Chapter 3: Seperate Worlds

*Esmerelda*

I wanted to know was there something wrong with the president of student union. But Rosalind couldn’t tell me more. The only thing she could tell me was staying away from him because he was not only cold and indifferent, but also as severe as a demon. Whoever broke the rule, he would lock them in the underground to get punishment.

I appreciated Rosalind’s warning and swore to stay away from this boy.

I settled into my room quickly, partially since everything I brought with me could fit in an over-stuffed duffle bag. I shut my eyes and tried to sleep. Despite the fact that the sheets were soft and the pillows as fluffy as pillows, I had a hard time falling asleep. Each time I fell asleep, I would wake up about a half hour later.

This went on for the whole night until the sun came up and I finally gave up.

I slipped out of bed and rubbed my face tiredly. My whole body felt heavy and my head hurt but thankfully, I didn’t have class until the next day. Today, I could relax and just prepare myself for my classes.

I went into my lavish baby blue bathroom. It looked like something fit for a princess with silver curly cues painted around the mirror. I washed my face and tied my long, wavy hair back into a simple ponytail.

I went back into my room and nearly jumped when I found Rosalind sitting in my plush arm chair. Her eyes widened when I stumbled back slightly in surprise.

“Oops, sorry!” she said. “I knocked on your door but you didn’t answer and I was a little worried. I decided to just wait here since I could hear you in the bathroom.”

I took a deep breath in, trying to calm my racing heart. I supposed I was still a little jumpy and the lack of sleep probably wasn’t helping. “Oh, no problem,” I said with an embarrassed grin. “Sorry, I just didn’t hear you come in. Did you need something?”

Rosalind starting to say something but then she frowned at me. “You look exhausted. Did you not sleep well?”

I could feel heat build in my cheeks and I averted my gaze. “Not too well,” I admitted but then I waved casually in her direction. “But don’t worry about it. It had nothing to do with you. I just have trouble sleeping when I’m in a new place but I’ll get used to it.”

Rosalind frowned worriedly but then she nodded. “Just make sure to let me know if there is anything I can do to help,” she said and then her eyes lit up. “I have some really good tea that helps me when I can’t sleep. I’ll give you some tonight!”

I smiled, feeling warm inside due to her kindness. It wasn’t at all like the fake kindness I had been shown over the last few years. I could tell she was actually being genuine. “Thank you,” I said warmly. “I really do appreciate your kindness, especially since I’m new. You’ve already made me feel welcome.”

Rosalind’s smile widened. “I’m really glad you’re here,” she said. “I think I mentioned it earlier but I was getting pretty lonely being alone in this dorm for the last few weeks. A lot of people who have their own dorms were excited. I feel like I’m the only one who didn’t want to be alone.”

I laughed. “Well, you seem like a really social person so I guess it makes sense that being alone isn’t your favorite thing.”

Rosalind nodded. “True,” she said. Then, her eyes lit up again. “I thought I could give you a tour of the school! Are you up for it?”

I really wasn’t but decided I couldn’t really say no and plus, it was probably beneficial for me to know the layout of the school before classes began.

Rosalind wasn’t just friendly, she was also talkative. She chatted the whole time she led me around the school, even if she wasn’t telling me anything about the campus specifically. By the time we got to the gorgeous garden, I knew her entire family tree and the twenty-six cousins she had.

The garden had a maze made of hedges that were covered in pretty purple flowers. We explored and admired all the plants before making our way to the main part of campus to the dining hall.

My jaw dropped at the large fountain square right outside the dining hall. Rosalind giggled at my expression.

“You’ll love the food,” she said before winking at me. “It might actually be the best part of being student here.”

We filled our plates with stewed meats and roasted potatoes and veggies before going to a large table. The half dozen guys and girls there all waved at us, greeting Rosalind excitedly.

“This is Esmerelda,” Rosalind said, placing her plate down so she could gesture at me excitedly. “She’s new and she’s also my roommate!”

“Nice!”

“Wecome!”

“You’re gonna love it here!”

I had been nervous to meet Rosalinds friends but they seemed extremely warm and friendly as well. I supposed I should have expected that from my bubbly roommate.

They weren’t just nice but they also seemed to be genuinely interested in my situation. They all gasped when they learned I was in the night school.

“Is that allowed?” one guy asked. “You seem like a day school kind of girl, no offense.”

“Why would that be offensive?” the girl sitting next to him asked, rolling her eyes. “We’re all in the day school.”

They started to banter playfully and I found myself laughing along with them. Maybe I would be able to get rid of the shadows that my stepfather cast over my life after all.

On our way back to our dorm, Rosalind decided it would be a good idea for me to see where the gate leading to the night school was. It was appropriately getting dark as we took the dim walkway between the two campuses.

I gazed up in wonder at the carved iron gate. It was quite massive, with vines wrapping around the iron and concealing our view of the inside.

“Try to open the gate,” Rosalind urged. At the perplexed look that I gave her, she gestured more firmly toward it. “You should be able to enter since you’re a student there. Go ahead and try!”

I nodded a bit nervously and approached the gate, only to be stopped by a stern-looking guard. “Only a student of the night school may enter,” he nearly growled.

I was tempted to turn and run but held my ground. “I am a student of the night school.”

He raised a skeptical eyebrow but held his hand out, palm up. “Let me see your student identification card.”

I pulled it out of my bag obediently and handed it to him. He looked it over carefully, his eyes widening ever-so-slightly. He clearly had not believed me. He handed the card back to me but he still looked unfriendly. “The gate cannot be opened until a half hour before classtime and a half hour after to allow students to leave.”

I nodded. “I understand. I will return at the appointed time.”

“Once opened, the gate will only remain so for ten minutes,” he warned me. “Be sure to be on time.”

I nodded and backed away. “Yes, sir.”

Rosalind and I walked quickly away, trying not to make it look like we were running. I could feel the security guard’s eyes on my back.

“Sorry about that,” Rosalind said, clearly feeling guilty. “I didn’t think they would be that cold to you. Even when you proved you were a student, he still wasn’t very nice.”

“You couldn’t have known,” I said before letting out a long breath. “I’m just glad that’s over with and it was important for me to see it so I’m more prepared for class tomorrow.”

Rosalind nodded. “It’s weird that you’re living in my dorm building,” she said after a long moment. “Only day school students live there.”

I grimaced. “Yeah, I was supposed to be in the day school I think but we weren’t able to sort out the schedule. Maybe I’ll be moved later, who knows?”

It was odd how strict everything was. Why was it so important for these schools to be separated and for the school to go to such great lengths to keep it that way?

I was ready to collapse when we got back to the dorm, the lack of sleep and all of the excitement quickly catching up with me.

Rosalind shut the door behind us as we entered. “There’s a welcoming party this evening. Would you like to go with me? There’s gonna be good food and dancing!”

I didn’t have the heart or the energy to tell her that I didn’t really like dancing that much. “I’m still pretty tired from not sleeping well so I think I’ll turn in early. I hope you have fun though!”

Rosalind pouted. “Are you sure?” she asked. “I do want you to rest but I’ll feel bad leaving you here alone while the whole dorm building will likely be at the party.”

“Don’t worry about me,” I told my roommate. “You have fun. I’m going to be completely content here resting. I need to get my sleep schedule on track before class tomorrow so I should try to nap until eight or so.”

I had no intention of waking up at eight but I wasn’t going to let her in on that information.

After a little more convincing Rosalind finally left me alone after giving me some of her special tea to drink.

It took quite a bit of effort just to put on my pajamas and brush my teeth after Rosalind had left for the party. I barely recall turning off the lights and slipping underneath the covers, my body feeling like it weighed a ton.

I had already dozed off when I heard a creaking sound, almost like my bedroom window being opened. I tried to open my eyes but it was as if I was in sleep paralysis. I couldn’t bring myself to lift my eyelids.

I tried several times before I finally succeeded. I gasped when I saw a pair of blood red eyes staring down at me, almost pressed up against my face. I was so terrified that I couldn’t even scream.

Then, my world went black.

I gasped and shot up in bed, terror filling me. I blinked hard and glanced toward my window to find that it was morning. I shook my head in disbelief. What a short but terrifying nightmare. I shuddered delicately, trying to calm myself.

It was only a dream.

I stood up and left the room, needing to assure myself that everything was fine. It looked like Rosalind was gone. Maybe she already left for her morning classes. I thought I had heard something last night but it had to be my imagination.

I returned to my room and started to fix my bed, freezing when I spotted something on my pillow.

There were two strands of hair against the soft fabric, a golden brown color that definitely didn’t belong to me.