𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐀𝐅𝐀𝐑

𝟒

⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐈

-

As the door to Sage's dorm swung open, I found myself face-to-face with a vision that made my heart skip a beat, in a bad way. My breath hitched. Her long, straight blonde hair flowed over her shoulders, catching the light from the hallway and shimmering. Her piercing blue eyes met mine, and I felt a rush of confusion and nervousness.

She was dressed in a ballet outfit, the light pink leotard and white tights fitting her perfectly. Her fair skin was flawless, almost glowing under the hallway lights, which only added to my disorientation. Her well-defined eyebrows and long eyelashes framed her eyes, giving her an almost doll-like appearance. The large gold hoop earrings she wore seemed out of place with her ballet attire, adding a touch of unexpected sophistication.

Her full lips were slightly parted as if she were about to say something, but the silence stretched awkwardly between us. She looked calm and composed, a stark contrast to the turmoil inside me. I couldn't help but wonder if she was the girl I had slept with the night before. The memory was hazy, and seeing her now only made it more difficult to piece together the fragments of the night.

As I tried to steady my breath and calm the sudden surge of nervousness, I couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu. She seemed almost ethereal, like a vision from a dream I couldn't quite remember. I fumbled for words, trying to make sense of the situation, but all I could manage was a hesitant, "Hi."

-

I hadn't noticed my current attire until Mr. Stock cleared his throat and knitted his eyebrows, "Sign sheets up there, Mina." He pointed back towards the front door of his classroom. After taking in how much free time the students truly had here even with a jam-packed timetable, I thought it'd be a useful idea to give back by signing myself up as a tutor for those underachieving in their studies. After signing the sheet by jotting my number down along with my initials, I jogged to the bathroom to fix my appearance. My baby pink dress reduced in length and somehow became a skirt of some type, straps in hiding. Most importantly, I had a new addition to my outfit, a light grey hoodie. As I turned around in the bathroom mirror, inspecting it, the hoodie had the number 32 printed on it in a bold blue colour. I shrugged, taking in the warmth it provided. I thought to myself, "Sucks to be the person who lost a perfectly good hoodie.".

-

Inspecting the time on my phone, I began to head back towards my dorm room. However, when I made it back, I was met with the sight of Vayda and Kieran rushing to back their satchels, Vayda's light purple, Ki's beige.

"What's the special occasion?". Perfectly in sync, they twisted their heads towards me with a slight fear present in their eyes. "Have you gotten yourself signed off yet or what?" Vayda practically yelled at me. "Signed off? Signed off for what?". Ki raised an eyebrow at me with a smug smile plastered on his face. "I knew you'd forget, so I signed us both off this morning; it's the "Town Trek." I stuttered on my words, "But—I HAVEN'T PACKED ANYTHING."

The "Town Trek" was where all students that attended Aurelia had to spend a weekend in the small surrounding town to adjust and to mostly enjoy themselves before they had to delve into the autumn mock season. Everyone is booked into the hotels along the south of the town, forcing them into the event, not allowed to use lack of accommodation as an excuse. Along with the exploration of the town, Aurelia held a carnival, where there were a series of sports-related floats once again embracing the aesthetic that Edinburgh brought everyone in late autumn.

-

I struggled to pull up my uggs as I hopped towards the stone staircase. It led us through a narrow passageway with a stone archway at the base, marked with the sign reading, "The Lantern Gate Inn." In awe, I splurted out, "I wonder what these paths look like with the lanterns glowing at night." Walking into my side accidentally, Vayda responded, "Warm for sure." Ki snorted, "Seriously, you could have chosen any adjective in the world, and you chose...warm?" "Okay, Dick, what would you say then?". Beginning to get lost in thought, both me and Vayda turned our heads towards Ki, slightly concerned. "I would say mysterious and old.".