The Arcanum Manor

6: Circumstances

After our little nap on the campus' grass, we slowly made our way to the dining area. The sun was still shining brightly, and we would have happily stayed there all afternoon if it weren't for the principal's speech scheduled for six o'clock.

For the third time that day, we walked the path to the dining area, anticipating the most magnificent dinner I had ever experienced. As I approached a few steps ahead of my friends, I stopped at the door, unable to find the words to describe what I saw. Nicole and Kate looked at me with surprise, but as soon as they turned their gaze away, they knew exactly what had caught my attention. The place was majestic, almost shining, and the tables were adorned with plates of already served dishes. The decorations transformed the entire room to the colorful, royal and beautiful place. If it weren't for the magic at this school, I would have believed that people had spent hours decorating it. Beautiful.

There weren't many people yet, and I quickly scanned one table to see if we should sit there. But before I could make a move, Kate gently took my hand and guided me to another table.

"See? We were already decided on our seats. There's my name on this little paper, and here's yours," she clarified.

"Oh, sorry about that!" I apologized, feeling a mix of guilt and confuse as I took my seat.

"Hun, you don't have to apologize. It's okay. No harm done," Nicole reassured me as she sat at the seat next to me.

"Yes, Elvira, there's no need to apologize when nothing happened," Kate added, winking at me as she sat across from me next to Danny.

I smiled and nodded at both of them. Then, Patrick whispered, "Can you help me, please?" He was struggling to pull his chair away from the table.

"Of course," I blurted out, rushing my hands to help him. But my attempt didn't go as smoothly as I had expected. I accidentally bumped the table, causing the plates to wobble. Kate and Danny quickly steadied the table, saving the situation. I was shocked. I had tried to be gentle, but I had almost caused a food disaster.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, guys," I exclaimed, feeling my cheeks turn red.

"This is exactly what I was trying to avoid," Patrick chuckled, lightening the mood.

"It's okay, nothing happened," Josephine reassured me as she sat down next to Patrick.

I looked at all of them, relieved to see that no one was laughing or angry at me. I briefly wondered if I was used to being laughed at because I had grown up living with my father, or if it was just my paranoia acting up.

Nicole started talking again, and everyone seemed unbothered, which was a refreshing change.

"Look how quickly the place is filling up," Kate pointed out during a rare pause in Nicole's chatter.

"I wonder if we can already start eating," Josephine pondered, scanning the room to see if other students were already digging into the delicious–looking dishes.

"I wouldn't do that just yet," Kate cautioned with a smile. "We should wait, but I have to admit, I'm already hungry."

"Tell that to my stomach," Patrick said, and we all heard his belly growl with hunger.

"Shhh..." I whispered, trying to stifle my laughter, and Patrick couldn't help but laugh.

"Let's focus on the decorations instead. The time will fly by quicker," Josephine suggested, gesturing to the beautiful curtains and flower arrangements that adorned the room.

"Look at all the tulips," Danny pointed out.

"My favorite," I whispered and felt pair of eyes hanging on me. It was Danny, I looked at him observantly and he smiled. I didn't know how to act but before I could think about it Danny looked away at few people coming near by.