Charlotte's Law

"Reading is overrated, anyway."

The next day was what the older kids called "Adjustment Day." It was Sunday, so they had no classes. The religious students were permitted to go to church, and shown the way by the older students, and the rest were allowed to hang out and explore.

Camden had never really believed in God. His family did, of course, but even if there was a God, Camden didn't feel he deserved to be worshipped. He had made Charles sick; he had made them poor and unable to care properly for the sick child; he had made Camden a girl by birth. The tragedies didn't end there either.

So, Camden skipped out on the whole church thing. Landyn accepted that, but went to church anyway. He wasn't insanely religious, like his grandparents, but he did believe and felt it was necessary for him to thank God for leading him to this school, and to Camden (though he'd never admit that part out loud).

All of Camden's other friends had also gone to church, save for Finn, who was proudly Pagan. Only a few other stragglers had also stayed. Camden had changed into a pair of silk pajamas, planning to simply sleep the day away, but he couldn't sleep, so he went out to the main area to find Finn.

"What're ya doin'?" Camden asked, plopping down beside Finn, who held a book in his lap.

"Just reading," Finn replied. "There's a huge library on the third floor. You should go see it sometime."

"I dunno," Camden blushed. "I'm not real big into readin'."

Finn simply shrugged and Camden left him alone to go back to his reading. Camden decided he needed some change of scenery, so he left the dorm and walked along the huge halls, checking out any rooms that would let him in. None of them really interested him. There was a music room, a large bathroom, and a few empty classrooms.

The doors on the third floor were almost all either locked or empty classrooms. Finn hadn't been lying, though. The library was huge; magnificent really, and Camden was sad that he couldn't read any of the wonderfully interesting books on the shelves. He was sure that if he could, they would keep him busy forever.

Now, the second floor had some interesting things. An armory, a potions store, an indoor lake-thing with the clearest water Camden had ever seen, and even a room for pets. A few of the older kids had apparently brought their cats and dogs with them, and had to keep them in here because they weren't allowed in the dorm. Camden had always wanted a cat. He felt he personally connected with the feline species. Once, he even thought he could understand a small black cat talking to him.

Camden decided to stay in this room for a while. There were many animals in here that the representatives had simply rescued, as well. It was a sort of rehabilitation center as well as a pet-sitting area. There was a raccoon with a broken leg, a traumatized squirrel, birds who'd fallen out of their nests, and many other exotic animals.

The animal that caught his attention was the small kitten. It was much smaller than most kittens he saw, and it was striped like a tiger. In fact, if it were much bigger, he would have thought it was a tiger, for that's what it looked like. It was obviously very hurt, with two broken legs and some gauze around its little head. Camden wondered what had happened to the poor little thing.

He picked it up and cradled it in his arms, cooing at it affectionately.

"You're 'urt, little kitten," Camden pointed out. "It's alright, though. You'll get better, and then you'll be strong. Like the little tiger you are."

The kitten nuzzled up against Camden, making him laugh a little. It purred as he held it, and shivered slightly.

"He likes you," Rome spoke from behind Camden, startling him. He turned to face her, and nodded. A broad grin stretched across his face.