We're already best friends

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Mrs. Kelly said, as she saw me wincing, before letting go of my hand.

Taking another look at my surroundings, I could finally see it: the Arcane Academy. Mrs. Kelly didn't lie. It was here the whole time, just before us. As we approached the gates, I felt the excitement slowly building up within me and soon became unable to hide my enthusiasm, a broad smile drawing on my face.

Mrs. Kelly chanted an incantation and the gates immediately opened, offering a view on the Academy. Buildings and facilities made out of stone were scattered throughout the main campus. Made of pointed arches, buttresses and rib vault, they gave off a strong gothic vibe.

"Welcome to the Arcane Academy!" Mrs. Kelly announced enthusiastically. "So, what do you think?"

Her hands joined in front of her chest, she looked at me with bright and expectant eyes. She almost seemed like she was the one who was about to join the school.

"It's huge," I answered. "Much bigger than I thought. There are also a lot of open spaces, it's pretty nice."

"Right?" She exclaimed. "Everything was designed for the students' comfort! Each structure was ingeniously placed in order to avoid the pupils to walk long distances and each department possesses their own internal structure. However, it hasn't always been like this. It started from nothing. When it was first built, the Academy only had one library and one building. Lectures, classes, laboratory work… Everything was done in the same place!"

Lost in her own enthusiasm, Mrs. Kelly started to tell me about the incredible history of the Academy. Clearly, she took her pride in this school and was really keen about her work. However, while I thrilled to discover this place, I didn't share her excitement. I've never really been passionate about history. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, I simply feigned listening to her.

"But enough about that," she finally said, after what seemed an endless monologue. "I'll have someone show you around later. For now, I'll take you to your room. After such a long journey, you must be tired, right? It mustn't be fun to haul your luggage around."

Mrs. Kelly invited me to follow her as she guided me across the school. It must have been time for classes; we didn't pass a lot of students. Only a few were out, studying on a bench or discussing with each other. However, although I only saw a little, I was glad to notice the racial diversity among the students. Growing in a human kingdom, I wasn't used to see this many non-human races. Actually, if it wasn't for my mom, Yao, and the other rare demi-human slaves, I would have almost forgotten that there were other races.

After walking for a while, we stopped in front of a large building made of concrete steel sheets.

"This is your dormitory. Your room is on the second floor, number 24. You'll be fine, right?" Mrs. Kelly inquired, as she handed me the key of my room.

I nodded.

"Good. I need to inform the headmaster that you have arrived," she added. "Take your time to unpack your suitcase and get familiarized with your new environment. I should be back in ten minutes."

Mrs. Kelly excused herself and left, returning in the direction from which we came.

Dragging my luggage behind me, I entered the dormitory. The first thing I saw was an old staircase twisted in a perfect spiral. Although it looked worn down and tired, there was absolutely no trace of dust. I placed my hand on the wrought-iron banister and walked swiftly to the second floor, as the stairs creaked in complain with each step I took.

It didn't take me long to find my room. I ventured into the hallway and stopped in front of the door numbered 24, before unlocking it with the key Mrs. Kelly just entrusted me.

The room wasn't really large, but it still appeared somewhat spacious. Two neatly made beds pushed against the wall, a bureau and a straight-backed chair, a dresser with a gilt mirror over it, and one window curtained with white cotton cloth. The decoration was minimalist. However, judging by the draws overflowing with clothes and the few books placed on the desk, this room already has an occupant.

"So I have a roommate..."

Solely base on the decoration and the clothes, it was hard to determine my roommate's gender. He was either a modest boy or a boyish girl, although I'm pretty sure it's the latter, since I don't think the dormitories are mixed.

Looking around, trying to find more information, my eyes eventually fell upon the books stacked on the desk. They were all science textbooks –mostly math and physics. It seems like my roomie is a nerd. I browsed through the first page of one of the notebooks left here and immediately found what I was looking for: my roommate's name. Nomi. Yup, definitely a girl's name.

"What the heck?"A voice suddenly exclaimed.

I shifted my gaze toward the door, where someone just entered. It was a young girl, as tall as your average sixteen years old. Her eyes were grey, glistening like sparkling diamonds, and her long purple hair was tightly tied into a ponytail, revealing long ears pointing toward the ceiling. She was an elf; the first one I've ever seen besides mother.

"Who are you and why are you rifling through my belongings?" She inquired, with a slight hint of indignation in her voice.

So this is Nomi. I was completely mistaken; there is nothing boyish in her.

Nomi moved forward with a serious look on her face, clearly upset that someone touched her stuff without her permission. However, her expression quickly softened as she noticed my luggage. "Could you be Minette?" She asked.

"It's Lynett," I corrected her. "And you must be Nomi, my roommate."

Nomi didn't bother to respond. Instead, she gave me a critical look, inspecting me from head to toes. Tilting her head to the side, she kept squinting, as if something was bothering her. I wasn't sure what it was, but it made me pretty uncomfortable. After a short moment, she took a step forward and raised her hand to my cheek. Her sudden action startled me, but I soon realized what she was trying to do. She passed her fingers in my hair, slowly uncovering my ears.

"You're a half."

"Yeah?"

Nomi placed her hand across her face, seemingly dejected. "First a human, now a half." She complained. "I should have known something was up when they told me my new roommate would be an elf."

"Well, half elf. Is that a problem?"

The young girl flinched. She was about to say something, but the words never came out. Instead, she let out a loud sigh. "Nevermind…"

Nomi walked past me, stopping at the foot of one of the bed, just before she returned her attention on me.

"This is your bed," she explained. "I'll make some space later on so that you can stow away your stuff, but for now you can use the top left drawer."

"Okay," I replied.

"Also, I would appreciate it if you didn't touch what belongs to me anymore," she noted.

"Ah, yeah, sorry…"

Nomi glared at me coldly, still upset. I know I'm at fault here -nobody likes it when a stranger rummages through their things- but isn't she overreacting? I mean, it's just a notebook after all. It's not like there was anything important in it… right?

"Oh, and one last thing," Nomi added, as she suddenly remembered something. "Don't talk to me. Just because we share a room, it doesn't mean that we're friends, okay? I wouldn't want to be associated with a slave's daughter."

…

Ouch. That hurts. It hasn't even been one hour that I arrived, and I'm already being disliked –by my roommate on top of that. I had prepared myself for something like that. I wasn't so naïve to think that the prejudices would suddenly vanish, just because the Academy accepted students disregarding their race and their background. While the rules stated that students should be judged only for their true worth, it didn't mean everyone shared the school's value. I knew that. Still, I couldn't let it pass.

No matter the prejudices she had against me, she had no right to insult my mother. Whatever happened to her, it wasn't her fault. She was a victim, and if there is one thing I can't stand, it's victim blaming.

"My mother isn't a slave," I retorted.

Or at least, not anymore. However, since Nomi clearly had something against slaves, I omitted to mention this specific detail.

"So what? You're going to tell me you were born out of love, or something?" She asked, half joking.

"Actually yeah, this is pretty much what happened."

Nomi furrowed her brows, not pleased by my answer. For a few seconds, she just glared at me in silent. Then, she let out a stifled chortle.

"A traitor's daughter then. Even better!" She exclaimed with a sarcastic tone.

Obviously, this young lady has human issues. She didn't like the fact that my father was human, and she hated even more the fact my mother, an elf, liked a human, going as far as calling her a traitor. While her hatred toward humans was justified –after all, no one would appreciate having their people captured and traded as trophies- I couldn't help but feel disheartened seeing this vicious circle of distrust and hate.

"You know, humans are not all that bad," I tried to reason her. "You should give them a chance. They have some good people too, like the maids in the residence where I grew. They were all really nice!"

"They're servants. They're paid to be nice. It's just human hypocrisy," Nomi coldly retorted, annoyed by my attempt to advise her.

Although I prefer to tell myself that it's not the case, she does have a point. Even if their kindness is now genuine, it hasn't always been the case. I didn't forget how the maids used to avoid me when I first arrived at the residence. In fact, if it wasn't because they had been ordered to, they would've probably never approached me.

"Well then there is my brother!" I exclaimed after pondering for a while, as I remembered Aoban. Born human but fostered by an elf, he was raised without any prejudices and was the perfect example of an open-minded and tolerant human.

"Unlike me, he is completely human," I explained. "But he is really kind! You should meet him if you haven't already. He is also in this school, his name is Aoban!"

As she heard this, Nomi widened her eyes. "Aoban? As in Aoban Whiteheart? You're that guy's sister?"

"Oh~! So you know him after all! Isn't he a great person?" I asked, suddenly excited to talk about my brother.

But Nomi just burst out laughing, and I felt my enthusiasm slowly melting away as I understood something wasn't right.

"A great guy?" She repeated with a mocking tone once her laugher subsided. "Your brother is a jerk!"

What the… How rude! How could she call him a jerk, Aoban of all people? My brother is the kindest person in the world! First she insults my mother, and now my brother. I give up. No more attempt to reason her and no more attempt to be friendly. She doesn't even like me anyway. I guess she and I will never be on the same wavelength after all.

The door opened, and we both turned our gaze toward the entrance, as a woman walked into the room. It was Mrs. Kelly.

"Uhm? You two have already met each other?" She asked as she saw us. "Well, that's perfect! I'm sure that you will get along well!"

Completely oblivious to the mood, Mrs. Kelly showed us her brightest smile, seemingly convinced to witness the beginning of a great friendship. Nomi and I exchanged a quick glance, without uttering a word. She gave me a meaningful look and grinned in a somewhat provoking way. I sighed.

"Yeah. We're already best friends…"