The Elementalists

49.

It seemed like a beautiful dream. There was no garden. I always enjoyed a garden... but with a huge tropical forest as a backyard, that would just feel overkill. A patch of organisation offsetting the chaos. My eyes wandered over to the jungle as I thought about it. Thick tree trunks seemingly decades old adorned with vines. The forest floors was littered with dry leaves and barely any vegetation because the tree cover was so thick. I looked up, half expecting to see monkeys there but ended up staring into the eye of a very colourful bird.

It cocked its head as it stared back, holding my eye for a few seconds before letting out a loud caw that made me jump. Feeling slightly embarrassed that I'd been scared by a bird, I turned my attention back in front as it flapped away.

Wafi was just winding up, I could see a slight furrow in his brow I recognised as irritation. What had happened while I was spaced out?

"Alright, enough droning on." His brow eased out a bit. "I'll leave you guys with the staff so you and your... partners?" He turned to look at Rhaeya to confirm he was right. She nodded boredly and he continued. "Your partners will be led to your rooms by the staff. There will be an activity in the evening, but that's about it. You're all free till then!"

Our entire class cheered and I couldn't help a couple of whoops as well. The water looked seriously inviting, and the only reason the sun was bearable was due to the fading winter. The girls and boys were separated, amidst protests, into opposite sides of the mansion.

At best, we were a class of barely thirty. And with two in each room... I think we'd only occupied about half the villa. It's size was even more impressive on the inside. Huge, vaulted ceilings everywhere. There was impressively stitched tapestry everywhere we were led to alongside paintings that were probably very antique, very exclusive and very expensive. The walls glowed with soft light from carefully placed lighting fixtures.

It made me marvel at how Wafi grew up. Amidst all this? Surroundings like this? It might just be the way I might've grown up, but the decor felt almost... stifling to me. I preferred a more minimalistic style, usually decorating my own room out in no more than three, or maximum, four shades. My art tastes were also a bit more... modern, I'd like to say but some of these paintings were actually amazing to behold.

Rhaeya called out names, and assigned each pair of girls a room. I'd have to share a bed with Christine. One glance at her face told me she wasn't too pleased about the prospect either. Or it might've just been the redness of her face after having lugged her suitcase up three flights of stairs. Almost all the girls looked like that right now.

I dumped my rucksack to the side of the room, beginning to unpack it. Christine cleared her throat behind me to catch my attention. I pretended to ignore it. Only when it got worse enough so sound like she might possibly choke on the fresh, tropical air, I twisted around and threw a cough lozenge at her.

She yelped as it hit her smack in the centre of her head, and I turned smugly back to my unpacking.

Lunch was served buffet style. People picked up plates, their favourite food and stood around chatting or sitting on the several antique pieces of furniture littering the huge mansion. I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, so I didn't linger around for long, especially when Wafi made an appearance and started to mingle with my peers. I gobbled up whatever was on my plate, took my dessert and hurried back up into my room.

The best thing about having your brother own the place meant being the only one having the password to the super-speedy WiFi with none of the twenty-something others you've travelled with slowing it down.

Christine shook me awake a couple of hours later, distaste clear on her face. "Come on, it's activity time." I didn't even realise I'd fallen asleep.

I cocked an eyebrow as I slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eye. "I'm surprised you didn't just let me sleep in and get killed by Rhaeya."