Chapter 1: A Brand New Day, A Brand New Opportunity
The camera flashes all around, reporters in the background ready for the live interview, the crowd of fans cheering and yelling, waiting for the star of the night to show up. The big door of the mansion opened up finally, and there walked out Miyoko Aki, the consecutive winner of the 'Best All-genre Author' from the past 3 years. She was smiling brightly in front of everyone, and out of nowhere, she hears a soft melody, a very soothing and delicate one. And right after another second she heard her older sister's voice echoing in her ears, slowly getting louder, saying, "wake up....wake up Miyoko....hey wake up, wake up!!"
Miyoko suddenly flinched and sat up straight on the bed. "My fans are my inspiration!", she yelped before opening her eyes and realizing she is in her bed, dreaming the same dream yet again. "aww, why did you have to wake me up Fumika, I was having such an awesome dream", she pouts, closing her eyes, still half into her dreamland. "Mhm, and what was the dream again? You are walking out of your big mansion and a huge amount of media and fans are cheering for you and all that same stuff you dream about every day right?", Fumika questioned while crossing her arms.
" * sigh * You know how much I love to write, this has been my dream since you started writing, I mean, your work is so awesome, every single thing in them is highly intriguing and almost everyone in our neighborhood knows you for your work, I wanted to be the same....", Miyoko talked as she plopped her body back on the bed. "And you will be, have faith, your work is no less than any interesting book created, so don't stress up too much, or yours and my ideas might rot, after all, we are Twins so we share the same brain cells", Fumika tried to cheer her up.
Both the sisters giggled together and before Miyoko could say anything, they heard a yell from downstairs. Both of their eyes grew wide and they rushed to check what the matter was. Upon reaching the kitchen they saw their youngest sister trying to cook the breakfast but she almost burnt it, including the pan and the cleaning cloth. The other two only stared at her and she whined and said, " Ane-Channn! (older sister in Japanese) I thought I could prepare the breakfast till you both get down and it all did go nicely but, um, a mice came in the kitchen and I ran to hide till it went away but by then my whole omelet was burnt to ash, almost catching fire so I thought of keeping it on the cold cloth but it was so hot that it burnt that cloth too, at the end I just kept it in the sink."
Miyoko and Fumika facepalm and then sigh together, still keeping their hands on their faces. Pearl was standing there completely rooting her feet to the ground, playing with her fingers and biting her lip at the thought of being scolded by both of her older sisters. But none of what she was hoping for to happen had been true, and instead both the other just chuckled at her innocence and called her over to them. Fumika gave her a pat on her head and Miyoko hugged her. "Don't worry, I will make some more breakfast", said Fumika while heading over to the fridge. Miyoko and Pearl sat at the table waiting for food.
"Okay here you go with breakfast", Fumika headed over to the table with their plates. "Well, that was quick of you but thank you for the food!", Miyoko commented and eagerly waited for the plate to be kept in front of her. But her face dropped when she saw what was there. Both Pearl and Miyoko looked at each other's faces and then back at the plate, and then at Fumika who was sitting in front of them, happily enjoying the food. Fumika looked up when she noticed both of the other starring at her.
"what? why are you both not eating?", she asked. Miyoko spoke up, "This is just white bread with chocolate spread in between and sweet cream on top, with a glass of milk, how is it enough till lunchtime??". "I wanted to ask the same, thanks for speaking it out on my behalf, but yeah I support your point, do you want us to starve Ane-Chan??", added Pearl. "I will let you both eat some snacks when and if you feel hungry before lunch today, but only today", Fumika replied, and stuffed another bite in her mouth.
A wide grin crept up on both the other two's faces and they slowly turned to look at each other and exchanged looks before digging in their breakfast. It was a moment of silence until Fumika broke it with a question, "So, what have you thought about your university application? You have done good in your subjects, you might get the chance to be a lawyer for real you know", she asked Miyoko. "Ane-Chan you know that she will not accept it until she gets a contract for her books she writes all day staying in her imagination", Pearl added with a tiny grin on her face, looking at Miyoko and asking, "right Twinnie?", finishing off her sentence at that.
Miyoko stopped eating, slowly placed her hand down on the table, lowering her head slightly and heaving a slight sigh. After taking a moment she looked back up with a little tense face and answered, "You know how much I want to get accepted in the Watsonia Writing School, everyone says that a writer getting trained from there is bound to get success in the whole world".
"But then won't your university application get rejected by when they will tell the results, god knows when will they let you know of the verification completion, not everyone gets to have such good and positive chance with a high-level education institute and you should take this chance while you have it, you might not get it again if you miss it out now, trust me it will go well and you can continue writing for sure, I will make some arrangements for your books to be printed and--", Fumika was trying to explain it to Miyoko but she cuts her off in the middle.
"You are not understanding Fumika, this is what I don't want from you, I want to make my name in the writing world myself, I don't want you to speak for me always, Though I am antisocial and a little too much shy but I want to be able to stand for myself and be able to speak out, I appreciate your concern for me and your praise for my work but I want to be able to manage and lead my life on my own", Miyoko talks, trying to explain to her what she expects from herself.
Fumika has been the most mature one of all of the sisters after their parents and has supported her sisters with all her might. They have been going well with their little world of happiness and joy. Fumika had a few contacts with her fellow writers and publishers and she is also well aware of Miyoko's passion for writing, she hoped for her work to be known because it was worth that place but she sometimes wants to do so much for them that she forgets to let loose sometimes and be a little laid back, allowing her sisters to manage and go through a few of their problems themselves. She can't help that herself though, as being the one to manage the financial situation and lifestyle of theirs on her own it is common for her to take all of this on her shoulders and make herself balance it out no matter what. She doesn't want her dear sisters, her only family now to feel the absence of their parents or think for even once that they are being left out and not being taken care of good and being appreciated for their efforts and talents.
Right in between of this, the doorbell rings. "Oh it might be the milkman, I'll take it", Pearl comments as she moves to the door. After collecting the milk she moves to the post box, just in case there is any letter or perhaps a contracting letter she wants to be in there. Pearl has been the first-ever fan of Miyoko's works and she wants her to succeed as much as Fumika does, though being only a few months younger than her she has the same stubborn mindset of waiting for it before going for the last resort which is the Law and Order University for her sister. Although she barely has any hopes of seeing anything inside the letterbox she still opens it to find a brown paper bag in it, surprisingly. Her face lights up as she runs inside to give the news with the paper bag to Miyoko. She was not sure of what exactly was in it but she was sure it is that one thing Miyoko has been waiting for weeks for.
She runs inside with full excitement, yelling her name. Pearl throws open the door and runs to Miyoko. Fumika and Miyoko both look confused at her reaction but their eyes grow wide in shock when they hear what Pearl tells them. "Miyokoooo!!! I don't exactly know what is inside this envelop but I think this is what you have been waiting for all this time, I did not open it though, I want you to open it yourself", Pearl says with full hope and contentment on her face, eager to see her sister's reaction on seeing her take the first step towards her dreams.
Miyoko's hands shiver a little when she hears that, both with happiness and nervousness while opening the envelope. And when she sees the logo of the writing school upon pulling the papers out, her heart thumps out of excitement. Her cheeks go pink and she got the biggest smile across her face she has had in a while. She jumps with excitement and speaks loudly, "I got accepted!! I am going to the Watsonia Writing School Twinnie!!~". When Pearl hears that, she covers her smiling face and jumps with her, holding hands together.
Fumika was also as happy as the other two and standing near the table she sees both the sisters jumping so happily, her eyes sparkle for a split second. It has been the first time she saw both of them being ever so happy in a while. Pearl was always happy about anyone's achievements and she appreciates as well, no matter how little it is. But she knew when Miyoko is genuinely happy and laughing, her cheeks always go slightly pink, sometimes her nose too, signaling the amount of happiness she feels at that moment. And seeing her whole face filled with joy and the red cheeks, she knew Miyoko couldn't have been happier than that moment she was having right now.
After the mini excitement celebration, Pearl and Miyoko stopped and looked at Fumika who was also enjoying their happiness from a distance. Both of them ran to her and hugged her tightly from either of the sides as she hugged back both of them. Miyoko was so struck by that letter that she was still shivering and her tongue was slipping. "I-I need top-pack my things for s-school, I'm f-finally going T-Twin, finally...", Miyoko spoke while breathing heavily before running to her room. She did not want to wait even a single moment now, not after being so patient for it for weeks.
She booked the taxi and started stuffing things in her bag. She took another bag in which she filled up all her writings and short stories she made and is still working on, including a few books of Fumika she secretly bought without her knowing it. After arranging all of her stuff she rushed to take a good nice shower and wore her best formal outfit. As it was winter season, she had a coat over her dress with a warm scarf around her neck. Wearing her winter boots and combing her hair, she speed-walked out of the room, heading downstairs.
At the door, Fumika and Pearl were waiting for her in front of the taxi. She walked up to them and squeezed them in a hug with her. "I'm going to miss you both...", Miyoko spoke with a small smile on her face. "Doesn't seem like that to me, judging by how excited you are to go there, I don't think so if you even will think about us at all", Pearl sarcastically added. Miyoko rolled her eyes with a small chuckle and gave them a last hug before sitting in the taxi.
The driver asked for the location when she happily tells the name of her new writing school and her car drives away. All the way she was starring outside the window, imagining her life when she will stay there, all the friends she will make and how she will spend her time creating stories for assignments and studying about how to improve writing skills in class and the moments when she will go to hang out with her new and first-ever friends she will make outside, on her own except for her 3 to 4 childhood friends.
And when they all will help each other with ideas and inspiration for their work and becoming successful together. It was like her whole life is already planned out after going there and it will be bliss to live it. She could almost see herself laughing around and blending in with people, just like anyone else, and not sitting in a corner, trying to hide from everyone around her and becoming non-existent like she always has tried to be. She will too have a normal and happy life, and maybe she will find her special someone there only, who knows, but maybe she will also have a chance to go on dates and get gifts and sweet texts like any other teenager like her got and talked so happy about that.
Everything according to her will be all perfect and happy from today on for her. It's like starting new and fresh into something she has always wanted to. While she was busy in her fantasy world again, she was snapped back to reality when the driver stopped the car and informed her of reaching her destination. She flinched slightly and got off of the car. The driver helped her get her stuff from the car trunk. After thanking and paying him off, she looked up in front of her, the huge building standing, shining brightly under the sun, proudly holding its logo and title right on top of it.
Miyoko took a deep breath and entered inside. It was huge and pretty as if she walked into a five-star hotel just now. She stopped looking around and got a little serious and mannered while walking up to the reception desk. The woman there greeted her with a sweet smile and asked her if she needed something. She showed her the acceptance letter and the woman congratulated her. The receptionist asked her to confirm her details and gave her the ID pass instantly.
"Now, we just need to check if there are any collective dorm houses available, it would take a moment", the receptionist informed while typing in her computer. Miyoko stood patiently while looking around. She saw the students with such lavish looks and they were talking about their work all the time while roaming around there, not even a single one with a different topic than their work. The receptionist called out to her and said, "Sorry for too much delay but there is a slight problem, it might take longer than we expected, and we apologies for this inconvenience. While we sort this out, you can take the campus tour and get familiar with the places here if you please, thank you for your time and understanding". Miyoko shook her head in a 'no' about the inconvenience and went around to explore the campus, leaving her bags safely at the reception.
She sees the locker area and the classrooms, then onto the main hall which was the biggest she'd have ever seen, moving on she saw the extra activity corners like the novel's cover designing, a forum center, a room where there are soft boards all around marked with different genre and students and readers can go there to pin down any random ideas or scenes they get in their mind which fascinated Miyoko a lot. And the usual common places like the cafeteria, the garden, the main lobby were what she explored next. She was awestruck by everything there, though most of the things were as common as any other school, it was still beautifully designed and delicately maintained here.
She reached back at the reception, almost after 15 minutes, hoping for the problem to be resolved. The receptionist looked at her apologetically and said, "we are sorry but currently there is no dorm house which is publicly available or has shared any sort of open invitation for newcomers with us, so till we get any new invites or until someone else shares an invite with you, you can stay at the commoners' room, we are sorry again about this". Miyoko looked a little off but she was okay to even stay at the commoners' area, thinking all the students there will be new like her who didn't get any invites or rooms within any dorm house. She was hoping to start her friend circle from here itself and learn to be able to talk to new people. She agreed and she got her temporary keys to the first general area. Getting in there, she completed a few formalities she had to and headed to her room straight, getting everything all set up before starting with anything new first.
Walking through the hall of the dorm, though she was smiling and looking as chill and calm as she could, she felt a little uneasy around everyone there. For them, she was sort of invisible, no one even came up to her to greet her or even say a simple 'welcome'. Ignoring that feeling she entered her room and arranged her clothes in the cupboard, kept her writing material on the table, and stacked the books on the small shelf given to her. The room was but a little small, though big enough for a single person to stay. It had plain white walls and wooden brown furniture with simple white curtains and so were the bedsheets and pillow covers.
It looked boring and too plain to her, as being a creative person she is who likes vibrant and bright things or simply colors in general around her. She felt too out of space there, and a little distracted, but she knew she had to manage for a few days before she gets shifted to a permanent dorm. She pulled back her bright smile and took a few deep breathes before going out to talk to the people and make some friends if possible for her. Coming out of her room, she looked around the room carefully to find someone she can talk to, or hoped for anyone to approach her first. There was not a single soul around the whole main lobby who would be alone or would be willing to talk to her.
In a short while, the room in charge came in to get Miyoko to greet herself and welcome her. She called everyone to the lounge and requested every student to pay attention to her. Miyoko was fiddling and playing with her fingers all the time, nervous to go up there and introduce herself, but she had to, after all, she promised to take the stand for herself and be outspoken as much as she can be.
She stood up from her place at once upon her name being called. Walking up closer to the in-charge she bowed and introduced herself. She smiled as confidently and sweetly as she could, but deep down her nervousness was still bugging her from the very moment she stepped in. Her dormmates, on the other hand, were ignoring her, some only looked up from their phones at her once and barely nodded before getting back to minding their own business yet again. That made Miyoko more uncomfortable than she was and if she could then she would just turn in her heels and run up to the curtains to hide.
Her smile became faint before it disappeared completely when everyone start talking among themselves like they were as if she was not even there. She looked down and turned to the other side, her back facing everyone, as she was about to make her trip back to her room. The in-charge, though, held her shoulder to have a quick moment with her. She apologized to her on the behalf of other students for their utterly disgraceful behavior. She smiled lightly and told her to not worry about them and she need not apologize for them and marched back to have a little moment of solitude to calm herself down.
Days passed, but neither was she making any new friends and nor was she getting her permanent dorm invite. Only walking up and down the halls of that school, attending her classes, going out to a café with a good book to read alone, and writing, just like she did back at her home, all be herself, was the same she was doing here, nothing different, except for the place and people which was not so soothing to her as she had thought for it to be. Maybe it was worse than that, but only if she could do anything about this, the arguments in her head would be worth the time.
She was only glad about the fact that she will at least become a writer here if nothing more from that paradise she created in her heart. Just like every day, while passing by the small church in the garden, she intertwined her own two hands together and bought that up to her chest, wishing the same like usual, for everything to fall into place as she had imagined. If nothing much then only getting a permanent dorm would suffice for her, all she wanted was to get away from the ignorant morals in the dorms she was staying in.
And at that moment it was as if that her wish had been fulfilled with what happened in the net few moments. Carrying a mellow expression as usual she simply walked back to the common dorms and slowly slid in the kitchen to fetch something to eat real quick. That time, a group of friends who were sitting on the kitchen counter and the chairs in front of it called out to her for the first time and asked her to get them the ketchup bottle while she is at the fridge. She nodded and took it up to them, and it's like she became invisible again the moment she was done hanging over the ketchup.
Right, how could she have hoped for them to try and talk to her when they asked her to help them. She lowered her head and swiftly passed by them to go out of the kitchen when someone called out to her from the lounge area in the main hall. She was a little in hopes of making her friend in weeks, but a little cautious at the same time thinking about what happened just a few moments ago. When she spotted the person calling out to her, She speed-walked to her. "you called?", Miyoko asked the girl. "Yeah, I was just finding someone to talk to and you seemed to be going to eat alone so I hoped for you to join me and we eat together", the girl said and sweetly smiled at her. Miyoko felt obliged for the first time after coming here.
"Oh, by the way, I am Ayane, nice meeting you, what is your name?", she politely shook her hand and sweetly asked her. "My name is Miyoko, it is a pleasure to meet you too", Miyoko replied with the same politeness and a little formally too because apparently, she wanted to make a good impression at first. Ayane giggled a little on her formal behavior and said, "my gosh girl, no need to be so formal, I am not the head of any department or part of the faculty that you'd be so formal with your tone, just talk normally like you would with a friend". Miyoko scratched her forehead a little out of a little embarrassment.
"So, I was noticing you just now, and to me, it seems like you don't blend in with the people here, do you come here to meet a certain someone or for some work reasons, because this just doesn't seem like the place you feel comfortable with", Ayane asked Miyoko, in an attempt of both, trying to start a conversation and clearing out her doubts. "Um, well, you see, it is none of that, I have my temporary dorm here, I am not into any permanent dorms so, like it or not, I just have to be here till I get an invite", Miyoko replied rather sorrowfully. Ayane sighed and flicked her forehead lightly. Miyoko blinked for once and looked at Ayane with confusion. "oh god, why didn't you find me before then? I was already struggling with the extra invites I have of three dorm buildings with me and I wanted to hand them out to someone who needed them before anyone knows about me carrying extra invites and they get taken to the reception, here take all three, and go to the dorm that interests you, my break is almost over and I need to see a friend here so see ya", Ayane said all of this in a breath and without letting Miyoko answer, she stormed away like the blowing wind.
This is where Miyoko had her chance and her story beginning. She happily looked at the three invites in her hand and read their names: 'The Theronalia' which had a fire symbol made on it, 'Arongora' which hand its very own logo in gold, shining brightly and the last was 'Sarichia' which also had its very own symbol, but with a very artistic and vibrant look to it. All these seemed fascinating to her which made it difficult for her to choose. Though as much as she liked the third one a lot, her heart was telling her to make the first one from the list her permanent dorm, the others could be used as a pass to visit there anyways and she always had an option to switch dorms whenever she felt like. Now was that moment when she felt everything was genuinely falling into place. She walked in her room with a happy and proud face of getting away from this commoners 'hell' and going to somewhere where she can be welcomed if nothing much.
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