Kayla kept on walking while scanning the number in each door, at the end of the long corridor there was another road for her to turn right, that is when at the very corner of the floor she finally found her room, on the left side, and the second from the last one. As she stood in front of her door, she looked at the room plaque and sighed, just then, she could hear a very loud bang coming from the direction she was coming before, the sound was very dimmed, but because it was quiet, she could hear clearly that that is the voice of Jason, it seems that he is throwing a tantrum right now.
Not long after, she could hear the sound of arguing and scolding coming from that direction, even some of the doors she walked past by has open their door and peeked their head out. One of them suddenly murmured something before he slammed the door, but Kayla heard it very clearly,
‘What does he mean by new people? Aren't we all new? Or does not?!’
The sound became more clearer and Kayla couldn't help but get curious and went there to take a look.
“What the hell is this place?! Doesn’t even have a signal! I wanted to contact my parents!! I am going back home!!! Who is the one in charge?! I wanted to talk to them!!”, Jason cursed and kicked the elevator door hard, making a loud bang. Many people have gotten out of the room and Kayla never thought that most of the room here had already been occupied,
“There comes another mama boy”
“Such a loser”
“What if the guards come again?!”
Kayla is hearing all sorts of emotions, anger, indifference, anxiety, and some laughing words from the people around her, but one of them eventually stands up and kicks Jason to his senses,
“Didn’t you already read the terms when you came here?! What are you wailing about?”, the one speaking is a boy, he is around Aaron high and has a gentle-looking face, but his eyes say everything, his cold and sharp expression makes it seem like he is someone who has been hit by the harsh reality of the world.
“Who knows that it will be such a boring, dull, stuffy sh*tty place like this!!”, Jason scowls.
“You haven’t even come here for a day, how could you know that this place is dull? Overreacting”, one of the guys said and slammed his door shut, many people also got uninterested and went back to their own room, and the floor once again went quiet. Jason seemed to feel embarrassed and angry at the same time, when Jason wanted to throw another tantrum, Kayla couldn’t see it anymore and talked,
“Jason isn’t it? Just now on the elevator you once said that “I shouldn’t have agreed to come here no matter what”. Then that means you have somehow agreed to your parent's demand, or you are wishing something in return from them. You backing out now, wouldn’t it seems like you are a coward?”
“You..!!”, Jason wanted to get angry again, but Kayla's words somehow stabbed to his chest, so he stomped his feet, went back to his own room, and slammed the door hard. Kayla sighed and the man who scolded Jason before approached Kayla,
“There are also some people who made a scene yesterday, the staff here have tried to persuade them, some of them have come to a peace with their inner struggle, and some who did not will be taken away by them. If he keeps on doing so, he is also going to be taken by them”
“Taken away?”, Kayla asked confused.
That person just nodded, “I don’t know where they were taken, and I also didn't know if they have been released or not. Since yesterday we haven't been allowed to leave this floor, but since then, no one has dared to utter a word again— I thought you might want to know”, he said and walked away to his room, Kayla still wanted to ask something but he already closed the door. In the corner of her eyes, she could see Aaron who was standing opposite of the corridor, their eyes silently met,
“Go back and take a rest first”, he said, Kayla nodded and walked back to her room. She doesn't know why, but she thinks that Aaron is quite scary, she thinks that he has his own kind of thoughts that are hard to read and unreachable, but at the same time he also gives off an aura that he will be able to solve any riddle given to him.
Kayla stood in front of her room and took out the key from her pocket, she stared at it for a long time before she inserted the keys in and twisted it, Kayla didn’t quite understand why this place was still using keys when there were already advanced technology installed anywhere in the whole world,
‘Do they want to keep the original aesthetic feeling?’
The moment she opens the door, she is being welcomed by a strong smell of disinfectant and a white bright color interior, the sky has started to get dark and the lights of the room have already been turned on, contrasting with the cozy light from the corridor. The interior is quite simple actually, a bed, a study desk with a computer and a tablet, a nightstand, a small wardrobe, a bathroom, and a balcony. Kayla actually thought that this place would be like a jail, but the room is actually quite nice. Even her luggage had been put properly beside the bed, she checked to see if there was anything missing and let out a sigh of relief, she opened the balcony door to let the odor out and flopped down the bed, she was surprised to find it quite soft and comfortable, even it still have that factory smell attached to the bed,
‘This doesn't seem to be a used bed, do they change to a new one? That couldn't be possible right?’
Kayla turned around to lay on her side, ‘From what that person said they have been here since yesterday. Taken away? Does that mean if we don't behave there will be a certain punishment for us?’. The more Kayla thought about it, the more she felt restless, she took her phone out and looked at the time, it was already half past six in the evening, but the sky outside was already dark. She opened her phone and wanted to check her messaging app, but she realized that it didn't have any signal,
‘So that is why Jason is mad, is there really no wifi here to use? If that is so, how could all these people still remain so calm when they couldn't even contact the outside world?’, Kayla looked at the table and found desserts like cookies and candy, she looked deeply at the computer and tablet, and she got up and walks towards the desk, Kayla hesitated for a moment before picking it up and the screen light up showing the photo of a school on the screen wallpaper, what catches on her attention is the notification on the messaging app,
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
‘What is this? A tablet left from the last student? Or are they giving this for us to use?’
Kayla looked at the corner right of the screen and it was already connected to the wifi, the more Kayla looked at it, the more she was sure that this was a school property that was given for them to use, since what kind of person would use the school picture as their wallpaper, so out of curiosity, she opens up the messaging app, the interior is familiar yet also feels unfamiliar, it seems to be a software that they made themselves instead of the usual one that Kayla ever use or see, it only has a message from one person that is saved with name, “Mom and Dad”
Kayla's head stopped working, she couldn’t comprehend what the hell was happening, she opened it and read it, no matter how she read it, the tone was so familiar to her, so she braved herself and called the number, but it couldn't get connected, only the messaging app was working, so she could only texted them,
“Kayla! Finally, we are worried to death!! Are you alright? Have you arrived?”, another text pop up
“I.. am alright. No! How could you know how to contact this number?”
“Before you left, they left a package for us, it is a tablet to contact you”
Kayla is in a daze, ‘So does that mean we could only contact our parents using this device?’
“It is good that we know you are safe, take a rest and we will get in touch”, Kayla texted them again, but they didn't reply to her anymore, this made Kayla feels a bit confused, but she decided to set it aside first.
‘So it really is for us to use’, Kayla looked at the tablet in her hands and sighed, she then noticed a piece of paper that was put below the tablet just now, she picked it up and read it,
“Regalis University,
Dear student, we are very honored to have you hear and warmly welcome you to our school. Please do not leave your living quarters without notice, and all students have to be in their own room before ten o’clock, there will be a further announcement when needed
Sincerely,
Head of Administration
Ronan Woods”
‘Ronan Woods.. —What does it even mean to not leave the living quarters? Does it mean this room or this building?’, the rule is actually very easy to understand, they just stated that they couldn’t go outside without their permission. With such a short and carelessly made notice, Kayla couldn't help but think that they seemed to be unprepared, or it could also mean that the rule they stated could change according to the situation. Kayla didn't know which it was, it felt kind of uncomfortable, and something kept on bothering her, she didn't know what it was, it just felt very irritating.
Kayla walked towards the balcony and looked outside, the view she got was quite nice, she could see the main building if she looked to the left, and when she turned her head to the right, at the farthest land, she could see a lake and cute plump sheep living there, the water is very blue and clear, behind that is an old building, at least for Kayla it looks like so. She could see foliage swarming all around the building, it was too far away and too dark for Kayla to see the details, but at a glance, that building had the vibe of the main building, but painted in wooden color, just like the main building it is also a castle-like building.
Kayla pulled out her phone, and wanted to take a picture when she saw a bruise on her wrist, she looked at it and couldn't help thinking about the things happening on the elevator, it doesn't hurt to touch, just leaving a bruise, probably because Kayla skin is sensitive, so it easily left a mark,
“A prank? Why does it feel so real then?”, Kayla mutters lowly, she looks at her hand with her brows furrowed,
‘Wait! Does that mean, all of us have also experienced the same thing? Should I have asked that person just now?’, she wanted to leave but stopped on her feet after two steps, ‘Wouldn't it be rude to suddenly go and knock on someone else door? There might be some opportunity for me to ask him tomorrow’.
Kayla let out a deep sigh and rubbed her pounding head, a sudden voice coming from outside made her heart skip a beat, she looked towards the direction of the door, it seemed to be a voice coming from a speaker,
“Dear students, it is time for your dinner to be served, please come out and have a pleasant time enjoying your food”
The voice was from a man, and Kayla thought the playful tone of the voice sounded familiar, like the sound of that person Liam who called their names on the hall before. Kayla took a peek at the peephole before she decided to open the door a little, she could hear footsteps from outside, so Kayla also decided to get out from the room. She carefully followed them out, and now she found that there was actually a room opposite the elevator on the left side, Kayla was a little surprised because she hadn't noticed that room before,
‘Isn't that a wall just now?’
The room is around the size of her own room. At first, Kayla thought that it would just be a simple dinner where they would only be given one set of lunch boxes per person, but it is actually kind of like a buffet, including an appetizer, soup, salad, main dish, and three kinds of dessert. Kayla had never thought that they would treat them this well.
‘This is the reason why he said he has never left the floor since he came here, they already provide what you need here. Since that Liam said that we will gather tomorrow morning, does that mean we are the last batch of people to arrive?’
Now that she is able to look at the person staying on this floor properly, they all look like someone who won’t start a fight unless it is necessary, they all look fairly refined and smart. She waited a little far away to let the crowd disperse first. Kayla took the plate and grabbed some meat and salad with a few nice-looking desserts and looked at her surroundings, she was quite amazed with the idea of the foldable chair and table that could be hung to the wall, so they just needed to let it down when in used and hang it back up after they are done.
When she looked around and finally found the one she was searching for, she approached him and greeted him,
“Hi, do you mind if I sit beside you?”
He shakes his head and Kayla sits down beside him, Kayla carefully takes a glance at him and decides to introduce herself first,
“My name is Kayla, may I know yours?”
“Henry. You.. wanted to know what happened yesterday?”, he asked and Kayla felt a little embarrassed and nodded gently,
“If you don't mind”
“Nothing much actually, most people that I met yesterday are just normal student who likes to become their own heroes, have no fear, and think that fist and their loud voices could solve basically anything. But at least some of them still have a brain to stop when they saw things are not good, but some who didn't have that got taken away, probably for disciplinary or something”, Henry said nonchalantly,
"Don't you find it weird?", a voice suddenly come from beside her and Kayla was surprised, she hadn't known since when Aaron had been sitting beside her, listening to their conversation, "If they didn't agree to come here, they could just tell their parents, what makes them come this far and then make a commotion here?", Aaron continues
“Probably because they were forced here by their parents? Our parents probably thinks this place is good since they wear and drive such an extravagant items when coming to our home”, Henry said calmly
Aaron, “Oh? So you are saying you are being forced to come here?”
Henry shakes his head, “Aiming for the scholarship, but if I can get into this university, it doesn’t seem half bad. It might be embarrassing to say, but the food and decoration here are something I have never tasted and seen in my life before”
Kayla also nodded in agreement, you sure won't be able to see this scene anywhere else. Kayla suddenly snapped from her daydream and remembered what she had been meaning to ask “That.. I was wondering, the.. prank from the elevator, do you also get it? What is the reaction of the people around you?”
Henry, “Nothing much, people basically forgot about it, since isn’t it normal for Senior to do pranks and have fun towards their junior?”,
Kayla is stunned, so basically, the whole thing has been ruled out as a “prank”, and everybody has literally forgotten about it, she feels a little embarrassed for holding it for so long.
“What? Do you think something is wrong with it?”, Henry asked and Kayla silently shook her head,
“No, nothing is wrong”, Kayla let out a big sigh and Aaron who had seen it smiled from the side, he asked her what was wrong,
“Now thinking about it, maybe some of their parents are just stupid like mine”, the more Kayla thinks about it, the more she feels embarrassed,
“What happened?”, Henry asked curiously
“They just signed it without looking at it properly, they are being blinded by the sweet words they utters”, Kayla sighed and both of them let out a smile. After they had finished eating, they went back to their own room to get some rest and continued the conversation tomorrow. Kayla had a nice long bath and flopped down to the bed, it had been a long day for her, and with the cozy bed, she soon fell asleep soundly, waiting for another day to come.
TO BE CONTINUED...