Emery felt a strand of hair on her face and quickly brushed it behind her ear, letting out another sigh. She had managed to finish her history homework and was now bored with nothing to do. She didn’t have a phone or technology like most of the other students – not being able to afford one – so she was left with only books to read. Not that books bothered her. In fact, reading was one of her favorite hobbies. She considered herself a geek at heart; ever since she was young, she would be found in her closet at home with her head buried in a book.

She heard the door to the boys’ dorm open and paid no mind to it, assuming another boy was making his way out on the campus. With her remote viewing, however, she sensed the presence walk closer to her till it reached the backside of the couch she sat upon. Confused, thinking she did something wrong, she was pleasantly surprised to see Ty’s face grinning down when she turned her head.

“Isn’t this answer wrong?” he asked, reaching beside her to point at her notebook.

“Huh?!” Turning back to read her notebook, she scanned her answer profusely while feeling instantly embarrassed. She got something wrong? Not that it was unheard of, but it didn’t happen often, much less called out on by someone else. When he laughed and admitted to joking around, she instantly let out a sigh of relief. That was a close one. “Don’t scare me like that,” she joked back, letting out a small laugh of her own. Deciding to pack her things, she quickly placed her notebook, textbook, and pencil all in her bookbag before zipping it up, placing the bag over her shoulders and hopping up from the couch.

She reached her arms up in the air, stretching, before placing them back to her sides and turning to face Ty. “I’ve been sitting on that couch for too long,” she admitted awkwardly, scratching her cheek. Ty asked how her day was while he unlocked the door to the boys’ dorms, and Emery followed him into the hallway as she thought to herself quietly.

“Hmm. It was normal. Nothing exciting happened, but I managed to finish most of my homework in class, so that’s good. How about you?” As they walked down the hallway, Emery expected to be led to one of the bottom-floor rooms only to watch Ty reach the stairs. Confused, she tilted her head and decided to ask, “What floor is your room on?” She didn’t want to be caught walking around the boys’ dorms. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble over something minor like that. She secretly hoped his room wasn’t too far. Maybe the second floor?

Emery was genuinely surprised they hadn’t run into any other boys on their way through the dorms. Where was everyone? Probably in their dorms or out on campus, she thought to herself. That was good. At least the two wouldn’t get caught sneaking around.

While the two walked, she listened to Ty mention his kendo practice, casually talking about getting beat up and doing the same to others. Emery let out a startled “Huh?!” for the second time that day. “You got hurt? Is it more bruises? Do you need me to take you to the nurse’s office? Or perhaps get some aspirin? I have some in my bag.” Without waiting for a reply, she reached behind her shoulder and grabbed her bookbag, unzipping the top to shuffle around its contents and pull out a bottle of aspirin. She held it out and shook it as if proving its authenticity.

His next words startled her even more as he told her he lived on the top floor of the dorms. Emery wondered at that point what kind of family he had, but felt it was too rude to ask at that point in time. Mind your own business, as her mother would say. Still, her curiosity was peaked. After all, she would never be able to afford the top dorms herself. Her small-knit family had always struggled, barely getting by with the skin of their backs. She decided to not comment on the matter at hand, though, her fear of possibly upsetting Ty too great.

Maybe his family is related to someone important, she thought to herself. Of course, he had mentioned living with his grandfather and no one else. Did he have parents? It was also too early to ask such personal questions like that. She shook her head at the thought, scolding herself for even thinking such a thing.

Once they finally reached the top floor, Ty led her to a door and opened it, holding the door open for her to enter first. Smiling and giving a small nod of thanks, she walked past him and gasped, holding a hand up to her mouth.

This definitely didn’t look like a dorm.

The living room, itself, was larger than her dorm. It was wide-spaced and open, with a kitchen being easily spotted over a counter on the other side of the room. She stopped to stare in awe; she’d never seen a room like this before. The furnishings were modern and new, so much so that she didn’t want to sit on them. Everything was beautiful.

Ty called it his humble abode, but there was nothing humble about it. It was certainly extravagant. Emery turned to look at him, who was sitting on the couch by this point, with wide eyes. “It’s amazing,” she breathed. “Your grandfather must want the best for you. That must be nice.” Emery smiled in his direction, looking around and spotting a nearby table. “Is it alright if I place my bookbag down?” she asked, walking over to the table and pointing.

Emery stood there, waiting for a reply. What she got surprised her: Ty laughing before proceeding to walk over and give her a light pat on the head. It was something a parent would do to their child. She puffed her cheeks out, embarrassed, feeling her face flush. That certainly wasn’t the reaction she had been expecting, but he nonetheless welcomed her to his home. And so, with his permission, she took her bookbag off her shoulder and placed it on the table.

Ty proceeded to head in his kitchen and offer her a glass of water, something she thanked him for and took a sip of as soon as it was handed to her. When he went to sit back down on the couch, she froze by the door. Should she sit down, too? Where should she sit? Would it be rude if she didn’t? Ultimately agreeing it would be rude if she didn’t sit, Emery walked over and took a seat beside Ty on the couch, feeling like it was similar to their seating arrangements on the rooftop when they first met. She smiled at the thought.

When Ty mentioned his relation to the emperor of Japan, Emery nearly choked on her drink. Does that make him royalty? Everything she was learning led her to believe more so that she didn’t deserve to be around him. But he spoke further, explaining how that didn’t change how she needed to act. She tilted her head, confused. So he wanted her to act normally? If that’s how he wanted it, she would do just that. Despite her initial nervousness, the people-pleaser in her told her to follow what she was told to do.

“Okay then,” she finally replied. “No more tip toeing. Thank you for telling me about your family.” Emery’s words were sincere. She was happy he trusted her with this knowledge about his family, and she was also sure he’d have trust issues over who he chose to share this information with. It was to be expected, and something she could completely understand. She, herself, was reluctant to talk about her family.

But since he shared his story, it was only fair to share hers. “Since you told me about your family, let me tell you a bit about mine,” Emery responded. “I was raised by my mother till my late teens. I never knew my father, but I like to imagine he was a good man. My mother passed away a few years ago, and my aunt took care of me after that. Then this year, I received a letter from Aurora Academy inviting me to enroll. They must’ve discovered my abilities, but I’m not sure how. I’m a very private person about them, but they must have scouts. Anyway, that’s how I ended up here.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “Before I forget, I never mentioned my abilities. I have two – I can manipulate fires and sense a person’s presence without seeing them.” She grinned. “This means you can never sneak up on me!”

“Anyway, that’s my story,” Emery ended, smiling thoughtfully. She avoided any details of her dark past, but the fact that he willed her to share a part of herself was an improvement on its own. She felt excited. Happy. Genuinely, truly happy.

Glancing around, she noticed a TV stand with a game console sticking out, pointing to the contraption and asking aloud, “Is that a game system? I’ve never played one before.”

Emery was surprised to find herself talking so much. It felt so natural, despite the fact that she usually apologizes for talking too much. It didn’t change the fact, however, that Ty was simply easy to talk to. He made eye contact and listened while she went on about herself, looking interested and eager to learn more about her. It was strange. She wasn’t used to being the focal point of attention, let alone someone wanting to learn about her and her history. It was a nice change of pace.

Still, she didn’t think she could continue talking about herself. Any more words and she might reveal details she didn’t want to discuss, and so her voice came to an end. Emery was surprised to hear Ty’s first comment about her story being an apology for her life. He hadn’t even heard the worst of it, yet he looked on at her with empathetic eyes. She shook her head at his words. “No need to apologize. I’ve had a decent life. It could always be worse,” she responded. Emery was the type that looked at a glass half-full, always wanting to make the most of any situation.

When he mentioned that her abilities “sound really cool,” she felt herself blush slightly. It was a strange compliment to receive. Emery had never had someone tell her those words about her abilities, but then again few people knew about them – even at the school. Even her closest friend only knew about her pyrokinesis, not so much her remote viewing. She was glad, however, that she finally did the research years ago to put names to these gifts. It was frustrating when she first learned about them and didn’t know what to call them.

After she pointed out the game console, Ty began to suggest to play before his stomach let out a low rumble. One look at his expression and Emery couldn’t help herself: she let out a soft laugh, her voice ringing through the empty dorm. It was cute the way he looked embarrassed about it, but she would never say that aloud. He made a joke about having dinner first before he beats her in a game, and she couldn’t help but smile at his playfulness. “You’ll have to go easy on me. I’ve never played a videogame before,” she admitted.

Ty proceeded to tell her about dinner he wanted to prepare – takoyaki, a special octopus dish. Emery had never heard of it before, assuming by the name it was Japanese. They really did have an interesting culture. As he went on to talk about the dish, Emery felt her own stomach growl in excitement. “It sounds good. I’ve never had octopus before,” she replied. Standing up and following Ty into the kitchen, she looked around while he asked her if she would help cut some food. Nodding her head, Emery asked aloud, “What would you like me to cut?”

She didn’t want to admit she was a terrible cook – that would be far too embarrassing at this point. Instead, she told herself she’d try her best to impress Ty. What was the worst that could happen?

“I don’t really know how to go easy. But I shall try.”

Emery paled at Ty’s words. If he didn’t go easy on her during their gaming match, she’d surely lose. Not that she minded losing – in fact, it might be better that way. She didn’t want to possibly make Ty upset if she won. She didn’t know him well enough to know if he was a sore loser or not. When it came to games, she knew people really got invested in winning. The last thing she wanted to do was start a conflict, but she felt torn. On one hand she wanted to play and try something new, but on the other she was worried about what it would lead to. Games and sports had the tendency to sometimes bring out violence or loud reactions.

Ty seemed laidback, though. She was sure she had nothing to worry about. Nodding this thought to herself, she watched as he began preparing their food, impressed with how quickly he made his way around the kitchen. It seemed second-nature to him, while it was completely foreign to her. Emery’s mother insisted on being the cook of their household, so she never got the chance to try cooking, herself, when she was younger. As she grew older and her mother left her to fend for herself on occasion, she would make simple meals that didn’t require much prep. It was easier for her, considering she was an amateur.

When Ty placed out the onions and ginger, asking her to dice them up, she tilted her head in confusion. Emery wasn’t used to cutting things, and knives made her nervous, but this was for cooking so she took a deep breath and nodded her head. She noticed she wasn’t nearly as fast at cutting as Ty was, taking her time to slowly chop the ingredients one after another.

Chop. Pause. Chop. Pause. Chop. Pause.

This continued on as the two were temporarily engulfed in silence, Emery not minding it at all. She was used to silence, and in a way it was comforting to her. Besides, the silence made it easier to focus on chopping the onions and ginger.

The silence didn’t last long, however, when she heard Ty’s voice pipe up, discussing his passion for cooking. She smiled knowingly. He didn’t have to say anything – she could tell by watching him work, knowing exactly what he was doing, that he knew how to cook well. It made her all the more eager to taste the meal being prepared. He asked her what her favorite foods were, and she tilted her head while she chopped carefully, thinking to herself.

“I suppose if I had to choose, it would be seafood,” she answered after awhile. “Fish, salmon, shrimp – I’ll eat anything from the sea. That’s why I’m looking forward to trying octopus.” When she was done chopping the onions and ginger, Emery backed up and stood to the side of the kitchen, watching Ty continue his cooking with fascinated eyes. It was adorable how much he focused on preparing their meal, the silence between them comforting and proving his concentration on cooking.

Once he finished, Emery clapped her hands excitedly. “Time to eat!” she exclaimed, following Ty back into the living room and sitting on the couch once more. She took a fork from him and waited for the plates to be placed in front of her before trying her first bite, chewing the cooked octopus thoroughly with a thoughtful expression on her features. Finally swallowing, she turned to Ty with a smile across her face. “It’s perfect! You should cook more often for me,” she joked, turning back to eat more of the takoyaki.

Emery was surprised at the comment Ty made on her perfect cutting. While she did consider herself to be a perfectionist, food certainly wasn’t her specialty. Not by a long shot. Although she was careful while she cut the onions and ginger, wanting to make sure she didn’t mess anything up. She was just grateful she didn’t cut herself on accident.

As she finished her last few bites, she let out a soft sigh signaling she was full of food, rubbing her belly. Ty proceeded to pick up her plate, and Emery let out a small “Thank you” as he walked away. She was surprised how clean he was, picking up the plates immediately after they finished. Even his dorm – or rather, apartment-looking space – was clean with hardly a spec of dust in sight. Of course she had yet to see the bedroom; that could look entirely different than the front part of the dorm.

Emery immediately blushed, shaking her head to rid of any stray thoughts. Why would she be in Ty’s bedroom? There was no reason for her to even consider that. It was his personal space, and she wasn’t the invading type. The only other reason she’d be in there was if they were romantically involved –

AH! Stop thinking that, Emery!

Now she was embarrassed, her face flushed completely red. She hoped Ty wouldn’t notice. Shaking her head once more, she turned her attention back to the game, surprised that they had to sit down on the floor. But she did as she was instructed, sitting down carefully beside Ty and taking the controller handed to her. There were so many buttons! How was she supposed to play? Thankfully he gave her a quick rundown on how to operate the controls, and since it was an old system it was apparently easier to handle than the newer models.

“Let’s make things interesting,” she spoke as he started up the game. “Whoever wins has to give the other a favor. Like for instance…” Emery trailed off, trying to decide what she wanted. Ultimately coming up with something involving his help, she replied, “If I win, you have to help me with my math homework. Sound fair?” Of course if he didn’t like betting, she would back down. Emery was never the forceful type, after all.