𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣'𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙣

𝒕𝒘𝒐

Saturn
• • •

"So you're an English major?"

Liana's best friend Henri was questioning me during breakfast.

"Yes," I replied, sipping my much-needed coffee. As expected, I hadn't slept much last night. Still, I was in a surprisingly good mood. I liked Henri almost as much as I liked Liana. It was no wonder the two were so close.

"How interesting," Henri mused, "my boyfriend's studying English as well. You may meet him."

"What's his name?" I asked, hoping to have a friend in my classes.

"Henri, have you been boasting about me again?"

"Zaire," Henri smirked, "yes, of course I was. Sit down. I'd like to introduce you to Saturn."

Zaire walked with me to Professor Brown's Introduction to Literary Studies class. I could tell we were going to get on well. Zaire was already deep into a spiel on the books we'd be reading this term, which he thought should have been removed from the mix many years ago.

I shuddered as I thought of what my day would have looked like if I hadn't met Liana the night before. A lonely breakfast in the grand, daunting dining hall. Not eating anything as it would upset my nerves. Walking to my classes alone, hoping that I was successfully blending in. Instead, it was like a dream, walking down the stunning stone pathway on a perfectly cloudy morning with a new friend.

We reached our building, which was just across from the dining hall. "Here we are," Zaire said, glancing down at his map, "room 212, floor one."

After Professor Brown's class, I already had a lengthy list of books I needed to purchase by the end of the week. Zaire had recommended the Kenton bookshop, which he'd heard would supply anything we might need as English majors, even more "bookish" friends. I wasn't sure about the friend aspect, but I could definitely use a trip to the bookshop.

Introduction to Literary Studies took us all the way to lunch. Zaire and Henri had taken the bus to a cafe in the village, so Liana and I had a table to ourselves to debrief our first classes. She and Henri were both studying Psychology. I was glad we each had a friend.

"Your hair is so pretty," Liana complimented, "is it naturally that dark?"

"No," I responded. In tenth grade, I dyed my virgin, brunette hair with black boxed dye one evening on a whim, and had never looked back. Not to mention that I'd spent an hour that morning trying to get it to cooperate. A compliment was much appreciated.

"Mine's not natural either," Liana admitted, combing her fingers through her long blonde locks, "perhaps we'll have to help each other with touch-ups." I grinned. It would be nice to have someone help me for once.

Liana walked me to Poetry, my second class. She had a free period, and told me she was going for a walk in the village. I wished I could join her. Poetry was not my forte. To my delight, Zaire was in Poetry during this period too. He offered me help if I began to struggle with it. Why was everyone at Kenton so kind?

I had been itching to see the village, so I decided to take the three o'clock bus. I needed to visit the bookshop Zaire had recommended, our book lists were due by the end of the week and I normally procrastinated on such tasks. This time was different. I couldn't wait to see the bookshop.

If only I had known.