The Colours of Life
Chapter 1 – School
Blue and yellow make green...
The dyes mixed to form a light green...
Red and yellow make orange...
A bright orangey colour emerged from the mix...
Blue and red make magenta...
The colours blended seamlessly together...
Early morning was the best time. All the colours of the day were soft and new. Not fully awake yet, their shades were watery and overpowered by the warm yellow of the morning sun.
A girl sat unmoving by a large window. She too was bathed in the rays of the bright sun. The sunbeams bounced off of her silvery hair giving her an almost angelic glow. Her deep blue eyes gazed out the window, focussed on capturing the morning hues on the canvas.
Her paintbrush dipped into the cup of clear water which immediately turned murky. The brushed rested in the water and as she slowly rose from the stool to admire the canvas. She glanced at the clock on the night-table.
Oh...twenty to seven... She thought to herself. She reached for a folded paper which rested next to the clock and opened it:
MEALTIMES
Breakfast: 7: 00 – 7:30 a.m.
Lunch: N/A
Dinner: 5: 30 – 6: 00 p.m.
The canvas would have to wait another day. She had to get ready for school and breakfast was being served soon. It wasn't polite to show up late. She wanted to make a good impression.
Aurora Charnock was her name. She was nineteen years old and was beginning her first year in university. Her father had made sure she worked hard in her high school years, so she could attend a prestigious university. She had been successful and gotten accepted to a prominent university as a medical student no less. Her father was proud. Her mother would have been as well, had she still been alive.
It had been her mother's dream for her to attend Driscol University for medicine. It was an esteemed university known for its high calibre students and rigorous curriculum. There were many faculties and schools. The university was in an old English town – Driscol – that had scenery like that of a fairytale. Everything was beautiful and green. She couldn't have asked for more. Accept she did, but there was no time to dwell on that now. She had places to go and impressions to make.
Twenty minutes later, she left her room dressed and ready for the lectures ahead. As she left her room she admired the line of mahogany doors that greeted her. She was living in an old-style house with five other girls. She was lucky as every bedroom had an en-suite bathroom. The house was nice but pricey. Luckily her father had taken care of all the expenses. He was a man of great power and wealth after all. She sighed.
He had wanted her to live alone with a maid, but she had refused. She didn't want to be lonely. Still, he had stressed that she should not get distracted by little things such as "making friends." He had warned her to stay away from the other girls. They would lead her astray he had said.
It had been her first night since being accepted into the boarding house. The landlady had personally interviewed all the tenants and made sure they were all responsible girls. She hadn't met any of them yet but she planned to take her father's advice. Be the best she could be. No, she was definitely not here to make friends.
At that moment, she heard the door to the right of her open.
"Oh, good morning." A girl stepped out into the hallway. Dark brown ringlets framed her smiling face. Her chocolate brown eyes matched her skin tone perfectly. "I'm Safirah. I'm studying music. What about you?"
Aurora looked at the girl and softly answered, "I'm Aurora and I'm studying medicine. Sorry, I have to go now. Don't want to be late on the first day." Aurora flashed Safirah a smile and before the other girl could say anything else, she quickly descended down the stairs towards the dining room.
There was no one in the dining room except a maid who was setting the table and serving up breakfast. There were lots of things to eat but Aurora settled on some slices of fruit and tea. She wanted to leave before any of the other girls came down. She wanted to avoid unnecessary conversations.
Five minutes later Aurora was out the door and off to her first class: anatomy.
She found the lecture theatre all right and quietly sat down near the front ready for the lecture. She had come prepared, having read the reading that accompanied the lecture. Soon the hall began to fill up with people. Aurora was unsure if the students in university acted different from the students in high school.
Would there be cliques? She wondered. Cliques were annoying. She had observed many of them in her high school years and had yet to determine their purpose. All they were was groups of girls and boys sticking together in packs to hide their own insecurities. She sniffed.
Useless.
Vaguely she registered someone sitting next to her just as the lights dimmed and the professor entered. The projector hummed to live as the professor gathered himself to start the lecture.
Well, thought Aurora, here we go.
Author's Note
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