Oblivion

01 | New Beginnings

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

She always loved the idea of starting a new book. The thrill of the unpredictability of what lies ahead excited her.

Similarly, that same excitement sat within her soul as her eyes fell upon what was in front of her. One of the many doors to enter Hansee Hall was upon her gaze, her blood pumping with anticipation.

As a freshman at the University of Washington, Annabel was thrilled when she was placed at Hansee Hall. She had done research on all of the dormitories, the architecture within Hansee Hall was one she loved, it was old and antiquated, almost reminded her of Hogwarts.

Her eyes inspected the building as she approached with great intensity, noticing the cracks in the stone, the beautiful sequences of windows lining the walls, the arches decorating the bottom-floor windows. She adored it.

Annabel didn't like the modernized dorms and buildings, made of glass and odd shapes. She found them to be insensitive, she thought they lacked life. Buildings like Hansee, however, prove to be full of life, containing memories and stories of the thousands of people who have step foot inside of it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother, "Annabel, quick, I need to get a photo to post for your move-in day!"

She turned around to see her mother grinning wildly, holding her phone up, zooming in and out to get a satisfactory photo.

Annabel turned around, smiling the biggest smile she could muster, despite her frustration. She was happy to be there, she just wasn't interested in having every single moment documented.

"Perfect! Alright, so we're going to go inside and get everything unlocked, then start moving things up, correct?" Annabel's mother said.

"That's what I was planni-" Annabel's words were interrupted by the harmonious sound of her mother's ringtone.

"Oh, crap. One second honey," her mother said, "it's your Aunt Terry, let me just get this quickly." There was a pause while her mother accepted the call.

"Oh my goodness Terry, she's all grown up!" Her mother cried. Another pause, while her Aunt Terry responded to her mother's hysterics that were growing by the second.

"I'm just going to miss her so much, I don't know what I'll do." Annabel's mother began to sob, there, in front of Hansee Hall. It was for the sense of dramatics, Annabel knew she wasn't that upset with her future absence from their home in Maryland.

The phone call conversation continued on for another three or four minutes, while Annabel did her best to patiently wait as her mother talked to her Aunt.

Finally, it ended. Her mother wiped her fabricated tears, and turned to Annabel saying, "Sorry about that. Let's go up, shall we?"

They finally entered Hansee Hall, going through the door and stepping into the hallway.
The lobby was buzzing with parents and their students, little pods of people scattered within the room. They were all figuring out their game plan for the afternoon as well, Annabel concluded after centering her hearing into each conversation.

They moved further into the room, making their way towards the stairwell. Annabel's mother suggested they use the decrepit elevator, but she preferred to go to her room, which resided on the third floor, using the stairs. She wanted to embrace every aspect of this new chapter within her life, including the six flights of stairs she would have to climb to get to her room.