*Tick, tock, tick, tock…*
I jolted upright again, gasping for breath. Fuck, fuck, fuck… The dream ending of being drowned by tentacles (not like that, shut up) and having my lungs willed with water was not great.
…And like the faceless girl had said, I remembered everything this time.
Holy fuck.
Somehow the strangeness of it all didn't rattle me as much as it probably should've.
*Tick, tock, tick, tock…*
Early morning light drifted through my blinds. "Fuck," I breathed, clutching at my chest again.
I let my hand cover my forehead and just lay there for a while, my thin white nightgown clinging to my body, soaked in my cold sweat. I glanced up to my clock, slowly tick-tick-ticking away. It read 7:55. I grabbed my schedule again to check over my classes.
[Student name: Rien De la Fontaine (B)]
- (R) 19th Century Arcana and History (Proctor Doe) 9:30
- Arcane Engineering (Professor Choi) 11:00
- Lunch break 12:30
- Worldview and groups (Madame Rachel) 1:30
- Basic combat qualifications (Madame Rachel) 15:00
- Investigative Studies (See Councillor Nymera) 16:30
- Evening break 17:45
- Honours Calculus and Sciences (Professor Cieran) 19:30
A smarting headache tore across my head.
Se nd T o Fr it z.
I glanced around. There was no speaker. But was that what the faceless girl had meant by staying in touch?
I had to drop by the admin building sometime to do that. Maybe during lunch break?
I slowly rose from my bed and stood, raising my hands over my head to stretch in front of the mirror.
"Mnnnn~" (No, not moaning, shut up.)
My nightgown slipped past my shoulders, exposing my slim bare shoulders and collarbones to the early morning light. My gently tousled brown hair was even more of a mess today. The ends of the strands tickled my shoulders as I threw open the blinds, letting the entire room bask in the warm rays of light.
For a while I kind of just… sat there, staring at myself. The grey eyes set in my shapely, soft face looked greyer than usual, especially with the soft grey flesh bags that had started to hang underneath them.
"How'd I get here, being haunted by dreams of a faceless girl and a decrepit fountain? Haha~ And now there's those three weird students too," I mumbled to myself, still half-asleep. "No wonder I have black bags under my eyes."
Eventually I found my strength to grab a fresh change of uniform from my closet before heading out into the hall and closing the door behind me. The hall was lively with conversation today. A couple of other girls had their clothes with them, so I just followed them to the shower room. I caught a snippet of the conversation as I followed.
"Did you hear the news?"
"Yeah. The princess is coming to the academy, right?"
"Yep… gah, hopefully she doesn't make me look too bad."
"Hah—you wish. The only people in the academy who even hold a candle to her are Yuri and maybe Saph and Liam."
"I know~ but a girl can dream."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[A little while later]
"Phew." I walked out of the showers, cleaned, steamy, and changed. My hair had settled down. I dropped my dirty clothes off in my room before grabbing my messenger's pack and schedule slip.
Mother's revolver was still tight in my waistband, hidden by my suit vest. It was decently hidden, but it was kind of uncomfortable. If I was going to carry it around with me, I'd need some better way of hiding it…
Anyways, I left the dorm and made my way to the history building.
The morning air was tinted slightly by salt and ink, but it was brisk enough that I fully woke up from just the walk.
The history building was a large, apartment-style building with many windows and halls, with students already streaming in the double-doors. I shuffled inside, wandering the paper-and-ink smelling corridors before finding a room with proctor Doe's name on the plaque and entering.
I stepped inside.
There was no one there.
I didn't really take a look around the room and just slid into one of the seats in the front row near the aisle, placing my bag under my seat.
I was tired… Two days into school, and I was tired already, hehe.
*Tick, tock, tick, tock…*
The chrome clock hanging high over the massive projector screen at the front of the room told me I was 15 minutes early.
"…Better early than late," I sighed. It really was strange… I'd never been to school before, even if I knew some basic things and how to read and write.
…I guess I'd just have to get used to it. I tucked my arms in front of me and slumped over on the long, winding table.
Mn.
I could so go for a nap right nowww~ zzzzzz.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[A little while later]
"Good morning, class."
My cheek peeled reluctantly from the cool oak of the desk. I blinked blearily.
Sometime while I'd drifted off, the hall had been almost filled. Proctor Doe stood at the front of the room beside a lowered projector screen. The lights had been dimmed, and the projector rattled softly as its lamp flickered to life.
Dark bookshelves climbed the walls, crammed with leather-bound volumes. Between them stood glass cabinets filled with curious things—brass sextants, rusted rail spikes, even a miniature steam engine model ticking softly beneath a bell jar. The room smelled faintly of oil and old paper.
Quite honestly, it looked like some museum had exploded inside of it.
Proctor Doe adjusted his tie with the stiff irritation of a man who had decided he hated the day. "I am Proctor Doe, and I will be your lecturer."
*Ung-ung-ung*
The projector's lamp cast a pale glow across his spectacles.
"Before we begin," he continued, "There are some class materials for our scholarship students. Leviter."
*Ttak!*
He snapped his fingers. Several stacks of notebooks slid free from a nearby bookshelf. They floated across the room before dropping one by one onto desks.
I jolted as a stack landed heavily in front of me with a thud along with a black and brass pen. Blinking, I slid a notebook off of the pile and picked up the pen.
They'd been nice and given us fountain pens~
I uncapped one and stared at the little brass nib. My own tired reflection blinked back at me.
Proctor Doe cleared his throat. "Now that the Academy's obligations are satisfied," he said dryly, "welcome to Nineteenth Century Arcana and History."
He clasped his hands behind his back. "I expect punctuality, discipline, and utmost attention. If you wish to begin your time at Chrysanthemum with a good impression and even have a chance at attending the autumn ball, I recommend you behave accordingly."
His gaze drifted across the hall. "I expect you to take notes. Attendance will be taken at the end of class." His eyes narrowed slightly. "And note that I do notice when students arrive late."
*Cheol-keok*
A slide rolled into place on the projector and an elegant script appeared across the screen: MODERN TRANSPORTATION.
I flipped open my notebook and quickly scratched the title across the page without looking down.
…Journalism habits, ehe.
"Today," Doe started, "we begin with modern transportation. With the rise of steam and the mechanical industry, the nineteenth century has seen the emergence of several unprecedented modes of transportation."
"Can anyone give me some examples? How about you, in the front." His finger extended.
Behind me, a voice answered. "Yes, sir. Locomotives are an example—"
Another voice followed immediately. "So are steam-powered ships—"
And lastly, a third finished calmly. "And bicycles."
Proctor Doe pinched the bridge of his nose. "When I pointed at one of you," he smiled wearily, "I did not request a chorus."
A faint ripple of laughter moved through the room.
"Nevertheless," he continued, sounding thoroughly exhausted, "those answers are exemplary. Steam power allowed machinery and transportation to advance at a pace never before seen—"
My pen slowed.
Wait.
…Three voices in a chorus?
Three…?
I turned around in my seat.
A cold shivered down my spine.
Two rows behind me, the three strange students sat together. The one sitting in the middle was staring to the front, but the two other girls sitting next to her returned my gaze. Each smiled slowly in turn.