Laughter will always be the best medicine, silence will always be the best revenge, and love will always be all you need - UNKNOWN

Shaking herself off from the deluge of emotional memories, Cat entered her first-year suite. With moving day in full swing, parents and students rushed around with hectic energy while Proctors provided personal guidance to them. She loved the chaos and felt caught up in the excitement.

Standing in the doorway of the small two-bedroom furnished with a single wooden desk and a hydraulic chair, she saw a short slender brunette unpacking her clothes. Cat cleared her throat and big brown eyes turned to look up and stare at her. Her hair was cut short in flyaway strands that framed a cute pixie face.

"Hi, I'm Nia Worth. You must be Catrina. I'm your roommate. Hope you don't mind, I've already taken the left side of the room," She stuck out her hand.

"It's Cat and that's cool, I don't mind the right side. It's so nice to meet you." She felt Nia's firm grip and soft hands as they shook.

"Ooh... such manners. You're not from around here, are you?"

"No. I'm from San Francisco and have been here only for the admissions."

"Good. Finally. Someone from the normal human species. Everyone else here is so hung up on the only-blue bloods-belong-in-Harvard crap. Can't stand them and now that you're here we can totally ditch those loser wannabes and royal purist types. By the way, I'm from L.A., couldn't wait to get out of my over-protective parents' house. Thank god they couldn't make it as they're out of the country or they would have driven me crazy."

"Your parents must be so proud." She said a little morosely after recalling the emotional goodbye with Uncle Joe at the Airport.

"Their only daughter studying in one of the best Ivy Leagues, yeah... they're over the moon. As I'm sure yours must be too."

"My parents... died a few years ago." The words still stuck in her throat. Looking at Nia with stiff-backed pride and expecting some false platitude of sympathy or pity, she met her unflinching gaze head-on. Giving her a speculative look, full of understanding Nia said, "Well, wouldn't you know? Just my luck to end up with a roomie who needs to have some serious fun. Let's go get raving drunk at the welcome party tonight and give you a little makeover while we're at it. You look a little young for your age, what's with that anyway?"

The jump in topics and the brash open manner of her new roomie immediately put her at ease. But the prospect of a party with people mixed with drinking and scarred memories of those that tended to rag on her for her advanced IQ in the past plus her shyness left her feeling shaky and overwhelmed.

"I'm sixteen so I can't drink. I was admitted as part of Harvard's Special Admissions Program."

"Are you serious? That's wow... you must be a genius of some kind. I'm just a lame freshman with some vague idea about taking business marketing courses and look at you, you must've already declared your major. Come here so we can get you dolled up and break our college party virginity together."

"I'm taking business courses too. I want to help my Uncle Joe set up his own chain of sports equipment stores. But, um... Nia, a party... I-?" It was the last thing she absolutely wanted to do.

"Yeah, all the new students that arrived this week are invited to the official welcome party with faculty meetings and student introductions and all that boring crap. But we will be attending the after-party post the snooze fest and I have just the perfect look for you."

Before she got carried away and couldn't get another word in edgewise, Cat haltingly asked, "But what's wrong with my jeans and cotton shirt?"

"Exactly," Nia came to stand before her with hands on her hips and cast a calculating once over at Cat's body. "You look gorgeous and have flawless glowing skin. You're sure doin' sumth'n right, girl," She drawled out in a bad Southern accent. "Fabulous hair, bewitching eyes... definitely can make this work. Just a little eye-shadow and mascara..." She held up tubes and jars against her face as she rambled on.

"But your sense of dressing sucks. Just pathetic. Now that I know how badly you need me, it's a good thing I'm here to help you. I already know that we're going to be BFFs. So did you get your schedule?"

That had been the start of her only best-friends-forever relationship. The very talkative Nia, who didn't stop for a breath if she could help it would continue like a runaway train if not stopped. She also always spoke whatever was on her mind and helped Cat stay sane whenever she needed it.

The next day she made her way towards Psychology 101, one of the few classes in which Nia wasn't. Immersed in reading the introductory chapter, she didn't notice the unnatural silence that crept up or the only available seat next to her being occupied. When people started to stare and crane their heads around to get a better look, she finally realized something was up.

Cat brushed her fingers discreetly around her mouth flaming with embarrassment over having muffin crumbs on her face that she had hurriedly inhaled that morning. She then casually looked up from her book to glance around.

Startled, to find a pair of dancing, green eyes gazing at her from the seat beside her, made her feel as if time had stopped. The first thought that popped into her head was how his glowing eyes shone even brighter than the beautiful gems in her mother's emerald necklace.

"Now, I know why you were so engrossed in that book."

Cat was so mesmerized by the exuberant energy and sheer life radiating out of his verdant eyes and handsome face that she forgot to breathe.

"Wh-what?"

"Have mercy sweetheart, if someone else was to fall into those gorgeous cat eyes, I'd have to beat them within an inch of their life."

"Are you in-insane? What are you talking about?" She whispered confused by his remarks. The beautiful boy just smiled when Professor Headley entered and she was saved from having to converse with him anymore. She couldn't believe that this demigod had deigned to talk to her. As everyone's attention turned towards the professor, she was hyper-aware of the boy sitting next to her.