The Little Crow

Chapter Eight - [The Screeching Crow]

When Thea woke up the next morning, she didn't wake up feeling particularly great. The bed was rather uncomfortable and the first sight being the bland and tiny room she was in made her feel a little gloomy too.

Plants. She reminded herself. I'll need to grab some plants. A little green would certainly help liven up the tiny room.

But another reason that Thea had a not so great morning was because she had completely forgotten that she would need breakfast. She had not thought to get groceries the night before because her primary concern was to find a phone to call her family and let them know she was okay. She also had to call Laila and tell her everything.

So while getting ready, she was more than grateful that she woke up a few hours earlier than she needed to so that she could find her way around Achlis. She would certainly have enough time to stop by the cafeteria for a coffee and breakfast.

After putting on her nicest plaid trousers and the most expensive blouse she had, Thea made herself up to look as professional and sophisticated as she possibly could for her first official day. When she was satisfied, her hair done up perfectly into a neat half ponytail and her crossbody bag over her shoulder, she took a deep breath and left her room.

It was only just past seven in the morning, so when she walked out of her room, the floor was relatively quiet aside from some shuffling within the rooms as the girls began to wake up and get ready for their days.

Not particularly ready to meet her housemates just yet, Thea left the hostel as fast as she could, slipping past the matron as well. She would save the introduction to them for later since she was in a rush. At least that was the reasoning she gave herself... in reality, she figured she was just nervous about the idea of meeting new people.

The walk to Achlis was not necessarily that long, but since the hostel was closer to the back of the building, getting to the front of the building to where the main entrance was was what took long. As expected however, once she arrived, she got lost quickly. Finding the cafeteria wasn't too hard, seeing as it was close to the entrance, but after having a quick and quiet breakfast, she made her way to find General Killian's office.

That was the hard part.

To Thea's dismay she even, for a moment, forgot what floor it was on. However, she quickly figured out it was the third floor before taking the stairs up there and making her way to the Generals office. In the end, she actually managed to get there quite early. She was supposed to meet him at nine a.m. sharp afterall, and when she looked at her watch she saw that it was only a quarter past eight.

Thankfully for Thea, there was a bench right outside the entrance to his office but just as she made herself comfortable, she heard heels clacking against the floor and saw Mrs. Railer making her way towards her from across the hall. "Thea," the woman smiled her hello as she approached. "You're nice and early... I hope you weren't waiting long, I went down to pick up some mail."

"Good morning, and no, no," Thea smiled as she stood. "I just got here."

"Good," the woman opened the door and held it open for Thea. "In the future, feel free to come right in. There's a much more comfortable sofa inside that you can wait on."

Thea chuckled nervously and when she walked in, she was surprised by the sight of the General, who was flipping through papers at Mrs. Railer's desk. As usual, he was dressed to impress, his uniform looking absolutely spotless and his perfectly groomed hair and dark eyelashes making his green eyes stand out intensely. "Miss. Rhaanan," the General said when he saw her. "Good to see you early."

Thea was certainly taken aback by how early he was. He definitely left work after her, and he was here before her too... did he really have nothing better to do than... work? "I was worried I'd get lost so I left early... but I found my way."