Abnormal {Book 1: Completed, Book 2: Ongoing}

Chapter 23

My new dorm room is a large suite with several large windows that overlook the city, and two plush beds with silk sheets and memory foam mattresses. There is also a separated sitting area with a large, cream colored sofa with roses embroidered on the armrests and pillows. At the other end of the room, there is a long wooden table with a large vase of pink flowers and a fancy crystal chandelier hanging over it. 

My only roommate greets me with a warm smile. Her name is Raven. She has long, silky brown hair, and thick eyelashes. She is slightly taller than I am, with a slender frame and long legs. She is dressed fashionably in a leather jacket, a cropped tank top, and skinny jeans. She also has a tattoo of a small, complicated symbol, located right behind her ear. 

"So...how are you liking TCD so far?" Raven asks as she helps me unpack my luggage.

"It's great!" I lie, plastering a fake smile onto my face as I stuff my clothes inside my new closet. 

"Oh! I forgot to give you your keys!" Raven exclaims, handing over a small, silver card with a key ring attached to it. I look over it curiously, wondering how I'm supposed to use it. It looks entirely different from the traditional keys we used in the level 1 dorms.

Raven points at the small golden bar located on the side of the key card. "You're supposed to insert this into the lock outside," she explains. "If somehow the door doesn't unlock, you can also choose to use your fingerprint to scan the pad on the door."

I nod gratefully, glad that she's my roommate. She seems so sweet and helpful, with a smile always present on her face. Suddenly, she pulls on my arm excitedly. "I have to show you the party room! Follow me!"

We exit the dorm room hurriedly, with Raven stopping briefly to lock the door behind us. She pulls me down the hallway, until we reach a tall wooden door that's slightly ajar. I can hear music blasting from within, and people yelling at each other across the room. Raven pushes me inside, and I'm immediately greeted by several guys dressed in casual shirts and jeans. 

"Hey, it's the new girl!" Someone grabs my left hand and shakes it enthusiastically. I look up, and a sandy haired boy with freckles and green eyes stares down at me, a big goofy grin on his face. "I'm Zach. Nice to meet you!" I smile genuinely at him. "I'm Lyanna."

He then leads me to the other side of the room, activating a large TV screen. Then he hands me a remote with lots of buttons on it. "Using this control," he says, "you can do whatever you want. You can put on a movie, a TV show, music, or a game." I nod as he speaks, fascinated with the controls. I press down on a small red button, and the screen comes to life, displaying a whole list of movies and TV shows.

"Oh, and also..." Zach speaks up again, reaching for the remote. I hand it to him, and he taps twice on the center of the remote. Another screen pops up directly in front of his face, similar to the one that comes up when I tap the surface of my watch. "If you're not used to navigating between the buttons, then use this." He smiles widely again and selects an upbeat track from the song list, then sets the remote on the table.

"Come on, let's go get some food." He leads me to a small table at the corner of the room, where a there's a large tray of cubes individually wrapped in different colored tinfoil. Zach hands me a green one, and I flinch away from it, remembering the last time I ate---or should I say, drank---an unknown substance at a party.

Zach seems to be able to guess my thoughts, as he chuckles, amused. "No, it's not what you're thinking of. These won't make you drunk or feel sick. These are just energy bars, but condensed into a small cube so your body can absorb a larger amount of nutrients without consuming a big portion of food. We usually eat these as snacks, because they can't replace regular meals. Only level 2 or 3 has access to these, so I can understand if you've never tried them before."

He offers me the green cube again, and I take it hesitantly, unwrapping the tinfoil. Inside is a small, apple green chunk dusted with sugar. I take a small bite, and feel a sweet fruity taste melt onto my tongue. I finish the whole cube within a minute, feeling significantly more energized after the nutrient boost.

Zach is finishing off his cube as well, only that his is half white and half pink. "It's so...different here," I say to him, looking around the room, at all the people dancing and laughing.

"Compared to what?" He asks.

"Compared to...level 1, I guess. In level 1, we don't have any private parties or special snacks."

Zach shrugs, and gives me a bright smile. "Welcome to your new life!"

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

The new dorm room

(this isn't going to look exactly the same as my description above, it's just a sample visual)