Stranger Land - (KTH)

Foreign Land

Female Lead's POV

Loneliness.

It is like standing in the middle of a hustling cross junction in a big city, watching people cross by, without feeling the slightest bit of connection to them.

Everyone looked like they belonged here.

From the crowd of newbies starting to form a group of friends by exchanging hellos. To the cheerful bunch of seniors with tags on their chest, proudly welcoming the freshmen to the first day of orientation.

To the corner of the field, you can see most of the usual University students, who probably have been here longer than a semester casually walking by, catching up with their friends, coffee in one hand, sunglasses adorning their face, genuinely looking delighted to be here in the early Fall season.

It took a zap off a second for me to come back to my senses, to stop people watching. I need to get my head straight, legs moving, mind alert into what am I suppose to be doing.

Hi.

Unlike the majority of the human race, I was born into a biracial, multicultural family.

A mixture of Chinese and Indian have granted me a lifetime tan skin, strong facial features making my Indian side more prominent, curves on my hips that I hated when I was 16 but learn to love when I turned 20.

The only Chinese identity in me would be my surname and nothing else. I have always been welcomed very warmly into an environment or new places I go, making my name and my appearance a conversation starter.

"Hey, are you a mix? Your name sounds very different."

"Woah, are you a mix? It's so cool."

"You don't look Chinese, why do you have a Chinese surname?"

"Why do you look Indian but your family name is Chinese?"

Those are some of the very common questions or comments I receive when I'm being introduced to someone new.

It was not until the day I was readily enrolling in my new University, University at New York, that I received a question I have never been asked in my 20 years of existence as a mixed racial person.

"Um, what are you?"

I heard a deep baritone voice popping the question into my ears as I was busy scribbling down my name, country of origin, and the major of my degree on a registration form.

As an effect of being startled by the sudden deep voice, I jolted from the table I was crouching against to fill in the form, head hitting right onto a sharp surface. I thought my head was stabbed when I noticed I actually head bumped someone's chin.

Ouch. I was rubbing the center of my head when I took a proper notice on the male in front of me, rubbing his chin furiously and yelling in a low growl wincing in pain.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there." I tried to apologize as I continued to rub my head and bow a little, unsure if my gesture is being noticed.

I saw the male waving his right hand in front me, head still looking down, left palm covering half of his features.

"Do you need anything? I'm so sorry." I apologized again.

"It's alright. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have startled you."

His deep voice keeps getting to me widening my eyes as my ears felt like it's being filled with honey. Too deep of a metaphor? Well if you hear the voice in real life, you'll get what I meant.

"It's ok. I-I'll just excuse myself." I saw him still trying to ease the pain on his chin, so I excused myself trying to complete the form and pass it back to the registration committee.

"Hey, new girl? Come here."

I was ready to head to a nearby senior rep when I heard the same deep honey voice calling me out.

"Yea?" I turned and gasp a little.

"You can give them to me. I'm part of the senior rep in the welcoming committee too." I saw him showing his badge which I fail to notice earlier under all the commotion and pain I caused him.

"Oh."

I blinked a few times, trying to adjust my vision taking in the sight before me.

"Hello? Um, you ok?"

I saw a palm with 5 fingers waving them in front of me. I blinked again and swallowed before answering "Yea I'm fine. Um, so this form? I haven't completed it."

"Oh, go ahead then. I'll wait for you to complete."

His smile. It looks boxy as it appears neatly on his face, gently caressing his eyes, making them not too big but not too small either. Just perfect.

I nodded, unable to or rather afraid to say anything stupid as I went back to the same table, crouched down as I scribbled faster this time, oddly feeling a presence behind me, towering my small body.

"Here you go."

"Thanks, new girl!"

He answered me excitedly as I handed him the completed form, moving back a little, trying to ease some space between us.

"You can go to counter 4 to get your schedules and other essential kits. If you have any questions, you may ask them. Have a good session later on!"

He said happily as I nodded and mumbled a thank you before making my way to counter 4, my mood was disturbed when I saw a very unfriendly looking boy sitting behind the table, passing people some papers and a bag with a frown on his face.

Great.

"Hey, Maya?"

My feet took a sudden pit stop as I turn around hastily towards the voice echoing behind my back calling out for me. More like screaming on top of his lungs.

My eyes widen as I saw the boy from earlier waving at me excitedly with my form in his hand, what does he wants now?

I couldn't speak coz if I were to say anything to him, I'd be screaming across the hall with many students walking back and forth between us as there was quite a distance between us. So I just raised a brow, hopefully, he sees my confused face from a mile away.

"Welcome to NYU Maya Lim! You got a pretty name and face."

I swear the crowd's noise silence off his final word in the sentence as my hearing was cut short but I believe he did mention the word face as he used his finger to circle his face in the air and pointed it towards me.

An unknowing heat creeps to my cheeks, making it warm, turning my face into a rosy blush.

I quickly turned around and went over to counter 4, got my schedule and welcome kit from the grumpy boy, and followed the lead to a hall.

My eyes were wildly hunting for a brown head, boxy smile boy in the crowd but my search came to complete failure when I didn't see him for the rest of the day on campus.

Such a waste.

As I trace my tired body and lazy feet to my apartment, I looked up the sky and saw a beautiful pink and purple blanket of emptiness covering the dim orange canvas, transitioning the evening to a beautiful night.

If you're wondering then yes, I'm under a transfer program for my Architect degree here in NYU, 3rd year, all way from Singapore.

I knew no one and no one knew me. Perfect.

Except for that one brown head welcoming committee boy who knows my name and my details.

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I'll probably add in a disclaimer chapter later on.
But just a heads up, this is purely fictional although it's an inspiration from my real life experience.