Virus
INDUCTION
My palms are sweaty again
I'm pacing back and forth in my room, my heart thudding so loudly it could've been echoing off the walls. Outside, birds chirped like it was another morning. But it wasn't another morning, it was 𝘵𝘩𝘦 morning.
Dad left for the post office 30 minutes ago. Not that I was counting, accept I was.Every minute without news twisted inside me
He was bringing back the envelope that had the answer to the only thing I'd been dreaming about since I was 13,Dresden Heights University. A name so heavy it made people sit straighter when they said it out loud, only crazy rich teens could get in. And there is of course, the 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 test.
Just one test, one nightmare or an exam so difficult that most people didn't even bother trying. You need at least 700 out of 900 points to be considered even then it wasn't guaranteed
While I was still pacing like the nervous wreck I was I heard a knock on my door. I didn't need to know who it was
Anna/Maya's Mother
How are you holding up?
Maya/FL
What's taking him so long?
I was starting to get frustrated
Anna/Maya's Mother
I send him to buy a few groceries on his way so he should take a while
Maya/FL
Mom how could you just-
Anna/Maya's Mother
And... You have a visitor
Right after my mom said that I felt a pair of arms capture me in a tight, rib crushing hug
Ariana Vaquer, my best friend and number one supporter since highschool
Ari
Of course I am, and guess who gave me a ride?
And at that moment, I froze
I could tell by the rhythm of his footsteps on the porch. I didn't breath as he made his way inside the house, then up the stairs, through the halls and finally to my bedroom
He stepped in, red envelope in hand and met my eyes
Stephen/Maya's Father
Maya, it's here
Hope you enjoy the story so far, this is just the prologue to help us know more the characters before we get to the main chapters and of course, to Virus. Stay tuned and enjoy
814
The envelope felt heavier than it should've
I stared at it like it might explode if I opened it wrong. My name was printed across the front in bold letters, the logo of Dresden Heights University etched in a faint gold at the top right corner
Even the envelope looked expensive
Ari bounced beside me, practically vibrating with excitement
I peeled back the flap, slow and cautious like the paper might bite me
Inside was a single sheet, for a second I couldn't read anything. The numbers blurred. The words meant nothing
Ari
Wait is that...is that your score?
I nodded slowly, my voice caught somewhere between shock and disbelief
I flinched as she launched herself across the bed and hugged me so hard it knocked the paper from my hands. My mom gasped and then she was crying. My father, ever the stoic man, crossed his arms but his jaw tightened, and his eyes-he never cried- but they softened
Stephen/Maya's Father
My girl, you did it
Not through money, connections. Not through someone pulling strings behind closed doors. Just me and the number 814
Maya/FL
No way we have plenty of time
Stephen/Maya's Father
Actually you don't, you are required to report next week
Maya/FL
But I thought Dresden students were to report one month after admission
Stephen/Maya's Father
I guess you're just a special case. With a score like that I'm sure they just can't wait to have you
Anna/Maya's Mother
That doesn't matter right now dear just focus on how much fun you will have going to an elite college, making new friends, seeing new boys
Ari lit up when Mom mentioned boys
Anna/Maya's Mother
Remember that guy she was crushing on in high school?
Stephen/Maya's Father
Oh right that golden boy 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯
Mom hit my Dad with a death glare
Stephen/Maya's Father
I will just get started on lunch
And just like that I made a mental note to never tell my mother secrets again.
I still couldn't believe I made it to 𝘵𝘩𝘦 Dresden Heights University
Something tells me this wasn't just a simple acceptance to a prestigious University, this was the beginning of something bigger
A STRANGE WELCOME
DRESDEN HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY
Dresden Heights stood like a palace built to keep people like me out. With a sea of designer shoes tapping across gold tinted floors
I tugged at the sleeves of my second hand sweater feeling every pair of eyes turning towards Ari and me as we made our way through campus
Ariana already had a spot secured for her in this university one year earlier since her aunt works for one of the pharmaceutical factories it sponsors
Must be nice to have connections like that
We walked through every hallway searching for the Dean's office to submit our admission forms but with no luck
Ari
I'm pretty sure I've seen that statue three times already
Maya/FL
Maybe it's following us
Ari
We're lost, aren't we?
She was right, we were completely lost in this massive castle like college. And not a single student was willing to help freshmen like us
Before I could answer Ari I heard a familiar voice call out to me
I turned to face an incredibly tall guy with messy brown curls that almost covered his deep eyes. And was also the same guy I hadn't seen since the first summer of highschool
Alex
You look... different
Alex
So you survived the admissions exam? Not surprised, you've always been a nerd since middle school
Alex was my best friend in middle school before Ari. He and his family moved back to France during the first week of highschool so our conversations only got limited to online chats and video calls.And it became very minimal when he got accepted to college
Alex
Ah yes the replacement bestie. I've heard about you
Ari
And I have heard plenty about you Mr "I ditched my best friend last minute without telling her and let her feelings get hurt"
She emphasized every word
Alex
No that's too long, Alex is fine
Ari's anger was beginning to flare up, that's my que to intervene
Maya/FL
Actually Alex we need your help
Me and Ari held up our admission forms
Maya/FL
We need to get these to the Dean's office but we have no idea where to find it. Can you help us?
Alex took both our forms and without hesitation tossed them inside a nearby trash can.
Then he turned to face me and Ari with a mischievous smirk on his lips
Alex
Welcome to Dresden Heights
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