Torture

Hearing Rosie's blunt remarks on her uncle Henry Thompson, Regina burst into laughter. She laughed so hard, the other people walking in the corridor stared at her strangely as if she was creating some kind of nuisance, disturbing them.

"Regina, hush" Rosie inched closer to Regina and covered her mouth at jet speed. She should have kept her mouth shut in the first place.

She knew it was bad of her for calling Henry names but that's how he actually behaves, always saying it was for their safety.

They were not kids anymore, but Henry thought otherwise. Once someone saw you as a kid, you stay as a kid in their eyes forever.

Rosie dragged Regina as she looked for their room which was the last one on that floor. The dormitory had three floors, with hundred rooms on each floor. The design of the building was so confusing, one would get lost if they were absentminded.

Rosie stared at the number on the door and confirmed it was indeed their room and unlocked the door with the key given to them by the middle aged woman at the entrance.

Regina walked inside leaving her suitcase at the entrance and checked the room. The room had two beds and looked spacious enough for two people. There was an attached bathroom and even a small balcony.

Rosie opened the windows and let in the sunlight to warm up the room and the air to take away any odd smells lingering inside.

Their other luggage bags were already sent here a week before, and they now had four suitcases worth of stuff to unpack, including the ones they brought.

It was already lunch time and they were feeling a little hungry. So, they decided to unpack after lunch and went out of the room looking for the dining hall.

They walked for almost ten minutes, up and down the stairs before they found an arrow along with the words 'Dining hall'.

They followed the arrow to find a corridor that led them towards a small flower garden. Regina banged her head on the wall. She was so hungry from all the traveling and walking, she thought she would die if her stomach wasn't filled immediately.

Rosie looked around, appreciating the beautiful flowers. A moment later, she heard a grumbling sound that made her to look away from the garden.

"I'm so hungry. I want food" Regina pouted, swaying Rosie's hand in frustration.

"Alright, Let's look for the dining room" Rosie said, coaxing her friend to wait for a little while as they walked again to the sign they previously noticed.

They tried to follow the arrow again only to end in the garden again. They were so frustrated, they decided to go back to their room.

When they were about to walk away from the garden, they saw the same woman whom they met at the dormitory entrance.

They wanted to ask her for the location of the dining hall when two girls came upto her and immediately lowered their heads. They looked like two kindergarten kids who were caught for causing trouble.

"Miss Evelyn, we'll never do it again" one of the girls said in a scared tone. She was trembling from head to toe.

The other girl chimed "Please excuse us, Miss Evelyn. We promise we'll never repeat this again" She looked no better than the other one.

"I, Evelyn Ramsey had never once forgiven people who caused trouble for others. Do you know how many students have lost their way because of your little pranks? How dare you trouble the new students right on their first day in the campus?" The woman barked adjusting her glasses. As though she had eyes at the back of her head, she turned around and caught two naughty girls peeking at her.

"You two, what are you doing over there?" Evelyn beckoned the two girls who looked new to her old eyes.

"We can't find the way to the dining hall" Rosie calmly replied and Regina immediately clutched her belly as her stomach grumbled again.

"Look at these poor kids. It's all because of your stupidity. Now clean up the mess you've made" Evelyn glared at the other girls before turning to face Rosie and Regina.

"You kids, follow me" Evelyn walked in her two inch heels, with her back and shoulders straight like a proud soldier.

The girls followed her with Regina turning back once every few seconds. She then saw the girls from before cleaning the arrow and the words painted underneath the mark.

So, it was a prank played by the senior students and they had wasted half an hour time because of their prank.

'Damn you, people' Regina was so angry, she tried to mentally note the faces of those two girls. She would definitely take revenge on them later.

"I'm Evelyn Ramsey, the dormitory warden. You can come to me anytime if you have any problems regarding your stay here and also if any girls like from before trouble you" The girls heard the woman say with her back still facing them.

"Alright" The girls gave a simple reply. But, in their hearts, they understood they could really depend on her during hard times.

Evelyn brought the girls to a separate two floor building that was connected to the actual dormitory by a corridor. She also pointed at some other structure nearby which was actually a store maintained by the student body where they could buy snacks, toiletries and emergency stuff.

The girls thanked Evelyn before they walked into the dining hall. They quickly had their lunch and went back to their room.

The dormitory was so big, they had to walk for more than ten minutes and climb nearly hundred steps to reach their room from the dining hall.

"Oh God, This is pure torture" Regina slumped on the bed which Rosie cleaned and covered with clean sheets. She felt weak just by walking around the dormitory and didn't even want to think about the actual campus building where she had to attend her classes.

She indeed forgot that the whole campus area was as large as a thousand hectares with most of it being thick forest filled with all kind of flora and fauna.

Rosie felt the distance wasn't a serious problem. She actually enjoyed it. The greenery and beautiful flowers gave her a serene feeling and her mind was at peace which she never felt before when she was living in the centre of her bustling town.

She knew if she couldn't accept this place where she had to live for the next few years, then her life here would have no meaning.

She could call it her home, only if she accepted it wholeheartedly.