Two lives.

15. A new comfort

May 23rd 1:32 pm

One week after the basketball game, I found myself spending more and more time with the kids from my hall—or maybe it was more accurate to say they had found me. My initial promise to keep a low profile and avoid getting too close was beginning to feel... well, stupid. That promise was just a way of holding myself back, keeping me stuck in the past with all my mistakes. And the truth was, these kids were actually fun. (No offense to my friends back home.)

As I thought about it, I couldn't help but smile. Ophelia's laugh, Caylus's sarcasm, Ekko's quiet but steady presence—they were making this place feel less like some holding cell and more like... maybe a new beginning?

One afternoon, as we were all sprawled across the lounge after class, Ophelia was playfully arguing with Lucifer about some random conspiracy theory. Andi was sitting on the couch at the end of the couch I was laying at and Ekko was leaning against the wall playing video games on his phone.

"JFK is not alive, you weirdo," Ophelia laughed, unable to hold back as she looked at Lucifer, who was staring at her in mock horror.

"How would you know he's not? Were you there when he died?" Lucifer shot back, rolling off the couch and crawling on his knees toward Ophelia, his eyes wide with exaggerated drama.

"Yes, indeed, I was," she replied, still laughing, giving him a playful shove.

Just then, Caylus strolled into the room, hands on his hips, and announced, "You guys want to go to the lake?"

Ophelia's eyes lit up as she jumped to her feet. "Yes! That's an awesome idea!" she said, giving Caylus a pat on the shoulder before running off toward her room. "I'm grabbing my swimsuit!"

"Wait, there's a lake?" I sat up, surprised, from where I'd been sprawled on the couch.

"Yeah," Ekko spoke up, glancing at me with a faint smile from the opposite couch. "It's way out back, behind the buildings. Not too far, though."

Lucifer looked over at me and smirked. "Clearly, we've failed in our duty to give you the full campus tour, Sienna."

"Guess so," I replied, chuckling. "I had no idea there was even a lake here."

Ekko nodded, a spark of something in his usually steady expression. "It's actually pretty nice."

"Then let's change that," Caylus said, grinning as he threw his hands up. "I'll meet you all by the entrance in five minutes!"

The room buzzed with energy as everyone scattered to grab towels and swimsuits. I made my way to my room, feeling that familiar excitement and a bit of nervousness. It had been ages since I'd done something like this, something impulsive and fun.

I borrowed a swimsuit from Andi and tossed it, along with the sweatshirt Ekko had lent me, into a bag. Just as I stepped out of my room, Ophelia emerged from hers.

"You know I can't swim, right?" I laughed, shutting my door behind me.

Ophelia's eyes went wide, but she smirked in that way only she could pull off—half-joking, half genuinely concerned. "How do you not know how to swim?"

I shrugged as we walked toward the entrance. "I don't know, just never learned, I guess."

"Okay, well, we're fixing that. Today," she said, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation.

When we reached the entrance, the others were already waiting. Lucifer leaned against the wall, Caylus and Ekko were talking about something animatedly, and Andi looked like she was ready to bolt.