Saving Emyra (18+)

Chapter I

THE BEGINNING

Done being used, done playing stupid
Done faking cool

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CHAPTER I

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I WAS SURPRISED at the fact that I seemed to miss my hometown despite my blatant hatred of it.

Some could say that 'hate' was too strong of a word to use, but 'hate' was also the only word I could use that summed up my feelings for that place. In fact, 'despise' seemed to be a close second.

If Newcrest were to suddenly disappear tomorrow or be on the trajectory of a fatal meteorite or were to even suffer a devastating nuclear explosion, I would find it incredibly difficult to care about it or the people that lived there. Did that make me a horrible person? Probably. I clearly didn't care though.

As a matter of fact, if I had the time and the faith, I would spend everyday praying that Newcrest and everything in it would suddenly disappear from existence. If I had to step foot there ever again, I would probably crumble to ash and die. Or at least, I would hope that would be the case.

University was supposed to be my break from that travesty. First year of general science, I mean yet despite that, I felt homesick. I supposed it was to be expected when I could count on one hand the occasions I had travelled out of that town in eighteen years. I couldn't blame myself. Newcrest was all I knew. Newcrest was all I had.

As humans, we tended to crave what was familiar to us and not what was better. We liked the comfort of routine and our habits. Changing that was a scary thing, but I knew I needed it; I needed to do better for myself.

I wheeled my stuff into my bedroom despite the unsettled churning in my stomach and sat on my bed before looking around again, this time taking proper note of my new, unfamiliar  surroundings. The room was very small — as was to be expected — and only provided the bare necessities. There was one single bed pushed into the corner and then a decently sized desk was pushed up into the other corner of the tiny room. My closet was at the foot of my bed with two doors and a full length mirror nailed to one of them. By my bedside was a small mahogany nightstand, but apart from those things, that was it.

As small as it was, I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit grateful. With the money I spent, I knew I was getting the best option for my financial situation. At least I only had to share the kitchen, living room and bathroom with one other girl and not my bedroom as well and not with four other people. I was willing to take what I could get.

Not wanting to begin unpacking just yet, I abandoned my bag in the middle of my bedroom and walked out into the sitting room instead. My room wasn't the only small thing here. As a matter of fact, my whole apartment took the general theme of small to the next level.

It wasn't like I wanted this anyway. I wasn't rich but by the time I had realised that I was actually going to university, all the cheaper options were gone so I took what was left.

The kitchen, like my room, also only had the bare necessities. There was a stove and a small oven at one corner and at the other corner was a small sink. We probably had about three or four cabinets for our needs and that was including the cutlery drawer as well as a half-sized fridge with not nearly enough freezer space for two people. Apart from those appliances, there was nothing else. No toaster or microwave. Not even a kettle or a dish rack or anything. I supposed they expected us to buy those things for ourselves.

Separating the small kitchen from the living room was only a small island that extended out from the wall with three barstools by it to make up for the dining table we didn't have the space for. After that was the living room. It was small, but it seemed cosy enough with two green two-seater sofas and an oakwood coffee table placed in the centre. I envisioned a dark, fluffy rug to go under it but of course, I couldn't really make that decision without my roommate's input. Framing the one floor to ceiling window we had which also provisionally led out to the balcony was a dark grey curtain and to spice up the dullness of the room was a picture of the Eiffel tower hung up on the wall as if anybody gave a damn.