Chapter 36: Chapter XXXVI - The Greenhouse
"Raven..."
"Raven."
"Raven!"
I startle awake with a gasp, immediately sitting bolt upright. I can feel the cold sweat on the side of my face, my whole body cool and clammy. My eyes adjust to the warm wash of lantern light, illuminating several rows of leafy potted plants, all almost running up the wall with vines and floral. Outside, the sky was still dark, but the midnight blue was starting to recede at the edge.
"How do you feel?"
I turn to my side, to see another form of blue looking back at me.
Minuet peers down with her oceanic eyes, a hint of relief and worry behind her lens.
"...I see you're awake." The sound of a glass door opens and closes, Haruna appearing from behind the leaves, her face completely unreadable to me.
"I feel like...I just woke up from a bad dream." I shake my head a little, a dull ache still lingering in the back, "..What am I doing here?"
"You are in one of the greenhouses on campus, you passed out at the gate and your brother carried inside looking for help," Minuet explained, "Luckily Hatsu was just outside, she took care of you."
"And...you guys normally treat students in a greenhouse? Isn't there a whole medical bay..." I asked, still a little disoriented, feeling like I had a terrible hangover. The snarling face of the ghost of my mother still echoing in my mind.
"This was just a convenient alternative. The plants are supposed to have healing properties." Haruna returned, carefully plopping a woven basket of various herbs, small plants, and flowers onto a nearby table.
"Thank you, Hatsu. You can leave, for now, I can take it from here." The president said, offering a kind smile, "Why don't you rest for a little while? You have been up all night as is."
"...Alright, President." Haruna dips her head, then spares me a questionable glance, her dark eyes almost assessing as she briefly catches my gaze, she looks away and disappears around the tower of plants, the sound of the door sliding closed again behind her.
"You don't have to stay, you know. I'm fine, really. I'm sure you have plenty of other more important things to do." I said outright, putting the blanket in my lap to the side, swinging my legs over the edge of the cot. Just as I stand, I sway on my feet ever so slightly, black spots appearing behind my eyes, forcing me to steady myself on the cot.
Minuet doesn't stop me from getting up, instead, she just smiles softly, with what almost seemed like amusement, "But I insist, how would you like a brisk walk then? I think some fresh air will be beneficial." She leads the way out the door after I recovered my senses and my head stopped feeling like it was expanding twice.
The cool crisp morning air was a welcome change to the warm humidity inside the greenhouse, dawn had just started to peek at the horizon.
"Oh, come. I think you will like this." The president leads me down the path, to another smaller greenhouse, like the other one, vines that trailed almost completely all across the glass walls can be seen from the outside.
Inside, exactly like what could be assumed from the outside, teemed with greenery. But this one was kept to mostly flowers, the prominent being lilies, white lilies. And moonflowers. Almost half of the greenhouse is just dominated by those two plants.
The moonflowers looked exactly like the ones present in my dorm, so makes me wonder if my roommate tends to this greenhouse, or just really likes the flowers.
The air was slightly cooler compared to the other one, a small pond with lily pads was installed in the middle of the room, and the soft rays of sunlight from the sunrise trickle in to provide some illumination, creating a calming serene atmosphere.
Minuet takes a seat on a wooden bench placed at the far wall, directly in front of the pond. She exhales softly, before looking at me as she pats the spot next to her, "Come have a seat, I'm sure you will find the scene quite peaceful for the mind."
The gravel crunches beneath my shoes and the delicate scent of flowers wrapped me up in their sweet fragrance. I join Minuet on the bench, making sure to sit a distance away.
"..Do you know why you collapsed? After you did, Haruna said you ran a high fever, it looks like it had subsided though..." She gives me a sideways glance, her eyes quietly observing me.
I focus my gaze on the lily pads, drifting ever so slightly across the water. "No...I don't. Maybe it was just a bad cold I caught."
"...When you were still asleep, you were muttering some...obscurities. Was it because of the bad dream you mentioned?" She asked, carefully, gently.
The memory of the small girl resurfaces in my mind, the crimson red of the rose petals scattering underneath the ghostly white tree.
'Your fault...'
Before I realize it, a trail of hot tears streaks down my cheek. "...Sorry," I wipe at them hastily, tilting my face away. Hoping the president won't notice.
Minuet lightly brushes away some of the tears from the side of my face, the touch of her fingers warm and delicate on my skin.
"It's okay."
I turn my head towards her slightly, to my surprise. She leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek! I widen my eyes in surprise, only the feeling of her sweet gesture was all I felt, every other thought flying out the window. After a brief moment, she pulls away.
The president graces me with a small, but fleeting smile, something warmhearted and sincere twinkling behind her glasses and in her brilliant blue eyes. "Sorry...but you don't have to say any more than you want to. I'm always here if you need to talk, okay?"
My hand drifts to the side of my face, where I can still feel the feeling of her lips tingling on my cheek. I avoid eye contact, my cheeks starting to warm from the blood rushing to my face. "..Thank you."
She stands, offering a hand to me, "Let's get back to the other greenhouse and get you that medicine, it's a miracle brew that works on most common maladies. Besides, the day starts soon."
I get up on my own, still averting my eyes. "Fine," I shuffle towards the door, hands in my pockets. My thoughts churn about at the embarrassing moment, my hand subconsciously hovers over that side of my cheek again.
That one, she is going to be dangerous for me...
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