[color=ADD8E6]The school sucked. No, not literally, and most of the others would disagree, but as far as Jack was concerned it sucked. The beds were uncomfortable, the rooms claustrophobic, and too many around weren't as in control of their abilities as they wanted people to believe. This sentiment was mostly his toward the witch population at school, but to a lesser extent everyone else. All of this, of course, was vital to keeping inside.

It was only a week in, and he had trouble sleeping. The bags under his eyes weren't too bad, at least not when one knew how to conceal them. A tip he learned from his sister even if he hated wearing makeup. It was more about not showing the weakness than any form of conceitedness. Considering he rarely had issues sleeping before, he was still trying to figure out how to deal with it. Currently, he tried late night studying. It went a long way for staying ahead of other witches, and other students. Last night, he actually decided to try work on one of the spells from his father's grimoire. It wasn't magic he practiced regularly - hell, it wasn't magic he had any affinity for whatsoever - but he liked a challenge; he couldn't help it.

It was rather unsuccessful, trying to actually manage the circles under his eyes rather than hide them. He had hoped something better than such a mundane solution would come his way. Something more appropriate for being a witch. Then again, being hopeful never worked out for him in the past. Maybe Nola would have some tips. Illusions weren't his specialty, and even though they weren't Nola's she was closer to being able to work them than he was.

Unfortunately, he didn't want to wake her up when that thought occurred to him. Rather than make the hike from the dorm off to Nola's house at two in the morning, he just settled for showering - middle of the night was always best since only the vampires at the school were really up to use the facilities at that hour - before just settling for laying in his bed and staring at his ceiling. Until his alarm went off. 

A sigh escaped him. Jack wasn't looking forward to the usual coverup bit. Even if it made it look like he was adjusting well. Considering that was the longest part, and the fact that styling his hair was just rubbing his hands around in his hair to make sure there were no tangles, he always handled the makeup part first. Then it was just a matter of throwing on some clothes - he didn't really look considering it was jeans matched to a monochromatic shirt with a zip-up hoodie over it and all his clothes were clean - and grabbing his stuff for his first class on his way off to the cafeteria to grab a quick breakfast.[/color]

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[color=E6E6FA]The new setting didn't sit right with Ariel. Not to the same extent as her brother, but she still didn't like the new surroundings. She didn't understand why Nola wanted them to stay at the school. It wasn't a comfortable place, not for her. She had a hard time finding a quiet place to herself, especially feeling that way in her room. She didn't mind the size, but she just wanted to be out in the open air. Or at least have a roommate that wasn't so, well, demanding or domineering. She doubted this was the experience Nola intended for her when she suggested they dorm instead of just make the commute daily to and from the house.

Sleep wasn't restful, but at least she got some. It wasn't a lot, but it was there. Bookended by drawing or working on her ASL lessons. She desperately wanted to practice on her violin, but the first night she even tried to do so after nine-thirty, her roommate complained about how she needed her beauty sleep. Ariel had simply apologized and put the instrument away. Violin practice could wait for daylight hours, when she didn't have classes. Of course, half an hour later it was a complaint about having her bedside lamp on, which resulted in the worst night on campus for her. Now, though, she had a book-light carefully angled to keep any of it from getting in the other girl's eyes. 

Her alarm howling that it was time to get her day started, in tune with that of the other alarm clock. Rather than attempt to get to the shower first, she sat and brushed all the snarls out of her hair. If she didn't, it would be a tangled mess and never wash properly anyways. Or at least that was the reason her mother got her in the habit of doing so when she was little. Most of the habits she was trained into by their parents were broken, but it had been so many years it was one of the habits that she would never break. Besides, it meant there was no fight to get a shower; after all, it didn't matter to her if there was no hot water or not. It gave her time to deal with her hair, pick out what she would wear, and still have time for breakfast before first class even after a shower. 

By the time that half of her morning routine was done, the shower was free. Better yet, there was still warm water left. Shower finished, her off the shoulders sweater over a cream colored tank top matched to a nice pair of jeans all put on, just a touch of make-up on (mostly just to give her lips a hint of color and downplay the color of her eyes just a hair while all making it look like there was no makeup applied) and putting on all her various jewelry - save for the locket she never took off - she gathered her sketchbook and class supplies in her messenger bag and put on a comfortable pair of sneakers. All this, and she was still done and out the door with time left to get some breakfast.[/color]