dr. Gonzales. “It sure will be easier here, huh?”
Dr. Gonzales had the grace to look a bit embarrassed. “I know you’ll do your best to welcome Tessa to her new home.”
La Bitch grinned. “We’ll welcome her.”
I wondered what her idea of “welcoming” would involve.
Dr. Gonzales led me to a stairwell. “We’re lucky we have the space to give everyone their own rooms, but you share a bath with the room to the right of you. I think you’ll find you have a lot in common with your suitemate, Meredith.” She stopped in front of a door, number 27, and handed me a key. “There is no need to lock it. We’re completely safe here, but I wasn’t sure if you’d feel more comfortable this way.”
Hell yes I’d feel more comfortable that way. The looks those girls were giving me downstairs were not exactly friendly. I didn’t trust anyone here.
Inside was a small room with a desk, full sized bed, end table, and chest of drawers. They were all Ikea white lacquered. A bright purple poster in a gaudy black frame brushed with hints of gold hung above my bed. It was an outline of the Cheshire Cat’s big grin. Underneath the grin was big bold font that read, “Keep Calm. We’re all Mad Here.”
I rolled my eyes. “My brother?”
“Yes.” She scrunched her nose. “I can take it down—”
“No way.” I ran my hand down the edge of the frame. She didn’t know my brother or me well enough to get the joke. But it was like having a piece of him here. If she wanted it gone, she’d have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. “It’s perfect.”
“Your father insisted on new furniture for the room. He told me to tell you so.”
I nodded. To the side of the bed, metal shelves had been attached to the wall. Each of my books was in the identical spot I had placed them in my room.
I was fully set up here, which probably meant I wasn’t going home anytime soon.
“My parents…” I stopped. My voice sounded pathetic even to me, and I couldn’t have that.
“They don’t want this anymore than you do. But after seeing what happened to you at the hospital, they didn’t have any other choice.”
“So when can I go home?”
“Let’s not worry about that right now, but maybe they can come visit.”
That didn’t sound vague at all. “But my dad works for the school. Can I see him at least?”
“He works off-site.”
I nodded as I clenched my jaw shut to keep from saying something awful.
“You’re going to get through this. Just remember to take it one day at a time.”
I tuned her out as she rambled on. Her assumptions were a bit more than I could bear at that moment.
I tuned back in as she tapped the stack of books on my desk. “Your books are all here, as well as your schedule and a map of campus. Our curriculum is a bit different from your usual high school, so don’t let that throw you.”
“I’m sure it won’t be a problem.” Because I was getting out of here as soon as possible.
She picked up a small, brown leather bound book. “The Werewolf’s Bible. It’s basically a guide to everything about being a Were. It explains most of what you’ll be going through.” She paused, waving it at me. “Please read it. If you have any questions or just want to talk, I hope you’ll come find me. You don’t have to go through this alone.”