Chapter 1

Surprisingly enough, maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad– actually, scratch that. It’s gonna be hell.

The first thing Scylvia woke up to was the sound of her phone dropping down to the floor with a loud thud, along with other items she placed on the desk. She hated waking up this early, and the loud crashing sound did not help convince her otherwise. 

The sun's blinding light started to slowly peek through the curtains, bathing her room with a gentle warmth that could really only be experienced this early. It was still cold, but the rays of the sun made it feel warm. 

The type of coldish-warmth that was similar to the heat of the sun and the cool breeze of the air when staying by the beach. It was comforting.

But unlike the beach where it smelled like… The beach… Her room had a small fragrance, something like the mix of frankincense and lavender.

She put the mixture in while attempting to set up her belongings, helping the air circulate and the dust be filtered– along with the added benefits of the room finally smelling good and almost like home.

She slowly got up from the bed, before she mindlessly walked through her room– nearly tripping over a sealed box, a box waiting in anticipation to be finally unpacked and organized like the rest of her room. Well, some parts of her room.

She only got to the apartment a day before the first day of her classes– that is to say, yesterday. This was the place a very close cousin suggested to stay in. That same cousin even offered to pay for the rent. A generous offer that Scylvia tried to argue against. 

Alas, due to the pair's stubbornness, the two came to the slight consensus that they could split it instead, her cousin paying just 1/3 of the rent, allowing Scylvia to “earn her keep” in her own words.

Both opened and unopened cardboard boxes lay scattered in the more spacious part of the flat, tools and discarded screws abandoned after a few hours of trying to cram a whole set up. 

She checked the time, it was still an hour and a half before they were expected to be at school already. Might as well take some time to prepare and just… take it slow.

Despite the new environment, she still fell into her old and usual routine. Brew some coffee, freshen up, cook some food, etc… 

It was familiar. Something she needed after everything.

She pulled out her laptop, looking through the schedule as she ate her breakfast. An hour long lecture of the history of architecture at 9, two hours of designing and what not, and one more hour of pure theory and… math. 

She considered herself pretty good at math, but that didn’t necessarily mean she enjoyed it. She was simply good at it. 

She shut her laptop close with a snap as she stood up from her little nook– stationed right next to the window. She didn’t live in a tall apartment, however, her floor was just high enough to display a beautiful view of the bustling city as cars passed by. 

She glanced at her watch, “8:15 am”. She had about 45 minutes left. Just enough time to take a slower walk to the campus. 

She took her time to admire the view of the sun’s warming light pouring into the city, before steeling herself to do her final fit check. A simple white polo shirt and baggy cargo pants— she didn't bother to tie her hair up in her usual style, her curly hair - color resembling copper - resting on her shoulders. She checked her bag before finally stepping out of the flat.

As the door creaked shut, the first thing she noticed was the silence of the stairwell. It was unlike her last flat which already had dogs barking below this early in the morning. Or had people blasting music on their speakers for the hell of it.

It was comfortably cold and quiet. An atmosphere she greatly appreciated especially with how inherently hectic moving in was.

As she walked to the campus– headphones on and a song made by ‘The Crane Wives’ blaring in her ears– she took note of the basic routes. Where this part leads to another. Which part of the street people seemed to enjoy blocking or passing by. 

By the time she reached the campus, there were still around 15 minutes left before the classes officially started. 

She already took note of the campus layout beforehand so it didn’t take long before she found her building, and after that, it once again didn’t take long for her to find her classroom.

She steeled herself for the copious amount of icebreaking games they’ll probably play if this school was anything like her last. 

One or two icebreakers are one or more too many icebreakers for her.

She quietly slid the door open and slipped inside. The room was already filled with subdued chatter– people who already knew each other talking to one another. Old friends, acquaintances… The type of people she knew she didn’t have in this course.

After all, most of her friends were in every course but BS in architecture, some were just studying in another country. Just her luck it seems.

Except… There seems to be someone she knew in this specific class.

She didn’t expect them to be here. Didn’t expect them to be studying in this school– didn’t even expect them to be even interested in- well… They do seem to fit the role. 

The way the sun shone into the classroom and weaved in between the strands of her long black hair made her stomach turn. It was definitely her. It was the same hairstyle as before, the same hairstyle she wore when Scylvia wanted to just rip that damn hair off of her out of pure frustration.

She didn’t necessarily hate that girl, but rather, she had a massive dislike for how she acted, both in and out of school. Obnoxious or pretentious at best, just a straight up bitch at worst.

Seriously, who did she think she was back then? Some big shot?

Just because she won one award? How absurd.

Nonetheless, she wasn’t gonna make her presence of all people ruin her mood. She stared as she was lost in thought, just a beat too long. Too long to the point she noticed.

She turned back so suddenly that the two accidentally locked eyes for just a moment before Scylvia turned away, wincing at the fact that she got caught staring. The girl had a certain glint in her eyes. Though Scylvia couldn’t tell what that look meant.

‘Well damn. I am so dead. Good bye world. I hope you were happy in making me miserable.’ She thought with her head bowed down and just staring at her desk, already silently panicking.

She could feel the gaze of the girl linger for quite a while before she heard the sound of a metal chair scrapping. She stood up.

‘Oh God, if you’re really out there… Please let her get away from me. Please lord oh God almighty.’ 

As the sound of footsteps drew closer towards Scylvia, she braced herself for a possible interaction for she seemed like they were heading straight towards Scylvia– until she didn’t. 

She just simply walked out the classroom. It took a moment before Scylvia breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders relaxing as she mentally patted herself in the back for being able to somehow avoid a conversation with the girl. Looking out through the door's small window, she saw her talking with a group of people. A… different group of people? 

‘Wait– I do not care about her enough to think about that.’ She thought as she shook her head, as if they were shaking off the thought out of their brain.

Well… To be clear. Her dislike against the girl wasn’t really unfounded. The two were in a competition a year prior. And for whatever reason, the girl’s friends seemed to enjoy giving Scylvia hell.

They sabotaged her work. The same work she took countless nights and hours into making. Article after article, night after night, energy drink after energy drink– all ruined simply because of some friends of a competitor. The funny -not really funny- thing is, she caught them red handed. Yet the judges couldn’t care less about it.

She didn’t mind the loss. She never cared about getting first place.

It was the fact that they had to break the rules set in stone just for the girl to win. The fact that they played dirty– and she hated those who can’t even begin to comprehend playing fair and square.

And when that girl got first place, she smiled at her and congratulated her for third place in such a condescending way it made her blood boil.

As the bell rang and the brown haired girl once again entered the classroom, Scylvia decided to let bygones be bygones– not in the sense that she’ll forgive those dirty tactics, but in the sense that she's not gonna let that girl of all people get under her nerves.

—

“Oh– are you absolutely certain it's her?”

Class just ended and as expected, they were forced to play icebreakers.

A chill ran down her spine as she remembered the clumsy and awkward way she introduced herself. Some people might say it was okay, but to her it felt as though it was the worst introduction she’s ever done and maybe she should just kill herself– okay. Maybe not that bad. She didn’t expect her voice to stumble like that, yet when she stood up and felt a sharp glare from the crowd, she couldn’t help but feel like a nervous wreck. Not to mention the amount of mispronunciations of her name. Like… it’s just Sylvia but with a c that's silent. She does not know why her parents chose that. It’s just sill - pronounced like till - vee, like ‘bee’… and ya. Pronounced like ‘yeah’… okay it’s not her fault her parents wanted to be extra. 

“Absolutely. I heard her say it herself. It’s Pristina Salazar. From that science competition like… A year ago.” 

The pure disdain in her voice leaked as she said her name. It was a nice name. But it did not match the person using it. As she rolled her eyes, the boy in front of her chuckled, causing the edges of Scylvias mouth to tug into a small smile despite the prior frustration evident in her voice. The boy was none other than her old friend Clark. 

“Ah… The one whose brainless goons ruined your project right?” Clark inquired. He was there when the competition happened, not as a competitor but simply as moral support for Scylvia. 

He wasn’t pursuing architecture, however he was studying in the same school, and they decided to at least try to meet up for today– to just simply hang out and to give Scylvia a run down of how things worked in the school, seeing as she just transferred. 

He’s been with her since like, middle school. From the outside, it seemed like the two belonged in two slightly similar yet very different groups of people. Seeing as how Clark's an athletic weirdo type while Scylvia is just… a weirdo.

Sure, Scyliva works out, but she isn’t like Clark whose gym is practically his second home. She just likes to stay healthy and or take out some frustration, and Clark..? Well…

In any case, the two’s stubbornness when it came to a similar interest like… Video games brought the two together. Always trying to one up each other in every game they played together… The friendly rivalry was something Scylvia needed with her stagnant life. A break from routine. From old habits.

The pair talked for a while, both about academics and catching up on things the two have missed out on when the two lived far away from one another– then the topic of classmates got brought up.

And boy oh boy does Scylvia have quite a few choice words regarding her classmates– sorry, correction; a classmate.

“Well, at least the judges understood that something was up and gave you at least third place that time.” Clark tried to offer, a reassuring smile on his face.

“Well I didn’t care about the placement. I cared about the fact that they played dirty. Like, losing has never been an issue for me, but it’s the context and what happens after that is like what makes me decide whether I’m gonna whine about it.” 

Scylvia clarified as she rolled her eyes. It was the genuine truth. She couldn’t have cared less if she got first, second, third… Hell even last place! (Actually she would care if it was last place but that doesn’t matter right now.)

What mattered was the fairness. The sportsmanship. And Pristina Salazar did NOT. And I repeat, did not have sportsmanship!

There was a moment of silence before Scylvia sighed and cleared her throat to speak.

“Ah… Well– I shouldn’t get worked up over it. It’s been a year and we probably don’t even need to interact at all.”

“Mhm, yeah. Try not to like... Die on the first day…" Clark moved his hands to her shoulders, giving her a serious look.

 "You need to suffer with me." 

The two looked at each other in silence for a moment. Just a moment before Scylvia was the first to crack and just started laughing, with Clark following right after.

"Jeez— with the way you're saying that, it sounds like a death threat." Scylvia nudged Clark's shoulder as he grinned like an idiot— an expression she knew she was mimicking, albeit tamer and smaller.

"Mmm, is it not? Die and I'll kill you bro." 

"Sure buddy, sure. Pretty sure I'll kill you as soon as I die. Gotta drag you down to hell with me." She argued, chuckling between her words.

The wind got stronger as the faint smell of the cafeteria's food lingered in the air. She didn't expect to have someone like Clark during these times, but it was a nice and very much welcomed surprise to her life.

The two continued to talk, more on about past classmates current drama before the bell rang, causing them to split up once more and head their separate ways after sharing a small and warm hug.

—

The rest of the day went by smoothly. Yes there were even more ice breakers, thanks for askin– but hey, that's normal I suppose. The teachers she got didn’t seem to be the overly strict type or the type to just… Abuse their power. So that’s a plus.

In all honesty, it was kind of fun in a way. She met new people and her class seems to be filled with actual good and kind people. It was nice to feel a sense of stability within the classroom. After all, public school was not for the weak and definitely really affected the way she looked at people.

Like, if you were there when someone shoved... 10... Hot dogs... Down their throat... All in one go...

My god that school was full of freaks.

As she exited the school, she couldn't help but dread the walk to the cafe.

Out of all the days, her headphones suddenly died on her. Right before she stepped out of the school's gate. Needless to say, the walk was loud and quiet at the same time for she could only listen to the sounds of her footsteps, passing cars, and chattering from the people. It was quietly loud. The noise was silent enough to let her mind wander, but it wasn't something she could just tune out. So yeah... Quietly loud.

Despite it only being 2 PM, the sky was already dark. The sun covered by the thick and grayish clouds. A familiar scent invaded Scylvia's nose, the scent you can smell right before heavy rain. Almost like the mix of water, soil, grass, and other nature-y stuff. It was definitely gonna rain.

A bell rang as the door to the cafe called 'Starry Latte Nights' gently swung open as Scylvia silently thanked herself for choosing to speed up and reaching the cafe right before the rain started to really pour.

The scent inside the cafe was so different from the gloomy scene outside. The room had a strong smell of ground coffee and other herbs like jasmine - of course it's jasmine, it’s Sam’s favorite after all. The warm lights bathed the room with a nice gold-ish hue, giving it a more homey and comfortable feel.

There were about half a dozen customers inside, the sounds of their chatter blending into the background as the hum of the espresso machine grew louder as she approached the counter.

The cafe felt alive. Not just because of the customers, but the whole cafe just felt like it lived a life of its own. One of the walls was lined with familiar paintings. Personal paintings. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small little sketch of a flower vase that Scylvia herself had personally drawn when she was still like... 10 years old. A quiet chuckle escaped her as she remembered the day she showed them the little sketch.

They were so happy— almost too happy about it. They didn't stop gushing over it until Scylvia told them to stop. They were what you would call "too much" or "overreactors". Some people would've found that trait annoying, yet Scylvia herself didn't seem to mind. In fact, she found it quite endearing with how much they care.

Sometimes she does think to herself that they were a bit too much, but she knew they just cared.

As jazz music played in the background, Scylvia took her sweet time to approach the counter. Admiring just how much the place had changed since her last visit. Not change in a bad way— but in the way that shows just how much the place had grown, almost mimicking how when a person grows, their taste, opinions, beliefs, and more could - and would - change.

When she finally reached the counter, the strong smell of freshly ground coffee beans invaded her senses, the hint of jasmine being greatly overpowered. She scanned the menu that was placed on the counter. She wasn't gonna order but what else was she gonna do when waiting by the counter? As she mindlessly flipped through its laminated pages, it didn't take long before a familiar figure came out from the back. Long black hair, kinda tall, a random t-shirt and a black apron. Yep, it was definitely her.

The person's eyes scanned the room, squinting hard. Unusually enough, they didn't have their glasses on. It took a while before they spotted Scylvia, and when they did, a wide grin painted their face as they approached her— who now mimicked the smile on the other girl, though a bit dialed down and softer.

It was her cousin; Cami. One of her closest friends and family in the world just through sheer trauma bonding regarding certain scenarios they both have coincidentally been in. They were almost paralleling each other with their experience.

She was able to give her the perfect balance of chaos and stability in Scylvia's life, and when her boyfriend came into the picture— it felt like a cohesive family. A family she didn't know she could even dream of having.

They were the ones that supported her, and Cami was the one who even offered to split the rent in the flat Scylvia picked from their recommendations. Though their initial offer was Scylvia living with them.

Cami gestured to Scylvia to come over to the other side of the counter, where Scylvia was met with a tight hug from Cami.

"Glad to see you made it here. Safely." Cami let go of Scylvia though her hands lingered on her shoulder, her eyes shined with genuine relief as if she still needed to process, or understand that Scylvia was here.

"Thanks, glad I'm here too." Scylvia chuckled to herself, there wasn't anything particularly funny, but she was genuinely glad— and eternally grateful to Cami.

"I guess the place got a make-over since the last time I was here?" Scylvia commented as she looked around, noticing the stairs to a second floor that wasn't there prior. The vines by the back door that also seemed to be acting like a little curtain now, reaching the floor. It didn't even reach a quarter of the door-way’s height since the last time.

The two talked as Cami led Scylvia to the backroom, showing her around and introducing her to the crew, consisting of 4 people, including Cami and her boyfriend; Sam. 5, actually, if you now included Scylvia herself.

To her surprise, she recognized the other two. They were good friends of Cami and Sam— who also liked to dote on her; Cyrus and Liz. It didn't take long for her to feel comfortable actually talking there. It also didn't take long for her to understand how to work in the place. The place felt cozy... It felt warm. Not just because of the oven's heat radiating. No. She felt comfortable.

It took a while to get used to everything, but everyone was kind enough to help her out every time she had a question, and before she knew it— it was closing time.

Cami and Sam told everyone to stay behind for just a little while for a little special something. And when Scylvia walked back into the back room, it was clear what the special something was.

Music hummed from Liz's phone, adding to the ambiance of the now dimmed warm lights bathing the room in a gentle glow. The music was slow and steady. Calming, grounded, yet still energetic enough to make the little meeting feel more like an actual celebration.

The smell of coffee lingered, but it was slightly overpowered now by the aromatic smell of the freshly baked batch of cookies that Cyrus and Liz worked on themselves— red velvet chocolate chip cookies. A recipe that the crew were still testing and considering adding to the main menu.

The group was huddled up by the counter as Sam served some of the drinks, with Liz placing the cookies down right after— already trying to grab one before Cami smacked her hand away, saying something about it letting it rest.

Scylvia looked around before seeing the empty chair next to Liz and sitting down. She caught a glimmer of mischievousness in Liz's eyes, but before she could speak up, Liz already opened her mouth to speak.

"Scylvia sat next to me, and that means I'm the favorite." She teased the rest of the crew, prompting the rest to chime in and recount certain situations that made them believe they were the "favorite".

Each story getting more confusingly endearing - in a way? - as they continued.

"I'm her actual cousin, been with her as a kid. Obviously I'm the favorite. Ya'll can't compare to the bond of blood! Blood is thicker than water or so they say-!" Cami argued, causing a few eye rolls from the group and light-hearted side-eyes.

"You know the whole quote went something along the lines of "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." Right?" Sam chuckled as he rebutted her, nudging her shoulder.

"Shhhhhhhhh...." 

"We don't talk about that, nuh uh!" She laughed before flicking his forehead. 

The group settled down as they continued to talk about everything and nothing at the same time, the topics ranging from a new recipe of pastries that Liz wanted to try out, to something as random as the different tastes of soap - wait what? - A topic that Cyrus brought up. And from the exasperated sighs of everyone in the crew, it was clear it wasn't his first time talking about it.

The cookies Liz and Cyrus baked were delicious. It was soft and chewy, and the velvety flavour didn't seem to clash with the chocolate flavour from the chocolate chips. It tasted so good especially with it being fresh out of the oven. Not to mention the drinks Sam made— God the cookies and cream frappes they make here are so good.

Sam clinked his glass with a little spoon as he stood up from his chair— clearing his throat as if he was about to make a toast. And make a toast he was.

"To our newest member! Scylvia!"

Sam raised his glass with a big grin on his face, facing directly at Scylvia.

Scylvia could feel her face warm up as the attention was redirected to her... Again. It was always embarrassing when people paid attention. But to her surprise, instead of the overwhelming feeling of nervousness or awkwardness - well, a little awkwardness - it just felt... Comfortably warm. She just couldn't help but smile.

"Ay, we're always here if you got any questions about anythin' bro." Cyrus piped up.

"And we're always here for you in general." Cami added, with a gentle smile on her face. Gaining a few sincere nods from everyone in the room, silently agreeing.

"Yeah, Sam might let you drive his car if you ask nicely!" Liz enthusiastically commented, making Sam choke on his drink.

"What- wait, now holdon- that wasn't part of the agreement-!"

"Aw, you're being so mean to your daughter. Scylvia, tell him how hurt you are!" She sing-songed, winking at Scylvia as she teased the poor man.

The two bickered back and forth, almost childishly so. Causing the group to share a few laughs before the laughter settled down.

"—Oh but in all seriousness... Vixy, we're here for you. You're family now. For all of us. Well, you've been family for a long time now anyway" Cami said softly, sincerity and genuine care intertwined with her words.

"So really. Don't be afraid to talk to any of us. The door is always open."

The group nodded in agreement. The chatter in the room softened, almost like emphasizing the weight of Cami's words. Like the silence signified an unsaid agreement.

"Except past 10 pm!" Cyrus jokingly added.

"Oh shut it."

--

As the night went on, the laughter became subdued and covered with a hint of sleepiness. The music playing in the background became more noticeable as the room slowly quieted down, with everyone cleaning the place up and preparing to go home.

"Thank you... Everyone." Scylvia spoke up, her voice soft-- almost shy in a sense.

"Really." She added. Trying to emphasize, or rather, trying to really show that she truly was grateful. That she truly meant her words.

"Of course." Cami responded, placing her hand on Scylvia's back.

The warm lights of the room glowed gently, almost mimicking the way those words, or practically the whole crew made her feel. From across the counter, Liz, Cyrus, and Sam exchanged knowing glances, Sam nudging Cyrus just a little before he finally got the signal.

"You know what this calls for..." Cyrus piped up before practically grabbing Liz and Sam along as he moved towards Scylvia and Cami and pulled them into a tight embrace— almost suffocatingly tight.

After a few panicked back pats, Cyrus finally let go of the group from his suffocatingly endearing bear hug. 

"Well, you still have classes tomorrow, right Vix?" Sam asked as he looked out of the window, the sky already dark.

"Ah... Don't remind me." Scylvia checked her watch as soon as she noticed the sky. It was already 11:10 pm. 

"Oh, I forgot you're in college now..." Cyrus commented, his eyes distant as if processing that Scylvia is indeed in college.

"God I'm old..." He muttered under his breath, gaining a few laughs from the crew.

"Imagine having to do homework, can't relate!" Liz sing-songed as she teased Scylvia again. 

"Didn't you literally just graduate 4 months ago?" Scylvia asked, chuckling. After just a few hours of working with Liz, Scylvia could already tell that teasing was her love language. It wasn't a hard deduction at all actually... 

"Yes, and I've been homework free for 4 months now!" Liz boasted as she patted Scylvia's head.

"Okay-! We don't wanna keep her too late, do we guys?" Sam interrupted, nudging the conversation along.

"Alright... Vixy, you sure you don't want a ride? Sam and I could-" Cami offered, a look of genuine worry painted on her face.

"-No it's fine." Scylvia interrupted.

"The apartment's close anyways, and you have things to do here. I got this."

"Alright... That's good." There was a slight hesitation in Cami's voice, before turning more reassured and confident.

"Stay safe, alright?" Sam added, the crew nodding as if they were about to say the same thing.

"Thanks, you too... And everyone too." 

Scylvia and the crew exchanged goodbyes before the door gently swung open, the bell softly ringing. The warm lights of the cafe leaked out from the rippled glass window, bathing just a section of the slightly dimly lit street with warm lights.

The cold air at night bit into her skin, yet the warmth from the hug still lingered inside her jacket, with it acting like a sort of bubble of protection from the harsh cold breeze. 

As she looked back into the cafe and saw the crew waving at her, grinning like idiots... 

She couldn't help but think:

'Maybe this year won't be as bad as I thought.'