Happy freaking Halloween to me.
Professor Morne didn't waste time with niceties. He just grumbled something about my soul being tethered to his and that leaving the Academy grounds would result in immediate death, then shoved me out of his chambers.
So here I am: wet, shivering, sneakers squelching with every step, jeans that feel like they weigh a ton, and a T-shirt that gave up on warmth about two hours ago. It's cold. It's dark. It's miserable. And these cursed hallways stretched out endlessly in front of me like some kind of haunted labyrinth.
Almost no sound, except the echo of my own footsteps and… whispers. Actual whispers coming from the shadows.
Cozy.
I kept walking, trying to make sense of the nightmare I'd landed in. Maybe it was a hallucination. Maybe I was still drowning in that damn pond, and this was all some dying brain fever.
I pinched myself.
Yep. That hurt.
I stopped near a narrow window and peeked outside.
Two moons.
Two! One - massive and gray like a dead planet, and the other is smaller, blood-red and ominous as hell.
No prank. No fever dream.
It's another world.
My heart dropped somewhere near my wet sneakers.
The realization hit harder than a bucket of ice. I leaned against the cold wall, trying to breathe. Okay, Malinka, don't panic. Just find the castellan guy, get your room key and some dry sheets. That's all. One thing at a time. But every step felt like walking through quicksand.
Then came a weird rustling sound.
I froze.
Something was moving. Lots of little somethings. I turned slowly and—OH NO.
Mice.
A dozen of them, minimum. Dark, fast, shiny-eyed horrors scurrying toward me like tiny undead missiles. I squeaked and ran. Let people think whatever they want about me. I don't care. I'm terrified of mice, and that's non-negotiable.
I didn't get far.
Because next thing I knew, I slammed into something warm and soft. We both tumbled to the ground with a mutual "ooh." I looked up into the freckled, annoyed face of a guy — red-haired, fluffy like a disgruntled fox, and wearing the world's most offended scowl.
"Hey! Watch where you're going! You running like a gilahuma on fire!"
I blinked.
"Wait… are you scared of the mice too?"
He looked horrified.
"What?! No! They're mine!"
He scrambled to his feet with a pained groan. "Lab mice! My project! And now they're gone!"
What… just happened?