Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)(23)

"Oh!" I exclaimed, feeling like an idiot. "I'm sorry - I'm late for my fitting - "

One of them laughed good-naturedly. She was dark-skinned with an athletic build and wavy black hair. "Don't worry about it," she said. "We just walked past the room. She's still there."

The other girl had blond hair a shade lighter than mine that she wore in a high ponytail. Both of them had the easy assurance of those who knew their way around this world. These weren't new students.

"Mrs. Delaney always takes longer than she thinks she will with the fittings," the blond girl said knowingly. "Every year, it's - " Her jaw dropped, her words freezing up for a few moments. "Where... where did you get that?"

I had no clue what she meant, but the other girl soon noticed and leaned closer to me. "That's amazing! Is that what they're doing this year?"

"Your tattoo," explained the blonde. I must have still looked clueless. "Where'd you get it?"

"Oh. That." My fingers absentmindedly touched my cheek. "In, um, South Dakota. Where I'm from."

Both girls looked disappointed. "I guess that's why I've never seen it," said the dark-haired girl. "I thought Nevermore was doing something new."

"Nevermore?" I asked.

The girls exchanged silent glances, and some message passed between them. "You're new, right? What's your name?" asked the blond girl. "I'm Julia. This is Kristin."

"Sydney," I said, still mystified.

Julia was smiling again. "Have lunch with us at East tomorrow, okay? We'll explain everything."

"Everything about what?" I asked.

"It's a long story. Just get to Delaney for now," added Kristin, starting to move away. "She'll stay late, but not forever."

When they were gone, I continued on my way - much more slowly - wondering what that had been about. Had I just made friends? I really wasn't sure how one went about it in a school like this, but that whole exchange had seemed pretty weird.

Mrs. Delaney was just packing up when I arrived. "What size do you wear, dear?" she asked, catching sight of me in the doorway.

"Two."

A number of articles were produced: skirts, pants, blouses, and sweaters. I doubted the sweaters would see much wear, unless a freak apocalyptic blizzard hit Palm Springs. Amberwood wasn't particularly fussy about which ensemble students wore, as long as it came from the approved pool of fashion. The colors were burgundy, dark gray, and white, which I actually thought looked kind of nice together.

Watching me button a white blouse, Mrs. Delaney tsked, "I think you need a size four."

I froze mid-button. "I wear a two."

"Oh, yes, you can fit into them, but look at the arms and the skirt length. I think you'll be more comfortable in a four. Try these." She handed over a new stack and then laughed. "Don't look so mortified, girl! A four's nothing. You're still a twig." She patted her ample stomach. "We could fit three of you into my clothes!"

Despite my many protests, I was still sent away with the size-four clothing. I rode back to my dorm, dejected, and found Jill lying on her bed and reading. She sat up at my arrival.

"Hey, I wondered what had happened to you."

"Got delayed," I said with a sigh. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. A lot." Jill watched as I put away the uniforms. "They're pretty terrible, right? We didn't have uniforms at St. Vladimir's. It's going to be so boring wearing the same thing every day." I didn't want to tell her that as an Alchemist, I might have worn an outfit like this anyway.

"What size did you get?" I asked, to change the subject. I was kind of a glutton for punishment.

"Two."

A twinge of annoyance shot through me as I hung my uniforms in the closet beside hers. I felt huge by comparison. How were all those Moroi so skinny? Genetics? Low-carb blood diet? Maybe it was just because they were all so tall. All I knew was that whenever I spent time around them, I felt frumpy and awkward and wanted to eat less.

When I finished unpacking, Jill and I compared schedules. Not surprisingly, considering the difference in grades, we had almost nothing in common. The only thing we shared was a multi-grade PE class. All students were required to take it every semester, since fitness was considered part of a wellrounded student's experience. Maybe I could lose a few pounds and get back into my normal size.

Jill smiled and handed my schedule back. "Eddie went and demanded to be in our PE class since it's pretty much the only one we could share. It conflicts with his Spanish class, though, and they wouldn't let him. I don't think he can handle going the whole school day without seeing that I'm alive. Oh, and Micah's with us in PE."

I'd stalked off to my bed, still irritated about the uniforms. Jill's words caught my attention. "Hey, do you know why Eddie seemed weirded out around Micah?"

Jill shook her head. "No, I didn't get a chance to ask, but I noticed it too - especially at first. Later - while you were testing - and we were waiting for uniforms, Eddie seemed to chill out. A little. Every once in a while, I'd see him giving Micah a strange look, though."

"You don't think he thinks Micah's dangerous, do you?"