All the sudden, a loud voice becomes present within the room, as it seems it's being projected from the walls of the entire hall room, coming from all directions with a perfect volume from all points in the room due to the impeccable audio distribution. The voice was of an older mature male, who announces in an enthusiastic voice, "Welcome class of 2841!"
The sea of students seated at the main hall begin to redirect their attention from their food and acquaintances and instead they turn to face towards the far back of the main hall where the private rooms are, as it seems that several other students had already deduced the source of the voice, regardless of the lack of aimed projection.
It isn't difficult as all of the students were seated anyway, and so there is only one person standing, making him easier to notice. In front of the students' gaze and in front of the doorway to the smaller cafeteria rooms is an older man, seeming to be in his early fifties, dawning a formal and clean black suit, with his hands behind his back as he looks upon the students in the hall.
The man brings his right arm out in front of him as he notices that a good chunk of students still seem confused as to where he is, as they aim wanderlessly. In an effort to better obtain their attention, the man waves his hand, to which the remainder of the students notice within seconds.
As the man watches the rest of the students turn to him, six more adults wearing clean suits or elegant dresses step out through the doorway behind him. They separate into two groups of three on each of the man's side, accompanying him as they stand straight, turning to face the same direction in silence while also displaying formality through their rigid posture.
The seven adults stand in front of the doorway, all of them looking down at the sea of students in initial silence. Three women stand by his left side in dresses, and three men stand by his right side in suits, all of them seeming to be in their thirties or forties, for they're old but not as old as the man in the center.
Without even speaking, the seven already display a strong sign of authority, for their presence radiates boldly in the silent room. With the prestige of the university itself, time and time again the school's staff has conducted themselves with such professionalism, however this man seems to be on a different level, as there's a certain power that emanates from him that's absent from the other adults.
As Rohan stares at the man, he can tell that the man himself holds a great authority above all, as he commands not just the students but the faculty as well. From the few moments of staring at the man, Rohan recognizes that it's likely to only be one possible person.
Rohan turns to Shuraj, and he asks with intrigue, "Is that the school president?"
Shuraj nods his head, and he turns to face the man in the center, saying "I'm sure it is."
The man steps once towards the room, listening to the now silent room as his entrance had instantly quieted everyone in the massive hall and on every floor.
The man smiles, and he speaks once more, his voice echoing through all the speakers: "My name is Doctor Rex, and I am the president of the Superversal Academy of Tomorrow, and your friend in this new adventure you have all undertaken! I know how stressful it had to be to fight to get into this school, the long unique application, the endless supplemental essays, the high scores needed just to be potential options. You have all worked so hard and so well to be where you are right now, and I personally congratulate each and every one of you for making it here. Trust me, if you made it here, and if you keep moving at the same speed, you will graduate from this college and start earning those credits I know you all want in life."
A few of the students laugh quietly to themselves, as it is true that one of the main selling points of the university was the completely unmatched occupation opportunities due to the close proximity of the capital city not too far away, allowing a great deal of programs not offered from any other university.
While it was shallow to outright claim that one only went to the college to find a job, and it may not be entirely true to begin with, it was clear the school was self aware with what the students wanted, but if anything that only meant they were even better.
Doctor Rex continues, "However, let me state that while you may have come for the job opportunities, you will learn that there is so much more to this school. Our school has won countless championships in many of the competitive sports programs we have and there are nearly infinite clubs for you to design, as there is most definitely a club made for you. This school also may be incredibly prestigious, but due to its openness to the whole Superverse, there are many of you here as you can probably tell just by being in this room. So that being said you will also surely be able to find yourself acquaintances and other friends, so don't be afraid to connect."
Rohan turns to face the five students in the group he had seemed to be let into on the first day, and he smiles, happy that it seemed he already connected. He then turns back to face the president, and continues listening.
Doctor Rex begins walking forwards as he continues speaking, "Now, while the clubs and sports are all fun to talk about, I'm not the best qualified, so you may look at the website or speak to the administrators of those programs for more information. What I can talk to you about is the school itself, the reason you came here to begin with. Now, you all may already know this, but you won't be having the regular college experience that you'd have in other schools, as your college experience will be integrated more than ever with internships and job tours. Due to the more streamline path you will take with your major, it will be far easier for you to have activities based on your major, such as special trips to the city where you will be given tours of some of the buildings that you may one day work in. You will also be able to make friends more easily since you will be sharing the same classes with the same people in your major, however if you feel the need to switch out of a particular group of classmates for whatever reason, that can be arranged. Also, we are a strong believer in experiences that are tailored as best for you, which is why we host a test-based path system where your graduation will be secured by completing a set of necessary exams you will take at the end of your year spread out over the years you stay here. You can sign up for exams to classes you are not taking if you wish to self study, however you will be missing out on the incredible teaching team, but if that is what you wish to do then you may do so. Our main priority is smoothness, smoothness with your classes, smoothness with your social life on campus, and smoothness with your transition from student to employee. So we will do everything in our power to commit to that goal for each and every one of you. The staff of this college is more than open to take any questions or help any student in need, whether that's in or out of school, as we also supply therapeutic programs with professional counselors."
Shuraj chuckles to himself, and Rohan turns to him, a bit confused with what the joke was.
Shuraj shakes his head, and he explains, "Okay, I really want to know how qualified those counselors are, because I don't think I've ever met a genuinely helpful school counselor in my life."
Rohan shrugs his shoulders, and he responds with, "Who knows, they may have better ones. I haven't really found anything about the school to be disappointed in anyways."
Shuraj shakes his head again, and he simply responds with: "That's because you haven't done anything in the school."
Rohan stares blankly for a few moments, as he had no idea how to refute that comeback, as it was true. He only sighs with defeat, and turns back to face the president and once more shows attention.
The president stops walking, and he takes a look at all the students in the hall before wrapping up his speech, "Now, all I am doing today is giving a brief overview of information you will go far more in depth with over the next few days as you take more detailed tours of specifics on campus. Classes won't be starting tomorrow so don't worry, as the first stage of your time here will be dedicated to understanding your new home. Every day for the next week or so you will attend two tours, with each hour being a few hours of your day. Don't worry, you'll have enough time to eat and take breaks in between, as we don't intend to completely burn you out with simple tours. By the end of the week you will know more than enough to traverse your campus in whatever way is needed, and by next week, we will begin letting you take classes as the year will begin. I know each and every one of you can succeed as long as you put in the right effort, and I wish you good luck with your classes and future. That will be all, thank you for listening. You are free to leave the hall."
With that, the president turns around, and he walks back into the private dining room. The other staff accompanying him follow as well, and once they all leave, the door closes shut.
Moments later, chatter erupts from within the hall, as students begin to stand up, preparing their departure as it seemed most managed to finish their food during the long speech.
With many of the trays emptied and there seeming to be no more activity since it had just passed, the students were now ready to leave the hall. Past the windows of the main hall is no longer cyan light, but instead black darkness, indicating that night has already set, and thus the students are ready to leave.
Students walk towards the wall close to the food room that they entered through, on the opposite side of where the president was. On that opposite wall is a series of long tables, however unlike most tables, these ones don't hover, as instead they sit on blocks that cover the entire area underneath. The tabletops are also all black.
The students approach the table, and upon reaching it, they place their trays on the top before letting go and walking towards a door in the nearby corner of the room, presumably the exit. As they head to the exit, the trays that they left behind suddenly plummet through the tabletop, seeming to phase through the black top similarly to the dishwasher in Rohan's old house.
Rohan blinks twice, and he looks down at his food, which he hardly started to eat, as his bowl is still filled with salad. He sighs, realizing that he would be late if he stayed behind to eat, and so he figures he'll make up for it with the next day's breakfast.
Rohan stands up from his seat, and he picks up his tray. He turns to watch the five students of the group all stand up as well by him, picking up their empty trays. He frowns at the realization that there seemed to be virtually nobody else who didn't eat except for him, as it seemed he was the only one who failed to fulfill his appetite. All he can do now is hope that nobody will notice.
Just then, Dexter asks, "Why didn't you eat?"
Rohan turns to Dexter, who was looking over at the tray with intrigued eyes. Rohan sighs, and he shakes his head, saying "I was too engaged in the speech I guess. It's fine, I'll eat tomorrow. Come on, let's go."
Rohan turns back to face the group, and he invites: "Should we get going? What floor are you guys on anyway?"
Ari turns to Rohan, and he responds "The top floor, fifty. We'll probably get off the elevator last, but we can go together I guess."
Rohan smiles, as it seemed almost too good to be true, and he exclaims, "Wow, fifty as well? Same, that's really cool! That's really lucky."
Ara shrugs his shoulders, and he explains, "They try to put kids together based on major so it makes sense, but I think it's dispersed by a few floors so I guess it is. Although I'm not sure if I'm lucky to have the top floor, the elevator rides are going to be annoying."
Ari shakes his head, and he turns to Ara, refuting "I think you'd benefit with the extra elevator time to wake up."
Rohan shakes his head, and he says, "I'll see you by the entrance then," and proceeds to walk to the long tables where everyone was placing their trays. Dexter follows behind as well, and the both of them place their trays on the table, with Rohan rushing the process to escape quickly, aiming to hide the fact that he was the only one who placed a plate full of food.
Rohan then begins his way towards the exit door, which is now open as hordes of students step out in a continuous stream. He can see glimpses of the night sky past the students, but while doing so, he quickly looks back to the group to see them begin to stand up to put their food trays away. He then turns back ahead of himself and out of the main hall, walking into the food court and towards the door.
Rohan leads Dexter towards the exit door of the main hall, as they reach the doorway after waiting in line, and eventually escape out of the hall with the rest of the crowd, beginning their way home.
Rohan feels an initial fury of wind hit his body, as it seems that the nighty breeze is upon the campus. He looks around to see that it is indeed now nighttime, for in the sky is no longer the great cyan supersun, but instead he finds the white moon among an infinite canvas of stars.
He smiles softly as he looks at the beautiful night sky, watching as miniscule comets dash among the stars, for the view of the night is far better than that of his home, where the clouds would've always hid away the spectacle of the night.
After the second of admiration, he lowers his head back to the world, and he walks to the right side of the door to wait for the rest of the group. He then watches as Dexter follows to his side as well to wait, and the two stare at the door in anticipation.
Dexter sighs, and he says in a quiet voice, as if to only let his brother hear him, "I'm happy for you."
Rohan turns his head in confusion to face Dexter, and he asks for clarification: "About?"
Dexter nudges his head, and he follows up with: "Finding a group this early. They seem perfect for you, same floor, same major, and one is even old friends with you."
Rohan frowns, as he could tell there was a hint of jealousy and disappointment in Dexter's tone, as he seemed to feel left behind. He shakes his head, and reassures "Well, thanks, I'm really happy I found them too. But I only have one roommate, that won't change."
Dexter smiles softly, and he looks down in embarrassment, knowing how easy it was for Rohan to read him.
Just then, Shuraj exits through the doorway, followed by Ari, Ara, Vrey, and finally Sriya, all of them seeming to have put their trays away. Shuraj immediately turns and notices Rohan standing to the side, and he approaches him before lightly bumping his fist into Rohan's shoulder, as if notifying him of his presence.
Shuraj announces, "We're here, come on, let's go."
Rohan turns to Shuraj and nods his head. He then turns to Dexter, who nods his head to him, and Rohan turns back to the group. He puts his hands inside his pockets and follows Shuraj, ready to head back.
He says, "Lead the way," and watches as Shuraj does just that, beginning to walk towards the way Rohan had come from earlier.
The rest of the group follows Shuraj, and so does Rohan and Dexter, who stay side by side. The seven walk together through the open plaza in front of the main hall, and take the ramp up to the forest. They continue walking together as a pact, close to one another. Strolling through the forest's path, they're far calmer than how Rohan and Dexter were when entering, as now there's no anxiety over a certain time to get to a destination.
They walk through the forest and get to the end, where they walk past the road in front of the path. They step on the glowing gray sidewalk and continue up towards the field where the dorm buildings are. Of course, it's easy to tell where they are, as simply tilting one's head would immediately indicate the location of the four dorm buildings, which tower even from a distance.
Shuraj turns back to face Rohan, and he waves his hand to him. Rohan notices the wave, and so he speeds himself up to be next to Shuraj, anticipating the reason for the call.
Once Rohan gets to Shuraj's side, Shuraj holds his hand out, to which a hologram projects from his Connect, which is in the form of a black ring on his right hand's ring finger. The holographic two dimensional screen reveals what appears to be a log of worded messages on a black canvas, with the words encased in smooth text bubbles along the two vertical sides, as it seems to be a text-based chat of sorts.
The bubbles containing the texts are in various colors, as some bubbles are orange and others are purple. On the top of the screen is a gray banner over the text conversation, which contains the white bolded text: "The Boys."
He then offers to Rohan, "Here, let me add you to our group so you can stay in touch with us. The tours are probably going to be a bit boring so it'll be good if we coordinate together to stick."
Rohan nods his head, and he holds his hand out, triggering his Connect to project a hologram out in front of his hand. The screen he shows isn't much, as it's a simple small screen that simply displays the time, that being: "7:30 P.M."
However, even that screen is adequate for the task, as all Rohan needed to do was provide a screen from his own Connect.
Shuraj puts his left hand on his holographic screen, specifically on the white title of the group chat. He then presses on the screen again as it switches, as he navigates through the Messages app while still walking towards the dorms.
He presses the screen once more, to which a second hologram seems to project from his Connect, this one instead being a three dimensional small hologram of a plus sign, only being a quarter of a foot in size.
Shuraj then, with his right hand, seems to grab ahold of the plus sign hologram, as though it is a physical object. His hands curl around one of the lines, and he carries the hologram over to and holds it on an icon of a plus sign.
Shuraj brings the plus hologram over towards Rohan's Connect screen, where he drags it straight through the screen, his hand penetrating through the hologram. As his hand phases through the hologram just fine, for it is just that, the plus sign hologram seems to vanish as it contacts Rohan's screen, with an effect similar to as though it's being absorbed into the screen.
Suddenly, Rohan's Connect projects a second holographic screen in front of the small one showing the time, popping up a new window which opens up the same group chat log that Shuraj had pulled up.
Rohan looks to see the white text on the gray banner titled: "The Boys," indicating that he was added to the chat. Rohan turns to Shuraj, and he nods his head, confirming that the addition was a success, but also showing gratitude for the addition to the friend group's own online conversations even though they had only met.
He expresses, "Thanks, I'll remember to use it and keep notifications on."
Shuraj smiles back, and he replies "Of course my guy, no worries."
Rohan stays next to Shuraj as the seven continue their path, walking up the gray glowing sidewalk. Rohan looks around at the buildings in the distance past the trees, ready to get a better look at them in the tours that would span over their extensive orientation, as now he had no reason not to be excited for school.
The group finally draws near to the dorm buildings, to which Vrey looks up at the building, smiling to see that they were close to their own. Soon, they could lie in the comfort of their spaces, the day having passed.
Sriya turns towards Rohan, and he finally speaks to him after seeming to be rather reserved for the dinner, asking "So, you seemed interested in the sports section of that speech. Are you thinking about joining any teams?"
Rohan turns to Sriya, and he shrugs his shoulders, replying "Not sure, I played air hockey throughout grade school but I don't know if I'm good enough for a college team."
Sriya smiles, and he shakes his head, seeming more enthusiastic by the conversation. He responds with a more cheerful tone, "Nah man, I'm also going to join the team, we can do this. You'll be fine, you look fit. Just don't let yourself get hit too hard and you'll do great."
Rohan smiles from the prospect of joining the team along with one of his new friends, and he nods his head, saying "Well, maybe I'll look into it more."
The group walks around the dorm building by the corner of the sidewalk, which Rohan had run around earlier that same day. They take a turn once they walk past the building, and they begin their way down the large open dorm field.
They watch as students on the field also head to their own dorms, entering the different buildings while chattering albeit more quietly than inside the hall. It seems to be the winddown time for all the freshmen who had a long first day, ready to get some rest and recharge for the next day.
So many students, and now that Rohan already met five in one day, he couldn't help but feel a newfound anticipation for who else he'd end up meeting. However, he could only look ahead, as he was tired for the day, and knew he wasn't finished setting up the dorm room to be adequate for him to sleep in, as he didn't have the time between entering and needing to leave.
The seven make their way down the entirety of the field, walking under the beautiful night sky as stars light up the sky. They together walk under the white moon, heading towards the entrance doorway of their dorm building, satisfied with the day.
They arrive at the dorm building, as they approach the front doors, which then open up in their presence, allowing them entry into the lobby.
Shuraj and Rohan are the first to enter the building, then followed by the rest of the group, as they leave the dark coldness of the outside and trade it for the warmth and hospitality of the dorms behind the door.