Peaceful Nightfall

Alice didn't know what reaction would come from him, but she was glad that it wasn't negative. The students at the academy were legitimately wealthy individuals who were destined to make an impact on society later in their careers.

She came from humble beginnings and was content with her life as is. Alice didn't want to complicate matters, but when the chance landed right in her hands, she might as well take it.

She was planning on going straight into a university after completing her college entrance exam. But she still had high school that she needed to get through before even thinking about university.

Her high school plan was to go to one in her district, not anything too fancy. To be able to to go the INVU academy was completely out of her mind.

Alice didn't know what to do with her life yet, although she was contemplating what her major would be in college. She still didn't know, but it wasn't a stressor since there was still a lot of time. Until then, she hoped the ideas would crystalize with time.

Mr. Beckham folded his hands in front of him. "You can't afford the schooling?"

"Yes, Mr. Beckham," Alice confirmed.

"That is okay. It is why I have prepared a scholarship in advance looking for the perfect students for the academy."

Alice wanted to laugh at the man's optimistic attitude, and she couldn't detect any ulterior motive. She would think that the academy would have advisors that were stoic and haughty, but the dean was the complete opposite.

Would it be so selfish of her to dream once? Alice sighed. It wasn't like he was looking directly for her though. She shifted her zoned-out gaze from his shoulder to his face, and Alice ended up slowly nodding when she realized that he truly did want her to take the test.

"If you do pass, Ms. Marozi, I assure you that the academy will be able to financially support you during your time there as long as you keep your academic grade point average among the ninth percentile of the school."

Alice covered her mouth from shock at the high expectations, but it would make sense for the prestigious academy to live up to the hype and rumors of the rigorous expectations.

They wanted the best of the best with no exceptions, especially if she was going on a scholarship. She couldn't tell if it was her vanity or her self-confidence that made her know that she was going to do well.

She clenched her fist. "I will pass."

Mr. Beckham smiled. "I sincerely hope you do. I'll escort you to a seat give you a briefing of the rules."

She remembered the entrance exam to get into the academy to be extremely hard. The testing period was over five hours, and she had to take it into the night since she started late.

Alice had never had to think so hard in such a short, yet long period, racking her brain to try and find every useful knowledge she could remember from the moment she was born until that point.

Her pencil dotted in the last answer, and she didn't have any time to go back and check the answers. What was done was done.

Mr. Beckham collected her sheet and got her phone number and email to message the results if she had passed. Alice was being quite boastful about saying how she knew she would pass, now that she thought back to her actions because she had always been one to reach out for a challenge. Nothing came easy for her, but she tried her best to come out on top.

It was late winter, soft flurries blowing in the air and clinging to her dark hair, three months later when she finally got her answer. Alice pulled open her email on that fateful day waiting alone at the bus stop to get picked up for school when she clicked the email from Mr. Beckham himself to congratulate her for getting in.

Alice dropped her phone that day. The screen shattered, hitting smack on the center of the phone, as it flipped out of her hands with cars whizzing past. And she had to pay for the repairs herself since she had just gotten a new phone after waiting years for an upgrade.

That wasn't fun. But she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that her name was written at the top of her admissions letter that ended with congratulations.

The center had information about the scholarship itself which had a large price tag that rivaled those of a higher-class university. With shaking hands, she picked up her phone when she saw the bus come up the street.

She needed to call her parents. Alice didn't tell them that she took the entrance exam yet since she did it on a whim. When she got her rejection letter, she was going to laugh it off with them.

Her parents celebrated with her that evening, going out to her favorite restaurant and causing a ruckus. Her mother was shocked at first at her news, but she soon came around when Alice explained that she got a full scholarship.

Her father immediately picked her up and spun her around. Alice slapped his shoulder telling him to put her down since she wasn't a baby anymore. Her parents laughed at her while Alice huffed out an irritated and embarrassed breath from all the eyes on them.

Alice smiled at the memory from a couple of years ago when she was a nervous wreck, and her eyes shifted up to see that Noah had finished his work and was just watching her. She straightened her back and tilted her head, making Noah bring a hand to his hair, running his fingers through the soft strands.

"Done?" she asked, as she started to shuffle her papers. Alice didn't plan to do most of her work down at the store anyways since she tended to study better in the confines of her bedroom.

"Yes. Thank you," Noah answered. "I hope that I didn't bother you too much. I would normally ask someone else."

Alice waved her hands, signaling that it was fine. She understood that he wouldn't reach out to her normally, but despite it being unexpected, she enjoyed spending time with him since it gave her a glimpse into what he was actually like. He just tended to silently step on her toes most of the time during school which drove her insane.

"It's okay. I'm glad I could be of help."

Nightfall had come now that the white LED lights of the convenience store came on and the dark sky with the stars hidden from the tall skyscrapers, as they were located right near the center of the city.

Noah lifted his briefcase and tossed it over his shoulder as he stood. She ended up trailing behind him when he walked out the sliding glass doors, hitting the corner of the block with her hands linked behind her back. His back was still to her, but she called out to him.

"Get home safe."

He lifted a hand to her without turning his back, and Alice sighed, now that the exhaustion from the day finally caught up to her. Noah disappeared as he turned the corner, and she shivered from the cold night air of the early beginnings of spring where the snow had just gotten to melt fully. Alice sprinted back into the store, her boots clicking on the sidewalk, trying to find refuge.