Royal Ever After

chapter seven

What? Really? He wants me to join? Never would I have expected to be let into an esteemed club like this, but I'll take it. The Force is one of the first rumors that proliferated when I arrived here, but I never gave much thought of it. From overhearing conversations, all I know is that after every meeting, they hand out drinks and party like it's their last day alive. I wouldn't mind a shot of beer. Maybe it'll make me feel more relaxed, which is exactly what I need. I write a reply, agreeing to join them, and then slip it under Juliano's door. After that, I head down to the lounge area to do my homework. Coincidentally, Aurora is there too, so I sit on the bean bag adjacent to her.

"Hey!" I smile. "Want to study together?"

"Sure! I was actually going to ask you to help me with my math homework again, since you did such a good job explaining the concepts to me last time," she responds excitedly.

"Great. Well, let's get started then." I pull out my heavy binder from my backpack and free the pages from its clasps. We go over how to find the area given two sides and an angle. I show her a few examples, and she catches on pretty quickly.

"Wow. This actually makes sense now. Can I just hire you as my private tutor?" she jokes.

"I mean, as long as I get my paycheck, I'm down," I reply sarcastically. We continue shredding through the worksheets until we're exhausted. I must admit that it was way more fun than I had anticipated. In fact, I had such a good time that I almost forget about Sander. Almost. That is, until he shows up at the lounge as we're wrapping up. For a second, I think he's about to approach me, but he turns around and settles on the bean bag that's located as far away from me as possible. I hate that I caused this, but it's not like I had any other choice. I was getting too attached to him, and I needed to dissociate myself before people started getting suspicious. Whatever. At least I have Aurora back. I allow myself one last peek at him before leaving. There's no harm in looking. My heart skips a beat while admiring his brown wispy hair that's effortlessly messy, yet perfect. I swiftly turn away, say goodbye to Aurora, and run upstairs.

Back in my dorm room, I kill some time by listening to indie-pop songs. My music taste is kind of all over the place, but that's just how I am. For me, music is an instant mood lifter. It touches my soul and helps to heal my mind in a way that lifts me up. It takes me away from the present, and into a dreamy land where I have nothing to worry about. I bury myself beneath the mountain of pillows on my bed and wear my headphones so I can blast the tunes without disturbance. My head bops to the chorus and I lay back. I'm so in my zone that I don't even notice the tap on my door until it becomes a forceful knock.

I twist the knob and find Cyrus coming in. 

"Dude, are you ready? I'm here to escort you to the Aquarine cabin," he exclaims.

"Oh, of course. I'm ready." I glance down at my phone and notice that it is indeed a quarter until midnight. Where did all the time go? Before I have time to say anything else, Cyrus grabs my arm and takes off.

"Come on. The earlier we get there the better," he encourages me to run with him, which I do with moderate success. I end up trailing him like I'm a puppy blindly following my leader. From the outside, the cabin glows in the light of the night, its stones finding their way around the cobwebs. The old roof tiles wave, reflecting off the buoyant light. I cringe at each creak on the warped stairs. A shiver curls itself through the hairs on the back of my neck, cascading down my backbone. Out of all the places to host a meeting, why choose this morbidly haunted cabin? When I do eventually arrive, the others are already there. There's Juliano, Cyrus, Kaiden, and two other students whom I don't remember the names of. 

"Nicolas! I'm beyond excited for you to be finally joining us. You already know Cyrus, but I will let everyone else properly introduce themselves to you," my cousin gestures to his left, where everyone is sitting.