Semester of the Sea
Chapter 3 – The Acceptance Letter (II)
It was a bright morning—though it was already nearing noon for Maddie.
A cool breeze drifted through her room, carried by the northern crystal that kept the air perfectly comfortable. Living in a tropical region of Asia meant that most days were filled with heat, and sleeping in until noon was hardly a convincing excuse for avoiding the sun.
"You're just lazy," Myne'ar would always say whenever she used that excuse.
Maddie reached out, searching for her phone—
then suddenly remembered she had left it downstairs the night before.
"Has anyone seen my phone?" she called out to her family gathered on the first floor.
"It's on the table," her father replied calmly, sipping his coffee as he read.
"I plugged it in for you. Not sure how much battery it has now," Myne'ar added.
Her little sister really was the sweetest.
"Thank you," Maddie said, swiping her screen open to check her notifications.
She paused.
'You have a delivery. Please retrieve it.'
Her heart skipped.
Without another thought, she ran upstairs—straight to the furnace.
This is it… isn't it?
Please…
Please let it be…
The climb to the fourth floor felt endless. Her heart pounded so fast it felt as though she might lift off the ground, her feet rushing over each step in quick, uneven leaps.
And at last—
Inside the furnace—
There it was.
A deep navy envelope.
Its edges were shaped like waves meeting the shore, and at its center, a golden wax seal gleamed. The seal bore the image of a coral reef, with a great sea turtle gliding across it—on its shell, the symbol SEA was engraved.
Her hands trembled as she picked it up.
There was no mistake.
This was SEA's seal.
Her whole body trembled—
with excitement.
with joy.
But… what was inside?
Clutching the envelope tightly, she hurried back downstairs.
This was the moment she had imagined for three years—
the moment she would receive the letter,
and open it together with everyone at home.
"Mom! Dad! Myne'ar! It's here—I got the letter!"
Everyone turned at once, startled by her voice. Maddie spoke breathlessly, her voice shaking as tears welled in her eyes.
The whole family gathered around the sofa, hardly able to wait as she prepared to open it. Their excited voices slowly faded into silence—
as if honoring the weight of this moment,
perhaps the most important one in her life.
Carefully, Maddie sliced the envelope open with a letter opener.
Inside lay a single sheet of paper.
Blank.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then, quietly, Maddie picked up a small blade and made a slight cut on her finger. She pressed the drop of blood onto the page.
The moment her blood touched the paper, it began to move—
spreading slowly across the surface, as if alive,
until words formed before her eyes.
"To Miss Maddison A.,
SEA Academy is pleased to inform you that you have been selected as part of the 115th cohort. Further details regarding your enrollment are provided at the end of this letter.
For student reception, please proceed to the academy's designated pier at the appointed date and time.
A word of advice: bring only what is necessary.
SEA Academy."
It was… a rather brief letter.
But as soon as she finished reading, her family could hardly contain themselves any longer—
because this meant that she—
Maddison Ariyakul—
had been accepted into SEA.