O'Malloy's School for the Horticulturally Advanced

Chapter 3 - Mimosa

"My name is Dr. Sherman, and I'll take you to your rooms." Seeing O'Malloys for the first time had Mimosa too stunned to talk, so she nodded and followed him. He led them towards the huge building she and Ash had seen at first. The main entrance was grand, a set of double doors centered under a large sign that said 'Boys' Dormitory'.

"This is where you'll be staying," Dr. Sherman told Ash. He then turned to Mimosa and said, "If you're willing to wait out here for a few minutes, Ms. Voss will be out to escort you to your dorm." Dr. Sherman smiled warmly at her before turning and leading Ash into the dormitories. 

Mimosa took a few minutes to take in the sights of O'Malloys. There were trees everywhere and beautiful landscaping hugged the buildings. There were tons of greenhouses, Each with a sign on them. The signs she could read said, "Tropical", "Forest", and "Bog", so she guessed there were greenhouses for different environments. 

Mimosa knelt by a pretty purple flower in the landscaping near her. A stake in the ground half hidden by its leaves read "Viola wittrockiana." She puzzled over how to pronounce it. Worry dampened her good mood. If she couldn't even read its botanical name, how was she going to learn how to care for it and the others around it? It's just a botanical name, she told herself. It doesn't matter what you call the plant, you just need to care for it. 

Mimosa heard someone clearing their throat behind her and spun around to meet them. A tall, stern looking woman around the age of 60 was standing behind her. 

"Are you Mimosa?" she asked. It sounded like she had a cold.

"Yes. Are you Ms. Voss?" Mimosa asked. The woman gave a curt nod. She didn't look kind or jolly like Dr. Sherman.

"I'll be taking you to your dormitory. Follow me." Her voice wasn't particularly pleasant to listen to, but Mimosa decided to say it was just a bad cold. A few minutes later, they arrived at a building equally as large as the boys' dorms. A sign identical to the one at the boys' dorms read, "Girls' Dormitory". Ms. Voss pushed the heavy front doors open with ease and Mimosa scampered in after her.

The inside of the dormitory was just as grand as the outside. It had a charming old-fashioned touch to it. Ms. Voss led Mimosa up a grand spiral staircase and down a long hallway with numbered doors lining both sides. She stopped at a door with the number 412 on it. Mimosa bit back the desire to ask if this was her dorm. Ms. Voss didn't seem like the type of person who appreciated questions.

Mimosa heard a soft click and peered around Ms. Voss, who apparently had been unlocking the door with an antique looking key. Everything looks old here, she thought. I guess that's one of the downsides of a 500 year old school. Ms. Voss opened the door.

"I suggest you take some time to meet your new roommate and unpack." she said in a tone that suggested it was not mere advice but a command. "Curfew is at 9 o' clock." 

"Thank you, Ms. Voss." Mimosa said as she stepped into her dorm. She didn't take commands very well. 

A girl with bright blonde hair lay on the top bunk, reading a book. "Hey," she said "Are you my roommate?"

"I think so," said Mimosa. "What's your name?"

"I'm Primrose. What's your name?" the girl said as she set her book down and looked at Mimosa.

"I'm Mimosa Pudica Hayes." she responded as she set her suitcase down. "I guess I have the bottom bunk?" 

"Yep," she replied. "What year are you?"

"This is my first year at O'Malloys."

"Oh." Primrose opened her book again. "I'm in my third."

Mimosa's eyes widened. She was roommates with a third year? Why couldn't they just put first years together? she thought glumly. 

"Where do I put my clothes?" she asked, trying very hard not to sound like a whiny little child.

"The dresser. You can have the drawers on the right." Primrose said.

"Thanks." Mimosa said as she began to unpack. She pulled her dirty party shoes out first and set them by the dresser. She would clean them later. As she stacked her neatly folded clothes in the drawers, she stifled a yawn. All that walking had taken its toll on her. She finished unpacking, then dressed into a simple nightgown. She climbed into her bed. 

"Is there a lights-out time?" she asked Primrose.

"No." Primrose said flatly. Mimosa sighed deeply. Classes would start tomorrow. She needed some sleep.

Throwing away any hopes of winning Primrose's respect, she said, "Could I turn the lights off? You could use a candle to keep studying." 

Primrose was silent for a few moments. "Fine," she finally said. "just bring me a candle."

"Where are they?" Mimosa asked, feeling stupid.

"Go down the spiral staircase and to your left is a table with candles on it."

Mimosa left the room. It was mostly dark, except for the occasional room with light seeping out from under its door. She managed to get lost, but she walked the other way for a while and found the staircase she'd come up on. She silently walked down it and found the table with candles. She had started to leave when she decided to light the candle. She lit a match and held it to the wick until it was steadily burning. Then she began the walk back upstairs.

Once she made it up the staircase, a herculean task since she wasn't used to holding candles, 
Mimosa headed down the hallway. It's pretty creepy here at night, she thought. I wonder if there's a ghost here. The doors all looked the same. None of them had light coming from them now. 

Mimosa tried to make her way to her dorm when she realized something of great importance.      I don't know my room number!  It was in the 400s, though. Right? She crept to the early 400s with a nagging feeling that she shouldn't be here at night. The key! I can try the key in a few doors until I find my dorm! She felt for where the key should have been hanging around her neck. It was gone! Although she searched her memory, she couldn't remember where she left it.

Mimosa went to her last resort. She quietly knocked on door 401. No response. She set the candle down a good distance from her and peeked under the door. No light. She went to door 402. No response. No light. She went to door 403, 404, 405, 406,407... you get the drill. She was at door 420 when she realized she forgot the candle. It's dangerous to leave a candle burning alone! an alarm went off in her head and she ran back for the candle. The only issue was, she accidentally knocked it over in her search for it.

The carpet flooring lit on fire before Mimosa'a horrified eyes. She quickly stamped it out. There was a small burn mark on the carpet. Hopefully no one will notice. That was when she noticed the pain in her foot. Her foot rapidly heated up until she realized her stocking had lit on fire. The flames painfully licked at her foot through her thin stockings. 

Unable to stay quiet any longer, Mimosa screamed. The hallway came to life, and a few students peeked out of their doors. They, too, screamed at the fire in the hall, until the hall was alive with screaming. Luckily, a quick thinking student filled a bucket with water from her washbasin and threw it on Mimosa, extinguishing the painful fire. Mimosa stood, soaked, in the hall, surrounded by students, who were now just excitedly chattering.

The students all went silent at the same time. They all seemed to be staring at  Mimosa, terrified. Until she realized they weren't looking at her. She turned around, terrified. Ms. Voss stared down at her, incredulous. 

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I-uh, well, I was trying to get a..." in her shock, Mimosa forgot what a candle was called.

"You don't even have an excuse? Young lady, you broke curfew and put our school and students in danger on your first day! I have no choice but to send you to the principal's office." Ms. Voss grabbed her arm and marched her down the hall.