"Beep beep beep!"

Rom awoke from her bed with a sound blaring from across her dorm room. Immediately, she launched her pillow at the loud alarm clock, knocking it off the desk, and stared at the bed stationed next to it.

"Sukecan!"

Another girl lying in bed shot up saying, "I'm up!"

"Turn off your alarm,” an irritated Rom demanded.

Quickly turning it off, "Sorry. Again," the other girl said.

It was only Rom’s first night at Noire Exalted College and she was already fed up with her roommate Sukecan’s alarm going off several times throughout the night.

Rom shook her head while heading into the bathroom within their room to take a shower. As hot soapy water washed over her body, the wound on her hand from the other night started to get irritated, so she cut her shower short to tend to it in front of the bathroom mirror. A bruised and scarred body reflected in the light brown eyes of Rom, who then heard a knock on the door.

"I need to get something out of the bathroom really quick," Sukecan said while opening the door and catching a glimpse of Rom’s body in front of the mirror.

Then, without notice, the door shut in her face. "Really!? You almost slammed the door on my nose!" Little did Sukecan know, Rom was startled with no idea how the door closed.

“That wasn’t me!” Rom exclaimed, coming out of the bathroom wearing a towel with a surprised look, even checking the door in an attempt to figure out what happened.

"Whatever," Sukecan uttered. Going into the bathroom, she pondered what kind of life a person had to go through to receive so many scars. She knew the life of glooms down in the Nile was a struggle, but she didn’t imagine it would be to such a serious and dangerous extent. Sukecan’s life above the dark clouds with the exalted skies wasn’t easy but compared to Rom, it might as well be.

In the society of ones titled Exalted, Sukecan was in a bracket at the bottom in which working harder than others got her a fraction of what she deserved and very little respect. Gleams are what she and others like her are called and in exalted colleges, they were roommates with glooms.

“She didn’t even knock on the door. Is respecting one’s privacy no longer a thing?”

Rom paused from getting dressed and looked around before realizing who was speaking. Hearing Shade’s voice in her head was still new. “It was you who slammed the door in her face?”

“Yes. Serves her right for not knocking,” Shade said, still nowhere to be found.

“Why can’t I see you? Are you hiding in my hair again?”

“I wasn’t hiding. I was resting since your hair is very comfy.”

“Thank you, but next time how about you don’t almost break my roommate’s nose,” Rom replied sharply, or at least tried to through the telepathic link Shade and her shared.

While an unheard talk was being had, Sukecan looked outside the bathroom noticing the unique clothing Rom was dressing herself in. Nothing like the slacks, dress shirts, and dresses being worn by the residents of the Exalted City of Noire that had no signs of wear and tear that would tell a story.

Rom’s wide-leg cargo pants that strapped around her waist and tied around her ankles were a faded green color that showed it was a favorite piece of clothing that had been worn many times. Even her slim black long-sleeved shirt being put on has some noticeable restitching that might speak of its importance from not being replaced with a new shirt.

“Were you in a fire?” Sukecan asked, spotting an interesting scar on Rom’s neck.

“A fire?” Rom responded while finishing putting on her shirt.

“The scar on the back of your neck looks like it came from a fire. I would know since I was in a house fire when I was younger and got this.” Sukecan lifted her pants revealing a fire burn halfway up her leg.

“That scar kinda looks like the symbol of a music group I listen to called ZTD,” Rom remarked.

“I love that group! I went to a ZTD concert last year.”

“You traveled below to the Nile for their concert?” The shock in Rom’s voice was warranted since it was taboo for people living above to go below outside of a contract or job. Crime filled the grounds of the Nile and having an Exalted citizen comedown meant payday for many unsavory glooms.

“Oh no. I wouldn’t be able to survive five minutes down there. No offense.”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Rom knew full well how dangerous the Nile could be since she experienced it every day of her life which molded her into a calculated and tough young woman.

“None taken,” Rom said. “And you were correct about my scar being from a fire, although it's not cool looking like yours.”

Sukecan smiled and stated, “Also you can just call me Suke.”

Rom nodded and finished her outfit with short sleeves that ballooned out on a beige top with a belt strap that held it open in the front. She then threw on a backpack and left the room. Just from walking through the talkative hallway of staring eyes, she felt uncomfortable and out of place. All the passing students gave looks screaming that she didn't belong.

Why are you here? was just one of the many rude questions that came Rom’s way since she stepped onto the college campus. To many of the Exalted students, people from the Nile were criminals and ones not to be trusted. Although only a few have been down to the Nile to be able to confirm these accusations, even fewer have questioned them.

As Rom exited the towering dorm, she decided to put on her headphones to tune out any unwanted words from the many students who thought they were better than her. If she could block her eyes from the passing looks of disdain, she would, but it was hard enough figuring out where to go for her first class.

“Are we lost?” Shade asked.

“Yes. I have no idea which building my class is in, and this map on my phone is not helping.” Rom replied.

Among the trees and flowers that garnished the campus, Rom had already passed by several buildings and halls that weren't the correct ones for her class.

“Shoot,” Rom muttered out of frustration looking at her phone and not noticing part of the stone ground she was walking on was upheaved just a bit up ahead.

“What the…” was all Rom could get out before she tripped and fell to the ground.

Surrounding students just looked on with no helping hand or concern for her wellbeing. Rom quickly got up from the ground with Shade fluttering out of her hair.

“Are you okay?”

“No need to worry. I am fine, Shade.”

The surrounding students' faces turned to shock while staring at Shade.

First years within their first semester having a quill awakened out of its bulbous stage was unusual, but not unheard of. Having an awakened quill would allow certain core classes to be taken earlier than most. So, seeing a gloom already ahead in the journey of becoming a soul cleaner was unexpected, and soon after the scowls came out.

Rom saw their expressions, not fully understanding the reason behind them but something else was catching her attention while walking. What are those colors?” Rom was looking at red and green brewing in the center of the different students around her.

“Oh, you can see them too?” Shade replied.

Red and green, one of the two colors, was brewing inside students' bodies just above the navel while they kept looking at Shade fluttering over Rom’s shoulder.

“I don’t know what they mean, but the other day at the feathery oak, I saw green within you,” Shade mentioned.

They had no idea what the colors meant and even when Rom finally found the correct building and walked into her first class, she saw red and green all around in a large room of eyes staring at her and Shade. News spread quickly of a gloom having an awakened quill within the first semester of their freshman year, so fast that all the other students in the class were already aware of her feat before she even stepped into the room.

Being the center of attention was new to Rom and didn’t sit too well with her as she liked being overlooked. Not being seen meant she wouldn’t be bothered by the groups who terrorized the neighborhood she lived in.

Seeing one open chair in the left rear corner of the classroom’s tiered seating, she quickly walked over and sat. “Even here,” Rom said with bewilderment under her breath looking at the two colors brewing all around.

"Ms. Dorfmure. It is good to see you." A tall man said walking up the stairs towards Rom with no color brewing within him.

From his mannerisms paired with his brown slacks and a long-sleeved black turtleneck shirt, Rom deduced that he was the professor.

"Good morning, Professor Hash. It is a pleasure to be here."

She was surprised by how youthful he looked but once he stopped next to her seat, she could see dark circles under his hazel eyes as if he hadn't slept in days.

“You are late,” Hash said with a detached voice. “Cleaners 101 started one minute ago.”

“My apologies. I had some trouble finding this class on this huge campus.”

Hash’s unfazed look left Rom guessing if she was in trouble for a few seconds until he spoke. “Don’t let it happen again or else you and your quill won’t be let into class next time.”

Rom nodded with a “Okay.”

As Hash started back down the stairs, another student walked into the class prompting him to pause and greet them. “Mr. Rodrick. It is good to see you. You are three minutes late.”

“Oh, only three minutes. That’s a new record for me,” the young man retorted with a smile.

Hash’s face was unfazed walking up to the young man who was standing in front of the open classroom door. Then by placing a palm upon the young man’s chest and then saying “Goodbye,” Hash gave a slight nudge which sent the student flying out of the class.

“If anyone else has a record for coming in late then you can leave now.”

As Hash started walking down the stairs to his podium, some curious students looked back out of the class to see the young man’s body on the ground at the end of the hallway. Even though it wasn’t Rom launched out of the room, she still felt on edge and his passive demeanor after what happened made her believe that he didn’t care if the student was alive or dead.

“The colors changed,” Shade stated.

Rom looked around seeing orange radiating from people instead of red or green.

“The same color is in you also Rom,” Shade added.

They still had no idea what the colors meant but the one thing Rom did know was that her professor was to be feared.