—31... 32... 33... — Half an hour had already passed, and I was almost there. I was exhausted. I couldn't take it anymore! I sat on the stairs for a moment. The structure of these buildings was similar to that of the professors', with an entire floor for five people. I also noticed that, after a certain number of doors, the door was a different color.
Those on floors 1-6, purple. Those on floors 7-12, blue. Those on floors 13-18 are yellow. 19-24 in orange. The 25-31 in green, and the ones now, in red. But they weren't vibrant colors, rather the opposite. Strange, but okay.
I decided to get up before anyone saw me there and get to the apartment as soon as possible. I dragged my legs, but I preferred that to having sore feet. They say that in the Union of State Regions, they have invented something called an "elevator," so that people could go up the floors more easily, and thus be able to build skyscrapers, that is, buildings that are too tall. Lucky them... Why don't they bring it here?
Finally, I made it there. The damn 36th floor. I almost collapsed on the floor, I was close. Now that I think about it, Enma, Ajax, and Mar also lived on this floor, right? Along with another person. Look, at least I would have familiar faces around me, even if I literally met them this morning.
I opened the door. The living room greeted me with soft sunlight filtering through sheer curtains, casting gentle patterns on the polished wooden floor. Brown sofas, worn at the edges, huddled around a sturdy table that smelled faintly of pine. To the right, there was a large glass door that let in light and opened onto a balcony. The walls were white, and they had placed a variety of plants. In front of me, there were two doors, and to the left, you could see a kitchen.
Hey, it seemed very nice to live there.
—Karma? —I saw Enma come out of the kitchen, wearing a bunny pajama. Her face lit up when she saw me. —How nice! You live here too! Where were you? —I was surprised by the fact that they had arrived so quickly, but then I remembered again that awakened people had better physical performance than a normal person.
—Hehe... I got lost... —I lied, my fingers nervously tapping my chin as I avoided their eyes, a forced laugh escaping me that didn't quite reach my throat.
—Let's go! I'm going to show you the house. I'm going to show you the house. Ajax and Mar are also here! And Apollo too!
—Apollo? —I was surprised to hear that name. It sounded very familiar, but from where...?
—Aha! We just met him, but he's really nice! —she took me to the kitchen, where only Mar and Ajax were preparing bowls of fries while talking. — Where is Apollo?
—He's in the room, he said he was going to clean it a bit. —said Mar, looking up at me —Oh, Karma! What a surprise, I didn't know you would be here too!
—Is Karma here? —Ajax said, pulling his gaze away from the kitchen drawers he was examining. —Wow, hello. Why did you take so long? It's only 36 floors.
—I got lost. —I lied again, smiling at him. What do you mean only 36 floors?! Are all the awakened ones like this?! —And I didn't take long on the stairs, impossible. — And I didn't take long up the stairs, impossible. —Sarcasm — It was just because I separated from the group for a moment to look for the bathroom.
—Hehe, just kidding. Here. —he handed me a bowl of chips—36 floors are too many. When we got here, we were exhausted.
—Yeah... We had the bad luck of having to live on the top floor... —sighed Mar, while eating a potato
—Well, look on the bright side! That way we have excuses to be late! —said Enma, grabbing a chip from Mar's bowl. Good thing they're not that kind of people! I had gotten scared!
—Have you started eating fries without me? —I heard a male voice behind me. —How rude.
I turned to look at him. He was a guy a bit taller than me, with black hair tipped with blonde, golden eyes, dressed in a white shirt and black pants. Black hair, ending in blonde, and golden eyes. Black hair, ending in blonde and golden eyes...?
—Oh? And you are...? —he said, grabbing a potato from Ajax's bowl, which he had just left on the table —Oh, wait! I've seen you before!
—Yes... —I said, surprised
—I'm Apollo. —He extended his hand to me, but as soon as I touched it to respond, my head made another click. Stronger than the last one.
—Karma... Nice to meet you. —I said. My head started to hurt a little, but I didn't say or do anything, just endured the pain.
—Have you seen each other before? —Ajax asked, filling another bowl for Apollo.
—Not exactly. —he replied— I saw her running in an alley. Nothing more.
We stayed a little longer in the kitchen, eating chips and talking about nonsense. Enma kept jumping from one topic to another: from her theory that all teachers are actually undercover actors, to her irrational fear of pigeons (according to her, "pigeons are drones from the magical government"... the worst part is that she said it seriously).
Mar was more serene. She listened, nodded, and every now and then dropped a witty remark that made us all laugh. Ajax tried to seem indifferent, but it was clear he was having a good time. Apollo, for his part, was... weird. In a good way, I suppose. He spoke little, but when he did, he looked at you with those golden eyes as if he knew things you didn't. As if he were analyzing you from the inside.
And I... well, I was trying not to think too much about that click. Maybe it was just the fatigue. Maybe.
—What time is it? —Mar asked, looking at the kitchen clock.
—It's one in the afternoon. —Ajax replied —They told us that the welcome class is at one-thirty, right?
—Class? Today? But we just got here! —I protested.
—Yeah, but it's more like a meeting to explain the rules. I think. —said Enma, puffing out her cheeks— I just want to start throwing fireballs or something!
—We're not going to launch anything, Enma. —Mar reminded her. And then she stuck her tongue out at her, playfully.
We decided to get ready. Enma was the first to leave the room and go to her room. Apollo disappeared without saying anything else. Ajax and Mar kept talking a bit more, and I decided to change my clothes too. The two doors I saw earlier led to hallways, which separated the boys' rooms from the girls' rooms. All the rooms had a small plaque at the top with the names handwritten.
Mine was at the end of the hallway. I put my hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, and entered.
My room was simple, but cozy. It had a single bed, a desk with a reading lamp, an empty bookshelf, and a quite large wardrobe. A tall window let in the light. I collapsed onto the bed, feeling my legs still protesting from the 36 damn floors.
I changed clothes quickly. I put on the uniform, which, by the way, was uncomfortable. I tied my hair up (it was bothering my face again) and went back to the classroom.
—Are you ready? —I asked.
Enma appeared hopping, as if she were going on a field trip (how could she be so hyperactive?). Mar and Ajax were already ready too, and Apollo... well, Apollo showed up just as we were about to leave, as if he had perfectly timed it. He was also wearing the uniform, but he looked freshly showered. How did he do it?
—Come on, or we'll be late —Mar said, stepping ahead towards the door.
—Yeah... Let's go down. —I said, already fearing for my legs.
—Thirty-six floors again? —Enma complained.
—No, no. —Ajax pointed to a small room next to the entrance of the apartment, which, surprisingly, I didn't notice. —There's a magic platform there. It goes down every hour. It's like... our medieval elevator.
Excuse me?
We entered the room. Inside, there was a circular platform floating a few centimeters above the ground. A kind of runes glowed faintly at the edges. As soon as we all got on, a ring of light surrounded us, and I felt a slight emptiness in my stomach.
In a matter of seconds, we were already down.
—Why didn't anyone tell me this before?! —I exclaimed, indignant.
—We didn't know it either.
We left. The school was quieter now, although there was noticeable movement: groups of students were going back and forth, all heading to the same place. Apparently, everyone knew they had to go to the welcome class. Well, except for me.
We followed the flow of people until we reached the main building. We entered through one of the side doors and climbed a few stairs (this time it was only two floors, thank heaven). In one of the largest rooms, with wooden bleachers and a huge chalkboard at the back, the students were seated in groups. We found seats in the middle section.
I sat between Enma and Mar. Ajax sat on the edge, and Apollo right behind me. I had the feeling that he was watching me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smiling at me. What did he mean with that smile?
Before I could think about it any further, a figure entered the classroom.