1 | The Invitation

The sun sleeps, dimming my days,

Then comes the hoots warning our race.

Even then, I felt this strange face,

Wanting to take away my grace.

-G

-==-

“Dreams are for those wide awake, ready to chase them,” Chessa murmured in her raspy voice the moment she opened her eyes. It suddenly became her mantra for the past few weeks. A way to cheer herself up. She got it from her grandma, who used to say those words to her since she was a little girl. It stuck and whenever she felt like she was on the verge of not giving a care, the words worked, and she would feel motivated.

But the mantra seemed to slowly lose its magic now.

On the bedside table was the voucher of Taren university, a detailed description of every workshops and short courses they offered. She anticipated the event especially after enduring her semester back at her school in Peterson, which always ended up in chaos and embarrassment. Only if she could transfer school and be someone new. But her wishes didn't always come true. Luck wasn't really on her side.

The summer of 2015 should be different. She wanted to have more colorful moments and more rhythm in her life. Maybe she needed a new friend, someone who could understand her. Someone she could confide in without fear of being judged.

Chessa stared at the voucher on the table and tap the dismiss button of her alarm clock once it started ringing. Her shoulder-length hair looked like cobwebs on her face. Her warm hazel eyes still felt heavy, her body screaming for more sleep but her mind told her it was time to haul herself and get up. Many people said she looked like her mother, while her relatives claimed she looked like her father. She had small straight nose, matching her natural pinkish lips. A porcelain doll, as what her grandma used to describe her as a kid.

The studio-type apartment she was at the moment was enough to keep peace in her head. She actually did not like silence but it was something she craved now. Chessa turned at her back and stared at the ceiling, mentally listing down her chores for the day. Grocery shopping and a short stop by the university to pass her registration for the two-month Journalism Summer Workshop. It was her greatest escape from home and she would grab anything that would take her away from that place.

Francesca Carolla was in her third year in college and even though she was not required to take any short courses or seminars, she did so just to move out from the mansion she dubbed as hell hole. Having famous parents put her into a world full of chaos and pretentions and she was sick of it all. She wanted to have a normal life, far from the world she lived in. Far from the craze of her mother being a veteran celebrity. Far from her father’s shadow, who was a known movie producer.

Chessa sighed, flailing her legs and sat up on the bed. Twenty was too young to be at the middle of a life crisis but it was what she felt at the moment. And what she thought she only needed was a distraction. So here she was, trying to make her summer vacation worthwhile, planning to be as productive as ever. She was supposed to go with her best friend Sun, but she did not receive the invitation.

Going alone, it is then, she thought. Chessa finally stood up to start her day. “Time to put a happy face, Francesca. Yay.” She nodded, not exerting effort to put enthusiasm on her tone. A sigh followed then as she gazed at the black band on her index finger.

-==-

“Just go straight down the hall then turn right. The second door on the left is what you’re looking for,” the security guard said, politely gesturing his hand.

“Thank you,” Chessa said, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder and started to walk to the direction instructed.

Taren University was the oldest and most prestigious university in South Valley. The architecture was something Chessa found nostalgic. She felt like being transported to another world whenever she saw the university which looked a whole ancient kingdom. It was epic. There were a lot of students at the hallway when she arrived and had to force her way a bit in order to reach the registration room. Surely, students from other towns made their way into the university just to experience its finest workshops.

The town of South Valley was famous for ancient artifacts and rare gemstones, rich in myths and stories that would keep a boy awake at night. From the stone sculptures at the side wall inside the registration room, Chessa could say the school itself had more stories to tell. She waited her turn, watching two girls ogled at the guy on the booth. She smiled to herself as she toyed with the pen in her hand, spinning it between her fingers. It would be great if Sun was there with her, at least she could have someone she could whisper to.

"Next," a voice called out, catching her attention.

Chessa made her way to the empty booth, accidentally dropping her pen. She halted to pick it up but another hand beat her into it.

"Here you go," the guy said, a charming smile on his lips.

"Thanks."

"Let me guess," the guy continued, leaning closer to her, blocking her path. "Photography workshop?"

"Uhm, no." She half-smiled, surprised at his sudden appearance before her.

He returned her smile. "Well, you kinda looked like the model, not the one behind the lens."

Chessa shook her head. "Actually, it's- "

"Time for to you pass your registration," the guy at the booth said, finishing her words. "Run along now, stop troubling the guest." His eyes bore directly to the guy next to Chessa.

Some of the students turned to them, as if giving her the spotlight. And she hated the attention. Without saying anything, she headed toward the booth and handed her documents, too embarrassed to look back at the guy who seemed trying to befriend her.

"Your name, please," he asked in a quiet deep tone.

"Francesca Carolla."

Looking now at the guy, Chessa could tell he was just a student like her. He looked pretty young to be an employee. And she got it now why the girls were ogling at him. He was good-looking. Stunning. The more she stared at him, the more he looked enthralling.

Then he caught her staring. "Your I.D., please," he said, looking straight to her eyes.

Chessa felt embarrassed, knowing full well what it was like to be stared at. She quickly pulled out her wallet and gave her identification card.

The guy sorted her documents in silence, once in a while typing on the laptop at his side. Encoding her data, maybe. "You have free meals for the whole course of the workshop- that's breakfast and lunch, just show them these tabs. One tab equals one meal. Also, you have free two movie tickets. These are for the movies available only at uni, movies that students here produced. And lastly, here's your official badge and invitation for the workshop. Keep it since the mentor would ask for it on your first day." He gently showed each papers, taking his time, as if the line for the registration wasn’t long enough to warrant his urgency.

"Got it," Chessa replied, taking all the papers and stacking it all in her clear envelope. "I was told to ask a badge for, uh," she trailed off, quickly peeking at her mobile phone to reread the email sent to her. "Mulvar Chamber?"

Suddenly, the guy's blank face morphed into barest hint of interest. He raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how to play the piano?"

Chessa nodded, trying to read the guy and showed the Acceptance Letter from the university together with the invitation to Mulvar Chamber. She caught the uncertainty in his voice with regard to her piano skills. Her eyes dropped to his black and silver bracelet, making out the name engraved on it. Augustus. Was that his name? It sounded too old to be his name.

The guy typed something on the laptop, his finger gracefully scrolling the mouse. "All right. I don't have the badge for that yet. This will do for now." He stamped a signature at the back of the invitation.

"Okay." Chessa stared at it, unsure if that was enough. One of the reasons she pushed her application and prayed to be accepted to the famous university was because of the free use of Mulvar Chamber for selected students. "But will I be given a badge for that? Because they will only let someone in if there's a badge."

A ghost of smile crossed his lips. And Chessa was trapped to whether thought of him as rude or what.

"Only when Augustus said you can have the badge, then you will get a badge." He gestured his hand swiftly, a smirk on his lips and pointed her way out. "Welcome to Taren's, Francesca," he added in monotone, his eyes meeting hers again. "Next."

"Thanks," she mumbled and left.

Guys didn't usually faze her. She was used looking straight at celebrities whenever she attended events with her mother. To conclude it all, Chessa haven't met a guy that interest her. Not until that moment, when the guy at the booth look straight into her eyes, as if seeing her soul, drawing her in.

No, it wasn't like there was a spark. There was none. But she had to admit she was intrigued yet at the same time, insulted. How could someone so easily judge her for wanting to play the piano? Before she could reach the exit door, a guy rushed toward the booth.

"G, the line almost reached the school's entrance," he said, shaking his head.

"Well, you should have been here thirty minutes ago. Not my fault, Ram."

His nonchalance and deep voice echoed in her ears as the door shut behind her. Chessa looked at the invitation given to her, flipping it. At the back showed an elegant signature and a tiny print of name at the bottom: Augustus.

She made her way to the exit door, wanting to get away from the crowd in the hallway. "Who the hell are you and why you can't just hand me the Mulvar Badge?" She shook her head, trying not to let annoyance get the best of her.