The First Night
Vincent
As we walked down the hall, I noticed that they had not mentioned which key corresponded to which room. However, I didn’t think that would be much of a problem as every door was different.
There was a white door with black designs similar to those you’d see on a motherboard. When one student swiped her keycard against it, I heard the grinding of gears and it swung open with a puff of smoke. I heard their exclamations of ecstasy at the room.
Cho
We passed many doors but none of them seemed like the right one for us. Snowy frowned as he passed each one, shaking his head and muttering, “Not this one…definitely not this one... ” Finally, at the very end of the corridor, there was an ornate wooden door, with a heavy brass bolt and lock.
“This has to be it!” exclaimed Snowy jubilantly. “I know it is! I just know it!”
He took out his key, fitted it into the lock, and turned it sideways.
Zacharias
The lock unfastened with a creak. He took it off and pulled back the bolt. The door swung open. Inside was the kind of room one dreamt about when one was a child.
There was a lamp at the far corner of the room, suffusing the room in a warm glow. The beds were old four poster beds with delicate mosquito nets hung from the frame on top.
Angelina
There were warm and comfortable armchairs around a cheerful fireplace. A long wooden dining table was at one side surrounded by cushions. The table was only knee high and the cushions served as chairs.
There was a small and cheerful kitchen to the left of the room. It was clean and neat. At the sight of it, Sandy brightened up considerably. “I say, that’s a nice kitchen!”
Vincent
I peeped into the two bathrooms. There were two big clawfooted bathtubs. The sinks were made of stone. Four fluffy bathrobes hung on the hooks behind the door.
Sandy had started rattling about in the kitchen, so I quickly entered one of the bathrooms and enjoyed a luxurious bath in the bathtub. There were many different coloured bottles on the side of the tub. I poured a little of one into the water, which sprang into purple foam. I enjoyed the better half of an hour experiment with different foams and scents.
Cho
I found bamboo placemats in a cupboard and laid them on the table. I filled the glasses up with water and put out spoons and forks for everyone. I was unclear what was placed on the right and what went on the left. I have a confession to make. I have never used a spoon and fork my life!
At that moment, both Fizz and Snowy exited the bathroom at the same time. They wore soft bathrobes. Snowy’s was light blue and monogrammed ‘Vincent’. Angelina’s was a deep violet and monogrammed likewise (But with her name, obviously).
Zacharias
I hunted about in cupboards and the fridge to see if I could whip up some dinner. In one of them I found a pizza base. In others I found vegetables, sauces and cheese. I did the needful. Dad had been a very good cook and I had learnt from him.
After putting the pizza into the oven, I left the kitchen. I had forgotten to take off my apron. Fizz was sitting on the couch. She looked at me and stifled a giggle. “Who knew Wise Man right here was a cook?”
Angelina
He glared at me. I stood up and walked over to him. “Just kidding,” I whispered to him in his ear. I began to untie the back of the apron. “It’s OK,” I said when I was done, pulling the apron off him. “I dig boys who can cook.”
His face turned bright red. I burst into helpless laughter. “I’m just messing with you! Relax!”
“Sometimes, I don’t know whether to laugh at you or kill you, Fizz.”
“Oh, I don’t think you could kill me, Sandy.”
“Sure I could. Death by theoretical physics.”
Vincent
I walked towards the table just in time to hear Fizz say, “Touché”
Zacharias was blushing furiously, so Fizz must have been teasing him. I sat down at the table and cupping my head in my hands, I watched them. They both became aware of my presence and stumbled away from each other at the same time. I smirked, “Oh come now, you surely don’t think I mind watching you flirt, do you now?”
Cho
I was watching the exchange with interest, leaning against the open bathroom door. In response to Snowy, both Sandy and Fizz went pink and stuttered together, “We weren’t - I wasn’t - we weren’t flirting!”
“Could have fooled me,” Snowy remarked.
I walked towards them. “This is a very interesting discussion, but I am too hungry to enjoy it now. Perhaps over dinner?” I ventured.
Zacharias
Entering the kitchen, I found that the pizza was fully ready. The oven opened into a delightful aroma. I had already decorated a plate with cherry tomatoes and parsley. I placed the pizza on that and brought it out of the kitchen.
Everyone sat on the cushions beside the low table. Fizz gasped at the sight of the pizza. “Oh gods, Sandy! You are the best.”
“I am inclined to think likewise,” smiled ‘Punzel in appreciation.
Angelina
Everyone began digging into the pizza straightaway. Cho, however, looked confusedly at it for a while. She tried to hide it, but it was plain she had never eaten a pizza before. She looked rather confused and shy. “Come on, ‘Punzel, don’t you want your pizza eating lesson,” I grinned.
Cho smiled merrily and kept up the joke. “Yes ma’am. Sorry I’m late ma’am. Can we start with lesson one?”
We spent the rest of dinner laughing and joking.
Vincent
After dinner, we separated to brush and change into our nightclothes. There was a problem. We had been told not to bring any clothes to school as they would be provided by the school. We had also been told not to carry our small trunks into the carriage. They had been left at the back of the train.
Fizz discovered our clothes and things in one of the big wooden cupboards. It had been divided into four vertical sections, where our things had been kept. The sections were further divided into shelves which had labels on them.
Cho
Out of the ‘Nightclothes’ section, Fizz yanked out two things. They were a thin sleeveless top and a small pair of black shorts. I was shocked. Such clothes would never have been allowed in my house, except as underwear. But, as my father met many foreign people in the house (ambassadors and suchlike), I knew that I was not free to judge other people’s cultures as I pleased.
Snowy had already put on his own pyjamas. It was a jumpsuit made of a fleecy material. It had a hood too. He looked so soft and comfortable, as if the material was giving him a big hug.
Zacharias
'Punzel gently lifted out a black silk shirt and pants edged with white. The shirt had a high collar that covered the back of her neck and exposed her fair throat in a ‘v’ shape. Her shirt had on white buckles. She sighed and hugged the soft clothing on her body, seeming utterly at home.
My pyjamas were also black with some white print. They were loose around my body and made of cotton. They had buttons in the front. These pyjamas felt so familiar, though I knew they weren’t mine. They were very similar to those I used to sleep in. I could almost smell the ranch in these.
Angelina
I could see that everyone was getting a little tired after the activities of the day. My suggestion of bed was met with wholehearted approval. Everyone crawled into the nets that surrounded their bed, some having already brushed their teeth (‘Punzel and Sandy), some getting up again to do so (Snowy), and some not bothering at all (Me).
We lay awake in bed discussing our favourite parts of the day. Everyone was peaceful and happy. I for one had a strange sense of foreboding. When things look too good to be true, they generally are.