Episode 12

“Come quick, Bella, we're late!”

“Oof-”

Bella huffed and puffed. “Slow down, Abby, please. I feel like I'm going to die.”

She crashed on the floor, sweating profusely. Her friend stood by her, pouting.

“I'm not kidding, Bella. We're going to be in so much trouble. You have no idea.”

Bella looked up to see her little friend's frowning face. She smiled.

“I don't understand, Abby. She is your mother. What complaints might she have but pure joy to see her child as happy and lively as you?”

“It's a lot. Bella. You won't understand.”

Abigail looked away at the playing ground. Many students were running about, tumbling in the dirt and wrestling each other. They had bruises all over, and their shirts were all ruined, but they still had a radiant expression on their faces – an expression of pure joy, which seemed to swallow all malice there is in the world. It was unreserved and contagious, lighting up their face and their sparkling eyes.

It was something Abigail was almost jealous of.

“Well, if you say so.”

Bella got up on her feet and took the little one's hands in hers.

“You know what, Abby? Your eyes are so beautiful. Whenever I look at them, I feel like they have so much to tell me.”

She pinched her cheeks, and the other giggled. They have been roommates for many years, and they practically helped each other grow. They never failed to cheer each other up, even in the darkest of times.

To Abigail, Bella Howard was more than a senior, more than a friend – she was something very special and irreplaceable. Her sweet words and soft laughter calmed her, as she gave her hand a light squeeze and giggled at her silly jokes.

The two stopped for a while, and looked around to enjoy the scenery. Abigail took in a deep breath of the crisp, autumn air. The tall, stately oak trees lined the boundary of the campus, and their leaves were just beginning to turn golden and russet. In the distance, the brick red coloured dormitories and academic halls rose high, and their windows glinted warmly in the afternoon sun.

Abigail felt a strange sense of excitement and belonging to her school. The lush, green campus of Willow Brook Academy was her true home for several years. It was a place where she would learn, grow, and thrive prosperously, without having to worry about anything else. The other students greeted the two with friendly smiles, and Abigail couldn't help but smile back at them, overcome with a feeling of profound gratitude.

In the distance, the sound of laughter and chatter carried on the breeze, and it served as yet another proof to her that she was exactly where she was meant to be. Abigail felt incredibly lucky and thanked God for sending her to the institution, where she would be constantly surrounded by the beauty of the campus and the warmth of her new community and her lovely roommate, Bella.

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