World for Lost Souls Amusements

2 - Exploration

Jeremy walked slowly through the halls of the dorm; his gaze fixed on the notebook he held open in his hands. It was early, the sun was rising, illuminating the dusty windows with a golden hue. The air was still cool, permeated with the smell of coffee and soap as students began to wake up. He had just left his computer science class, where they had discussed complex algorithms, but his mind was elsewhere. Perhaps he was doing some calculations for an equation, maybe he was completing a task he had left half-done, or he could be doodling some fleeting sketch in his notebook, who knows? Jeremy has always been a walking whirlwind of ideas. His roommate and childhood best friend, Alex, was still sleeping as if the day hadn’t even begun yet.

When he reached the last bedroom on the left side of the hall, Jeremy pushed open the door with his shoulder, both hands still occupied with his notebook and pen. He didn't bother to be stealthy; it wouldn't be the first time he'd woken him up rudely.

‘Wake up, sleeping beauty, you're going to be late again!” he said sarcastically as he prepared for his next class, not even looking up from his notebook.

Alex, with his eyes still half-closed and his head buried in the pillow, muttered confusedly:

“What...? What time is it?”

“It's time for you to get out of that bed, your speech exam starts in fifteen minutes... again.”

With a start, Alex threw off his sheets and jumped out of bed, panic on his face.

The bedroom was small and messy, with the unmistakable marks of the lives of two college students who didn't care much for order. Their beds were a bunk bed pushed up against the far wall, Alex's bed with the sheets tangled and wrinkled as if it had been hit by a storm. Jeremy's, on the other hand, was kept relatively tidy, although the pile of books and papers scattered around it betrayed his constant academic activity.

A bookshelf to the left of the room held a mix of textbooks, video games, and a collection of action figures from both of their childhoods. Posters of sci-fi movies and rock bands covered the walls, giving the place a youthful, chaotic feel. The only hint of order was the desk by the window, where Jeremy usually studied. The light streaming in illuminated the tangled cords of chargers and laptops, along with a forgotten cup of coffee from the day before.

While Alex hurried to shower and get dressed, Jeremy flipped through his notes, preparing for what was coming next. Minutes later, Alex came running out of the bathroom, his hair still wet and a piece of toast hanging from his mouth. He grabbed his backpack and bolted out the half-open door. “See you!” he called out as he left, leaving the door just ajar.

Jeremy sighed, getting up to close the door completely. He looked around the messy room and headed to his small desk by the window, determined to make the most of the time before his next class. The air was still, and the noise of the university city barely reached his ears. He was so focused that he didn’t realize how much time had passed until he looked up and saw the clock on the corner of the desk: it was already late for his second class, Advanced Data Structures.

“Shit!” he exclaimed, jumping out of his chair and grabbing his backpack.

He stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut. As he ran through the halls of the dorm, the sounds of college life intensified around him: animated conversations, hurried footsteps, and the distant clatter of dishes coming from the cafeteria. The hallways were long and narrow, with white walls, now yellowed and worn, decorated with advertisements for student events and posters for local bands. The tall windows let in natural light, but it wasn’t enough to fully illuminate the darker corners of the building; that was taken care of by the long incandescent lights hanging from the ceiling.