Helen smiled, "If it's not too much of a hassle."
Aria: "Oh no. Definitely not."
Helen: "Then I'll take you up on that offer."
Aria smiled as she exited the room and closed the door.
She went to the dining hall to return the tray before going back to her own room.
The castle was not as lively as when she had gone to Helen's room, probably because dinner was over and all the students had been asked to retire to their respective rooms.
Aria went back to her room. Just as she was about to enter, the door across the hall opened and a girl peeped out. She said, "Is this your room?"
Aria nodded.
The girl said, "Before, there was a boy looking for you. He came here but you were not here, so he told me to tell you to find him tomorrow."
Aria: "Who?"
The girl: "I think his name was Jasper, or was it Jack?"
Aria: "Jacob?"
The girl smiled, "Yes. That's right. Jacob."
Aria smiled and said, "Thank you for telling me. I'm Aria."
The girl shook Aria's extended arm and said, "Adriane." After the short introduction, the two girls went back to their rooms.
Aria was dead tired but she decided to have a bath first. Aria picked up her clothes and went into the bath the six girls in their hallway shared. After the bath, Aria felt refreshed as she combed her hair, grumbling about them being unmanageable and got into bed.
"It's been a really long day. I can't believe that I arrived at the academy today itself." Aria thought as she let out a big yawn and sunk into sleep.
The next day, Aria woke up bright and early. She opened her window to let the cool air in. She looked at the time, it was about 6:15 a.m.
"Hmm. Breakfast is at 7:30. Wonder what I should do? Actually, there's only one thing to do on such a beautiful morning."
Aria thought as she got out of bed, quickly freshened up, put on a short dress and leggings, and tied her hair in a messy bun.
Then she walked out of the academy from the back door and slipped into the forest. Aria relieved the memories from the time she used to practice in the academy when she was a small kid, as she twirled her fingers, eyes closed and a smile on her lips.
Suddenly, Aria opened her eyes and formed her hands into fists. She had let herself controlled by her emotions and had been bending all the four elements together, without a care in the world.
Aria used wind and made sure that nobody was around or had watched her. She was relieved to find out no one was there. Aria hit herself in the head and said, "Stupid Aria. Stupid Aria. Learn to control your emotions. Stupid Aria."
Aria then sat down on a clear patch of grass and thought, "So, what should I practice today. To be safe, I'll only practice one element. But which one?"
Something seemed to move under Aria's palm which was on the floor. Aria looked down at her hand, her face showing that she was contemplating.