5 Ruby District (4)

aloysia

'It's nice and sunny too', Kennedy had said. More like nice and 'scorching'. I groan as I try to sit up, my eyelids glued to my eyes and my cheeks and forehead burning. My tongue is sandpaper and sweat covers my chest, neck, and forehead. My God. The world has finally come to an end overnight.

As I peel my eyes open, a blinding light threatens to sacrifice my eyes. "Argh!" I shriek, covering my eyes with my hands. I try again, squinting and looking through my fingers, and expect to see fires and dragons and lava around me. But no, there's only a small cute lizard that's super still and not moving but alive, I think, innocent palm trees, golden white sand scattered on the concrete, and a blue, blue sky with a white hot beam of light up high.

I cough. I suck in clear, fresh air. It's a little humid, but it's definitely cleaner than the smoke-filled air in the city and back in my old home. I wipe the sweat off my face, braid back my sweaty hair, and haul up my bags and march into the lobby of the apartment complex.

Inside, it's freezing with air-conditioning. It's big and spacious, with empty chairs and tables. I glance at the clock at my left, and it reads 7:40 am. The clerk at the desk raises her eyebrows at me. "Well, what do we have here?"

"I have a room here," I blurt out. I blink, rub my eyes, and start again. "Um, my… aunt booked a room here for me. She paid for the next five months. It's room 301, under the name Aloysia Rosaline…?"

The clerk stares at me, then sighs and stretches. "Lemme check real quick, hon."

She starts to type super slow, her red fake nails clicking on the keyboard. She yawns a few times. Finally, she says, "Ooh, that's right. You have a room with one bath, one bed, includes internet, water and electricity and of course, air conditioning, up to 500 channels of television—"

"Alright," I interrupt, smiling tightly. "Can I have my key?"

"Oh, sure, hon." She reaches down, pulls out something through a drawer and comes back up. "In here," she says, sliding an envelope over the counter, "there are two modern cards and one emergency key. Like in the old days, when the keys were metal and spiky—"

"Okay, have a good day!" I take the envelope and bring my bags to the elevator. I go to the third floor and find my room at very end of the hall, 301. I take out a card and swipe it through the padlock. A small light shines green and I barge into the room impatiently.

I drop my bags on the floor and rush to the bathroom. I almost pee in my pants, but I make it just in time. It's a really nice bathroom, white and golden-yellow and light blue tiles on the floor and around the sink. The sink's faucet lets out a gentle almost silent stream of water that caresses my hands. Back at home, the faucet water either barely let out a few drops or sprayed frigid cold water at my face. So this is a grand luxury.

I check out the rest of the apartment. There's a small kitchen area and countertop with stools, including a stove, microwave, sink, built-in cutting board, and a washer/dryer combo. The rest of the apartment is a living room/bedroom, with a big tv on the wall, pretty rug on the floor, a low round wooden table, some lamps, and a large couch that can change into a bed.

One wall is basically made of glass, large windows cover it and show a stunning view of the blue-green ocean, white sand, and several short buildings with red roofs scattered around. I blink and stare at the dazzling ocean, still processing that I am actually in this paradise.

I can see what must be a school, with longer buildings connected with covered pathways, and some circular huge domes with beautiful stained glass ceilings. That must be the arts school…?

Right! I should enroll soon.

I look through the long cabinets built into the walls, and not only do they have bathrobes, but casual street clothes, dresses, and loose training clothes that that look close to my size. That's just amazing.

I take the longest shower of my life, scrubbing off sand and grit and sweat. I also shave because in the shower, it includes a collection of razors and shaving cream. Jeez, it's like I'm a princess staying at a luxurious castle. I'm not used to this stuff.

Then I choose an outfit of slim khaki shorts and a sleeveless super white shirt with criss-cross straps. It feels so revealing, as I'm used to wearing pants and long-sleeves and sweaters. I braid back my hair into a neat French braid, tuck the envelope with my papers in the front of my shorts and underneath my shirt, put a key card into my back pocket, and ditch my crummy shoes. I mean, they should let me walk around barefoot, right? This is a tropical beach setting.

Still, the clerk lady looks at me weird as she sees me walking out of the lobby. I wave at her and smile. "I'll be heading out, ma'am!"

And as I step out of the building, it hits me again. The unbearable, inevitable heat.

~~~

The colorful scenery is overwhelming to my eyes. I'm used to gray skies, gray rain, and gray buildings, but here the roofs are red to symbolize the Rubys district, I'm guessing, palm tree leaves filter sunlight in shades of gold and green, exotic flowers and fruits erupt from the ground at random. And just to my right, the vast ocean is so glittery and blue, compared to the ocean back at home, where it was, you guessed it, a depressing gray murky color.

The soft white sand turns into a golden grit beneath my feet. There's concrete sidewalks with covered pathways connecting small buildings with red roofs and outdoor courtyards. Posters are taped to the beams of the covered pathways, advertising dances and concerts and meetings. It looks like a school. An arts school. Ooohh.

I pass by a map showing which paths will take you where, and find myself walking into the main office building. More like darting from palm tree to palm tree, savoring any shade, and I'm almost gasping by the time I reach the main office. Frigid cold air hits me forcefully as I push open the doors and drag my feet into the lobby, wiping off sweat from my face with my arm. The smooth tile floor is cold to my bare feet. "Oh my goodness," I mutter, "does it have to be so hot?"

A man looks up from his computer, sitting behind a long desk. He must work here. I walk over to the man, and I stand on my toes and dig my elbows onto the tall desk. I prop my chin onto the cool desk and put on a dazzling smile. "Hello, sir!"

"Yes?" he says, typing furiously into the computer.

"I, um, I want to enroll here."

"Hmm. Just a sec." He skims the computer screen, the bluish light reflecting onto his dark eyes, making it look like he's in some sort of trance.

I sigh and roll back onto my heels, and I turn around to inspect the place. A couple of chairs, some certificates and trophies stacked on the walls, and a long hallway leading to several offices and closed rooms. There's a student sitting in a chair, his knee bouncing with impatience.

After a few minutes of awkwardly standing by the desk, I take a seat next to the boy. He glances at me, then suddenly stares at me in surprise. I stare back.

"Hi," I squeak out nervously. He blinks, then clears his throat and rubs his face.

A few tense moments pass, and I start to regret coming here at this time when the boy clears his throat again. I look over and see him turning his body so he faces me. "Hey," he says, and gives me a quick smile. "So, you want to enroll here?"

"Yeah!" I grin at him. "Do you go here?"

"Yeah. I'm Jonas, by the way."

"I'm Aloysia." I can't help but smile brightly. He's the first friendly person I've met outside of the Lune district so far. A little strange, but who isn't?

"So you like art?" Jonas says. His voice is kind of sweet, almost calming. Low but gentle.

"Ahumm, well I can't draw or paint at all, but I like to sing and dance. And act," I add. "What do you do?"

"I dance." He flashes one more smile at me, then he stretches and slouches in his chair, a faint smile on his face. He has thick black hair, straight eyebrows, monolid soft brown eyes with thick lashes, his nose a slight slope, his bottom lip full and his upper lip curved into an almost smirk, and he has a strong jaw. His skin is a warm tan and he does look like a dancer. Strong but lean, and his movements gentle.

He glances up to me from his slouched position and I look away quickly. I guess I've stared too long. Heat creeps up my neck.

"You're not from here, are you?"

I look back to him, surprised. "What?"

Jonas sits up slightly. "I mean, somebody from here would be used to the heat, and would know to put on at least a little sunscreen." He brushes his hand on my arm, and a cold jolt goes through my body.

"Oh," is all I can say.

"You're skin is all red," Jonas adds. "You'll be sore tomorrow."

"Oh."

"And you're not really tan."

"I'm from the city," I blurt out. "I just moved here recently."

Jonas raises his eyebrows at me. "Ahh. That makes sense." He slouches in his chair again. "City people like you think you're ahead of everyone else."

I open my mouth, then close it. I thought he was a nice guy. Irritation crawls beneath my skin. I want to say that I'm from the freaking Lune district, and that Rubys people think they're cooler than everybody else.

I sigh. "Pfft. Are you calling me cocky? Look at yourself."

"That's right," he sighs. "Charming on the outside, spoiled on the inside."

I huff angrily. "Well, slouching is bad for your posture. You must dance off-balance, huh?" I push myself up and move across two seats away from him.

Jonas's amused voice wafts over to me. "Now you've got to call your mommy because you're upset. Maybe your lawyer too? Oh wait, your daddy's a lawyer, you can just call him."

My blood starts to boil. I walk up to the desk and ask the man again. "Can I enroll here today?"

"Just a sec, hon."

Hon. Do I 'look' like honey!? Why do the office people keep calling me 'hon'!?

"Fine! I'll come back later." I glower at Jonas, sitting so innocently in his chair. "Or maybe not at all." I march out of the lobby barefoot and walk back to my apartment, back in the trembling heat of Rubys.

Will I ever fit in here? Anywhere?