Rumie groaned for the teeth time, her nerve getting worked up each second.
How could a prestigious school be like this? Her eyes snapped open facing the whiteness of the ceiling.
"And you know the funny part? He didn't notice." She laughed, and the others joined her. Their voices echoing through the dark night.
The whole universe was against her for not only did she get to be caged in here, she was given free boxes of speakers as roommates.
She sat up from her bed, her eyes squinted against the dark room, save for the faint glow from the lamp on the floor.
Amy was up standing, her hands in a gesture as she explained whatever it was for the others. One was seated, ear perk in excitement as she listened and the other just lay on the bed lazily scrolling through her phone. None spare her a glance.
"Please, can you guys be a bit tune down. I am trying to catch some sleep here," She said.
Amy's eyes landed on her briefly but went on talking. Sophie looked up from her phone, spared her a glance and then went back to her phone.
"Come on, it's still too early to sleep. Besides, it's not our voices that are keeping you up. You've been like this since we came in," Gia said.
She hasn't.
She had been sleeping when the three pushed open the door noisily as if they had never seen nor used one before. Then came the nosy chattery.
Amy shot her a look of annoyance.
"It seems you are no longer interested in the gist. I should retire then," Her voice drew.
"Of course we are interested. Carry on." Gia's attention snapped back to Amy.
Her lip curled in a smirk and she continued.
For a moment, Rumie thought about seizing her voice. She could do that. Well, at least she thinks she can. But, it would seem harsh and petty.
Rumie drew in a breath. Maybe she was the rude one here.
Considering it was their first night together, far from their homes and comfort, it was the most normal thing to do.
Get to know your roommates, especially as they were going to be spending 6 months, which was equivalent to one hundred and eighty days which was further equivalent to four thousand three hundred and twenty hours which was also equivalent to two hundred and fifty-nine thousands, two hundred minutes and was further equivalent to fifteen million…
'It's okay, it's okay, I get it, you are bored,' a voice interrupted her thoughts. She knew that voice from anywhere. Dux.
She glanced at the group to check if any of them heard the voice as well but they all seemed to carry on without any sign of change.
'They can't hear me,' it whispered in her ear and she turned around to see it on her bed.
Her legs dropped on the floors as she jumped down from her bunk.
The cool maple sent shivering through her spine.
She scanned through the room in search of her flop, she had left it where she stood.
"Are you looking for those?" Gia called to her. She turned to see them at the far end of the room.
How had it gone there? Amy raised her hands in a mock surrender against her glare.
"I don't want it close to my area." She said it wasn't just her area, it was both theirs.
Not wanting to waste words on her, she leapt to the flop, her feet crawling to fit into them.
"Hey you are not supposed to be out. It's past 9:00pm." Gia's voice called after her figures as she shut the door.
The night air hit against her skin, as she stood in her pajamas.
Dux was nowhere to be found. She had expected it to follow her as she exited the room.
"You know it's no use fighting it, right? Just accept your fate." She turned to her side, her eyes sweeping over the figure which looked exactly as her.
"How does it even make sense? Since when did you encourage me to settle for the bare minimum?" She replied.
"I'm not. But your mom is right. It's your fate to be here." Rumie sighed. Why was 'fate' mentioned a lot lately to her?
It was the hundredth time it was mentioned to her today and if she heard anymore of it, she was going to pull out her hair.
She flopped onto the stone bench. Her head in her hands.
Of all her seventeen years on earth, nothing was as difficult as this one she was now faced with. This puzzle which seemed to be stopping her breath even before it reached her mouth.
"You mean it is also my fate to have mean humans as roommates?" Her voice dripped with void.
Dux settled beside her. Its hand patting her hair.
"Why don't you ever use a hair net?" It asked. She lifted her face to meet it.
"I'm not falling for that. It's not working."
It was a common trick Dux would use with her, to lighten up her mood. But today, she didn't want to feel any form of happiness. Not when her career in Art has ended before it began.
Dux sighed leaning on her body.
"Sing me a lubbaby. I'm sleep deprived." Its eyes snapped shut.
If one saw her now, they would think she was already asleep but it wasn't. It doesn't sleep. Spirit doesn't.
All it was trying to do was to distract Rumie.
"Fine! How do I deal with them because they are getting on my ner..."
"Shhhhh. I'm trying to sleep here. I'm sleep deprived, remember?"
"You don't need sleep, remember?" She mimicked its voice
"Sleep is for mortals and you are anything but that."
"Whatever." It sat upright.
"You will figure it out on your own dear."
'Figure out on her own' really?
Rumie held it gaze and she felt her heart drum in her ear. This was a challenge. For whatever prize she did not know.
It was the very first time she was allowed this free, abandoned and unguided.
From her early age, even as a fetus her mum read to her. Through her early childhood she had rules and regulations guiding her, her every movement, both the one seen and unseen.
Then came her spirit guardian who seemed to protect and shield her from any harm or misstep.
And when she actually needed her most, it felt she had grown enough and ready to take on the real world on her own.
But she was only seventeen. How could she possibly know everything on her own?
"Ever wondered if the bond you rejected is still there?" Its voice snapped her back.
She looked ahead.
She never did. Not until now.
It was supposed to work. She had promised her it would unless…
"How is it related to my situation?" She asked. It wasn't another attempt to distract her, was it?
"You once said that you had a dream where you saw yourself as a student here. It was a premonition."
"My visions could be tricky at times. Sometimes they could mean nothing."
"You know our mother would never let you lack especially if you ask for it but here we are. Trap." That is right. It was her very first time of desiring something and not getting it. Ever.
The night grew quieter around her along with dread crawling through her spine at the thought of a what if.
She was once told that she had a mate but had never met with him. Could he really
be the reason she was here?
But she had rejected him. She carried out the ritual herself. The scar on her left pinky was her evidence.