𝑩𝑶𝑹𝑵 𝑻𝑶 𝑫𝑰𝑬 , gen v apply fic

³ tuesday jell-o

     "WHAT'S YOUR schedule like?" Seren asked as she cut into her meal delicately. Charlie sat across from her and Alice with their own tray of food. She had been hesitantly taking bites out of the different plates and bowls the girls recommended them to try. Nothing beat Godolkins greatest dishes.

     Charlie slowly slurped up a noodle from their bowl as they stared at Seren like a deer in headlights. She raised her hand to wipe her mouth as she spoke up, "Freshmen schedules are out?"

      Alice suddenly began coughing on her food violently as she reached for her throat, and Seren's eyes widened as she watched her best friend beside her. Her eyes watered as she struggled to get the food down, in which she had to pound her fist on her own chest while Seren snaked her arms around her waist to perform a horrible job at a Heimlich Maneuver.

      Charlie, worried by the amount of stares they were receiving by those in the dining hall, side eyed a few students as she would look between the girls and those around them.

      Alice had finally gotten the food down properly and she leaned forward, her hands gripping the edge of the table. "You're a freshman?" she whispered to Charlie. She looked at Seren. "We got roomed with a freshman."

     "Maybe it was a system error," Seren murmured, wanting to move on from the conversation as she didn't see it as a big deal, anyway. "I can ask Shetty about it later. Please swallow before you react next time." She sent Alice a look before facing Charlie again, "You should check your schedule."

     Charlie continued to chew on her food slowly as she stared at Seren in silence. She didn't know exactly how she would be able to—maybe access one of the computers in their library, or something. She didn't have a phone. Red River wasn't very keen on purchasing individual cellphones for the kids while they were there. Phones were often to come post-adoption by the parents or guardians.

     Seren shrugged it off as she pulled out her own, waving it off. "You can use mine," she offered, opening up their schools site. She held her phone out to them to take it.

      Charlie looked down at the screen and back up at Seren. They quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe their mouth before taking the phone, typing out their school log-in into the text bar. It was a little difficult due to their gloves, but they made it work. She gnawed on her lip in anticipation as she clicked the submit button, then waited for her classes to show up.

      Her eyes bulged out of her head. "Crimefighting?" they read out loud.

      "What?" Seren said as she took her phone back quickly, and she looked at Charlie's schedule. Alice leaned in to get a look at it, too. Seren scrolled through the classes. "I don't get it. Brink allowed a freshman to take his Intro class? That's, like . . . one in four million."

      "Numbers are a little off, but," Alice mumbled as she stuck her spoon between her teeth. She tapped the back of the spoon against her lips as she looked to Charlie. "Did you mean to apply to crimefighting? What's your thing?"

      "My thing?"

      "What can you do?" Alice specified. Her gaze followed down to Charlie's gloves, which she noticed had been on since they got here. "Assuming something physical."

      Charlie sheepishly slid her hands underneath the table and shrugged. "You can say that," they answered.

      Seren hummed as she observed Charlie, like she was studying her. "Oh, definitely trauma-tied," she said with a nod, earning a brief 'oh' from Charlie. "Always makes the best heroes."

      Charlie furrowed their eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?" they said. "Are you some sort of psychic or something? Is that your thing?"

      "That would be a telepath, if anything, but no, that's not me," Seren informed her. She gathered her food and trash on her tray to throw it out, with Alice doing the same. "I'm surprised. You haven't heard about any of us when you applied to Godolkin?"