Chapter 4

Once I got home, I spent every day training Sunny. Our bond grew incredibly strong, and he could understand my basic commands.

Three days before the semester started, I called the housing office. I asked if bed selection was first-come, first-served. The lady on the phone said yes. I told her I’d be checking in a day early.

In my past life, I was the first to arrive. I foolishly chose the bottom bunk by the window. Chloe arrived second and took the top bunk.

Back then, I didn't realize she chose the top bunk so her heavy curtains could hide her hiding the snake, while my bottom bunk was the perfect launching pad for that thing to slide down into my sheets at night.

This time, I was still the first to arrive. But I wasn't taking the window bunk.

I chose the bottom bunk right next to the door. The moment anyone opened the door, my bed was fully visible.

This would severely limit Chloe's ability to hide her snake. If her snake wanted to get from her bunk to mine, it would have to cross the wide-open, highly exposed center of the room.

That was only step one.

On September 6th, I walked into my empty dorm room.

I placed Sunny's heated enclosure on my nightstand and opened the lid.

Sunny lifted his head, his golden eyes shimmering under the fluorescent lights. I held out my hand, and he smoothly slithered up, coiling around my wrist.

Then, I went out to the local target and bought heavy black blackout curtains, fabric scissors, heavy-duty double-sided tape, and a sewing kit. I was going to fortify my bed.

The only reason Chloe's snake had evaded the housing inspections in my past life was because she had custom-made, hidden zippered pockets sewn into her bedding and bags.

Well, this time, I was going to be prepared way before she even set foot in this room.

As I was securing my blackout curtains, my phone buzzed.

It was a friend request on Snapchat. The profile picture was a mirror selfie of a girl with long, perfectly styled blonde hair and a sweet, dimpled smile.

The bio read: "Hey! I'm Chloe, your new roommate! Thought I'd add you so we can connect!"

I stared at her smiling face for a long time.

In my past life, I had accepted her request instantly, typing out a bunch of excited, naive messages.

Back then, Chloe had sent me voice notes, her voice sounding so sweet it could give you cavities.

This time, I tapped accept.

"Hey girl!" she replied instantly. "Which bed did you grab? Can I have the top bunk opposite you? I heard that spot has a great view of the courtyard!"

What a flawless opening act. First, pretend she has no idea how the room is laid out, then pretend she just wants a "nice view," and finally, naturally secure the exact position she needed.

I messied back: "Totally! I actually just got here and took the bottom bunk by the door. If you want the view, both window bunks are still totally open!"

The "typing..." bubble popped up and disappeared several times. After a full thirty seconds, she finally replied: "Oh, the bottom bunk by the door? Won't that be super noisy with people walking by?"

"Nah, I sleep like a rock. A thunderstorm couldn't wake me up."

I smiled as I sent the text. In my past life, I really did sleep like a rock—so deep that the first time the snake crawled into my bed, I didn't even wake up right away.

But this life was different. Now, I could hear a pin drop.

After exchanging some basic small talk about our majors, she finally dropped the bait:

"By the way, are you afraid of snakes? I think they're actually so cute. I was thinking of getting a pet snake, but I wasn't sure if our dorm allows them."

She had tested me exactly like this in my past life. Back then, I had replied, "Omg no, snakes are so scary, please don't!"

And she had laughed it off, saying, "Haha just kidding!" only to smuggle the snake in on the very first day.

This time, I typed: "Snakes? Omg, not at all! I actually think they're adorable. You should totally get one! I’d love to play with it!"

The other side went completely silent for a few seconds. "Wait, for real?"

"Yeah! I watch so many snake-handling videos on TikTok. Those bright yellow pythons are literally so beautiful."

Another long pause.

I could easily picture her face on the other side of the screen—her brow furrowing, her fake smile faltering as she stared at her phone.

She was probably wondering why this Sera girl wasn't fitting into her neat little box.

Finally, she sent: "Well, then I guess I'll have a little surprise for you when I get there! ~" followed by a winking emoji.

I tossed my phone onto the desk.

Sunny was resting quietly on my wrist. I stroked his head, and he nudged his nose against my finger affectionately.

In two days, Chloe would arrive with that little snake carrying her dead boyfriend’s soul. And she was going to learn a very hard lesson:

Not only was I not afraid of snakes, but I owned one that ate hers for breakfast.