Maggie loved move in day. It always felt like a fresh start and full of possibilities. She could smell the anticipation and anxiety coming from the new first years, and she smiled kindly at a few of them as they passed in the hall. This year, she'd opted to stay at Willowbrook for the summer. Her dads had returned to London to celebrate their anniversary, and she didn't want to hang out in Seattle on her own. The friends she had in high school had all but moved on, and Maggie found that she had little patience for tourists. The only trips she made into the city were for the library, and that was as rare as she could manage. New York was fun, but she still wasn't used to the extremes in temperature, even after seven years.
Dreading the thought of having to go outside in the heat, rain, and humidity, Maggie was lurking in the halls, observing the reunions and keeping an eye on the pranks. She didn't want the first years terrified their first day, and she knew some pranks could get out of hand. She'd already stopped a second year from melting some poor kid's shoes. She wasn't the official hall monitor or anything, but she didn't stand by when bullying was a possibility. Not that pranks were bullying, but some people's idea of a laugh was crueler than most. The second year was still clutching his head as she moved along the hall, skirting the wall to keep from being trampled.
When she rounded the corner, she caught her first glimpse of the man who caused such a commotion a few days ago. He was a handsome man, despite the cuts and bruises on his face. She could see how he limped, and how he tried to hide it. She smiled sadly. She wasn't pitying him, but, if the rumors were true, he'd gotten those injuries very bravely. Before she knew the decision was made, Maggie walked up to him with a purpose. Today was a rare day, and she wasn't wearing heels, so she had to crane her neck to look at him once they both stopped. "Good morning," she replied brightly. She would have said more, but his papers were subject to gravity. "Oh! Here. Let me help." She dropped to her knees and began gathering his papers. "I'm Maggie," she said, looking up at him from the floor. "It's good to see you obey the law of gravity, but sometimes I curse it. For rearing its ugly head when least expected."