Serenah sighed. This was her last day with Lord Hulight. She was going to miss these tutoring sessions. She absently tapped her finger on her laptop, her thoughts rambling about as she contemplated what to do for the next three weeks. That was when school would officially start. She was nervous and hadn't been sleeping well because of it. Though she was looking forward to it, she knew only her sister. That meant she would be completely isolated just like at home. Her stomach churned at the thought.
"Princess, is something on your mind?"
She twitched and schooled her features. "No, Lord Hulight. I am fine. I'm going to miss these sessions."
He smiled. "As will I. Your intelligence is a joy to behold and to interact with. These humans are in for a treat when you go to school."
She blushed. She rarely got praised. The feeling was nice. "Thank you for the compliment."
"I speak only the truth, Princess."
"I know."
She was distracted by the arrival of Lael and Alastar. They both bowed to her and Lord Hulight.
Lord Hulight grinned and stood. He bowed deeply. "It has been an honor and a privilege. If you need me in the future, please do call on me."
"I will."
"Oh, and before I forget. Princess, your guard will be attending high school with you."
Serenah's eyes widened in surprise as she whipped her gaze from Lord Hulight to the smiling Alastar.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. Good day." Lord Hulight bowed once more and left.
The room lapsed into silence as Serenah struggled to control her excitement. She wouldn't be alone!
"Why didn't you tell me?" she mocked pouted at Alastar.
"I didn't want your hopes to get up if it fell through. However, Lord Hulight managed to get it done and so we will attend high school together."
For the first time in days, Serenah smiled. Her heart felt warm with her feelings of happiness and gratitude toward Lord Hulight and Alastar. The nerves she had tried to hide disappeared. With Alastar by her side, everything would be fine.
"My Lady, when we are at school you must call me by my human name. I will do the same for you. We are enrolled in the same classes so I will always be by your side."
"Thank you! I mean it. I know you are older than me and might find it boring. Again, thank you for doing this for me."
"It is an honor to be by your side. And I don't think I'll be bored. I am still learning about this world we find ourselves in. You may have forgotten, but before I became a knight, I was going to be a royal scholar."
Serenah grinned. She had forgotten that fact about Alastar. "As long as you are enjoying yourself, too, I have no complaints."
"I want you to do well, My Lady. I want you to excel and show your father and sister that you, too, can be a force to be reckoned with."
She nodded. She would do her best if only to justify Alastar's faith in her.
"Now, it's time to go."
"Go?"
"Yes, we need to go school supplies shopping."
Serenah was baffled but getting out of the castle to go into town made her happy. "Let me get ready."
"I shall return in twenty minutes." Alastar bowed and left.
Lael headed to the closet. "What would you like to wear today, Your Highness?"
Serenah went to the closet and studied the clothes in there. She pointed to a shirt and pants.
Lael pulled them out. "Jeans and tee shirt it is."
She helped Serenah get dressed quickly and styled her hair. Serenah looked in the mirror at her appearance. She looked elegant and she grinned. Human clothes were so comfortable! Much better than wearing dresses and corsets every day.
Even the things called bras were nice and allowed her to breathe.
She came out of her thoughts when Alastar returned and escorted her and Lael to the car. She made herself comfortable and kept staring out the window on the drive to Norton. The scenery really was beautiful. It reminded her of their former home.
Soon they arrived and got out of the car. Alastar brought out his cell phone and went to their school's website to pull up the supplies list. The list wasn't very long, and Serenah was glad. She was starting to feel nervous. In three weeks, school would start. She was starting to doubt herself. Would she really be okay? Would she fit in with the humans? Would she…, her thoughts were interrupted by Alastar tapping her on her forehead.
She blinked and focused on him. "Yes?"
"Sera, we're here. Stay with us."
She blushed and dropped her head. People were staring at them.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
"It's okay. Let's go inside," Lael suggested.
Serenah nodded and followed behind them. Once inside, her discomfort was forgotten. There were rows and rows of things to look at. So many choices for things! It truly boggled her mind. Humans were so diverse, and their commerce was too. Back home, the elite controlled everything from food to who owned what businesses.
She enjoyed the variety and the opportunities that even the less privileged could take part in. She would love to see her people enjoy such freedoms. The nobles wouldn't like it but maybe it was time for their power to dwindle. She forced her attention back to shopping when Lael gently poked her in the side.
"Ah, how many notebooks and what kind do I need?"
Alastar read the list off and she paid attention to what she needed and started shopping in earnest. She was debating on which colors she wanted for her notebooks when her mark started to burn. She yelped and dropped the notebooks she was holding.
"Sera?" Alastar rushed to her side. "You alright?"
"Um, yes. Cramp." She rubbed her wrist and glanced about. There were a lot of people in the aisle with them and none seemed to be in pain like her.
She pursed her lips and quickly moved to go to another aisle. The burning was still bearable as she moved quickly from aisle to aisle. Abruptly the pain ended, and she frowned. She hadn't seen anyone looking around or in pain like herself. Frustrated she turned and collided with Alastar.
"Al!" she gasped, startled by his closeness.
"What were you doing?" he hissed in her ear.
She stiffened. She had forgotten that he was there to protect her and that she still knew very little about human society and rules.
"I'm sorry," she murmured.
"Please follow me and let's finish your shopping."
She was embarrassed at running off like a foolish child. She knew better. She would make it up to him later.
They returned to Lael who was anxiously pacing at the end of the aisle they were in originally. Serenah apologized to her, too, and they finished the shopping. Once they were in the car, she apologized again to them both and the drive home was silent.
Serenah took her supplies to her room and refused dinner. She was tired and not in the mood for it. After dismissing Lael and Alastar, she went to bed.
Her eyes had barely shut when she fell into a dream. This dream was different from the nightmares she'd experienced since waking in this new world.
The scenery was impressive. She was in a forest and in the distance to her left was an enormous waterfall. She relaxed and enjoyed the sounds of the forest creatures. She felt safe and happy. She sat on a rock and looked in the water. She frowned. Why was she seeing her human face and not her real one? She shrugged. What did it matter? Both faces were hers.
Her peace was broken when a faceless man appeared from the bushes. She jumped up and backed away from him. It was disconcerting to not be able to see his blurry face. Maybe it was some type of concealing magic.
"Don't go," he pleaded.
She froze and fought against the urge to flee. The sadness in his voice compelled her to ask, "Who are you?"
"I can't tell you right now. Please wait for me. I will find you soon."
"What do you mean?" She stood and ran toward him.
She reached out to touch him, but he was suddenly several feet away from her and rapidly moving away.
"Wait!" she chased after him and screamed in frustration when he disappeared.
"What the hell?" she snarled. She blinked hard. Everything was growing dark, and she lost consciousness still wondering who the mystery man was.