"The extreme always seems to make an impression."

Life is Strange

Chapter One: It's A Small, Small Campus

The cold autumn air chilled the students down to the bone no matter how thick their sweaters were, alerting them that winter was just a few months away. Golden-brown and bright red leaves fell from trees onto the black asphalt of the street. The street was slick from the rain that had breezed through the state, leaving the sky a gloomy grey color. The noise of students and their clingy parents was in the air. It was starting to feel like the beginning of a new school year.

Quinn, a young woman from out of county, drove into the parking lot in her old, cramped car. She halted her car to let the students run across the street to the sidewalk. The aspiring artist took the opportunity to glance over the the school she would be in for the next four years— Valoran University. The sidewalk in front of the university was crowded with new and returning students moving onto the campus. Their hands were full of books, suitcases, and Quinn swore she saw a mini-refrigerator being carried over someone's shoulders.

Is that even allowed?

Valoran University certainly looked huge to the young woman. It had two large statues of eagles at its entrance. Her eyes spotted tall buildings following behind it— she assumed they were class halls, libraries, and other academic structures. Quinn then spotted a notice poster attached to a bright orange traffic cone. Her golden eyes squinted as she attempted to read it.

"Dorms are assigned. Check the school website or dorm lobbies for further information," Quinn read aloud. She sighed, "Great. Well, I'm glad I memorized the campus map."

The school wasn't known for just one thing like all the other universities— it was an all around school. For example, the University of Piltover was known for its sciences while Noxus Capital University had its sports program. Valoran University was the best academic place in all of Runeterra— not to mention it was the most expensive. There was two ways students usually got into this school, either you have a rich family or you get a scholarship. Quinn was fortunate enough to win an photo contest to get into the school's art program. Quinn remembered the day she got the letter saying that she got accepted into the school. Her mother had stormed into her room with the open letter in her hands and tears in her eyes. They were both so excited they began packing a month before the school year even started.

Quinn snapped out of her thoughts when a car behind her honked for her to get a move on. She quickly turned into an open parking space before practically punching her old car to a halt. It groaned and sputtered while it finally shut off. Quinn shook her head— she knew the cold air and the snow that was soon to come would eventually put her car out of commission. He mother had offered to buy her a used one that at least a decade younger than the one she owned but Quinn declined.

Money had been tight ever since her twin brother, Caleb, met his untimely death three years ago.

Quinn and Caleb had been out driving late one summer night right after he got his license. The young woman's brother wagered that he could beat an intersection light before it turned red— what he didn't count on was a drunk driver thinking the exact same thing. Quinn didn't recall what had happened those few seconds between the two cars crashing and seeing her brother's body on the hood of the other car. She was just thankful she had worn her seatbelt that night.

Caleb's death strained her father and mother's marriage to the point where Quinn's mother filed for divorce. She left the Capital City of Demacia to a small suburban town near the outskirts of Demacia with her daughter. Quinn's father didn't object to his ex-wife's choice— and Quinn resented him for not even saying goodbye. Although, he did send presents on every Christmas and her birthday.

Quinn let out a slow sigh, glancing up at the photo of her and her brother peeking out from under the sun visor. She slowly pulled it out and brought it close to her face— she remembered when this picture was taken very vividly. It was taken on their birthday when they were young and still in grade school. Their parents had taken them out to the zoo. The twins had always shared a love for animals— Quinn loved birds in particular while her brother had a fascination for big cats. Quinn smiled at her and Caleb both excitedly pointing to a sleeping lion in the background of the photo.

The young woman shook her head, realizing that she had spent too much time thinking about the past. Quinn stuffed the old photo into her jacket's inner pocket before she kicked her door open. She walked around to her trunk, giving it a few hard pounds before it finally popped open. This trick she figured out when she accidently shut the trunk with her keys trapped inside. Quinn got so frustrated that she smacked her hands on the ancient car, opening the trunk.

Quinn groaned as she threw a heavy navy-colored backpack over her shoulders. She looked down at her belongings with a long frown. The young woman didn't bring a lot of things but she knew she would have to make at least two trips to get everything into her new dorm. Her attention was pulled away from her trunk when an expensive-looking white car rode up next to her mess of a vehicle. Loud pop music could be heard from outside the car until it was shut off. Out of the car hopped a smiling blonde girl still singing along to the song that had been playing. She noticed that Quinn was looking at her and she shot her a warm smile.

"Are you a first year too?" The young blonde asked, walking over to her own trunk.

"Yes," Quinn stepped over and extended a hand to her, "I'm Quinn."

"Hi Quinn, I'm Luxanna Crownguard but you can just call me Lux." The blonde shook Quinn's hand happily, "Do you happen to know where dorm sign-ups are at?"

"Yeah, they are in that building over there. Although, I read back there that dorms were already assigned. We have to go to the lobbies in the buildings to see where we are going to be staying." Quinn answered, pointing to a cluster of buildings with people coming in and out just across from them. Lux giggled, bumping herself on the forehead.

"Sometimes the world the just answers my questions, you know?" Lux pulled a rolling suitcase and a matching golden-bronze shoulder bag from her trunk, "We are going the same way. Do you want to walk together?"

"Sure," Quinn smiled back at her. The navy-haired woman yanked out another bag from her car. Her lips smacked when she saw that she had only one bag left to carry— it was going to be a pain just to come back for such a light bag.

"Here, let me get that." Lux said, grabbing the brown straps. "What's in here? It's not heavy at all."

"It's my camera." Quinn answered before slamming her trunk shut. She walked over and closed Lux's but not as roughly as she did her own. The young woman walked over to the driver's side of her junker, locking it. She groaned when she noticed that she had left her favorite thermal cup inside and she slammed her fist against the door.

"Oh, are you majoring in photography?" Lux asked, walking over to Quinn while she flipped through her keys.

"No, it's just a hobby. I'm going to major in art—drawing most likely. Why do I have so many keys..."

"Whoa, that sounds fun!" Lux giggled, "A lot more fun than my major."

"What are you majoring in?" The navy-hair woman asked, sighing contently when she found the key to unlock her door. She reached inside her car and grabbed her thermal cup with her favorite character from her favorite fairytale, Lamb from the story of Lamb and Wolf. They were the embodiment of death. Lamb was the peaceful side of death and would end your life quickly if you allowed her. Wolf, on the other hand, chased those who ran from their fate. Deep down inside, Quinn believed that their story was more than just a fairytale.

"I'm majoring in chemistry." Lux answered, "I've always been fascinated with how chemicals react and why they do. As a child, I knew that stars weren't far away lands like in stories but I knew they were a burning ball of elements. I wanted to know why."

"Before you made it seem like you didn't want to major in chemistry." Quinn chuckled while she locked her car door for the second time.

She turned to begin walking to the buildings where the dorms were located. As Quinn looked up at the two buildings, she noticed they were very tall. They had to be at least ten stories high. She assumed they needed a lot of dorm space for a campus this big. Valoran University as the biggest school in Runeterra— Quinn read online that the number of students enrolled this year was close to 40,000. Although, she also assumed most students would be commuting from home too. The university was smacked right in the middle of Demacia and Noxus. Quinn also read that the rivalry between the two counties was nothing to laugh at.

"Oh, haha, I meant that in art you can create things people will enjoy." The blonde laughed while she followed behind Quinn.

"You could always have fun knowing that when you find a new chemical reaction, teens back in high school will be forced to remember it." The navy-haired girl smiled, "I know all the components in amino acids but I can barely remember how long to cook certain pastas."

"I never thought about that," Lux snorted, quickly covering her nose when it escaped. Quinn looked back at her, making the two girls laugh again.

As they approached the sidewalk, they followed a group of people into the building and flooded the dorm's lobby. It was very noisy, the navy-haired young woman could barely hear herself think. Quinn noticed a very tall young man jump on top of a table. He had a megaphone in one hand and a large stack of papers in the other. He blared the megaphone loudly, making everyone clasp their hands over their ears. The young man then raised it to his lips.

"Order, please! Dorms have already been assigned and you can see where you are going to be living on the walls around the room. If you need one, I have campus maps right here." He called out. The rowdy crowd of students dispersed to the walls around the room.

"Hey, that's my older brother!" Lux smiled, "Garen!" The young man looked around to where he heard his name being called. He gave a hearty laugh when he spotted Lux's bright blonde hair and signature headband in the crowd. Garen hopped off the table and trotted over to his little sister. Quinn saw that the young man was wearing a blue shirt with yellow words saying: Valoran University Associative Student Body.

"Lux, I thought you were going to get lost on your way over here," he joked, tapping his sister's shoulder with his knuckles.

"Garen, I memorized the routes from our home to here when mother and I would drive you to campus." Lux rolled her blue eyes, "Now if you excuse me, I have to go find my room number."

"Actually, I took the liberty of checking to see where it is. It's on floor five and your room number is two. I even know who your roommate is— her name is Quinn." Garen said. Lux and Quinn looked at each other, a smile growing on their faces. The young man looked between the two of them, "I assume you already met her."

"Yup, this is Quinn!"

"Hello," the navy-haired girl waved.

"Where are you from?"

"Demacia," Quinn answered.

"Ah, another fellow Demacian. Good to know that my sister will have a roommate from the best county in Runeterra." Garen laughed, slapping Quinn hard on the back and knocking her backpack off her shoulders. "This isn't a rule in the student handbook but its MY rule for living with my sister. No boys are allowed in your room. Got it?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

"I know I could always trust a Demacian," Garen laughed, smacking the shorter girl on the shoulder again.

"Careful, Garen. You don't want the other ASB members to hear you say such things. It's not very nice to us Noxians," the trio of Demacians heard a smart remark from behind them. They turned and saw an intense pair or emerald eye and long, blood-red hair.

"My apologies, Katarina. What are you doing inside? Weren't you assigned to escort the first year on campus tours?"

"Please, the kiddies will remember where everything is when they are ten minutes late to class or when they REALLY need a bathroom. Besides, my little brother needed help moving his things into his new room." Katarina said as she flipped her long hair over her shoulder, "I don't see why he just doesn't stay home we only live a half-hour from here."

"Fair enough," Garen's blue eyes narrowed at his fellow ASB member. "I will get one of the other girls to do the campus tours. In the meantime, you can pass these out to anyone who looks lost." The young man said, handing the stack of maps to Katarina.

"Yeah sure," the redhead scoffed as she swiped the maps from Garen's hand. She gave a nod to the two girls before turning on her heel and making her way out of the building's front door. The two first years looked back at Garen, who had been staring at Katarina's backside.

"Garen?" Lux poked her brother's arm, waking him from his trance.

"Oh, uh, right. Let me take you two ladies to your new room. Let me get that for you," the tall young man said as he took his sister's bag. The blonde followed her sibling to a flight of stairs. Quinn bent down to pick up her backpack when she realized she had forgotten something else back in her car. Lux turned and saw her navy-haired friend walking out the front door.

"Quinn, are you coming?"

"I forgot another bag in my car. It's in the backseat, it totally slipped my mind. Don't worry, I will find our room on my own." Quinn said before walking out.

There was sudden gust of cold wind when Quinn made her way outside. She pulled her dark grey cardigan over her chest while she walked back to the parking lot. The area was a lot more empty— Quinn assumed the students were getting situated in their new dorm rooms or taking a campus tour. The wind was moving the girl's short hair out of place and into her eyes.

She looked down at her pants pockets as she searched them for her car keys, not seeing where she was headed. The young girl then bumped into another student, making her drop her favorite cup. Quinn sighed when she heard the unmistakable sound of plastic cracking. Her golden eyes glared at her now ruined cup, not knowing it would still be able to hold in her morning coffee. She then noticed a pair of black, steel-toed boots in front of her. Her eyes wandered up and met a pair of angry, amber eyes and sharp features.

It was a young man standing in front of her and he looked as if he wanted Quinn dead for bumping into him. The young man had long, dark brown hair and a build that she would certainly find very attractive. But as of right now, she didn't think that at all. If Quinn wasn't so ticked off about her favorite cup shattering, she would have even apologized to him. Their intense gazes remained on each other, neither of them moving an inch.

"Watch where you're going, idiot." He said harshly before walking passed her. Quinn glared back at him and watched him enter the door building that was the opposite of her own.

"At least that asshole isn't in my building," she spat. Quinn picked up her cup and stomped back to the parking lot. The young woman slowed her pace to a stop, glancing over her shoulder. Her golden eyes spotted a figure at the door but she couldn't tell if it was that same boy and she really didn't care. "Hopefully, I don't cross paths with that guy again."

Notes: Hello everyone. I hoped you all enjoyed the first chapter in my newest story. I hope you all stick around, we have a long ride ahead of us. I have a confession to make, I love school AUs. College AUs mostly, there is more freedom than being stuck in high school— just like real life. This story is going to focus mostly on Talon and Quinn but, believe me, there will be many other character too like Lux... Garen... Kat... Darius... Jinx and Jhin... Zed and Syndra c:

I hope you all decide to give me some feedback I'd love to read it and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

See you next chapter!