章 18: ~ 18: Trouble Loves Seeking the Peaceful - Part 1 ~

A/N: This part has been edited and republished. It is now a separate chapter.

"Too talkative for a man," I complained.

"But still, you have got an idol as a close friend," she implied. "That itself is a dream out of this world."

"We met yesterday, and you are already jumping to conclusions. And don't keep ogling at his pout. You are making him worse."

'Such a softie,' I spoke with my psyche. 'I don't understand what is so amazing at first sight.'

'Of course, you won't,' it returned. 'You never went on such rides in your life. Plus, you rarely appreciate a person's face. You only care if they care.'

'Geez. I never knew such thoughts existed in my head.'

We roamed around the Division of Modernism, which took up another forty minutes. One couldn't resist touching or observing the models, especially in the Science Section. It was truly mesmerising. The Division of Creativity took approximately half an hour. We couldn't go around the Sections very well as the first-years had decided to stick close to the departmental exhibitions, which were more marvellous than the previous Division.

We still had an hour at best, as we would need the last twenty minutes for the attendance, introduction and first-day rules, along with finding our class on time. The time was enough to get a glimpse at the activities.

The pair of us were enjoying our free time so well, watching people and running around, that we didn't realise we had a class to attend until one of the Physical Training teachers announced that it was time to return to class.

We ran at top speed, still discussing where the PT students quarters were located. But the run was exhilarating. The only problem was that Melissa's brown flat heels always kept her behind, and my only suitable shoes would get a bit of the dirt into it.

I felt alive again even with the little sting now and then. The fracture must have healed considerably for me to be able to exert my usual strength. It wasn't the sea anymore, and I was forbidden from visiting one, but it didn't matter as long as the sun, the moon, the stars and the surrounding nature existed.

I was glad that my class was on the first floor, for I wouldn't have made it otherwise. Poor Mel had to climb up the stairs as quickly as her heels could take her to the third floor, to get to the front row benches. Her slip-ups were amusing, but at the moment, I didn't have the leisure to laugh.

I ran to sit down on the last bench remaining on the first row. People stared at me, and I did go red, but I didn't dare to move an inch. I didn't want this seat to be taken, at least for the first day.

The class teacher walked in wearing a set of stencils and a grey trench coat, paired with a frilly brown top and a grey skirt that matched the coat. The arched eyebrows and large spectacles gave her a serious look. Her brown eyes on her small, sharp face pierced through one's soul.

The lady, with a strip of grey hair across her head, said in a surprisingly booming voice, "Good morning class. I'm Ms Farleigh, and I will be teaching you how to design your clothes. From henceforth, I expect the whole class to keep silent unless you want to clarify your doubts. And now, begin with introducing yourselves."

Every student stood up to present themselves. What irked me was how she noticed how we were dressed and commented on every single detail, shaming that person in front of all. To those who wore simple clothes, she said to add so and so accessories to make it look rich and smart. And for the ones who were over-dressed, she told them to cut off on their excess jewellery and shine as well as cloth length to slim down their chances of getting "kicked out of Wildon" before their journey started.

When it came to me, I was nervous and ready to hack away my nails from the bitterness of the situation. I stood up and said everything that was needed, without mentioning too much about my background. Keeping things to the bare minimum was always the best for me.

She scrutinized me up and down, and then set her lips in a thin line. I dug my nails into my palms.

"Nothing special at all," she said, shaking her head in disappointment. "The day will go with me stressing on the word 'accessories'. Is there nothing that you have that will match your clothes?"

Just then, I remembered that I had been given my necklace back. I brought the chain to the front of my shirt and placed it gently around the collars. The pendant usually shone green, but that would have to for now, even if it would humiliate me further.

She narrowed her eyes at the stone for a few seconds before she announced, "That's perfect! I was looking just for that."

I looked down at my chain to see how could it have drawn her attention without hypnotizing. The jewel was colourless like a diamond. It could have looked fake, but with its brilliance, many eyes would turn to see, some in jealousy to steal it.

The next second, she spoiled my mood by saying, "But the shoes better be brown heels."

"Yes, ma'am," I said in a slightly curt tone, hanging my head low. She made it sound easy, but without enough money, it would be difficult. I was sure that I would be always under her eyes because of my shoes.

The next two classes flew by effortlessly as I was very much invested in learning. The first class was taken by Ms Farleigh and the next class was taken by Mr Longwood, the fashion marketing teacher. He turned out to be a bore at the beginning of the period as he had started with his histories. Nearly everyone found it hard to keep their eyes from closing or mouth from yawning while looking at the tall, thin, kind-looking man. But the class turned out rather interesting with his creative methods of teaching using tech.

We had a fifteen-minute recess to refresh ourselves. Few went out while most of them stayed in the class, either chit-chatting or dozing off. Needless to say, I went out to catch my friend on the third floor. But funnily, we met right on the second floor's platform.

"Great timing," we both chirped in unison.

We didn't waste a second in talking about the day's events while walking around the second floor, away from all our known teacher's eyes. And who should interrupt our conversation?

Somebody cleared their throat right next to my ear. I jumped out of the way, hitting the person with my arm.

"Uff, what a reaction," he said, rubbing his chest where I had elbowed. His hood fell back and he looked at me with his green eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't know it was you. But still, how dare you follow us around like a sneaky mouse? You will get in serious trouble someday."

"We already did once. I wouldn't want any more adventures unless you are in them. It would be fun to hunt such people down with you."

"Says the man who can run without tearing his legs out of his sockets, yet can't even brisk walk without jogging every few minutes."

We bickered for another few minutes until Melissa decided to step in. She was already doing her job as a peacemaker. It had only been two days and yet we were as close as siblings. Some life-changing events brought people closer than one thought, even within a day.

I had a great relationship with the two of them, yet I was worried about the other two getting along. Firstly, Aidan didn't keep close friends and secondly, Mel must already be all over the place for having the famous singer for company.

I was happy to be close to these two people, who made life a happy place.

Three minutes before the bell, we were ready to say our goodbyes. Aidan had to attend his training session for the rest of the day. In the meantime, we would be finishing off our classes, and I would have to visit the bookstore for my job.

"Look who we have here," said a sneering voice from behind us as we made our way to the stairs.

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