Alex, Chapter III

Chapter III

Planet Bae, Hidden Galaxy

 

I woke up to find Mage holding me instead of her stuffed panda that her mom had given her before she had left. I unhooked her arms from around me and crawled around her to get off the bed.

 

I did my usual morning exercises. I did twenty sit ups and push-ups, thirty jumping jacks and stretched every muscle I didn’t use. It was a much diluted form of Greavus’ morning exercises, which are ten times more than mine, and included special exercises for his extra limbs and a two mile run before breakfast. I knew whose I preferred.

 

I worked out quietly, so I wouldn’t wake Mage, who thankfully stayed asleep. I looked around her room again. In the corner of the room, on a tiny elevated area, was a picture frame behind a single blue candle.

 

I picked up the picture frame to get a better look at it. As soon as I got it to eye level, another picture slid out and fell to the ground. I stooped to pick it up. Then I heard the bed move as Mage sat up.

 

I quickly put the picture back as I heard her yawn sleepily.

 

"It’s okay, I don’t mind you looking at it," I heard her say.

 

Busted! I turned around to see her looking at me, her blue blanket falling as she got up. She smoothed down her night gown, baby blue with darker blue flowers on it. "The picture in the frame is my family. The other is Blake Durim, my boyfriend. He, um… wasn’t special enough to join the institution. He writes to me, though."

 

I smiled to her. "How sweet. I was wondering. Who is the other girl in the picture frame; she looks like your brother and you."

 

"I would hope so. She’s the third triplet, the oldest of us. I and she came here together. I doubt you’ll see her, though. She’s always so busy!" Mage checked the small periwinkle clock on the dresser. "Come on; let’s go see your room."

 

After Mage put on a black shirt over her nightdress, we went out of her room and to the right.

 

There was a black door with my face at eye level on the wood. I looked, but couldn’t see a handle on the door. I smiled. I gave the door a slight push, pushing it back and to the left. The door slid easily.

 

Inside the walls were white and there were two big dressers side by side. One wall had a closet with two trunks on the floor. There were two beds with a night stand in between them on the wall with the dressers. The wall that was left was the wall that me and Mage shared.

 

"They keep everything white so that you may choose the colors yourself. The extra bed is in case you have guests; which I never did, so I got rid of mine. Anyways, all you need to do today is personalize your room. Your stuff should be in the trunks and in the dressers. If you want, I can help you do that- the personalizing, I mean. I have a free day today."

 

"That’d be great. But, Mage, don’t we share this hallway with anyone else?" I hadn’t seen any doors before.

 

"Each hallway is able to hold dour dorms, but they only put people with similar powers together. Plus, we’re in the Girl’s Dormitory. So, we’re the only two people in this hall. We both effect matter, so we got put together," she explained.

 

"So, we’d be able to do anything we want with our rooms?"

 

"Yes. I’ve heard of people knocking down walls to connect their rooms with their friends’. So, I’m sure that anything is allowed." She looked at me. "What did you have in mind?"

 

"We could put a door here, on the wall neither of us uses. That way, we wouldn’t have to go into that freezing hallway."

 

"That’s a good idea. I’ll ask my friend Ricky to install a door while we go get paint and sheets today."

 

"Alright. Let’s get washed up and eat breakfast. I’m starving!"

 

 

After an icy shower to wake up, I went back to my room wearing my white tank top and jeans. I brushed my hair and made myself as decent as I ever was which is barely presentable.

I came out into the hallway to find Mage waiting. She wore a loose flower print dress. And I didn’t even need to look to know it was going to be blue. Her hair was hanging freely about her shoulders, and down her back.

 

"Let’s go eat. I’ll show you the way, but Ricky is bringing a map that you can have."

 

As we walked, I asked her a question I’ve been pondering all day. "Why’re you being so nice to me?"

 

"To tell you the truth, it’s an apology for what the others in the Coven will do. I really do want to be friends, though."

 

"What are they going to do?"

 

"They’re going to make your life a living hell. You turned down their invitation, so they’ll do the same thing they did to Mark."

 

"What happened?"

 

"Mark’s dead," Mage said, still walking. I stopped and stared at her back in obvious horror. Mage stopped and looked at me. "What?"