Word t: 2547

  Septembris 1

  Serendipity is a pretty word.

  I think it's defined as a "happy ce." Like finding a quarter oreet or maybe bumping into your future soulmate orain. Yes, 'serendipity.' I guess at this moment as Sebastian speaks my hidden truth, I'm feeling the opposite of serendipity.

  Zembnity.

  My skis in goosebumps, my throat tightens, and my hands bee cmmy. Staring into his striking, knowing, expression I didn't see a way that I could wriggle myself out of this situation.

  "...No?" I mao choke out in response.

  His gaze hardens.

  "You are. I tell," he tinues.

  "No... No, I'm not-!" I get up from the bed and reply with more fervor in my voice.

  My fists ch together as I stare him down desperately. At the very least, it couldn't be on the first day. I wouldn't let Father down on the very first day.

  "Why are you here?" he persists as he gets up from his bed and closes the distaween us. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Finn because he didn't seem to notice. In fact... I don't think anyone seems to notice... Is Damien even your name?"

  I don't realize that I'm shaking. Fear begins to overwhelm me to the point of physical siess as I feel the world begin to spin and my legs bee unsteady. His uing badgering stuns me as tears begin to well up in my eyes. Notig them, he quiets down.

  "Please..." I croak, holding the teardrops bad staring at the hardwood ground. "Please, don't tell anyone..."

  I dare not meet his gaze. It was taking everything in my power not to break down on our dormitory flht now. When he finally speaks, I hear the hesitation in his voice.

  "Listen... I don't know why you're here... and quite frankly, I don't really care. It doesn't affect me right now, so I'm not going to go running to Principal Ambrose or anything. But, I 't promise what I'll do iure. Don't expect much," he mutters as he takes a seat once again on his lower bunk.

  Taking his book in his hands, he breaks eye tact with me and sinks into his mattress.

  Defeated, I wipe away the tears on my face with my hands.

  "Okay... I uand," I whisper. Looking up at him through my blurred vision I say, " I apologize... but what's your st name?"

  He gnces over to me from his novel, "...Carter."

  "Thank you, Mr. Carter." I straighten up.

  He coughs awkwardly, "Stop... please. Just call me Sebastian."

  "Okay, Sebastian..." I mutter.

  Sebastian turns away from me, but as he moves on his bed, the cover of the book he's reading slips into my sight. Even in the depths of my despair, the familiarity strikes me like a long-lost love. As curiosity sweeps over my self-disappoi and I find my lips speaking on their own.

  "Is that Sleeping Days: Ohousand Years?" I ask as I approach his side.

  "Yeah...?" he mumbles as his arms tenses up at my proximity.

  Looking to the side, I twist my cuffs. If it really was the end for my mission, then having a discussion about a book I enjoy wouldn't be the worst thing to happen today.

  "I like that book, it's one of my favorites..." I whisper as I peek over his hands. "Of all the books in my father's library, I found it the most stimuting."

  He nods only half-ied, "...It's also my favorite book. I've read it over and over since I was five, maybe near a million times. It's probably humanity's jewel."

  "I have the sequel... it's alsood," I mention as I nod my head approvingly.

  He doesn't reply and at his silence I stand up from his side and start to make my way bay bunk oher side of the room. Even then, books or the mere talk of them always seems to heal my sadness. The rustling of bs suddenly emerges from his bed and I go my side to see his wide eyes staring back at me as the paperback book slips from out of his hands and flops onto the bed.

  "You have the sequel? Sleeping Days: The Millennium?" Sebastiaions.

  His legs stand up so fast that it causes him to bang his forehead oal support of Finn's top bunk. I blink, holding my hands to my chest in surprise as I stumble backwards.

  "Y-yes?" I squeak out in firmation.

  He holds his head wing, "Impossible, you must be lying... The publishing pany was only able to make a hundred copies of the sequel before the printing factory suddenly burned down."

  He approaches me with annoyan his eyes, "Then the publication pa under and the author even died a few days after it all went down. Those hundred are the only ones iend they're scattered across the world. You literally 't have it."

  I shuffle awkwardly from foot to foot, not sure what to say.

  "I mean... no matter the iy of your doubt, I still have the book," I finally reply.

  Getting down on the ground, I slide my hand luggage out from under my bed. As I open my gray leather suitcase, my hands carry out some of the few books that I brought with me from the estate.

  Holding up the coveted sequel in my hands, I look towards him with my proof.

  His eyes glow in awe, hands shaking as he sinks to his knees o me. Mouth agape, he 't even form the words to say how much he wants it but, his body still refuses to relinquish his pride.

  "...Please," is the only word he's able to force out of his mouth although his eyes beg in volumes.

  I stare at him astounded. I didn't even realize Father's library was so extensive. Growing up, I thought this was just another book that he brought back from the local library. As I witness Sebastian's desperate demeanor, a fn idea suddenly pops into my head.

  It could work.

  It would work.

  But I still mull it over for a sed before speaking it ience.

  "You read it.... O-only if you promise o tell ahat I'm female!" I stutter out.

  My heart beats fervently within my chest, never had I been so impolite to a man before. Bargaining? It was so improper.

  Astonished, it takes him a moment to realize that I had just offered a deal to him. Instantly, his eyes shoot down to the ground in flict. Biting his lip, his eyes dart from side to side and I see him thinking about all the ways this deal could backfire on him. I could read his thoughts as clearly as crystal.

  'Expulsion if the administration finds out that he knew I was a girl but kept it from them. But how would they know if he acted clueless the eime? He could get away easily. Couldn't he?'

  I read it all from his demeanor.

  As soon as I walked into the room, I could tell that he was an analytical kind of person and this dispy of intelligenly further ted that notion for me. Jade eyes flicker bad forth as he tries to make his decision before finally striking back at me. Startled, I flinch.

  "Fine! ...I'll do it. On two ditions, though..." He mutters. Throwing up two fingers he says, "One, if someone directly asks me whether you are a girl, I don't have to lie for you. And two... you have to tell me what your actual name is. I don't want to call you Damien if that's not who you are."

  My fingers curl over the spine of the novel in hiddeement. As long as I kept my secret well, no one would ever ask Sebastian that question. I did it... I did something right.

  "Deal!" I say a little too loudly as I try to hold ba emerging grin.

  He grimaces at my happy demeanor, "Yeah, yeah, don't get too excited."

  I pass the soft, pastel-red book to him aares at it with child-like wonder as he glides his thumb carefully over the pages. This had to be a dream e true for him. But trolling himself from instinctively tearing open the pages, he looks back up at me with wary eyes as he waits for the pletion of the sed part of our deal.

  Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I cup my hands, lean into his ear, and whisper, "My name is Camille D'Alembert. Please call me Damien in front of others."

  "Camille..." he sounds out.

  Although it's obvious that he's still frustrated, he holds out his hand and smiles cooly at me, "It's o meet you."

  I stare at his palm in disbelief. Did he wao shake it? Didn't his parents teach him that shaking hands with an unmarried woman is not only improper, but a bad omen as well?

  Embarrassed, I look away, "It's o meet you too, Mr. Carter."

  He grows annoyed as he puts his hand down.

  "Call me Sebastian, please. Whatever, I've got to enjoy this like fine wine..." he mutters as he holds my borrowed book.

  I watch him leave my side aurn to his bunk cradling the novel like a newborn baby. Returning my luggage underh my bed, I cmber on top. My eyes close and I ret the memories of the day as the warm b flows over me. How terribly scary a exhirating.

  'The entire spectrum of humaion, now fully id bare for me to explore. Oh heart... remember your mission,' my mind whispers.

  And as I sink into the cushions, the rest of the day just seems to fly by.

  After successfully dodging Principal Ambrose, Fiurns at around midnight, throws his things over the desk, and fiddles with something before finally sneaking into bed iop bunk over Sebastian. After that, he's unscious ihan a minute. Underh him, Sebastian reads with a nightlight fog ily on each word of the sequel I had lent him.

  And there I am on the opposite side of the room, ying ohird bed, and staring at the ceiling as an open window blows cool air past our translut curtains.

  Sleeping seems an impossibility.

  In so little time, too many things had happened. And too many things are on the line. However, tag it all is a task for future-me. The only mission I have at the moment is to rest. So despite the adrenaline pumping through my veins... rest, I do.

  I let the soft sounds of flipping pages lull me to sleep.

  Septembris 2

  The m es and with it the struggle of a new day.

  I wake up to frantic shaking as sunlight pours from our dorm window onto my face. Blurred, my eyes foy assaint as I groan and flip on my bed in exhaustion.

  "Da! Mi! En!" A loud voice bres in my ear.

  "Yes... yes..." I mumble wearily.

  "Guess what? We're te!" the voice says gleefully.

  At that siatement, my eyes shoot open.

  To my side, on the desk I see the time '8:55 am' fshing red on the arm clock. Homeroom is currently going on and my first css starts at 9:05 am. Looking up I see that Finn was the oo wake me. Sebastian is already long gone.

  "What happened!" I ask in a panic as I throw my uniform shirt over my undergarments.

  Searg for my fred bzer, I hear his indifferent response.

  "I don't like arms, so I turned our clock off when I got back st night. I thought I would wake up naturally. Guess that was dumb, huh?" He sighs as he fiddles with his hair.

  'Where's his sense ency? He's still only in his underwear!'

  I groan as I force my feet through my socks. It seems that I somehow mao end up with the two worst roommates in the school.

  As I grab my satchel and shove my books into it, I turn around to the astonishing sight of Finn fully dressed in front of the door only having to adjust his tie.

  Fiddling for a seore with a strand of hair in his face, he flicks it behind his ear before waving, "See you, Damien!" and leaving the room.

  Dismayed, I find that I'm suddenly alone in the dorm, shoes o be found, unequivocally te, and tragically overwhelmed.

  "Oh no... oh no... oh no..." I mumble over and over, under my breath.

  And here I thought things were looking up... I should've known that fate wouldn't ever let me have it easy. Not for a sed.

  Ay building up in my chest, I give up and fix my hair in the small mirror on the back of our door before running out of it although I'm sure that I'm missing a thousand things in my satchel. As I leave, my face sms into another person and I fall backwards onto the hard ground.

  "Are you okay, Damien?" A ed voies as I rub my nose in an attempt to y stinging face.

  I open my eyes to see Lucas hanging over me.

  "Lucas..." I mumble trying not to look so defeated.

  With an uanding look, he bends down and offers a hand to me, "e on now... you're okay."

  I blink back tears as he helps me up.

  "I went to your homeroom to che you, but you weren't there... so I came back to your room to see if you stayed bastead. And sure enough- Here you are!" he ughs.

  I stand on my feet with his help.

  "I'm te," I groan, sg my hair in stress as I beat myself up inwardly.

  "We 't all be perfect," he answers, tapping my shoulder.

  Focused on fixing me up, he dusts off my bzer and straightens my colr. I let him mend my appearance as I stare at the floor ashamed. I gnce up at him periodically and see his trated expression shift as he makes sure that everything on me is in order. As he fixes my tie, there's only one question on my mind.

  "...Why are you doing this, Lucas?" I whisper. "My orientation ended yesterday."

  He stops his repair and looks at me with an i, but knowing expression. "e on..." Lucas shoves me pyfully.

  With a glowing smile he asks, "Aren't we friends?"

  The wh me, stunning me like a blow dart.

  'Friends?'

  And he said it so easily. How fn. Is this what friendship is like? And if so... it's makes me feel safe. Secure. With only his presence, I feel protected although we only met the day prior.

  "Yes... of course. We're friends." I answer with a quiet ugh.

  He smiles at me before using his arms to stretch out his back with a loud yawn.

  "Let's get you to css, Damien."