St. Văduva's School for Prestigious Girls

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕱𝖎𝖛𝖊

Up close, Temperance could see the smaller girl in a better light. Rounded face, thin eyes, and a heart-shaped locket around her neck. She wore several colorful bracelets that matched the rainbow of barrettes in her hair. She reminded Temperance of a doll — small and darling. When she smiled, her irises nearly disappeared from sight, and Temperance could not help cracking a small grin of her own.

The colorful woman regarded Dmitri warmly, flashing him a dazzling smile. The driver replied with a meek nod of his head before waving a half-hearted goodbye as he hurried away from the front door and down to the lower level. Temperance watched his behavior curiously.

"Don't mind him," the woman said. "He gets weird about the woods at night."

"I can see that," Temperance stated. "I'm Temperance MacKenzie, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Temperance! I'm Ji-Yeong Sung — senior and head of the welcoming committee! And that—" she pointed up the staircase to the other girl with her arms crossed and leaning against the banister "— is Kanani Matthews, my flatmate. Also a senior."

Temperance raised a hand to the scowling woman as a greeting, only to have her hello rejected. Kanani scrunched her upturned nose and turned on her heel, disappearing down the hall, kitten heels clicking harshly.

"Something I said?" Temperance asked, eyebrows furrowed as her eyes trained on the space where Kanani had just been standing.

Ji-Yeong laughed awkwardly. "Ah, it's not you. Kanani's just a little... socially stunted. She can be difficult to get to know, but she can be really sweet once you do know her." Without warning, Ji-Yeong reached down and grabbed hold of Temperance's bag, stumbling under its uneven weight. Temperance's hand jutted out, steading the smaller woman. She supposed the books may have made things a little awkward to hold comfortably.

"Um, I can get that, if you want?" she offered awkwardly.

"No, no, it's fine! It's the least I can do! Plus, your room isn't that far from here. Just up the stairs and down the hall. Right this way!"

☽☼☾

Ji-Yeong's definition of "not that far" was wildly different than Temperance's. The stairs themselves might as well be Mount Everest for the sickly woman. She held onto her easel which suddenly did not feel like wood any longer, but like cinder blocks in her arms as she climbs the steps one at a time. Once they bypassed the stairs, they hung a right and ventured forth down the path. The hallway was not just a clear shot down like Ji-Yeong had made it seem. It stretched like gum stuck to a shoe, and Temperance if Temperance had not realized the magnitude of the school just from looking at the outside, she could definitely tell from the inside. The hallways winded down, the fluorescent lights above gleaming off perfectly waxed marble flooring, the walls almost glowing white. After every few dorms, a set of heavy, metal double doors stood, propped open. A small window sat in the center of each of the double doors, reminding Temperance of what hospital entrances looked like. And next to these double doors were huge letters that read Block "A", Block "B", Block "C", and so on.

"So, tomorrow, you're excused from classes," Ji-Yeong explained, huffing as she adjusted the strap of temperance's bag on her shoulder. "Just to give you a chance to recover from your jetlag and get your paperwork in order."

"Paperwork?" Temperance's grip slipped on the easel and she hurriedly grasped it, adjusting it quickly before moving on. "What paperwork?"

"Uniform, bedding, other supplies you may not have gotten at home, a picture for your ID card, an ID card, email address. You get three sets of uniforms free, after that it's out of pocket. You'll also get a neat little laminated map of the school! Handy for when you're new."