Veronika looks at her with that consistent straight face, albeit more tired than bored. "What's the matter?" Patricia looks at her, "I am sorry if you feel offended when I try to help you, it's just I feel responsible to help my fellow students in need."
Her roommate sighs and takes a seat on one of the chairs. "Save your heroism for others, I don't need any of it. Besides, you have seen the causes it could do to you first hand. If you want your social life to bloom in the school, you should avoid weeds like me. It's not a whole gymnast to figure out that you could be hated when you choose to protect me, as you are saying. I said it before and I'll say it again, I don't need help."
"I understand that." Veronika turns her head to her, "Let me guess, Miss Cassidy asked you to look out for me, no?" Patricia was speechless, but she knows more about the context of her situation than she did. She probably knew the professor will take caution and guard her as much as possible. "I am not a toddler that needs a guardian. I appreciate Miss Cassidy's gesture, but I rather not disturb anyone else for this matter."
"She just wants you to feel safer and welcome, especially you have returned." Veronika shakes her head, "I did not come here without any preparations. I don't expect to feel welcome or even safe. Danger lingers in every corner of this school for me, walls even have ears if they have taken notice of me."
"Your life seems on the line when you say it like that." Veronika shrugs, "Maybe so, maybe not. Just don't pry on my affairs and I won't pry on yours. Please take my reminder at heart, don't interact with me outside as much as possible. Just pretend I don't exist like I am not there. If I am in danger, whatever danger is in your book, ignore me altogether. I can handle it myself, whatever it is. If you step in, you are hanging your feet on a cliff's edge."
Patricia's spine shivers with all of these words. "Just say you don't want to be friends with me, don't say those words as if you say them every day. This feels like a death threat!" Veronika didn't budge anymore, she started scribbling on her notebook. "Don't treat people as if they are going to die even if they just gaze on you. It's just an exaggeration on your side. I think that's why Miss Cassidy is making me look out for you."
"Just do as I say and we'll be on good terms." Patricia crosses her arms, Veronika uses that forsaken phrase again. "You will be a hefty one to work on." She muttered to herself and left the room without saying goodbye to Veronika. The latter seemed didn't mind this and continued whatever she was doing earlier.
Patricia approaches the balcony as the gentle breeze of the night caresses her. It calms her down as she looks over the small town that she was in. She takes a deep breath and exhales all of her frustration.
"Patricia?" She heard a soft voice behind her back. She turns and saw Antonietta approaching her. "Hey, good evening." Patricia wears a smile at her, bright as the moonlight that night. "You seem a bit melancholy earlier, did something happen?" Patricia sighs, "Nothing much, it's just Veronika's words sometimes go off the rails of what needs to be said."
"Why? Did she degrade you?" Patricia shakes her head and looks at the buildings on the horizon, "No, it's just, she's making parallels that befriending her or even going near her is like me signing a death warrant for myself. It's just creepy, you know?"
"That sounds horrible! I am sure that she has some reason to say such a thing. Even with her demeanor, I feel that she's a reasonable person not to make comparisons between those things." Patricia shrugs, "I don't know, she seems like just emanating an emo attitude to me." She sighs, "What is this mission that I have set for myself?"
"I mean, if you don't want to be friends with her, you could just stop. It's as simple as that. You don't need to waste your time on such people." Patricia fixes her hair, "But something inside me is telling that I need to put this to action no matter what. I can feel that she still has some soft spots in her. With what Miss Cassidy told me, she's in dire need of a companion, even she says herself that she doesn't need to."
"If that's what your gut tells you, do what you wish, and what did Miss Cassidy tell you?" Patricia looks at her, "Nothing much. She just said that I must look out for her, and maybe, just maybe, tame the wild beast that she is. Miss Cassidy knows her, so Veronika is hiding something from the world."
"Well, she's a mysterious one after all, but I rather not pry on that thing. Whatever it is, she would only tell it with the person she will trust the most. I gotta say, she slowly piques my interest. I once had a friend like her, he's even much more anti-social than me. He said to me that I am the only one who appreciates what he does. He might have been flattered when I was kept raising his spirits when we were project partners. He has some problems with his family."
Patricia's eyes widen and look at Antonietta with a big smile on her face. "Antonietta, you're a genius!" The girl with glasses shrink and flushed, "W-why?" Patricia looks out the balcony, "You're right, I must make her feel that I just don't do this because I feel burdened to do so. I must make her feel that everything I do is genuine. If only I know what really her problem is, then this would have been easier."
"Is everything you are doing to her already genuine? Why does it sound like you need to frame it as something real when it is already?' Patricia sighs, "I might have been too leaning on the middle ground that I am framing all of my deeds as something I needed to do for her. I thought it would have been a bit formal for her attitude. It produced the opposite results. I really don't want her to feel weak to do her things but at the same time, I need to earn her trust."
"Maybe just… don't mind everything? Don't make yourself or her feel that she's a special case. Just be normal? Don't get me wrong, it's just a bit weird that you seem to fixate on her. Just relax, everything will come someday. It's still our third day of school tomorrow, I am sure that in due time, she will take notice of your efforts. I assure you that."
Patricia sighs, "You're right. I think I can't handle that much especially when I am still new in this school. All of us are." Antonietta smiles, "My mom always says that you should always have patience. For now, focus on yourself. I am going to go now, we still have classes for tomorrow."
Antonietta leaves her be. Patricia spent an hour on the balcony before returning to her room, where she found Veronika sleeping already. She decided to sleep as well to prepare herself for tomorrow.
Patricia woke up and prepared for school today. As she went downstairs and to the lobby, the counter lady called her. "Miss Prudent, are you?" The young lady nods, "Why did you call me?" The lady hands her over a package, "This was sent early in the morning by someone whose name is Klizzette Johnstone."
Patricia was surprised and happy to hear the familiar name once more. She accepts the package, "Thank you." She looks at the package and examines it. There was a letter pasted on top of it. It reads:
'My dearest Patricia,
How have you been? I hope you are having the best first week of your school. I am sorry that I wrote so early, I just need to check if you're okay. I am here to bring the news that you're father is out of the hospital, finally. He was still not persuaded that we manage to persuade him to get you here in this academy. I said that it was your decision, and I just granted it. Besides, you're already 18, he doesn't need to pry on your business anymore. You have decided well, my child. This decision will help you progress finally and discover half of your true identity. I hope you are on that as you learn.
Now you're in the academy, I believe some of the notes that your mother had before when she was in her first year could help you there. I also included her diary as per her dying wish. I hope this could help you in your study and to understand your mother. I could tell it myself, but I think the diary is the best choice for such a trivial and personal thing.
I hope you are doing well, my darling. Sihsih misses you. I love you. Your mother will be proud of you.'
Patricia smiles as she reads the contents of the letter. She decided to set it aside in her room first since the package was bigger than her bag. She went to school happier than she was before. She arrived in the Pristinity class where she decided to sit with Gabriel this time.
Miss Cassidy arrived in the class with a much different demeanor than what Patricia is used to. She seems stressed and her hair doesn't hide that fact. She was late as well, showing up ten minutes past 7:00 in the morning. "I am sorry class, I had an urgent business to attend to." She fixes her hair, "I hope it's not a bother. Anyways, good morning." They greeted her back which makes her smile.
"Today we're going to talk about something different. We're going to talk about what makes us different from one another, our elements." She started talking about the four main elements in the world; air, earth, fire, and water. "These four have their subtypes due to cross-breeding between mentiels with respective main elements since traveling and communication has been established. Some of their subtypes are officially under one, some of them are under two categories, and some of them are even branching on more subtypes."
She continues talking about what are the combinations of the elements and their results. "It's not just in the reproduction of humanity that these combinations are essential. It's also essential to produce elemental reactions and create something that could be useful in either battles or anything. The ice element could react with water to freeze a certain area, it would be great to ease transportation and even use it as an advantage to your enemies."
She called upon three people with different elements; water, ice, and fire. One of them froze the water that was conjugated by one of them. The remaining person summoned fire that melted the ice that was floating in the air. Cassidy was glad on this demonstration, so glad that she called on other people in the front.
Patricia watches in fascination as some of them were close enough for her to even touch it. As she was watching, her chest felt a bit heavier than before. She touches her chest in reaction to it. Gabriel took notice of it even with the demonstrations, "Hey Patricia, are you okay?" Patricia shakes her head. Her head feels heavier too and her eyes want to shut themselves, but she resists.
"Hey, Patricia." Gabriel shakes her. She can't feel anything. Cassidy took notice as Gabriel was distressed. "What's happening?" Before Patricia knew it, she fainted on her desk.