Hedgesville, West Virginia
Caspian Residence
Wednesday, August 21, 1996
5:55 AM

The insistent nudging woke Jennie from her sleep as she sat up in her bed to find Nick smiling at her. “It’s time for you to get up for school,” he said as Jennie’s eyes widened.
“Oh, yeah,” she mumbled as she looked to her clock. “I had forgotten about that.”
“Your uniform is there,” he said, pointing to the end of her bed. “With all the commotion that had been going on recently, I hadn’t really had a chance to talk to you about what grade you were placed in.”
Jennie nodded as she yawned and ran a hand through her hair. “Well?”
Nick looked away from her for a moment as if avoiding the subject. “Well…”
“What?”
“It appears that you didn’t pass the test,” Nick replied with a forced smile.
“I could’ve told you that,” Jennie muttered. “Kind of happens when you throw a human kid into a group of demons and hope she knows what she’s dealing with.”
Nick chuckled. “You’re going to be placed in the ninth grade.”
“A freshman?” Jennie exclaimed, grabbing at her sheets forcefully.
“Yeah,” he remarked, “but here’s the good news. You won’t be alone. Kasei did well enough in his test that he’s been promoted to high school and has been placed in your class, too. He’ll be able to look after you.”
“Gee, that makes me feel great,” Jennie mumbled with a downtrodden face.
“Hurry up and get dressed,” Nick said as he headed for the door, “then come downstairs and get breakfast.”
Watching as Nick left her room, Jennie pushed herself out of bed and stood shakily on the carpet. Her fingers ran across the bed sheets until she reached her uniform, picking it up and holding it to her body. She closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like going to a school that made students wear uniforms.
“It’ll be different,” she whispered, dropping her uniform to the ground. Her arms fell to the sides of her arms as she stared blankly to the floor. She thought about Rem and his recent actions. Nick had gotten him an extra earring for his left ear, saying he had resources.
“No wonder he’s such a grouch. He’s got to have a constant headache.”
Shaking her head, she broke her thought of Rem and pulled off her night shirt then pushed her down her sleep shorts. She stood in her underwear, staring still at the pile of clothes on the floor.
With a heavy sigh, she grabbed the white undershirt and slipped in on, smoothing out the fabric. Pulling on the black and white jacket, she buttoned it up then snatched up skirt.
“I hate these things,” she mumbled, stepping into the skirt and fastening it on the side. She tugged at it for a moment. Moving in front of her mirror, she stared at the outfit. “I look out of place. Or a giant panda.”
Moving her eyes back to her bed, she noticed the socks and shoes. “ Fishnet socks?!” she shouted as she picked them up in disgust. “What the hell is wrong with these people?! Who wears fishnet?!”
A knock sounded against her door while Jennie paused for a moment. The socks in her hands dangled precariously as one dropped and landed by her right foot.
“Come in,” she called out, watching the door open slowly as a green head peeked in. Rachael smiled at the younger girl and walked into the room.
“Everything going okay?” Rach questioned.
“Yeah,” Jennie laughed as she reached down and picked up the fallen sock. “What’s with the fishnet? Are demons secretly into goth?”
“Goth?” Rach asked as her brow raised, “No, those socks are a material that can block angel ore. You’ll see a lot of demons wear it. It resembles fishnet, but it’s really just an armor guard.”
“Oh,” Jennie said, staring down at it.
“Rem is wearing it underneath his uniform,” Rach remarked, “Safer for him when he has to deal with Rowen.”
“Makes sense,” Jennie said, taking a seat on the bed while putting on the socks.
“Come downstairs for breakfast when you’re finished,” Rach called out, “Everyone else is already waiting.”
“Alright.”