Legend of the Pharaoh

University Classes

My first day of classes was tomorrow, and I was out doing some last minute shopping for my new apartment.  I had decided on Columbia University, the best in New York City, for my post-secondary educational institution.

                I might have been walking towards the deli counter, but my mind was on the classes I had chosen. Aside from the huge amount of English courses (That's my major), I had taken Intro to Ancient Civilizations as my elective for the semester. I had been hoping to be able to take a course like this since high school.

                Checking out my groceries and heading for my car, I thought about what to do for the next few hours before I had to sleep.

                As I saw it, I had two options. Option one: stay home and watch the new episode of Doctor Who – Or option two: head across the road to the Museum of Natural History and wander for a while.

                Getting home, I balanced the bags in my hands and headed up the elevator. Reaching the third floor, I stumbled into my apartment and dropped the bags on the counter before my hands lost circulation.

                Before deciding how my evening events would play out, I figured dinner was in order. After putting all the groceries away, I made chicken noodle soup. While I stirred it around in the pot, I thought once more about heading out tonight. "No, Firea," I thought to myself. "You need to rest. You're a college girl now...no time for Museums."

                So I ate my soup and put on my favourite episode of Doctor Who, settling into the couch for the night.

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                The next morning, I woke up to sunlight peeking through the blinds. Gasping, I realized what day it was. I jumped up and changed into fresh clothes after a quick shower, and did my hair up and back, so that no one would ever know. Glancing at the clock while I popped two pieces of toast down, I did some quick calculations in my head. I wasn't going to be late, but I would definitely have to hurry.

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                Arriving at Columbia with minutes to spare, I grabbed my shoulder bag and ran to the lecture hall that had been set aside for new students.

                The halls weren't empty, thank god, so I was able to relax and walk a bit slower. Finding the lecture hall door, I slipped in and into a seat at the back of the room, where no one else was sitting. The professor was just walking up to the microphone on the podium. He cleared his throat, and stood up a little straighter.

                "Welcome, freshmen, to Columbia University. Here you will learn about anything and everything that you've ever wanted to. Maps are located in many places within the school, but you can also get a personal map at the table at the back of the room. Now, before I go into details on classroom etiquette, the Dean has a few words to say."

                Another man in a suit walked up to the microphone, and began to talk about the different aspects of the school, and the services available to us. There were many topics, but I honestly don't remember them. I was blanking out, waiting for this to be over so that I could go to my first class – Ancient Civilizations.

                After the men were finished speaking to us, they dismissed us to talk among themselves. I headed out of the lecture hall before everyone else, and consulted my timetable for the room number of my class. Pointing myself in the right direction using a close-by map, I thought about everything. I was a college student, and it was kind of scary, to be honest.  I had moved from British Columbia, Canada, all the way to New York City to go Columbia University. My sister was planning to visit as soon as I got settled and through the semester of school, but that was still 4 months away.

                I glanced down at the map to make sure I was on the right track, but I ran into someone. Hitting their chest, I bounced off and fell against the wall, knocking their books to the ground in the process.

                "I am so sorry!" I knelt down to help them pick up their books, looking up to apologize again. I stopped short, my mouth hanging slightly open.

                He was beautiful. And I don't mean hipster-like cuteness – I mean hot. His features were clearly defined, and the angles of his face made his quite handsome. The hair atop his head was red, and curled ever so slightly at the ends, creating an innocent but strong feeling to his overall complexion. Also, he looked at me too, so I was able to stare straight into his deep green eyes for a while without being too creepy. He smiled, showing perfect teeth and full dimples. I could feel my face heating up, but I was able to duck my head to pick up the rest of his books.

                As we stood, I apologized again, and he gave a deep resounding laugh.

                "It's alright, lass. I'm new here, from Scotland. It would make sense that I run into someone on my first day," he said, motioning for me to enter the classroom ahead of him. I did so, swinging my hips a little extra to create an effect. Once we were seated (beside each other!), I pulled out my notes and the teacher walked in. He introduced himself as Professor Ledar, and he was going to be taking us next class to the Museum of Natural History for a more in depth introduction to the subject of Ancient Civilization. For today, he said, we would be having a class discussion on a basic topic: Rome.

                The discussion went on for the whole class, and some people even started debating on different issues like gods or how much weight a Roman foot soldier had to carry. Each time, the teacher weaseled his way into the middle and settled the arguments. By the time the bell rang, we had all been talking, laughing, and enjoying ourselves. Maybe university wasn't so bad after all.

                After class, I headed home to get some rest. The next class was tomorrow, and I wanted to get a lunch and an outfit ready. Before I was able to leave the campus, I was stopped by the hot Scottish man.

                "Hey!" He ran up to me, having dropped off his textbooks somewhere. "My name is James, in case you wanted to know." He smiled again, making me smile out of pure envy to those teeth. (I had dimples, too, you know.)

                I shook his hand when he offered it. "I'm Firea. I'm also new here; I'm from British Columbia, Canada." James wished me a 'good day', and told me that he would see me tomorrow in class. I smiled and waved and bid him the same, sounding like a dork in love. Which is kind of what I was, at that point.

                Taking the bus home, I got everything ready for tomorrow, packing my shoulder bag with everything I could possibly need. Reaching the end of my day, I collapsed onto my bed, weary after sleeping on the couch the previous night.