Chapter Text
Skylar shifted her weight from one leg to another, squeezing the strap of her bag that was thrown across her shoulder.
She had finally done it.
Last week her letter from the Academy had arrived, and Skylar could finally begin her studies. Her parents were so happy! She could still see the approval in their eyes.
But now, when she stood in front of the doors to her new room, she hesitated. She shouldn’t, really. After all, it was all her parents ever wanted. So she, and her brother, would follow in their footsteps. It was all she should have always wanted. Being a Warden was her purpose. It was ingrained in her from birth.
Then why was she frozen in the middle of the hall?
Other pupils were rushing past her. Some were trying to get to their own rooms, others had already left their bags, exploring the massive building of the Academy. The area buzzed with voices and chaos that only moving into the dormitories could bring.
Skylar suppressed a shriver, one she was certain wasn’t a side effect of her power, and willed herself to raise the hand that was holding the keys.
After slipping inside, Skylar closed the door behind her, cutting off from the noise outside. She took a moment to take a deep breath, before she turned to look around the room.
She must have been in the common room, as it contained a sofa and an armchair, with a low coffee table in front. To the right she saw something that could be a kitchenette, but it was obscured from view by a bookshelf. Skylar went deeper into the room, discovering a few other closed doors. Judging by the sound of the running water, one of her roommates - flatmates? - was already in the bathroom.
They could meet later on. Firstly, Skylar wanted to unpack her few belongings. And maybe take a nap.
Opening the first of the doors - that definitely weren’t the ones to the bathroom - Skylar stuck her head into the room. It was quite small, and plain. With only furniture being a desk with bookshelves above, a bed, a small wardrobe and a window, looking out on the trees outside. It would’ve looked empty, if not for the two bags laying on the floor. The room must have been already claimed by her roommate.
Quickly, as if to not get caught, Skylar closed the door. She didn’t want to be accused of snooping on the first day. Instead, she walked to another room.
It looked similar to the previous one, but was empty. Skylar walked inside, letting the bag fall to the ground and throwing herself on her new bed. She wished she could sink into the sheets, but the mattress was far less soft than she was used to.
Skylar stirred, flapping to her back and staring at the ceiling. It wasn't hard, but it was definitely firmer than in her old bed. She’ll have to add more pillows to it. And a blanket. The sheets were also more rough on her skin than the ones back home. She wasn’t sure if she’ll be able to get used to that part.
Sighing, Skylar got up and started unpacking her bag.
She didn’t bring many things. The letter contained a list of necessities she had to pack. The academy uniform, along with the training outfit, would be provided, even though Skylar wasn’t sure when.
While picking up the key to her new room, academy workers did take her measurements, so she assumed the clothes should arrive shortly.
Right now all she had to do was put her ‘normal’ clothes in the closet and place her pocket telescope on the windowsill. Her parents weren’t happy with the item, claiming she wouldn’t have any use for it at the Academy.
“Don’t disappoint us”
Their parting words rung in the air, digging deep into Skylar’s mind. Just as hard as when she heard them merely an hour ago.
Her stomach growled, pulling her from her thoughts. Skylar blinked rapidly, stepping away from her telescope. She must have forgotten to eat.
Quickly finishing her unpacking and stuffing the bag at the bottom of the closet, Skylar was finally ready to go to the cafeteria. From what she remembered, her parents bought a meal plan that covered every meal, but they still left her money in case she wanted to eat something other than the Academy's food. Even if they strongly suggested she stick to the meal plan, as it was apparently prepared by some dietician, to ‘provide the most nutrients their body could need’, which was just a glorified way to say that the food there would probably suck.
Taking one last look at her new, bare, room Skylar stepped out on the little corridor. She closed the door and almost jumped, when she detected a movement from the corner of her eye. She spun around standing now face to face with an unknown girl who, judging by the look on her face, was as surprised as her.
Skylar forced her heart to calm down and tried to smile, extending her hand.
“I guess we’ll be living together.” She tried, wanting to appear nice and calm. She didn’t want to ruin her chances at new friendships here, only because she got jumpscared by her new roommate. “My name’s Skylar, by the way”
The girl glanced at her, before turning her eyes down at Skylar’s hand. She must have been washing her hair, as they were now dripping wet. Even now a slight curl could be seen. Skylar was terribly jealous of her curly, dark hair. Her own being light and straight, no matter what she did to them. Maybe the girl knew of some hacks that would help?
“I’m Nyx,” her new roommate answered and nodded down. Skylar slightly furrowed her brows. “I would have shook your hand, but unfortunately I’m not able to”
Skylar followed her line of sight, finally noticing a cane, the other was squeezing in her right hand. The left hand was holding some toiletries.
“Oh…” Skylar scratched her neck, feeling the heat on her cheeks. “...sorry”
“Don’t beat yourself over it” Nyx smiled, and moved to the door of the room, Skylar earlier assumed it was hers. “I’m used to it.”
The girl was speaking with a slight accent. It was hard to place at first. More sharp than any of the accents Skylar ever heard. It made her even more curious about the roommate. If they could become friends, she wouldn’t have to worry about being alone in the Academy.
Noticing that Nyx had almost disappeared into her room, Skylar cleared her throat and tried again.
“Uhm… I planned to go to the cafeteria for lunch… Would you like to join me?” Nyx turned slightly, looking at her, but didn’t respond. After a beat of silence, Sky felt her cheeks grow even warmer, as she tried to backtrack. Did she already mess up her chances at being friends? “You don’t have to agree - obviously - I just thought that, since we’ll be living together–”
“I’d like to,” Nyx cut her off, before Skylar could dig herself into a deeper hole. She motioned up with her left hand. “Only if you don’t mind waitin’ a bit. I need to take care of that”
“No no no, don’t worry, I can wait” Skylar assured her, ignoring the quiet rumble of her stomach. Nyx smiled again, disappearing into the room, and leaving Skylar alone again.
The girl slowly walked into the common area. Since she’s already waiting, she can look around, right? She will be living there for the next year, after all.
The bookshelf was mostly empty, apart from one fake plant. Skylar supposed they’ll have to decorate it more. She refused to live in the blank space. She wondered for a second if she would be able to convince her new roommates to go shopping with her. Well, she wasn’t sure how many changes to the room she was allowed to make, until the Academy people would get mad. With a sigh she accepted the fact that the light cream wall would have to stay.
Skylar let herself fall to the cushions of the couch, taking out her phone. She scrolled for a bit, looking at some random memes, before her thumb hovered above one article. She clicked it, adjusting her position slightly. Scanning through the text Skylar grimaced, turning off her phone. She hoped it was something related to recent silence from Topaz, but the article was just some gossip.
Skylar covered her eyes with her arm. Topaz were dangerous. The criminal group had their members all around the country, and every one of them were considered S-tier danger. The thing was, since the arrest of Trek - a suspected Topaz member - over a few months ago, no sighting of anyone from Topaz was reported.
Skylar bit her lip, lost in thoughts. She shouldn’t really worry about it. She’s just starting her training to become a Warden. She would not be allowed anywhere near a member of Topaz. Yet…
Such a long absence couldn’t mean anything good. Many citizens were speculating what the reason could be, since such a long period of time with nothing but quiet never happened before. Maybe they’re planning an especially gruesome attack? They’d definitely want revenge, but–
Uneven steps pulled Skylar from her head. She lifted her arm, blinking rapidly at the light. Nyx was leaning slightly over her, hair dried and… Okay, if Skylar wasn’t jealous of the curls before, she definitely was now. How was it even fair?
“You good?” Nyx asked, putting her forearms on the backrest of the couch.
Skylar nodded quickly, pushing herself upwards. “Yeah just… thinking… Ready to go out?” She hoped the cheer in her voice didn’t sound too fake. Nyx hummed, moving to the door, the girl quickly following her.
The hall outside was mostly empty, as it was lunch hour, so a large amount of students would probably be in the cafeteria. Skylar winced as she thought of the huge line that was most likely waiting for them. If she left earlier, maybe she wouldn’t have to-
No. She invited her new roommate - her new possible friend - for lunch. If waiting longer in line was what it took for their friendship to form–
Then they probably shouldn’t be walking in relative silence. Awesome. She was already messing it up.
“So…” Skylar started, not exactly knowing where to end. “I don’t think I heard your accent before. Are you from far away?”
Nyx chuckled, glancing at her for a moment. “I was born here,” she admitted, and Skylar lowered her head. How did she mess up a single conversation? First the handshake, now the question about the accent… Nyx will think she’s weird, or that she can’t read social cues, or– “but I grew up in Zathaan. Never Thought I’ll be back in Sanfrenquo, to be honest.”
Skylar blinked, turning to her companion.
“You can’t be serious” she blurted out, before she realised what her mouth wanted to say. Nyx stopped, turning to her. Skylar had to raise her head, to look her in the face.
“What do you mean by that?” It didn’t sound like a question. All of the happiness evaporated from her voice, as Skylar started stammering excuses.
“Well… I just… I didn’t thought I’ll meet someone like you here-”
“Someone like me?” Nyx cut in. “You mean someone from there, or a cripple?”
Skylar shriveled. Zathaan was considered a hell hole, with one of the biggest crime rates per citizen. That shouldn’t be exactly as surprising, considering the large amount of population was made out of hybrids.
Skylar didn’t think the Academy would allow a Zathaan citizen to become a Warden. The stereotype being they’re all criminals.
But everyone had to go through a background check, right? Nyx wouldn’t be allowed inside if she didn’t pass it, so Skylar shouldn’t worry. Even if her parents wouldn’t be happy over her choice of friends. If the girl even wanted to become her friend.
“That wasn’t what I meant! At all!” Skylar exclaimed, desperate to explain herself. “I was just surprised-”
“Save it” Nyx muttered, moving again, towards the big doors of the cafeteria.
Skylar didn’t really notice when they arrived. She would probably get lost ten times over before she found the right place, but her roommate must have explored the building before.
Nyx didn’t speak another word to her, when they stood in line, or later, when they sat at the table and began eating. At least she didn’t protest when Skylar put her tray with food next to the girl’s, instead choosing to not even glance in her direction.
Skylar picked at her sandwich, biting the inside of her cheek. First day at the Academy, and she already made a fool of herself in front of the only person she tried to make friends with. To make matters worse, it was her roommate. How could she live for a year with a person, who probably disliked her?