My bed is roughly in the middle of the room. I regard the straw-filled mattress with slight disdain before removing the cute fibu and throwing my red cloak on the bed. The air of the dormitory is surprisingly brisk and not far from pleasant.
After a satisfying click-cck I open my chest to find coats, tunics, spare clothes, wax tablets, a golden stylus, wide strips of linen, and there is even some parchment tucked in the compartment at the inside of the lid. It was kinda hidden so I showed Hebe where to find it after locking back the chest.
''Thank you,'' Hebe says. She got bed number thirteen. ''Look under your bed.''
There are several pairs of sandals, two pairs of reddish-brown tall boots—that seem like would fit very snugly around my feet—below each bed. Also, a simple cy pot is pced closer to the chest.
''Welcome to the Academy girls.'' I almost forgot Caretaker Vitellia was here. I stand up and gnce to the side. The look in Hebe's eyes is simir to that of the other eleven girls. They remind me of pretty little birds stuck in a cage.
One of those three women that gave us the keys whispers something in Vitellia's ear as she passes next to her. ''All are present.''
Vitellia nods. ''We will speak more ter,'' she continues addressing us. ''Now is the time for you to talk to each other and slowly settle.'' Her eyes carom from one girl to the next while she speaks. ''The time you should use well for it will not be tolerated during bedtime. In the next few days, you will get things which you brought here from home.'' Caretaker Vitellia moves toward the exit. ''If...they passed the inspection of course.'' She waits for the three young women to leave before closing the new-looking door behind her.
After she leaves we are left all alone for hours before bedtime. They want us to get to know each other and adjust to new surroundings—that's my guess anyway. I'm in no mood to talk to anyone and so I further inspect the room instead.
Near the ceiling height, there are strange rabbit-sized holes, pced in various pces around the dormitory. They are easy to miss, but I noticed other rooms had them too. The trines especially had many. Most of the chambers shown to us had blue and green murals showing imaginary ndscapes and animals. Dormitory is no different. Fitting the theme of this whole pce, there is a mural of a grotto with calm turquoise water in the background and lush green pnts smudging the dark-gray rock. Pced above my bed.
Our time together was only interrupted when two female guards came. Sent by Caretaker Vitellia. They gave us all a decent amount of time to use the trines since apparently walking the corridors during the night is not tolerated. It was really weird having an armed escort while going to piss. An arrangement we are told is only temporary until we learn the yout.
After we came back I didn't bother talking to other girls, except Hebe. Fact which I will have to rectify in future days—my mom told me not to stand out in any way, and I will listen, just not today. Or is it tonight? It has to be dark outside. This pce is so disorientating.
Again, unease in my legs causes me to move and I prowl to see our schedule pinned on a rge board at the end of the dormitory. I could practice my eyes and try to read it all the way from near my bed but that would probably make me look weird. Two other girls are standing near the brown-green board. I ignore them.
The way I understood it from Imani is that if we don't pass certain csses this year they will follow us into the next like a bag of rocks. This can't be right. Strange. The schedule looks like something rgely taken from a military academy in Lodestar. Why such a heavy focus on the physical aspect? I don't even care anymore. Physically I feel exceptional but my mind ughs at that. How can I feel tired and not be tired at the same time?
