Sunday Monday happy days

Tuesday Wednesday happy days

Thursday Friday happy days

Saturday what a day

Rockin' all week for you

***

CHAPTER 15:

FIRST WEEK

Tarben was a strange one. Then again, who at the Dorm wasn't? Oddly enough, his weirdness felt comforting. He wasn't chatty - calm, with soft movements, and not the type to poke his nose into other people's business. We spent the whole day lounging under different trees, hoping to spot birds, and the most personal thing he asked me was my name. When lunchtime came, we ate in silence. Then we watched birds in silence. Then we took notes in silence.

Despite my ridiculous outfit, I had to admit that being outside, not rushing, and enjoying the quiet felt good. By the time our angel instructor thanked us and collected the notebooks, my morning panic had dissipated, and my worries had lessened. What spiritual benefit this class had on my journey was anyone's guess, but I'd still count it as a win.

Everyone was now returning their equipment. They just shrugged off their ponchos and vests and tossed them on the table. Easy for them. I, on the other hand, had to wriggle out of my chicken costume. After struggling inside the jumpsuit for a minute or two, Tarben came to my rescue, unzipping it with a laugh.

"Nice meeting you, Olive. Maybe we'll see each other in another class."

I almost said, "I hope so," but instead, I smiled and replied, "Maybe..."

Without dragging it out, he tipped his hat to me and headed toward the mansion. I watched him until Lark and Helene found me. The girls probably thought I was waiting for them, but I was lost in thoughts about the strange day I'd just had, trying to make sense of my feelings. On the way back to the Dorm, I stayed silent, continuing to ponder my experience. With Helene and Lark being such chatterboxes, this wasn't hard to do.

When I reached my room, I still couldn't name the feeling inside me. I took a hot shower, had a wardrobe battle, and headed back to the cafeteria for dinner. That's when it hit me—what was different about me. My tension had lessened, I wasn't scanning for Mars with angry eyes, and most importantly, I no longer felt like a failure everyone was mocking.

I smiled to myself. Tarben's words, actions, and especially his presence had affected me more than I thought. Until I met him this morning, I thought I was the only anomaly at the Dorm. Even though I tried to convince myself otherwise, deep down, I believed I was cursed and out of luck. I was angry. I was resentful. But now... I knew I wasn't alone. I knew there was someone else sharing my fate. And that someone had shown me there could be a different path.

The sense of lightness that came with this realization was truly remarkable. I found myself willingly sitting next to Lark, opting to dine with others rather than seeking solitude, and even agreeing to join them in the common room after dinner. While there were still occasional glances in my direction, along with irritating whispers and unpleasant giggles, the overall attention on me had undeniably diminished. If things here worked like in real life, these adolescents would soon find a new gossip to chew on and forget about me. Who knows, maybe in time, even a soul without a mate like me could have a normal life here.

In the following days, I tried to keep Tarben's words like a guiding light in my mind. This is my path. What happens in the end is up to me. With or without them, I'll go where I need to go when the time comes. I even inscribed these sentiments in my notebook, a constant anchor to the truth. While repetition proved to be somewhat comforting, its efficacy seemed to wane with each passing day. Seeing Tarben once more and refreshing those wise words would make things much easier. Unfortunately, the Dorm never paired us in the same class again. And just like that, the theoretical knowledge I thought I had learned began slipping through my fingers due to practical inadequacies.

After trying to get through ridiculous classes alone for an entire week, waking up on the sixth day with a mouthful of curses and burning hatred was probably normal. I had made candles alone, waltzed alone, planted tomatoes alone, and participated in a relay race alone. I probably don't need to mention that my candles didn't hold up, my dance looked like mime, I ruined half of the tomatoes, and I finished last in the relay race.

I kicked the blanket off and got out of bed. Out of habit, my eyes went straight to the Tamagotchi on my nightstand, and seeing the egg made me growl like a wild animal. Even knowing that today was a holiday, and I wouldn't be embarrassing myself in any classes wasn't enough to lift my mood. I dumped half the creams, lotions, and oils in the bathroom over my head, but the angry bull inside me wasn't going to calm down without some bloodshed.

"You really don't want to mess with me today," I muttered as I stood in front of the closet.

The Dorm must have sensed my violent tendencies. For the first time since I arrived, the closet displayed clothes that actually matched my style. I chose plain, dark purple jeans and a white t-shirt. Even my sneakers were spared from the usual hearts, glitter, and ribbons. I glared at the bag mocking me from the corner and the open notebook on the table. I couldn't bear to see any of it today. I stuffed my virtual pet into my pocket and stormed out into the corridor.

I'd learned that without any Mars drama, I was just another face in the crowd, no one really cared about me. This morning was no different. Especially since stepping into the corridor at the same time as Pam reminded me of how insignificant I was in this place. Everyone's attention, from people to pets, was fixated on their favorite princess. I rolled my eyes and headed straight for the cafeteria.

Seems stress-eating wasn't just a thing for the body, but for the soul too. Even in my ghostly state, I loaded up two plates with a mix of flavors before finding my friends at our usual spot. Yep, I had started calling them my friends. With all their quirks, they were the closest thing I had to a social circle in this realm. And that was probably one of my biggest problems.

"Sadness, melancholy, rejection, disappointment, seeing only the empty part of the glass..." Lark listed without lifting her head from the card she had drawn. It was the Five of Cups and somehow felt like it had been pulled just for me at this very moment.

I slammed the plates onto the table and sat down in the empty chair next to Ursa. My move made Lola jump and hide behind her croissants, and Meer leap into Diego's lap. Spook turned his head away as if disapproving. I half-expected Glace to stick his tongue out at me, but today his tail was turned towards us.

"Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Ursa teased.

"Sadness, melancholy, disappointment..." I grumbled, shoving a greasy doughnut into my mouth. Diego, thinking I might choke, poured strawberry milk into my glass and pushed it in front of me.

"Did Mars upset you again?" Ursa asked.

"Mars doesn't even have the time to bother upsetting me," I muttered irritably. My answer prompted exchanged glances around the table.

"But look on the bright side, Olive," Ursa said. "You've already survived the first week!"

"The first week is always the hardest," Helene agreed.

Diego nodded immediately. "Absolutely the hardest!"

"When I found out I was paired with Helene, it felt like my world was falling apart," Lark said, waving the Five of Cups at me. "I was in despair, thinking about how I'd manage with this ghost girl."

"Don't forget, darling," Helene interjected with an icy smile. "Our hatred was mutual."

Ursa nudged Diego. "We struggled a lot too. Tell them, Di-Di. How much we used to fight."

"Oh, man..." Diego exclaimed dramatically. "We fought like crazy... You wouldn't believe how grumpy this angel-faced girl could be."

I watched my friends' theatrical display with weary eyes. Helene had started to speak again, but I couldn't take it anymore. "Enough!" I interrupted. "Okay, I get it. Thanks for your support, really. I know what you're trying to do. But it's pointless. My situation is different from yours. I don't have a soulmate I can eventually get used to or start liking. I struggle in classes because I'm alone. I'll always be alone. Basically, I'm a hopeless case. Maybe I should just follow that girl's lead and throw myself into the Void!"

Ursa shot up with a scream, Diego pushed his chair back, Helene's eyes nearly popped out, and Lark dropped her deck of cards. I missed what the animals were doing because, in the next second, Ursa was in my face, gripping my shoulders and shaking me.

"Collect yourself!" she commanded in a voice I'd never heard from her before. Her reaction was so unexpected it even stunned my anger. I leaned back in my chair as her shadow swallowed mine inch by inch. "Listen to me, Olive!" she said through gritted teeth. "I better not hear you joke about this again, got it? We don't talk about the Void here. We don't get close to it. We don't even think about it. Why? Because the Void is nothing. No options, no chances, no hope! You are not nothing. You still have choices. You still have a life waiting for you. So, pull yourself together and erase that ridiculous idea from your mind!"

If Ursa weren't such a sweet girl, I might've been slapped. Then again, her blazing eyes had almost the same effect. Like a well-behaved child, I nodded quickly. Even after she let go of me, she didn't return to her seat. Arms crossed, brows furrowed, she stood there thinking. Her eyes narrowed as if she were examining a secret plan only she could see. We all waited, heads tilted like Spook's, until she turned back to me with a cunning smile.

"I know exactly what you need," she declared.

"Ursa..." I began, but she whipped her hair around and turned away.

"Follow me, Olive. We're getting you ready for your first party at the Dorm. And the best designer here has decided to help you. Watch out, people, Olive is coming to the lake!"

***

As Ursa said, next chapter we are all going to the famous lake. All souls will be there. Come join the chaos, as this author prepared very nice surprises for everyone :)

Until then, kisses and hugs, EC.