“I haven’t seen any email, I received a call two hours ago to be here for a late arrival, something like this cannot be approved without me. I run this Academy and I won’t allow it!”
Wow, power trip much?
I don’t know what I’m expected to say here and nothing I could say is going to make this situation any better. Maverick seems to notice this too and takes the box out of her hands.
“I’ll take this and sort Luna out whilst you get your shit together, yeah?”
He marches out of the door, not looking back. It takes me a second to catch on and I’m up and following after him.
“Get my shit together? Are you fucking joking me? Do you even know who I ...”
I slam the door as quick as I can behind me cutting off her tirade. I’ve had enough of bat shit crazy women today thank you very much.
Glancing around I see Maverick leaving through the opposite end of the large hall area that we came in through. Nobody else is around. It feels like I’m trespassing in a museum or something, like that time in Baltimore.
Fuck, I’m getting distracted. I move quickly to catch up with him but as I step outside the box is slapped into my chest and I grapple to keep a hold of it.
“I’m not your keeper, get your shit and figure it out asap ‘cos no one’s going to save you here.” With that he’s gone.
I look around spotting a bench, amongst the trees. I need to figure out where I’m going to be staying so I can figure it all out in peace, without any of these whack jobs catching me off guard.
Sitting, I look inside the box, everything has been organized into specific envelopes. Flicking through I find the slip marked Dorm Key: Ace Block, Room Two.
Okay, finding the map layout underneath, I figure out where I need to go.
I’m at The Hall. Right from here would take me towards the academic buildings. The path in front of me leads to the center where Rafe mentioned the shops would be, so I need to go left for the dorms.
Closing the lid, I make my way to the left down a long path, flowers and shrubs line the edge. It is surprisingly peaceful here, but that might be because I’ve only seen maintenance staff so far.
Seeing the six buildings come into view, I know I’m in the right place.
Each building is completely different, all the same size but they range from run down to modern penthouse buildings. Some are covered in graffiti and have mud splatters up the sides. Others aren’t as bad, but compared to the block at the end they could do with a lick of paint. They were once painted white, I think, but those days are gone.
Why is that?
Looking for the sign for Ace block I realize it’s the grandest building of them all. Four stories high, like the others, but there is so much glass I’m not sure there is even any walls. It’s ridiculously modern with a water feature outside of it too.
This is flashy, I mean I have money and I’ve never worried about anything, but I’m not a show-off and all this does is scream, look at me!
Heading in that direction, I notice a few people milling around, nobody is causing a scene. You can feel the tension, it’s suffocating like everyone is on edge just waiting for something to happen.
One thing I do notice is no one is alone, everyone is in groups of at least two. There are bigger masses of people, I’m pretty sure they’re more of a gang and you can see who the leaders are instantly.
Especially the group coming up to my right, lounging around a large table. There are maybe ten of them? I’m not willing to count right now, but they are the most relaxed. As if the tension in everyone else stems from that table.
I don’t want to make myself a target before I’ve even made it to my room, so I power on forward avoiding eye contact with everyone.
As I near the water feature I hear people nearby begin to murmur and I know it involves me. Like Rafe said, I’m new here, I’m going to stick out like a sore thumb, and I can feel the target it has put on my back already.
Trying to stay focused on the entry to the building I sense I’m being surrounded, I don’t want to show my hand just yet. If I’ve learned anything, it's to let them think they’re making the first move.
I hear a chair scrape across the concrete floor, as I walk past the big group.
“Excuse me,” some girl's high-pitched voice comes from behind me.
I know she’s talking to me, but I don’t answer her. I just carry on walking.
“Hey, your ears broke? You’re being spoken to,” a guy says, still behind me but not as close as the girl.
Seems either way this is going to shit, and I won’t make it to my room before that happens. I’d just like to catch a five-minute break today, like I’ve not already been handed enough.
Assessing the situation, I decide it’s best to address this here, so I don’t look weak in front of so many people. Stopping, I straighten my posture and turn, looking the girl straight in the eyes.
From what I can see she’s slightly shorter than me by an inch or two, blonde hair straightened down her back, heavy eye make-up that looks like cement, and a dress so revealing if I crouched I’d definitely see her kittycat.
I don’t look to anyone else yet, focusing just on her. Giving her the attention she wanted but I won’t speak to acknowledge her yet. I continue to stare her down whilst she gives me the once over, she mustn’t like what she sees based on the sneer on her lips.
“Care to explain who you are?”
Everyone
