The Merciless (h.s.)

Chapter Two

Arabella

All of the sudden, I am a little girl standing outside of my first grade class at my brand new school. Only this time, I am standing outside of my dorm room, in an entirely different state, ready to take on a psychology degree. I am once again alone, and uneasy about the unknown environment in front of me. I remember having to bravely enter my first grade class all by myself. My dad was supposed to walk me in, but he had just dropped me off at the front and waved me goodbye from his truck. Mom had to work that day.

I have no excuse for her today.

I push the paralyzing thoughts of my loneliness aside, along with the nervousness radiating throughout my limbs. I park my suitcases in the common area of the dorm, and the first thing to catch my eye are the beaded door length curtains. Different colored rubies and gems click and clank together as my hand pierces through the middle of the shiny, colorful waterfall. Piercing jade, ruby red, deep sea blue, and honey yellow gems glisten in the small and unlit lobby. I appear beyond the crystals, which I hope are fake, and am met with a very interesting sight.

The entire room is smaller than I expected, and left side of the room, alongside the entrance, is empty. Aside from a naked bed in the corner of the room, plain white walls, and a tall wooden desk with two wooden shelves attached to the top of it, the left side is completely bare compared to the right side.

The right side of the room has the same sized bed in the right corner of the room, except with white sheets, a deep sandy orange throw blanket, and matching throw pillows piled up by the headboard. Different images hang on the opposite side of the wall, all perfectly sized and spaced: the Mona Lisa with an overlay of a modernized plump limps slapped across the original, pink clouds with a black sky and shining purple moon, a mandala design with the deep oranges that match the bed set. My eyes don't even have time to study all of the images hanging before they're averted to the leaves cascading on the wall that's against the headboard of her bed. The shelves of her desk have all different kinds of odd knick knacks plastered as decoration. A rose colored crystal ball catches my sight first. The light pink crystal shines even with the dim light of the room. A white hand shaped statue stands next to it, holding a bunch of necklaces in the palm with rings stuck between each finger. A dark emerald ceramic snake figurine stares directly at me from the top of the shelf.

The gem curtains clink together again behind me. I turn around and see a girl stop in her tracks at the sight of me standing in the middle of the room.

Over the summer I had originally gotten acquainted with this girl named Tessa, who matched with me over the optional "roommate quiz" provided by the university. We both preferred similar living arrangements, and eventually I was given her email, and soon she gave me her number. She's from Pittsburg, so we had only talked through text up until August. I thought her and I had a lot in common and were getting along great, but at the end of the month she had blocked my number and I couldn't reach her email either. A week ago I got another email stating how there had been complications with my roommate, and I would be assigned a new one. I never got another email about my living situation.

I'm sort of lost for words, as well. She's really pretty. Her long brown hair falls in big waves over her shoulder and down her back, big brown doe eyes peering into me through long eyelashes. Her thick raised eyebrows are perfectly placed against her bronze skin. "Hey, I must not have heard you from the bathroom," she smiles straight white teeth at me, chewed up gum peering in between them.

"I'm Elle," she adds.

"Hey, I'm Bella," I finally introduce myself, a smile matching hers. She holds out a flawless french tipped manicure, and I take her hand, softly shaking it. "I like what you've done with the place," I chime.