Feelings Incarnate | ✓

01 | New Beginnings

Kiara࿐

"Remember, you are going to college to study. Not to do all those irresponsible things that your sister used to do." My mom's words rang in my head as I headed towards the heavy college doors.

Trudging into the almost full lecture room, I sat down at an empty seat in the middle.

I didn't exactly fancy being at the very front because it was awfully close to the lecturer. It made me quite anxious. And at the very back, I couldn't focus much on what the lecturer was saying. I found the middle to be just right.

Pulling out my notebook and pens, I laid them neatly on the desk and waited for the lecture to start.

The hall was very much like any other lecture room: red seats and wooden tables with thick, red curtains drawn in to prevent sunlight from penetrating through the glass windows and interfering with the images cast on the wall by the projector.

Gradually, one by one, the hall started to get packed with students and the previous quietness of the hall dissolved into loud chatter.

"Hi, is this seat taken?"

I looked up to see a girl with short, dark hair and olive skin dressed in a floral gown. She was pointing at the seat to my right.

I shook my head, "Nope."

"Thanks!" She beamed at me. She had an amiable smile. "My name is Rose."

Ah, explains the floral dress.

"Kiara." I smiled back at her.

Five minutes later, the lecturer scurried into the room and turned on the slides, booming into the microphone, "Good morning, class. I'm Dr. Alastair, and welcome to the first lecture of your course."

He was dressed in black slacks and a navy blazer over his white, tucked-in shirt with his feet tucked into a pair of navy loafers. He had dark-rimmed glasses perched upon his nose, which was a deep contrast to his striking white hair.

"Wow, his name sounds like something from Harry Potter," Rose leaned towards me and whispered in a thick Indian accent--which I had to admit, sounded undoubtedly nice.

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing; the name did sound like a character's name from the legendary wizard movie.

"I hope we will get to know each other more during the span of this course. I--" He stopped when a loud creak interrupted him rudely.

The door to the lecture hall was pushed open, and I watched as a guy--probably a couple of years older than me--strode in. He sported dark, ruffled hair, and a faded, red hoodie, adding to his 'I don't give a shit' vibes.

There's always that one lazy boy in class with the uncombed hair.

"Sorry I'm late, Dr. Alastair." He rubbed the nape of his neck, nervously.

"Ah, Hayden. So, I see you are repeating this course again." Dr. Alastair sighed and nodded towards the seats. "Sit down."

The guy threw him a slight smile and scanned the room, trying to find a vacant seat. His eyes briefly caught mine before looking over to the very back. I glanced beside me and realized the seat was empty.