I'm seriously amazed at how many reviews this story has gotten! I never expected this. Seriously, thank you guys so much! It warms my empty thoracic cavity. TT_TT Anyways, I drew the females as a special treat! I'll attempt to draw the males next, but I'm not as good at drawing boys. Since FF doesn't like links put into author's notes, you can find the route to my deviantart on my profile right under the fanart section. Enjoy!
"Alistair, Alistair! Will you show me a trick? What's it like being a SCL Illusionist?" Gustav asked, shining a blue laser pointer on the book Alistair was currently reading.
Alistair rubbed his temple, wondering what he had done to deserve such an annoying roommate. Even though he made it clear he was trying to read his novel, Gustav was oblivious and persistent. He snapped his book shut and glared at the SCL Actor.
Gustav appeared much younger than he was with his large lips and brown hair neatly combed to one side. He wore mismatched clothes and a gaudy jester hat. Despite being off-camera, he wore a fine layer of white makeup. As a performer himself, Alistair could understand wearing makeup when onstage, but wearing makeup offstage? This boy was off-kilter.
"Will you teach me a magic trick?" Gustav asked, poking Alistair's arm.
Alistair let out a deep sigh. "Tell me, Gustav, have you ever heard of the phrase, 'a magician never reveals his secrets?'"
"I thought your title was Illusionist." Gustav said, his mouth forming a wide O.
"Yes, but you get my point—"
"Then I'll show you a magic trick! I'm not just an actor you know—I was in the circus before that!" Gustav pulled a bunch of juggling balls out of nowhere and began tossing them.
Alistair gave Gustav a withering look. "Juggling is not a magic trick."
Gustav's eyes widened dramatically, but before he could get his drama thing on, there was a knock at the door. Instantly, he was there to fling it open, all while belting out a musical greeting.
"Hey, I know you!" Reeta burst out, jaw dropping at the sight of Gustav, "You're an actor, aren't you? Gustav…Gustav something…"
"Gustav Hamilton Evernott at your service!" The short boy chirped, sweeping into a bow. "And this is my friend, Alistair!"
We are not friends. Alistair thought silently. He inclined his head towards the women standing at their door.
Reeta could feel color rushing into her face. She looked at the other girls—they were eyeing Alistair up as well. Gustav was adorable, but Alistair was a total looker with tousled, dirty blonde hair and an angular jawline. His hazel eyes glinted behind oval glasses and his long limbs betrayed how tall he was when standing. Still, he did not move from his seat.
"Wait, isn't your name Thomas?" Asui questioned, glaring at the door. It had a picture of an eye representing the illusionist, listing his name as Thomas. Two masks side by side, one happy, one sad, were Gustav's symbol.
Alistair felt a prick of annoyance. "I prefer to go by my last name, Alistair." He said with a wry smile, "It makes for a much better stage name, you see. "
"Then Alistair it is." Teresa said, shooting him a flirty wink.
He inclined his head once more. "Thank you." Then he reopened his book and returned to reading. Teresa swallowed her disappointment and tore her attention from him.
"So are you going around meeting everyone? Are you?" Gustav asked, looking positively thrilled, "Can I come?"
"Of course!" Karah declared, "You're welcome to come too, Alistair."
"No thank you." Alistair said quietly, absorbed in his book.
Disappointed, the girls left him to it. But they were happy to have Gustav with them. He was a bundle of energy. The girls asked him all about his acting career as they walked to the next suite. The pictures on this door were a mechanical gear and a tree, a rather interesting combination.
Both boys answered the door together after Gustav pounded on it excitedly.
One boy had curly, chestnut brown hair, thick eyebrows, and a long face. He wore a plaid button-up, tight pants, and beaded bracelets on his arms. "Heyyy…" He said with a lazy grin, "What's all this?"
The other boy, who was a bit on the short side, had calculating blue eyes and a carefully styled mop of dark hair. His expression was smug as his eyes roved over the crowd of girls gathered around them. He was very aware of their admiring gazes on his navy-blue and white pinstripe suit emphasizing his lean frame. He had worn it for this exact purpose.
"You see, Noah?" He told his roommate triumphantly, "I told you I had an irresistible aura when it came to women. They naturally flock to me. Be grateful you were paired with such an exquisite roommate."
Noah pursed his lips and nodded, looking very satisfied.
"We're just going around meeting everyone on the floor," Karah said, embarrassed.
"Ah. The name's Charlie, Charlie Marc. Bask in the glory of the most brilliant man you'll ever meet," The engineer said with a charming smile.
Reeta rolled her eyes, but she couldn't deny he was pretty cute.
"Ooh…such confidence." Teresa laughed lightly, finding overconfidence much more attractive than her friend.
Charlie glanced at her and she made eyes at him in return. Asui felt slightly disgusted with her "childhood" friend and nudged Karah, reminding her to jump in there and introduce everyone in a quick manner.
"I'm Noah Gardener, SCL Environmentalist," Noah said in a chill tone of voice, "I do all sorts of humanitarian work. You kids ever—"
"Your name is Gardener and you're an Environmentalist?" Gustav gasped. He threw back his head and started laughing hysterically.
Noah frowned. "Uh…as I was saying, you kids ever been to a third world country?"
Kirby perked up. "No, what's it like? Which one did you go to? What sort of activities did you do to aid the villages there?" She reached up and fiddled with her necklace, a little golden crucifix. "I've always wanted to go to one and help with the relief efforts."
Noah blinked, looking faintly surprised that someone would show so much interest.
Kirby seemed slightly embarrassed and looked away. "Sorry for asking so many questions…"
"Yeah." Noah said, shrugging nonchalantly, "It's okay. You probably haven't heard of the country, anyways. Not many have."
Both Charlie and Noah decided to return to unpacking, but they bid their guests a kind farewell. As the girls walked off down the hall, Charlie's eyes followed them. I am so getting laid while I'm here. He thought smugly.
"Open up, it's the welcoming committee!" Gustav shouted loudly, once again taking the initiative to pound the door with all his strength. It practically shook on its hinges. Its occupant waited until Gustav had finished the assault before opening it. The girls ogled him, comparing him to their previous endeavors.
The slim boy had brownish blonde hair with a neat part and bangs swept to the side. His face was narrow with a small nose and ridiculously rosy cheeks that made him appear as if he were blushing. He wore dark gray dress pants, a white short-sleeved shirt buttoned all the way up, and a green tie.
He was obviously Robin, represented by the money cutout on his door. The other one was a picture of a football. Despite firm shoulders, this boy didn't have the muscles of a football player.
Robin nearly had a heart attack when some sort of clown bounced towards him with a wide grin. "Hi, I'm Gustav! Are you Robin? I like your picture! I'm a huge moneymaker myself, you know. Money makes the world go around…the world go around…" He dissolved into a quiet round of singing, all while looking at Robin expectantly.
Christ, what did I ever do in my life to deserve this? Robin thought, despite forcing a polite smile. "Aha, yes that's me. Super College Level Entrepreneur."
Gustav began babbling something about how much money he once made in a day. Robin groaned inwardly and looked at the rest of Gustav's company. They were all girls. Robin's eyes settled on one in particular…a slender brunette. She had a pretty face, but her outfit was rather frumpy and unflattering. Still, if he looked at her or one of the other attractive girls, his fake smile became a little easier to accomplish.
"Let me introduce you to everyone," Karah offered. One by one, she pointed out the students and told Robin who and what they were. As if she expected him to actually remember their names. Then she invited him to come meet everyone else with them.
Robin gave a nervous laugh, "Oh, no I don't think so. I have a lot of unpacking to do. But thank you for the kind offer." An idea struck him. "Actually, my roommate might want to accompany you…Blake?" He cast a glance over his shoulder.
"Huh?" A deep voice responded. The football player came wandering out of his room. His appearance was classic.
He had a messy mop of dirty blonde hair and nice, tan skin. He had the stereotypical athletic build as well—his muscles seemed to be straining to escape from his white and brown letterman jacket. As he approached, he shoved his hands into his jean pockets and offered everyone a huge grin. "Sup?" He greeted, his brown eyes warm.
"Hi!" Reeta said, beaming.
"These nice ladies and gentleman were wondering if you'd like to accompany them on their little trip around the dorm." Robin offered kindly.
"Well, we've just about finished up," Karah admitted, "But we were thinking we'd head to dinner together later on!"
"Sweet!" Blake said, nodding approvingly, "Let's do it. I can't figure out how to open my suitcase. This might help."
"…How is this going to help?" Asui said, looking doubtful.
"Ahaha, have a nice time!" Robin said with a friendly wave.
As soon as Blake was clear of the room, the door slammed shut behind him. Blake didn't seem too concerned with the fact he couldn't open his suitcase and asked to know everyone's names. But as soon as everyone introduced themselves, he immediately forgot them.
"Ashley?" Blake guessed, keeping pace with Asui.
"Asui." She growled.
"Ahh…Ahh-soy…Ass-wee…" Blake said slowly, pronouncing each syllable.
Asui refrained from face-palming. "Just don't talk to me if it's so difficult."
Blake frowned. "Man, this is why everyone should wear jerseys."
Asui opened her mouth for a sharp retort, but Reeta excitedly jumped into the conversation. "I wish! Or at least nametags. That would make this so much easier!"
Finally, it was time to meet the last two students. The pictures here were rather ominous: a human skull and a handprint. For a moment, everyone just stopped and stared at the chilling combination.
"Dude." Blake's voice interrupted the silence, "Do you think a hand model lives here?"
"Maybe a skeleton does!" Gustav suggested.
"Or a mortician." Kirby said with a shiver.
"Just knock on the door so we can find out already." Asui sighed.
But before anyone could do so, it opened. Reeta let out a surprised yelp and leaped behind Blake. Before them was…not really the sort of person they were expecting. Not someone who would have a skull on his door, anyways.
It was a tall, tanned boy with a messy mop of curly black hair under a bright red hat, pulled backwards. His white undershirt showed off a nice set of muscles, but his neck was practically dripping with chains and sunglasses hid his eyes from view. He whipped off his sunglasses to squint at everyone.
"Hey!" He greeted loudly, "You just go around standing outside people's doors and talking about them or what?" A good-natured grin showed that he didn't mean anything by it.
"So are you Mattheus or Carter?" Karah questioned, checking the door again.
"Modus Operandi…but you can just call me Grant." He began shaking everyone's hand while they all exchanged confused looks.
"I thought it was pronounced Mattheus?" Reeta asked, frowning.
Grant laughed. "Sorry, that's just something I like to say. I'm a SCL Forensic Scientist, you see, and my initials are M.O. Even so, I like to go by my middle name."
"M.O." Reeta echoed, still looking befuddled.
"Mode of operation." Elaine offered quietly.
As he turned to shake Blake's hand, Grant's expression suddenly became hard. "What are you, a football player?" He sneered, eyeing the jacket.
"Yup." Blake grinned, completely failing to pick up on Grant's distaste, "Quarterback. You ever play?"
"Football is overrated!" Grant declared, "I play lacrosse. It may not get half the hype football does, but it deserves even more."
"Okay," Blake agreed, nodding.
"So who's Carter?" Karah asked.
"Oh, him. He's an archaeologist. Hey Carter! Get out here!" Grant called.
"Wait! Carter Matthews? From TV?" Reeta said quickly. Gustav gave a loud gasp and began hopping up and down.
Karah looked at Elaine with wide eyes. "How do so many people seem to know each other?" She asked, "Is this some kind of conspiracy?"
Elaine just shrugged.
But sure enough, the Carter they were expecting showed himself. A few students recognized his face from either his show or just commercials. He was tall with brown hair, hazel eyes, and circular glasses. His face was rather gaunt, but perfectly tan and acne free, as expected. "Hello." He greeted, giving everyone a small smile, revealing a perfect set of white teeth.
"I've seen your show on the History channel!" Reeta said enthusiastically, "It's so cool you get to fly around to all those places with your dad and go looking for lost artifacts! But don't get me wrong, I love the new angle you guys took as well."
Carter cringed at the mention of the TV show. He had been crossing his fingers none of the students here would recognize him. Now, they were all looking at him curiously.
A few years ago, he would have been proud to be associated with his father's reality TV show. He loved following him to all of his expeditions, exploring ancient structures and searching for lost cultures, all while being followed by a TV crew. But then the show began to lose viewers and after one final plunge, the producers decided it was time to mix things up.
Carter thought it would have been better to cancel the show. Instead, the episodes became centered on their mess of a family—now with the added bonuses of his three sleazy siblings who were complete party animals. At least he could keep away from them at college, but he couldn't run from his reputation.
"Thank you for tuning in," Carter sighed, unwilling to explain just how he felt.
"It's nice to meet you." Karah piped up, "Hey! So, um, we were thinking we'd all get back to unpacking and then maybe meet up for dinner later on?"
Carter hesitated to join such a big group. But his gave everyone a friendly smile and said it sounded like a good idea. Grant agreed, looking as if he already wanted to run off and eat. He had been procrastinating on unpacking for a while and his bags were still piled in the common room.
"See you later then!" Karah said, giving a wave. "Come on, Elaine." The two roommates began to walk back to their room. Gustav raced after them, calling, "Wait! I wanna see all the girls' rooms!"
Kirby followed, looking flustered, "Um, don't you think that's a little, err…you know…inappropriate?"
That was a waste of time. Asui thought, disgruntled. She hadn't been able to talk to many people and most of them seemed really out there, anyways. I suppose that's to be expected of a bunch of prodigies. They're all oddballs. She decided to just head back to her room and play her guitar for a while.
"We done already?" Blake said, remaining where he was.
"Well…I guess that's everyone!" Reeta said happily, "Um, so did you need help with your suitcase or something? I kinda have nothing to do, so…"
"Y'know what, I'll help you too." Teresa said with a sweet smile.
"Aw, sweet." Blake said, brimming with happiness, "Thanks a lot you guys!"
"Then again, if a big strong man like yourself can't open a suitcase, we might not be able to do much." Teresa laughed, walking alongside the other two.
Blake waved a hand. "Nah, it's not a matter of strength. It's just really confusing."
"I bet I can figure it out!" Reeta said happily, "Leave it to me!"
As the last of the crowd dissipated, Carter and Grant closed the door to their room. Instead of tackling his bags, Grant snatched the remote and sprawled in front of the TV. But when he clicked it on, no image showed up. Only a little square text box that read "searching for signal…"
"Still?" Grant groaned, "This sucks! I can't even get a signal on my phone. And there's no Wi-Fi either. Why'd they have to build this school in the middle of freaking nowhere? Oh well…" Suddenly, he was darting out the door, exclaiming, "I'm gonna go find where my classes are!"
Carter was instantly alone. He sighed in relief. Grant was loud and boisterous…not exactly his ideal type of roommate, but at least he was friendly. Happily, he opened up a history book and prepared for a quiet afternoon.
Hours later, Grant came rushing into the Dining Commons. The main doors opened up to a front desk area, but a metal screen was pulled down over the window. He ran right up to it and pounded on it with a fist.
"Hey!" He called, "Is anybody there? Can someone come unlock the doors for me? All of the buildings are locked."
There was no response.
Grant felt a flicker of annoyance. He hadn't seen an adult around since his parents left—not that he was complaining. But he wanted to figure out where his classes were going to be held and explore the campus. His first stop was the Science Building and it had been locked at all entrances. He tried other buildings. The Medical Center? Locked. Rec Center? Locked. Even the doors to Old Fortune wouldn't open. He was growing increasingly frustrated.
At least the Dining Commons was open. Perhaps the others were just closed until the other students arrived. But his stubborn spirit drove him to explore the campus buildings before anyone else. Clearly, that wasn't going to happen. He would just have to be patient.
Hm? A delicious scent suddenly reached his nose. Grant turned and spotted a sign that read, "Dinner served at 6." A clock nearby showed that it was exactly that time. All qualms were instantly forgotten: it was time to eat.
Grant followed the smell into a well-lit cafeteria. His mouth dropped open in astonishment at the sight of a buffet: aisles of assorted meats, pastas, fruits, vegetables, and desserts. There were no cafeteria workers around, but the food was fresh and steaming. There was an incredible amount to choose from. Everything looked delicious.
Trying to keep from drooling, Grant approached the spread. The locked buildings didn't matter at this point. Not even the lack of Internet service. A school that treated its students to this kind of feast had to be awesome.
Noah waited a good long while before heading to dinner. He was happy to just laze outside in the grass, strumming a new tune on his ukulele. He closed his eyes and listened to the birds in the trees. This place was nothing like Seattle. This was nature at its best—outside the school walls, at least.
I wonder if the school officials let students leave the boundaries, Noah wondered, entertaining the idea of a hike. It'd be nice to take someone with him and educate them.
After putting away his ukulele, Noah ventured to the Dining Commons. All of the students had already gathered there, most of them sitting at tables, others still getting food. Noah spotted a girl with pigtails piling meat onto her plate: a very unpleasant sight to see. He marched right on over there to speak with her.
Libra was so focused on filling her plate that she almost didn't notice Noah. Until he said, "Did you know you're not gaining any value from consuming meat?"
"Huh…?" Libra said quietly, freezing where she was. Her eyes went wide and she looked from her plate to Noah nervously.
"Eating too much meat can be detrimental to your health," Noah explained, "And there are no nutrients in meat that can't be found in certain vegetables. And let's not forget you're killing animals—no matter how humane people boast they are, the fact remains: it's still murder."
Libra's brow crinkled slightly. "But…but it tastes good."
"So you only eat this meat for the hedonistic and temporary satisfaction of your taste buds, giving no thought to other lives." Noah declared in a superior tone, "How selfish!"
Libra's affronted expression melted into a scowl. "Well, I'm a selfish person." She said, forcing a fake laugh to make light of the situation. But her eyes sparked dangerously.
"Save the animals!" Noah demanded, reaching out to take her plate from her.
Libra drew back furiously. "I eat the animals!" She snapped. The film director snatched a chicken wing off her plate and ferociously tore into it to accentuate her statement.
Noah gasped. Libra whipped around and stalked off towards a nearby soda fountain machine, fuming silently. Noah was tempted to chase her down, but he just shook his head and sighed, "It's no use trying to expand a narrow mind that's unwilling to change."
"You've got that right," A nearby voice snorted. Noah turned to see Asui standing behind him, her plate filled with healthy fruits and vegetables. She smirked. "Be grateful you don't live with her. I'm Asui. Come sit with me?"
Noah smiled and replied, "Oh yes, I laid eyes on you earlier today. I take it you're a vegetarian?"
She nodded, happy that she had finally found something in common with someone.
"All right, let me help myself and we can talk all about what it means to live a healthy lifestyle!" Noah said with a lazy grin.
Libra refrained from grimacing as she passed the two by. She scanned the cafeteria, wondering whom to sit with. Kirby and Natalie were chatting quietly with one another on their own, but the blue hair deal was really freaking Libra out.
Not far from them, there was a quiet group of guys: Alistair, Robin, and Carter. They barely spoke a word as they ate. She eyed them wishfully, but knew it would be creepy if she just sat down with them and started talking.
That left the large, talkative group that was producing all of the noise in the cafeteria. Libra began to make her way to them. This group consisted of Karah, Elaine, Reeta, Teresa, Blake, Charlie, Grant, and…oh God, no.
Crap. No. I'm just gonna leave. I'm just gonna leave right now and take my plate back to my room and eat there—oh God he's looking up, he's caught the scent of fear, there's no escape now…!
"LIBRAAAAA!" Gustav's shriek filled the cafeteria and echoed down the halls. He leaped out of his chair so fast it went flying out from under him. Before Libra could run, he had already glomped her with a force that sent her reeling.
"Get off me, Gustav!" She growled, very aware that everyone had quieted and was looking at her.
"It's been too long!" Gustav sobbed, producing fake tears, "I missed you so much! Did you miss me?"
"No!" She snapped.
"You're so funny! Just like I remember!"
"You two know each other?" Teresa questioned, smiling at the sort-of happy reunion.
"I met him on the streets once—"
"We worked together on a movie!" Gustav declared proudly, drowning out Libra's voice, "Garden of Flowers."
"Never heard of it." Karah said, frowning, "What's it about?"
Gustav's voice took on a musical quality as he recited the summary of the film. "'Galen Quest Starr is a boy prodigy who lives in a run-down home with an abusive father and a sickly mother. He spends most of his time out in their tiny yard, tending to a flower garden that started as a mere rose seed. When Galen's genius is discovered, he starts on the long road to fame, but the rising star will never forget his roots.' Get it? ROOTS?!" Gustav began laughing so hard that he collapsed and rolled around on the floor.
"Stop being so overdramatic all the time!" Libra groaned, hoisting him up by an arm.
"So you directed Garden of Flowers?" Charlie snorted, "Honestly, it sounds like the title of a porno to me. Maybe I should check it out."
Libra looked incredibly offended. "It's not! And I would never direct such an atrocity. I accepted the job of assistant director because I'd only done individual films for festivals until then and I wanted to get my name into credits on the big screen! But even then, the real director never let me make any decisions or have any influence on his dung heap of a film. Whenever I argued, he sent me to get coffee for him."
"Tell them about the part where you screamed at him!" Gustav suggested, nudging her playfully.
Libra took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She wished everyone would stop looking at her and go back to stuffing their faces. But she forced a shaky smile and admitted, "I wouldn't call it screaming, but I did quit in a rather dramatic fashion."
"She screamed so loud, I started crying!" Gustav said, wide-eyed.
"Did you really? No you didn't…" Libra mumbled, heat rushing to her face. "You're always crying."
Gustav dropped the issue and invited her to come eat with them. But Libra was very unwilling to get to know her peers. She forced a smile, muttered some excuse about how she was expecting a phone call, and escaped with her food.
"She's a bad liar," Grant snorted, flipping out his cell phone, "No one's getting any service."
"Maybe she just hasn't realized yet," Karah suggested, glancing at her roommate. Elaine was very absorbed in writing something. Her thoughts were always buried in her notebook; Karah had dragged her over here, hoping she would socialize more, but to no avail.
Oh well…
"So babe, why don't you take off those sunglasses off and stay a while?" Charlie said, motioning to Teresa, who sat across the table from him.
She stiffened at the suggestion, but still managed a smile. "No thank you," She giggled, adjusting her triangle shades, "It may look it, but it's not just a fashion statement."
"What is it then?" Reeta asked, looking quizzical.
Teresa sighed. "I'm…blind in my left eye." She remained silent as the usual sounds of sympathy came her way. She would never admit how much she enjoyed them. Sob stories got people on your side…not that hers was much of a sob story.
Blake frowned. "How do you see then?"
"Uhh…with my right eye?"
"Oh. Makes sense."
Teresa didn't question Blake's thinking process. She was very aware of Elaine's gaze boring into her. The psychologist was the one who had the courage to ask, "How did you lose your sight?"
"Another time." Teresa said quietly.
Reeta quickly jumped in and changed the conversation, sensing her roommate's discomfort. "So Grant, have you ever touched a dead body?" Whoops, She thought right after, that's not exactly the best dinnertime topic.
But Grant was eager to talk about himself and ran with it before anyone could stop him. His eyes lit up with excitement as he described his work in a disturbing amount of detail. A few students, mostly CSI fans, were interested to hear what he had to say. Others were a bit disturbed.
Karah felt sick to her stomach at the thought of blood and dead bodies. She couldn't eat another bite. "Sorry," She cut in, as Grant stopped to take a breath, "But I think I'm going to go back to my room. I feel a little queasy."
Grant didn't seem to care and quickly delved back into his narrative. Karah got up; Elaine stood with her.
"I'll go with you," She said, eager to escape this rambunctious group.
From their table, Alistair, Robin, and Carter could hear every word of the other group's loud conversation. Carter didn't like the looks of them. The engineer seemed to give off a rich, spoiled vibe. A few of them seemed like the party type as well. They weren't his sort of people.
"So…" Carter said quietly, looking from Robin to Alistair, "An entrepreneur and an illusionist, huh?"
"That's right," Robin said wearily, resting his cheek on his hand as he poured more cream into his coffee. He had skipped his afternoon caffeine buzz and was feeling the effects of it.
Alistair remained silent, eyeing Robin's drink with disgust.
"I don't know much about magic," Carter said thoughtfully, "Is it something you go to college for?"
"No, I suppose not." Alistair said, picking at his pasta, "Most illusionists have mentors teach them everything they know. My mentor is the best around…but I desired to further my education and planned to attend college all along. I have a keen interest in the performance major and theatre architecture…" He drifted off, feeling embarrassed for having prattled on.
"Don't forget the state of the economy. If you don't have a degree to your name, you might as well sell your house and go live on the streets." Robin stated bluntly.
Carter frowned. "I wouldn't go that far."
"Yes, you can't say that for sure," Alistair said, clearing his throat, "But it's not a problem for any of us. We're here at St. Fortuna's, where good fortune is guaranteed."
Nearby, Kirby and Natalie were cleaning up and preparing to go back to their dorm room. As they stepped outside, they noticed the sky had darkened considerably.
"Did you make sure to get some food for Mina?" Kirby asked as they walked back together.
"Of course!" Natalie replied, sounding worried, "But I still don't know how to break the news to the school. Speaking of which, I haven't even seen any adults around."
Kirby searched for a way to comfort Natalie. She hadn't given much thought to the school's workers not showing their faces. They were obviously there, considering the fantastic meal they had been treated to. Perhaps they were just meant to work behind the scenes. College was a lot different from high school, that was for sure!
She and Natalie didn't discuss the topic too far in depth. They spent the rest of their evening quietly. Natalie played with Mina in the common room and groomed her. Kirby finished decorating her room, plastering the ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars and planets. Now it felt a little more like home. She looked at the clock—9:00 pm.
"What do you say to waking up early and exploring the campus tomorrow?" Kirby asked, poking her head out the door to smile at Natalie.
"That sounds like a great idea." Natalie said quietly, "I wanted to check out the Medical Center."
"And I can't wait to see the Science Building!" Kirby said eagerly, "I hear there's a planetarium, a greenhouse, and a museum! It's gonna be super cool!"
Natalie smiled politely, but didn't seem to share Kirby's enthusiasm. She blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed for letting her inner nerd show. Sometimes she just got carried away. With that, she muttered a quick good night and shut the door to her room.
Kirby climbed into bed, snuggling into the cool covers. Then she plucked The Bible off her nightstand and opened it up to a bookmarked page to read her favorite verses. She flipped through them for a long while, her eyelids feeling heavier with each passing minute.
'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,' She thought sleepily, What a nice verse.
Kirby ended her nightly reading on that pleasant note. Then she turned off the lights and lay down, looking at the soft glow of the stars above her. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and folded her hands.
"Heavenly Father, I thank you for this wonderful opportunity to attend such a prestigious and renowned school. I thank you for blessing me with the talents I needed to make it this far in life; truly, I owe it all to you.
I ask that you forgive me of my sins. Please give me the strength to do all that I can in my classes, help me to make friends easily, and help others discover your light. More than anything…please just let it be a safe and unforgettable school year. One I can look back on in my declining years and smile at.
Amen."