The Missing Piece of History

Chapter 4 CATHY: MY ROOMIE

There was a huge entrance gate in the front. It was made up of steel bars and had statues of winged creatures on both the ends. And you can imagine the inside of the Quarters as that of a castle.

As I entered, I saw a red carpet being laid out the entire  length of the hallway. It was a high ceiled building. A huge chandelier hung in the centre and the hallway was lit brightly by other decorative lights as well.

On my either side I saw a large number of rooms. Each room had an enormous silver door which had golden designs imprinted on it. And there was a spiraling staircase at the end of the hallway that led to the upper floor.

Jenny broke the silence by saying that my room was in the first floor and that I would be sharing my room with another first grader named Rose. Jenny led me to my room.

The door was open ajar and so we entered it. But there was no one inside. On one side of the room, there was some luggage in the closet which was wide open. So it seems that my room mate has already arrived. Her fully filled closet reminded me that I didn't have any luggage with me.

When I asked Jenny about it, she said she had brought me a couple of dresses and assured that we would go shopping that weekend to purchase.

"So this is it, I guess. I hope these dresses fit you. I will meet you later. Call me if you need anything," saying that she handed me a mobile and hugged me well before parting. That felt good.

Once she left, I turned around and a realisation dawned inside of me. I left my home. I felt bad about myself. After all, I did not even say a thing about this to them.

As the feelings of my family flooded my thoughts, I thought that there was no going back now. I wanted answers and I believed that Illusia will provide me some. So I decided to start mingling with my surroundings.

The room was so comfortable. It was big and had two large beds. The beds were neatly made and it was arranged with pillows and matching rugs. The room also had a large window with beautiful red curtains. The flooring had white tiles. There was a bathroom attached to the room with a huge tub in it.  

Then I heard footsteps outside the room. I saw a girl with blonde hair and attractive brown eyes enter the room. She looked like she was about my age but she was smaller than me. She wore a white tank top with a maroon overcoat and a short brown skirt.

"Oh, I see you have arrived. I am Rose. What is your name and where are you from?" she asked.

She addressed herself using only her first name? Now that I think about it, even Jenny and Josh did the same thing. Maybe that is how people introduce themselves in Illusia.

"I am Cathy. It's nice to meet you." I left out my surname. "I, um..." I hesitated but then continued, "I am from California".

"California? Where exactly is it? Is it in Neodom or in Charmington or in Lilyadale or in Waffletown?" she asked.

What is she saying? Maybe they are places in Illusia. "I am not sure. Actually I am not from Illusia," I answered.

She stood stupified for a few moments that I actually started to believe she became a statue, with her eyes widened and fixed on me but then she recovered and said, "So, you are a commoner with gifts, a blue-blood!?" She seemed surprised and shocked.

I nodded. So, this is the reaction a blue-blood receives here? I wonder if there are more blue-bloods in this Academy. If not, will I fit in here with the residents of Illusia?

She then continued, "I have never met a commoner before. Everyone I have met so far were residents of Illusia. How is your world? What is it called...?" She closed her eyes and struggled to get the word.

"Earth," I answered her.

"Yeah, that's right, Earth. So how is it? What will the people there do? I heard that they have no powers," she looked at me with her eager eyes.

Her words suggested that she felt people without powers as being an odd scenario. But to me, it was the exact opposite. I was not able to accept the most obvious fact that I was a person with powers. I wondered which ancestor of mine had powers.

"Well, it looks very much similar to this place. People there work based on their field of study," that was all I was able to muster. After all, I didn't know anything about Illusia to find more difference between the two.

"Oh, I wish I could visit Earth someday," she expressed. "Okay then back to powers. If I am not wrong, I think your power revealed itself recently. They say blue-bloods are recruited to an Academy almost immediately after their powers reveal."

"Yes. Yesterday was a weird day. What about you?" I asked. I remembered from my conversation with Jenny that the residents of Illusia also get their powers revealed in the same age group.

"I realized my powers not a few days ago when I accidentally shocked my little brother," she said with a smile on her face.

"You can shock people!?" I asked with a startled look.

"Yeah, pretty cool, right? I inherited my powers from my dad. Most people inherit their powers from their parents, but a few develop powers of their own. I can produce sparks from my fingers and can electrify people or objects. But don't worry, I don't accidentally shock people anymore," she said with a grin.

I didn't know how to react. So I just exclaimed, "Great!" and continued, "So, you and your family live in Neodom?" That was the only place that I knew in Illusia.

"No, we live in Berglon. My parents did their schooling in this Academy. And so I am here. My dad is a businessman dealing with gems and jewels. So tell me, how much do you know about llusia?" she asked.

"Not much. Just that the Elite Academy is in Neodom, which is a major city in Illusia," I answered.

She laughed aloud and said, "I apologize. I was not able to control myself."

I nodded and said, "You don't have to apologize for this."

"Don't worry, Cathy. I will help you," she said with a smile.

I smiled back. I realized that she was quite talkative. But she also seemed nice. 

She came over to my bed and took my hand saying, "Come on. Let's go have dinner. I am starving."