CHAPTER 4
Ariel was floating in dreams. She was playing cards with Dalamar. She was
winning, too. In the dream, she leaned back in her chair, putting the card
against her chest so the edges poked her.
.and kept on poking. Ariel opened her eyes, jumping as she saw a disgustingly cheery dragon sitting on her. Revven took to the air just before Ariel sat up with a start. Lily, in the bed next to her, rubbed her eyes and rolled over.
"Wake up!" Revven said, far too cheerful for any sane person to be this early in the morning. "It's six o'clock in the morning. Breakfast is at six forty-five every morning. You do not want to be late. Get dressed, but you will not need anything with you yet. Good morning!" The dragon flew out the door, which slammed shut. Ariel suspected Revven was flying down the hall to wake other nearby unfortunates.
"Early . tired . cooped up with insane dragon . I haven't gotten up this early since I was eleven." Lily moaned and got out of bed. "Ariel? Are you awake?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Ariel blearily stood up and headed for the bathroom while Lily studied her clothes. Ariel hastily put in her contact lenses, went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and stumbled back out into the room to pull on jeans and a shirt. About forty minutes later, the two girls were relatively organized and were walking out the door to join the others going to breakfast. The cafeteria was near the dorms, so there was no dragon to guide them.
Ariel looked at the food served for breakfast, helping herself to a variety of foods such as a small portion of pancakes, waffles, eggs, toast, French toast, muffins, croissants, and much else. Each came in tiny servings, as the students were apparently expected to try everything.
Ariel sat down at a table next to Lily. Only then did she notice a small sign on the table that said "Kiara and Liara's Table." (Ariel had been careful to address them individually in her mind. She did not want to accidentally call them twins and discover the interesting punishments Dalamar had mentioned.)
Looking up, Ariel saw a tall, silver-haired person pushing through the crowded lines toward their table. That would be Liara, then, Ariel thought. But where was Kiara? Just then she caught a glimpse of a shorter, black-haired elf following Liara. Assuming that actually was Kiara, the poor elf looked like she was sleepwalking. Kiara held a large plate piled with chocolate chip pancakes and an amazing amount of other sugary foods. Liara, on the other hand, had a few much smaller chocolate chip pancakes and a bowl of fruit salad.
The two arrived at the table and sat down. "Good morning!" said Liara cheerfully. "No, very bad morning," Kiara said under her breath. Ariel's earlier suspicions were correct - the elf really did look asleep.
Lily blinked. "Are you actually going to eat that much sugar at seven in the morning?" she asked incredulously. Kiara glared. "Yes, actually, I am." She lifted a large pitcher of hot chocolate labeled "Kiara's Mix: Touch and Die." Liara shook her head. "I thought I told you to take that stupid label off." "You did," said Kiara, grinning. "I just didn't listen."
"No kidding," Liara replied, lifting her own hot chocolate pitcher (which was painted blue with fluffy clouds on it, and had 'Liara' written on it in script) and pouring some into a mug. (Kiara was drinking hers out of the pitcher.)
"It's better than that stupid fluffy bunny pitcher thingy of yours," said Kiara, stuffing a whole pancake in her mouth.
"At least mine isn't two-thirds sugar and one-third chocolate."
Kiara glared. "I like sugar. Sugar is good for you. Good night," she said, closing her eyes and promptly falling asleep on her miraculously empty breakfast tray (Liara moved the plate before Kiara got chocolate smeared all over her face).
"Hi, I'm Ariel," said Ariel to Liara. Liara smiled and said, "I am Liara. The sleeping one is Kiara." Ariel glanced at the comatose not-twin. She was not Liara's twin, Ariel reminded herself again.
"I'm Lily," said Lily. Liara nodded and said hello.
"Um, does she do that every morning?" asked Ariel, still looking at Kiara.
"Pretty much, yes. Duck," Liara warned.
Ariel instinctively ducked down as something small, silver, and very fast zipped by and landed on Liara's shoulder. "Hello, Lanth," Liara said to the small silver dragon. "I saved you some fruit. Here's your hot chocolate," she added, pouring some hot chocolate in a shallow bowl for the dragon, who energetically attacked his meal.
"Lily, watch out!" Liara cried suddenly. Lily shrank down in her seat as a gold blur flashed past, executing several unnecessary loops in the air before landing in front of Kiara.
"That's Kanth," Liara explained. Kanth flicked his tail in greeting and hopped up onto the rim of Kiara's enormous chocolate pitcher. Disappointed to find it empty, he decided instead to liberate all sugar at the table from its owners. Apparently the little dragon was as addicted to sugar as Kiara.
Finishing her breakfast, Ariel looked up as someone cleared their throat at the front of the cafeteria. It was Dalamar again.
"Good morning," he said. "Today you will choose your courses. The teachers at your table will give you a packet with a sheet for every course available. You must choose five. You have until 11:30 to choose what courses. At that time, a collection bin will be placed at the double doors leading out of your floor. You will put the six sheets from the packet of the courses you want to take, properly filled in. You cannot change them, so choose wisely. If you fill them out improperly, you will redo them in my office. After that, you will have lunch at noon here, and then you will get prepared for your courses. There is a bookstore nearby. Your course books are there. You do not have to pay for anything; the person there will give you what you need. The directions there are in the packet you got yesterday. You can also ask your Resident Advisor how to get there. Good morning," he said again, and walked to the door.
Ariel got her packet from Liara (Kiara had woken up and was feeding Kanth handfuls of sugar). Then she and Lily returned to the dorms to begin studying the packet of courses.
~*~-~*~
Reviews are cool . really cool . (((
Thank you, O goddess of many names. I know you will understand that I must climb up my path to the mountaintop rather than.up yours.
~*~Alexa
.and kept on poking. Ariel opened her eyes, jumping as she saw a disgustingly cheery dragon sitting on her. Revven took to the air just before Ariel sat up with a start. Lily, in the bed next to her, rubbed her eyes and rolled over.
"Wake up!" Revven said, far too cheerful for any sane person to be this early in the morning. "It's six o'clock in the morning. Breakfast is at six forty-five every morning. You do not want to be late. Get dressed, but you will not need anything with you yet. Good morning!" The dragon flew out the door, which slammed shut. Ariel suspected Revven was flying down the hall to wake other nearby unfortunates.
"Early . tired . cooped up with insane dragon . I haven't gotten up this early since I was eleven." Lily moaned and got out of bed. "Ariel? Are you awake?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Ariel blearily stood up and headed for the bathroom while Lily studied her clothes. Ariel hastily put in her contact lenses, went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and stumbled back out into the room to pull on jeans and a shirt. About forty minutes later, the two girls were relatively organized and were walking out the door to join the others going to breakfast. The cafeteria was near the dorms, so there was no dragon to guide them.
Ariel looked at the food served for breakfast, helping herself to a variety of foods such as a small portion of pancakes, waffles, eggs, toast, French toast, muffins, croissants, and much else. Each came in tiny servings, as the students were apparently expected to try everything.
Ariel sat down at a table next to Lily. Only then did she notice a small sign on the table that said "Kiara and Liara's Table." (Ariel had been careful to address them individually in her mind. She did not want to accidentally call them twins and discover the interesting punishments Dalamar had mentioned.)
Looking up, Ariel saw a tall, silver-haired person pushing through the crowded lines toward their table. That would be Liara, then, Ariel thought. But where was Kiara? Just then she caught a glimpse of a shorter, black-haired elf following Liara. Assuming that actually was Kiara, the poor elf looked like she was sleepwalking. Kiara held a large plate piled with chocolate chip pancakes and an amazing amount of other sugary foods. Liara, on the other hand, had a few much smaller chocolate chip pancakes and a bowl of fruit salad.
The two arrived at the table and sat down. "Good morning!" said Liara cheerfully. "No, very bad morning," Kiara said under her breath. Ariel's earlier suspicions were correct - the elf really did look asleep.
Lily blinked. "Are you actually going to eat that much sugar at seven in the morning?" she asked incredulously. Kiara glared. "Yes, actually, I am." She lifted a large pitcher of hot chocolate labeled "Kiara's Mix: Touch and Die." Liara shook her head. "I thought I told you to take that stupid label off." "You did," said Kiara, grinning. "I just didn't listen."
"No kidding," Liara replied, lifting her own hot chocolate pitcher (which was painted blue with fluffy clouds on it, and had 'Liara' written on it in script) and pouring some into a mug. (Kiara was drinking hers out of the pitcher.)
"It's better than that stupid fluffy bunny pitcher thingy of yours," said Kiara, stuffing a whole pancake in her mouth.
"At least mine isn't two-thirds sugar and one-third chocolate."
Kiara glared. "I like sugar. Sugar is good for you. Good night," she said, closing her eyes and promptly falling asleep on her miraculously empty breakfast tray (Liara moved the plate before Kiara got chocolate smeared all over her face).
"Hi, I'm Ariel," said Ariel to Liara. Liara smiled and said, "I am Liara. The sleeping one is Kiara." Ariel glanced at the comatose not-twin. She was not Liara's twin, Ariel reminded herself again.
"I'm Lily," said Lily. Liara nodded and said hello.
"Um, does she do that every morning?" asked Ariel, still looking at Kiara.
"Pretty much, yes. Duck," Liara warned.
Ariel instinctively ducked down as something small, silver, and very fast zipped by and landed on Liara's shoulder. "Hello, Lanth," Liara said to the small silver dragon. "I saved you some fruit. Here's your hot chocolate," she added, pouring some hot chocolate in a shallow bowl for the dragon, who energetically attacked his meal.
"Lily, watch out!" Liara cried suddenly. Lily shrank down in her seat as a gold blur flashed past, executing several unnecessary loops in the air before landing in front of Kiara.
"That's Kanth," Liara explained. Kanth flicked his tail in greeting and hopped up onto the rim of Kiara's enormous chocolate pitcher. Disappointed to find it empty, he decided instead to liberate all sugar at the table from its owners. Apparently the little dragon was as addicted to sugar as Kiara.
Finishing her breakfast, Ariel looked up as someone cleared their throat at the front of the cafeteria. It was Dalamar again.
"Good morning," he said. "Today you will choose your courses. The teachers at your table will give you a packet with a sheet for every course available. You must choose five. You have until 11:30 to choose what courses. At that time, a collection bin will be placed at the double doors leading out of your floor. You will put the six sheets from the packet of the courses you want to take, properly filled in. You cannot change them, so choose wisely. If you fill them out improperly, you will redo them in my office. After that, you will have lunch at noon here, and then you will get prepared for your courses. There is a bookstore nearby. Your course books are there. You do not have to pay for anything; the person there will give you what you need. The directions there are in the packet you got yesterday. You can also ask your Resident Advisor how to get there. Good morning," he said again, and walked to the door.
Ariel got her packet from Liara (Kiara had woken up and was feeding Kanth handfuls of sugar). Then she and Lily returned to the dorms to begin studying the packet of courses.
~*~-~*~
Reviews are cool . really cool . (((
Thank you, O goddess of many names. I know you will understand that I must climb up my path to the mountaintop rather than.up yours.
~*~Alexa