Quest Of The Valkyrie

Chapter 5

5

Would my new roommate be in?

Quickly, I crossed through the dormitory towards my room. Luckily, most of the groups that seemed to hang in the hall and window nooks weren't here. They must've been in their own classes.

Good. I didn't need more inquiries about the Dragon squatting in my room. It was awkward enough as it was.

With my heartbeat thundering in my throat, I pushed my keys into the lock and opened the door. A line of sunlight fell into the room, almost like a natural divider between my side and Ryoko's.

It looked empty.

"Hello?" I called out, just to make sure she wasn't here. I didn't want to get trapped in another torturously polite conversation with her.

Silence.

Yay.

I fell down on the bed, my arms folded under my head like wings. Academy life so far had been a lot more eventful than I thought. The wolves, the Dragon roommate, and a conversation with the head squad. A good start to the year.

"You're doing well," I pep-talked myself, patting myself on the head. "You got this. You're going to impress the other students, make the popular kids your friends, and you'll be in with the crowd!"

The excitement of the day unfurled from my stomach, filling me with energy and giddiness. This was everything I ever wanted.

Pleased, I did a little dance with the sun. In the middle of my room, I twirled and fist-pumped to celebrate how great my day was going so far. I knew dancing on my own was dorkish, but I didn't care. The music within me compelled me to move, to shake, to jump.

Lost in my own song and the rhythm drumming from my heart to my feet, I danced. The best way to initiate this room as my new home. With the magic of the wind surging through my veins, it almost felt like I was floating. One day, I'd have wings and truly be weightless, but until that day, I had dancing.

"Ummm... Excuse me."

The sudden voice startled me and I froze.

The dark-haired girl made an awkward bow and shuffled to her side of the room. "Sorry to interrupt."

"That's okay. Shouldn't you be in class?" I asked, silencing my dislike towards her. It wasn't her fault that she had entered my room. She lived here too, whether I liked it or not.

"My teacher dismissed us early."

I snorted involuntarily. "Seems they all do that a lot."

"How so?"

"Nothing." I waved my comment away and fell back on my bed. "Ouch!"

"You okay?" Ryoko rushed to my side, concern painted on her face.

"I sat on something." I turned to examine my sheets, wondering what the pile of dark fur and spikes was. "What is this?"

"I'm sorry." My roommate plucked the weird blob up, cuddling it tight. "I must not have closed the cage properly."

"Cage?" My heart thundered at the sight of the furball. We weren't allowed to have animals in the dorm and whatever this was, it seemed violent. I sat on it and it decimated my butt. "What is it? A sewer hamster?"

"It's a dust bunny. Her name is Pickles."

"Pickles," I replied sceptically, staring my roommate up and down. She was crazy if she had that as a pet, let alone kept it in our room. Why? Why would anyone want to bring a prickly bunny to college? "What even is a dust bunny?"

"You don't know? It's a type of domestic rabbit. They like dark things, which is why Pickles jumped on your pillow. They're very cuddly though."

I scoffed, glaring at my roommate. What was she on? With her ridiculously neat hair and her big, dark eyes, she looked crazy. Delusional. What was cuddly about this prickly heap of hamster? Bunny. Whatever.

"I'm sorry, Ylva. It won't happen again." Ryoko bowed again and shot me a pleading look. "Please don't tell the school I brought her."

"This could get you detention?" I asked, earning a nod. Huh. Interesting… Too many detentions would get her expelled... Which meant, a room all for myself. Tempting. But I couldn't do that. I didn't know much about Dragons, but I heard their rage was vicious and inescapable. I certainly didn't want to get caught up in something like that, not over a bunny. And it was the right thing to do.

"I'll keep it a secret," I agreed. "But don't let it get on my bed anymore. My butt hurts."

"I'm sorry. Would you like me to look at it?"

"At my butt? No thanks." I countered, covering my bottom as I blushed. Why was I blushing? Not wanting a stranger to touch me was normal. That was for significant others only. And yet...

Ryoko shrugged and crouched down to push the spiky bunny in a hidden cage under her bed. "It's okay now, Pickles. She didn't mean to sit on you. You're just so cute and camouflaged. Yes, you are. Yes, you are."

Yup. Delusional.

I rubbed my hand over my butt, wincing at the tiny spots it poked in my skin. Vicious little thing that was. I hoped it was at least useful.

Pickles rattled softly against the bars of the cage, hopping and waving her spines. Her vacant white eyes stared straight into my soul. What a weird creature. And creepy.

I'd certainly lose sleep knowing he was sitting under Ryoko's bed, staring at me, waiting to get out and jump back on my bed.

"So, what's the purpose of the dust bunny?" I asked, trying to peel my gaze away from him.

"It has no real purpose," Ryoko replied, feeding Pickles a little cotton ball and a handful of cardboard strips. "It's just cute."

"I think we have a different definition of cute," I muttered under my breath. "I don't like it."

"I'll try and keep it out of your way."

"You better. I don't want that ugly thing on my bed again."

As soon as I said that, Ryoko's face fell. Her lips tensed into a straight line and hurt flashed through her eyes. For a moment, it looked like she was going to lash out at me and I braced for the rumoured rage of the Dragons.

Instead, she averted her eyes and tensed her hands into fists. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

She locked the cage, her face emotionless and blank. Tension and anger surrounded her, filling the air with almost palpable rage. And yet, she said nothing. With a quick bow, she turned her back to me and left. The door fell into the lock, slamming loudly. The only sound of her fury.

A strange feeling filled me, something that clenched my chest. I felt the urge to apologise, but that was ridiculous. Apologies weren’t something we did.

"Whatever," I muttered, making sure to check my bed before sitting back on it. I didn't want any more encounters with her dust bunny.

I checked the cage and Pickles stared back at me.

"What are you looking at," I sneered, freaked out by the strange silent creature. I hadn't meant to insult Ryoko by calling her pet creepy, but it was. The white eyes, the strange spikes, and the scratchy sounds she made. This was almost worse than having a Dragon for a roommate, but now I'd have to put up with this useless ball of fluff. If only it had a purpose, I could've gotten on board with it.

The toilet flushed and the door of the bathroom shrieked open. Quickly, I grabbed the closest book I had and flipped it open, pretending I was engrossed. Ryoko was weird and in a way, slightly terrifying. I didn't really want to talk more than I needed to.

Over the edge of my book, I watched the Dragon potter around her side of the room. A stack of books emerged from her bag and were stacked high on her desk. She placed a photo frame on her nightstand and dusted the glass. She seemed lost in her own world or she was incredibly good at pretending I wasn't here. Whichever it was, there was something annoyingly fascinating about the way she did things. Everything was meticulous, neat, and restrained.

I looked at my own side, a little self-conscious about the two massive suitcases and three duffel bags. I certainly hadn't packed light, but then... I was here for a whole semester. I wasn't going to do my laundry every week. Who had time for that?

Seemingly happy, Ryoko nodded to herself and sat down on the bed. A stray glint of sun caught on her arm and my breath froze in my throat. Scales rippled along Ryoko's arm, golden and barely visible.

As soon as she moved out of the sun, the golden scales vanished and her arm returned to skin. Almost as if nothing happened, but I knew what I saw.

Was this a normal thing for Dragons?

It was beautiful...

No. I didn't want to be fascinated by her. I didn't care and I certainly hadn’t come to the Academy to learn more about Dragons. I was here to become a Valkyrie. That was all I wanted to learn, that was all I was here for.

I forced my attention back on my book, pushing the visual of the golden plates out of my mind. I had no interest in Ryoko or what she was. I didn't care, I didn't care.

And yet, my gaze kept flicking up from the pages to stare at the young woman across the room. Lost in her own book, she just sat on her bed. Reading undisturbed while the sun danced around her, almost in a caressing way. It was... weird. Enchanting.

A strange sensation curled through my stomach, something I couldn't place. Like a strange spring, coiled too tight, my gut clenched as I watched the Dragon. She didn't look disturbed or mad at me.

Actually, it didn't look like she even noticed I was here...

A different feeling engulfed me, like a heavy blanket weighing me down. What was going on with me? Why did I feel so strange around her?

It must be her aura that was freaking me out.

I nodded to myself. Yes, that had to be it. She was a weird, foreign creature and I just wasn't used to her presence. That had to be it... Right?