Sora's POV

“Take care miss! It’s cold out today!” the cashier called out as I exited Zen, the teahouse a block away from my college campus. The weather today had been very peculiar. The sun was bright and shining in the morning, and I had dressed accordingly with my sundress and cargo jacket paired with my sunglasses. I was NOT expecting the sun to suddenly disappear around noon time. I was also definitely NOT dressed for sudden winds and light rain.

I am usually a very predictable person. I have a set routine that I go through everyday which consisted of going to classes, studying at the library, and then returning home. Today, however, I had decided to be spontaneous, and headed to the teahouse right after class ended. I promised my roommate, Cheryl, that I would be back by seven in the evening—we had made plans to eat out to celebrate the beginning of the college year. It was already six o’ clock. I knew that Cheryl would be worried about my whereabouts and would (most likely) drive to the library to discover that I WASN’T AT THE LIBRARY TODAY BECAUSE I DECIDED TO BE SPONTANEOUS. I’m sorry to have failed you, Cheryl, within the first few weeks of college…

As I walked down the streets from Zen, I relished the taste of independence. In the eighteen years of my life, I was finally away from my parents for an extended period of time. I finally had the privilege to make decisions for myself, like going to Zen instead of the library. I had stumbled upon this teahouse after wandering around the campus and its surrounding areas. I disliked going places that were hyped up. For example, I tend to prefer small coffee shops rather than Starbucks.

Today, I was invited to go to a local Tea Bar by my classmates after the lecture. I declined them politely with the excuse of already having made plans, nonexistent plans. I then decided to go to the library to study, but was distracted by the thought of having some tea. The result of which ended up in my wandering about town and discovering Zen. I REGRET NOTHING. As I walked towards the college campus, I struggled to remember which direction my apartment was. Ah! It is probably in the other direction! I usually head in the wrong direction anyways… I turned the other way and continued walking. All was going well, until I realized that the light posts were looking more ornate the more I walked. Something’s wrong…

I whipped out my phone to call my roommate, only to find out that the sudden bad weather killed my signals. Dammit, I knew that I should have listened to Dad about getting a car. So much for saving money. Now, I can’t even call Cheryl for a ride because of the damned weather. I can’t exactly camp out at Zen, seeing how I somehow wasted an entire afternoon in there. Judging from the barista’s glare, I definitely overstayed my welcome…or she was just jealous that the cute cashier boy kept making small talk with me. Either way, Zen is no longer an option…. Why does the apartment have to be so far anyways? Most normal college students live near the campus…Oh right, Cheryl and I are obsessed with the view of the ocean, so we decided to live near the beach. Surprisingly, the cost of the apartments there is less…Oh no… the rain is getting stronger. Is this how I’m going to die? Mom, Dad, please know that I love you very much. I will continue to watch you guys from heaven. Please don’t grieve for me too long—I’m in a better place now…Where am I?

As I surfaced from my state of self-pity, I realized that I had wandered into a side of town foreign to me. Everything on this side of the town looked more…antique. The shops were well-maintained, yet still had the looks and feel of something from the Victorian Era. Tudor houses dotted the area and some small streets still had cobblestone lining. Huh. I should have done more research before transferring here. I never knew that this town was this…ancient. I sighed. But I guess living by the sea has its perks, the weather is a lot cooler here and the view from the apartment is so beautiful when the sun sets.

I looked around again, this time out of desperation. The rain was starting to pour and I really needed to find a place for shelter. This side of town was well-lit, but most of the stores were already closed. Come on, give me anything, God. An awning to hide out in, some piece of cardboard, ANYTHING. I REALLY do not want to die right now. Just as I thought this, I heard a rumble of thunder (really…Can my luck get any worse?) and saw a peal of lightning up ahead. I took the lightning as a sign from God and followed it to the best of my abilities. (I realized later on that any normal person would actually run away from the lightning, but hey, I was desperate, okay?)  

To my relief, I had arrived at a dwelling in front of the lighthouse. I hurriedly ran in the direction of the lighthouse, stepping in puddles of muddy water and staining my dress. I twisted the door to the lighthouse and opened it. The lighthouse was warm, and well-kept. It somehow had a homely aura. There were multiple pairs of shoes, which I assumed to belong to the keepers of the lighthouse, by the door.

“Hello?” I called. There had to be people present, right? I mean, there are shoes scattered everywhere… I gingerly stepped out of my shoes and onto the welcome mat. My socks made soft squishing noises as I moved around before I took them off as well. I opened the door once again just to wring out my socks and dress. I didn’t want to soil the clean floor of the lighthouse with dirty puddles of water.

“Hello?” I called out again, “Sorry for the intrusion, but I got lost on my way back to my apartment. Can I camp out here until the storm dies out?” I was greeted with silence. I sighed. Seems like I would have to take matters into my own hands. I explored the lighthouse with newfound curiosity. The lighthouse had three stories, each with multiple rooms. As I looked around for a bathroom to wash up in, I chanced upon several plaques lining the doorframes. In honor of Sergeant Blake Underwood for building this haven…. In honor of Captain Terrence Smith for defending the lighthouse from pirates….In honor of Shelly, who always kept the lighthouse fire going… In loving memory of Logan and Beatrice Kirkland, who were loved too much by the sea and stolen away from us….

I walked up the stairs to the second story after finding no restroom on the ground floor. I wandered about once more, noticing several framed pictures. Wow… these pictures must be very old…wait…these aren’t pictures…these are drawings! Whoever drew these was an amazing artist…This dates back to the 1700s! The pictures covered an entire hallway, and as I looked at every single one, one picture in particular made me do a double take. The couple in this picture looks eerily familiar…The guy looks like the cute cashier guy from Zen…the girl looks like me…My eyes chanced upon the date the picture was drawn—June 1778. This is weird…maybe I should call Mom to see if we had any long lost relatives that lived in this…

My thoughts were cut off as an angry voice demanded, “What are you doing here?”

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So, how was this chapter? Please let me know below in the comments! (The italics are supposed to be the character's thoughts).

1314 words. Posted on 27. 12. 2013