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AMYRA
"This is a university?" It would be an understatement if someone said that Leyli was surprised at the sight of the huge campus, big enough to house a whole village.
"I—This—Wha—"
"Looks like Amyra forgot how to form a coherent response," Annabelle laughed as the healer gawked at the tall buildings passing by, her face pressed against the cold window pane of the carriage.
"I have heard stories about Starborn, but I gotta admit, it's pretty impressive in person," Annabelle said then turned from awestruck Leyli to Tabitha who wore an indifferent expression. "Don't you agree Tabs?"
Tabitha's face scrunched up a little at the nickname, but decided not to comment on it as she nodded her head formally instead, "Yes, it's impressive indeed."
The rhythmic thumps of the horse pulling the carriage slowed down to silence as the carriage reached a platform.
"And here comes the guards to sour our moods," Annabelle said, annoyance seeping into her tone as she pulled out her ID card from her bag. "Talk about catching someone's bad mood."
"As a healer I can guarantee that their bad mood is contagious," Amyra said as she took out her own ID. "And the thing is, the guards here are never happy. So better watch out if you see one."
"I wonder why," Annabelle's snort was as loud as her comment, loud enough for even the guards to hear, but the brunette didn't care.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"Ms. Amyra from Vector town," The guard said as he handed Amyra's ID to another guard beside him. "Can you step aside please."
Amyra looked back at her new comrades with an apologetic look. "You guys go ahead, I will catch up."
A familiar feeling of fear churned Amyra's stomach as she crossed the bridge leading to the tallest building in the campus. Its towers, similar to ones of a palace, stood between the clouds high and mighty as it looked down at her with pride. It's clock reading 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
"You are the infamous healer who threatened a school kid, aren't ya?"
"Y-yes?" Amyra wasn't sure how to respond to the guard's sudden question, especially when her presence was being ignored since she parted from her friends at the platform.
"B-but I wasn't trying to hurt him. He was the one who was bullying my brother." She quickly added, hoping that she could clear her new reputation at the university which was being tainted by rumors.
The guard chuckled at Amyra's startled response and continued to talk without looking at her, let alone acknowledging her answer. Amyra was used to this treatment, so she kept herself distracted with the surroundings, appreciating the university's luxurious architecture.
Soon the duo passed under an archway leading to a large hall, yet smaller to the other grand halls with chandeliers Amyra had seen on her way. A spiral staircase connected the mezzanine with the hall. Sunlight seeped in through the Palladian windows, bathing the hall in a bright glow.
Young students her age stood in front of the spiral staircase, some whispering among themselves while others stood as far away as they could from the secretive bunch of freshmen.
Amyra concluded that these must be the 'other' people who were chosen by the king to serve as well, but by looking at the big crowd, she doubted that all of them were sent to starborn for advance practice in healing.
"Dear students, welcome to Starborn," the whispers died out as a loud voice boomed. A middle aged man in a blue jacket came into the view. His lips were curled into a smile as he looked down at the students from the railings of the mezzanine.
"You all might be wondering why you, small bunch of kids, were called here instead of joining the other freshmen," the man descended from the stairs and narrowed his eyes at the students, his lips now downturned into a frown as he continued, "It should be obvious. If you are still clueless about why you were called here, then you are definitely not the brightest."
Amyra shuddered in fear as the man's gray eyes met hers for the briefest moment. The warmth was replaced with coldness.
"What a lucky bunch you are, sent by the king!" The man strode towards the crowd and Amyra noticed some students stepping back a little. Intense emotions of fear and nervousness around her made Amyra dizzy, but she held her ground and listened to the bi-polar principal. After all, she hasn't left her comfortable life behind for people to make fun of her for being weak.
The man's demeanor changed abruptly. His cold, emotionless face switched back to a friendly smile which creeped Amyra out. She could feel the intensity of the man's aura, which was not dangerous, but not a happy one either. Amyra deduced, after reading his feelings as well, that he needed therapy.
The principal's first impression towards the bunch of freshmen appointed by the king didn't seem to be his best. The students were traumatized Amyra realized as she focused on the dimness of auras around her. Amyra could feel one person's intense emotions perfectly, and it was the girl standing beside her. Her oiled hair was tied in a low ponytail. Her orange sweatshirt and baggy green jeans reminded Amyra of orange. The girl's caramel brown skin reminded her of the twins back home and it filled Amyra with sadness and loneliness, with a dreaded feeling of loss of a good life.
A middle-aged woman suddenly started handing out a pamphlet of some sort to the students, and that's when Amyra tuned back into reality.
"The pamphlets contain all the information," the girl in the orange sweatshirt whispered to Amyra. "Including the schedule."
Amyra gave a smile of appreciation to the girl while mouthing 'thank you', which the girl responded with a tentative smile of her own. It looked like the man was done traumatizing students with his speech and was finally getting to the important information.
"I am your principal, Mr. Benjamin Phillip Blevins, but everyone calls me BPB for short." The man's graying hair got caught in the sunlight, bathing him in a temporary halo as he introduced himself. "Starborn is glad to have you all here with us."
