Chapter 5

| stand in the doorway of my new room, open-mouthed. This must be a mistake. This is nothing you'd expect of a dorm. This is more like a hotel suite. The bed is huge, king-size at least, and the pillows are like plush clouds that | just want to jump into. There is a dressing table with a mirror and a walk-in wardrobe that’s almost as big as my entire dorm room at Mount University. The large window is framed by bookshelves, stacked with books of every genre you could wish for, and there's a cosy window seat with cushions and a blanket. | almost squeal in excitement. There's a small countertop with tea and coffee-making facilities and a mini fridge. In the bathroom, there's not only a shower but a full-size bathtub. The whole place is a luxury that I've only ever seen on TV and | have no idea how | am going to pay for it because | don’t think a part-time job around my studies is going to cut it. | catch a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror and cringe. My hair is a mess, and I'm wearing a sleep shirt with shorts and my tatty Converse shoes that Officer Shelby had aallowedput on before taking me to the station. I look completely out of place here. On the back of the bathroom door, | notice a bathrobe, and there's a stack of towels and toiletries in the bathroom cupboard. It’s not ideal, but | could shower and change into the robe for the tbeing. | hope my belongings are brought soon because I'm going to be the laughingstock of the school if | have nothing but a bathrobe and sleepwear in my wardrobe. After a hot shower, | feel a million times better. | wrap myself in the luxury robe and head over to the bookshelves to check out the selection. Jumping into someone else’s crazy world sounds like a great distraction while I wait for someone to bring my things and introduce my new life. A book titled ‘Greys’ catches my eye, and whilst it’s not the fiction | was hoping for, it looks like a good place to start learning about my new life. | climb into the window nook and start reading. | learned that Greys are a superhuman race that possess powers that include but are not limited to: super strength, manifestation, teleportation, shapeshifting, superior speed, compulsion, telepathy, and telekinesis. | blow out a breath and close the book, already feeling overwhelmed and not sure if | can believe all this. Voices outside my window catch my attention, and I lean closer to look down at the ground outside. There's a group of men heading towards my building, they push and shove each other playfully, and as they get closer, they notice how dirty and dishevelled they look. Maybe they were a part of the group that was i combat training earlier. The men file into the door beneath my room and out of sight, except for one. From this angle, | can’t see much of his features, but he looks tall with a mess of blonde hair that’s long on the top but shaved on the sides. He seems puzzled as he turns around and scans his surroundings. Maybe he’s looking for someone. | glance in the direction he’s looking to see if | can see anyone he might be waiting for, but there's no one else in sight. I look back at the man and gasp, jumping back from the window when | see him staring straight at me. | swear his eyes flashed blue like Mr Collins had right before he'd used his powers on me. Once I've composed myself |I slowly edge back to the window, peeking over the sill to see if he’s still there. | blow out a breath when | find the courtyard empty once again. A knock at my door makes me jump again. Why am | so jumpy all of a sudden? Actually, that’s a dumb question. I've literally been dragged from my life and dumped into a whole new realm, where the people have powers and can command to do whatever they like. | need to keep my guard up and my wits about'm, going to survive in this place. | open the door expecting to see Mr Collins, Clarrisa, or someone delivering my belongings, but the face that greets none of those. It’s the blonde man I'd seen through my window. “Well, hello there, new girl,” he grins at with the most perfect white teeth. “Hi,” | respond awkwardly, gripping the front of my robe to make sure I'm not flashing anything | I don’t want him to see. | hear footsteps coming down the corridor, nd the blonde man rushes into my room and closes the door behind him, almost knocking over the inn in the process. “What the hell?” | demand, trying not to show any fear. “Shh,” he says quietly, putting a finger to his lips. I'm about to start shouting at him to get out when | hear voices on the other side of the door. When the voices seem to pass by, the blonde chuckles. “Sorry, | wanted to talk to you before the rest of the guys find out you're here. I'm Theo Henry, your new neighbour,” he explains and holds out a hand to shake. | bite nervously on my bottom lip, debating if | should trust this guy. “I don’t bite,” he assures, obviously noticing my hesitation. | look into his eyes and see kindness there. Something deep inside “I'm Josie,” | finally say, taking his outstretched hand and shaking it. His eyes flash blue, a nd his eyes go wide as a jolt of fear flows through right before everything goes black.