Chapter 5 Sorry, My Roommate Is Loud

Kathy's POV

The books hit the floor with this awkward scatter and for half a second everything just hung there, me in the doorway.

Then she turned.

A girl by the window spun around fast, like she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't. Short curly hair bouncing with the movement, bright eyes going wide for a beat before she broke into this huge, genuine grin that lit up her whole face.

She had this expressive way about her, like every feeling showed up right there on her features without any filter. Bold outfit too, something with clashing colors and patterns that somehow worked because she wore it with so much energy. Lively, that's the word that popped into my head. Like she carried her own spark of chaos wherever she went.

"Oh crap," she said, already moving, quick and bouncy as she dropped down to scoop up my scattered books. "I didn't mean to scare you. Or well, I guess I kind of did by just being here. Sorry about that."

She straightened up, arms full of my stuff, and stretched one hand out toward me even while juggling the books. Her palm was warm when I took it, the shake firm but friendly, not one of those limp ones that make you wonder if the person even wants to touch you.

"I'm Lina Vale. Your new roommate, apparently. They assigned me this morning. Hope that's cool?"

I blinked, still trying to catch up. The room didn't feel invaded anymore, not with her standing there looking so completely at home and excited about it.

"Kathy," I managed. "Kathy Moonfall."

Her eyes went even wider, mouth dropping open in this dramatic little gasp that somehow didn't feel fake.

"Wait. Like, the Kathy Moonfall? Lady Malia's daughter? No way."

I gave her a small smile, the kind that didn't quite reach my eyes but tried anyway. "Yeah. That one."

She didn't push or stare or make it weird the way some people did back home. Just let out a little laugh and handed my books back, careful like they mattered.

"That's actually kind of awesome. I mean, not that I'm fangirling or anything, but wow. Your mom is basically a legend. The stories they tell in orientation? Wild."

I shrugged and moved past her toward my bed, dropping my bag on the floor with a soft thud. The mattress gave under me as I sat, then flopped back fully, staring up at the ceiling like it might have answers scribbled there.

Lina kept talking the whole time, words tumbling out fast and bright, filling the room without feeling pushy. She was unpacking something on her side while she chattered, telling me about how she got here late because her ride got lost, how the dorm bathrooms were nicer than she expected, how she already signed up for some club that sounded half ridiculous and half fun.

It was nice, actually. Comfortable in a way I hadn't felt since stepping onto campus. Her voice had this rhythm to it, lively energy bouncing off the walls and making the space feel less like a stranger's room and more like somewhere I could maybe breathe. I didn't have to fill every silence. She did that for both of us, and I was grateful.

"...and then the guy at the desk told me the wifi can be spotty during full moons, which is hilarious because, hello, werewolf college? You'd think they'd have that sorted." She laughed at her own joke, bright and unselfconscious.

I found myself smiling up at the ceiling, real this time, small but there. My shoulders loosened a little. The knot from earlier, the one about cousins and sparks and whatever waited in that hallway, eased just enough that I could think around it without everything feeling so sharp.

Lina paused her rambling long enough to flop onto her own bed across the room, propping herself up on one elbow. "So what's your deal, Kathy? First day jitters? Or is it the whole 'being the daughter of legends' thing making everything extra intense?"

I hesitated, fingers tracing the edge of my blanket. "Bit of both, I guess. It's... a lot."

She nodded like she got it, even though she probably didn't, not fully. But her curiosity felt real, not nosy. Like she actually wanted to know the pieces, not just the shiny surface.

"Fair. This place has a way of piling on the weird. I heard someone say the grounds remember things. Sounds spooky, right? But kinda cool too."

We kept talking like that, or mostly she kept talking and I listened, throwing in bits here and there when it felt right. She told me about her classes, how she was terrible at anything involving actual shifting but great at the theory parts, how her family wasn't anyone special but she was determined to figure out what made Mooncrest tick anyway.

Her motivation shone through in the way she said it, this bright-eyed need to uncover whatever hid under the surface. Curiosity drove her, plain and simple. She needed to know what was really going on, and something told me she'd drag answers out of the world if it didn't hand them over willingly.

It felt good, lying there with her voice washing over me. Normal, almost. Like maybe I could have a friend here who saw me as Kathy first, not just the wolfless daughter of Malia Mooncrest.

But even with all that, my mind kept drifting.

Back to the lecture hall. Back to that empty seat beside me and the way Riven had dropped into it without a word. The brush of fingers that wasn't supposed to mean anything but still sent that shiver racing through me. Sharp, different from Zayden's steady warmth. Opposite, almost. Yet both of them stuck in my head now, cousins or not.

I wanted to see him again.

The thought slipped in quiet, catching me off guard. Not Zayden, though he was there too in his own way. Riven. With his distant stare and the hoodie and the way he'd walked away like none of it touched him. Something about that pulled at me, made me wonder what hid behind the quiet intensity. Made me curious in a way that felt dangerous, like poking at a bruise just to see if it still hurt.

Lina was still talking, something about the cafeteria food and how she bet it tasted better when you actually had a wolf to burn off the calories. I laughed softly at the right spot, but my eyes stayed on the ceiling, tracing the faint cracks in the paint.

Yeah. I wanted to see Riven again. Even if I had no idea why. Even if it was probably a terrible idea.

The pull was there anyway, quiet but insistent, mixing with the comfort of Lina's chatter and the strange newness of this room that suddenly didn't feel quite so empty.

The day had started heavy. Now it felt layered, like too many threads twisting together at once. Cousins. Sparks. A roommate who talked like she'd known me for weeks. And somewhere out there on campus, Riven Nightfang doing whatever distant, unreadable thing he did.

I closed my eyes for a second, letting Lina's voice fade into background noise.

Tomorrow would probably bring more of it. More questions. More feelings I couldn't name.

For now though, this was okay.