StrawberryDreamer
Fake adult
After everyone had trickled into the dining hall, a middle aged woman burst through the doors and made her way to the front of the dining hall. She stood behind the podium, tapping the mic to make sure it was on before she began speaking.
“Hello students, I’m Ms. Maryweather, your headmistress for this year. Mr. Boriguard will not be joining us this year due to... unforeseen circumstances. Now, I ask that you settle down and prepare yourselves for dinner.”
Ms. Maryweather waited for everyone to settle down before speaking again. “Now, we have an exciting year planned for all of you. Fencing tryouts are this Friday as well as Winter Ball committee applications. I trust you will all find an extra curricular to participate in. A list of all important dates can be found in the courtyard as well as meeting dates for all clubs. Now, we must go over the rules of Rosewood Hall...”
Ms. Maryweather continued to drone on as the cooking staff began to bring dinner in. Plates were placed in front of each student, matching the tastes and requirements the students had written on their food form prior to the year beginning.
“Now that everything has been covered, I present to you, your welcoming representative for this year, Isabella de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz.”
Isabella took a deep breath as Astrid gave her an encouraging pat on the back. She stood and gracefully walked to the front, “Just Isabella is fine, thank you.” She stepped in front of the mic and looked the room over before speaking, “Welcome students of Rosewood. It is an honor to represent Conch this year as your welcoming representative. As Rosewood students, we expect you to carry yourselves with honor and dignity. Though studies are most important, we do not go without fun. I’m happy to announce that this year, our welcoming event is a pool party in Conch house. We are thrilled to accept you into our home and-“
Isabella’s voice wavered as familiar red hair covered the floor. There was a dense thud Calista Murphy’s head hit the floor. She watched as the girl’s chest rose slightly with every shallow breath.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Astrid glanced back at Tom, “Oh, you know, castle stuff. Quite boring actually.” She was about to ask him what he’d done as a formality, but the new headmaster came in before she could speak. After the woman’s long speech, she squeezed Isabella’s shoulder encouragingly. The houses rotated turns taking responsibility for the welcoming event and this year it was their’s. She knew Isabella would do great.
As Isabella spoke, Astrid dug into her paella with rice, beans, and chicken. She was so tired of the fancy food at the palace, she was thrilled to just have a classic for once. Of course it wasn’t like the meals you can get in Spain. Isabella had taken her all over the country for some authentic foods and honestly no mimicry by Rosewood could do them justice. This was still a close second.
Astrid was mid bite when she saw Tom’s friend collapse in front of her. Though she couldn’t admit to feeling sorry for the girl she still stood to see if the girl was alive. She was breathing, but the way the hollows of her face had a purple tinge seemed unnatural. “I don’t think that was part of the presentation,” she whispered to Tom. That much seemed obvious, but sometimes Conch students could be a bit theatrical. She thought about taking the girl to the nurse, despite the fact she disliked her, but Isabella was still on stage gawking. Depending on the cause of this disturbance, leaving Bella alone could be a mistake.
~~~~~~~~~~
Xavier had already been bored half to death by this woman. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been given a food form so to his late entry. Thus he was stuck with sausage and mash. British food was always so flavorless. He’d tried so many different foods on tour and swore he’d never eat trash like this again. He swore he was half asleep when the chaos started. He was shaken awake by the whispers of everyone around him. “What happened?” He whispered to Schuyler. Even if he had been paying attention he didn’t know who these people were or the norms here. Maybe he wouldn’t understand this event. It might be a traditional thing. He wasn’t too concerned until he saw a red headed boy pick up the limp form of a girl he could only assume was his sister. Oh. Oh no. This wasn’t normal. “Is she...” he didn’t want to say the words he was thinking. He really hoped he was wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chloé grinned, she loved the idea of studying all the animals in Brazil, “Oh, I just helped my parents with their work. We finally got cheetah cubs this summer! Oh and the penguins were absolutely thriving this year. When my parents took holiday we went up to Egypt. I think you’d love it, it’s so pretty.” She settled down as the new headmaster spoke. It was a shame, she really favored Mr. Boriguard. She quietly ate her Cape Maley curry as the woman went over everything she already knew. Now, the welcoming speech, which was just a way to indoctrinate the new students into actually thinking they’d have fun here. Obviously that wasn’t the important part. Still, she supposed she wouldn’t skip out on the pool party. It’d be nice to read in a nice lawn chair in the sun.
It was hard not to notice Calista drop like a sack of potatoes. It certainly did interrupt the rhythm of things. She was more concerned about the why. If this was regular Calista behavior she’d brush it off, but she hadn’t seen the girl do this once in the past years. Which meant this was most likely caused by a recent issue with her body, not something she was born with. Chloé wracked her brain for possibilities. Maybe she had been diagnosed with something severe over the summer, but why would she have come back to Rosewood if she had? Maybe she was sick, but even then she should’ve stayed in her room. She knew the rules and would certainly be told about the event. Was this caused by something external? Was she... no, couldn’t be. Who would do something like that?
~~~~~~~~~
Erik didn’t get an answer, instead he watched the new headmaster walk up to the podium. He automatically didn’t trust her. Something about her just... looked off. He supposed it wasn’t such a big deal, he thought lots of people looked sketchy, including himself. He’d just stay a fair distance away from her. He listened to every word she said, not that he hadn’t heard it all before. Stay out of the kitchen, no running, wear your ties properly, it was all completely asinine. Who really gave a shit about how they wore their ties? No drinking or drugs on campus, register all medications with the nurse, really, he couldn’t have a single advil without filling out the paperwork? After a while he zoned out, eating his pelmeni slowly.
Erik hadn’t really noticed the change of speakers. Often times when he ate russian food, he only thought of home. He tended to wonder if his brother ever missed him. People back home probably rarely thought of him. It was the sad truth he had to bear. What did catch his attention was a girl falling backwards at the Conch table. He couldn’t remember her name for the life of him, but he did know that wasn’t normal. He strained his neck to get a better look, but by the time he could see the floor she was practically surrounded. Bummer. He could’ve used a bit of excitement today.
Erik hadn’t been close enough to see what had happened, but that didn’t stop him from speculating. Had she been pushed or was this a fall? There were so many questions running through his head. If she had fallen, why? Was she simply iron deficient? Or was something more sinister going on? He didn’t think anyone here would purposefully hurt someone, they were just kids after all. Was it her? No. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to cause an issue like that minutes after arriving. Soon his meal was gone and he was no closer to an answer.
~~~~~~~~~~
Nola had barely touched her lobster rolls when the lady started lecturing them. Tenichally, uniforms weren’t allowed altercations, but she opted to wear platforms almost every day for the last three years and no one had said a word. Maybe it was because they knew it was a lost cause. She’d gotten countless detentions for uniform infringements: bracelets, chokers, thigh highs, fishnets, hair clips, she’d gotten in trouble for putting things on almost every part of her body, but she didn’t care. She was a regular at free period detention because of it. Recently she’d only get dirty looks from teachers. She wasn’t planning on changing and they knew it. Plus, they let that princess chick on stage wear a petticoat and never said a word. Nola knew why. She wasn’t stupid. People of status were always treated better here. She ultimately didn’t let it get to her. She chose to give it up, she had to live with it.
Nola wrote down various things she noticed during both speeches, but once Calista hit the floor, her hand could hardly keep up with her brain. She was thankful she’d already been turned toward the scene. She didn’t want to miss a second of this. Fortitude had picked her up, but seemed at a loss of what to do. She didn’t blame him, but if even he didn’t know what was going on, Nola wondered if Calista had been keeping secrets from even her brother. At this point her frantic writing would look like literal chicken scratch to anyone else. Luckily Nola was great at deciphering any writing provided it be in english, french, or spanish.
Nola still wasn’t sure if she should write down any potential causes yet. The list was too long, especially if Fortitude seemed so shocked by the ordeal. If he didn’t know what was going on, that eliminated a genetic disorder or preexisting condition. She would’ve told him if she was feeling off, wouldn’t she? This was far deeper than her just passing out, wasn’t it? Hmm… maybe the food… or something in her drink… but the kitchens at Rosewood are very sanitary. Food poisoning hardly seemed plausible, but nothing could be ruled out yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Keith pulled his jacket back on before exiting the room with Cosmo. He though the boy would finish unpacking first, but he had jumped at the chance to go eat. It didn’t really matter, either way they’d get there. He listened to Cosmo speak as he sat at the Ivy table. “I would’ve rather gone with you than do anything with my parents if that’s any consolation. I just stayed at home, went to parties, got caught by my sister, blackmailed her to not tell, the usual.” It wasn’t really blackmail, that’s just how they worked. In truth, him and his sister were rather close. She was his biggest supplier and they mostly just teased each other with this stuff.
Keith grew quiet as the meals came out. Every year he filled out his meal form with phrases like “eat my ass” or “my favorite food is pussy” so he wasn’t surprised when he was once again given a bowl of ramen. You know, you’d think after several years they’d learn the difference between asian countries, but yet here he was, spinning noodles around a fork. It wasn’t like he didn’t like raman, he was just extremely aware of all the microaggressions he faced here, but what else could you expect from white people. He slurped down a few noodles, mostly just for Cosmo’s sake. He’d hate for the boy to worry about him. He was fine. He just wasn’t hungry. He pushed his bowl away as the new woman finished her speech. He’d honestly tuned the whole thing out every year. It wasn’t like he ever took rules into consideration.
Keith did, however, pay attention to what Isabella had to say. He’d felt a sort of connection with her ever since their first year. He couldn’t explain it. It wasn’t romantic or anything, he just felt comforted by her presence. What he didn’t feel comforted by was Calista falling to the floor. That was a first, witnessing chaos instead of causing it. He was starting to understand why teachers didn’t like him.
Though the girl had just fallen, everything after that had happened so quickly. The noise level in the room had elevated and Fortitude had scooped her off the ground. As the room quieted back down, it felt like time had almost froze. But that was always what it was like after a period of high adrenaline, right? He wasn’t quite sure what happened, but as long as everything was under control, it was probably none of his business.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Well don’t just stand there! Get her to the nurse!” Ms. Maryweather’s shrill voice sounded out as Fortitude hurried out of the dinning hall. “Why don’t you go take a seat my dear.” She gave Isabella a light push that started her almost like a wind up doll. She sat back down next to Astrid, still shaken by what happened. She downed the water before her like she hadn’t had anything to drink for days. Had that really happened or was this another one of her night terrors.
“Now, there is no need the panic,” the new headmistress said calmly, “medical emergencies happen all of the time. I assure you, Rosewood Hall is the safest place you could be at any given time. No need to let unexpected events ruin our first day. Now, enjoy your dinners and chat with friends. Make sure to be in bed by 10, we wouldn’t want to break curfew on the first day, now would we?” She rushed out of the dining hall, presumably to check on Calista, but no one could be certain.
Isabella took a deep breathe for the first time for what seemed like forever. She began to pick at her paella, only picking out the beans and eating each one individually. She really couldn’t process what had just happened. If that was normal, she’d know right? Calista had certainly never done that before.
“We can go eat back in the room if you want,” Astrid whispered. She could tell Isabella was uncomfortable here.
Isabella shook her head, “I have to act like nothing is wrong. If i don’t, who knows what will happen.” She knew some people in the Conch house ultimately looked up to her. If she acted like everything was okay, they’d probably buy the “medical emergency” cover and assume Calista had some sort of condition. If she left, they might assume there was an actual issue and freak out. Of course, if Conch house was scared for their fellow student, the other houses would follow. In reality, no one knew what was going on, but someone had to keep the peace.
“Hello students, I’m Ms. Maryweather, your headmistress for this year. Mr. Boriguard will not be joining us this year due to... unforeseen circumstances. Now, I ask that you settle down and prepare yourselves for dinner.”
Ms. Maryweather waited for everyone to settle down before speaking again. “Now, we have an exciting year planned for all of you. Fencing tryouts are this Friday as well as Winter Ball committee applications. I trust you will all find an extra curricular to participate in. A list of all important dates can be found in the courtyard as well as meeting dates for all clubs. Now, we must go over the rules of Rosewood Hall...”
Ms. Maryweather continued to drone on as the cooking staff began to bring dinner in. Plates were placed in front of each student, matching the tastes and requirements the students had written on their food form prior to the year beginning.
“Now that everything has been covered, I present to you, your welcoming representative for this year, Isabella de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz.”
Isabella took a deep breath as Astrid gave her an encouraging pat on the back. She stood and gracefully walked to the front, “Just Isabella is fine, thank you.” She stepped in front of the mic and looked the room over before speaking, “Welcome students of Rosewood. It is an honor to represent Conch this year as your welcoming representative. As Rosewood students, we expect you to carry yourselves with honor and dignity. Though studies are most important, we do not go without fun. I’m happy to announce that this year, our welcoming event is a pool party in Conch house. We are thrilled to accept you into our home and-“
Isabella’s voice wavered as familiar red hair covered the floor. There was a dense thud Calista Murphy’s head hit the floor. She watched as the girl’s chest rose slightly with every shallow breath.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Astrid glanced back at Tom, “Oh, you know, castle stuff. Quite boring actually.” She was about to ask him what he’d done as a formality, but the new headmaster came in before she could speak. After the woman’s long speech, she squeezed Isabella’s shoulder encouragingly. The houses rotated turns taking responsibility for the welcoming event and this year it was their’s. She knew Isabella would do great.
As Isabella spoke, Astrid dug into her paella with rice, beans, and chicken. She was so tired of the fancy food at the palace, she was thrilled to just have a classic for once. Of course it wasn’t like the meals you can get in Spain. Isabella had taken her all over the country for some authentic foods and honestly no mimicry by Rosewood could do them justice. This was still a close second.
Astrid was mid bite when she saw Tom’s friend collapse in front of her. Though she couldn’t admit to feeling sorry for the girl she still stood to see if the girl was alive. She was breathing, but the way the hollows of her face had a purple tinge seemed unnatural. “I don’t think that was part of the presentation,” she whispered to Tom. That much seemed obvious, but sometimes Conch students could be a bit theatrical. She thought about taking the girl to the nurse, despite the fact she disliked her, but Isabella was still on stage gawking. Depending on the cause of this disturbance, leaving Bella alone could be a mistake.
~~~~~~~~~~
Xavier had already been bored half to death by this woman. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been given a food form so to his late entry. Thus he was stuck with sausage and mash. British food was always so flavorless. He’d tried so many different foods on tour and swore he’d never eat trash like this again. He swore he was half asleep when the chaos started. He was shaken awake by the whispers of everyone around him. “What happened?” He whispered to Schuyler. Even if he had been paying attention he didn’t know who these people were or the norms here. Maybe he wouldn’t understand this event. It might be a traditional thing. He wasn’t too concerned until he saw a red headed boy pick up the limp form of a girl he could only assume was his sister. Oh. Oh no. This wasn’t normal. “Is she...” he didn’t want to say the words he was thinking. He really hoped he was wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chloé grinned, she loved the idea of studying all the animals in Brazil, “Oh, I just helped my parents with their work. We finally got cheetah cubs this summer! Oh and the penguins were absolutely thriving this year. When my parents took holiday we went up to Egypt. I think you’d love it, it’s so pretty.” She settled down as the new headmaster spoke. It was a shame, she really favored Mr. Boriguard. She quietly ate her Cape Maley curry as the woman went over everything she already knew. Now, the welcoming speech, which was just a way to indoctrinate the new students into actually thinking they’d have fun here. Obviously that wasn’t the important part. Still, she supposed she wouldn’t skip out on the pool party. It’d be nice to read in a nice lawn chair in the sun.
It was hard not to notice Calista drop like a sack of potatoes. It certainly did interrupt the rhythm of things. She was more concerned about the why. If this was regular Calista behavior she’d brush it off, but she hadn’t seen the girl do this once in the past years. Which meant this was most likely caused by a recent issue with her body, not something she was born with. Chloé wracked her brain for possibilities. Maybe she had been diagnosed with something severe over the summer, but why would she have come back to Rosewood if she had? Maybe she was sick, but even then she should’ve stayed in her room. She knew the rules and would certainly be told about the event. Was this caused by something external? Was she... no, couldn’t be. Who would do something like that?
~~~~~~~~~
Erik didn’t get an answer, instead he watched the new headmaster walk up to the podium. He automatically didn’t trust her. Something about her just... looked off. He supposed it wasn’t such a big deal, he thought lots of people looked sketchy, including himself. He’d just stay a fair distance away from her. He listened to every word she said, not that he hadn’t heard it all before. Stay out of the kitchen, no running, wear your ties properly, it was all completely asinine. Who really gave a shit about how they wore their ties? No drinking or drugs on campus, register all medications with the nurse, really, he couldn’t have a single advil without filling out the paperwork? After a while he zoned out, eating his pelmeni slowly.
Erik hadn’t really noticed the change of speakers. Often times when he ate russian food, he only thought of home. He tended to wonder if his brother ever missed him. People back home probably rarely thought of him. It was the sad truth he had to bear. What did catch his attention was a girl falling backwards at the Conch table. He couldn’t remember her name for the life of him, but he did know that wasn’t normal. He strained his neck to get a better look, but by the time he could see the floor she was practically surrounded. Bummer. He could’ve used a bit of excitement today.
Erik hadn’t been close enough to see what had happened, but that didn’t stop him from speculating. Had she been pushed or was this a fall? There were so many questions running through his head. If she had fallen, why? Was she simply iron deficient? Or was something more sinister going on? He didn’t think anyone here would purposefully hurt someone, they were just kids after all. Was it her? No. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to cause an issue like that minutes after arriving. Soon his meal was gone and he was no closer to an answer.
~~~~~~~~~~
Nola had barely touched her lobster rolls when the lady started lecturing them. Tenichally, uniforms weren’t allowed altercations, but she opted to wear platforms almost every day for the last three years and no one had said a word. Maybe it was because they knew it was a lost cause. She’d gotten countless detentions for uniform infringements: bracelets, chokers, thigh highs, fishnets, hair clips, she’d gotten in trouble for putting things on almost every part of her body, but she didn’t care. She was a regular at free period detention because of it. Recently she’d only get dirty looks from teachers. She wasn’t planning on changing and they knew it. Plus, they let that princess chick on stage wear a petticoat and never said a word. Nola knew why. She wasn’t stupid. People of status were always treated better here. She ultimately didn’t let it get to her. She chose to give it up, she had to live with it.
Nola wrote down various things she noticed during both speeches, but once Calista hit the floor, her hand could hardly keep up with her brain. She was thankful she’d already been turned toward the scene. She didn’t want to miss a second of this. Fortitude had picked her up, but seemed at a loss of what to do. She didn’t blame him, but if even he didn’t know what was going on, Nola wondered if Calista had been keeping secrets from even her brother. At this point her frantic writing would look like literal chicken scratch to anyone else. Luckily Nola was great at deciphering any writing provided it be in english, french, or spanish.
Nola still wasn’t sure if she should write down any potential causes yet. The list was too long, especially if Fortitude seemed so shocked by the ordeal. If he didn’t know what was going on, that eliminated a genetic disorder or preexisting condition. She would’ve told him if she was feeling off, wouldn’t she? This was far deeper than her just passing out, wasn’t it? Hmm… maybe the food… or something in her drink… but the kitchens at Rosewood are very sanitary. Food poisoning hardly seemed plausible, but nothing could be ruled out yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Keith pulled his jacket back on before exiting the room with Cosmo. He though the boy would finish unpacking first, but he had jumped at the chance to go eat. It didn’t really matter, either way they’d get there. He listened to Cosmo speak as he sat at the Ivy table. “I would’ve rather gone with you than do anything with my parents if that’s any consolation. I just stayed at home, went to parties, got caught by my sister, blackmailed her to not tell, the usual.” It wasn’t really blackmail, that’s just how they worked. In truth, him and his sister were rather close. She was his biggest supplier and they mostly just teased each other with this stuff.
Keith grew quiet as the meals came out. Every year he filled out his meal form with phrases like “eat my ass” or “my favorite food is pussy” so he wasn’t surprised when he was once again given a bowl of ramen. You know, you’d think after several years they’d learn the difference between asian countries, but yet here he was, spinning noodles around a fork. It wasn’t like he didn’t like raman, he was just extremely aware of all the microaggressions he faced here, but what else could you expect from white people. He slurped down a few noodles, mostly just for Cosmo’s sake. He’d hate for the boy to worry about him. He was fine. He just wasn’t hungry. He pushed his bowl away as the new woman finished her speech. He’d honestly tuned the whole thing out every year. It wasn’t like he ever took rules into consideration.
Keith did, however, pay attention to what Isabella had to say. He’d felt a sort of connection with her ever since their first year. He couldn’t explain it. It wasn’t romantic or anything, he just felt comforted by her presence. What he didn’t feel comforted by was Calista falling to the floor. That was a first, witnessing chaos instead of causing it. He was starting to understand why teachers didn’t like him.
Though the girl had just fallen, everything after that had happened so quickly. The noise level in the room had elevated and Fortitude had scooped her off the ground. As the room quieted back down, it felt like time had almost froze. But that was always what it was like after a period of high adrenaline, right? He wasn’t quite sure what happened, but as long as everything was under control, it was probably none of his business.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Well don’t just stand there! Get her to the nurse!” Ms. Maryweather’s shrill voice sounded out as Fortitude hurried out of the dinning hall. “Why don’t you go take a seat my dear.” She gave Isabella a light push that started her almost like a wind up doll. She sat back down next to Astrid, still shaken by what happened. She downed the water before her like she hadn’t had anything to drink for days. Had that really happened or was this another one of her night terrors.
“Now, there is no need the panic,” the new headmistress said calmly, “medical emergencies happen all of the time. I assure you, Rosewood Hall is the safest place you could be at any given time. No need to let unexpected events ruin our first day. Now, enjoy your dinners and chat with friends. Make sure to be in bed by 10, we wouldn’t want to break curfew on the first day, now would we?” She rushed out of the dining hall, presumably to check on Calista, but no one could be certain.
Isabella took a deep breathe for the first time for what seemed like forever. She began to pick at her paella, only picking out the beans and eating each one individually. She really couldn’t process what had just happened. If that was normal, she’d know right? Calista had certainly never done that before.
“We can go eat back in the room if you want,” Astrid whispered. She could tell Isabella was uncomfortable here.
Isabella shook her head, “I have to act like nothing is wrong. If i don’t, who knows what will happen.” She knew some people in the Conch house ultimately looked up to her. If she acted like everything was okay, they’d probably buy the “medical emergency” cover and assume Calista had some sort of condition. If she left, they might assume there was an actual issue and freak out. Of course, if Conch house was scared for their fellow student, the other houses would follow. In reality, no one knew what was going on, but someone had to keep the peace.
Last edited:
