The Light and Dark in Us

10. Bon Anniversaire

There's a loud knock on my door on Saturday morning, disrupting my lie in.

I roll over in my bed with an irritated groan, roughly grabbing the clock on my nightstand to check the time, then uncaringly dropping it to the floor when I see it.

6:45.

I didn't even get the chance to have a lie in.

I grab the fluffy grey blanket from my bed, draping it over my shoulders and opening the door, my death glare already initiated.

"Surprendre!(Surprise!)" It's Henri, but...in Ivy uniform.

"What...are you doing?"

"Bon Anniversaire Odie!(Happy Birthday Odie!)"

"That's not an answer."

"I've been moved to Ivy house because I'm your partizan, finally, and now I have to wear purple."

"Oh." I look him up and down. "It doesn't suit you."

Henri looks annoyed.

I shrug. "Why is it that you didn't make me move to conch?"

He groans, "Because I knew you wouldn't want to because of your new weird ivy friends that ditched you for being too close to them."

"Connard! Ils ne sont pas bizarres!(Asshole! They are not weird!)"

"Euh oui, ils sont. (Um yes, they are.) Anyway, I have my new dorm room number and I wanted you to show me where it is because guess what? My stupid 'welcome booklet' with the school map on we got at the start of the year went straight into the bin as soon as I walked into my conch dorm."

"Why are you proud of that?"

"It doesn't matter? Just hurry up."

"It's 10 to 7 in the morning on Saturday, and my birthday, so why the hell would I do that?"

"Because...you're a good friend."

I roll my eyes profusely. "Mon dieu tu es agacant!"

Henrie smiles. "Je sais."

I don't bother getting changed as we quietly make away along Ivy corridors. I point at an occasional hall or room that Henri might find useful, and finally we arrive at his room number.

"Do you have a roommate?"

"Yes."

"Well they might be a little annoyed that you've woken them up at 7:00 am on Saturday morning."

Henri actually looks nervous, which doesn't happen often. "Maybe."

"No sweat, it's only the person you'll be living with until the end of year 10. And do first impressions really matter?"

Henri throws me an impatient glare, then knocks curtly on the heavy wooden door.

There's a set of footsteps almost immediately.

The door opens, revealing a tall boy with dark, untameable hair, grey joggers and an ivy house jumper.

Jamie Volk.

He glances at me, then his gaze finds Henri's ivy uniform, and he looks him up and down.

There's a long moment of silence.

Henri looks surprised, apprehensive and disgusted at the same time.

"Can I help you?" Jamie asks, his voice sounds different having just woken up, and his eyelids are heavier than usual.