Admission Ch. 02

It was that nervous charge that made her blush hotly as his gaze made its way back up. "I'm not sorry for enjoying your beauty." In that moment, she watched his lips move and felt a warmth that wasn't only from his nearness, but something more, like a warm spark that she wanted to wrap herself in. He pulled the side of his jacket back up to cover her bosom as he gently put her on her feet. "But the Mistress can't catch us in the closet, I'll have a black mark on my first day for showing you that shortcut."

Then she realized they were in a supply room. He opened the door a crack, looked, then led the way into the hall. "Where's your room?" he asked.

"It's Five B," Miranda replied.

"One floor up," he said.

"What was that?" she asked, trying to shake the feeling of hot fog in her head off. The last thing she needed was a new crush, even if it already felt like much more. "Why did I feel like the world kept spinning while I stood still for a minute?"

"It happens the first few times someone uses a Traveller's door. That one's been here for a hundred years, maybe more. Whoever made it obviously used it to sneak into the women's dorm when late-night visits were against the rules. The school has been trying to keep people like me from teaching First Years about it for a while," he explained.

"Is that your type of magic? What are you studying, anyway?"

"Love, Music, some Gear Magic and, well, Traveller stuff but I'm not great at it yet. I can just feel the doors, learn the passwords sometimes," he replied.

"So, you're learning to make shortcuts like that? I didn't even know that was a thing," Miranda said as they made their way through a pair of creaky glass doors then up a stony staircase.

"You only got the intro paperwork, didn't you? Not the whole class catalogue?" he asked.

"Well, yes. The booklet said that they couldn't send a class catalogue or the other books to my address because I was in an area where Magic was too foriegn."

"That's what my first year was like, too. It turned into a three-semester thing, so I got ahead, but I started to forget what Earth was like by the end. Do you want some advice on course selection?" Scott asked as he opened the Fifth Floor doors for her.

"Sure," she replied.

"Take every introductory course they'll let you. Learn about your options. There are twenty-eight different types of magic divided into seven colours. You don't actually have to choose one type until the end of your third year, so get to know them. I mean, I might not see you much - if at all - when you take my advice, but it's still the right way to go."

"Maybe I should make time to be social," Miranda said as they passed a group of students who looked at them, then averted their eyes and smiled.

"Speaking of being social, my phone's in there if you'd like to hang out sometime," he said.

She took it out of the inside pocket and looked at it for a moment, pretending to be uncertain. "I don't know, we've known each other for ten minutes and you look a little sketchy."

"Well, if you hate good music, great muscle cars, and guys who keep chivalry alive, then maybe you shouldn't," he said, making a show of pretending not to care.

"Okay, unlock," Miranda said, holding his phone out to him.

He nodded at the phone and it unlocked. "It's enchanted, I can make it do a few things from a distance. You'll probably learn that soon."

The screen was already on the phonebook so she added her name and number. "There. Just don't call after midnight or before seven."

"Cool," he said, accepting the phone and locking it.

"You're not going to text me so I have your number?" she asked.

"Maybe later," he said with a self-assured wink.

She realized then that they'd arrived at her room and turned so her back was to him, then slipped out of his jacket. "Thank you. I'll see you later?" There it was, a little insecurity as she looked over her shoulder at him with big, hopeful eyes.

"Absolutely, Miranda." He put the jacket on with a flourish and walked down the hall.

The sound of her name on his lips made her feel warm inside, and she couldn't stop smiling as she dug the old fashioned key the school had sent her out of the outer pocket of her backpack. The lock turned as though it was well oiled, and she stepped inside.