Chapter 2
"An idealist believes the short run doesn't count. A cynic believes the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run."
-Harris, Sidney J.
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The plane ride was long. Not really. The flight from California to Jump City was a grueling 5 hours. It's would have been a smooth ride for most people, but for me it seemed like an lifetime. I watched the empty 5x10 inch screen, staring into oblivion. My head up in space. Most of thoughts wandered off to asking questions like, Would I fit in? Would any of the girls like me there? Could I finally find what I was looking for?
My mind paused at the latter. Would I really find what I was looking for? No, probably not.
"Kori, stop it . You have gone through this a hundred times already" my conscience called out to me.
"You're right , I've moved 11 times already , each time thinking it would be the start of something new"
This time I wouldn't be moving. It's just for college. I should be ecstatic right now, celebrating and being happy for everything I have right now. Most people would be happy if they got into one of the most prestigious music colleges in the world, but why not me. Well, I'm not saying that I'm not happy about my incredulous achievement, but I wish I was happier. This is one of the many faults I received from my father. He was a shy and timid person. He was always too hard on himself, no matter what the issue, whether it was work, the investments he made in the stocks and even when he accidentally left his wallet in the bathroom. I wish I was more like Mom. She was the polar opposite of my father, cheery, optimistic and most of all an idealist.
While my dad only saw everything in the circle, my mom could see the invisible changes around it. A circle never ends. At least it's supposed to. To me, becoming my mother is a dream, surreal reality. She saw the bumps and straight lines, while I only see and can still only see just the smooth curves of the perfect shape. I want to be my mother's daughter, but I can't. I look at my reflection in the mirror and try to see Mom in me, but I can't. Because I'm my father's daughter. And always will be. No matter what I do or where I go, I can't change the way I am. I can't be my mother's daughter.
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Well, here I am. In Jump City. Yeah. Jump, here I am. Population 8,274,527, now 8,274,528.
Jump City is definitely what its cut out to be: bustling streets, heavy traffic and blinding lights. It's so different here. Salinas was a quiet, placid and very laid back place with not a building in sight. Here, all you can see are towering skyscrapers and a couple hundred office buildings. Well, what did I expect, it's Jump City, center of the free world.
It took me a while to find my destination, the prestigious Jump City School of Music. Scratch that last sentence. It was super EASY to find. There isn't a person who doesn't know where it is. I took the subway there, just a 10 minute ride to the heart of the city. When I reached ground level again, I froze. There it was. JCSM. It was the most beautiful building I had ever seen. The walls were an eccentric shade of white almost a light gray, windows covered every part of the building in every size imaginable, small, medium, large, you name it, forest green vines climbed and scaled the sides of the faded brick wall, it was a work of art. Palm trees lightly swayed in the background, making the scene inevitably picturesque. I stood there, a pause in time, a hiatus.
I walked slowly up to the front desk. What was I going to say?? "Hello, What can I do for you?" the secretary asked" Oh, no
"Um, I'm the transfer student" I replied softly,
"Oh, that's right, um, what is your name?"
"Korianna Anders, "
"Thank you, and here is your room key, your dormitory will be located in the upper part of the east wing"
I thanked her, took the key and left without another word said.
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120, 121, 122, 123 , Ah there we go, room number 123. The open door revealed a small room, but large enough for two people. I looked around the room for an empty bed, there was only one left , since there was already a bag on one of them. Hmm.. Must be the roommate, wonder who she is?
"Hi," came a soft voice
I turned to come face to face with a girl, most likely my roommate. She looked about the same age as me, 15 or maybe even 16, with short violet hair, most likely dyed, that barely touched her shoulders, her eyes were the most beautiful I had ever seen. They were a soft lavender with just enough violet to highlight the iris. She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen.
"Hi" I replied back with a friendly gesture
"You must be my roommate, Korianna Anders, right??"
"Yeah, but just Kori please"
"Ok, Kori, my name's Rachel. Rachel Roth"
"Hi, Rachel, nice to meet you. So how long have you been at JCSM? "
"About 3 years."
"3 YEARS" my eyes wide in shock.
"Yeah, I got here when I was 12. I auditioned and got in. I play flute. What about you? Why are you here??"
"Well, I auditioned too and got in. My guardian didn't want me to go, but she's getting remarried and she's happy so, I decided to give them time to spend together.
"Did you say guardian??"
"Yeah…. My parents were killed by a mast murderer. "
"Oh, I'm so sorry … I shouldn't have asked"
"That's ok, I'm sorta over it now, they died when I was 5, so I don't remember much about them" I said sincerely. " So… can we go to the cafeteria now, I'm STARVING"
Danae laughed softly , "Yeah, me too"
"We're off "
We left our dorm and made our way to the cafeteria. On our way there I something. No someone. At that moment, I swore 'it' looked at me at the same moment I did. That's when I saw him.