Mira's POV
This new hostel was no joke, I must insist.
I honestly felt, I was at a hotel when I tried getting my room number at the reception.
I mean, what hostel even has a reception? They have warden rooms and the main office, right?
Or am I just being a low class naive?
Anyways, I learnt that I was going to share a room with a roommate.I patiently carried my baggage up and knocked on the door, even though I had the keys.
If there was someone already residing in that space, I was only intruding. I was trying to be as less hostile as possible. After all, I had come to the place for a little peace.
" Did they not give you those damn keys? "
A half awake voice, flung the door open.
She was wearing a t-shirt and matching shorts. Her hair was silver and tied up in a messy bun. She was at least a few inches taller than me and she stood there, staring me up and down, from behind a half rimmed glass that she was wearing.
" Ummm, Hi, I'm Mira. Ummm, well I do have the keys but I didn't want to intrude on your privacy... "
" Oh! Cut the crap. We are going to share a room for the next couple of weeks. I can tell you are no rich heir, nor am I. We were not born with the privilege of privacy dear. We got to get on that crowded bus and shove our way out on the next stoppage. So leave that formality out of your bag. I am sure you have a lot of other things to fit in there. "
She went and sat on her bed with a thud. Legs stretched towards the ceiling and hands hanging out of the window.
One thing was sure. I had a lot of it stored for me, and topping the list was insanity.
As I silently began unpacking, I noticed she was snoring so loud. It was in the middle of the day but one would think she had been awake all night.
" Don't you need to go register yourself? "
I thought of asking her but she looked dead actually. I silently slipped out of the room and went to look for my way towards the main campus.
I was handed a map when I asked at the reception for directions.
How big could a school be?
I scoffed in my head as I opened the map.
It made me immediately gasp.
Was I going to a school or to a theme park?
As I wandered into the absurdly enormous campus, I half expected a butler to swoop down and offer me a velvet rope to navigate through this maze of splendor.
Like honestly. The "Language Arts Center" looked like it had been built by a team of literature-loving architects who couldn't decide between a castle and a library, so they just went with both.
I was staring at it with such an absent mind that I accidentally bumped into a student wearing a monocle and a top hat, who shot me a look of disbelief.
"Oh, terribly sorry, I was just, you know, using this map to..." I muttered, scurrying away before he reported me to the 'Ministry of Manners.' It wouldn't be absurd to have such a department in a place like this.
Next up was the "Science Sphere," where it seemed that test tubes and beakers had decided to have a grand duet, and the periodic table was arranging its protons and electrons into the latest dance craze. As I ogled at the spectacle, I inadvertently collided with another group of students discussing the ethical implications of a lab experiment gone awry.
"Apologies, didn't mean to interrupt your debate... " I bowed again and again before backing off.
It seemed like I was going to be that way for the rest of my term. What a pathetic place to be in, trying to run away from my demons.
But wait. This was not all. The pinnacle of absurdity awaited at the "Culinary Coliseum," where chefs in chef hats the size of satellite dishes orchestrated the preparation of dishes so extravagant, they probably had their own agents. Just a peak from the outside was enough. I had no intention of getting any closer to that nightmare. For people like us, food was life but here, food was a form of art.
I was already hating this place.
Then finally, I reached "Equestrian Elegance Arena," where horses pranced about with more flair than a Broadway cast. A particularly regal stallion trotted by, giving me a side-eye that screamed, "You don't belong here."
"Apologies, your highness, I didn't mean to disrupt your daily dose of horse aristocracy," I muttered, shuffling away with the grace of a penguin in tap shoes.
At this point, I was half expecting the campus peacocks to burst into song, singing a melodious chorus about my obvious lack of breeding. But hey, at least my shoelaces were blending in quite nicely with the soil on the ground.
I guess I had finally found my place.
" Hey, you, over there. Are you lost? "
The voice from my back, almost startled me.
A young man walked towards me, with a whistle around his collar and he had a navy blue and orange track suit on.
" Yes, I think. I guess so. "
I replied, trying to look around and locate where exactly on the map, I was at that moment.
" Are you an exchange student? "
He asked with a smile.
The first warm smile I had in that place.
" Yes. " I nodded.
" That way. You need to go straight left and turn right at the next island. You need to get yourself registered first. When you have your student id card and all the passes, you can come back here. I will be happy to give you a tour of this place. "
He said, pointing towards the stable and the practice grounds beyond that.
" I am an assistant coach here and this is any athlete's paradise. "
He smiled again.