It had been a couple days since Moira received the news of college acceptance from Lee. She still felt over the moon and had to frequently do reality check to make sure she had not misunderstood the whole conversation. Her suitcase was now fully packed with her belongings, including a puppy plush toy from Neesa, a book on the chemistry of fruits from Uncle Martin, and new clothes from Aunt Zoe. In two weeks and a half, Moira would fly to Red Sycamore, which would take four days of flight to reach from White Banyan. Neesa had bought Moira a whole heap of snacks to take with her to the space ship, including dried mangoes and pineapples.

Now wide awake in her room and finding it difficult to sleep because she could not contain her excitement, Moira decided to finally read the syllabus for biochemistry classes that Lee would be teaching in collaboration with other professors. There were four classes that took Moira's attention: Environmental Health and Habitat Restoration, Elements of Healthy Habitats, The Curious Explorers Honors Course, and Introduction to Animal Biochemistry. 

Moira knew that she would probably be required to take all of those throughout the course of her undergraduate studies, but out of the four classes the honors course piqued her interest the most. Lee had written in the course description that the course would cover the sociocultural history of the infamous endangered hybrid species of Red Sycamore known as the Gaburs. Neesa already explained to Moira a while ago that the Gaburs were threatened due to their spectacularly low rate of reproduction, but the course syllabus offered more tidbits—the Gaburs, affectionately nicknamed winged elephant, only lived in an indigenous land called Golden Valley and the villagers, known as Little Trees tribe, once regarded the Gaburs as sacred animals that were also the pets of goddesses. 

In the past few decades, modernization in Golden Valley had a negative effects on the number of Little Trees people who still held on to their old beliefs, thus nowadays it would be almost impossible to find a Little Tree who worshipped the Gaburs. The indigenous land was now also open to tourism and patches of forests had been cleared to create campgrounds, forcing the Gaburs to retreat deeper into areas that were still pristine. There had been some efforts to save the Gaburs, such as by establishing conservation sites, but for the most part the Little Trees were lackluster about the welfare of the Gaburs and only saw them as drivers of the tourism industry. 

To make matters worse, the land on which the Little Trees lived was known to produce Pronas and Quenax, two rare gemstones that could be sold at a high price to manufacturers of spaceships batteries. Predictably, this would attract mining companies but so far no company had actually been built although there were rumors of an influential entrepreneur called Deandra Milton who was allegedly the most likely to bid the highest price for the rights to build one. Moira's blood boil, she hated people who only thought about money and nothing else.

The teenage girl's phone vibrated and there were several text messages. Moira opened the one from Kenta first, wondering if he was in the mood to geek out some more about his now completed dissertation. She had not properly congratulated him on attaining his doctorate degree yet, so she was happy that Kenta reached out to her when she could not fall asleep.

Hey, I was planning to wait until you set foot in Blue Orchid to tell you this but then I thought to hell with waiting, the excitement is too strong not to share right away. Moira, it looks like I will have a permanent post in my alma mater! They have hired me to work at the Writing Center as a writing assistant. Great, isn't it? If you ever need an editor for your essays, come see me. I will try not to give you a preferential treatment but I know you will be among my favorite students.

Moira texted back: Congratulations! Yes, I will pay you a visit. You seem to love Blue Orchid so much and that love is infectious. I am glad you are not going anywhere.

The next text came from Nardhia, Nardho's peculiar twin sister with whom Moira had a video call conference not very long ago. Moira had wondered how the funny twins were doing.

I heard you got in to the university! Nardho and I also got in, we are legacies but we did work our butt off to claim our places, can't rely on nepotism. I already know which dormitory I will be residing in, it's no brainer because our older brother Johan is the resident advisor and set things up for us. It is a co-ed dorm so Nardho would be there too, in the boys' wing. Guess who I had chosen as my roommate? Vannie! However, Johan told me that the room can hold one more person. Wanna be the third person? Girls have to stick together. It's gonna be epic, we should have parties of our own. Nothing loud and raunchy, of course, I was thinking along the lines of pizza and soda and then movie marathon or video game galore.

Moira giggled and responded: That sounds lovely! Yes, sign me up. See you soon.

The day of the departure finally arrived and Moira stood in the airport's entrance with her family. Neesa cried the night before and Moira was afraid she would cry even harder when it was time to say farewell for real. Aunt Zoe was never one for melodrama and had not shown much emotion, but Moira knew she must be sad about her niece leaving too. Uncle Martin, on the other hand, had spent nearly every waking moments when he was not in his office lecturing Moira about the responsibilities of college students and how to handle tough course load.

"You need to video chat with me every weekend, promise? Also, eat well in college! I don't know what the dining hall is like, but be sure to choose healthy foods. I know you dislike vegetables, but try to get some every now and then, okay?" Neesa hugged Moira tightly.

Moira hugged her cousin back. "I promise to video chat you, but no promise on the veggies."

"My niece is all grown up," Uncle Martin choked. "I will miss you, buttercup, take care! Oh, and don't forget to keep on painting and send me pictures of what you paint! I'd hate to see the art studio in the garage empty, but this way I'd still be able to enjoy your art."

Moira gave her uncle a thumb up and turned to his aunt, who smiled and extended her arms. The soon-to-be college student buried her face in Aunt Zoe's chest, taking in the smell of her sweet pea perfume. Aunt Zoe lifted her face up and stroke her cheek affectionately.

"You are going into uncharted territory now. Call home often, yes? Also, if anyone is mean to you, stand up for yourself. You're a warrior, always have been."

"I hope nobody's mean to me, but if that happens I'll fight them!" Moira laughed and waved good bye as she walked to the gate, passport and ticket in hand, her purse dangling from her shoulder. In the distance, Neesa stifled her tears and Aunt Zoe caught her when she collapsed.

Four days later, Moira landed in Red Sycamore and saw familiar faces waving at her, holding a piece of paper that said Welcome! Kenta and Lee ran to her, their smiles bright like twinkling stars. Moira was relieved to know that she would not have to navigate the foreign planet alone.

"Ahoy, mate, it's good to have you join us! How was the flight? Let me carry your stuff," Kenta took Moira's purse and carry-on suitcase. Moira thanked him and said the flight was exhausting.

"Yeah, I could imagine, especially for a first timer. You can rest in my car on the way to the university, I know the smell of orange blossom in the car would relax you. Remember that time I took you to the arboretum?" Kenta teased. Moira laughed, a little embarrassed.

Lee stepped closer to her and they shook hands. "You're even prettier in person, Moira. You remind me of my daughter. She lives in Silver Pine now and works as a software developer. When she was your age, she was also into chemistry and physics but then she took several computer science classes in Blue Orchid just for fun and she fell in love with coding ever since then. I am sure you will find your niche too and unearth many undiscovered passions."

The ride to the university was a quiet one as Moira spent it looking out of Kenta's car's windows, mesmerized by the new sceneries. Red Sycamore was known for its rolling hills and farmlands, contributing the most agricultural products out of all the planets in Indigo Inferno solar system. Moira saw a herd of cattle, some goats, and livestock that looked like a hybrid between bison and moose. She wondered what it would feel like to milk a cow. She knew that back on Earth farmers used to do that, but nowadays everything was automated and Red Sycamore was an outlier in that the residents largely rejected extreme reliance on machination except when it came to factories. The residents loved to be outdoors and it showed in the architecture of their homes as most came equipped with green roofs and green walls where lichens and moss were left untouched among rows of succulents and ornamental plants. Some homes even have backyard ponds, where wild geese and ducks flocked every summer.

Kenta's car made its way past an arch that said Welcome Class of 2629 to the Academic Year 2625/2626. Buildings that looked like castles stood erect left and right, making Moira felt she had entered a kingdom. She could also see the university's Student Union, its exterior beautified with sculptures of blue orchids, just like the university's name sake. Kenta parked the car and Moira jumped out, eyes wide opened and legs ready to bounce up and down like a child in an amusement park.

The walk to the dormitory was serene as Moira could finally see that the streets were made of cobblestones and there were apple trees on the sides of the streets, along with maple trees and oaks. Some students passed by Moira and the two men who accompanied her, nodding politely.

The dormitory also appeared like a grand castle, only smaller and not as tall and did not have any balcony. Instead, there was a porch with two swings and the entrance to the dormitory itself were lined with mini water fountains that danced a stunning choreography. Vannie was already there at the entrance, with Nardho by her side. They both had ice cream cones in their hands, most likely from a booth that promoted student extracurricular clubs. Moira wondered where Nardhia could be and realized that she probably was busy unloading her suitcase. She texted Nardhia and instantly got a short reply that confirmed her thought. She ran to her friends and gave each of them a fist bump, laughing merrily and telling them her of the farmlands she saw on her way.

"Oh, I also saw the herd of cattle! I think it's good that farms are thriving here. At first I was hesitant about coming to a university in a rural setting, but I guess it has its perks. Plus, there's always the weekend to spend roaming around in downtown," Vannie responded.

"I seconded what Vannie said. The serenity is gonna boost our academic productivity as we will not be distracted by the hustle and bustle of a metropolis. I had wanted to go to a more urban university but then decided I want an atmosphere that allows me to kick back and appreciate nature, you dig?" Nardho playfully punched Moira's shoulder.

"Yep, I found the rural setting endearing, a breath of fresh air compared to what I am used to. By the way, let's go inside and find Nardhia!" Moira said eagerly. Kenta and Lee said goodbye to the group of teenagers and Moira ran to the dormitory's revolving door. Nardho and Vannie trailed behind and exchanged a look of bewilderment at how fast Moira could run.

Nardhia had left the door to the girls' dorm room unlocked and Moira could see that the room came with walk-in closets and a shared bathroom. There was also a sink to wash their faces in the morning and a small area with a stove and cabinets.

"Hey, guys! I have finished unpacking and now I need your help to decorate my side of the room! Let's see, should I hang up my tapestries?" Nardhia greeted the group warmly.

"I didn't know you collect tapestries. Mind if I have some for my side too?" Vannie asked.

"Go ahead and pick whichever tapestry you like. Moira, there are enough tapestries for you too."

"Here, let me hold the corners," Nardho offered to help Moira as she climbed the bunk bed and held a tapestry to see how it would look like on the wall. The tapestry Moira had chosen depicted a forest of bamboos, with a shrine in the middle and a woman who held a candle.

"Those tapestries are gifts from my mom. She's an archaeologist and whenever she visits a new excavation site she would always return home with a tapestry as a souvenir," Nardhia explained.

"There, the tapestry is now hanging nicely!" Nardho climbed down the bed, admiring the decoration. Moira sat in awe and Vannie commented on how peaceful the bamboo shrine looked.

"Wanna see my room next? It's not much but I have brought my guitars and ukulele. My roommate Wyatt happens to be a musician too and my other roommate Tony is a sports buff who plays basket. So, the decoration is a mix of musically-themed tapestries and posters of basketball players," Nardho spoke with energetic voice. Moira found his voice alluring.

The girls followed Nardho down the hall and the boy pulled out his key from his wallet. His room opened to reveal two other boys watching a video on a massive desk computer.

"Tony, Wyatt, here are my friends and twin sister! Go say hello!" Nardho waved his hands in front of the computer screen, blocking the boys' vision. The boys groaned and Nardho laughed.

"My name is Tony. As long as you are not an asshole like my roommate here, we'll get along spectacularly. Nardho, if you do that again you're dead meat. You know I've looked forward to watch the documentary about my basketball idol," the boy with blonde hair and light brown eyes looked up from the computer, strangling Nardho's neck playfully.

"I'm Wyatt. I play harp. Unusual for a guy, I know, but don't judge until you come to my recital. I am a Music Composition major," the boy with black curly hair and green eyes said.

"Cool. I guess we will get an invitation to your performance soon," Moira replied.

"Is anyone hungry? I can go for nachos and burritos myself. I heard the dining hall serve them every Thursdays. Let's eat!" Wyatt invited the group of friends.

"I guess that means they will have tacos too! Okay, I'm coming!" Nardho broke free from Tony's strangulation and grabbed Nardhia's hand, hurrying to the dining hall.

The foods in the dining hall was not as great as Aunt Zoe's cooking, Moira noticed sadly, but she munched on her burritos because she was ravenous. Her friends chatted among themselves and Moira wondered how Aunt Zoe was doing and if Neesa was alright without her favorite cousin around. Nardho saw Moira's unhappy face and pulled her aside.

"What's wrong? Missing foods from home already?"

"Yes. The burrito here is tasteless. I need more spice!" Moira waved her hands animatedly.

"I see. Maybe tomorrow the dining hall will serve something you actually love. Yesterday they had beef yakiniku and chicken karaage, the menu changes every day."

"I suppose I shouldn't get too upset, then. Thanks, Nardho. I'll give the dining hall another chance. One bad experience shouldn't spoil the whole university for me."

"That's the spirit. If you still can't find anything you like, just let me know and I'll cook for you. I can't let my friend starve, can I?" Nardho let out a chuckle.

Moira gave him the sweetest smile she ever smiled. She had a feeling the semester would be off to a good start, now that she did not have to worry about eating burritos for the rest of the year!