"...!"
"...!?"
What's going on? I'm feeling cold. Was this a dream? I can't even move. And this voice... It came from someone. I think I knew who it was.
As I was soaked in a pool of my blood, I smiled bitterly.
"Keith..."
I grunted as I recognized her voice.
I tried to open my eyes to no avail. Perhaps I'm too tired. Way too tired, even. My part-time job is getting hectic as we were preparing for the upcoming student class. After all, that place is near an academy.
However, no matter what, I don't think I could allow myself to come late on the first day of college. I forced myself to raise my body from the bed.
"Ngh... Ma?"
"Oh, thank goodness. You're finally awake. Or is it that you're still half-asleep? By the way, that nightmare of yours sure is nasty."
"I had one?"
My mother nodded before continuing.
"Yeah. You've been screaming as if you're in pain. Actually, now that I can see you clearly thanks to the sun, you're pale."
It must've been a terrifying nightmare then. That's strange though. I don't recall a single thing about it. Was it because my brain found it a hassle and quickly deleted it from my memory? Not that I can comprehend what's going on.
"Now that you're awake, wake your father. He'll be late," my mother said with one hand on her waist.
My mind's in turmoil. I better set my thoughts aside and nodded at my mother's request.
Ma is the same as always. Her short brown hair practically danced along the gentle breeze that graced my room as she opened the curtains. She has a gentle face, though her random strictness deviates from it. Her brown eyes stared back at my glance and smiled gently.
I soon went towards my parents' room. There, I found Pa snoring rather soundly, drooling.
"Pa, wake up."
My father is a kind person. He has the same color as Ma, with a physique adept at his construction job, and was often called a gentle giant by his boss and co-workers thanks to his character. On a side note, I inherited his tanned skin.
"Uh? What time is it?"
"It's 6:30."
"Alright, let me snore a little more."
"Not a chance!"
After a couple of minutes spent waking Pa one more time, both of us went to the kitchen. Ma is about to place the contents of a sardine can on the plate.
Our house is small, but we kept it tidy as much as we could. We're not the type to only clean when there's a visitor. The kitchen and the living area were merged in the largest room, and my parent's room and my own were separated by a single thin plywood. We're basically broke, but that doesn't mean that we didn't eat thrice a day. As long as I have my daily meals and a place to sleep, everything will be fine.
As soon as I graduate and get a job, I'll do what I can to wipe that financial status off our family!
We ate our breakfast quietly as always. This time, however, is different.
"Keith? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Eh? N-Nothing. I got some dust in my eyes."
"You sure? If you say so."
After affirming, Pa shrugged and continued eating. After minutes of preparation, my father and I drove off with his motorcycle.
What's with this palpitation? Perhaps I should consult our local health center if I ever get a chance.
Today, August 9, is the official start of class. I'm finally a college student!
I stood in front of the gate, staring down at my uniform. There's nothing noteworthy aside from it not deviating from the typical high school uniform except for it being long-sleeved and the printed logo on the breast pocket.
I took a series of deep breaths to relax and boost my morale or something along those lines. I've read in an online article that it helps calm my nerves.
"Pardon me, may I pass?"
"Oh! I'm sorry."
I heard a cold female voice behind me asking me to step aside. I did what she asked and sighed.
Man, that was awkward.
There are lot of miscellaneous information about college that I mentally note. Among them are the schedules. Unlike in elementary and high school, the subjects are organized in a way to have both students and instructors take a breather, as there is at least an hour or two, not to mention the weekdays were grouped into two. Some blocks have classes on weekends.
Speaking of blocks, it's equivalent to a section. And there's no such thing as permanent rooms. Instead, we'll be the ones that will go to the subject's designated room.
There's also an office called Registrar's, which acts as the safe vault of the private information we submitted as we enrolled.
Ugh, and I don't even take note of everything. I'll just learn them one by one.
There's also this weird sense of deja vu. I don't understand why.
If I waste my time dwelling on this, I'll be late despite being early. The pain in my chest is stinging harder.
And there's another pain I need to take care of.
Just where is the male's restroom?
"Ah, finally. That should do it."
With my bladder drained completely, I can now resume my search. I still have ten minutes. There's no need for me to get tense.
I went on but stopped, my line of sight facing my right. There was my reflection in the mirror. My physique is not even half of my father's, as if I'm all bones and he's all muscles. I ruffled my black hair with haste. Everything seems the same, all except one. My blue, round eyes were wavering oddly. In the back of my head, it should've been brown.
I closed my eyes and thought about what was going on.
"This won't do."
As the pangs in my chest began to subside, I continued my search of my room's whereabouts.
"Room L-203... L-203... There it is."
I entered the room which was fortunately close to my favorite place, the good ol' quiet library. As for the room, it has an area that could accommodate forty students, its walls coated with jade green and chocolate brown at the bottom part.
All the seats were taken except for the leftmost chair in the front row. It's understandable, considering that I took quite some time searching. As I sat down, I glanced at the girl sitting next to me.
The girl had dyed her shoulder-length hair red, and her thin almond eyes were black in color, protected by a pair of glasses I deemed to have deprived of optic correction but has an anti-radiation function. Also, isn't that the type that dims when there's a strong light source? That must've cost a lot.
As she rested her chin on her right hand, she looked in my direction and, ever so slightly, widened her eyes.
Crap, perhaps I stared at her for far too long.
I immediately broke eye contact and turned my head in the opposite direction which resulted in my neck getting some pain from that sudden movement.
Ugh, that hurts.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, sir."
Wow, that's the most monotoned, unsynchronized greeting I've ever heard since elementary.
The instructor was all smiles as he wrote something on the board with his marker. The squeaky sound as he wrote something on the board is new to me; I've been dealing with chalk throughout my life until now.
INTRODUCTION PHASE. That was written on the board.
"Now, everyone! Since it's our first day, I want you to go in front of the class and introduce yourself. Include your motto too!"
What a dilemma then. I have the tendency of forgetting the names of people. At the very least, I can recognize their faces.
"Nice! Now, it's your turn."
"Yes, sir."
I stood up, got in front of the class to finally introduce myself.
"My name's Keith Salvo, 18 years of age. 'All is well' is my motto. Pleased to meet you all."
Yes, yes. That motto came from a nice Indian film about three individuals taking college and their endeavors.
I sat down and sighed. I found myself a bit nervous. Just how do extroverts do that so easily? Even that guy before me is too flashy while he's doing it.
I bowed and went back to my seat.
"Alright, class dismissed!"
"Goodbye and thank you, sir."
My first class ended after consuming what remained of our time with our teacher reminiscing of his college life.
I guess he unveiled his story for us to learn something.
I grabbed my bag as I initiated my lovely escape. I'm not actually into socializing. They might be offended the moment I forget their names the next time we talk.
It's a typical Keith moment.
I watched my classmates mingle with one another as they exited the room for a moment before heading to my favorite area.
Apparently, there are two libraries in this place. One is the public library located within walking distance from the campus, and the other is the campus library available only for students and faculty members.
I'll visit the public one later.
"Kyah!"
"Ah."
A feminine yelp disrupted my thoughts. I turned my head and saw a girl holding her phone. Maybe she was fiddling with it while walking?
"S-Sorry! I'm not paying attention!"
"Are you o...kay?"
The moment this girl lifted her face for me to see, a surge of nostalgia and fear devoured me.
Why am I feeling this way?
"I-Is something wrong with my face?"
"Ah! N-No, nothing. Don't say sorry. It's also my fault for standing in the middle of the hallway, Ada."
"Huh? How did you know my name?"
"I, uh..."
How should I explain when I, the man in question, can't even comprehend what just happened? I neither know her personally nor she was a classmate. So how!?
I'm doomed... What if she sees me as a stalker?
"We overheard your conversation with your acquaintance earlier," came an unexpected save from someone. I turned around to see the bespectacled redhead seatmate.
Why is she helping me?
"I see. I thought that you're...you know."
"Perish the thought. I'd rather kill myself than become one."
The tense atmosphere hovering over Miss Ada dissipated as she listened to my savior.
Miss Ada waved her hand as she bid farewell. We returned the gesture before I switched my attention to my seatmate.
"Thank you. You're a lifesaver."
My redhead companion simply nodded.
I was about to leave when I felt a tug. Before I could ask why, she acted first. The moment I heard what she said, a huge question mark hovered above my head. How did she know?
"My name's Croire Lore. I know you don't remember names easily. Still, remember my name."