The outside world was very loud. Azil felt like his eardrums were about to explode as he stood on the sidewalk watching the strange moving objects pass by. They were apparently called 'vehicles'. The lady at the receptionist desk had been a bit suspicious of him but had kindly drawn him a map guiding him to Resain's.
"It takes 15 minutes if you want to walk, usually 5 if you take a cab."
"A cab?"
"Uh yes...? I'd say it's better to walk if you have time because the traffic here is bad but I don't know how big the campus is inside so you might have to walk more."
"Ah...okay."
"Um, are you sure you're alright? Are you new to this place?" She seemed to be curious which was understandable because he was acting a bit weird. As much as Azil wanted to explain himself, the urgency in his head overpowered all else. He wasn't sure of anything himself and was desperate to get to the college on time so he did something he never thought he would.
"I haven't been here in a long time."
He lied. Azil instantly feeling horrible about it but his condition was too abnormal for him to act like he normally did.
With that, he quickly thanked her and rushed out of the hospital but as he was standing by the road- he felt all the more lost. There was something called a 'bus stand' nearby but his mind hadn't fully grasped the concept and he needed some kind of pass to get on it. As for the cab, he needed 'money' which he didn't understand well either.
"What do I do?" He found himself mumbling as a stern looking man glared at him from nearby. Azil looked away nervously and unfolded the map. A part of him wanted to give up completely but he was a man of honour so he couldn't just give up.
There were many people around him but most of them were out of reach or obviously preoccupied.
"Excuse me." Against his better judgement, he spoke to the stern man.
"Can you please help me?"
***
'Please Rahey. Show up just this once.'
The clock was ticking. The papers had been distributed to everyone and the timer had already started but Violetta's eyes were glued to the door. Did he really skip? Was he about to miss his last chance?
A sense of sadness filled her heart. She liked Rahey and she wanted him to succeed but it felt as if she was losing him more with every passing day. The last time they spoke, his eyes had been red and his face hollow. Even then, he had promised her he'd show up for the mock test.
'He doesn't break promises...' She thought to herself but she knew her thoughts were lies- delusions her mind made up. Rahey was good at avoiding things and he was the type to do whatever was convenient. He probably just skipped it like the Professor said but a part of her couldn't help but worry that something horrible happened.
Violetta closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. She didn't have time to reminisce about the past. Reluctantly, she turned to her question paper.
She was in the middle of answering the first question when she heard loud footsteps in the hallway. It was as if someone was running or skittering down the halls.
The disturbing noise made her look up in annoyance towards the windows that faced the corridor. Which fool was causing a commotion at such a time? Professor Lyne would surely give that person a piece of his mind.
A flash made it evident that someone was actually running down the halls and her frown deepened but immediately morphed into a gasp when the figure stopped at the door to their class. The familiar mop of hair and figure at the doorway, clinging onto the frame while short of breath...There was no doubt about it- it was Rahey.
Most people had stopped looking at their papers and were was focused on that one figure standing there. Professor Lyne, who had looked ready to pick a fight just a few seconds ago, raised an eyebrow.
"Look who decided to show up." He retorted sarcastically but Violetta could see a slight glimmer of relief in his eyes.
Everyone waited with bated breath for the over-confident reply.
"I'm very sorry for being late."
The words were even more shocking than his arrival. It wasn't that Rahey was rude or anything but the words sounded so sincere and noble. It was completely unlike him.
"Please allow me to write this test."
Professor Lyne furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Rahey as if he were an alien. In a split second, he regained his composure and then sighed. "Take your seat."
Rahey bowed gracefully and walked hesitantly into the room. He glanced around nervously and Violetta waved at him with palpable excitement. However, something was off. He usually rolled his eyes at her or gave her his signature smirk of confidence but this time- he looked like he didn't even know who she was.
Rahey waved back stiffly and continued looking around. Did he forget where his seat was? The professor was still occupied so she gestured to the seat at the very end of the third row. It didn't click right away which was also weird but Rahey eventually stumbled over to the...wrong seat. He was in the first row not the third.
The Professor shuffled over to where he was and cocked his head. "First row now Rahey? Is this a sign you're taking your studies seriously at last?"
"Um..." Rahey looked at a loss for words which made no sense. He was at a loss for many things but he always knew what to say. The Professor seemed just as unnerved by this as Violetta so he cleared his throat awkwardly and left the papers before him. "You can start writing now because you won't be getting any extra time."
When Professor Lyne looked up, it seemed that most of the class had lost their focus. "Go back to your paper all of you." He said sternly which kick-started everyone's focus. Violetta still felt uneasy but she didn't have any time to waste dwelling on Rahey's behaviour. She would just have to confront him once the exam was over.