Test Her First

Your eyes narrow: This sounds like a trap.

You pull out your phone and check the university's app for your schedule before asking the girl where she's about to take you.

Lily hesitates, but finally says "First unit design fundamentals. Room 302."

She's right, but you get the feeling that she would have taken you somewhere else if you hadn't checked. Score one for humanity.

"Nice to meet you" you say.

"Sure," she says. You get the impression that she's not happy at being foiled. "Follow me."

On your way upstairs the morning's classes end and the halls fill with beings straight out of a fantasy bestiary. Figures big and small, hairy and scaly and in all shapes and colours navigate their way around the building and all of them look at you as though a pork chop had sprouted legs and was walking around. A tasty porkchop: The predatory expressions are super obvious in some cases, but for some reason stop when they realise that Lily is leading the way.

You've never been to a human college before, but the feel isn't too different from high school: Classes happen at certain times and during the gaps between classes there's a heap of people traveling from one class to another. You find the lecture theatre mostly full by the time Lily leads you inside, and she takes a seat with a vacant spot next to her, indicating that you sit next to her.

There's only a few other seats available toward the back of the hall, but you're not super keen to be anywhere near her after she tried to dupe you once already.