Royal Spirit

Is This Really my Room?

My bedroom was huge! There was no way that this was my room. Shadow Hall had already surpassed my expectations for a freshman dorm; it was huge, beautiful, and extremely modern. The kitchen and the living room for our little shared apartment were huge and very fancy, which was much more than four college students needed. But my bedroom, well, it was twice as big as my bedroom at home. There was a king-sized four-poster bed, a spacious desk with plenty of shelves and drawers, one tall dresser with at least seven drawers, a shorter dresser with four drawers, an ergonomic desk chair that looked like it could fit two of me in it, and a rectangular walk-in closet. 

I took a few more steps in, laying my suitcase on my bed when I gasped again. 

Emily came rushing in. “Are you okay? I heard you gasp a couple of times.” She said, touching my shoulder. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just didn’t expect the room to be so big. Also, it’s already decorated, with all of my favorite colors and personal style. But I didn’t tell them anything about me. How did they know? It’s kinda freaky.” I responded, taking in the purple polka-dotted bedspread, cat-themed posters and memes along the walls, a fuzzy green rug on the floor, and other odds and ends that looked like I had hand-selected them.  

“Oh, my, goodness. I am so sorry, I totally should have warned you!” Emily said apologetically. “The vampires in charge of decorating are not only professional interior designers, but they are also majorly psychic. They basically know everything about you before you come, so they can set your room up for you based on things you like. It is supposed to feel welcoming and help your transition, not make you scared or shocked. Most adult vampires are very psychic, to begin with, I thought you knew that. Some of the classes you will take here are about mind-reading and intuition and how to sharpen those skills so you are not overwhelmed. Some are more intuitive than others. Discovering that part of yourself is all part of discovering your powers, future career, and becoming an adult vampire. Didn’t your parents explain all of this to you? You aren’t just going to college to get a piece of paper like a normal human. You are here to continue the journey of self-discovery that you should have started years ago. You should have some idea of what element you want to study deeper and what careers you are considering based on what vampire powers have manifested so far.” Emily said, looking at me with a concerned expression on her face.

“No, uh, my dad was killed when I was younger. It has been just my mom, my sister, Kylie, and me for as long as I can remember. My mom was depressed a lot of the time growing up, so if I did not learn it from school, I did not learn it.” I put my head down, blushing from embarrassment.

“I don’t even know enough about the elements to know which one is my favorite in order to pick which one to study for my minor. I don’t really know anything about being a vampire; I basically feel like a human.” I hadn’t cried in a long time, but the tears came pouring out. So much emotion that I had swallowed down for so long in an attempt to be strong for my mom and Kylie came pouring out. 

I sat down in the chair by the desk and began to sob harder. “I’ve never had friends or the opportunity to explore things about myself. I always had to focus on surviving and keeping my mom and sister alive. Maybe I’m too weak for any vampire magic to manifest. Maybe I am just meant to live as a human. Maybe I should just go home.” I buried my face in my hands as I sobbed so hard I could no longer speak.