The Great Lakes University for the Supernatural, Inhuman, and Undead

Chapter 1

"Have you ever felt alone in the world? Like you're the only one out there who is like you? Have you recently gone through a major change and are looking for answers? Do you have questions about who you are that your family or sire can't answer? Is life after death confusing for you? Well then the Great Lakes University for Supernatural, Inhuman, and Undead is for you!" a cheerful feminine voice drones out on the television in the corner.

On the screen is a majestic brick castle surrounded by emerald green lawns and a purple sky. Two beautiful girls, a blonde and a brunette with curly hair look at the screen and smile, revealing sharp and dangerous looking fangs.

"We've got facilities for vampires, werewolves, goblins, ghosts, mages, rat people, fallen angels, ghouls, fawns, imps, animalia, ogres, and just about any other mythic or inhuman creature out there! Our classes focus on educating students on where we come from and how to become a productive member of underground society! We have a special barrier which protects the school from prying eyes, as well as protecting our more nocturnal students from the sun's harmful rays. So if you are more than some boring human and are looking to create a future for yourself, then we'll see you- at GLUSIU!"

The commercial fades out on an image of a very diverse group of students waving at the camera. Some look like werewolves and vampires, one student has bright blue skin, and in the back appears to be a chimera from Greek mythology. The screen stays black for a few seconds before the exact same commercial starts up again. The incredible castle from the commercial is the main hall which the new students first see when they arrive, but two buildings down, in a room that looks like the waiting room from a DMV in the 70's, is the Student Affairs office. The floors are a gross stained white tile, the walls are a gross stained beige, and the chairs and counter are covered in wood-paneling. It's in this large office, that dozens of new students sit and await one of only three Student Affairs committee members to help them with the problems that first-day students often have.

What appears to be a living skeleton wearing a fedora and sunglasses calls out in a deep yet raspy voice, "Number 62!"

A young half-Korean, half-British man (though he was raised in Michigan so he got neither parent's accent) with sort of wavy brown hair all combed to one side walks up to the counter. He has thick black-framed square glasses and he's wearing a grey sweater with a white shirt collar popping up from underneath it. He stands nearly 6 feet tall and has a thin and rather lanky frame. His vibe is two parts nerdy, one part preppy. By no means is he classically handsome, but he certainly does not lack charms that one might find appealing. He's carrying several large suitcases, a jacket, and a pair of shoes.

"Hi, I'm James-"

"Are you 62? Sorry I need to see your ticket," the skeleton cuts him off.

The guy sort of lifts up his hands filled with stuff and gives the skeleton a look (which roughly translates to "Are you kidding me?"). The skeleton stands motionless and waits for the ticket. The young man starts fumbling with luggage as he tries to free up one of his hands. The skeleton makes no indication that he empathizes with the struggle, or that he even notices what is happening in front of him.

"Number 62!" the skeleton calls out again.

"Yeah, that's me I just..."

"Ticket please."

The young man with the glasses lets out an exasperated sigh and drops everything on the floor and is able to produce the ticket which was stuck underneath the handle of his one suitcase.

"62?" the skeleton asks again as the young man drops the ticket on the counter.

"Yes that's me, I..." he replies in an annoyed tone before taking a deep breath and smiling. He then says, "Hi, I'm James Park. It's my first day here and I have a problem. I noticed that-"