Forever

Seraphina College

Today was Lynette's first day at Seraphina College of Arts and Literature, in Vanebridge. She was going to start a new phase in her life, all alone. Five years ago, her parents died in a car crash. From that day on, she stayed in her house alone. It wasn't an easy battle for her; she had to go through a lot, but in that long race, she grew close with Nisrine and Cornelia, who helped her a lot. Now she had finished packing her luggage, cleaned her house, had her breakfast, and went out for the journey from Strackane.
​At around 10 am, she reached the college gate, which stood as a massive, imposing barrier of weathered black wrought iron, framed by two towering, ivy-choked stone pillars. Outside, the day was brilliantly, almost blindingly sunny. The wind howled softly through the intricate iron scrollwork of the gate, whipping the tangled ivy against the masonry and scattering dry leaves across the threshold. The students were roaming here and there inside the sunny campus. She was feeling awkward among them, searching for any familiar faces, but she had to go inside to find her hostel room. She went inside through the narrow brick pathway that cut straight from the gate, flanked by tall, wind-whipped trees that filtered the brilliant sunlight into a dancing mosaic of shadows.
​Suddenly, she spotted two girls who appeared randomly in front of her. She felt a familiar presence but felt too shy to ask them. They were walking towards the office room too, carrying luggage; it seemed like they were taking admission for the first time. At last, she gained courage and called out to them in a soft voice, "Excuse me, are you two new here?" And it was worth it; it was none other than Nisrine and Cornelia! She was surprised to see them. She didn't know that they would take admission in the same college; even they hadn't told her.
​Lynette's jaw dropped in happiness to see them again after a long time. "Hey! Why didn't you tell me that you took admission in this college!"
​Cornelia laughed, "It's a surprise! Isn't this cool?"
​Nisrine patted her like a child, "How can you think that we would leave you? We are your best friends. Don't mix us up with those fake friends, okay?"
​Lynette laughed back and they went towards their hostel.
​They went inside the building, which was not too far from the college. The air inside the hostel smelled faintly of old paper, lavender water, and the damp warmth of rain trapped in ancient brick. The windows of the hostel were tall, arched sashes with heavy, water-stained glass that overlooked a wild, overgrown courtyard. It was a windy day; the glass rattled rhythmically in its rotted wooden frames like a mechanical heartbeat when the wind blew. In each room, three students would stay, and fortunately, those three got the same room. The room was a cramped, lived-in dormitory quarter characterized by a mixture of institutional uniformity and the quiet clutter of its occupants.
​The most striking element of the space was the afternoon sunlight streaming through a large, multi-paned window at the far end of the room. There were two sturdy, dark wood bunk beds facing each other from opposite walls, flanking the central walkway. The beds were simply dressed with patterned sheets and standard pillows; a stray blue blanket sat crumpled on one lower berth. To the left, a large open window looked out onto lush green treetops, offering a brief escape from the confinement of the room, and to the right of the window, a second window was obscured by heavy, neutral-toned curtains. A small, faded, multi-colored rug sat slightly askew on the hard floor; a lone attempt to bring comfort to the sterile space. There were three small cupboards, enough to keep their daily clothes. After dropping off their luggage, they went to the college to attend the introduction class. At 4 pm, they came back to their room and arranged everything. Nis and Lia were discussing their room decorations, as they were very creative and liked to spend time on things like that rather than studying, while their friend, Lyn, was a bookish girl. She loved to write poems and stories, so she began writing about her day, which was not so special as it was just her daily routine.

'4:30 pm
​I did it today at last; attended my classes, made new friends, etc. I chose my favorite subject, Literature, while they chose History. The weather here is sunny and windy; I love it, though. The place is away from the city's traffic noises, which I've always been fond of...
​There is a forest almost three kilometers away from the campus. It's said that the forest is cursed. It's so deep and dense that locals do not even dare to enter it. By the way, I have to find out more about it, as I love discovering things like this. The forest is hiding some secrets for sure...
​Today, I had a strange feeling, as if I know this place very well... But I never came here, not even in my childhood days... It's as if I can't remember something... It was weird, but it's okay...'