3.

  Cole, Benny, and Gregor put in to request a get a room together. Two bunk beds and with being at the end of the hall no forth member to worry about. Though the room was small, the lack of a fourth dorm mate gave the boys plenty of room to breathe.

  The first thing Benny did was reach into his bag and pull out a poster to hang, It was an image of the band Blondie, a vintage print from nineteen seventy-eight.

  “Who’s that?” Gregor asked.

  Benny smiled as he tacked the poster up, “That is the first lady of seventies rock, Debbie Harry, better known as Blondie, though that’s actually the name of the band, not the singer,” Benny got the poster hung, “But she’ll always be Blondie to me,” he smiled.

  “You know, she’s got to be like seventy now, right?” Cole said.

  Benny’s grin grew wider, “Not in this picture,” he said, “What do you think Greg?” he asked.

  “Good bone structure, a unique shade of blonde, quite fetching eyes, yes I don’t think I would mind waking up to this one bit,” Gregor said.

  Benny reached into his bag, pulling out a block of wood with a needle and speaker on it, “I got a turn table, and my parents are shipping my record collection, it should arrive in a few days, say what you will about convenience, but an iPod has nothing on vinyl,”

  Cole laughed, “My family has been following traditions literally thousands of years old and even we don’t still use turntables,” he said.

  “Oh man,” Benny said, “Trust me, once you hear vinyl, you’ll never be able to go back, this is where it’s at,” Benny said, tapping his turn table, “I got Blondie, Hart, Madonna, Bowie, Bengals, Tiffany, Styx, Zeppelin, can’t beat it, I’m going to make a soundtrack for the year, just you wait,” Benny said.

  “Do try to keep the music down during study time,” Gregor said, “Though it would be fun to cut loose once in a while, I think your musical addition to our studies could prove to be a great stress reliever, I welcome it,” he said, “Though do you have any of the classics?” he asked.

  “Classics, I just listed literally all of the classics,” Benny said.

  “I’m sorry, I meant the classic classics,” Gregor said.

  “Oh, yeah, Beatles. Of course, I got the holy trinity, White Album, Sergeant pepper, Abby Road,” Benny said.

  “What about Beethoven, Mozart, Handle, Vivaldi? If you could acquire their samples, I think it would be very pleasing music to study too,” Gregor said.

  “I think we got some of the oldies, the old oldies, I’ll ask my parents to send me some in my next care package,” Benny said, “That might really come in handy, they say the oldies like that are good for concentrating, stimulate your brain and stuff, yeah, I can get some classical. What do you think Cole?” Benny asked.

  “I’m down for whatever,” Cole said, “Party to Blondie, or study to Beethoven, some music is going to be nice either way,” he said.

  “I notice our dorms are pretty close to the girls, how does the academy regulate that?” Benny asked, “Like what’s allowed and what’s a no-go?” he asked.

  Gregor finished unpacking and turned to Benny, “Well of course Boys are not allowed in the girl's dormitories without express permission, and there’s a small hallway from the common room that consecrates the no-go zone as it were,” Gregor said.

  “But can girls come here? You know, we’re dancing in the common room, I take her back to show her some of my records, what’s the rule for that?” Benny asked.

  “Are we going to have to come up with a system?” Cole asked, “I mean, you guys are my friends so I’m cool sleeping in the common room if duty calls,” he said.

  “Such actions are frowned upon, for both the ladies and gentlemen attending the academy,” Gregor smiled, “Though that said the professors don’t have eyes everywhere, if certain actions take place in the night, it’s actually a bit easier to get away with them then you would think,” Gregor looked to Benny and Cole, “Shall we have a gentleman’s agreement concerning such things if one of us were to have a lady caller?”

  “I’m in,” Benny said, “Who was that one blond girl, she looked like she knew everyone,” Benny said.

  “You got your eyes on her, good luck,” Cole laughed, “You’re probably talking about Angelica, careful with that one, she’s half angel,” Cole said, “I doubt she would sully her reputation with a reprobate like one of us,” he said as he finished unpacking.

  “Really? Cause she seemed to be all over you, hell I noticed damn near every girl in this school was eying you up, you got a reputation man, you better use it,” Benny said.

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  “Trust me, the last thing I want a girl to notice about me is my reputation,” Cole said, then shook his head, “What am I even saying, I don’t have a reputation, I’m not a hunter, not yet at least. I just got my family behind me,” he sighed, “If I could I’d trade places with you,” he looked to Benny, “I wish I was a first generation, wish I didn’t have so much to live up too,” he shook his head.

  “I’m not as lucky as you think, I remember my mom, before the bad years, she loved Blondie,” he looked up at the poster, “This girl got me through a lot of hard times,” Benny said, smiling. “I remember, my mom screaming about hell and demons and devils, she screamed every night, the Hunters were trying to hold her down, and all I could do was go to my room and put my Vinyl on, and just lean back with my headphones and try to drown it out,” he said, sighing, collecting himself, and putting that smile back on his face, “Let’s get back to talking about girls, I met this banging red head, natural curls, she was fine,” he said, turning back to Gregor and Cole.

  ***

  Tav brought her bag into the room and set herself up on the left bed. For the first time in her life, she prayed that she was an odd one out and would be left at the end of the line without a roommate. Those hopes were dashed though when she heard that shrill fake voice complimenting and thanking a pair of boys for carrying several bags inside.

  Angelica entered followed by two eager young men “Just put them over by the bed,” she said. The two boys did as the angel commanded and smiled as she reached out and put a hand on each of their shoulders, “Thank you oh so much, maybe we’ll see each other in class, as a representative of the Divine I know talent when I see it, I’ll be sure to enlist your services once we start hunting,” she smiled, “Now if you would excuse me, It would be improper for a lady to ask you, boys, to go through her things,”

  The boys nodded and left her, Angelica turned and the smug satisfied smile on her face pursed a bit when she saw who her roommate would be.

  “Oh, are you sure you’re in the right room,” she laughed, “You’re probably supposed to be in one of the smaller dorms,” she said.

  “Believe it or not, you’re not the only girl here with a rich family,” Tav said, mocking her.

  “Oh, well, I suppose we can make this work,” Angelica said, “Just know that this is my room too, so please try not to bring any guys here at night, that would be very improper,” Angelica said, “I know that a girl like-” she gave Tav a once over, “A girl like you, probably has many boys of ill repute calling her, but do know that as an Angel that makes my living quarters a sacrosanct place, I don’t need it being sullied by…your kind,” she said.

  “You don’t need to worry about me bringing a boy here, you’re probably going to be in one of their dorms If I do, you seem very popular, you must have a pretty busy social schedule,” Tav said.

  “Do not call into question my divine purity, I know you probably weren’t expecting to be roomed with an Angel, but there are certain standards that I have to live up to, and if you’re going to live in my room-”

  “It’s our room,” Tav said, voice flat.

  Angelica sighed, “If we’re going to live in a room together, you must understand that you have certain responsibilities, you’re actually quite blessed, being my dormmate,” Angelica perked back up and put that fake smile back on her face, “You know I could help you right? I mean, if you gave me some time with you, I could help you shake the image your family carries, I know you’re embarrassed by it, and I would be too. Not that I know anything about being embarrassed by my family, I am an angel after all,” she said.

  “I’ve known you for maybe one day, and I’ve heard you say that at least a dozen times, you’re going to make people sick of it,” Tav said.

  “All I want to do is help you, I know that you might have some difficulty fitting in. After all, if what people are saying about your father is true-”

  Tav snapped, “Say another word about my father,” she threatened.

  Angelica shut her mouth, paused, and remembered her duty in this world, “I was just hoping to help you, you don’t need to be so difficult,” Angelica turned to her bags and began to unpack.

  “How are you going to help me?” Tav asked, “What do you want to do? You want to give me a makeover, maybe get our hair done together? I don’t want to be your friend, your gal pal, your BFF, or anything, we’re just roommates, we just have to make this work for six months and hopefully, we can part ways and not have to deal with each other, Don’t think you’re the only one disappointed by the sleeping arrangements,” she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

  “Don’t you see?” Angelica said, “That’s exactly the kind of attitude that’s going to lead to you not having any friends. You see, as an angel-”

  “I know you’re an angel, everyone does, give it a rest” Tav rolled her eyes.

  “As an Angel,” Angelica collected herself, took a deep breath “I am meant to love all the creatures of this earth, and I’m meant to help them, I just want to help you, you don’t have to be so difficult,” she said.

  “I don’t want your help, and I definitely don’t want your divine blessing,” Tav said, looking at Angelica, staring daggers, “I’m here for my reasons, and you're here for yours, which seem to be nothing more than spreading all that bull the Angels say they fight for,”

  “The Angels fight for good and love, and purity, and the Divine blessing of the above, we fight to make this world a better place,” Angelica said, she was getting a bit miffed at this, though it was proper for an angel to become angry. Angelica was told by her father and mother that in her holy mission she may have to come across souls that didn’t see a need for saving, didn’t see it yet at least. “That’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m going to fight, why are you?” she scowled as she looked over this angry little girl before her, “Why are you even here?” she asked.

  “I’m here for my reasons, and you’re here for yours, I don’t see any reason those paths need to cross,” Tav held her hand out, and pointed her black painted fingernail down to the ground between their two beds, “As far as I’m concerned,” she drew an invisible line with her finger, “You live over there, and I live over here,” she took a deep breath, and stood tall and proud against the divine girl of angelic birth, “If we can just agree to that now, maybe we can get through the term without having to fight each other,” she said.

  “I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Angelica said, “I hope for your sake, every force that picks a fight with the angels falls before their might,” Angelica looked down, to the invisible line that Tav drew, “I live here, and you live there, sure, agreeable,” she took a deep breath, then smiled her smug smile, “Just know, you always have an open invitation…to my side,” she said.