Orientation day

Bran

Ever since the plane touchdown I couldn't keep my eyes off my s surroundings, don't get me wrong I am aware of my surroundings but living in Elk for 16 years you really have no need to pay attention as intensely as the first 12 years I'd say. But this is my first out of Elk, I've never see the city so big, come to think of it I'm not even in the city yet I'm still let the airport with my mother. We just got through the security checkpoint with our bags and to try to get a cab now. These buildings seem to have touched the sky, if I was still my brother Rickon's age I'd think they went past the clouds, everything so different city air just fills my lungs… It's not a pleasant smell I will tell you that right now but it's new, thick even. I think the air is trying to figure out what it wants to be, summer is that its end the heat still lingers, but the breeze is like sharp glass against my skin, cold, that lets me know winter is coming.

"Brandon get in we're going to be late for your orientation" said my mother as she motioned her hands to urge me to get in the cab. I put my bags in the trunk and got in the back with my mother, I was just in awe of my surroundings but something seem to concern mother.

"Brandon"

"Yeah mom?"

"Can you not worry so much, you make a face when you worry"

"I'm not worried" I said nervously looking down at my feet

"Brandon I can tell when you're lying, you look down at your feet"

"I'm just…worried I won't fit in, or live up to their impossible…" I was abruptly interrupted

"I want you to know, that were all so proud of you. To think that you're almost a man now, it seems like yesterday I walked in on you singing twinkle twinkle little star in the bathroom when you were six"

"Mom!" Covering my face in embarrassment, I heard the taxi driver laugh a little.

"You're a great singer is all I'm trying to say. I know you're going to do great, I just need you to stop worrying and believe in yourself as clichéd as that sounds"

"Sorry to butt it in his private family matter, but I listen to your mother. You seem like a bright young man with the world waiting to give itself to you" said the taxi driver's eyes looking into the rearview mirror to make contact with my eyes.

"Thank you Mr…. I'm sorry I didn't quite catch your name"

"Seaworth, Davos. You can just call me Davos if you like" he said in a respectful way, he was a balding man with a small graybeard I was mixed with a little black, I can guess his age but I would say around late 40s. "You know very few people get into that school, in fact one of the hardest musical schools to get into on the East Coast, great programs and a lot of fame to it your name will be known in no time"

"Thank you Davos"

"No problem young man, but here's your stop"

Me my mother both said are thank you and got our suitcases from the back, the school's front looked like an old cathedral on both sides of the staircase there were two great lions, everything seemed so well detailed you can see every grove on the lion almost was like they had real lions posted right out of the school standing guard. The doors were made out of the sleek wood, they appeared ancient but opening there was not a single Creek just a rush of air greeting us as we open the doors.

The lights were numerous, a slight yellow orange tint was given off by them, if I didn't know it I would say it was light by candles. It looked so old but new…wait that's not a good way to describe it…oh I got it, it's what a castle would look like at its height. The tiles were black and white like a chess board, each shining beautifully, it look clean enough to eat off of, at the center of the room was a bald man sitting behind a desk typing away at a key board looking uninterested.

Before we said a word

"Orientation is the first hall on the left, and my name is Varys, and I'm the receptionist"

"How did yo.." my mother said intrigued

"Know what you were going to ask? Everyone's been asking that same question all day today, and they haven't given me my little plak yet to I can just point to it without repeating myself. "

Straight to the point… I like him already, a little rough around the edges, but he seems like a nice guy. I can't seem to say my mother thinks the same, she doesn't like being interrupted. But we made our way to the location when the orientation tour was about to begin, I was consumed by the artwork that was around me and getting lost in my reflection on the floor, how can one floor be so clean.

Suddenly without realizing it I bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry I just didn't see," saying my apologizes while helping get some of the things they dropped on the floor and giving it to them, I saw her face when we both got up.

"It's okay really"

She was slim, I'd say five foot one, porcelain skin, brown curly hair that went down to her shoulders, and piercing green eyes, granted they weren't that light green but I've never seen eyes like hers before, green…yeah that's rare where I come from.

"Can I help you?"

Why she saying that? Am I staring, shit I'm staring. Don't make this awkward.

"Hello, anyone there?!"

Already too late, nice Brandon.

"Yeah…sorry was all I was… sorry I didn't see where I was going, so sorry" Walk the other way Brandon there's no shame leaving now, did you just bow…oh gods Brandon! What's up with us, go just get lost in the crowd.

"There you are, I lost you in this large crowd. Are you alright you're cheeks are all red"

"I'm fine I just bumped into someone"
"You know them?"

"No, just an awkward moment"

"I see"

There was a brief silence, between us which was interrupted by a tall slender man coming down the stairs, he had broad shoulders, side burns, wearing a deep crimson dress pants, coat, and a golden tie, he looks like a commander, and I'd say he's in his fifties. He marched down the stairs, each clack from his boot gaining an eye in his direction and a voice to abruptly die, his mere presence commanded attention. He reached the fifth step from the bottom, he cleared his throat and looked at everyone in the audience.

"Good morning, my name is Tywin Lanister. Many of you may now me as the head master of this great institution that's been in my family since my great, great grandfather Lan Lanister. Some of you may know me as the owner of golden lion records, or the many compositions I made in my youth, most famously the 'rains of Castemere', and if you dig far enough a couple of my tracks I made in my years at Kent state"

He cleared his throat again

"None of the matters, it only matters why you are here. I see a sea of young hopeful faces with aspirations of fame and fortune, here at the Lanister school for the performing arts we are here to bring out your best, taking your potential as a mark to surpass. But we cannot help you reach that dream if you do not cooperate with us, ultimately, success or failure is up to you, and only you."

He calmly turned around and climbed ten steps to a platform that lead to two separate stair cases, one going left and one going right. He faced us again and said, "Males to the right, females to the left."

I said my goodbyes to my mom, a silent hug that lasted seconds but felt longer with the tears of my mother that touched my cheek. I got the suitcase she held in her hands, almost had to pry it out of her hands or maybe I just didn't want her to go just yet and I didn't pull hard enough.

With a lump in my throat, " I-I'll miss yo-u mom" trying to hold back the tears

" I'll miss you to-o sweetie, I-I'll tell A-rya that you got here safe"

"Don't forget the rest of them too mom," I chuckled to lighted the mood

"I won't, don't forget to Skype us when you can"

"I won't" I kissed her on the cheek and made my way up the steps and as soon as I did I heard my mother say, "you're a sweet boy Brandon Stark, quick to laugh and smile to lighten the mood, and easy to love. Never forget that." I blew a kiss and signed 'I love you and the family' and went on my way.

Going up the right stair case I was greeted by a tall man, with curled hair the color of beaten gold. He was in peak physical condition, with green eyes; his voice was strong but not entirely captivating like Tywin but he seemed to be related somehow…can't quite place my finger on it but there's something oddly similar about them both.

"Alright lads I'll be your counselor of sorts, but mostly this dorms residential assistant, yes I know RA means to some campus cop, or fun police; but I assure you that's not the case. I'll make is simple for all of you, no drugs, no illegal shit, and no girls past curfew" wait, I thought there was a strict no girls policy in the male dorms?

"Some are thinking, 'but it says on the website that no girls could be allowed in these dorms period' yes but I make acceptations here and there if I like you and you generally don't get on my nerves." I hear some chuckling and doing ridicules handshakes in excitement.

"But with this crowd, I don't expect any girls. Except maybe for him," pointing at me, ruffling up my hair, this guy has a cruel sense of humor, everyone seemed to agree, laughing…I don't mind much.

"This is a school, not the Jersey Shore. Hooking up is a bonus not a goal, let your grades slip and you'll be let go from the school." The RA said.

Snapping his fingers and putting his right hand through his hair, "I almost forgot, My name is Jaime Lanister, you met my dad not to long ago. Yeah lot of Lanister at the school… who here is a singer?"

Me and a few other student raised our hands, "you'll be meeting my brother Tyrion, oh will you love him" he smirked and chuckled. "Alright, let's get you in your rooms. I like to see the diversity of roommates." What did he mean by that?

"Oh a tale of two cities for the first room, Brandon Stark from Elk, Wisconsin and Jojen reed from St. Martinsville, Louisiana; your keys are inside please make yourselves at home," he continued as he walked away from the door his voice slowly fading with each step; he kept rattling off quips and names. The group slowly distilled leaving only me and who I assume is Jojen, a boy of short stature five foot two I think, slim, wearing a green Lacoste shirt, blue jeans and some black vans.

"Nice to meet you Brandon," he walked closer to me hand outstretched to greet me, we shook hands, "nice to meet my roommate finally, at least I'm not stuck with some weirdo." He cocked his head in slight confusion, but it quickly turned to a smile briefly.

"We're gonna get along just fine Brandon Stark. Let's go see our roo shall we?"

"We shall," I opened the door after putting on of my suitcases down, we made our way through the polished wooden door, the entrance was a tight corridor but opened up to a more than spacious living room with a leather couch on the wall facing a TV stand that had on it a flat screen. The floor was made out of tile no pattern really just white tiles neatly polished and evenly spaced from each other.

"Wow this is really fancy, look here," Jojen seemed to be pulling something out of the corner, "oh man my grand pappy had a rocker like this before he passed, he passed in the chair but he did say it was the most comfortable place in the house…so I guess he went out comfortably, but this place looks nice is all"

"Yeah I agree this place feels like a five star hotel," he seems a bit odd but he's authentic, he's letting it all hang out there I didn't mind, I saw a door at the end of the living room on the left, "I think I found our room", I pointed to the door.

"Well let's go, last one in picks last!" He bolted in to the room, I soon followed with that same enthusiasm, but he was already sprawled on the nearest bed, luggage haphazardly thrown on the floor. "You look proud of yourself, comfy?"

"Yes sir, it's like I'm on a cloud. It's freaking ridiculous how soft how this bed is Stark"

"I bet, I'm just going to unpack first"

"Alright man, I'll guess I'll follow suit"

I start unpacking my suit cases, clothes, books, and some hygienic product… that sounds weird, by that I mean shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, that whole deal. There were two dressers, one on each side of the room; I started to pack my clothes in them there was a brief silence that was broken by Jojen.

"So what's your talent?"

"Does embarrassment count as a talent?"

"A lack of embarrassment is the real talent. But what brings you here?"

"I've always loved to sing as a kid, and I want to make a career out of my love of singing"

"What do you like singing?"

"Depends, by myself maybe something that was on the radio for practice; depending on the holiday it maybe a carol or something from a crooner I guess. What brings you here?"

"Same, I love to sing. I'm more of an alternative guy, grunge rock, punk, but I got my stark in a church choir when I was young" We were facing each other while sitting on our beds, just small talk for the most of it but he broke the pleasant train of short fun stories with a question.

"You're worried aren't you?" he asked, you know if I didn't know he was a year under me I would have guessed that he was much older than me; he has a maturity most adults lack.

"Yeah I guess, you?"

"At first"

"What does that mean?"

"I have a philosophy. Everything is new for just ten seconds, the mind will adjust and accept the surroundings." He explained calmly, putting a plastic medical bottle full of pills on his nightstand"

"Um…what's that," half concerned that those weren't prescribed to him

"Relax, I take one of these a day to prevent seizures." He takes one pill out and swallows it, he brought his chin down to his chest and swallowed the pill like its nothing.

"How long did that take Brandon?"

"Three seconds…I guess"

"The first time I took this, it took fifteen seconds. Felt like an eternity, every time after it took roughly three seconds" he said, I'm guessing there's a point to this. "You and only you can say when those ten seconds start, I use that to not get nervous before any performance."

"So you take a been there done that mentality to life?"

"It's only new for ten seconds after all," he smirked.

"I guess you're right, has anyone ever tell you that you're oddly whimsical, and mature"

"I've been told about my maturity," he responded

I started setting up my laptop while Jojen took a shower; two messages appeared on my Skype. One from Arya, and one was from Robb, I was going to respond but the intercom came on and called the students to the main hall so they can take a tour of the school. I fixed myself up when Jojen left the bathroom to change his shoes; my hair is a bit of a mess so I just found the line on the left side of my hair where I part it to the right checking my hair is alright, may need a trim soon. I'm heading out the door with Jojen and making my way down stairs, I think I'm going to like it here.