COLOR CODED

I was just staring out the window of my room here in the dorm. I had just finished reading the book that contained information about this school. It was not that interesting.

I sighed and headed to the cabinet where my clothes were stored. Most of my clothes were dresses, but I also had pants and shirts. We also had the school uniform, which I must say was cool.

The school uniform for girls was a plain red blazer, a long white sleeve inside, a plain red above-the-knee skirt, white knee socks, and ankle boots. For boys, it was a plain red blazer, a white long-sleeved polo inside with a red necktie, plain red pants, and black shoes.

I picked up the peach bouffant dress I saw and headed to the bathroom to change.

This world had similarities to the world I came from. I wasn't that surprised anymore by the new things I saw around me because it seemed normal to me now. Was I slowly adapting Siarah's persona?

I sighed again before stepping out of the bathroom. I was done changing.

I felt like I was losing interest in everything. All I wanted was to rest, but here I am now, burdened with responsibilities by fate.

Should I blame Siarah or the fate?

"Siarah? Are you ready? Let's go!" I heard Avery say from outside the room door.

I looked at myself in the mirror. After a few moments, I found myself staring.

"Siarah..." I whispered while looking at myself in a full-body mirror.

White skin, average body, black cold eyes, long maroon hair, thin lips, a long nose—almost, no... a perfect physical appearance. Siarah was blessed physically but not mentally.

Will I go back to being Elena? Or will I just be Siarah until the end?

"Siarah?"

I snapped back to reality and quickly headed to the room door. I stepped out and saw Avery. She looked beautiful in her pink halter dress.

We made our way to the living room, and everyone was there. Callie looked really pretty in her yellow pouf dress. It suited her blonde hair perfectly.

We were going to the cafeteria now for dinner. The cafeteria served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We could also choose to get food there and eat in the dorm, but for now, we would eat there.

"We have color coding! How cool! I'll guess your powers. Since I'm the nature user, Kuya Levi is the water user, Niko is the earth user, right? Then Callie is the animal user, Kal is the wind user, and Siarah—" Levi interrupted Avery.

"Let's go," he said seriously and started walking ahead. The rest of us followed.

"You always do that, big brother! Seriously!" Avery said, sounding annoyed.

I noticed some difference in Levi. He had black hair and blue eyes. He was probably the water user, so his hair should be blue.

Avery has her green hair and eyes. Callie has her yellow hair and eyes. Niko has his brown hair and eyes. Kaleb has his gray hair and eyes. And Levi has his blue eyes but black hair. As for me, I'm also different—maroon hair and black eyes.

The boys were both wearing colored jeans based on their hair color, but Levi was wearing blue, and they were all wearing plain white t-shirts. Simple, but cool enough to look at.

Levi and Kaleb walked ahead, while the four of us followed behind. Avery was holding onto my arm again. I just let her because maybe if I resist, I'll get hurt or killed in the process.

As expected, as soon as we entered the cafeteria, all the attention of the creatures around us was on us.

I expected magic, but I didn't expect to see other formed creatures around. There were so many here, and the cafeteria was huge. I remained silent and just walked.

"As expected, there are Yrena among them. What do you think? Looks like I can take her down with just one punch," I heard some unpleasant words from unknown creatures around.

"Just let them be, Siarah," I heard Avery whisper to me.

So being a Yrena was really a big deal here.

We reached our reserved spot in the cafeteria. We sat on chairs with symbols representing the kingdoms. The table was round, and after a while, someone served food to our table.

I just stared at the prepared food. I didn't see anything familiar, but they looked delicious.

My companions started eating, and they seemed to be enjoying the food. I also took some food. It seemed like they had meat, vegetables, and fruits, but they had unique shapes.

I didn't show that I was surprised and immediately took a bite of the food. After a few moments, I could taste the delicious ingredients in my mouth. It was different, but it was worth the taste.

While eating, we heard various noises around us. As expected, it was still a cafeteria, so noise was inevitable.

I paused in my eating when I heard a loud crash. I didn't bother to look where it came from. What do I care?

"You're so stupid! Pick up the food from the floor and eat it! As always! It's nothing new for Yrena to be dumb and foolish!" I heard a female voice shouting.

I paused at what I heard. I'm here to study, not to engage in fights, so I calmed myself down. I continued eating.

As Siarah had learned, all the students here came from the five kingdoms. Each student had their own abilities.

"B-But... the food is dirty," someone replied timidly.

The surroundings fell silent, allowing everyone to hear the conversation clearly.

"So what? Will you eat it or shall I turn you into a worm?" the woman threatened. It seemed like she was bullying a Yrena girl. I could tell from her voice. I didn't turn to look and continued eating, along with my companions.

"I-I'm sorry..." I heard another girl say.

"Fine, I'll accept your apology if you ask for help from your beloved Yrena Princess. There she is, not caring about you. Probably because you're worthless."

The surroundings remained quiet. It seemed like everyone was waiting for my reaction or response. My companions at the table continued eating as if nothing happened.

"If that was a compliment, thank you. But if it was an insult, I don't need it. You should keep it," I said before taking another bite of my food.

"See? You really are a Yrena. No respect at all. Are you really that stupid?" the woman said.

"I wonder who among you lacks respect now?"

I looked at the person who spoke, Callie. Silence filled the surroundings. I didn't hear the girl who was bullying earlier speak again. It seems that even in this place, bullying still exists. I don't want to engage in fights, especially since, as Elena, I always stand up against bullies.

No one deserves to be bullied, and nobody has the right to bully others.

---

"Should I thank you?" I asked. She gave me a beautiful smile and looked at me.

"It was nothing. Besides, she has no right to say those things to anyone."

"Really? Yrena was known for those words, so I couldn't blame her for that—" I was cut off.

"But you're not really like that, are you? You were not stupid and foolish. I could feel it," Callie said softly. I smiled.

"You should always be like that. Smiling suits you." She smiled back.

They didn't know the cold Siarah, and they seemed nice, so why shouldn't I smile?

"Okay, I'm going to sleep. You too," she bid me farewell.

We were in the living room of the dorm, while the others were already in their rooms. I nodded at Callie, and she entered her room.

I wasn't sleepy yet, so I decided to go upstairs. There was a staircase in one corner that led to the rooftop of our dorm. This dorm, reserved for royalties, was the only one with a rooftop. Well, I was still fortunate enough to inhabit Siarah's body, but everything was still new to me.

"Couldn't sleep?"

I turned to my left when I heard a voice.

"Kaleb... I thought you were in your room," I whispered.

"Just call me Kal. It sounds cooler than Kaleb," he said and walked closer to me.

He looked ahead, so I followed his gaze.

"The view is beautiful, all the lights and the dormitory roofs," he said and chuckled softly.

"The sky is beautiful too," I said, looking up at the sky. I saw numerous stars and a moon. Could this place be connected to my world? It's possible.

"What are you thinking?" I heard him ask beside me.

"Nothing. I was just wondering, what if I were just an ordinary being? What would I be doing now?" I kept my gaze on the sky.

"Same. I've thought about that before, but we have no choice. We were born to be like this. I'm already content with it, and you should be too."

"I was also content... before. I'll try my best to be content now," I said, looking at him. I saw him looking back at me.

"That's the spirit," he said with a smile. I smiled back.

"You should always wear that smile. You're not as cold as I thought you were," he said and laughed softly again.

"Don't you find me insignificant? Everyone doesn't like creatures from Yrena, how about you?"

"If you gave me reasons to hate you, I would still find at least one reason to like you."

His smile never left his lips. Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat at his words. W-Why is that?

"Aren't you going to sleep yet? It's still early for classes tomorrow."

"Ah, yes. How about you?" I asked in return.

"I'm going to sleep too. Shall we go down together?" I nodded.

We descended from the rooftop together and headed to our respective rooms.

A lot has happened today, and tomorrow or in the coming days, even more will unfold. I hope... I can face everything with the remaining memories and knowledge of Siarah, with her memories and knowledge as my ally.

---

I slowly opened my eyes as I woke up to the sunlight shining on my face. I blinked and looked at the open window. It seemed like the windows in the rooms automatically opened. From what I remembered, the window in my room was closed, and no one would dare enter because it was prohibited.

Oh right, the book mentioned the automatic window opening to wake up the students.

I shook my head and got up from bed. I immediately headed to the bathroom and took a shower.

After getting ready and putting on my uniform, I examined myself. I looked great, and the uniform suited my appearance perfectly. It was incredibly beautiful, especially in its red color.

"Red suits you perfectly! It's undeniable for a fire user."

I turned towards the door of my room, and there stood Avery.

"Sorry for entering abruptly. They've already left, and I was wondering if you could accompany me to the cafeteria. I was planning to get our breakfast," she added. I smiled and nodded.

I walked towards her, and we left the room together. There was no need to bring bags or papers to the classroom; that was one of the things mentioned in the book I read about the school.

"Oh? Why are you still here, Kal?" Avery asked when she saw Kaleb waiting for us near the living room entrance of the dorm.

"I'll accompany Siarah instead. Levi asked you to go ahead. Don't worry, I'll take care of her and our breakfast," Kaleb said.

"Is it alright?" Avery asked, looking at me.

"It's alright. Go ahead, we'll handle it," I replied.

"Alright. Just follow right away, okay? Take care!" Avery quickly left the dorm, seeming to run.

"Let's go?" Kaleb invited. I nodded and exited the dorm ahead of him. He closed the door, and we walked together towards the cafeteria.

"It seems like you're starting to enjoy being close to me," I said to him as we walked.

"Is it that obvious? You're the only one I've talked to among our group. If it's awkward for you—"

"It's fine, you seem fine to be around," I interrupted him.

"It also depends," I heard him say. I didn't say anything further and focused on walking.

I also noticed other students walking around, seemingly heading to their classes.

Oh right, they also have schedules in this place, but they don't have dates. The book mentioned five days of classes and one day off. It's confusing, but I have to remember.

"What do you think would be a good breakfast?" my companion asked.

I also noticed the stares of other students around us. Each of our uniforms had symbols indicating the kingdom we came from. I also noticed the colorful uniforms of the students around us, which was explained in the book.

Uniform codes—red for royalties. The rest of the colors are based on ranking. From the highest rank ability—black, violet, cyan, and orange—the lowest.

"Are you listening?"

I snapped back to reality at Kaleb's question.

"I said, what do you want for breakfast?" he asked again.

"Just anything. Ask if there's a reserved breakfast for royalties," I told him. He nodded.

"Okay, wait here. I'll approach the counter," he said and left. I didn't protest and stayed at the table where we sat last night. I stood by the side of the chair, looking towards Kaleb who was already at the counter.

"Look who's here! An alone pet."

I remained silent and kept my gaze on Kaleb. After a few moments, three girls suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking my view. I couldn't make out Kaleb anymore because these three girls, whom I didn't recognize, were in the way.

"Do you think I'll back off because you're part of the Royalties? And do you think I'll stop just because your companion sided with you last night?" the girl in the middle angrily said. Her voice sounded familiar—yes, she was the one from last night.

I looked at her carefully. Aren't witches supposed to be enemies? Why did a witch end up here?

She was wearing all black, especially her outfit. Her two companions were also in all violet. Seriously? They looked like witches with their appearance.

I caught a glimpse of Kaleb leaving the counter with lots of food, so I was about to move from my spot when the black-haired girl grabbed my arm.

"I'm still talking to you!" she exclaimed.

I quickly pulled my arm away from her grip, which surprised her.

"How dare—"

I swiftly cut off what she was about to say.

"I didn't have time for some childish fight, Miss. So excuse me," I said sternly and coldly, causing her to fall silent. She seemed like she was about to speak again, but I immediately turned my back on them.

I quickly took some of the food from Kaleb so that he wouldn't have trouble carrying it.

"Did something unpleasant happen?" he asked me with a furrowed brow.

"Nothing," was my simple reply.

Although he seemed curious, he didn't ask further questions, so we continued walking out of the cafeteria and towards our classroom.