Taking a short glance over his shoulder, John observed the entirety of the dining hall once again, his ears twitching weakly from the bustling sounds. The clash of cutlery against the ceramic plates, the high-pitching and rough voices constantly changing due to puberty and the usual screams from one kid or another were like small needles piercing the boy's ears.
Retreating his look, John leaned his voice towards the girl by his side. "Is it my impression or is this place fuller than earlier?"
Hope calmly nodded in response to his question. "Almost everyone had eaten before we had breakfast. This is how the place usually looks like." She explained, taking one step further the line.
Taking a glimpse to the boy, while casually choosing what she would eat for lunch, Hope caught on the weak twitch on the young man's ears and his brow threatening to frown.
The young woman looked back forward, but didn't ignore what she saw. "Hater of crowds?" She softly asked.
"Not so much." John shook his head, smiling wryly. "It's just I'm still not adjusted to my senses. And I am kinda of stubborn to turn it off or even tone it down."
Slowly, Hope's lips curled up. "I see. Trying to take up everything and not be bothered by it, right?"
"Yeah…" John affirmed, pursing his lips.
She finally fully smiled in amusement at the boy's expression. "You don't need to sulk about it. Everyone who gets enhanced senses try that at some point. You are not the first to try and get bothered with the results." She said, grasping the handle of a big spoon resting on the corner of where the rice was. "I tried that too, of course. It's almost an event for every person with enhanced senses."
"Hm." John hummed softly. "And how did that go?"
"I gave up after 2 days." Hope plainly replied. "It is too bothersome listening to everyone. Even more so in my case."
"Comprehensible." John muttered, grabbing a glass cup and filling it with one of the available options of juice.
Leaving the long line of people, Hope stood up by the side, waiting for the young man to join her.
Her wait was short, with John getting to her side in a few moments before the pair walked away towards their 'reserved' table.
Along the way, through their short walk, Hope noticed something. Different from when there were only the two of them, John seemed to be a little stiffy in his movements. Nothing sluggishly at all, but some haltness in his movements. A small thing almost unnoticeable if not for how close she was to him.
When they arrived at their place, getting on to the same seats from earlier, John unconsciously snorted when he sat down.
"Are you bothered by so many eyes?" Hope asked, a little entertained to see the small relief on the young man's eyes.
John gave a tired smile. "Usually, not much. But I think it's the first time I have so many eyes on me." He commented, not needing to turn his head to know some people were still looking at him. "Normally it's just a few people stealing some glimpses because of my height and all, but this is new."
"Well…" Hope gave a long look at the young man sitting opposite to her. Her eyes went to his face then moved downwards to his torso before going upwards again. "You sure are handsome. Not to mention you seem physically built even through all these loose clothes."
John took a quick glance at his clothes out of instinct. "Sure, but I still think it's too much attention just for me being… physically attractive." He casually said, taking his fork and knife to cut a piece of beef he put on his plate.
"Must be your eyes." Hope murmured, looking directly at what she referenced. "They are very, very attractive," She paused, but just very shortly. "since they are golden." She quickly added to her previous words.
A little surprised, John blinked twice. His actions having a very clear meaning he caught up to something the girl said. Same girl who also noticed how he reacted to her words.
Was I too obvious? Hope inwardly thought, quietly eyeing the young man.
John reached his hand out, taking hold of a metallic napkin holder and held it in front of his face. He used it to take a look at his reflection, even if the metal made it a little blurry. And when seeing the golden circles on metal, John's lips pressed against each other before he dryly smiled.
"I didn't even notice they went back to normal." John said, pulling the skin under his eyes before letting it go.
Hope digested what he said shortly. "You mean that you had your eyes a different color?"
"Yeah." John exhaled sharply. "When did it go back to normal?" He whispered, thoughtfully and weakly rubbing his chin with his fingers.
"Why would you want to hide them?" Hope asked, inquisitive. "As I said, they are… beautiful." She unconsciously leaned closer to have a better view of his eyes.
"I thought it would be easier to blend in. It's not every day you see a guy with golden eyes and all." John glanced down on his meal through his explanation. "I had chosen to keep the color of my eyes before I changed. Well, not changed per se, since I-" John halted in his words. "Tsk, forget it. Just know when I arrived here, I had honey eyes."
Although Hope was aware of the boy's abrupt change in words, she decided to not question it and simply ignored it.
"And why did they go back to golden then?" She asked.
"That's something I am asking myself right now." John dropped his cutlery, looking at the wooden surface of the table for a moment while going through his mind.
Then, after just a few seconds of searching through his memories, his eyes widened slightly while he slowly looked up to look at the girl's face.
"What?" Hope said when noticing his stare.
"N-nothing. I just-"
Right at the beginning of his words, John found himself forced to interrupt them when someone – or someones – approached them.
"Hello~"
A voice surged from behind the young man, the reason why he stopped his words. He had felt someone stopping right behind him.
Listening to this high-pitching, feminine voice, John instinctively recognized it and guessed the person behind him. And even then, when noticing Hope's growing frown and only had it as a hint, the boy would have an idea on who could be.
Slowly, the boy turned his head and torso to his left, catching a glimpse of actually two people standing two steps away from him.
"Hello." John greeted back, giving a light smile to the blonde and brunette standing side by side.
In contrast to him, Hope kept her mouth shut.
Well. "May I help you?" John asked, keeping his smile.
The blonde girl beamed under the boy's words. "Yes. Hm, actually, no. Well…" Taking a quick deep breath, she restarted. "Hi, I'm Lizzie. And this is my sister, Josie." She barely gestured for the girl at her side. Same girl, whatsoever, holding an almost apologetic look on her face when looking between the two individuals sat by the table.
"We learned of your possible enrollment in our school. So… we thought of, you know, trying to befriend you." Lizzie declared, attempting to give her best smile at the end while she didn't wait for an answer and started to sit down by the boy's side.
Going around the table, to sit by Hope's side, Josie whispered a single word only the two could hear.
Sorry.
Lizzie, having her focus on the boy, didn't even notice the look nor the actions of her sister.
"So, I've yet to hear your name." She said, having almost zero attention to her lunch.
"It's John." The boy replied, slowly returning to his meal. "John Neo. A pleasure to meet you, Lizzie." He looked across the table. "Same for you, Josie."
"My pleasure as well." Josie smiled back, amicably.
"It's certainly a pleasure to meet you." Lizzie said, widening her smile. "So, how has been going on your tour around the school? I expect your opinion of our school hasn't deteriorated due to… bad behaviors." Not so subtly, Lizzie stole a glimpse at Hope.
Quietly, Hope forced a smile at the girl's words, trying to return her focus to her meal.
Talking about animosity… "Actually, it has been quite an enjoyable tour. My guide has been doing good at convincing me to stay." John looked at Hope, with her staring back. "Right now, I'm more than willing to take the opportunity." He said, giving a light but meaningful smile.
In response, Hope unconsciously smiled. She looked down on her plate, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
The sisters, observing the interaction between the two individuals by their sides, had quite some reactions to it, but one which both shared was the surprise directed at the behavior from the girl older than them.
Josie, particularly, had her eyes fluttered a few times as she directed her sight to Hope. Her eyes hovered over the girl by her side for quite some time before she slowly retreated her attention to her meal.
"I- I- I see." Lizzie said, stuttering with her words. "That is good, right? Right, Josie?" In search of someone for her words to rely on, she reached out to her sister.
"It is." Josie nodded, though weakly before turning her attention away from her sister. "By what you are saying, I sincerely hope your decision will be the one so you will be our colleague."
"Well, I have decided to answer to your father after lunch, so you will have that answer in a not so long time." John said, continuing to enjoy his meal.
However, amidst his words, the twins caught something that picked their interest.
Josie slightly tilted her head to the side. "So you guessed our father is the principal." She murmured, reaching her hand out to her cup of juice. "Was it the fact we got out of his office in pajamas that revealed it?" She asked, giving a mischievous grin before drinking from her cup.
"Actually, it was the fact that I overheard your conversation with him this morning." John muttered in response.
"Ghk-!" In sheer surprise, Josie choked with her drink, making her quickly put down her cup. "Cough, cough!" She rested her hand over her chest, trying to regulate her breathing. "Wh-what did you say?"
"Sorry." John forced out an apologetic smile. "I'm still learning to use my senses and ended up eavesdropping on your talk from earlier, for that I'm sorry."
When she processed the boy's words, Josie's eyes were cast down, a little bit of redness crawled up her cheeks from embarrassment. She used her left hand to cover her face while slowly picking up her meal with her fork on the right hand.
As for Lizzie, she stilled in her seat, holding a blank stare down her meal.
Noticing the two girls' reaction, John calmly retreated to his meal, his sight glimpsing very shortly the satisfied smile on Hope's lips as her eyes were directed at the blond girl.
[Line Break]
"Attention, students. 10 minutes to T1." Was the last of the three warnings transmitted by the school's audio transmission system to alert the students of the ending of lunch break.
Rather quickly, Halls, rooms used by students and dormitories thinned in number of individuals present, while classes and laboratories filled up with people all over the building.
And among the few who were not in a rush to move were a young man and woman sitting by one of the few sofas present in the school's main hall.
"Do you also have permission to miss the afternoon classes or will you also have to rush out?" John asked, facing Hope who sat by the other edge of the furniture.
And to his question, the girl just smiled bitterly. "I think I'll have to go for these ones. I don't have much to show you anyway, not to mention you will see Dr. Saltzman right now." Hope said, putting down one of her legs in preparation to stand up.
"Well, I can't do much." John nodded in understanding. "At least accompany me to his office?"
"What are you, a child lost?" Hope asked, raising her brow.
"No, I just like your company." John said, smiling in return to her words. With little strength, he pushed himself up. "So, would you like it or not?" He asked again, reaching his hand out to her.
Taking a look at his hand, Hope thought for only a moment before slipping her hand into his, using it to help her get up from the sofa. And for a brief moment when standing up, she still held it before releasing.
Covertly, John stole a glance at his hand. It is… very smooth. He inwardly said, quickly putting the thought away before facing the girl. "Let's?"
Quietly, Hope just nodded before walking ahead first, with the young man quickly following behind her.
The walk wouldn't be long, considering the way from the main hall to the headmaster's office wouldn't take more than five minutes even if the pair walked at a slower pace. And through half of this walk, the two teenagers just casually walked side by side, enjoying each other's silence.
However, when approaching a certain distance from the office, one of the two decided to break the silence they found themselves in.
"Can I ask you one thing?" John abruptly asked, immediately getting Hope's attention.
Taking a glimpse at the boy while slowing her steps, Hope bowed her head in response. "Sure, what do you want to know?" She asked back, gently.
The boy matched her pace. "As a student of this place, what is your opinion of it?" John asked, slowly and equally soft. "Do you consider it a good place to be?"
By the end of the young man's words, Hope stopped in her steps, spinning on her heels to face the boy, with the latter doing the same. With the halt of their movements, silence overtook the empty corridor as the echo of their steps vanished.
"I guess that's the ultimate question, right? For your decision." Hope muttered, smiling weakly when seeing the boy nodding in affirmation.
Unconsciously, Hope found herself glancing down on the floor, crossing her arms and thinking over the question given to her and the answer she should give. Her eyes changed, from an even look to a more thoughtful one, narrowing slightly.
She exhaled profusely when glancing up once again, facing the young man. "Well… I guess I don't have much to say, at least from my part. This school is a good place, comfortable. I spent half of my life here." Hope casually looked around the corridor, her eyes stopping by the archway connected to the main hall.
"Your tone, it's like this place has no big meaning to you." John commented, not diverting his eyes from the girl.
"I guess that's the sentiment I might give off." Hope said, pressing her lips. Swiftly, she returned her sight to the young man. "But how can I say it… this place-" She looked around again. "it has lost the glow it once had in my eyes."
Well… that's surprising. With a little resistance, John held within his reaction of surprise towards Hope's words, keeping an even face. I really expected something different. "Then, you don't recommend it?"
"Never said that." Hope's lips curled up when she answered him. "You asked my opinion of this place, and I answered it. As for the answer for your question if this place is good or not, I will say: Yes, it is."
"Seriously, girl. You are confusing me."
"Hehe, I might be doing that." Hope lightly chuckled. "Just telling you how I feel about this school. I don't know what you are looking at by enrolling here. If it's just a normal education, knowledge and a place to settle for the moment, then I recommend it. Anything else and I don't know if this choice is the most suitable for you."
John's brows raised in realization of the girl's words. "I see… Not to expect an adventure or something, is that what you are saying?"
She laughed again. "Yes, you can say that." Slowly, Hope turned her body to the direction they were previously walking to. "It's going to be 11 years this May since I enrolled in this school. Initially, I found this place magical. This image I had of it was elevated due to the circumstances I got here. Different from how it was my life before, I could interact with people my age here, study normally, have fun and-" Hope paused, noticing something. "Yeah, I had friends." She said, seeing the narrowed eyes of the boy.
"I didn't say anything."
"Hmph." Hope snorted in annoyance, but her expression quickly retreated to an even one. "It was before everyone learned about who I am. Until two years ago, almost no one here knew I was a Mikaleson." A weak sigh escaped her nostrils. "Actually, it was after that moment I started to see this school for what it was, not picturing it as a magical safe place I was sent to because another shit happened to my family." Her eyes met the young man's, a swirling of emotions deep inside them. "Just a school, a good enough place for me to spend my days in whatever normalcy I can seek out."
Well that certainly was a lot for someone who had not 'much' to say. "Hm…" John hummed in contemplation. "So, is this a good place?"
Silent for a few moments, Hope stared off into space before her gaze once again met the young man's face. "Yes… it is."
"That's a good enough answer." John nodded, looking to the side. "We should continue. Don't want to drag you with me for so long."
"Okay…" Hope said, softly. She resumed her walk, but her steps weren't fast.
The young man's steps were equally not fast, just enough to match her own pace as they walked side by side.
Just like before, the latter half of the way was met with silence from both of them, only the echo of their feet against the tiles of wood and crackling sound of said wood were heard by them.
However, different from a few minutes prior and this current moment, a different sentiment lingered in the silence shared between both teenagers – they were more comfortable and approachable to each other despite none making effort to actively seek these sensations.
Stopping before the same door he looked at for the first time this morning, John turned his head to the girl. "Thanks for accompanying me."
Hope huffed humorously. "Did you already come up with your decision?" She asked, a bit of curiosity and even expectancy showing up in the girl's eyes.
"I did say I took a liking to you, didn't I?." John said back, giving off his usual light smile.
In response, Hope didn't even notice when a satisfied smile bloomed on her face, the corners of her lips stretching along her cheeks. "That's good." She said, her features clearly brightening. "Then, see you later?"
John nodded. "See you later, Hope."
The girl, listening to those words, kept smiling as she spun on her heels, walking away from the young man. At a mere glance, any person could comment on her being in a more radiant mood.
Witnessing her distancing figure, John put up his right hand over his face, scratching his cheek. Hehe… it seems I really took a liking to her. He thought, knowing quite well about whatever he was feeling. Ah… let's deal with it as soon as possible.
Knock! Knock! "Dr. Saltzman, it's me, John!"
"You can enter." The man replied from the other side of the door.
And so John did, twisting the door's knob, pushing it as the office of the headmaster revealed itself to him. A very illuminated room due to the large windows behind where Alaric sat.
"It is good to see you again, John." Alaric greeted the young man, putting away some paper he had in his hands.
"Thought I wouldn't even appear again?" John asked, closing the door of the office.
"There is the chance, I'm glad it didn't come up to that." Alaric said, doing the gesture for the boy to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "So, I presume your tour with Hope was to your liking, then?"
Slowly, the boy nodded. "Yes, it was… good, very good. She was someone I enjoyed spending some time with." John sat down on one of the chairs, making himself comfortable.
When he lifted his head to look at the headmaster, he noticed the man held a smile.
"That's good to hear." Alaric commented, retreating his smile, though the corners of his mouth were still lightly curled up. "Then, what was your answer?"
Taking a deep breath, John stilled his stare at the older man. "I don't see myself enrolling here as a problem, but I have a few requests. I just don't know if you are willing to hear them."
"If they are not against school rules and I find them reasonable." Alaric said, pulling one of the drawers by his side, retrieving a paper from it before closing it. "I don't know if Hope handed one of these to you or relayed all the main rules of the school to you while taking." Seeing the young man shaking his head, Alaric handed out the pamphlet. "Then, it would be better if you took a look at it."
Seeing the paper, John reached his hand out and grabbed it, taking a casual look over it. There was nothing eye-catching in the front, just an image of the school's front yard and its name written.
To see more of it, John opened the pamphlet, immediately seeing what Alaric wished him to see as soon as he opened it.
As a student of the school, it is sternly prohibited the following actions… John started to read down the text. The consumption of human blood; The school will provide any sustenance needed by the student. Practice of Magic outside school perimeters unless faced with the absolute need of its use for protection, which shall be later decided if it was properly used. The passage of the full moon outside the school's gates… The boy kept reading, finishing the pamphlet in a matter of seconds. After all, there was just a few rules, probably the most important ones, in it.
"Nothing going against what is here." John said, putting the paper over the headmaster's table.
Alaric seemed content to hear it. "Then, tell me of what you wish."
"Well, first… I stated before that I am 16, but I want to go to the last grade in the case I enroll in here." John said, leaning back on the chair.
"Hm, may I ask why this choice? That way, you are only going to have to experience only half a year of study. Actually, less."
"As I said, I don't want to spend much time here. I want to explore the world, and I am not willing to wait more than six months for that." John replied. "Not to mention, I believe I am smart enough to skip one year of school."
"Is that so?"
"Hmh." John nodded, nonchalantly.
Cheeky bastard. Alaric thought when seeing the young man's expression. "I can accept that if you prove to me you have such knowledge. I'll see for you to make a test later." He said. "What else?"
John smiled. "I want a room only for me if possible. Hope said she did have one only for her, I want to see if it's possible for me as well."
Listening to the request, Alaric thought of it for a moment. "I can arrange that. We have a few available rooms. However, I don't believe Hope mentioned to you that for you to have a room only for yourself, you must pay a tad more, right?"
Almost immediately, John's eyes went vacant. "She… didn't."
"We can see it later, if you want." Alaric suggested.
"Please…" John pursed his lips, holding down a sigh. "Well, actually, my last request is also actually a problem you will face if you really want me to enroll here."
"Then I can guess what you mean by it." Alaric quickly said. "Is it the fact you apparently have no documents or registration in the world?" He asked, putting his hands over his desk, cupping them together.
"It seems you already know." John smiled, dryly. "Yeah, there is that problem."
Alaric nodded, agreeing with the young man. "I would like to know why of that as well. I'm really intrigued to know why you apparently have no documentation or anything like that available."
"My parents are rather reclusive?" John said, though not much convincing from his part.
But as he listened to these words, Alaric took a look at the back of his office, taking notice of a faint blue light quickly diminishing.
He is telling the truth. "It's kind of hard to imagine you lived through all your life without a single document."
"Not that I lived without them. I just learned recently they just weren't… true, you know?" John forced out a smile, clearly not very comfortable on the topic.
Alaric paid attention to that same blue light and took notice of the boy's behavior, frowning upon the boy's declaration. So he is saying he didn't know his life was partially fake till a few days ago? "How did you study? Did you attend any school?"
"Yes."
"That's good." Alaric said, going over his mind. "I guess there won't be any information about you I can get there as well, right?"
"Hehe." John dryly laughed.
"Sigh…" A long, chastened sigh escaped from Alaric. "Look, John, I won't try to probe much more of your life. You seem like a good kid, if the small time you spent here means anything. I won't question you of your origin, of your background or how things are like that, but I want confirmation." The tone hold by man's voice changed slightly. "I want to know, is your presence going to bring any trouble to my school? I want that confirmation because no matter how much I wish to help you, I have a hundred other people relying on me to secure them from whatever is out. And right now, you are an incognito. We know nothing of you. But because of who I am, I must also give you a chance." Alaric's voice was rough, steady and a little bit authoritarian. "Can you promise me that you aren't going to bring trouble to my school, not its students and anyone innocent related to it? Can you promise me your existence won't bring misfortunes that you are aware of to endanger this school's status?"
By the end of Alaric's words, the man was found sitting straight in his chair, eyes unblinking as he stared intently at the young man on the opposite side of his desk.
And John, who was on the receiving end of this severe stare, kept his eyes focused on the man as well, going through the words he said in his mind.
"Yes." Was the simple answer the young man delivered after a short moment of silence. "I can promise you I will not bring trouble to your school nor misfortune." John said, his voice carrying a tone of serenity as well. "And though it may not mean much to you, I promise that I will help the school if it eventually comes to face a problem, to the best of my current abilities."
After the boy ended his words, a quick light of blue color glowed a few meters behind him, taking Alaric's attention off the young man's eyes shining for a single moment.
"That's good…" Alaric said, exhaling profoundly. He felt some relief. "I will help you to the best of my abilities. I can make you documents, but I will need your help. I can at least assume you know some of your information like birthplace and birthday, right?"
Perceiving the older man had relaxed by his words, John chuckled. "Yeah, I can help with that."
"Good." Alaric said, reaching out his phone. "I will need you here to fill some papers and tell me about your abilities and such. In the meantime, I will see someone to get us the tests to see if you can really skip one year. We'll be here for quite some time."
"No problem." John nodded in understanding. "Can you also ask someone to get me a snack?"
Calmly, Alaric opened one more of the drawers in his desk, retrieving something from it and throwing it to the young man without even looking at him.
Catching it, John looked down on the chocolate bar the headmaster handed him.
"Be quiet about it. The last thing I want is my daughters knowing I have a hidden stash."
"I don't even know what you are talking about." John said, ripping open the plastic.
[Scene Break]
It really took some time to get everything ready. John thought, looking out at the darkening sky. School day had long ended, he could listen to people retreating to a building he still didn't go to, the dormitories.
Looking down, John's gaze locked on the keys in his right hand. It ended up with me enrolling… well, it's no Hogwarts, but I can accept spending a few months here. At least I will get my diploma. Actually… An idea crossed the boy's mind, but he quickly shook it off.
No, not worth it. Sure would be cool to have a diploma from the most famous schools and colleges in the omniverse, but I sure as hell don't have the will in me to do that right now. Who knows, maybe in the next million years? The boy thought, walking into the main hall.
"Well… it seems you accepted." A voice came in John's direction.
Calmly, John lifted his head to look at the person he was starting to get familiar with. Well, more her than him.
"Hey, Hope." John waved at her, seeing the young woman rise to her feet from one of the armchairs placed around the area. "You already noticed, but…" He raised his keys to her, spinning them around his index finger. "Guess what, we'll be colleagues."
The words of the young man brought a smile to the girl's face. "I am happy to hear that, really." She said, patting him on the arm.
John gave a quick look to her action, but didn't linger on it. "Hey, want to help me find my room?" He asked her, stopping spinning the keys. "Want to set down my things."
"What things?" Hope honestly asked. She looked at the boy's hands and saw he carried nothing with him.
"Right… I have to deal with the fact I right now am entitled only to the clothes I arrived yesterday and the things Dr. Saltzman provided." John commented, holding a blank look. "Damn, I'm poor." He added, trying to entertain himself with the fact somehow.
"If you want help, I can lend you some money." Hope said, feeling some pity at the boy.
"That would help." John said, resuming his walk. "But it's not necessary, I will try a few things first."
"Are you sure?" Hope asked, following him by his side.
"Yeah. I just need enough to get the basics for now." John replied. "I mean, clothes, food and shelter are provided, so I just need now a phone and I will be happy." He added, trying to tell her she didn't need to worry. "But you didn't answer my question. Will you help me find my room or not?"
Hope rolled her eyes at the boy. "Yes, yes, I will." She said, reaching her hand out. "Give it to me, let me see what room you are in." Before waiting for the young man to give her the keys willingly, she took them out of his hands. "Let me see, you are-" By reading the number on the key, Hope went silent, staring at it for sometime while she continued to walk.
"Hm, what is it?" John asked, seeing Hope's lack of reaction.
Though her response was not immediate, Hope shook her head after a few moments. "It's nothing." She said, looking up at him. "Come on, I know where your room is." Quickening her steps, Hope passed by the young man, walking in front of him as she took the lead.
In silence, John followed her, her steps guiding them both to a hallway connected to the main hall, where both took up a staircase leading to the upper floors of the main building.
Looking up at the girl ascending the stairs, the young man's eyes instinctively lowered a little. Be respectful, John. Respectful. The boy repeated in his head, like a mantra, before climbing the stairs as well.
"Second floor?" John muttered, seeing Hope not stopping by the first floor.
"Yes." Hope said, her hands running up the handrail as she ascended the stairs. "Dr. Saltzman didn't tell you even this?" She looked over her shoulder to the young man.
John shortly shook his head, glancing down the stairs as he also climbed them. "No, but he had a smirk on his face when he handed me the keys." He said, resisting the urge to raise his head. "Honestly, I thought he would put me in some corner of the school when I asked him to have a room all to myself."
"Not a fan either of sharing a room?" Hope asked, looking forward.
"Just not used to it. I wouldn't wish to share a room with someone I don't know." John replied, his feet turning to the right. Does this stair never end? "How about you? Sharing your room with someone else?" The boy asked, trying to create some small talk to pass the time.
"No, I also have a room only for myself." Hope replied, her hand sliding to her side. "We arrived."
Thanks, God. John thought when taking the final step to reach the building's last floor, the girl standing by his side, having waited for him. "Which way?" He looked at the three paths before him: Left, forward and right.
"Here." Hope stepped forward, taking the corridor ahead of her.
Along the corridor, the pair passed by a few doors, less than half a couple actually. What captured the boy's attention was how spaced each door was to the other, letting have an idea of how big each room was, at least in this floor of the school.
"We arrived." Hope declared, taking a step to the side to reveal to the young man, who has been walking behind her, a door of scorched color. "This is your room." She said to further confirm, reaching out her hand with the keys in them. "Why don't you go take a look?"
The young man's response was a simple smile as he retrieved his keys. Standing before the door, he sorted through them before finding the one which apparently fit into the keyhole.
Pushing the key and weakly twisting it, both heard the sound of the lock opening.
Click!
Without further ado, John raised his hand and placed it on the knob, twisting it before pushing the door open, revealing to him his new room.
"Whistle…" Was his first reaction when witnessing what laid behind the door.
Before having sight of the place, the boy already had speculated how big the room would be, but when seeing it, he was further surprised. Despite the huge bed settled in by the left wall and the wardrobe by its side, enough space was available in the room.
Just ahead of him, clear to see when opening the door even if behind silk curtains, John could see a double-door of glass and wooden frame separating the room and a balcony which apparently gave the owner of the room a view to the backyard of the school.
Flip! Moving up his finger, John switched on the room's lights, illuminating the partial darkness it was bathed on.
"Worth every penny." John muttered, taking a closer look at the place as he stepped inside the room. "Is that a bathroom?"
"Yes, rooms on this floor have personal bathrooms." Hope observed the young man walking to the right side of the room, going into a space she couldn't see, but was aware of what it was. "And are you gonna pay? Didn't you, as you said in your own words, have nothing?"
"Yep to both." John's voice echoed from the bathroom. "And before you ask, I struck a deal with Headmaster Saltzman. I will pay… at the appropriate time." He said as he walked out of the secondary space of the room.
Hope narrowed her eyes at him. "If you say so." She said, evenly.
"Woof!" John threw himself in the bed, letting the comfortness of the bed kill the impact. "Damn, this is good."
"I know." Hope commented, still standing by the door. With clouded eyes, she observed the young man attempt to drown himself in the bed. "Hmph." She scoffed humorously. "I'll leave you alone to settle for the moment. I also need to go and do my things."
Listening to it, John slowly sat down on the bed, looking at Hope from it. "No problem." He said, putting the pillow to the side. "Thanks, Hope, for being my guide today. Helped up a lot."
"Don't think much of it. I am glad I could help." Hope said, dismissively. "If you need anything, I will be by the next door." She added, turning around.
"Okay." John nodded. "Wait, what?" The boy blurted out, but the girl already walked away.
Getting out of the bed and walking to his door, John observed as the girl stood before a door not so far away from him, being the closest to his room.
"We are neighbors, apparently." Hope said, opening her door.
Unconsciously, the boy smiled at her. "That's… good. Very good."
"I agree." Hope stepped up into her room, only keeping her head outside. "So, new neighbor, shall I see you soon to have dinner? I can't think of having a meal alone anymore."
"It would be my pleasure." John said, the smile not fading from his face.
————————————————————————————————
Sorry for the wait, pc almost went boom.
In case you wish to support me and read 3 chapters ahead, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n and donate me your power stones
patreon . com / Endless Phoenix 186 (remove the spaces)