The Astrology House

Chapter 1 - Welcome to Kos

Lily stepped out of the boat and looked intently at the island. The bright sun glowed down on the school's building, and anticipation showed on her face as she walked. She looked back on the dock which, just to the right in the blue clear water,  held the little steamboat she had just been on for the first time in her life.
The captain waved, and she waved back, and he disappeared into the ocean again. Lily turned around quickly starting at the large campus surrounding her. There were a few other kids on her boat, but all of them seemed older and they got off quite quickly as the boat stopped at the dock. She had talked the captain's ear off about her excitement, and she was excited beyond measure to arrive at school for the first time.
She looked to her right and saw a big sign that read "Kos University", and under it in smaller letters read "School of the stars." The school was known to be smaller, and only consisted of 100 students per grade, in which they were all given a scholarship to attend. It took Lily a few months to research and decide upon Kos, but with it being a full- ride, and her Grandparents looking after her since the loss of her parents, it seemed well- suited to go for something new. So, Kos was her choice.
Lily grabbed her two suitcases and headed on forward. An uphill dirt path was surrounded by beautiful white buildings made of multiple different sizes. The roofs were white, blue, gold, and an array of bright colors which made everything more beautiful. As she walked, she noticed a giant map with the school's whereabouts right before the entrance of the school grounds. She knew immediately what house she would be looking for, yet, again, she took out the paper from her jacket, which still reminded her of her home back in Idaho, USA. She opened up the folded paper to once again read:

Lillian Wrighthart, congratulations for being accepted to Kos University. Remember, your house number will be 11 in the first year students area on the west side of the campus. If you have trouble finding your living area, please locate another student to help guide you, everyone at Kos is able to give a helping hand.

Sincerely, Dean Demetriou.

She glanced back up from the letter, and kept moving forward until she reached a giant fountain with a beautiful statued woman. Water was streaming all around her, and she exalted pure beauty. The stone was shining brightly from the sun and water, and it made the woman seem ethereal and goddess like.
Aphrodite was the only thought in her mind. She circled the statue slowly, taking all the excitement in. She was truly in Greece, finally. It seemed like it would never come, but it was truly here, at last. She continued circling, until she looked towards a building which marked: Κως καφετέρια, and as Lily looked closer, in smaller letters under the sign read: Kos Cafeteria.

This was something she slightly forgot to prepare for... the language. It had crossed her mind a few times, but the excitement got the best of her. How could she be so stupid? She had just arrived, but had already made a simple mistake. Perhaps learning a few words of Greek would've helped a lot more than she hoped for. Yet, she quickly remembered that it is a world- wide school, and English is the most spoken language for it, so she calmed quickly as she saw another young man walking the opposite direction.
"Ex- excuse me!" She called out, but the young man kept walking, not noticing her. She just then noticed his tall boots that seemed heeled. His hair was dyed pink, and he seemed to be busy strutting his own way. She quickly understood and backed off to find a more suitable respondent.
She soon noticed a girl with a blonde ponytail whipping side to side, walking towards the cafeteria's side, where Lily believed was the west, and she quickly tried to catch up, hefting her suitcases behind her.
"Excuse me!" She called out again, more defiant this time. The girl with the blonde ponytail whipped around, her hair still bouncing around as she spun.
"Oh, hi!" She said happily with a bright white smile.
"Hi..." Lily said back, awkwardly. "I'm not sure where I'm going... I'm new here. I'm from America, see, and I should've studied more of the map before I came..."
"Oh!" The blonde ponytail girl said with a perk. "I'm new too! My name is Vindra, from Australia, it's great to meet you!" Just then Lily recognized her accent... and her full face of makeup. Actually, now that Lily had noticed, the girl was caked with blush, but not in any bad way, it actually looked very pretty on her!
"I love your makeup!" Lily said, quickly trying to gain respect. "Do you know where you're going?"
"Yes, I'm a little confused honestly, but I think we will get the hang of the campus, now come on, first years are this way." She said quickly, grabbing her suitcases which were bright pink and had an array of stickers on them. Lily let out a small giggle as she grabbed her suitcases and followed Vindra.
"Honestly, I'm enamored by all of the beauty here. It's just a lot to take in so far." Lily said. This was easily true to her, more than Vindra might have known. In Idaho, the biggest thing Lily had seen was the Zion Bank in her home city.
"I know, right? It's absolutely brilliant. Everything has just a special touch of something or another, and the colors are amazing. It's all just so spectacular! And most of all, I'm excited to meet my fellow roommates! Especially since we're all boys and girls in one house! I was sent to the Astrology house-
"The Astrology House?" Lily quickly cut the excited Vindra off. "I'm in that house, too!"
"No.. freaking... way!" Vindra exclaimed as she let out a squeal. Suddenly, she dropped her suitcases and ran to Lily, hugging her and jumping up and down.
"Yay!" Lily said awkwardly as Vindra got off and grabbed her suitcases and started walking again. This girl was going to be a fun one to handle... Lily had usually been more introverted when it came to immediate friends, but she started to enjoy the company quickly as the girls walked for the next ten minutes, passing stores for books, clothes, coffee, Greek goods, and almost anything you would need.
The girls neared a big house with a white and pink hue. As Lily turned back, she noticed the sun was starting to set already. It felt like she had already just got there, so she checked her clock. 7:00 P.M. exact. It had already been almost an hour since she arrived, and almost three she's been in Greece, and she had just arrived home.
The house was huge and spacious, with multiple arch ways on either side of the big glass doors with gold surrounding the outline. It seemed to be only two stories tall, but the genuine capacity seemed to take up a whole acre. The yard was well tended, and as far as Lily could see, the beach was just right behind the house. The memories that could be made... so generous to imagine!
Both the girls walked up the beautiful glass doors and looked at each other with a smile. Vindra quickly ran to the right and pushed her finger into the wall. A doorbell rang off, and within 10 seconds a tall man with a deep stare, and intense look answered the door.
Lily wondered if they went to the wrong house... Until she saw the gold outline on the doorways were covered in symbols. She looked back at the man who seemed almost disturbed at her presence, and suddenly a discomforting chill ran through her spine. Before she could speak, Vindra was back and as springy as before.
"Hi there! I'm Vindra! And this is... actually, who are you?" She asked, while turning her attention towards Lily. "You never even told me your name."
"Oh, I go by Lily-
"Lillian Wrighthart and Vindra McDownly." The man grumbled. "You are both late." He had a strong Greek accent, filled with a deep growl.
"Late?" Vindra asked. "What do you mean? I really needed to get my nails done before I came here, and I found a shop just down the road when we arrived!"
"Whatever the case... you are here now, and that is all that matters. Enter." The man demanded.
The girls shuffled inside with their things and both gasped. The interior was even more designed than the exterior. The walls had been beautifully painted with giant symbols all around them. The main entrance was big, but seemed more condensed due to the amount of detail of what could be seen, and what they were seeing... Lily didn't fully know.  There was a red symbol, then a green right next to it, and then a yellow one, but what were they?
"What are they?" Vindra asked.
"What are what, you ask, Miss McDownly?" The man asked. Looking directly at Vindra. Lily quickly made note of his looks. He wore his suit, brown hair, and had brown chocolatey eyes, that seemed very intense for her liking.
"Those pretty symbols on the wall!" She replied, pointing around the main entrance. The man took his deep gaze off her and look around the room. His hands spread out as he slowly spun around and stared at the girls.
"Those are the symbols of the Zodiac. You are in the Astrology house after all." The man said, chuckling.
"Wow... that's so cool..." Vindra sighed, intrigued.
"I am Alistare Artino, your butler here at the Astrology House." He said.
"Nice to meet you Alis-torie!" Vindra exclaimed, reaching her hand out with a long, prosperous gesture.
"Alistare!" He demanded, stomping his foot so loud, it felt like the whole house shook beneath him. Lily looked at Alistare, then back at Vindra. She had to save her from this situation....
"It's good to meet you, Alistare. I'm Lillian, but please just call me Lily." She said, shaking his hand quickly and firmly.
"Of course... You can call me Ali." He replied, shaking his hand with Lily's with a firm grip.
"And I'm-
"Oh I've heard who you are by now." Ali interrupted Vindra before she spoke. "You, my dear, have said more than enough."
There was silence, suddenly. Lily looked back at Vindra, who seemed disheartened by the remark by Ali. Lily looked to her left and saw three symbols, they were marked with a gray hue, one with two figures next to each other, one with something that looked like scales, and something that looked like waves. She knew of astrology, and of course knew her sign, as she had heard of it around school, but she never really got that into it. In fact, Lily, if anything, always felt like she was just a part of the group. Sure, she was known in school, but she was usually just seen as a nice girl who had her friends, and usually stayed to herself. Well, except for at home...
"Are they here?" A voice called out. Suddenly, a woman in her middle ages wandered out of the arch through the front, which contained three more figures. Lily quickly recognized one with something that looked like a sheep with horns, one that was definitely a lion, and the other... a man riding a horse, or possibly, a man who was a horse. Quickly, Lily realized it wasn't that at all, but it was a centaur, and he was holding up a bow and arrow.
"They have finally arrived." Ali said to the woman. Once she came into the light, which was blasting from the chandelier above them, she was clear. She looked somewhat similar to Ali, with dark hair and chocolatey eyes, and she wore a white dress.
"My name is Didi." The woman said, pushing out her hand. Both girls shaked it and Lily made sure to keep her firm grasp; the main thing her Grandfather had taught her before she left.
"Well, now, why don't you come in for some dinner. Aren't you hungry?" Ali asked the girls.
Lily was starving.
"I'm starving!" Vindra yelled out. "Practically dying!"
"I could use a bite, honestly." Lily said as she grabbed her bags again.
"Well, follow me girls." Didi said as she walked them through the main arch- way. The rest of the house quickly came together. There were stairs on either side, made of a white pearl. The floor was filled with a velvet carpet, and the windows were a tinted light and bright green. The house was beautiful, and filled with color. They were taken to the left, through another beautifully detailed archway, and into a large dining room. 10 other students sat at a large wooden table, and stopped immediately to stare at the girls.
"Students, these are the final two to arrive! Everyone is finally here!" Didi exclaimed while clapping her hands.
"Hi everyone! I'm Vindra and this is Li-
"Vindra, why don't you let Lily introduce herself?" Didi asked in a quite whisper, then scurried off to put away the girls' suitcases and belongings.
"You're right! I've been terribly rude, haven't I?" She replied as she made her way to the table, seating herself right next to a beautiful girl with long black hair, and a boy who's look seemed quite unamused.
"Uh, hi. I'm Lily. I'm from America. It's nice to meet you all..." She said as she took the final seat around the table.
"It's nice to meet you guys!" A girl across the table said. "Why were you late? We already met each other, so I guess we should go around and say our names again?" Everyone could hardly speak before the girl began. "I'm Pepper, and I'm from Italy." She said. Just then Lily noticed her accent. It wasn't as strong as she thought it might be, considering Pepper is from a country that mainly speaks Italian. It was almost a relief that everyone could speak English, because it would be difficult if everyone could hardly understand each other.
The boy to her right was next. "I'm Ao, from Japan." He said. His accent a little stronger than Peppers, but still very understandable. Lily noticed his striking black hair and cute smile.
"My real name is Fah, but please call me Tyllie, it's my English name. I come from Thailand." The girl to his right said. Lily wondered where the name Tyllie had come from... she also wondered if Vindra was going to ask. However, not this time, and the introductions went on smoothly.
The line reached the girl next to Vindra. The girl with the beautiful black hair. "안녕하세요. Hello. I am Naomi from Korea."
"You already met me! Vindra, I'm from Australia!"
"G'day. Ollie, from New Zealand." The boy with the unamused face said. He was buff with brown hair and tanned skin. His eyes were shockingly green, in fact, he was really rather handsome, but his face made him seem otherwise.
"You're from down under too?" Vindra asked, her excitement showing through.
"Sure am." Ollie said, his face still bare.
"Well you seem like a lot of fun, Mr. Grumpy!" Vindra called out.
"What?" Ollie said, scoffing at her.
"I'm Jack, from Sweden!" The next boy said loudly, before things got into trouble. He was tall, with bright blue eyes and light blonde hair. Freckles surrounded his cheeks, and it reminded Lily of a bunch of boys from Idaho.
Next was the boy next to Lily. "Hi, I'm Felix. I'm from España." His voice was smooth, like butter. Lily just noticed his incredibly handsome look. She was still shaken by being late, and also the argument that almost transpired between Vindra and Ollie, that she hadn't noticed the handsome boy right by her side.
"España? So, Spain?" Lily asked. Even she was shocked by this question. Everyone stopped and looked at her. She tried to ignore it and tilted her head.
"Yeah, Spain. I guess we're supposed to be using English here. I forgot." He reminded the group. It made a few of the other boys start smirking, a few others lightly laughing at his remark.
"Well, not necessarily... I'm sure we, well, you guys can talk in your native languages whenever you meet someone who can speak it." Lily said brightly.
"Says the American girl." Pepper said, laughing. This gave the non- native English speakers a laugh. The native English speakers shifted uncomfortably. "Look, none of us would've taken the scholarship without being able to speak English, I just think a lot of us have had a rougher adjustment. That's all."
"Yeah, and I totally understand that." Lily said with an uncomfortable smile. "I'm Lillian, but call me Lily. Like I said earlier, from America." At this point, the room had a weird vibe. Was there some kind of issue with Lily being American? It was cool to see all of the cultures around the room, but why did they feel the need to be envious of a girl who got the scholarship, just like all of them. Why were a few of them almost acting... ungrateful to be there?
The girl to Lily's left, with gorgeous brown curly hair, and dark satin skin, spoke with a soothing tone. "Hello Lily and Vindra, I am Uniya from Madagascar in Africa."
Lily was in awe. The girl was so beautiful and had the most gorgeous aura. She was dressed in a beautiful dress, most definitely from her home country. It was white with golden flowers spread throughout it, making her dark skin glow. She had hoop earrings and no makeup. Uniya was naturally stunning.
"You are so pretty!" Vindra cried out. There was no lie. Uniya was the prettiest person in the room.
"Truly." Lily agreed. How had she barely even acknowledged both of the beautiful beings sitting right next to her. She felt like she worked at a mall compared to the both of them. Well, she did work at the mall in Idaho, so perhaps she had a right to feel the way she did.
"You are both too kind. Thank you. You are also gorgeous, I love your gorgeous blonde, the ponytail really suits you." Uniya pointed towards Vindra. Lily waited with baited breath for a compliment from her, but before Uniya could continue, Ali walked into the room.
"Getting all suited for students? Have you all met Lily and Vindra now?" Ali asked them.
"We were just going around the room, sir." Vindra said quickly.
"Quite the chatterbox, aren't we Miss McDownly?" He asked. She quickly shrunk down with a meek smile, and looked at Lily. Lily shrugged reassuringly.
"I'm Cress, from England." The next boy continued. He had ginger hair and lots of freckles. He seemed somewhat frail with a light complexion.
"I'm Haiden, I'm from South Africa." The final student said. He had dark skin, similar to Uniyas, but his accent was not as strong. He spoke English quite fluently, considering it was a native language of the country.
"That should be everyone, sir." Pepper told Ali.
"Good. I hope you all get acquainted quickly. As most of you all know, I am Alistare but call me Ali. Didi and I are your butler and maid here at the Astrology House. I know it may seem silly to have that be the name, most of your alumni have confessed before. However, it is just a name, nothing more." That was a weird statement, Lily thought, but took a deep breath and continued to listen. Your class schedules should have been sent out before you arrived, but there are packages on your beds. Bed assignments will be as follows: You all have one roommate you will share with." The students looked around at each other excitedly.
"Do we get to choose our roommates, sir?" Cress asked, smiling.
"No. We have already decided who you will be sharing with." Ali said. "Boys will be with boys, and girls will be with girls, if you have any complaints, you can talk to me directly, understand? Good. Now, the doors of your rooms all have your names marked on them. Boys are on the second level to the left, girls are on the second level to the right." Lily immediately knew it was the pearl- like stairs and felt a flutter in her stomach. The house was so beautiful, and it was her home now!
"Dinner will be served in about two minutes by our house chef, Calliope. The cafeteria on campus is for lunch time, and during the day classes do not return to the house unless there is an emergency. You must be in your classes studying for your degrees during school hours. There are no uniforms, and dress appropriately. Be home by 11 P.M. and in your rooms, if you are not, there will be consequences. Understood?" The students shook their head to Ali. "Good. Now, I will leave you  to have dinner and talk amongst yourselves. Any questions, Didi and I are here to answer them." He finished and left with a stiff and stern body.
Within a few seconds of his exit, dinner was brought to them by Calliope and Didi. Such an array! Spaghetti with sauces, roasted chicken, lamb, soups, they even brought in vegan and side options for those who needed it. Luckily, for Lily, she didn't have many problems with her diet, and she grabbed at the food she wanted from around the table. A slice of the chicken and lamb, some of the spaghetti, potatoes and gravy, which reminded her of her home in Idaho, where potatoes are very famous, and she grabbed some punch from a bowl and began eating. Some of the students were silently praying before, and Lily questioned if maybe she should've pretended to also do so. After further thought, she thanked the Heavens in her head and continued.
"This is so good!" Vindra said after putting a mouthful in.
"That's gross." Pepper said with a stank look on her face.
"What is?" Vindra said, her face once again sulking down. She just didn't know when to quit expressing her feelings. The rest of the students were somewhat quiet overall, but compared to Vindra, they were tiny ants.
"Speaking with your mouth full." Pepper said back with a snap.
"Well your tone isn't very remarkable either." Vindra said quietly, continuing to eat.
"My what?" Pepper asked.
"Nothing." Vindra replied.
"No, what did you say?" Pepper asked again.
"Ok, look we just got here and I don't think we already need a fight." Felix said, annoyed. Lily looked at him again. He really was a beauty. An intense one.
"Let me make something clear to all of you." Pepper said smiling. "If you have a problem with something I say, you come to me. Let me just say that. I'm not trying to be a witch, especially not this early, but don't come for me, especially when we just arrived."
Lily tried not to laugh. That was definitely awkward. The students went silent for a moment, until Vindra got up from the table.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom..." She said quietly and walked out of the room.
Silence again, and everyone continued to eat.
"I'm just here to get my degree and study cultures. I'm excited, though. I'm going for nursing studies." Naomi said sweetly. She was eating with chopsticks and her white complexion and black hair that had a bun placed on top seemed very regal.
"That's really cool!" Lily said. "I'm studying social work and cultures. We need some more help in that industry back in America. The mental health field I mean. It's getting there but, I think we could always use a little more help."
"Mental health isn't very cared for back in Korea. We are more conservative when it comes to expression. We are getting better, though." Said Naomi.
This made Lily think about the backgrounds of everyone around her. Some of them may have never even traveled before. When her parents were alive, they would take her on vacations often, especially when holidays came around like Christmas and her birthday.
The next half hour was spent eating, learning about everyone's homes and cultures. Vindra never returned to eat, and Lily thought she had just been tired and upset from Pepper's comments. Lily learned quite a bit about the students during dinner. Cress was brought up in London, and had been brought up pretty wealthy with both of his parents being rich lawyers. Pepper was from Milan, and her father was a famous designer for many celebrities around the world. Ao's parents owned multiple transporting companies in Osaka and Tokyo. Tyllie's mother was a famous author, and her dad was a famous restaurant owner and chef in Thailand.
The realization came to Lily that the arrogance she had felt earlier started to make sense. Some, if not, almost all of the students had gotten a scholarship based off of their parents names and their money. Why had Lily been chosen? Her grandparents were fine, but definitely weren't rich by any means. She had put in her application for the scholarship on a wim, since a letter was sent in the mail requesting she put one in. She was accepted the day after she applied, with a full- ride. It made her question if they really meant to choose her, if it was a mistake. Her grades were alright, her GPA had been a 3.5. Perhaps it was just a regular choice,  a choice upon luck. She really was meant to be there.
As dinner finished, the kids were shown their rooms. They walked back out into the giant foyer and were separated by the boys and the girls and walked up the beautifully made staircases that rounded up to reveal the big hallway that held 3 rooms and 3 bathrooms. At the end of the hall there was a room marked "Didi's Room", in which their maid stayed. The other end of the hallway laid a regular wall, which marked more of the zodiac symbols. The same design from downstairs, but different colors. Lily wasn't quite sure what to make of them, but they were definitely well painted. As they were chauffeured around by Didi, they made it to each room to drop off the girls.
She hoped Vindra would show up soon. Along with that, she hoped to room with her.
"Where's Vindra?" Lily asked Didi as they were walking towards the end of the hall.
"Oh, yes. Where is Vindra?" Didi questioned the girls. "Have you ladies seen her?" The girls shook their heads. "Oh, well. I'll have a look around after I drop you off in your rooms."
They stopped by the farthest door. Marked "Uniya" and "Naomi". The girls smiled at each other and entered their room. Dang it! The two girls Lily wanted to room with the most had gotten each other. She wouldn't mind Vindra at all, not even Tyllie. Pepper, however, scared her some.
The door in the middle was marked "Vindra"-
Please be me, please be me! Lily thought.
And Tyllie.
Not this. This was a great start to Lily's school career. Sharing a room with the mean girl. However, she took a breath and smiled as Tyllie walked in. Just then, they could hear crying. Vindra was already in her room, and her sobs were loud.
"Vindra, darling, are you alright dear?" Didi called in. Lily could see their room design being filled with yellow and purple, it was quite beautiful. That's all she could see before Vindra confessed she was "fine" and the door was shut.
The last room, the closest to the stairs, was marked "Lily" and... "Pepper". Lily knew this already, but really seeing it up close, she felt the reality hit her. Maybe Pepper wasn't so bad? Maybe she was relatively sweet and just came off strong. Who knows, but she was ready to continue on with her night, as she felt tired.
The girls room was filled with red and pink. The floor was a nice scarlet with a pink rose carved into it. Their beds were both white and looked very comfortable. This was all Lily could think of, because she quickly saw the bed, changed, brushed her teeth, got into the bed, shut off her lamp, and dreamed of flowers.
The next morning the sun came through and Lily woke in a jumble. Her hair was messed up, and she saw in the mirror attached to the back of their door. She giggled and quickly brushed it away. She definitely looked tired. All the new things were extremely fun, but draining, too.
For breakfast, the students all had an array of delicious sausages, eggs, hash browns, bacon, and other delicacies Lily could only dream of having everyday back at home. Vindra looked as if she had been crying all night, but her ponytail, once again had a bounce and made her look just as lively as the day before. Everyone shared their excitement for the first school day, but Lily kept her share more quiet.
Finally, when it was time to go to school, she grabbed her bag and supplies, and headed out the door. Everyone seemed to have a buddy, even Vindra who got along well with Tyllie, but Pepper had gone with a gaggle of the boys, leaving Lily on her own. She didn't mind it, though. She would rather be in her own thoughts.
She walked down the path from the house to the main campus, and smelled the fresh smooth Greek air. The ocean was goregous and the sun shined brightly. Eventually, she reached the Aphrodite statue, and smiled.
That's when she noticed the man.  He seemed to be about 50. He was staring Lily right in the eye. She immediately turned her gaze and tried to keep walking, but the man kept his stare. She had to pass the man to get to her class, but she wished she knew some other way around already to avoid the  interesting person. He carried a pipe in his mouth, and looked like an old sea captain. She crept on by as the man stared on, Lily keeping her eyes down.
As she passed him, the man stepped in front of her, and Lily almost tripped. "Lillian... is it you?" The man asked.
"Who are you?" Lily asked, quickly looking around, only to find no one around. That was weird, not normal. Especially it being the first day of school... was Lily late? What was going on? Who was the man?
"Lily, it is you." The man said, his eyes widening and grabbing her hand.
Lily jumped back and yelped. "Please, don't touch me!" She cried.
"Lily I am not here to hurt you. I am here to relay a message. You are your mates are in grave danger, and you must be told!" He said, his face growing solem and serious. That's when Lily noticed, this man was no man, but yet a ghost. Who was floating a few feet above the ground. Her eyes grew wife and her heart rapid.
"What? What? Where"- is all Lily could get out before the man stopped her.
"I am Captain Lianos. Lost long ago in the seas on the mission I could not complete. I thought I had, but it had been too late. Now, we need you Lily." He said.
Lily felt a quick trust in the man. How? She wasn't sure. She just felt it in her core "Need me? For what?" She asked.
"I don't have much time." The captain said. "You must hurry. The zodiac." He said.
"The zodiac?" Lily asked.
"The astrology house. It's full of zodiac signs, Lily. You must get the 12 together before the next retrograde of Mercury, before everything is destroyed!" He cried suddenly. The man started floating into a ball and disappeared and white light flashed so bright it blinded Lily making her fly back.
She woke in a sweat on her brow, and she was crying out in fear.