Kingdom of isolation - you can't hide

Nineteen ~ Aurora

Aurora

Age 19

Cold shivers skitter down the length of my spine, a sense of foreboding settling into my bones as I step inside the building. My phone, clenched tightly in my hand until the colour from knuckles has disappeared, remains dormant. I'll be damned. It seems that my uncle has developed a peculiar sense of humour ever since I admitted my wrong doings—which was about five hours ago. His way of humouring me is by not responding to my messages with his usual supersonic speed and behaviour to rival a mother hen. That is pretty alarming to say the least because the man thrives on worrying about me, something he truly has no control over. I could bombard him with a dozen texts but what difference would that make if he hasn't even read the previous ones? The plan was to check out of my dorm because of my newfound epiphany, send him a message like a child would to a parent after a horrible school trip and wait nearby until he collected said child. In this instance, give me a green signal to hightail it out of here. Since none of those events went as planned, I am now standing inside a grandiose—gothic and haunting, actually—building waiting to be noticed by the very British looking concierge who's too busy typing away on his expensive looking computer. My skin erupts in goosebumps and I try not to let my teeth clatter. Damn, it's cold here!

I could just go back to my dormitory and wait there like any sane person would, but that ship sailed the moment I left the building. Not only am I in a completely different part of the campus, I'm also very far away and have zero motivation to trek backwards when I'm this close to the train station. Going back also means having to execute another escape route to avoid getting caught by anyone. And by anyone, I mean Mia, Ophelia and Amara, the latter already planning a night out to conclude the end of our semester. They'll be heading into their final year and I'll be going into my second. That..part of the conversation is still up for debate, given my sudden cowardice and bitter encounters with literal thugs around the campus. I shudder at the thought of seeing him ever again and it's far worse than the inside of Antarctica I'm currently taking refuge in. God, I hope never. I happened to see this hotel when I was trying to put some distance between myself and that nefarious cloud of a man.

I catch my surroundings with a lazy glance, black and white chequered tiles on the floor act as a vortex and make my eyes turn cross eyed. It's quite dark despite the chandeliers hanging above with what I'm assuming are white lights. Like any other piece of architecture in the land of HRU, this one also has that modern yet ancient feel to it. It almost looks more like a haunted mansion than a hotel, as if the hotel was an afterthought. Hotel Cerberus lives up to its name. It's nice, though, and I can already tell it'll cost me an arm and a leg just for an entrance fee. It's a good thing I kept up with the cafe gig, then. The fact that I'll be spending it all tonight makes me frustrated more than I'd like to admit. Tying up loose ends is something I've gotten better at. Even though I was leaving under the pretence of summer break, I wasn't holding on to the cafe. I gave in my 2 week notice and put my career as a renowned barista behind me, letting Mia know I was sick of working as her personal barista so she wouldn't question my decision. She only pouted a little. And it was adorable.

I have developed a very strong attachment with Mia over the last couple of months. It's like I've known her my entire life, she's a great listener like myself and I feel like I can tell her everything without being judged. I haven't though, because I'm a horrible person. It makes me feel better when I can sense her holding back as well. I guess we both have secrets we don't want to share yet. My phone beeps and I look down expecting it to be Uncle Noah but find a text from Amara in our group chat instead. That's right, I have a group chat with people. It still feels weird, really. Friend. That's what they called me. A part of me, that little girl in me perhaps, relished the idea of having friends to talk to even though I haven't been truthful to them. Mia was Miss popular with a kind heart while Ophelia was the slightly shy girl with a bit of a temper. She reminded me of a little mouse and it was rather cute. Amara was the grumpy girl with a badass attitude and means to create mayhem. Actually, now that I think about it, all three of them were kind of like the power puff girls. Sugar, spice and everything nice. I giggle at the sudden thought. Wow. I can't believe I've been acquainted with the powerpuff girls for an entire year and didn't put the two together. I smile, despite myself, and read the little menace's words.