Sophie gave Lamia a weak smile. “It was hard at first, but you get used to it. Now tell me about those other… parents.”
“Oh, let me tell you mine first. Tengu’s my dad, and that crazy Nyame bitch’s my mom.” Lamia laughed at Sophie’s expression. “Of course, I don’t call them mom and dad. You never do that.”
“Tengu and Nyame?”
“My God! Don’t tell me you don’t even know the Pantheon.”
“No, I just got here.” Sophie looked boringly at the huge history book. “I guess I’ll have to start reading this.”
“You bet. But it can wait. I can tell you some things myself. Come on, let me see your file. It’s not like it’s some kind of secret. We all know our parents here. It kind of helps us understand each other better.”
Curious, Sophie took the file from Lamia and opened it between them, on the bed.
“So, so… who made your precious existence possible? There: Ke-sar and Anahit.”
“Who are they?”
“Well, baby, it seems like you’re pretty lucky with this lineage. Anahit is second in rank after Lilith, and Ke-sar is the first ranked incubus. Quite a hottie too.”
“What do they look like?”
“Well, you can browse the History and see for yourself, or you can wait ‘till tonight. They’re all going to be present at the ceremony. I can show them to you.”
Sophie was studying the file over her roommate’s shoulder. “Will I talk to them?”
“What? No! No way, you don’t do that. They’re important because you may have inherited some specific features from them. This makes us, your colleagues, know you better. Lure is all about knowing ourselves and knowing one another. Other than that, The Alluring Ones are not exactly our parents. Sometimes they’re barely even teachers.”
“Have you ever talked to… mmm… like… mom?”
“No. Never. And you don’t call them that, okay?”
“Okay…”
Looking at Lamia’s profile, Sophie wished she had known everything her roommate knew and even more. The world she had started discovering only a couple of hours ago kept getting more and more fascinating, raising confusion, curiosity and delight in Sophie’s soul. She simply wanted to take her book from La
mia, dive under the soft blankets of her bed and absorb the new information as fast and as hungrily as she could. Unfortunately, Lamia wouldn’t have any of that.
“Come on, let’s do something useful. I’ll show you the palace.”
?
“Now we’re in the West Pavilion. Here, there are only dorms, the cafeteria and the kitchen, downstairs. Oh, and there’s also a common room.”
“How many buildings are there?”
“Four. And an infirmary between the North and the East Pavilions. We also call them Occidens, Oriens, Meridies and Septentrio. It’s easier that way.”
They had already reached the first floor and passed the cafeteria, heading towards the front door. Between the entrance and the stairs that led to the upper floors, there was a wide hall. The ceiling was supported by tall pillars and everything was covered in white marble. Here and there, the walls were covered in paintings displaying various mythological creatures. Sophie noticed that in this part of the building, unicorns seemed to be the main motif. She didn’t have time to study her surroundings as Lamia opened the heavy door and they stepped into the cold January air.
“Now, the classrooms are in the North Pavilion, or better, Septentrio, along with the library. You’ll see it’s impressive. This is where we’ll spend most of our time. Mmm… maybe not exactly in the classrooms…”
Lamia turned to Sophie, took her hand and squeezed it lightly to get her attention. When Sophie looked up into her friend’s eyes, she was intrigued by her suggestive grin. “What do you mean?”
Lamia laughed cheerfully, satisfied by her impact on her innocent roommate. “You’ll see. If you’re a good girl, I’ll take you there tonight.”
“Where?”
To answer the question, Lamia got closer to Sophie to whisper in her ear. This seductive gesture made her shiver and blush.