Cruel Magic (Royals of Villain Academy #1)(16)

“Hey,” I said tentatively, stopping by the edge of the table. She wasn’t magical—she didn’t even know magic existed—and weirdly that made her the only person I’d met so far that I could really trust. “I didn’t expect anyone else to be up this early.”

The girl gave me a wary look as she chewed the spoonful she’d just popped into her mouth. “I like to get out of here before anyone else wakes up,” she said, in a tone that hinted at a whole lot of hassling she’d gotten when she didn’t.

I glanced toward Victory’s bedroom door with a grimace. “I can understand that. I’m Rory, by the way.”

She bobbed her head, her ponytail swinging with the movement. “I heard. Ah, my name’s Shelby. Sorry you ended up stuck with this bunch.”

My mouth twitched into a smile, and her shoulders relaxed a little. Her gaze followed me as I puttered through the kitchen. The sink was stacked with dirty dishes, a sour smell rising off them.

“Doesn’t anyone clean up around here?” I asked.

“The housekeeping staff come through in the middle of the day and take care of everything,” Shelby said. “That’s one thing I like about this place.”

Because the posh fearmancers couldn’t bear to pick up after themselves? Lovely.

I opened one of the fridges and noted the names sharpied onto every container. “I guess there isn’t any common food.”

“No. There’s, um, a cafeteria for the juniors in Killbrook Hall, and seniors are allowed to eat there too, but… no one does. It’s basically social suicide.”

I was pretty sure I’d already committed that at least twice since setting foot on campus. “Oh, well. Will you at least still talk to me when I’m shunned?” My smile shifted into a wry grin.

Shelby looked as if she was surprised to find herself grinning back. She rubbed her hand across her mouth and then blurted out, “If you want, you can have some of my cereal—and milk too, of course. It’s nothing fancy.”

A tiny spot of warmth formed amid the ache that was still squeezing my heart. “Thank you,” I said. “That would be really nice. Fancy’s not really my thing anyway.”

By the time I’d poured myself a bowl, Shelby had already disappeared into her bedroom. How did the staff of Villain Academy convince Naries to come here? Or, maybe more pertinent, how did they convince them to stay here after the hell the regular student body must put them through?

Questions I guessed I’d have to save for another time.

I scooped an extra handful of cereal to carry in to Deborah and headed back to my room. She wriggled out when I opened the sock drawer. Her Thank you as I set down the cereal brought a pinch of guilt into my gut.

“What do you actually like to eat?” I asked, feeling a little ridiculous. She’d chowed down on the pet food and bits of cheese and fruit I’d brought her happily enough the four years I’d thought she was just a mouse, but maybe there was something she’d prefer now that she could tell me about it.

A hint of amusement crept into her dry voice in my head. Oh, any kind of human food is wonderful, really. Although I have to admit I was particularly fond of cheese even before I became a mouse.

“I’ll see what I can do about getting you some then.”

The woman who’d brought my birth mother’s clothes had also thoughtfully left for me a basket of basic toiletries. In the bathroom, I stayed in the shower under water scalding enough to dull the inner burn of grief until I heard someone else come in. I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out who. I waited until whoever it was had ducked into their own stall and then made a dash back to my bedroom.

The thought of wearing any of the clothes that had belonged to my fearmancer mother made my skin crawl, but my tee and jeans from yesterday kind of smelled, and maybe I’d get what I needed here faster if I looked more the part.

I pawed through the wardrobe until I came up with a silky blouse with a subtle print and navy slacks that matched. Neither showed a ton of skin or clung to my body too tightly, but my eyebrows went up when I looked at myself in the mirror mounted inside the wardrobe’s door.

Holy shit. I was all sleek and professional-looking—I’d totally pass for a fearmancer now.

The sight made me want to tear the clothes right back off. I reminded myself of my plan, confirmed that my birth mother’s old shoes were too small, and slipped on my sneakers from home. The black suede didn’t look too weird with the dressy outfit.

Good luck, Deborah said when I brushed my fingers over her soft fur, giving the black splotch on her flank an extra rub the way she’d always liked.

“Do you want me to get you, like, a book or something?” I whispered. Now that I knew my mouse had a human consciousness residing in her, leaving her to trundle around aimlessly for hours on end felt ridiculously cruel.

Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. I just relax while the mouse instincts take over, and I don’t really get bored.

I still hesitated before closing the wardrobe, but I did have to get going.

Rather than wait around while the other girls bustled around the common room, I headed downstairs so I could meet Professor Banefield by the entrance to the hall. I flipped through a design book in the library for about half an hour before I spotted his barrel-chested form pushing past the doorway. I hurried over to meet him.