It was 10 minutes before 9 and it was then that several prefects guided the first year students to their dorm building.
Wakefield, the first year dorm, like all the other dorms was a separate building on campus. Its front comprised of glass windows, and with the artificial light shining through it, both from the inside and out, it was a beauty.
"This is Dyre, your home for the next year. And we are going to be your Dorm Managers for the year." One of the five prefects declared.
They then introduced themselves. Thresh, Annie, Sonny, Brice and Morrigan.
Katniss recognized Annie and Thresh as the two student who sat beside her in the dining hall who had the conversation about the other dorms being better than Dyre.
"The code is 2357. It don't know why they even have a code. Most outsiders don't get inside the gates, and all the other years know the code." Thresh continued.
"Can't we change the code?" A first year from the group asked.
"No. 2357 is the code and will always be the code."
"Well, that sucks." Someone commented.
"Don't worry, I guarantee you that no student in their right mind from the upper years will try and break in. " Sonny replied to the comment, with a smile.
The prefect placed in the code at the door, letting the first year in.
Inside, they stood in a lobby, with a large spiral stair case.
The space also had large wooden structures with stairs wrapped around them. They were so tall that the students could not see the top.
"What are those?" Another inquisitive first year asked.
"They only thing cool about this dorm." Either Sonny or Brice responded. Katniss was not sure. She too had her eyes fixed on the large structures.
The prefects then took the new students on a tour of the dorm, from the top of the tall, dom-like structure - where Katniss learnt that they were beds, literally beds, just really large ones - to the basement, where there was a common room, filled with a hologram TV and advance gaming systems. Katniss wondered of all the places they could put a common room, why did they choose the basement. It was hot and had no natural light.
"Do we get to choose our own rooms?" Someone inquired when the prefects were walking them through the dorm floors.
"Have you literally been ignoring everything we just said?" Brice declared, irritated, seeing that they already mentioned it. "The rooms and roommates are assigned. They try to put people from different Districts together."
Some people started to complain, but was suddenly cut off by Brice, again, "Switch if that bothers you that much, we don't care, just remember; Sundays, we are required to do room checks."
"Where can we find you if we have an issue?" Yet another question.
The prefects were obvious getting annoyed with all these question.
"We would prefer if you don't actually 'find' us. You all are 15 years old, not 5. If there is an issue try to deal with it. If you seriously can't, then one of us should be in the prefect suite at all times, we have different shifts so just talk to the person in that time."
The prefects then dismissed the first year students, 4 of them leaving while one staying to fulfill the first Dorm Manager shift of the year.
Most of the students were walking floor to floor trying to find the room door with their names on it. On each of the 100 dorm rooms' doors in the building, were
a pieces of paper, with two names on them.
"I hope we were assigned together." Sarah proclaimed while linking arms with Katniss, as they walked around the 5th floor looking for the piece of paper with their names of it.
Brandon and Peeta were the first to find their names. Coincidentally, their names were on the same door. They were more than happy to have each other as roommates.
A few dorm rooms away there was a door with the names "Clove Koning & Sarah Weston" on it.
I guess me and Sarah aren't together, Katniss thought. Unless there was another Sarah.
"Shoot. I was really hoping we were roommates." Sarah said to Katniss, a bit disappointed.
"It's ok. We can always try to convince our roommates to switch if it comes to that." Katniss suggest, although secretly hoping that it would not have to come that. She did not want to seem high-maintenance, and possible force out a reluctant student out of their room, just for her own comfort.
"Oh, yes! Good idea." Sarah immediately felt better. "Let's try to find your room." She suggested walking away from her dorm room.
"Cato van Livius and Marvel Barzeti." were the name on the door next to Sarah's dorm, and right across from that door was "Katniss Everdeen and Virginia Rauel"
"Here you go. You're dorm is nearly across from mine and the boys are down the hall" Sarah beamed. "We can have dorm room parties if our roommates are cool with it."
"Sure." Katniss responded, trying to keep the reluctance out of her voice. She would rather not have parties, but she wasn't going to crush Sarah's excitement.
Katniss reached for the door handle but it would not budge. She realized that there was a small red light on the door handle.
On the door, above the paper with the names of it was a small, transparent, compartment. In it was a card, which she reached for.
Katniss observed the card. It was a thin, white, rectangular card. On the front was a crest; the same one which Katniss saw on her acceptance letter. The crest had the images of a brain, heart, and hand, each separated by a line. Below the crest were six words: Facultates autem nihil est extra locum
Katniss had no idea what it meant, she did not even know the language it was written in. She just knew that it was not English.
Also on the front of the card in the bottom right corner was a number: 509. Katniss looked up to see that this was the number on top of the door.
Turning the card over to observe the back, Katniss saw that there was a single barcode sequence.
"I think you need to swipe it." Sarah stated behind Katniss. Katniss was a bit startled, since she forgot that Sarah was even there.
Katniss followed Sarah's advice, putting the barcode in front of the red light on the door handle. Katniss watched as the red light turned to green in a second, prompting her to try turning the door handle. This time the door opened.
Entering the room, Katniss glimpsed a girl with her back to the door. The only thing that Katniss observed was her sleek red hair running to the middle of her back.
The door closed, causing the girl to turn around.
"Hi. I'm Virginia. But you can call me Finch or Foxface or Virginia. Any one which fits your fancy." The red-head promptly introduced herself, seeming a little bit nervous.
"I think Virginia will do or Finch or Foxface… or Geena." Sarah joked, with a smile.
Virginia turned her eyes from Katniss to Sarah, and smiled replying, "I think I like Geena."
"Good. Then Geena it is." Sarah responded. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sarah."
"Katniss." Katniss introduced herself with a small wave, and a small, forced smile.
In a way, Katniss envied Sarah. She was outgoing, bubbly and receptive to people. Katniss assumed that these characteristics will help her tremendously in the Academy.
Katniss viewed herself as the total opposite, reserved, observant, distant to people who she don't know quite well. She was unsure about how these traits will help her. She doubted that they will.
Sarah did not leave Katniss and Virginia's dorm room until early the next morning. They were up and talking about their live back home, their future goals and what they expected from the Academy.
Katniss learnt that Virginia thought she was a Nouse, while Sarah considered herself an Epon. Katniss was honest and told them that she was not sure what she was. Sarah boasted about Katniss's archery skills to Virginia and declared that she thought that Katniss was a Drey. Virginia agreed.
By the next morning, Katniss almost considered them friends.
Despite going to her bed at about 1 a.m, Katniss could not sleep. She figured that this might be due to her being away from home or maybe it was because of her early nap of the train. The favored the former reason. It not that she wasn't tired, she was, but she could not sleep.
She looked over the other bed in the room to see Virginia fast asleep.
I guess I am the only one with sleeping problems, Katniss thought.
Katniss considered going for a shower. Bathing always helped her to sleep back home, therefore the reason why she always bathe before going to bed.
Katniss realized that bathing at 1 a.m in a communal bathroom may not be a good idea. Especially when those bathroom are co-ed. On the tour of the dorm a few hours before, Katniss learnt this.
The boys had no problem with this arrangement some even liked it, but the girls were less excited, Katniss included.
Katniss tried to fall asleep once more, but failed. Sitting up on her bed, she reasoned with herself that a bathe would really help a lot.
It's one in the morning, no one else will be there. It's the perfect time. Her brain argued.
She eventually agreed and got up to gather her belongings.
Katniss found herself unsuccessful in locating her bag, and had to turn on the bedside lamp on the night stand beside her bed.
Virginia groaned and covered her face with her pillow. Katniss softly whispered a 'sorry', before quickly finding what she needed for her shower in her bag.
Towel. Slippers. Toothbrush. Toothpaste. And a soap in case there were none in the bathroom.
Katniss picked up her room card from her night stand, switched off the light and quietly exited out of her dorm room.
The hallway was dimly lit with a few lights. Katniss walked around the corner where she knew the showers for the floor were.
Saying the showers were beautiful would be an understatement. It was like those bathrooms in Capitol dramas that Katniss glimpse when Prim was watching TV. It was the cleanest bathroom she ever seen in her life. The white tiles on the floor and the walls seemed to sparkle.
As Katniss walked further into the bathroom, the only sound in the room were her flip-flops against the tile.
Gale gave her those flip-flops as a going away present. As she looked down at them, she remembered her promise to write him. She decided that she should fulfill that promise sometime this week, telling him about her time here so far.
Katniss placed her stuff on the clean, marble sink. There was a dispenser of some sorts at the side of the sink. She placed her hand underneath it to check if it was working.
The device made a sound, then decanted something to her hand. It was white and thicker that soap. Katniss lifted it to her nose to smell it. It was toothpaste.
Katniss then placed her hand under the pipe, allowing water to pour into her palm, washing away the toothpaste.
Katniss placed her toothbrush under the toothpaste dispenser, although she had her own toothpaste. She was curious about how Capitol toothpaste tasted.
Katniss was disappointed. She was expecting it to be fruity and delicious of some sorts, however, it tasted like plain own mint, albeit richer in taste than the toothpaste usually found in District 12.
Katniss then moved towards the showers. They were multiple showers linked to each other and each booth had white, sliding doors for privacy.
Katniss choose the one in the furthermost corner and stepped inside. The side walls lit up with an illuminating blue light. Katniss was startled, but impressed.
If it is one thing she could say about the Academy is that they have the coolest showers ever. She took a mental note to mention that in the letter she planned to write Gale during the week.
A screen, at the front of the shower, lit up. Katniss looked up to see if the shower was going to start, but it didn't. Katniss guessed that she had to do something on the screen, and tried touching it. It brought her to a menu, which has option such as: Hot, Lukewarm, or Cold. She choose lukewarm, since it seemed like the moderate option. Another screen came up. Pouring, Cascading, Drizzling. Although she wasn't quite sure what each option meant, she choose the one in the middle: Cascading. It was then that the water started to flow.
Katniss, skeptical, moved against the shower door. She then moved her feet into the path of the flowing water. The water was refreshing on her feet. She then moved my body into the water.
Katniss noticed another dispenser in the shower. She placed her hand under it and watched as a blue liquid poured inside her palm. She felt the substance with her fingers. It felt like soap, so she spread it along her left arm. Katniss spent 10 minutes in the shower, enjoying every minute of it.
Katniss reached for her towel on the outside shower handle. As she got a hold of it, she placed it around her back, while stepping outside the shower.
Katniss had a strange feeling, like she was somehow being watched. She instinctively glanced to her right, where there was indeed a person a few steps away staring at her. A guy.
She immediately wrapped the towel around her body tightly, and turned slightly away.
"Don't worry. I did not see anything too special." He joked.
Katniss did not respond to that, but instead hurry to gather her things.
As she walked pass him, she tried not to look at his exposed upper body. She did however glance at him for a second, and notice that he had light, short brown hair and emerald eyes.
We watched as Katniss walked pass him and exited the bathroom, without saying a word to him.
Review telling me what you want more of: Drama, Insight on other characters, Romance etc.
And tell me which ships you hope to see in this story. I have a few floating around in my mind. I will try to get to all of them in this story or future stories, if it's possible.