🎬 FADE IN
(Soft alarm ringing. Birds chirp faintly in the background.)
VOICE (half asleep, amused):
"Uhmm… would you mind turning that off?"
(Ringing continues.)
"Oh come on, good puppy — turn the alarm off, please…"
(Alarm still rings. She sighs, sits up, and hits the button. Silence.)
There. Peace.
Until I opened my eyes — and there she was.
Bell.
My little white poodle.
Tail wagging. Tongue out. Face full of mischief.
"Oh Bell, when will you ever learn?" I muttered, laughing.
She leapt onto my bed, cuddled close, and gave a tiny whine — like she was telling me "you're late."
I smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I know… big day."
---
(Music begins — gentle, light guitar and soft piano.)
College.
A fresh start.
A new chapter.
For once, it actually felt like the world was opening up instead of closing in.
---
I got out of bed, stretched, and headed to the bathroom — humming under my breath. The mirror caught a face both nervous and ready.
Ten years ago, I was just a quiet kid watching her world crumble — a father broken after my mother's death, a home filled with strangers, and a stepmother who made "evil" look like an art form.
But that was then.
Now? I had Aunt Maggie. My mother's sister. My rescuer. My chaos, my calm.
She called it kidnapping. I called it freedom.
We'd moved a dozen times since then — new cities, new faces, new "fresh starts." But this time felt… different.
This time, I was actually excited.
I quickly got up from my bed and went to take a shower and got read
---
(Cut to kitchen scene — sunlight through the window, warm breakfast smell.)
Aunt Maggie was already there, frying eggs like she owned the morning.
"You're up early, sugar. Everything okay?"
"I was gonna make breakfast," I said, pretending not to smile.
"Oh, please. You'd burn the kitchen again," she teased, sliding a plate toward me.
We laughed.
It felt good — normal, even.
Then her tone softened.
"Lene… my office called. I have to go on a field assignment. Three months."
My fork paused. "Wait — what?"
She raised her hands gently. "Before you panic — you're staying in the hostel. Bell can go with you."
My jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Bell in a dorm?"
She nodded. "She's better behaved than half the students I've met."
I couldn't help it — I laughed.
A real, wide, happy laugh. "You're serious?"
"I am," she said. "This is your chance, Lene. New friends, new life. Just… be you."
And for once, I believed her.
---
(Scene shift — the sound of an engine starting, the hum of the road.)
We drove for hours.
The trees thinned into hills. The air felt lighter — like the world was waiting for me.
Somewhere between music and motion, I drifted to sleep.
A dream flickered — faces I didn't recognize, voices I didn't understand.
A woman's voice whispered:
> "The light has returned. Look at her eyes."
A horn blared.
I woke with a start — Aunt Maggie was honking at some reckless driver.
"You okay, sweetheart? You look pale."
I nodded quickly. "Yeah, just… dreaming."
"Then dream good things," she said with a smile.
---
(Soft music builds — hopeful and curious.)
The car slowed. The gate came into view.
Iron vines curled into letters that read:
"Belgivial Feathers University."
I pressed my face against the window.
It was beautiful — sprawling courtyards, towering buildings, a statue of a queen reaching for the stars.
"Auntie," I breathed, "it's perfect."
She smiled, but her eyes glimmered with something unspoken.
"This is where I leave you, pumpkin. Go make this your story."
I hesitated. "You'll call, right?"
"Every day," she promised.
(A light kiss on the forehead. The car door shuts. The sound of her engine fades.)
---
I stood there with Bell on her tiny leash, my backpack slung over one shoulder, and a grin I couldn't hide.
The air smelled like new beginnings.
Students laughed in the distance.
And for the first time in years… I felt free.
I walked through the gates and whispered to myself —
> "Alright, world. Let's do this."
(Music swells — cheerful, adventurous, with a hint of mystery.)
As I passed the statue of Queen Selene Alpha Carnis Majoris, sunlight struck the scepter in her hand.
For a moment — just a flicker — it glowed.
I blinked.
Then smiled.
Maybe college really would be an adventure.