Campus Life

Chapter One: A New Dawn

Kyla sent out another text to assure her parents that she and her childhood friend, Anadil, were meeting up to travel to Chishiki Academy. The well-funded college had been founded in Los Angeles about five years ago, and it had garnered quite a golden reputation. Only the most esteemed students were accepted, and somehow the two girls had gotten in. Just a few months ago, they had sent in their entrance exams with only the unreachable goal to get in. To be honest, it was mainly on their radar because of the location and the gorgeous architecture.

On that fateful morning, Kyla had sleepily shuffled down to the sunny kitchen and inspected the note that had been left on the scuffed table. It was basically her parents telling her of the college mail that she had received and that they were going to be late coming home from work. A sigh left Kyla as she moved to pour herself some cereal, ignoring the stove that could sizzle the eggs that she wished for. Picking up the meager pile of letters, the girl pulled her blond hair back in a ponytail and shuffled through the letters. Her dark blue eyes widened when she noticed the logo for Chishiki Academy. A shocked noise left her lips as she hurriedly opened the letter and noticed the words that announced she had been accepted into their student body. Even better, it was on a full-ride scholarship.

The girl punched her fist into the air as she ran up the stairs to grab her phone. She opened it up to notice about twenty missing calls from Anadil. Energy left Kyla as she nervously hit the call button and held the phone up to her ear, biting her thumbnail. A scream caused the blond to drop her phone on the hardwood floor. Cursing under her breath, she picked up the phone, checked for cracks, and questioned Anadil about what had happened.

"I got it! Holy crap, I actually got the letter!" her friend kept repeating as a held-in breath left Kyla's body and she giggled.

"You mean to say that you got into Chishiki?" Kyla questioned as Anadil's frantic laughs died down.

"Oh, did you not get in...?" Anadil asked, her voice losing its excitement and turning somber. Kyla could practically see the crease between her eyebrows as her lower lip stuck out slightly.

"I'm going to be joining you there this year, so--" Kyla was interrupted by Anadil's shrieks, and she pulled the phone away from her harassed ear. "I know. I can't wait as well, but I'm going to need to eat. I'm about to pass out, hun..."

"Alright, alright. I'll talk to you later. Go get your sustenance, Kyla!"

The eighteen-year-old tucked her phone in her pocket and went back to her now soggy breakfast.

---

Anadil waited outside, safe under the porch awning from the sweltering beams of light. She had said her goodbyes to her parents and her two little sisters and had gotten almost all of her suitcases and boxes into her car, deciding to come back to her house as soon as she had picked up her friend. Anadil let out a delighted laugh as Kyla peeked her head out to look at her.

"Care to help me with my own luggage?" Kyla questioned, raising an eyebrow at the brunette. Anadil only offered her a smile as Kyla sighed, opening the door wider. "Are you in this world right now?"

"Yes, and do I look like your bellhop?" Anadil swiftly responded before moving into the house. She pointedly stared at the luggage before taking a look at a sweetly smiling Kyla. "What did you do? Bring your entire room with you?"

"T-that was actually not even half..." Kyla's face fell as her smile faltered just a bit. The blond palmed the back of her neck as she turned to look back at Anadil's vehicle. "Is it all going to fit...?"

"I would believe that it would. Don't worry too much about it. We can always chuck some out while we're driving, you know?" Anadil gave her friend a wink before moving to grab some suitcases. "Quick question: what cosplays did you bring?"