A New Journey

Ch2. Sweet

I let go of the warm metal and let the trunk door of my car fall to close. I turn around and look up at the tall building; I even crane my neck and shield my eyes from the sun just to see to the roof. For as long as I can remember Winchester University has always been such a magnificent sight. The school practically resembled a castle, which definitely fed at my youthful desires of being a princess. I take a deep breath to prepare myself for a new journey as a college student. I drove all the way from Austin to my hometown of Winchester Cove, a small town in Northern Arizona, but I didn't actually set foot till now. It feels both foreign and welcoming, I really just hope the headlines of my stories are long dead now.

I pick up the cardboard moving box that I placed on the floor and shift its weight onto my hip. With one last body shake to rid the nerves, I make my way to the large doors of my future education. Surprisingly the doors don't creak as I push them open, the main office is also empty. "Hello?" I ask aloud as I make my way to the front desk. A small woman with salt and pepper hair pops out from behind the desk.

"I'm here for early move-in, my dorm mate is not here yet but I know the room number." My words come out shakier than intended but I do not think the woman noticed.

"Name," she says flatly. I squint my eyes and she looks back at me with a look of annoyance. For a moment I forgot my name, I almost blurted out some odd name for no reason.

"Castallanta...Cerys Castallanta." Back in Texas, my name meant nothing, but here that name was everywhere for months until my family moved away. The woman looks at me beyond her glasses then lightly nods her head. She stretches her arm out to hand me my room key, but before letting go she says "Welcome home", with a smile so warm that her words don't completely give me chills. I place the small plastic card into my back pocket and make my way to an elevator, I could take the stairs but I am already tired just from leaving my car.

...

A small ding and the elevator doors open up to a hallway with flickering lights, creepy but expected from a historical building. I step out from the warm elevator and it finally hits me. I am going to be living on my own for the first time in my life, I am going to be a college student who more than likely is going to switch majors with my outfits. I walk to the very end of the hall and stand outside my door, room 413. The door is slightly ajar and the sound of a faint jingle makes me shove my way in.

The jingle gets faster and closer as a small furry Maura jumps on top of my box of hair products, with my curls a box is completely appropriate. "Maura old girl you still remember me?" Maura answers back to me by purring and nuzzling her face into my chest. I smile and scratch under her chin, her favorite spot, which increases the purring even more. With the sudden sound of a squeal, I drop my box and turn around to welcome my best friend. She pulls me into such a tight hug that I hold back onto her so that I do not fall. I spit out long strands of strawberry blonde hair out of my mouth and pull away.

Willow has always stood above me at 5'7, her height always made her look even more like a model. Her glossy hair was pin straight and flowed down to the middle of her back, whenever she moved the light bouncing off it gleamed. Her tailored Kate Spade dress clung perfectly to her body, it accentuated her already long torso. Her deep blue eyes were already red as she wiped her own tears away with perfectly manicured nails.

"I've missed you so much." She sobbed and pulled me back in for another hug. I laugh and pull myself away once again, "Give me a tour of the place." I say as I blink away my own tears. Willow closes her eyes and when she opens them again she brings out her famous beauty pageant smile.

"Welcome to Winchester University's top of the line suites, here we have the kitchen" she points to the south wall that has a sink and a mini-fridge, "next is the luxurious bathroom with sparkling tile flooring", the bathroom is mediocre at best with two sinks, a shower, and a toilet "last...but not least! Is the bedroom! Two twin sized beds sit perfectly in the room with matching desks and two adjacent closets." When we make eye contact we both can't help but laugh.