STAGE 2: ILLINOIS

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The sun rise; the dawn fell on the horizon, and the rays began to appear along the buildings.

Laura Jones was a sophomore student pilot at Hunters Aerospace University, at the plains of Illinois. Many were excited on the first day of school, excluding her. Day after day, with the hope to spice up her life at least by meeting strangers, she wished someone or something would come and render happiness.

She was a calm person. Every morning she would meditate and sooth her nerves from the weary pilgrimage of nightmares with a cup of tea.

Living in my own world, didn't understand that anything can happen when you take a chance...

"Theory of Flight... Room 102..." She was scanning her schedule at the balcony of Villars dormitory. Her class would begin in thirty minutes, and her friend was still upstairs, fighting to whoever goes to shower first. Her eyes were closed when she sensed a shadow over her shoulder, blocking the sunlight. She looked up, "Can I help you?" A man wearing unbuttoned white shirt stood before her. You could tell it was of a janitor's uniform. "Hi," he had such a genuine smile.

"Uh, my boss asked me to give this to you" He said as he handed over a red envelope.

She took it and stared at the material. "Did you mean the dean of college?" Clutching the envelope, she looked up, "Why would the-"

I never believed in what I couldn't see. I never opened my heart to all the possibilities...

As if the Nature herself had tried to ward off the intruder, the wind whistled; hardly blowing the dust of the streets and the fallen maple leaves danced along. By that moment, the man was gone. "Whoa." She looked around the pavement; her brows lifted "That was weird." There was a touch of insanity in the proceeding, a sense of gloomy drollery in the sight; she clenched her chest while her free hand kept her hair from swaying against her face.

"Hey Mae, Are you done yet?" Laura called to her dorm mate. "Yeah, I'm coming!"

"Good morning, Mae. I guess you lose the battle of the shower." Mae's was in school uniform with her hair combed dry.

"Hey Laura," said Mae, still sleepy, "good morning to you, too. And yes, my roommate gets to go first. But I'm not gonna run late on the first day of school so yeah."

"Could you please see what's inside this for me?"

Mae sat beside her, snapping the envelope. She put her binder down, "Why can't you do it by yourself?" ripping the edge of the envelope.

"Eh, it gives me creeps." Her instinct never missed an important event of her life. Last time she felt shivers, her dog, Azul died of asthma attack. She dolefully accepted the fact that her gut feeling was a curse. It was something natural, which had its reason that had a meaning.

"Must be a love letter, from whom?" Mae dipped two fingers, fetching inside.

"Oh no, no, It's from... from the janitor," Laura peaked to the letter "he said it's from his boss."

"Well, well, the principal's got a good taste." She pulled out a folded paper, flicked through it and they read the letter in chorus:

'You are chosen! Make the world a better place, join us.
Today at 6PM at the Old Museum,
7777 North Cicero Avenue
Lincolnwood, Illinois 60646'

Mae murmured, "An invitation..." What would the principal want with her at the first day of school? "Aha! Lau's got a date! Isn't that right?" she teased.

"But it says join us, it's probably a group activity." Even when Mae sounded so innocent, Laura knows what she meant. Threesome, foursome, whatever some her dictionary had in record.

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