"We are arriving at Destiny Island's Train Station in less than fifteen minutes. All passengers planning on stopping at this designated station, please be prepared to carry your luggage out of the train. Thank you."
You stirred in your seat, yawning and blinking with watery eyes. The train ride had been quiet but you preferred it that way rather than the loud noises you experienced at the airport terminal a few hours ago.
You stared down at your acceptance letter one more, clenching it with a hint of pride but more so with intimidation.
Destiny Islands Private Academy
It was one of the most prestigious schools in all of the worlds and coming from an underdeveloped and sleepy town in the Enchanted Dominion, you could not have been more excited to be accepted. The rate of transfers were less than 10 percent; most students have resided in the dormitories for the entirety of the lives beginning from pre-school all the way to university.
The area surrounding the academy is also known to be one of the best spots in the worlds; shining beaches, beautiful islands, a mild climate sporting sunny weather all year round.
Your parents have been excited albeit reluctant to let you go. Since you began to know words, you were already apprenticed to their trade: Mechanics. You spent mornings and afternoons helping out with the modest shop your parents ran and being an only child, they had treasured and cared for you as their most prized possession.
They were not entirely too worried letting you go free so early; you were just starting your 2nd year of high school but you were responsible and you knew how to prioritize. But you had never once set foot out of the Enchanted Dominion and rarely were there any tourists in your world. After all, it had only been two decades since the spell on Princess Aurora had been broken by the Prince.
Your world was still struggling to get back up on your feet; you were lucky that your father who was originally from Radiant Garden had accidentally crash-landed his jet into your mother's backyard when she was but an apprenticed chemist and the rest was history.
Your mother often said that while you inherited her feminine looks, you had your father's spunk and his habit of trying to find a solution to every problem. The first thing you've ever held, supposedly, was a small toy wrench that your father had bought you at a fair.
Tracing the emboldened words on the hard cardstock one more time, you slid the DIPA invitation back to its envelope and into your backpack. Most of your luggage had already been sent days earlier so you had nothing but a backpack and a small carry-on to bring.
Folding your earphones around your phone and tucking them into a pocket of your backpack, you stared around at the other passengers. Only a few of them were stirring; most were still asleep.
You met eyes with a bright eyed blond-haired girl who waved slightly at you. You waved hesitantly back, not certain if the gesture was meant for you. Slipping silently through the few seats that separated you, she quickly took a seat behind you.
"Hey, I'm Penelo! Are you a student at DIPA too?"
She seemed friendly enough and you smiled at how amiable she was being to you, despite the fact that you had an air of "tourist" around you.
"I'm a transfer. My name's _." You took out a hand and she cheerfully shook it.
Penelo raised an eyebrow. "A transfer, huh? We don't get a lot of you around here."
"So you must be a resident." You observed and she nodded.
Penelo smiled. "Adopted, actually. My friend, Vaan, and his brother, Reks, were like family to me, so when we lost our parents to the plaque back in Ivalice, they took me in. Reks became a high-ranking soldier here and he became my legal guardian as well as Vaan's."
"Oh wow. I'm really sorry for your loss." You said softly but Penelo simply waved it off.
"They're in a better place now and so am I. Anyways, what about you? Where do you come from?"
You two babbled for a minute or so until the intercom announced that the train will be stopping soon. Penelo had an array of suitcases filled with souvenirs she had acquired from her summer trip and you helped her with her luggage as you exited the train doors.
Breathing in the salty fresh air, a smile widened in your face. You stared out the station's transparent windows and saw the clear shining ocean. As compared to the harsh cliffs and the murky water that you could see atop from the train ride, the sea was much calmer and more invigorating than before.
"Penelo!" You heard a yell from the station as a young brunette boy rushed towards the both of you with a large cart. He gave Penelo a warm hug which she gladly returned.
He stared at you strangely as he dropped his arms from Penelo's embrace.
"Kytes, this is _. She's a DIPA transfer. _, this is Kytes. He's like my little brother." She giggled, ruffling his hair.
You shook his hand and smiled but he only gave you a wary look in return but shook your hand nonetheless.
"Hey, Penelo. Nice to see you're not all scratched up this time." A slightly deeper voice said good-humoredly as you watched a taller blond guy give Penelo a hug.
Penelo rolled her eyes and mouthed, "I'll tell you later." You grinned as she let go of the guy and introduced him.
"_, this is Vaan, my adoptive older brother. He's a year above us. Vaan, this is _. She's a transfer."
"Yeah, I heard." Vaan flashed you a smile as he shook your hand. He was tan with friendly hazel eyes and a firm handshake. "What's your specialty?" He asks.
"Mechanics." You replied, awaiting his reaction. Most engineers and mechanics were not girls; they were so scarce that the DIPA representative who had come to test your skills had judged you quite skeptically during his first few days with you.
Vaan gave you a crooked grin. "I am too. Guess we'll have a few classes together."
"Really? What niche?" You curiously wondered.
"Aerospace. You?" Vaan responded.
"I'm an all-rounder, I guess. My dad specialized in aeromechanics but he passed on some of his training in motor-vehicle engineering and my mother learned chemical engineering at her university."
"Impressive." Vaan acknowledged and he gave you another boyish grin before setting Penelo's luggage onto the cart.
"Well, y'know, while Kytes and I here pretend to understand all this Mechanic talk, do you think we could get a bite somewhere? I'm starving." Penelo moaned, rubbing her tummy. "I ate up all my snacks on the train ride here."
"I didn't bring my car because it's still in Cid's shop but I'm sure we could just take a cab and stop by somewhere." Vaan replied, rolling the cart next to his adoptive sister and Kytes. You distanced yourself a few feet from them, not wanting to seem obtrusive.
Vaan gave you a sideways glance before whispering, "Hey, I don't have cooties, _. Don't worry."
"I just didn't want to impose." You defended, scooting a foot closer.
Vaan chuckled before asking, "So Penelo, Kytes, where do you guys wanna eat? I want to stop by Cid's shop and get _ here to take a look at my baby and test her Mechanics skills."
You raised an offended eyebrow at him to which he responded with a smirk.
"Maybe Cid will have food for us…" Kytes mumbled, rummaging to his seemingly empty wallet.
"I actually want to head over to the dorms first. I'm a bit jetlagged so I want to rest first before doing anything." You spoke up, unable to hold in your yawn. "You guys can go ahead with me, I'm sure there's a bus around here somewhere."
"Tell you what, _, we'll drop you off at DIPA first then we'll head out. I don't wanna abandon you in your first five minutes at Destiny Islands!" Penelo replied and that's when you realized just how good-natured this girl really was. Needless to say, you were glad she was the first person you met here.
"Thanks Penelo!" You responded gratefully as the four of you exited the sliding station gates and Penelo waved her arms frantically to hail a cab.
Refusing Penelo's insistence to make you sit at the front seat ("You need a proper first look of the Islands!"), you squished yourself into a window seat next to Vaan, who looked uncomfortable sitting in such a small space with his long limbs.
"Penelo grew up in an all-boys family so she's not that used to having friends that are girls. She gets pretty attached but you'll get used to it." Vaan whispered as Penelo fired a million questions about the Enchanted Dominion at you.
Was there an actual dragon? Do you guys have a democracy? Is Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip still alive? Do you keep Maleficent in a dungeon?
In truth, even you weren't certain about the answers to her questions. You tried to be as polite and as truthful as possible without sounding like a bore but even Penelo got the hint after a while and gradually grew silent.
You stared out the taxi window, seeing clean paved streets with palm trees adorning the sidewalks. Everything was picturesque, from the little boutiques to the small cafes and the sweet scent of the clean beachy air.
The taxi turned a few corners before it slowed down to a narrow street where buses crowded the sidewalks and kids from all sorts of age groups were laughing and hanging around their suitcases and luggage.
From far away, you could see the astronomy tower which spiraled up like a palace spire atop a steep hill. Enormous buildings popped up as you got closer; all the color of pearly white and cerulean blue.
"Here we are!" Penelo exclaimed as the taxi slowed down to a stop near the curb.
Despite your hand nearly getting swatted away by Vaan (who Penelo had insisted would be paying), you offered some payment to the driver who willingly to it and said, "Thanks again, you guys. I'll see you all later." You waved as you slung your backpack over your shoulder and slipped your carry-on across your other one.
"Bye, _!" Penelo grinned at you as Kytes waved lazily. Vaan gave you a crooked smile one last time before waving his hand in the air slightly.