Ultimately Rhonda decided to go back to her room. It might do better to make sure that nothing was going to happen to her this night. She still had more than enough time to figure out how far on a scale of friends with benefits to soulmates she wanted to go with May. And more importantly, it’d come off as pushy if she called right after getting her number.
Reaching room 666 she was not really surprised to hear shouting coming out of it. Abigail was not only great at leaving a bad first impression, she was also a master of the horrible second impression. And third… fourth... sixteenth… More surprising was the door suddenly being thrown open and Lichi (or Emma) running past her. With a good idea of what happened she looked into her room to see Abigail lounging on her bed casually filing her toe nails.
“What did you do this time?”
“Nothing. Just telling the truth,” Abigail replied, not even bothering to look up.
Rhonda sighed, regretting whatever life choices led to her becoming the designated person to clean up her messes. She turned around and followed Lichi.
Said girl wasn't hard to find. She was huddled under the nearest staircase with her hat lying beside her. Oh~ She has her hair styled into demon horns. That’s adorable– Focus, Rhonda! She sat down beside the younger girl. “Hey, Lichellia, how are you? I heard you’ve gotten to know Abigail a bit better.”
“You can drop the act, you know my name's Emma…”
Ouch, sounds like a 7.5 on the Abi-scale. They really must not get along if she takes out the big guns that fast. “Look, I know Abigail can be difficult–”
“I’d call her a demon, but that’d be an insult to my heritage,” Emma muttered.
“...very difficult to work with, but she's not worth getting upset over.”
“How did you manage to do it?”
“Honestly, I’m sometimes wondering about that myself. I mean, I’ve been dealing with that brat for all my life,” Rhonda recounted. “It got better once Sofia moved into our town. Two-against-one we had a much better chance against her. Plus she taught me many funny curse words for her. You’d be surprised how many Germans have. I think the trick is to just not let her words get to you too much and to have a good friend that has your back. If you want to, I can be that friend for you. We're kinda sitting in the same boat after all.”
Emma was strangely silent for a while, before replying, “She also said you only planned to take advantage of me to feel safer from her…”
With a groan Rhonda hit the wall with her head. “Of course she said that. Look, as I said, don't listen to her! I really want to be friends with you. I don't want you as some kind of bodyguard. I really want to get to know you. I mean, who wouldn't after you made such a unique first impression.”
Emma sniffed and finally looked up at her. “Do you really mean that?”
“Who would you rather trust, the brat who turned you into this mess or the one that ran after you to cheer you up? And to show you that I’m serious in wanting to be your friend, I’m telling you my biggest secret.” Rhonda might regret later what she was about to do, but she saw no other way to gain her roommate’s trust. And she figured she’d have found out sooner or later anyway. “I’m not a witch, I don't have any magic.”
Emma gaped at her. “What? Really? How could you even get into this school.”
“Dumb luck, I guess. I just really wanted to go to the same school as my best friend. She's the only other person here who knows my secret. Well, and Abigail, sadly. We have an agreement that she won't reveal my secret, if we don't rat her out for something she did. She probably wanted to rile you up against me to circumvent that.”
“Wow, you're so interesting,” Emma looked down contemplating. “You know, for most of my life it has been just our family, my mothers and my twelve sisters. The others in the village usually avoided us for some reason.” Rhonda could imagine some reasons, but kept that to herself. “We never had a problem with that, we had each other after all, but a small part of me has always wondered how it’d be to have friends. When I got accepted here, I was so excited. Not only did I accomplish something my 6 older sisters couldn't, I got the chance to perhaps meet some more like-minded people and finally make some friends. And then I blow it by crying on the first day.”
“Everyone has their moments, that's normal. And that's what friends are for, right?,” Rhonda put a hand on Emma’s knee. “Though friendly advice, tone the theatralics done at least a little bit. Just so it's easier to understand you,”
“No, I can't let it stand like that. You came here to cheer me up and even confined your biggest secret to me. If we want to be even, I have to tell you mine!” Emma declared.
“Don't worry, if you want to, I’ll continue telling everyone your mothers are a lich and a dragon.”
Emma tilted her head. “What’re you talking about? That was the truth.”
“Sure…”
“The truth is my sisters and I are actually adopted.”
“Oh, that's cool.”
“Why are you so calm at that?” Emma exclaimed shocked.
“I mean, it's pretty common nowadays, and I’ve seen much crazier stuff. Like how we two are sharing our deepest secrets when we don't even know each other for a full day. Though I have to say, adopting thirteen daughters is something. Did they just go in and adopt a whole orphanage?”
“Yup, my moms are awesome like that. It's actually a really funny story, wanna hear it?”
Rhonda gave Emma a genuine smile. “Enlighten me on your tale, Lichellia Drakensdottir.”
The two spent the following hour sitting under the stairs and telling each other stories from their lives. They also exchanged phone numbers. Rhonda certainly did not expect to get the numbers of two girls even before classes started. Once Lichi felt ready, they made their way back to their room. They were stopped though, as they came across a commotion in the hall that had formed around two arguing girls.
The watchers all took a step back as the girls both pulled out their wands and pointed at each other. Before anyone could react further, they both casted spells and hit each other. Everyone observed with morbid curiosity as a second pair of mounds started forming under the normal breasts of the first girl and grew until they were the same size. At the same time a fox tail sneaked out under the skirt of the other girl. They immediately focused their attention on their new body parts and tried to undo them. With each attempt their counterspells became more frantic, but nothing continued to happened. The realization that their headmaster was not bluffing was fully sinking in for most students present. Ultimately both girls gave up and ran away in shame.
The crowd dispersed, but Rhonda continued standing there. She couldn't help but hug herself as her imagination ran wild. A hand on her shoulder pulled her out of her stupor. “Do not fear! For Lichellia Drakensdottir will ensure the safety of her first friend!” the smaller girl declared while posing dramatically.
What else could Rhonda do but cheer up at Lichi’s declaration. “Of course you will, Lichi.”
With that they resumed the way back to their room to begin their first night in this school.