As I predicted, she spoke a speech that was fairly predictable; it was an honour that our teacher was able to bring us here, that we would undeniably have a good time over the next few days and that we would enjoy the food that they were about to present us. "Now, prepare your tastebuds for our finest delicacies, courtesy of our nation! Of course, we know about each of your... Required variations in diet. That is why some of you may receive plates that are different than the majority of us here. While it may look slightly different, I promise that they are as close to the original flavour as possible."
Finally nodding over to some other creatures that were wearing clean uniforms, she stepped down from the stage. Receiving this, they started to uncover an enormous amount of plates, each filled with exquisite meals. Out of all of them, I could mentally point out three that were altered before they were taken out of my sight.
The closer one of the carts got to our table, the more energy I seemed to sense from the people around me. All of their heads were fixed on one particular staff member.
"Alright, here you go, here you go..." We all gazed down at our helping of food the instant the plates gently collided with the table. I did the same. What was in front of me was... unusual. Instead of the texture I was used to, I was instead looking at a slab of white meat. Well, that was what I assumed. In a state of mild confusion, I peered over beside it. There was a slightly smaller portion of the plate that seemed to be dedicated towards herbs and spices, all covered in a specific kind of orange sauce.
Looking around, I saw that almost everyone at the table had already dug in. One creature, although he was more massive than anyone else, had already finished half of his meat. From what I could gather, the inside of it still contained the same surface texture. I presumed that it was well done.
I redirected my attention to the food. After all, I was hungry. Simply looking at my food wasn't going to fill me up. I grabbed the utensils and started to cut a slice of the meat off. I hesitated slightly before placing it inside my mouth. When I did, I was stunned. Yes, this was meat, but it had an unnatural sweet flavour. This was also coupled with the usual succulent flavour. Almost without thinking, I took another bite. Then another. Before long, it was time to tackle the mound of herbs. Skewering them, I quickly shovelled them into my mouth. They were explosively sweet due to the sauce, but I guessed that without it the assortment of wide leaves would still taste akin to the usual salad.
Everyone was done by the time I finished. When a staff member passed and requested our plates, we all pushed them aside. As they were making their rounds, the same female creature from before climbed the steps onto the stage. "Did you like it?"
I couldn't help but nod my head in approval, feeling my mouth salivate and the corners of my lips curving upward into a genuine smile. Everyone else seemed to mirror me.
"Good, good!" The female beamed, and what looked like the chefs seemed to be especially proud of their work. "We had a feeling that you would enjoy it." She sighed and quickly switched the topic. "Because it is late, nobody will be allowed outside of the hotel grounds. Even so, you will be limited to a few select rooms to travel to: if you desire to swim, you are open to access the pool that is on the main floor. If you want to play some games, we have a room for that that is also on the main floor. However, if you want to retreat to your rooms, please visit floor ten then look for your assigned room number."
The creature had an expression that led me to believe that she was about to dismiss us, but she added one more thing; "Oh, and we have successfully delivered each of your foam mattresses. If you have any other concerns or questions, please visit the front desk in the lobby or call the designated hotline on your complimentary phones."
The alien bowed, dismissing us. I quickly stood up and made my way towards the halls. As I expected, I was immersed inside a sizable crowd of classmates. However, once we reached the lobby, we started to disperse. Some of us gathered at a sign that showed where most of our allowed locations were, while some had already decided to visit their rooms to settle down for the night. I was one of these people, and a minute later I was once again inside an elevator with several classmates.