Chapter 5 Roommates

ROOMMATES

ELARA

I took slow and gentle strides toward my dorm, replaying the incident from earlier in my mind. I had only just resumed classes and was already at the center of bullying by four girls. What had I done to attract their attention? And why did I feel such a strong connection to them? It was as if something was pulling me toward them, an almost physical force.

With a sigh, I walked into the room but jerked back immediately when someone jumped on me. My heart froze.

“What the...??”

“Surprise!!” a girl with pink curly hair exclaimed, beaming with a smile and laughing joyfully.

“Glad you could join us!” the other girl, a blonde, added, equally cheerful.

Their striking resemblance left no room for doubt—they were siblings.

“Join you?” I raised my eyebrows slightly, still fidgeting, my books clutched tightly in my arms.

“Yeah! We’re your roommates. I’m Sonia!” the pink-haired girl introduced herself, extending her palm toward me, her smile still bright.

I struggled to digest the news. Roommates? No one had informed me about that.

Forced to smile, I walked to my bed, only to find that they had rearranged the room and added two more beds. As I passed the blonde, I noticed she had been watching me intently—arms crossed against her chest, silently observing.

“And this is my twin sister, Sophie,” Sonia said as she bounded to her sister’s side, giggling.

“Cut it out and go take care of things over there,” Sophie snapped, pointing to a pile of clothes littering her bed, presumably Sonia’s.

So now there were three beds. I was at the far end, Sonia in the middle, and Sophie at the other end. The window was beside my bed, and I could see outside. It was already late, so I headed straight to bed.

“Aren’t you going to fill us in on what’s happening in this school?” Sonia asked cheerfully from her bed.

I turned to see her picking up the pile of clothes and neatly arranging them. Sophie was focused on her laptop, wearing headphones.

“I’m also new here,” I shrugged.

“I know, but we just got here, and you’ve been here for how long...?”

“Just two days,” I cut in.

Sonia nodded and surprised me by coming over to my bed. Sophie glanced at her, then at me, before returning her focus to her laptop.

“I heard something on my way into the school,” Sonia whispered excitedly.

“What could that be??” I asked, intrigued.

“I heard there are really hot guys here!!” she exclaimed, jumping up and pacing around the room.

“Go to bed, Sonia,” Sophie yelled.

“But you’re still awake!” Sonia stuck her tongue out at her sister.

I noticed they both looked at me, but I quickly looked away.

“I’m calling Mom,” Sophie threatened. Sonia’s expression fell.

“But I was just trying to talk to her, right?” Sonia pleaded, looking at me with big puppy eyes.

“Elara; the name's Elara. And yes, we were just playing around,” I intervened gently.

I saw Sophie’s expression stiffen briefly before softening. She sighed and lay back on her bed, not saying another word.

Sonia chuckled and darted back to my bed.

“About those guys, have you seen them?” she tugged at my arm eagerly.

I stared at her, feeling confused.

“I... I don’t... I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, I’m sure you might have seen them!” she pressed.

Woe betide me if I admitted I was thinking of Kael and his friends.

Who am I kidding? I wasn’t going to say anything to her.

“So...?” she asked, looking at me expectantly.

“I barely know anyone!” I stood my ground.

Her facial expression fell.

“I guess this is goodnight then. My parents don’t like us staying up late,” she said, getting up like a puppy drenched in rain.

“But…” I blurted out, causing her to stop abruptly.

The spark returned to her eyes.

“Do you think we should focus on getting the hang of the school environment first, before we think about... boys?” I suggested hesitantly.

She bit her lower lip and glanced down.

“But... I’ve... I have seen them!” That was all it took to get her back on my bed.

“Really!! Tell me all about them! What do they look like? Do they really look like F4? Are they really hot? I heard they’re all on the hockey team. Oh my!!” She rambled on, leaving me no chance to speak.

I wondered if she would run out of breath, but thankfully, that didn’t happen.

“Um... I don’t think I’m the best person to ask about that,” I told her honestly.

“I know, right? After all, you’re also new here, like me,” she replied, getting off my bed.

“Goodnight, Elara. It was nice talking to you.”

“You too, Sonia. Goodnight.” She turned off the light as she headed to her bed, but just before she did, she turned back to me.

“Will you be my friend?” she asked casually.

“That would be nice,” I responded.

She said nothing and just went to bed after switching the light off.

Crazy!

Mom had said that coming to this school would be a life-changing experience for me, but so far, it had been thought-provoking.

I felt like I was constantly encountering strange people, and it was all so weird.

But now, I have a friend.

With a smile on my face, I settled into bed.

They chased me as I ran, their footsteps echoing behind me. I sprinted again and again, until it felt like we were moving in circles.

Suddenly, it felt as if the earth revolved around us, and I kept returning to the places I had just passed.

“Do you really think you could run from us?” I heard a voice call from behind.

My heart raced against my chest, and I felt like I could pass out at any moment.

A chill ran down my spine like water flowing down a stream.

I was exhausted-weak, lonely, and scared-but they never stopped pursuing me.

"W-w-what do you want?" I stuttered, my voice trembling.

“Get her!” another voice ordered.

He seemed to be in control.

I tried to run, but my legs felt too feeble to carry me. I stumbled and fell to the ground. As they approached, I wished I could summon the courage to run, but I couldn't. They came closer-closer-until they reached me.

“Get away from me!” I yelled, summoning the last of my strength.

“Get away from me!” But my screams fell on deaf ears.

One of them lifted me and slung me over his shoulder like a sack.

“Noooo!” I screamed, and suddenly jolted awake.

“Are you okay?” I sat up, startled by a voice.

I turned to see her-Sonia.

Memories flooded back. Seeing her and Sophie in the room with me brought a relief I didn’t know I needed, and it was at that moment I realized...

It was just a dream.

TBC