I almost lost Master Longwei in the throng of students as he ran up the staircase to the left.
We entered a wooden door with a woman embracing a dragon engraved on it. It led to more stairs.
“This place is really big,” I mumbled annoyingly, knowing I would never learn my way around all the staircases and passages.
“It has to be. Where do you think everybody stays? This is the girls' dormitories, boys are on the right.” he explained, and we entered the new space.
We walked up three separate staircases, and by the time we reached the fourth set, my lungs felt ready to burst. He finally stopped at the door with the gold number four, while I silently suggested the construction of an elevator.
Placing his hand against the door, he pushed, and it opened slowly into a cul-de-sac with three doors. He knocked on the first one. We waited.
“Good morning, Master Longwei,” a girl said in a chirpy tone, her toothbrush still in her hand. Her cropped black hair and big brown eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Good morning, Becky, may we come in?” he asked politely.
“Yeah sure, where's my manners.” She took a step back, encouraging us to enter.
We entered a room with three gigantic posted beds, two facing one. They were stunning with white lace hanging from the top and cascading down to the floor.
The floor was carpeted in plain, dark brown shag so lush my flip-flops almost disappeared as I took my first step into the room. A fancy chandelier was hanging from the ceiling, casting a majestic glow. If magic existed in this world, I knew it was somehow responsible for this magnificent bedroom.
“Becky? I want you to meet Elena,” Master Longwei said as he began the introductions.
“Hi, Elena, and welcome to Dragonia.” She sounded like she had ten Red Bull's for breakfast.
I smiled at her nervously and my greeting barely came out.
“Just show her around, and please don't let her get lost. There are still a lot of things she doesn't know. Try to tell her as much as you can,” he explained diligently.
“Master Longwei, you always do this to me,” Becky intoned, a whine slowly emerging to replace the hyperactivity.
“I thought talking to someone her age would help her to understand it better. I’m much too old for this, and don't know how to be hip and cool about stuff. You two speak the same language, Becky,” Master Longwei said.
“Fine, I’ll try. Thank heavens she knows about the dragons.” She raised both her eyebrows and took a long, deep breath.
“Good luck, Elena, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to come and see me. I will see you tomorrow morning for some shopping.”
Becky gasped. “Are you going to Elm?”
“Yes, and if you manage not to freak her out today, you can come too,” he said.
She bounced up and down, barely able to contain her excitement.
I really liked her, she reminded me of a pixie rushing on adrenaline. “This is your room, Elena, I hope you like it. Enjoy your day girls.” Master Longwei disappeared back through the door we had just come through.
This is my room.
I repeated the thought over in my head a million times and waited for it to finally sink in. Becky closed the door, and my eye caught the small lounge with a big screen T.V. hidden in the corner.
“Here's your bed, Elena, I will help you with the linen. I know they are huge, but there’s a reason for that.” She led me towards the empty bed.
“Where’s the other girl?” I referred to the other bed that had already been occupied.
“Sammy is an early riser and you’ve got Vicky’s spot. She's on a self-discovery quest,” she said, as if I was supposed to know what that meant. “I have a bit of a problem with the first, second, and third time my alarm goes off. I love the snooze button way too much." Her nose wrinkled up. “So, I bet you have a lot of questions huh?”
“I did, but my mind went blank.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.”
I was glad that she offered to help with the bed. I didn't know how I would've managed it all by myself.
“I heard that you have a very dark mark.” She lifted up her sleeve, showing me the light brown stain on her arm. “You can barely see mine.” She promptly waited for me to show her mine.
“Mine is above my knee.” I gestured to my newly acquired jeans.
Her smile dropped instantly.
“Can I show you tonight?”
She nodded, and her smile went all the way up to her eyes. “So, your dad was really a Copper-horn?”
“Yes,” I said in a soft whisper.
She gave me a one-sided smile. “I'm sorry that he died, Copper-horns are extremely lovable and I can't imagine who would want to hurt one, not to mention kill one.”