Prologue

New room mates aren't as scary as they seem.

If one were to ask any college student to describe their college experience in one word, you wouldn't get the same one twice. 'Busy', 'Challenging', 'Demanding', and some would even call it a necessary step in furthering their careers; whichever one they chose. There were specialty colleges that focused their classes around certain subjects, such as liberal arts, tech sciences, or business. There were also those that held a broad spectrum of courses to fit the needs of any and every student. But one particular freshman student thought it deserved a single, unique word - breathtaking.  

Noshys Academy was none other than one of the finest colleges to grace America's humble west coast, though its founding was rather recent. It popped up in Fukuro, CA in 2009 with state-of-the-art computer labs, a bountiful cafeteria with a buffet that held food on ten different serving stations, a twenty-four hour on-campus coffee shop with free wifi, indie-folk music and pleasant scents filtering through the tasteful background, not to mention its library which was filled to the absolute brim with books on every subject you could think of. The campus was woven with beautiful brick pathways lined with bushes and trees whose branches stretched and danced gracefully in the late summer breeze. 

Really, breathtaking was a bit of an understatement. But it was still the only word that came to mind when a lanky freshman came practically jumping in, red hair flying behind him as he dragged his smallest suitcase into the main entrance of the Student Housing building. He loved everything about the campus already, and he'd only taken one tour two years ago when he had just finished his sophomore year of high school. He'd fallen in love with everything about the school immediately, and the school's reputation wasn't too bad either for being a new school. 

He joined the flood of students filtering into the main hall and managed to slide into the line for check-in. He hadn't met his room mates yet - he had to wait till he was actually in the room for that - but he was already excited to make new friends. He hadn't had any since he started middle school, everyone being too afraid to get near him for fear of bringing the eyes of the bullies who took little pity on him unto them. But he never minded; it gave him more time to practice his art. He bounced on his heels as he eagerly awaited to reach the front desk. The line shortened surprisingly quick, and he found himself standing before the front desk and a rather young secretary with beautiful brown and gold hair tied up in a professional little bun.  

She gave him a polite smile, all lips and no eyes before asking for his name in a voice he expected to sound like honey but instead sounded like the beginnings of a cold, "Last name?"

"Hyde," he replied, a little proud of himself for not stuttering despite his excitement and usual tendency to fumble over words as familiar as his own name. The secretary flipped a couple pages and scanned the list, finding his name and holding her pen there as she looked up again. 

"Rylan?" She asked and when he nodded his head, she trailed across his column to the room number and floor, marking it with a check. 

She found the respective tag and handed him the key-card sitting in the little plastic protector attached to it, "There you are. If you lose the key, it's a fifty dollar charge on your account. Do keep track of it. And freshman orientation starts tomorrow at noon." She was curt in the reminder, but he nodded vigorously before he slipped out of line and headed back towards the front entrance, barely allowing the doors to open before he sprinted through them. 

He spotted his mother a little ways down the sidewalk, standing next to his two larger suitcases and a backpack, fussing around with his little sister's hair. The younger squirmed away from her, face lighting up when she saw her older sibling running towards them, returning his wave with equal enthusiasm. He barely stopped to drop his smaller suitcase before he picked her up in a twirl, despite the fact she was almost the same size as him now, and hugged her tight. She complained when he did a lot of their lovey sibling maneuvers, but he was just glad she still loved it when he did that. 

"Your big sibling is officially a college student!" He cheered, though keeping the volume down after a look from his mother. He put his sister down and held up the key-card with his room number on the tag, grinning wider than a cheshire cat, "See? I've got my own suite card and everything." 

"Does this mean I get your room at home?" His sister replied, grin equally wide. 

His mother swiped a finger down her nose, causing her to wrinkle it involuntarily, the rest of her face scrunching with it, "No Molly, he still needs a place to stay when he comes home for holidays and breaks." That only earned her a groan and a huff from her youngest child, which made Rylan chuckle. 

"Aw c'mon sis, don't tell me you're not gunna miss me?" He cooed. 

She just turned her head, feigning disinterest, "Nope!" 

"Not even a little bit?" 

"No," the younger chirped, crossing her arms. 

"Teensy wheensy tiiiiiiny bit miss me?" he leaned forward, raising a brow and giving her that 'you know you will though' look. 

She remained stubborn though, "Nu-uh!" 

He straightened up and sighed, "Your only sibling is off to college, which means you get the whole house to yourself whenever mom is away." Mollie remained standing as she was, so he shrugged and looked to the side with a bored expression. "No older sibling to keep you company while you study, or make you your favorite food when you come home, or pick you up from school when you're sick and mom can't make it, or play video games with you anymore-" He chanced a glance at her and found what he was looking for: a very horrified and distraught expression as his little sister realized just how much she was losing. He quickly picked up a smile again, giving her stomach a quick poke above the belly button and papping her cheeks with both hands, "Aw, don't worry, I'll come visit whenever I get too lonely up here, alright? But only if you get that algebra grade up!" She looked at him with big blue eyes and nodded before wrapping him in another hug. 

His mother thought this would be a good moment to intervene, "Well, we better help your brother get all of his stuff into his room so he can start unpacking!" She reached over and grabbed the smaller suitcase, holding the handle out for her daughter to grab. "Here dear, take this one and the backpack while Ri and I grab these."  

"Mom," his sister whined back, giving the woman a pout, "I'm not a weakling, I can carry more than that!"  

"Yeah," Rylan cut in, ruffling her hair to make her growl at him, "but remember the last time you tried to carry too much and ended up tumbling into the neighbor's tulip garden, Momo?"  

"It was one time when I was ten!" Mollie groaned, clearly unamused that he still, to this day, refused to let go of the incident.  

"Yeah, which was only five years ago, missy," his mother said, picking up the handle of the smaller of the two large suitcases and nodded at Rylan to get the biggest. "Which is still recent enough for us to hold it over you." 

"How long until I can tell you guys to let it go?"  

"Till the end of our days," Rylan chirped, hoisting the suitcase to its wheels as they all began moving towards the main entrance again, enjoying the prolonged groan that rang up a few octaves into a whine towards the end that came from his sister. The elevator was a little crowded but when they stepped out onto the third floor above the main one, the hallways were wide and made maneuvering around other people's luggage sitting outside their dorm rooms much easier. Fancy red and gold designs flowed over the carpets, and glass lanterns flooded the hall with pale light, sitting daintily on the wall sections between suite doors. The place felt more like an incredibly expensive hotel rather than a student housing building. His room was near the end of the hall, sitting nicely between the last room on the right before the huge window peering over the campus grounds and room 406, which made his room 408. He held the back of the key card to the scanner and the little red light chirped at him before a distinct unlocking sound was heard through the mumbled white noise of the hall. He pushed down the lever handle and shoved the door open with his shoulder, finding the room empty of other occupants. 

He was met with a full suite tipped to the nines in luxurious tech - a six-foot tall chrome refrigerator, oven, microwave, a quad gas stove, a walk-in pantry, full sets of cookware, and a double dip kitchen sink. The bathroom was almost as big as the bedrooms, with two showers, a huge bathtub, two sinks set in front of a giant mirror, and a closet for all of the towels. Each suite came with two, three, or four bedrooms, depending on how many students were going to be living together and what floor you were on. Usually the last two suites on a floor were singles. It was a little disappointing not to meet his new room mates right away, but at the same time he got first pick at the three separate rooms in the suite. 

Rylan peered into all three rooms, finding them all identical save for the one on the farthest left which had the biggest window to look behind the building, where you could see the huge football stadium and track field below. He decided that was the best room, since he often preferred natural light when he worked. A Queen sized bed with a mini fridge, closet, dresser and an impressive flatscreen tv hung up on the wall. Really, it was like the dream room of every poor kid ever. He wanted that room, but decided to wait for his room mates before just claiming a room for himself. His family was certainly impressed by the way they sort of wandered around the suite, looking at all the fancy things in a daze and trying desperately not to touch anything for fear of breaking it and having to pay for it. 

"Well this is certainly..." His mother started after clearing her throat, finding her voice again. "Luxurious compared to what I had when I went through college. N-Not that it's a bad thing!" She added hastily, "I knew this was a very expensive and reputable school, and I'm so glad you got here on a full scholarship, I just didn't expect it to be so fancy!" 

Rylan merely rolled his eyes and grinned at his mother, "I know, isn't it super cool? It's like I'm living in a five start hotel!"  

"It's... a little too big for me," his sister mumbled to herself, though not very quietly. She turned to her sibling once she realized this and started sputtering defenses, "B-But if you like it, then that's all that matters! I personally think your room at home is way cooler but this is still nice!" Really, she and his mom were too alike sometimes. It made him smile. 

"Well, we best be off then," his mother said, giving him a small smile as she subconsciously brushed a loose lock of hair back. She always did have the finer waves and rolls of brunette that Rylan wished he'd had, instead of the fiery red of his father. "Unless you want us to help you unpack?"  

He waved a hand dismissively, eyes crinkling shut as his smile twisted awkwardly, "No, no, I got it! You have to get home and get dinner ready for dad anyways." 

"Well, if you're sure..." She took a deep breath and sighed, hands on her hips and he knew what was coming. "Now Ri, I hope you don't let all this fancy stuff get to you. You still have to keep up with your schoolwork and make sure your grades stay up." 

"Yes, mom." There she goes. 

"And I know everyone says things about 'the freshman fifteen'," she continued, rolling her eyes as she wrapped 'the freshman fifteen' in air quote, "but you've been really good with your diet and you shouldn't get swept up in all the available food now." 

"I know." Should he start the timer now and see how long it takes her to stop on her own? "And don't forget that your scholarship requires that you join a sport or a club." 

"I won't forget, mom." He really just wanted to start unpacking or wait for his room mates to show up.  

"And you should try to find an on-campus job so you can get some cash for materials and supplies when you need them." 

"Mom," he said a little louder than he intended, causing the woman to stop her rambling in her tracks. His sister gave a little snort which he ignored. "I'll remember everything, I promise. Have I ever let you down before?" 

His mother raised a brow and threw a hand to her hip, "You mean besides the time I asked you to make a slow boiled egg and you blew it up in the microwave?"  

He winced and grinned at his little sister, "See? You're not the only one who can't live anything down." He turned back to his mother, smile softer this time, "Well, I know how to cook a slow boiled egg now, along with plenty of other healthy things, so you don't have to worry if the cafeteria is only serving out the unhealthy foods. I can fend for myself." 

His mother was surprisingly quiet, hand still on her hip as her other rose to messily cover her face and it only took Rylan half a second to deduct that she was holding back the beginnings of tears.  

His smile softened and he reached over to take her free hand in his, "Mom, I'm just gunna be away for a few months before winter holiday. It's not like you'll never see me again." 

His mother huffed and swatted his hand away, forcefully blinking back tears as she wrinkled her nose at him playfully, "Oh, I know that. It just feels like only last week you were a little bab playing in the backyard with the puppy." That made him chuckle; she always did have a rather sappy side. Mollie did a little cough to clear her throat and bring them both back to attention that she was still there and maybe that they should be leaving soon so her sibling could unpack. Her mother flinched with realization and gave a little laugh, absentmindedly running the tips of her fingers through her bangs. "Well, we should leave you to your unpacking then. Don't forget to call sometime this week to let us know how things are going, alright?" 

Rylan laughed, "Of course, mom. I won't forget. But you can text me if you don't want to wait for me to call." He pointed to her purse hanging from her shoulder where he knew she kept the new high-tech device. "You know your phone can do that now, right?" He only got a roll of eyes from the woman before she turned and headed back towards the door, his little sister in tow, before giving him a wave and a loving smile at the door. He returned it with more enthusiasm and kept waving till the door was shut and he was left alone in the giant suite. It was far bigger than his own room, let alone his whole apartment setting he'd been living in for the past five years.  

It was quiet, besides the distant rumble of commotion coming from the check-in downstairs, and Rylan suddenly felt the realization hit that he would be living here, in this huge decked-out suite, with two other strangers he'd never met before. He wasn't even given their names. He just had to smile and hope that they were easy to get along with. 

And let him have the room he wanted. That part was important. 

He didn't have to wait long. Rylan had migrated to lounging on one of the plush chairs that sat before the television, dicking around on Tumblr and checking the stats on his webcomic when he heard the door give a gentle click as it unlocked. The handle gave a little jiggle before the surprisingly heavy door was pushed open. Rylan's head fell to his shoulder, loose hair spilling over it and the back of the chair. The boy looked to be a little shorter than him, or so it seemed from the way he pushed his way in carrying a heavy duffel bag and dragging a suitcase behind him. It only took Rylan half a second to slide from his spot and move to hold the door open for the other, earning him a surprised smile from the boy. 

"Ah, thanks!" He huffed before dropping his stuff a little ways from Rylan's. "That door is a lot heavier than it looks." He took a second to fix his messy bangs which fell a little too far over caramel eyes decorated by long dark lashes. He offered Rim a hand, his smile widening, "I'm Derek, by the way. Derek Vann."  

Rylan could hardly believe another person his age was speaking to him and smiling at him, even offering him a hand and introducing himself to him without a lick of fear in his face or skittering away from the foul presence of his bullies hovering around him. He blinked to get a handle on his daze and tentatively took the other's hand.  

"R-Rylan Hyde," he stuttered, making Derek laugh.  

"What's with that, man? There's no need to be so nervous." The other boy gripped Rylan's hand firmly and gave it a shake, "We're suite mates, after all!" That made Rylan beam, his smile instantly covering his whole face and causing the dimple hidden in his left cheek to make itself known. 

"Right!" The ginger chirped and his smile echoed off Derek's face before Rylan blinked and jabbed a thumb towards the separated rooms. "Ah, so I was for you and our other roommate before deciding on a room - it only seemed polite." 

Derek fussed with his bangs again as he turned to look at the open doorways, "Oh, I know I don't really care, I read all the rooms in a suite are identical, so I'll probably take whichever room you two don't."  

Right on cue, the door announced another entree with a soft noise from the lock. This time, though, Rylan didn't hesitate to open it for the straggling newcomer. He pulled it open and held it wide, head popping out from behind the door to blink at the weighted-down blond with rather spiky hair entering the room. He was met with chocolate eyes flecked with honey blinking back at him.  

"Oh, thank you," the boy said, though his tone made it sound like he couldn't care much at all. Still, Rylan gave him a smile and a chipper 'no problem!' before closing the door behind him. The last boy dropped his backpack and medium-sized suitcase he was carrying near the chair by the door, giving his shoulders a roll once the weight was relieved. Rylan didn't know what to say, mumbling an 'um' before Derek came to his rescue. 

"Well, hi! We're your flatmates," the brunet said with a smile, eyes crinkling shut. He was returned a curious blink before the other boy yawned involuntarily. "Ah- I'm Derek Vann I came from Ashton, VA. And this is..." Derek gave a nervous laugh as he motioned towards Rylan and trailed off for a moment, "Rylan, right?" The ginger jumped into another grin, 

"Yup! Rylan Hyde, ah, from Connecticut." 

The newcomer gave another blink and a little bow of his head towards them both, "I'm Ladon Beaumont from Washington."  

"Oh, so you came from the capitol?" Rylan inquired, his smile falling a little bit when the other shook his head. 

"No, from the state" Ladon replied dully. "My hometown is Kanna, on the California border." That caught 

Rylan's full attention, the ginger stepping forward with his fists partially curled into his chest, eyes shining, "Kanna? That's where Studio Ghibli has their American-branch headquarters!" A flood of questions came streaming out after that, the unnerved boy from a moment prior no longer present. "What's it like? Is it cool? Is the building fancy? Have you been in it?" Ladon was leaning back, face disgruntled as the other threw the slew of questions at him, but again it was Derek to the rescue. 

"Rylan, I get the feeling you really like Studio Ghibli," the brunet mused over the other's tumble of questions. Rylan turned his excited face to him, mouth wide in an ecstatic grin, the thought 'I knew it' passing through Derek's mind.  

"Oh, I absolutely love Studio Ghibli!" He moved away from Ladon, much to the taller boy's relief, and began making dramatic poses as he dove into his reasonings. "The super smooth animation! The coloring that makes everything look alive and gorgeous! The easy and understandable organic flow of the story and character development! Oh and let's not forget how beautifully they create and orchestrate such strong and relatable female leads!" He clasped his hands together and sighed, "Ah, Studio Ghibli is by far my favorite animated movie producer." Ladon gave a soft sigh, realization of just what he was getting into with his new roommate dawning over him. Derek laughed, putting his hands on his hips with a sloppy grin. 

"Now that's an art kid if I ever saw one," The shorter boy said, raising a brow at the sparkling ginger. 

Rylan turned to look at him with a more embarrassed laugh, "Yeah, it's like, my dream to work with Studio Ghibli as a storyboard artist and animator." He reached to run a hand through the loose locks behind him. He didn't know why at that moment he noticed that the other two boys didn't have excessively long hair but it made him feel a little awkward about his own now.  

Ladon blinked, lazily sliding his hands into his front pockets before braving the conversation, "They're a good studio. I like their Princess Mononoke one bed." All of the movies were Rylan's favorite, but never had he met someone outside of his immediate family that had shared his love for even a single one, though that was probably due to the fact that no one would even approach him, much less talk to him about something like a movie. So hearing Ladon say he liked one made the ginger's whole face light up like a firework. The taller boy quickly looked away, a little embarrassed by the happy look on the other boy's face. 

Derek decided this was a good point to tactfully intervene and change the subject, "I personally love Howl's Moving Castle, especially with how much detail went into the scenery. I particularly loved loved Howl's room." He made his face widen in faux realization, holding up an index finger as he continued, "Speaking of rooms, why don't we decide rooms for us so we can start unpacking before dinner tonight?"  

Rylan blinked, the realization on his face anything but fake, "Ah, yeah we should totally do that!" He flitted over to the two rooms whose doors sate next to each other, followed by the other two boys.  

"I don't have a preference," Ladon said, noting how Rylan subconsciously hovered around one particular room. They all looked the same to him. He moved to the side as Rylan's fidgeting became more aggressive. Derek could barely contain himself at the ginger's twitching. 

"Dude, you're practically hovering over that second room, why don't you just take it?" The face he got was what tipped him over the edge into laughter. 

"C-Can I really?" The taller boy breathed, one hand coming to partially cover his slight agape mouth, eyes wide and beaming. "Is that okay?" 

"I don't see why not," Derek replied, turning to Ladon. "You?" 

The blond shrugged, "S'okay with me. They all look the same anyways." He moved over to the door that was across the room, jabbing at it lightly with his thumb, "I'm going to take this one, then."  

Derek gave him a nod and knocked on the doorway adjacent from the room Rylan had chosen, "Then this one's mine!" He clapped his hands together, grinning, "Alright guys, let's get started!" 

"Yeah!" Rylan cheered while Ladon gave an uninspiring 'sure'.

Author's Note

I'm only calling it a prologue because it's too short to be Chapter 1.

Opinions/First impressions of Protag and his relationship with his family and new suite mates?