"Yes, I'm an international freshman student. I came for my dorm key. Victoria Elizabeth Hael. I should already be in the system." I said quickly. I wanted nothing more than to be in my dorm. Hopefully alone, with no one to bother me.
The desk assistant zoomed to her computer in a flash and typed with great precision and grace.
"Victoria Elizabeth Hael... Ah here we are. Well you're on file and the only one within the University who is from France. So you weren't hard to find." She entered a drawer and placed a key and my student ID within my shirt pocket seeing I already had my hands full.
"Now for your class schedules and regulations-"
I had cut her off mid sentence.
"With all due respect, can we please wait until I unload my belongings to my dorm and return tomorrow? I've had a very long journey. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
She looked at me with an innocent and understanding smile.
"I understand. Your dorm is luckily across this building a few yards from here. Carver Towers is the name of the dorm. It's a girls only dorm, you're on the 10th floor, room 1012. You have a roommate as well." She informed. I cringed at the informative of having a roommate.
There went my hopes and dreams of solitude down the drain. How the gods were so cruel. I sighed and spoke as politely as I could.
"Thank you very much. I'll return tomorrow morning for my schedule." The desk assistant nodded and went back to her computer as I took my leave from one of the side doors.
I walked across a small pavement surrounded by exotic flowers I'd never seen before. Their scent was sweet, but overpowering. I continued my path to a building that actually looked like it had not been trapped by Father Time and was decorative with new red bricks showing its revamped structure and highlighted sign saying Carver Towers.
I walked in as a desk assistant asked for my ID badge. I struggled to show her and nearly face planted myself on the desk to get it, but was spared. She nodded and I continued without another word or second thought. I saw an elevator and pressed the button... more so kneed it until it lit up. I'd be feeling that later on. After a short amount of waiting the elevator arrived. Five girls exited and were laughing in their own conversations, yet for just a split second took the time to get a good look at me, noticing I was a new face but paid no mind and continued their way. Ignoring them completely, I entered and repeated the process of pressing the 10th button this time with a light head butt. The elevator took its precious time ascending.
"More waiting... joy." An irritated smile came across my face.
Finally the doors slid open and I found myself on the 10th floor, now dragging my bags across the smooth tile floor, which I appreciated, as I followed the room numbers until I found mine. The gods must find this painfully hilarious. My room was the last in the west end of the hallway.
"You have got to be shitting me..." I said with great agitation. I had a foul mouth when I became moody.
I searched for my key and placed it within the hole, unlocking the door. Before I could open it, the door flung open and the person that stood before me was none other than my roommate. A puzzled expression filled her face at first, then was replaced by a welcoming smile. She had long wavy black hair with red streaks that bounced down to her back. She wore make-up that filled her cheeks and red lipstick that made her lips seem full. She was in plain black shorts and a mini tank top; clearly she was comfortable and absolutely beautiful.
"Oh my God! You're finally here. I thought you'd never come. Here let me help you with your bags."
Without hesitation, she quickly took the weight off of my shoulders and even grabbed the bags from the floor. All I brought in was what she had not taken from my hands. I was astonished by her hospitality. Normally I don't like company, but her first impression in helping me had lightened the mood of my already pressured agitation. She sat them next to my bed, which was a fair sized twin bed across from her side of the room. My side had a window for me to gaze out for which I was glad. She then waited for me to place the remaining luggage on the floor and offered her hand smiling brightly with her head slightly tilted sideways.
"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Victoria. My name is Alibeth Raven, your long awaited roommate and hopeful best friend. Just call me Ali for short. Everyone else does." She giggled cheerfully.
I was confused slightly but had taken her hand smiling as well.
"How do you know my name? I didn't introduce myself to you yet." I asked giggling a little myself, not intentionally. This girl's aura was contagious.
"Our names were assigned on the front of the door, silly rabbit." She had pointed at the opened door and in big bold red letters were my name and hers. How I missed it, I'll never know.
"Oh..." I was embarrassed and held my head down in shame.
"No worries. You seemed to be out of it anyway. So I took the initiative to help with your side of the room. I didn't know if you were going to have everything you needed, so I always think of others and gave you some bed spread sheets and pillows I had left over in case you were tired." She smiled brightly as I blushed and had realized all she had done. These were unspoken acts of kindness I was not prepared for.
"Thank you very much... You didn't have to do this. I am tired though..." I admitted softly, staring towards temptation from the bed. The day was beginning to catch up to me. She shook her head in amusement, walking to my side of the room, and patted my bed gesturing for me to lie down. I staggered over to my new bed and was admiring how beautiful it was: violet and black linen with the softest pillows I had ever laid my head on. I placed my belongings from my hands on the nearest desk and happily crawled into my bed, never mind changing into night clothes.
Alibeth laughed gingerly.
"I can tell. Get some sleep first. We have an entire semester to talk." She gave the same gleeful expression as I happily obliged to her request. I hadn't realized just how tired I truly was until I found myself drifting, the darkness engulfing me... and again, he was there, waiting...
