Chapter 2: Never Alone

Kadysha stood nervously before the gate of the enormous college. She was on her own now. Jacey had gone off to Red Fountain. Kadysha wished he could've walked her inside, but he would've been late for his school's orientation. Kadysha had been certain she was ready, but she was having second thoughts again. What if she wasn't as good as she thought? What if she didn't fit in?

She thought back to when she and Jacey exited their flight. He kissed her forehead and embraced her for a few minutes. Kadysha wished he could've held her forever. Nothing felt better than being in Jacey's arms. When he let her go, he gently held her shoulders and spoke softly to her. Jacey always lowered his voice when he knew Kadysha was nervous, as it helped to calm her.

"Now, listen," he told her. "You're going to have a good day. You're going to be alright. But if you feel overwhelmed or too anxious, check your text messages."

"Why?" she asked.

"Just check them," he answered. Kadysha smiled, and they kissed each other before finally going their separate ways. For that moment, Kadysha relaxed.

"My texts!" Kadysha suddenly cried as she snapped out of her thoughts. Remembering Jacey's words, she pulled out her cell phone and checked her text messages. Indeed, there was one from Jacey, sent just five minutes ago.

"You'll be scared for the first few days, but you will shine for the last. Smile, be sweet, and sparkle like only you can. Now, go ahead, lovely."

A smile grew across Kadysha's face as she finally relaxed herself. She allowed those words to sink in and slowly walked through Alfea's gate. She joined the quickly moving line of students. The teacher checking names looked intimidating, but since the line was moving at a decent speed, she tried to ignore it.

"Your name?" Kadysha was asked when it was finally her turn.

"Kadysha."

"Hmmm. Spell it."

Kadysha was a little taken aback by the teacher's tone, but keep her cool and answered the request.

"K-A-D-Y-S-H-A," she spelled out. "I apologize. It's not pronounced how it's spelled."

"Clearly," the teacher retorted in the same frightening tone. "Ah, is this you? Kadysha, princess of Lovaria?"

"Yes, ma'am, that's me," Kadysha confirmed.

For a moment, the teacher cracked a smile. "Hmm," she snickered. "I guess I should've known with that hairstyle. Go ahead. Next!"

Kadysha walked ahead, a little confused, but appreciative at what she interpreted as a compliment. The crowd of students was larger than Kadysha realized. She wondered how many of the students were princesses like her. Not that it really mattered. From what Kadysha read about Alfea, all students were treated the same, regardless of their status. She also took notice of how a lot of the students were in groups and talking amongst themselves. She sighed. "I hope I'm able to make some friends," she muttered to herself.

A desire for friends was a little ironic since Kadysha preferred to spend time by herself, but then again, being an introvert didn't mean she was an island. She merely wasn't as energetic as most people when it came to being social. She and Jacey spent quite a few of their dates with her falling asleep from listening to Jacey talk. Sometimes, he did it on purpose solely to have an excuse for holding Kadysha close. Of course, Kadysha didn't exactly mind.

Thinking about Jacey made Kadysha feel a lot better. She wondered how he was doing, though knowing him, he's not having much trouble settling in.

Finally, all of the students were gathered and the orientation could begin. An elder woman, re who Kadysha correctly guessed was the headmistress, walked into the center of the crowd.

"Young ladies," the headmistress began. "My name is Miss Faragonda, and I want to welcome each and every one of you to Alfea College. Today, you start your journey to becoming guardian fairies of your realms."

"Guardian fairies," Kadysha repeated to herself. She learned about guardian fairies in school on Lovaria. They were the most powerful fairies of their respective realm, and held in high regard amongst their realm's inhabitants.

"You must always work hard and be at your best," Miss Faragonda continued, as she led the large group indoors. "I believe in each and every one of you. Now, this will be your home for the next five years. While we are always happy to help you in any way we can, we expect you to follow the rules, which Griselda, our head of discipline, will explain now."

The woman who'd been checking the students' names stepped forward and stood next to the headmistress. A tiny chill ran up Kadysha's spine. "Head of discipline" was a fitting title for someone as intimidating as she appeared.

"The first rule is to follow these rules at all times," Griselda explained. "We have no trouble executing punishment to anyone who chooses to disobey. The second rule is no unauthorized magic. Several years ago, we had a severe accident with a student who did not follow this rule. The damage was repaired, but let's not have it happen again. The third and final rule is to stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower. If you break that rule, consider yourself lucky if you make it back unscathed."

Miss Faragonda took over once again. "Now, young ladies, please head to your dorms and settle yourselves in. Today is yours, but classes begin at eight o'clock sharp. Breakfast will be served at seven. You do not have to attend breakfast, but we recommend you do."

As the students went off in every direction, Kadysha looked around, not sure of where she should go. However, before she could wander off, she heard a voice behind her.

"Excuse me, dear?" Miss Faragonda said kindly.

"Yes?" Kadysha answered meekly.

"You are Kadysha, princess of Lovaria. Am I correct?"

"Yes," Kadysha confirmed.

Miss Faragonda smiled warmly. "Don't be nervous, dear, but I need to see you for a moment. Follow me."

Kadysha followed as Griselda and Faragonda led her to the head office, wondering what she could be possibly needed to be seen for. She wanted to check her text messages to see if Jacey had sent another, but it would've been rude and she did not want to get on anyone's bad side during her first day. Especially not Griselda's.

Griselda held the door open for Faragonda and Kadysha to pass through, a gesture both thanked her for. Kadysha stood in the office anxiously, but Griselda told her to have a seat. Kadysha noticed her tone was a little less harsh now. She even offered her a cup of tea to relax her nerves.

"Now, dear, it seems there is a little trouble with your tuition," Faragonda began to explain. "It was paid in full, but it seems it was withdrawn at the last minute. Would you know about that?"

Kadysha didn't know for certain, but she had an idea. "My parents may have done that," she said softly.

"Don't worry," Griselda told her. "You aren't the first student we've had parental troubles with."

"But do you know why your parents would withdraw the payment?" Faragonda asked.

"It's...kind of a long story," Kadysha replied sadly. "And I really didn't know they had."

"We are listening," Faragonda said. "Tell us."

Kadysha really didn't want to talk about her parents, but since her education and enrollment were at stake, she didn't have a choice. She took a sip of her tea and began her story.

"My parents longed to have a son and they did, but I came first. They never minded me much because they longed so much for a son. My brother was born when I was nine years old and they doted endlessly on him while not paying me much of any mind. They may not even know I'm here. Right before I left, I heard them speaking about giving the kingdom to my brother instead of me."

"If you are their firstborn child, that is an illegal act," Griselda stated. "You must willingly give it to your brother."

"I know," Kadysha replied. "But I left before they had a chance to confront me. I left them a letter. My guess is they're angry and withdrew the payment as punishment. But truthfully, I have no idea. It's only a guess."

"Well, dear, it would be unfair of you to miss out because your parents are resentful of you," Faragonda stated. "I checked your records on Lovaria, and it seems you were a wonderful student. You have no disciplinary record. Therefore, a special exception will be made for you."

"An...exception?" Kadysha wondered.

"Yes," Faragonda answered. "You will be placed on scholarship for each of your years. However, you must keep your academic scores high. If you do not, you will be kicked off and expelled for poor performance. Do you understand?"

"Yes! Th-thank you!" Kadysha almost couldn't believe what she'd heard.

"Now that that's taken care of, go get settled in your room, dear," Faragonda said.

"And take the tea with you," Griselda added. "We have plenty more cups. You ought to finish that."

With that, Kadysha exited the office. Once outside, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. She feared the worst. At the same time, she couldn't believe her parents were that resentful of her. It wasn't her fault she was born female.

While she searched for her room, Kadysha took the opportunity to check her messages. Sure enough, there was another one from Jacey, sent about ten minutes after the first one.

"At night, the stars will shine, but their beauty won't compare to the ones on your head. Make yourself comfortable. You know I won't sleep until I know my angel can."

Kadysha's face lit up. Where Jacey got his knack for getting smiles out of Kadysha, she'd never know, but she didn't care to.

Luckily, Kadysha didn't take long to find her dormitory. Inside were four bedrooms, the last of which only had one name while the other three had two. The single one belonged to Kadysha, and it was a pleasant surprise. While it may have sounded selfish, she would've been upset if she had to share rooms with someone. Kadysha needed to be alone at the end of the day to relax and recharge. Plus, it just made her feel better.

Before entering her bedroom, she glanced at the other doors. The first sported the names Amelia and Sophia, the second sported the names Emily and Chrissy, and the third sported the names Melanie and Jasmine. Kadysha wondered what her dorm mates were like and, for a second, considered knocking to introduce herself, but decided it'd be rude to bother them. Besides, they may not even be inside.

Kadysha stood outside her bedroom for a few more moments. She didn't hear anything. Surely, one peek couldn't hurt? Granted, she wouldn't be happy if someone peeked into her room, but it wasn't really harmful, was it?

Slowly, she tiptoed up to the third door, the one closest to hers, and peeked inside. She could see Jasmine lived up to her name, as one of the bed had many flower pots of jasmine flowers and white lilies sitting across it. The room itself, however, was rather messy. Empty suitcases, clothes, and what appeared to be posters were strewn all across the floor. The other bed was neatly made and empty, however. Another glance at the bed of flower pots made Kadysha noticed they were aligned in straight rows. "Guess they were in a hurry to unpack, but she didn't want to ruin the flowers," Kadysha thought.

After a quick glance at the entrance to the dormitory to ensure no one was coming, Kadysha went over to the second door for a peek. This room was much cleaner. No suitcases or clothing were to be seen. What Kadysha could see was a bookcase filled with books, DVDs, and music CDs. There was also a toy box on one side of the bookcase, although Kadysha couldn't see inside of it because the lid was closed. Atop the toy box sat a large, clear, plastic bag filled to the top with colored, wooden blocks. On the other side of the bookcase a costume chest, which Kadysha assumed had been played with because a few sleeves were spilling out, although the chest itself was closed.

"Messy dorm mates, child-like dorm mates," Kadysha muttered to herself in amusement. "Let's see what Amelia and Sophia are like."

Before she could get to the third door, however, Kadysha heard talking. As it became louder, she realized the other girls were coming, and hurried into her own bedroom, shutting the door behind her. A second later, her suspicions were proven correct, as she looked through her door's window and saw six girls enter the dormitory. They plopped themselves onto the couches as they continued on with their conversation. Kadysha had no idea what they were talking about, but judging by their volume, it was something exciting. Of course, she didn't really care. She was simply relieved she hadn't gotten caught.

Wanting to remain inconspicuous, Kadysha slipped off her heels. She sat by her window sill and stared thoughtfully out the window. She couldn't get over the news she'd gotten from the headmistress. It was bad enough her parents didn't love her solely because she was female, but to be so angry that they'd try to ruin her education? Did they hate her that much? Was having a daughter that bad? Kadysha wasn't sure if she ever wanted children or not, but if she chose to be a mother, she'd never resent her child for such a petty reason. Disappointment may have been understandable, but resentment or outright hatred? Kadysha couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Then, she thought about Ryan. He was the favorite, but was that really a good thing? Ryan was forbidden to venture outside the palace because their parents feared him being corrupted or such. That's what Kadysha learned from the palace guards anyway. Kadysha had been going outside the palace since she became able to walk on her own, and the only "corruption" she got was from her parents. They may have provided the basics, but it was really nannies who raised her.

Thinking about her life on Lovaria made Kadysha's eyes begin to water, so she tried to direct her thoughts to something else. She wasn't sure why she thought so much about it, but she wished she wouldn't. What was the point?

"Maybe a little nap will help," she mumbled. She peeked through her bedroom door again. Her dorm mates were still talking amongst each other on the couches, although their volume had lowered. She could barely hear them now. With the noise level down, Kadysha lied on her bed and quickly fell asleep over the covers.

Meanwhile, Jacey had settled in comfortably and, unlike Kadysha, did have a roommate. They had just finished fixing up their room, and Jacey was sending another text to Kadysha.

"Dude, why don't you just call her?" his roommate, Emmett, asked. "Then, you can have a real conversation instead of textin' her every twenty minutes or whatever, you know."

"We're not having a conversation," Jacey told him. "I'm sending her a little something to help her feel better. She gets anxious."

"So? It's the first day. Everybody anxious, yo," Emmett told him.

"Yes, but Kadysha's going through something right now," Jacey explained. "I want her to know I'm here for her."

"Ugh!" Emmett scoffed. "I'm glad my girl doesn't need that lovey-dovey bullsh---"

"HEY!" Jacey'd had enough now. "I don't need your opinions on my girlfriend's troubles, alright?! If I want your opinion, I'll ask for it. Otherwise, keep it to yourself! Got it?"

"Okay, okay," Emmett said. "Don't have a freakin' heart attack, dude. I'm goin' out."

Emmett left the room, leaving Jacey feeling rather annoyed by his callousness. Still, it was nothing he couldn't deal with, and Kadysha was more important anyway. Although, he certainly hoped Kadysha had a better roommate than he'd gotten.

When Kadysha awoke from her nap, she was greeted with a view of the night sky from her window. She'd slept longer than she intended, but she hadn't slept too late, as announcement over the PA system for dinner soon told her. Kadysha wasn't really sure she wanted dinner anyway.

She pulled out her cell phone to see if Jacey had sent her any more messages. She had four waiting, and they all were similar to the previous ones she'd gotten. Normally, Kadysha preferred texting over calling, but she decided to give Jacey a call to thank him for helping her. Those little messages meant a lot.

"Hi, sweetie!" she greeted him when he picked up. "Thank you for the messages. They really were helpful and made me feel better."

"I'm glad, Kaydee," he replied. "You sound a little sleepy. Long day?"

"Not really. I just woke up from a nap. It's dinner time, but I'm not hungry."

"Kaydee..."

Kadysha knew that tone. Jacey spoke in that tone whenever Kadysha might be doing something she knew was bad. "It's fine, Jacey," she tried to assure him. "I'll eat tomorrow. I promise, okay?"

Jacey wasn't feeling reassured by that promise, but he couldn't exactly do anything, so he took her word for it and changed the subject. "How's your roommate?" he asked. "Mine is a judgmental loudmouth."

"Sounds bad," Kadysha remarked. "I don't have a roommate, but my dorm mates seem to be the talkative type. All six of them. They were so loud, I could hear them through the closed door for a while. By the way, guess what I found out from the headmistress."

"By the change in your tone, I'm going to assume it's not good," Jacey said.

"Half and half," Kadysha told him. "You know my parents resent me for being a daughter instead of a son, but I learned today that they withdrew the payment for my tuition."

"WHAT?!?!" Jacey's scream landed against Kadysha's eardrum as if someone had slammed her body into the wall. "Sorry, Kaydee. I didn't meant to scare you. But did they really do that?"

"Yes," Kadysha answered. "At the last minute too. I can stay. The headmistress said I'll be placed on scholarship for all five years because I have a great academic record on Lovaria. As long as I keep my grades high, I won't have to worry."

"That's awesome!" Jacey exclaimed. "But your parents are terrible. Trying to ruin your education like that is cruel. Look on the bright side, though. You don't have to rely on them for anything anymore."

"It still makes me kind of sad, though," she confessed. "I don't have a family anymore."

"If that's family, you don't need them," Jacey bluntly told her. "You have every right and reason to feel sad and be hurt, but you really are better off without them. Family should be who you share love with, not genetic material."

Once again, Jacey pulled a smile out of Kadysha. She already knew what he said was true, but it felt great to hear it. They chatted for a few more minutes before finally saying good night and hanging up their phones. It was then Kadysha realized she still had yet to unpack. She laughed a bit and shook at her head at her own carelessness. Maybe it had been a long day.