A Friend for a Year

Summer | Chapter Two

Yarrow led me through the campus. We walked under the pass connected to the union, and we walked on the sidewalk on an upwards ramp. He took a left and once we crossed, he stopped and pointed to a building.

It was the dormitory, I assumed. It was a tall 3-story building that was mostly widae. Steps led up to the main entrance, where students were seated and talking amongst each other. I noticed that the students were wearing the same bandanna I had on my wrist on their bodies, either on their heads or even on their ankles. I looked back at my own bandanna. We're all related somehow.

"Welcome to House Lumen, the alpha building," Yarrow said suddenly. "Here at Terra Cantor, all our students are organized into five houses: Ignus is red, Ventus is yellow, Aqua is blue, Terra is green, and Lumen is purple. You might notice that they symbolize the five elements of Gaia. We like symbolism like that here at Terra Cantor. Each House has two very large dormitories and an additional smaller one, all co-ed. Freshmen are placed in the alpha building, while sophomores live in beta. Fort the juniors and seniors, we've made deals with certain apartments in the city to house our students. The omega dorms, the small ones, are for juniors and seniors who either can't afford an apartment or the transition proves too inconvenient to get to class."

He took down the bag from his shoulder and gave it to me. "This is all for you," he said. "Important documentation, rulebooks for our campus, as well as today's schedule. Oh, and your check is in there too."

"Wait, what check?"

He ignored my question. "I'll wait for you in the lobby as you make your acquaintance with Adri."

"Who?"

"You'll see him soon. Your room key, as well as your ID card, are in your pack, front pocket. I'll be waiting in the lobby. Meet me there at 12:30."

---

Room 337. That's what my key said. I slipped it in my pocket while I continued to dig around the pack as I climbed the staircase. There was a small card-sized envelope that hosted my ID. The first thing I noticed was the large black square with a white X on it. Also printed on there was my full name, Matthias T. Cadwell, as well as a nine-digit number: 430 707 588. I placed the card back in its envelope, but something was blocking it. It was a note that said: "Please report to the union whenever convenient to issue a new ID with a printed picture."

Once I got to the top, I looked around to navigate. By mistake I traveled to the women's side of the dormitory. The ladies kindly pointed me to the right direction, but as I turned the corner, I could hear their giggles. My face got red, my body got rigid, and my walking was skewed. Afterward I had found my room. There were two purple stickers posted on the door. One of them said Matthias Cadwell, as well as my hometown of Outland, Kohryu. The second sticker was labeled "Adri Vesta," and under it said "Calcos, Kohryu."

I tried the doorknob. It was already unlocked, and so I pushed it forward. As he came into view, the man I thought was Adri turned around.

Adri was a Lupus, a wolf-like anima, the same race I was. While I had a ash gray coloring to my fur with a white underbelly, Adri had a primary color of black with a white underbelly. Adri wore the purple band around his left wrist, much like how I'm doing. He had on a tight pair of black pants that seemed to have fit him perfectly. On top, he wore a purple dress shirt, a black vest secured with three buttons, and a white tie around his neck.

When we locked eyes, he gave me a bright and excited smile, as if he were glad to see me. He lifted his hands up as well. "There's my roommate!" he exclaimed. He brought his hand down and grabbed my left hand, shaking it vigorously.

"Oh, uh, hi," I said awkwardly. "My name is Matthias. I'm guessing you're Adri?"

"Adri Vesta, second son of my family. President of my freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class, and if things remain unchanged, I'm the class valedictorian."

I never would've imagined I'd get paired up with such an important man. I better be good friends with him. A man with that much power should be respected. I nodded my head as if I were approving of him. "That's interesting. I wonder why we got paired up like this."

"It was last minute," Adri said. "I was supposed to live in the omega building, since I prefer to stay on campus, but they ran out of room. Housing and residence said I could live in the alpha building with a roommate, so I agreed. I don't mind. I enjoy meeting new people, especially new students."

"No, like, why am I here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." I placed the backpack on the ground and sat in one of the two rolling chairs in the room. When Adri took the other seat, I began talking. "I... come from a family of nobodies."

"Aw come on, don't think like that."

"No, I'm serious. My entire family is made up of farmers... well, at least my dad's side is. My dad is a farmer, and he got married to my mother, a city dweller. My entire lineage consists of farmers that breed livestock and harvest food." I paused to let it all sink in. "I expected the day I would have to step up and take the family business for myself, being the eldest. I anticipated the moment I would have to endure even more backbreaking work now with my parents out of commission."

"Mmm," Adri hummed. "And now you're here."

"Yes, I am," I replied. "This was such a bizarre opportunity. At first I didn't believe it, but when I saw that special seal at the bottom of the letter, I knew it was legit. I was given an incredible opportunity. I mean, a full scholarship? Who does that?"

Adri's eyes grew wide. "Full scholarship?" he asked. "Was it the EXIMA Scholarship?"

"Yeah," I said. "How did you know?"

"I have a friend who is also on the EXIMA Scholarship."

"Really?" I asked. "What's his name?"

"Orma," he said. "Orma Ilos of House Aqua. Unfortunately he's out of town, and I don't know when he'll be back."

"Oh," I said. This is good. I never knew someone else shared the same scholarship I had. I need to find this Orma person and I need to ask him what this all means.

"A full ride is incredibly rare, almost nonexistent," Adri said. "Terra Cantor has only ever given nine full rides like that in recent memory. Consider yourself lucky. You are the 10th student to receive such a gift. Don't waste it."

"I'm not going to," I reassured him. "But that's not the problem."

"Problem?"

"Why did I receive this gift? What made Mr. Linos and the selection committee choose me to receive a full ride? Why am I getting paid to study here?"

Adri put a hand to his chin. He shook his head. "I don't know. Terra Cantor's faculty works in weird ways. They amass this huge amount of money, yet I have no clue where it goes. It's all very strange." He lifted himself from his chair and patted my shoulder hard. "Just know three things in your time here at Terra Cantor: make friends, attend class, and conquer your inner demons. There's a joke us students make called the fourth mantra: solve the mystery of Terra Cantor! Here's hoping you'll be the first one to solve the case!"

I giggled, yet I knew he was serious. Terra Cantor was an enigma, especially to me. I need to figure out what happened to me.

Adri pulled on the desk next to us, revealing a shelf attached to the desk. "Come on, let's see that big purple pack of yours!"

I did as I was told and heaved the backpack on to the desk. I reached for the heavier things. One of them was a book that said "Student Resource Guide." Adri explained it was like a strategy guide for one's first year. Afterward I pulled up a half-page sized book, which Adri revealed to be the university's rulebook.

"You don't have to study it," he said. "The most important rules are one, don't drink if you're under 20, two, don't do drugs, ever, and three, no criminal mischief. Everything else should be obvious. Oh yeah, and always wear your House's bandanna, even if it's tied to your backpack. It's the weirdest uniform rule I've ever heard of, but it's mandatory, so I won't argue."

I continued to dig. Folders, binders, a couple of pencils, and extra bandannas that matched both mines and Adri's. "Each student gets five free ones," he explained, "so you don't have to wear the same sweaty one over and over. They sell more at the bookstore, but they're like 15 denarii each. Don't lose them."

I slipped the folded bandannas back into my pack. After rummaging around, I felt an envelope. It had my name in black pen on it. After breaking the seal, it was revealed to be the check, the one probably mentioned in the letter. When I read it, I grew shocked. "Oh Gaia," I whispered. "Adri! I think someone made a mistake!"

"What?" he asked, a touch of doubt in his tone. I gave him the check. He took it gently, and then his eyes opened up as he finished reading. "Oh dear," he exclaimed. "Five-thousand denarii?"

"How-- how much is that?" I couldn't fathom even a thousand denarii. The most denarii I've ever held at once on me was 500. I can't even imagine 5,000.

"Five-thousand?" he asked, obviously still incredulous. "That's-- well, that's a lot!"

"But..." That doesn't make sense. Five-thousand? Why would I ever need 5,000 denarii during school? I turned to Adri. "But they said my tuition's already been paid for! Why would I need an extra 5,000 denarii?"

He rubbed his forehead and brushed it a few times. "I don't know. Why would the school just give you money? Orma never mentioned an extra check in the package!"

"Maybe they made a mistake!" I concluded. "Maybe they accidentally threw in a zero or two. I know. I should ask Yarrow. He's waiting in the lobby."

"I'll come too," Adri said. "This is so bizarre! I'm not doubting your abilities or your reward or anything, but why would the school just give you 5,000 denarii?"

---

"Sir, I believe there is a mistake on this check."

"Aw, damn it," he cursed. "Why do we hire these buffoons to write important checks?" He took the check and overlooked it. When he finished, he grew a confused expression. "Hmm. I don't see anything wrong with this. That's exactly the amount we're giving you."

"Uhh, are you sure?" I asked, still doubtful. "Don't you think there's an extra zero or three in there?"

"Nope, not at all," said Yarrow. "Five-thousand denarii. That's exactly the amount we're going to give you."

"Dr. Navarre, that's so strange," Adri interjected. "He's a brand new student. I'm not doubting his skill or anything, but how did he manage to earn 5,000 denarii?"

"EXIMA Scholarship," he said. He rested his hands on his belly. "It's part of the package."

"This is all so strange," Adri said. "How the heck does the school just give 5,000 denarii without limits for one student? I mean, no offense, but a lot of other students could've used that money." He started to mutter. "Gaia knows I could've used that..."

"It's part of the program," Yarrow said. "There is no foul play here. Everyone who attends Terra Cantor has a grant that is scaled according to their financial situation. Everyone has money from us. Matthias here just earned a reward for his excellent potential."

Potential? There goes that word again. "What potential?" I asked Yarrow. "What are you talking about? What's so special about me?"

"That question is better saved for later." He stood up and brushed his pants. "Come Matthias. We have a lot to do in the time that's left over. Walk with me. I'll lead you to your next destination."

Despite my growing frustrations, I followed Yarrow. It was at that time I realized they were going to keep this secret from me as long as they could. Fine. If they want to play difficult, then I'll do the same.

As I turned back, I looked back to Adri, who was just standing there. I noticed that his hands were curled into fists. And then I grew scared when I realized there was jealousy hidden within his eyes.