*Clap, clap*
"Welcome, everyone."
A clear, crystal voice cut cleanly through the low murmur of disembarking students. We all turned to face the voice, who stepped forward.
"I am Yuri, the student council president of Chrysanthemum, and a 7th year."
She had short, black hair that ended just above her shoulders with bangs that traced her eyes and small face. She was wearing what I assumed was the academy's uniform—a crisp white dress shirt, a dark tie, a suit vest, and a pleated skirt that reached the knee. Yuri exuded something with her piercing red eyes that seemed to draw all the attention of the crowd. Her posture was straight with confidence.
And, well…
Yes.
Objectively speaking—
She was very pretty. And hot. And cool.
I imagined she'd heard all of those before.
Yuri gestured lightly behind her. Two more students stepped forward.
"Hey," the first waved. "I'm Sapphire, the vice-president. You can call me Saph."
She had long brown hair that was pulled into a low ponytail and swung as she moved. Her posture was looser than Yuri's, and her smile was easier.
The other student also stepped up, brushing his wind-tossed blond hair out of his glasses. "I'm Liam. Your secretary." He had blue eyes and a polished tone.
Yuri inclined her head slightly. "I hope you've all had a pleasant journey. It's getting late, so you'll be heading directly to the dormitories tonight. Orientation will begin tomorrow morning."
Saph nodded and stepped forward, raising her voice and clapping her hands. "Right. Let's get you all to housing. Alphas, please follow Yuri. Betas, you're with me."
"And omegas, I'll take you over," Liam added, offering a small wave. "Alphas and Omegas, if you don't have your suppressants with you, please let us know," Liam added. "We'll issue some to you."
…Oh, yeah. It was getting close to that time, wasn't it? It'd be kind of… interesting if that were to happen with this many people. I didn't need to take any as a beta, but…
The crowd parted, already organizing themselves into groups, while a couple moved up to speak with the student council members. I shuffled along with the beta group, trailing after Saph as we trudged toward the academy.
*Clack, clack, clack*.
My boots echoed faintly as we walked down the paved stone pathways. Around us, gas lanterns flickered to life, their hissing little dim pools of light unthinkingly tiny under the distant silhouette of the academy's central spire.
It loomed overhead like a watchful needle piercing the sky.
It was all surreal as I glanced upwards—we were under the ocean, a gigantic magical barrier dispersing the weight of the ocean into salty mist above the entire expanse of the academy.
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting its warm, orange glow all around us. Buildings of the campus rolled on by, along with shops, and… I don't know, stuff.
Honestly, I didn't really catch it all. I rubbed my eyes and tried to keep awake, trying not to nod off as we walked.
Eventually Saph stopped in front of a massive building that was split floor by floor like an apartment.
Saph stepped up to the double doors and raised her voice above the idle chatter. "Betas, this is your residence hall. Keys are inside and names have been posted. The bathrooms are shared by floor, and the curfew's posted near the entrance."
Saph paused thoughtfully. "I think that's it. Oh, and try not to die before orientation," she added.
A few laughs rippled through the group as we entered.
The building smelled faintly of old paper and polished wood. The high ceilings and the long corridors were dimly lit by wall-mounted lamps that hummed softly. In the main hall I found my name and key and found my room after shuffling around for a while.
I was on the third floor.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
There was a narrow bed against one wall with a wooden desk tucked beneath a tall window along with a wardrobe and a washbasin. Given it was almost nighttime, curtains were drawn halfway across the glass.
I locked the door shut behind me. Welp. I was here now. The whole letter-in-the-middle-of-the-night thing still sat weirdly with me, but I was probably overthinking it.
"Euaaaaaaaa~"
I yawned. The mattress dipped beneath my weight as I sat down and laid back on the cool, fluffy pillow. So tired…
I could figure it out tomorrow.
*Tick tock, tick tock*
A small weary clock hung on the wall chugged along, and I found some solace in its homy heartbeats. I closed my eyes and the last thing I registered was the small, faint hum of what sounded like distant raindrops.