"Aria quit looking at the envelope and just open it already." Mrs Marie said, as she continued to wash the dishes, but mainly focused on Ariana instead of the pile of dishes ready to be kept.
Ariana kept looking at the envelope, she wasn't expecting anything so why an envelope for her? Or has the college she was applying for answered, instead of talking in her thoughts she unsealed the envelope and saw the letter folded and well tucked in, she got it out, hurling the envelope to the ground as she unfolded the paper, her eyes got wide when she read the sentence her eyes caught on, 'you have been accepted to Westmoore.'
"Westmoore, I never applied to any university called westmoore, and according to the letter It is very expensive..." Aria said gently, with a hint of worrisome in her voice.
"Let me see," her aunt Marie said, removing her gloves and placing it on the table, she wiped her hands on her apron as she walked towards Aria to see what she was worried about and when she read everything in the letter she was amazed. "This is good news, why are you gloomy, are you worried we can't afford it?"
Aria nodded cutely but her aunt chuckled, "why are you laughing." Aria frowned.
"Am very sorry sweetheart, it's say it's a scholarship not for us to pay now I want you to smile." Hearing these words Aria nodded and smiled hugging her aunt. "I'm so proud of you."
The drive was quiet, except for her little cousin sister humming some song Aria used to sing to her when she couldn't sleep. The hum made Aria smile and ache at the same time. When they reached the university, her uncle leaned forward behind the wheel, eyebrows raised. "Huh. I didn't think it'd look this old," he muttered. "And quiet. Is it supposed to be this quiet?"
"It's beautiful," Aria whispered.
Old stone buildings wrapped in ivy. Tall archways. Iron tall obsidian gates. It felt like stepping into another time.
Her uncle opened the trunk. "Are you sure you don't want us to help you carry your bag inside?"
"I can manage," Aria said, even though the bag was heavier than she expected. She always wanted to do things by herself. Just to prove she still could.
Her little sister ran to her, arms tight around Aria's waist. "Don't forget us," she mumbled.
Aria knelt, hugging her smaller body, breathing in the scent of home one more time. "Never," she promised.
Her uncle cleared his throat. His voice wasn't steady. "Call if you need anything. I mean it."
"I know," she said softly and smiled, she bid them goodbye and they returned it.
She watched their car drive away, shrinking into the distance, until it disappeared completely. She stayed standing there longer than necessary, her fingers trembling slightly from the weight of everything not just the luggage, but the fear of the unknown, the fear of time running out, and the quiet hope that maybe…maybe she still had enough of it left.
When she finally turned toward the campus, a cold wind brushed her cheek. The old gate creaked. As if welcoming her. Or warning. Her mismatched eyes caught their reflection in the glass entrance one brown, one an impossible shade of blue, which shined brighter and it got her confused. She blinked, Just brown again. 'Probably just the light.' she thought and she walked in.
Carrying her backpack to the receptionist session was just so tiring, "Uhhh I hate this heavy load," she sighed tiredly, "I should feel happy, I just got a scholarship to this dark..old and massive structures of a building," she walked pass the opened door and met the receptionist sitting with tired eyes looking at the computer, like an old woman whose eyes has already been cheated with life, she kept squinting like an old woman which made Aria to raise a brow.
The receptionist barely looked up when Aria handed over her admission letter, just slid a visitor badge across the counter with tired professionalism.
"Welcome to Westmoore University," she said flatly giving her documents of what she printed. "Orientation is in the East Hall after two o'clock. Dorm assignment is upstairs follow the blue lines on the floor."
Blue tape, peeling slightly, led all the way down a long corridor. It felt strangely old-fashioned, but maybe that was just how traditional schools did things.
Aria adjusted her backpack and followed the tape, passing tall windows and quiet halls. It smelled faintly of old books and something like rain that had dried years ago. And it lead her to a hallway, she saw a text imprinted on a paper, 'office of admissions.' She turned and saw her luggage down the stairs, "I hope they don't steal it."
She took a deep breath and entered the office and saw a man in glasses engrossed to the computer with shades of light reflecting on his glasses, making it impossible to see his eyes. "Um hello..." The man was still focused on the computer and she hits the table and his eyes snapped saying.
"Ohh..sorry....you are?" He asked.
"I'm Ariana Valerie.."
"The scholarship student, handover your documents," she gave it to him and the next minute he handed her an envelope and a key to her dorm. She was kind of shook he didn't ask her about her eyes or maybe he knew about the sickness since it was in her medical records, or maybe he just didn't look at her.
She took the keys and the envelope and the man just got back to what he was doing ignoring her presence, the anxiety she was feeling came to rest after she was given the keys to her dorms, stepping out of the office she saw students, some with backpacks, some with books and her luggage was broken. "No..!" She hurried down the stairs and saw the crack on the luggage, "I'll have to buy a new one, I should call Uncle Miles."
She phoned him and he answered, "um hey uncle miles, I know its early but, I don't know who the hell did this to my luggage so I need a new one." She said.
"Alright, I'll place a order as soon as I can." Uncle Miles said from the other side, "thanks," she replied and he hung up, she saw her face through her phone screen and realized she wasn't putting on her contact lenses to conceal her miserable eyes. "I'll have to put it on, glad no one notices me."