Kingdom of isolation - you can't hide

Fourteen ~ Aurora

Aurora

Age 18

"Holy smokes, I'm in Hogwarts.."

And I don't even like Harry Potter. It's freshers week which happens to coincide with my first day of arriving on campus after a tearful goodbye from my sweet Aunt Clara and her moody husband, whom I will refer to as such until further notice. Campus is a term I'm using loosely here, because this is a vast piece of land that houses one of the most prestigious institutions to ever exist. And holy shit, what a labyrinth! Located near the eastern coast of England, HRU is a sight to behold. Conveniently hidden from the world and bordering on an island, it is like stepping into a magical world only a few have access to. And I'm here with my stomach in knots, the nefarious cloud hanging over my head. I'm not an adrenaline junkie, never have been. I have felt it course through my veins and once it's over, all I want to do is puke my guts out. That's what I did when they finally enrolled me online and everything started to feel real. There's the possibility of getting it all wrong and landing in deep shit. But I'm also aware that I asked for this, I fought over this with my ride or die like a brat. And in hindsight, I'll deserve whatever's coming for me—hopefully nothing too detrimental.

I catch the stares of a few strangers passing by but I don't let it bother me, too lost in the sight that's in front of me. The university is, quite literally, scattered in different parts of the land, surrounded mostly by water. And as I look at the map laid out below the golden plaque that reads, 'House of Royals: The Beginnings to a Newer World'—very ominous might I add, I realise that my area of the university is most likely located at least half a mile away from where I'm currently standing like a tourist in a foreign country. The irony is that I look like a tourist, with my luggage conveniently at my side, a reminder to find my accommodation first before I get mugged. Highly unlikely but not impossible. Those photocards are worth more than my freaking life!

The university looks rich, the gold-was-used-as-the-foundation kind of rich. There's a good mix between old and new architectural styles that encompass the university, giving it a modern feel while still retaining its original design to appeal to the old souls. I can't say that I feel one way or the other about it but it's definitely worth looking at. Unfortunately for HRU's architecture masterminds, my attention span for buildings is very limited and becomes background noise at an insulting rate. I frown. Borderline ostentatious. That's how I would describe this place, now that the initial haze has cleared. Everything is so out there, not a bone of subtlety and I bet if I dig deep enough, I'll find those skeletons beneath the gold foundations. Starting with the odd lines on the map that divide into sections, zones, all colour coordinated and weirdly resembling territory lines—all accompanied by different emblems, as if there's institutions within. The only neutral zone in green is the one I'm currently standing on. Weird to have territory lines in a goddamn university.

The map flows like a tree and I'm currently at the thick trunk which I would assume would be considered the entrance. There's clear branches indicating subjects and then some intertwine weirdly, creating the illusion of leaves falling, representing smaller, more niche areas of study. There's the more common fields of study such as law, business, education, engineering that take up the majority of the map while smaller ones like literature or arts are scattered throughout. Each branch has its own set of buildings including libraries, cafeterias and dormitories amongst other stuff. Some of the buildings overlap but there's still a clear distinction. It's almost psychedelic, the map, and I feel tension building behind my eyes. Whoever built this place must have been loaded with capital T. My previous college had one library like a normal college. This isn't normal, this is HRU. I catch a few unmarked 'territories' here and there that leave me further confused.