The massive gates swing open at my slight push to my astonishment.
A sharp gasp escapes my mouth as I plunge to the ground. I grasp the steel pillars to stop myself from diving right into the ground. My chest heaves with relief at the near-fall.
I cross the threshold into a straight path, perfectly trimmed flowers lined along the sides.
Unlike anything I've ever seen, these flowers were dark in shades of purple, maroon, reddish-brown, and dark blue giving off a sombre feeling.
Nearing the end, it diverges into four different paths a grass clearing in between forming a cross with a circle.
I stop by the foot of the clearing to take in the scenery.
At its centre sat a glassy water fountain, topped by a cherub mid-flight, glimmering in the sun. Water trickles from its parted lips into the glassy pool beneath.
There were about a dozen students scattered across the clearing. Some in pairs, most in crowds of three and very few alone.
The soft gurgling of the fountain over their voices as they conversed in hushed voices, lazy and indulgent smiles gracing their lips. A group of three were by the fountain, another lounging by a corner, and a pair sat by a bench by the edge of the clearing bordering the eastern path. A few others sauntering about, engaged in casual banter.
I gulp at the casual opulence of their clothing. A silken chiffon cape-like train flows behind a girl with pinned-up blonde hair lounging on the grass.
Another girl on the bench in a strapless mid-thigh gown, netted layers of tulle draped from her arms down to her knees.
One of the boys wore a charcoal Henley beneath a denim jacket, dark blue jeans tucked into polished leather boots.
Every style was varied and more stylish than the last. However, there was an odd uniformity despite their clothing styles–the colour. Every piece was a mix of charcoal grey, burgundy and navy blue.
I look down at my faded pink knitted cardigan atop the yellow bubbly gown and strappy sandals I wore in horror.
I wasn't briefed on dress codes.
Resigned, I trudge into the clearing. Conversations halt mid-sentence, eyes straying in my direction. The heat of their gaze prickling against my skin, some curious, others surprised and some even mocking at my choice of clothing obviously.
I sigh, avoiding their gaze continuing into the clearing, my luggage scraping against the grass.
I still at the sudden shift, chill running down my spine. The look in their eyes shifts seamlessly. The casual, curiosity gone, now replaced by something darker, predator–some openly sizing me up. Then, dismissive.
My shoulders relax in relief–for reasons my body knew but my mind hadn't quite understood.
I look over the field reeling in shock.
What the hell!
The previous chagrin dissipates without a trace, a warm, amicable feeling settling over them like an invisible cloak.
What just happened?
For a second, I swear my instincts were screaming I run without looking back.
I blink, but the swirl of confusion refuses to fade.
"Lost are we?" A soothing voice rings in my ears. Turning towards the approaching footsteps.
My lips part in fascination as she draws closer. She wasn't here when I first arrived.
The surroundings noticeably quieten at her entrance.
She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Her waist-length purple hair flutters behind her in the wind. A grey gown over her chest in X-shape drape, tapering behind her in a cathedral train, a burgundy lace silk unfurling beneath her waist. A high slit exposing her anklets that jingle softly with every step.
The winds sweep the thin lace up revealing a tattoo of a black cat perched on a crest moon, strewn across her pale lap, its golden eyes glinting sharply like hers.
Subconsciously, I step back when she reaches me.
I clear my throat at the sight. Oval-shaped face, pointed nose and phoenix-like eyes
"Hi! I'm Lililana…"
"Not interested." She interrupts, a smile tugged on her small lips. She looks me over, taking in my appearance slowly.
Blinking in disbelief, I stare back registering her words.
"I didn't ask for your name." She offers at my confusion.
"Right. Can you show me the way to the Admins Block?" I ask, smiling sweetly at her.
"You've been here for what? Five minutes and you're already begging!" She stares, chuckling softly in blatant mockery.
My smile freezes, then cracks. Anger spikes through my veins.
"It's okay if you don't want to help," My voice goes cold, regaining my smile.
"you don't insult me." I warn, my voice a notch higher.
"And you don't raise your voice at me." Voice low and amused, she replies, stepping into my space, her smile never disappearing.
A shiver runs down my spine seeing the look in her eyes. I look away, heart pounding hard against my chest.
"Where's your guardian?" Asking, she retreats a bit, releasing me from the suffocating pressure. Her eyes were searching behind me in expectation.
"He couldn't come because of an emergency…."
"He abandoned you." She concludes sharply.
I stare at her speechless and relieved because guardians were a thing here and Jack wasn't a complete fraud.
"No instructions." She continues, arching an eyebrow.
"Uhh" I scan my mind for his exact words.
I shift, glancing at the intersecting paths winding in four directions, fountains of winged creatures lined linearly through the Northern and Southern paths
"Something about a point in four directions, turning left into the first building." Realisation dawns on me, I pivot towards the Eastern path, sighting the massive buildings in the distance.
"I got it. Thank..." Twirling in excitement, I turn eyes gleaming with gratitude to met the silence. "...you…" My smile falters at her disappearance.
A glance about, and the purple-haired beauty was nowhere in sight.
I steel myself, clutching my luggage at the trepidation that rolled in waves at the occurrence. The chatter continued, somehow not disrupting the quiet of the grassy clearing.
Trudging through the Eastern path, my sandals scrubbed loudly in the silence. The fountains come into sight, gleaming under the orange hues of the sun beyond the clouds.
Griffin, Harpy, Simurgh, Thunderbird, Phoenix, Feywing and many others I could not name lined the centre of the path, dividing it into two equal parts.
I stroll along, letting my eyes feast on the avial spectacle. Gravity pulls at me, my feet wobbling at the sudden collision with the stair walls. I stumble, my hands flailing above me as the ground draws closer. I grab onto my luggage behind me to stop from falling flat on my back on the cold concrete.
With great difficulty, I get up trying not to slip back from my awkward pose, my hands gripping tightly at the luggage as I raise my weight slowly.
Each step on every stair, I press my feet longer than necessary. Enough to momentarily clear off the fog of dizziness that throbbed with every breath I took.
I halt momentarily just before the glassy double doors, taking a shallow breath to steady my uneven breathing. My gaze lingers on the glass to see what I am stepping into.
Nothing.
Only the pale shimmer of my reflection was visible on the glass. Nothing on the other side was visible.
The door slides open at my next step, and I walk through after a bit. The door sliding shut immediately, I cross the threshold
Swallowing dryly, I take in the new ambience. Cold seeping into my bones at a frightening speed. I tug my cardigan closer against my chest, registering the silence that engulfed me. No, the entirety of the building.
No sounds in the distant or the usual hum of cold air from the air vents.
Nothing, just chill stillness. My eyes find the hallway to the right stretching for about sixty feet.
I cross my hands over my chest, looking away to notice I wasn't alone. A lady leaned casually against the wooden counter, leisurely looking through a magazine that obscured her face.
I walk gingerly leaving my luggage behind with shaky steps.
"Hello! I'm…" I bow slightly on reaching the counter. My high-pitched voice breaks the bubble of calm.
"You are late, Initiate." Her cold voice cuts in. Leaving my greeting hanging in the air like particles of inconveniencing dirt blown away. She places the magazine squarely between us. I step back as if shooed.
"Fifteen minutes late precisely." My gaze wanders to face, almond eyes narrowed into parallels, her nose tipped down like she was examining a failing course–which in this case was me.
"Excuse me?" Irritated, I respond without thinking. My eyes were still fixed on the bold, silky curls that dangled at her neck in curly ropes depicting jewelled tips against her pale skin.
Why the hell was she coming at me?
I shift my gaze from her lush hair to see her eyes narrow further than should be possible. Staring down at me like I was dumb if I expected a repetition.
"Do not repeat, no one here has time to waste like that." She continues, hurling judgments my way like we have some vendetta I was never filled in on.
"I didn't know I had a timer on me to get here." I snap back unflinching. Between Jack's 'abandonment' like the purple-haired said and the latter's unveiled mockery, I couldn't muster an ounce of tolerance for whatever the hell was going on here.
"You were given directions by Alsono. Or you weren't listening." She lashes back, spite lacing every word.
"You were watching!" I gasp in horror, my voice an octave higher than intended.
She scoffs, looking incredulous at my reaction.
"And then you had to spectacufy yourself on the Interfex, wasting precious seconds."
"Then gawk on your way here like a cave dweller seeing light for the first time.
"Stumble in here like a cockroach caught off guard by the sudden brightness in its once bleak world."
She continues, listing my faults with chilling precision like the executioner I'm sure she is.
I go silent for a moment, startled by her vivid but mockumentary description of my actions.
"Still, I wasn't aware you'd been waiting." I counter softly refusing to concede.
"Waiting!" She yells, losing control.
"My Ecsplian tour has been delayed by months due to Late Arrivals like you." Glaring at me with so much rage that I half expect fire to lung at me.
"I didn't have any control over that. I didn't choose to come …."
"Of course, you have no control over any of this." She cuts in, her voice firm throwing a matter-of-fact look my way and I realise she was not mad at me
I'm just an unfortunate victim of her onslaught. The thought calms me before I argue further.
Her eyes narrow slightly at my silence, then she smirks in satisfaction, riling me up faster than I cooled off.
I lean into the counter, gripping hard against the edge, away from her hawk-like eyes to reel myself.
She brings out a metallic silver box from the counter, placing it on the magazine smoothly.
"This is your Starter's Kit." She motions for me to pick it up.
"No one can open it other than you, after I sealed it. " She pauses, noticing my confusion.
"What!" She asks, her voice dropping in annoyance as her professional mask slides off in all but a moment.
"Starter what?" I ask, staring at the box like it had become a strange object. She goes silent in contemplation, something like understanding settling in her eyes as she looks at me.
"It's like a newbie package in games. The ones you get without completing any quest, for free to help you…" She starts, her voice surprisingly soft.
Staring down at me with already thinning patience she still held on to.
"I've never played those kinds of games," I admit, more embarrassed than I should have been. I never liked RPG games. Never found the need to.
She grimaces, her face swelling in anger and I hunch making myself as little as possible in preparation for another tirade of judgment.
"No worries, you'll figure it out yourself." After a heartbeat, she continues calm and light-hearted looking down at me like I was a lost cause.
Great.
Just great.
"Place your hands for final sensoring." She commands. I quip at the shift in her tone, placing my hands on the cold metal, strands of lights wrapping around it. The metal brightens with blue light before dimming off.
"Good."She snorts in satisfaction, very enthusiatic about sending me off. Earning an eye roll from me.
She snaps her fingers three times in rapid successions. The sound sharp against the silence making me flinch taking a step back.
I barely register the pathetic look she gives me when the door at the end of the hall opens with a slight creak and a young girl about my age steps out.
She walks towards us in quick, purposeful strides that was muted against the tiled floor.
5'3 tall, lean figure, sharp features that didn't stand out much. Her raven hair flowed behind her, swaying with every step she took. She reaches us in seconds stopping five feet away from me.
She bows to the….
Annoying Lady?
Heck, I don't even know her position in this school and she already hates me.
"Take her to her dorm house." She orders waking me from my self-pity.
Then, gestures at the box. I oblige, flinching as its cold metal stung against my skin.
"She will be your Guide for the next three days. Showing you the reins of how not to die here." Looking in my direction, she says coldly.
Picking up her magazine, flipping through it in renewed focus.
"This way." The young girl motions, her voice barely audible.
I follow quietly, tightening my grip on the metal box. Tugging my luggage as we step out into the porch, the doors slide shut behind us.
I follow her in silence through an unfamiliar route behind the building into a quiet path that stretches far into the distance.
"How long?" I whine. No longer able to bear the silence and cuts and curves of various roads that blurred in my head.
She looks back briefly, a smile on her face. The practiced, polite one being around Jack had made me familiar with.
"We were in Administration sector. This path is the shortest on foot to the Dormitorium Sector." She explains, her voice light in the wind.
"That was not what I asked." I groan. Turning back to pull at my luggage that was stuck to a cracked granite.
I move forward without looking and nearly collide with someone. I look up, horrified.
The familiar purple hair swaying in the wind. My guide stands in front, shock marring her face.
"Stop doing that!" I snap, my heart drumming against my chest at the near-miss.
"What?" She asks softly in an almost amused tone.
"Disappearing and appearing out of nowhere," I said, earning a chuckle.
"By the way, thank you. You ran off before…"
"For what?" The purple-haired girl asks, her brows furrowing in curiosity. Even the guide looked startled at her my words.
I pause.
"For helping me with the path to the Admins Sector." I said, my voice soft and cautious.
"I did?" She wonders, genuinely puzzled. Equally leaving me confused.
"Yes, yo…"
"No, I didn't." She cuts me off.
"It was all you." Her voice was sharp leaving no room for argument.
I concede not in defeat but at their odd reaction to my expression of gratitude.
"Also, I think the woman in charge of …." I trail, unable to figure out her position.
"...the crazy woman in the first building." I manage.
"I think she hates me." Decisive and Unhesitant. I told her, glancing at the silent guide, who showed no visible reaction.
"Esmeralda, you mean!" Chuckling at my description, her head falls back in something awfully familiar to laughter.
No warmth.
Just that amusement that never left her face.
"Don't mind her, the whole of Velmora knows she hates her vacations being delayed. She can be sharp-tongued, but that's it." She offers in consolation.
My lips perk into a small grin at her words.
"Catch you later." Walking away, her voice echoing softly in the silence.
I sigh, watching her disappear into a corner before I can ask for her name.
Luckily, we reached the Dormorium Sector. We were on the ground floor of an eighteen-storey building. Passing numerous doors in the long hallway, the guide stops at the door past the centre of the floor.
"Here." She beckons towards the screen beside the door.
I step in front, standing directly before the door placing my right hand on the panel.
It hums in recognitions, a streak of green light rising beneath my fingertips. The light recedes after a while and the doors click open.
"There." The guide smiles, gesturing into the room.
"After this, no one else can open this room except for Admin Personnel in dire situations.
"Thank you." I draw my luggage closer, leaning slightly against it.
"I was only doing my job." She remarks, looking unimpressed. I stare back, confused at her reaction.
"Would you like to come in?" I ask quietly. If she's going to be my guide or whatever for the next three days, things shouldn't be this awkward between us, right?
Her eyes widen slightly, a look of bewilderment slipping past the professional facade she wore till now.
"Not necessary." She dismissed sharply.
"Rest for the night. Tutorial begins at 9:00 AM." She continues, already walking toward the exit.
I watch in silence at her lean figure disappears into the distance. My stomach clenching at the piling feeling of uneasiness lying at its depths.