My head is throbbing. *cries*

Chapter Six

~Thea's POV~

I get a letter back from Loki the night before I leave for Umber. I'm in the living room, on my phone and trying not to panic while Max is typing away on his computer. Klaka and I have just gotten back from a run through the neighborhood, so I'm a teensy bit sweaty as I text Dara. We've agreed to meet in front of our dorm building right before our individual meetings with our dorm advisor. Ours is named Susan.

All my stuff is packed and already loaded into the van down in the apartment garage. I will officially be a high school student tomorrow. I also have to see Jack again tomorrow, and MaryAnne. Kyle, who is currently still on his honeymoon with Emmaline in Cancun, had done some research and determined that not only is she British, but she's also going to Umber. Oh the joy.

"Remind me again," I say to Max as I lean against the chair, "Why Videl and Angelique are coming with us."

I should mention that Max and I are getting along again, which narrows the list of people I'm holding a grudge against to Jack, Neidra, and Thor.

Max smiles inwardly, "Because Angelique wants to help you and Dara decorate, and Videl goes where Angelique goes."

I groan, "He's going to scare the boys away."

"At least he cares," Max points out.

I snort, but I can't deny it.

At that moment, a bright light appears in front of me, and I jump back automatically, while Klaka barks sharply. Then, the light snuffs out, and a piece of paper floats down onto the coffee table in front of me.

Max looks up, "Asgardian mail delivers."

I unfold the paper and read.

Thea,

Nothing you write can be boring. I am stuck in a cell in the deepest depths of Asgardian prison, and your words are my only source of true entertainment. Do not be so cocky about Neidra that you don't be careful, especially since you will be isolated at school. Do you know what happened in Canada?

Put Jack out of your mind. There is no place for him right now. Heartbreak is like pulling a rope, when your hands are beginning to crack and bleed from grabbing for so long- it is less painful to let go than to keep pulling and holding on, if you have the bravery to do it.

I have no experience with Midgardian schooling, but I suspect you are going to have an entire new world to brave. I suggest you be yourself, and if anyone has a problem with that...well, I think you know what to do.

You do belong in Asgard. It is your lineage, and your true home. The bit in your heart that feels foreign on Earth is the bit in your heart that beats for Asgard. Someday, you will return, and someday, I will be out of this prison, and I will teach you all there is to know about this realm and the ones beyond. And one day, you will be queen. Do not, for my peace of mind, attempt another disastrous portal travel. Stay put and attempt some patience, even though I know it is hard for you to be patient when you have fire running through your blood.

Loki

"What'd he say?" asks Max, glancing up from his work. Max has been working really hard lately, and I can't help but notice that he looks tired each week. At least he hasn't collapsed any more.

"Not to forget about Neidra, to forget about Jack, and the ever-constant reminder that I could be queen someday," I say, "Is there paper anywhere?"

As if by magic, Max produces some paper from underneath a pile of folders. "He is right about Neidra and Jack."

"I wish he weren't," I reply as I stare at the paper, trying to figure out what to write.

*

Videl takes great pleasure in waking me up the next morning at five thirty by Jaunting into my room and letting Wairua flap around hooting. After I groan and attempt to kill him, I drag myself out of bed and into the kitchen, wishing that Kyle were here to make me chocolate chip pancakes but no sir, he's in tropical paradise with his true love. So I have to get by with a frozen waffle.

The drive is a little more than four hours, and I spend most of my time trying to teach Videl the words to various rap songs. He does not appreciate my attempts, or the music, so in the end, it's just Angelique and me going at it.

I've never been on the actual Umber campus, but I've seen pictures from the website and know that it's gorgeous. As it turns out, the photos under-hype the place. The lawns and paths are immaculately kept, and the buildings range from looking slightly gothic to colonial style brick. Max follows the iron signs (and the steady line of cars) towards the dorms, which are located on the western part of the campus, away from most of the activity. When Jack and I had actually been civil to each other, we had found that there's a tree-lined path that follows a stream and leads towards Dorm Circle to the area where the academic buildings are.

Dorm Circle, formally known as Brighton Plaza, is chock-filled with families and kids lugging out boxes and bags towards the dorms. The Circle is designed like a compass. The two freshman dorms are at the south spoke, the sophomores the west, the juniors the east, and the seniors (of course) the north. There's a fountain in the middle, with benches and tables that right now are piled up with moving supplies, but I suspect later will be filled with textbooks.

Max finds a parking spot a little ways away from the Circle and the four of us pile out and begin unloading some boxes. I sling a duffel bag over my shoulder and follow Angelique up the road connecting the parking lot to the Circle.

There's a ton of kids here, all talking excitedly and somewhat nervously. A few girls nearly run me over as they fly into each other in hugs, apparently having been separated for the summer. I bite my lip, looking around, not really knowing where I belong. As I walk through the crowd towards the freshman girls' dormitory, quite a few heads turn to stare at me.

"Why are they all looking at me?" I mutter as I trudge up the walkway.

"Don't kid yourself, they're all looking at me," replies Videl, who is walking next to me and carrying the box of sheets and the duvet. "I'm extremely hot." 

"You are the only Asgardian here," says Max.

"I thought that wasn't supposed to get out!" I exclaim.

"Look at the bright side," says Videl, not side-stepping to avoid a group of boys and forcing them to part ways for him instead, "You can be the weirdo of weirdos."

"Thanks for the help, Videl," says Max.

"Don't worry about it," says Angelique cheerfully, "Everyone here has their own exciting and very cool stories. Yours just happens to be even more exciting and even more cool."

"And you're a princess," says Max, "We should have gotten you a crown at costume express."

If I weren't carrying stuff, I would have banged my head on the nearest light post in frustration.

An excited, friendly voice reaches my ears.

"Thea!"

Hearing my name from someone my age that expresses something other than contempt is new to me, and at first, I think there must be someone else named Thea, ignoring the fact that I've never met anyone else named Thea in my almost-fifteen years.

The same voice calls my name again, so finally, I look around and spot the source. It's Dara, and she's standing next to the stairs in front of the dorm room, with what I guess are her mother, father, and older brother. She's wearing jean shorts and a loose navy shirt, and her thick braided hair is pulled up into a high ponytail so that her long cords bounce around her face like the cross pendant around her neck as she runs towards me.

"I'd hug you, but you're carrying stuff, hey, I'll grab that for you." Of course, she's taller than I am, but not by much. She takes the lamp shade I was trying to balance in my left hand. "It's great to finally meet you, holy moly, you have pretty eyes."

"Thanks," I say, trying to get a word in, "They're my dad's."

"Then your dad has pretty eyes too," she grins.

"Dear God," says Videl under his breath, "I'm scarred now."

"This lamp looks perfect," says Dara, apparently not hearing Videl and inspecting the shade. She looks up, finally noticing the people next to me. "I'm Dara."

"It's nice to meet you, Dara," says Max, "I'm Max, Thea lives with my brother and me in New York."

"This is Angelique," I say, gesturing as well as I can with my hands full. Angelique waves cheerfully. " And this," I nod at Videl, who raises his eyebrows, "Is Videl."

"Awesome!" says Dara, smiling at both of them. She turns to Videl, "You look like you should be part of a rock band or something."

"Or a boy band," I say with a straight face, "Like the Vamps."

Videl kicks my shin.

Dara laughs, "C'mon over here, you can meet my folks."

Dara's mom, Rosaline, is round and all smiles, with bright red lips and the same cheerful attitude of her daughter. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Theodora," says Rosaline as she hurriedly relieves me of one of the boxes, "Dara is so excited to have you as a roommate. This is my husband, Richard, and my oldest son, Paladin. And you're Max, Thea's guardian?"

"That'd be me," says Max, offering her a firm handshake.

"Well all of Dara's belongings are already in the girls' room," says Rosaline. Apparently, Dara had also inherited Rosaline's chattiness, "It's on the third floor, and a pretty good size compared to what most college kids get!"

"Oh yeah, I remember my dorm," says Max, almost reminiscing, "It was like a cinderblock jail with a roommate who cared more about drugs than about class."

"What'd you do about it?" asks Angelique curiously.

"Called the cops on him the second week," says Max.

"Well what else was I expecting?" wonders Videl out loud.

"And who are you?" asks Rosaline, turning to Videl curiously, "Thea's brother? My, aren't you a pretty thing?"

"Oh damn," I groan in an undertone to Dara, "I'm never going to hear the end of this one."

"Something like that," says Videl, looking mollified as he reaches out to shake Rosaline's hand and turns back to shoot me a triumphant look. He nods to Angelique, "This is Angelique, my girlfriend."

"It's a pleasure," says Angelique, smiling too.

"I just had my meeting with Sue," says Dara, "She's super nice, by the way. I think you're up in five minutes, so I can go ahead and take this stuff up. I won't put anything up, whoah, Videl, don't drop that, it looks fragile!"

"They're blankets," says Videl. "They're fine."

"Don't you sass me!" says Dara with a smirk and a snap of her fingers.

"I think the two of you are going to get along just fine," says Videl.

*

Susan, who informs me that I'm to call her just plain Sue, is super nice, like Dara said. We meet her in her office, which is directly inside the dormitory and to the left. She looks like she's in her late thirties, and has tea-colored skin and even skinnier limbs than I do. Her hair is a light brown, and hangs around her shoulders in a slightly curled bob, and her eyes are deep and kind. She goes over the rules of the dormitory (be inside with yout k by ten, no boys past ten, don't let in a stranger, if-you-get-caught-with-alcohol-or-drugs-you-will-be-promptly-expelled, lights out by twelve, etc, etc, etc) and asks if I have any questions. I don't, not after that recitation. She then goes over some security details with Max, which reminds me that I'm the Harry Potter of this place, whose worried face turns slightly less anxious after a while and then asks if he has any questions.

"She can keep her dagger with her, right?" he asks.

Sue nods, "Usually, students aren't allowed to keep weapons with them personally, but Thea's unusual record has persuaded the board of directors and the Headmistress, provided that she does not use it except for in cases of utmost need."

"Do 'cases of utmost need' include using it on a particular British boy?" asks Videl curiously.

"Videl!" I hiss.

"No, I'm afraid not," says Sue with a smile. She look down at the piece of paper that goes in my file, "I have here that you do know Jack Barton, though? He's one of the most talented sophomores at Umber, we were sad when he didn't come last year."

"I do know him," I say, "But we don't like each other very much anymore."

"They used to like each other a lot," says Videl.

"Videl, shut up."

Sue smiles knowingly, "Ah. Stinky boy trouble?"

"Yes," I say, mortified, and promising myself that I'll kill Videl later.

"Still can't use your dagger on him, but I understand," says Sue, "Well, if there's not anything else you need, then I'll give you your key card and you can head upstairs to help Dara decorate. There's a dorm party in the common room today at six, with pizza. That's also where I'll give some more notices and hand out schedules. So that gives you about four hours to unpack and to explore a little bit."

Our room is a nice size, like Rosaline had said. When I first walk in, there's a small bathroom off to the left, and two closets on the right. In front of me, there are two beds against opposite walls next to two small nightstands and under two large windows that overlook the fountain and the hubbub of the Circle. Two desks are across from the footboards.

Dara is waiting for me, with half my stuff. While Max and Videl head out to get the other half, Angelique, Dara, Rosaline, and I put the window decorations up, as well as making my bed. We also unload my clothes, which Angelique insists on sorting by color even after I insist that it'll all be messed up in three days, and also my school supplies. I'd gotten a new backpack. It's black, with black and white paisley designs all over it.

Thirty minutes later, everything's all done, and Dara and I collapse on our beds, looking up at the sparkly ceiling decals that she had brought.

"Lord," says Dara, "That was exhausting."

"I guess this is goodbye then," says Rosaline, "Dara, come here and give your mama some sugar."

"Thea," says Videl in a sugar-sweet voice as Dara hugs her mother, "Come here and give your–"

"Finish that sentence and I'll break your jaw."

"Have fun Thea," says Angelique, squeezing me tightly, "Be safe, and call often. If you need anything at all, I'm just a call away, or a text, or a Snapchat. I'll send you all the news from New York, I promise. And remember that first day of school outfit we picked out for you tomorrow. And the way to your classes, do you have your map, we highlighted everything for you. Blue was for science, green was for–"

"Angelique," I say, "I'm fine."

"Sorry," she smiles abashedly, then hugs me again before finally letting me go.

"Idiot," says Videl, pulling me in for a one-armed hug, "Don't piss off someone bigger than you are."

"I piss you off all the time," I say.

"And it never ends well for you."

"And that is true in which galaxy?" I ask.

He ruffles my hair, "Be careful. And if Jack gives you trouble, let me know, and I'll be over in a flash. Literally, a flash."

"So you do care about me," I say. "Well that's news."

"Since when?" he smirks.

"All right then," says Max, who has been waiting somewhat patiently for Videl and me to fight it out. "Take care of yourself, all right? And for my peace of mind, don't do anything stupid."

"You sound like Loki," I say quietly.

"Well I care about you like Loki does," he replies, squeezing my shoulders. "And he's trusting me to look after you when he can't, so I'm trying to do my job right."

"Yeah," I say.

"I know you miss him a lot," he says, looking a little sad.

"I do miss him," I say, but then smile up at him, "But you've been a pretty good dad too, Max."

He opens his mouth to reply, but just hugs me instead. "Stay safe, Ace," he mutters, kissing my cheek. Clearing his throat, he stands back up and adds, "And remember to call Kyle tonight. He wants to know how you're doing."

"Okay," I say. "See ya, Max."

He follows Videl and Angelique to the door. I hope I'm imagining it, but I think he's limping ever so slightly on the way out.

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