When the plane lands, I carry my bags to a car that was waiting for me, provided by The Institute. It was a black Mustang, the nicest car I've ever seen. I felt so uncomfortable putting my bags in the back seat before climbing in myself. The seats were a black leather, and very, very comfortable.
I look at the dark gray sky, this is nothing like home.
We arrive at the Institute, a huge looking school, one that looks like a castle. I gulp and remove my bags from the car, and walk inside, awed at how much money they spent on this place. Each chandelier looked like it cost a fortune, and had been decorated like it was from the 1800's, which I admit, is pretty cool. But, yet again, no place for me.
I walk into the front office, where I see a young girl sitting at the front desk.
"I'm Headmaster Branwell, can I help you?" she asked. I cleared my throat.
"Yes actually, I am a new student, my name is Tessa Gray," I reply nervously. She looks at me, eyes wide and bright.
"Um, yeah, yeah! It's just...not a lot of people that actually get a scholarship… actually come," she shares with me and I feel nauseas.
"Oh, but don't worry, it's a great opportunity," she sings with a smile. I almost cough out loud and ask, 'excuse me, what?'.
I swear, if another living soul tells me it will be a great or fun or good opportunity I will end their life. I put on my finest fake smile.
"Yes, well I agree, I cannot wait to start class," I reply, trying to sound like I mean it.
Apparently, I am a good actress as well, she totally bought my enthusiasm.
"Well dear, let's not keep you waiting any longer." She pulls out a folder of paper and hands it to me. "In here, you will find your schedule, your dorm number and your ticket to get your uniforms." I smile and thank her before walking out, bags trailing behind me.
Opening the folder, I spot my dorm number. Dorm G-14. I suppose G stands for girls. Following the signs to where the girl's dormitories were, was pretty simple, and it didn't take me long to open the door and shove my things within. Inside, I find a dorm bigger than the apartment that my brother and I share. I stare at the room in awe. I gape at the chandelier that lit up the place.
I gape at the Queen sized bed I get all to myself.
I gape at the closet space. I notice a dresser already filled with clothes, a bed that was already made, but not as straight and perfect as mine, a closet already filled with uniforms and clothes.
My heart starts to pound, why do I have to have a roommate, wouldn't they understand if I didn't? But, no, I must. I hear the lock of the room start to turn and I want to run and hide in my closet. But I don't. I just stand there, staring at the door that would reveal my roommate to me when it opens. Then I see her. She has dark brown hair, so dark it seems black, perhaps it is.
She has a small figure.
But the most mesmerizing of all, she has midnight blue eyes.
I just stand there, gawking at my roommate, how pretty she is, how plain I am. Clary would've stood out with her fiery red hair and Isabelle with her figure, but not me. Not plain Tessa Gray, the only thing remotely interesting about me being my love for old books, such as Dickens. As I stare at her, she stares right back. Awkward silence hangs in the air, but neither of us making a move to break it. I've always been shy, I could've probably stood there for hours, mesmerized by her eyes.
Then she seems to snap out of the trance we both were under.
"Hi, I'm Cecily, your...your roommate I guess," she introduces. She had a very distinct Welsh accent, beautifully rolling out her vowels.
"My-my name is Theresa, Tessa," I amended, "Gray."
"Hello Tessa, well, I should probably show you where to put things and everything and then, we should go get your uniform, classes start tomorrow," she tells me. I nod and smile, she smiles back. It seems perhaps at least someone in this school isn't bratty or snotty from what I can tell.
"Okay, so your clothes go here and you can put everything else in your closet," she starts. I pull out my clothes, dumping them into the dresser she had pointed at. She goes to open my suitcase and all of my books start to tumble out.
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaims, as she falls over by all the tumbling books.
"I'm so sorry!" I exclaim.
"What kind of madness would ever have driven you to pack a suitcase full of books?!" she yelled at me, astonished.
"I like them…" I say, looking down, embarrassed. She looks at me, then bursts out laughing and before I knew it, I was on the floor laughing too.
I helped her clean up the books on the ground. We put them on the shelf in the closet.
"Phew, that was a lot of work!" Cecily exclaimed to me, brushing the sweat from her forehead.
"Thanks for helping me, you really didn't have to," I tell her, sitting down on the couch, feeling absolutely grateful for the roommate I have.
"It's not a problem, besides, we're roommates now, aren't we?" she asks me while sitting down on the couch next to me.
"Yeah, I guess we are," I say, looking out of the window towards the dark and gloomy sky, feeling suddenly homesick for the sunny one at home.
"There's a few things you might want to know about this school before you start tomorrow," she tells me abruptly. I search her face for any source of silliness, but find none. I nod my head, waiting for her to tell me some news.
"Well, there's people here, on a scholarship, like you, who are smart, not very popular, sometimes picked on people called 'The Shadowhunters'." I take a breath in, audibly. She looks at me and sighs.
"Unfortunately, one of those people is my brother and his friends, and their girlfriends? I...uh...don't know what they call their girls I guess. I don't think they're dating, but they make-out and kiss...A LOT," she says dramatically. I become overwhelmed with the disgusted feeling for her brother.
I thank the Angel that she isn't like him.
"But yeah, as long as you stay away from them, nothing should happen, and don't worry, Will will leave you alone if I give him a good yelling or so," she tells me, fake punching to the air.
"Thanks for telling me," I tell her, "so, what are the classes like?"
"Well, they are good, for the most part, I mean, they are super advanced and everything so it keeps it interesting," she says with a smile, "you'll love them."
We talk for a while longer. She talks me through what they are studying in classes and we talk through what the chiefs had served for dinner.
"Should we go get your uniform?" Cecily asks me after we refolded my clothes and stowed them away in the wardrobe.
"That would be lovely," I reply, opening the door and waiting for her to walk through before shutting it and locking it.