Lily

Fifth Floor Hallway

8:34AM } May 27

I know this is going to sound dramatic and I wouldn't blame you if you decided to call me out on that, but...! But, I honestly felt like I was going to be sick.

Normally with negative situations, I would tell myself to remain calm and that I would figure out how to handle them eventually - but this...! This was one of the few times where I felt genuinely helpless. I had no clue how I was supposed to move forward, knowing that Angela's attitude was sinister for a while now. I mean, I suppose I did have options but I wasn't sure if any of them would work out:

1. I wasn't sure if I could talk to John again or my Mum about how I felt, because I knew that if I did - my elder classmate wasn't the type of person to stand down and my professor's issues with his temper didn't help.

2. I also didn't know if I could talk to any of my other classmates, because that would risk another fight with Angela and that was the last thing I wanted.

Apart from those ideas, I...! I had no idea what else to do.

With this in mind, I decided to rest my back against the wall and begin taking deep breaths to calm down, whilst reassuring myself that I would be able to put the incident I had behind me. Everything's going be okay, Lily - you're going to be fine. Just get the rest of the day over with, and we'll go from there. Take each day as it comes like you've done so before - it's all good...!

"Lil?"

Andrew's worried voice, accompanied by the distant sounds of John and Julia both scolding Angela, snapped me out of my thoughts. Oh! I quickly wiped my eyes with a sigh and turned to address him. "Andrew—"

"Listen, you're not the person who Angela says you are, okay?" My best friend reassured me, setting his hands on my shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. Andrew?

"I know I'm not," My voice cracked with emotion. "I, I just!" Tears streaming down my face. "I don't understand why she hates me...!"

"I don't, either," The older boy sighed sadly, drawing himself closer to me. "I know this is easier said than done, but try not to let her get to you. I mean, chances are, she's probably just jealous that she's not as pretty as you,"

Hearing this, my eyes widened. Woah! "Um..." Cue a shaky yet shy smile, accompanied by a raised eyebrow. "Thank you? I guess?"

"I'm serious, Lily," He returned my smile with an amused chuckle. "This isn't one of those moments where I'm pulling your leg, I—" A nervous gulp. "I really mean it. Plus, Daniel would tell you the same thing," What the...?

Looking back, I was rather shocked - because it almost felt like I was talking to a different Andrew. He used to feel cautious around our professor and classmates, which was understandable due to his anxiety. But whenever the two of us were together, he felt more confident and he also behaved in a more cheerful manner. If we passed each other on the streets or in the halls, I'd wave at him and he would just...! He would just have the biggest smile that I've ever seen in my life! I don't know why I didn't pick up on any of those signs sooner...

Though, I'll be honest, I sometimes wish I did.

"Appreciate the compliment," I said kindly, despite feeling confused over his comment regarding our classmate. Agh, best not to dwell on it.

"Well, you're welcome," Andrew responded, not long before the voices of Conrad, Daniel, Brad and Taylor greeted our ears. Oh, hey! "I, look - would you be okay if we worked together on this research again? If you are, I'm..." Another nervous gulp. "I'm also thinking about stopping at the cafeteria beforehand, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with?"

"Sure, okay," I answered eagerly. "Let's go,"

My best friend's face lit up with sheer excitement, which actually made my heart flutter a little. Aww, you're so adorable! He then opened his mouth to say something...

"Hey, lovebirds!" Conrad?!

Holding back an annoyed sigh, Andrew turned to address our mutual friend. "Hey, Conrad,"

"What brings you two out here?" He asked in a concerned manner. "Everything okay?" He means well Andy, it's all good.

"Sort of," The 18 year-old answered politely. "Lily and I, we're going to be working downstairs and a quick head's up; you guys might want to steer clear of the classroom,"

"Why's that?"

"I'll give you two guesses, but you're only going to need one,"

As Andrew and Conrad were busy chatting away, I decided to make conversation with the three students standing behind the latter. "Hey, guys,"

"Hey," Brad, who was clad in a brown plaid shirt, grey t-shirt, denim jeans and a pair of black converses, greeted shyly.

"Hi, Lily," Taylor, who wore an open long green blouse, a black shirt with matching short leggings and a pair of white sneakers, responded with a friendly grin. "You sure you're doing okay?"

"Slightly, yes," I confirmed politely, quickly wiping my eyes again. "How about you?"

"Yeah, we're all great," My 22 year-old friend confirmed, glancing back at a younger guy who was clad in a red polo shirt, beige pants and a pair of brown loafers. Yo, Daniel. "Though, I'm really excited about meeting our professor's older students," Wait, what?

"Older students?" My brows furrowed with confusion.

"He didn't tell you?"

"No, no, he didn't," Maybe he would have if Angela hadn't started picking a fight with him?

The young woman nodded in understanding. "Oh, right. Some of his students who have already graduated are gonna be tagging along with us - and my sister and her fiancé are two of them. They might be down in reception, as we speak,"

"Oh, that's nice," I commented kindly, earning a small grin from the two guys. Glad you get to hang out with some family members on this trip!

"Yeah," She agreed happily. "I can't wait to see the look on the Drama Queen's face when she runs into them, too. I think it's been like, I don't know, five years since they graduated? So, a lot has changed since they were last together,"

"I see," I slowly nodded with intrigue, before Daniel proceeded to change the subject. "Hey, Lily?"

"Hey, what's up?"

"Not much," The 20 year-old smiled amusedly. "I was, ah, I was gonna ask if you've seen Angela but she must be in the classroom now, am I right?"

"Yeah," I answered, sadness welling up as I remembered my fight with the woman in question. "That's why Andrew said to steer clear of there, because," A grimace. "Let's just say she's not in the best mood right now,"

"Did something happen?" Brad asked in a concerned manner.

Hearing this, I sighed. Okay... Here goes Option 2, then. "Yeah. I, um, long story short - Angela tried to pick a fight with John, because of some news she wasn't a fan of and..." A sad shrug. "I tried standing up for him. Next thing I know, she insults me to my face,"

"What did she say to you?" Taylor didn't hesitate to question me, with anger beginning to boil. Oh god.

"I-I...!" I found myself stammering, suddenly realising that my anxiety over another fight was flashing again ... and on top of that, my three classmates all noticed. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!

Thankfully however, Daniel stopped me before I could start blubbering nonsense words like they were dancing in a cartwheel. "Hey, look, whatever's happened in there - that's not on you, okay? I mean, I know Angela can be demanding, but she does have a soft side," Angela's a friendly person? No offense man, but that's impossible.

"Since when?" Taylor scoffed in disbelief.

"Since always," The 20 year-old shot back. "Except, she doesn't show it a lot," Okay? If that's true, then... that's rather surprising. Cue him to address me once more. "Anyway, you pumped about meeting the older students?"

"Yes," I confirmed, whilst my thoughts began to take over. Hm... "I think, ah, I think two family members of mine took this course before too - so, I'm sort of wondering if they might be downstairs right now,"

"Oooh," Daniel exclaimed with interest, influencing me to stifle a laugh. Dude...!

"Who are they?" Brad, equally curious. "Siblings or...?"

"No - they're my cousins, ten years older than me," I explained politely, finding myself smiling as two familiar faces flashed to mind. Though, we have behaved like siblings. "Tyler and Isobel,"

"Nice!"

"True," I giggled, earning amused chuckles from my three friends. "Last time I saw them was five years back, as well - so, yeah, one can only hope,"

Please let them be downstairs, please!

Isobel

Reception

8:38AM } May 27

Hello friend. Hello friend, that... no, that doesn't feel right. Do you want a different name? That's a slippery slope though, because we have to remember that you've been living in my head for a long time now. Sh*t, I can't believe I'm about to tell you my side of the story...!

I never told you much about myself, did I? Well to start with, people saw me as your average established author and to some extent, I was. I had one project under my belt and honestly, I was shocked when it turned out to be a success. The Blackwood Pines, I had called it. A psychological horror that took place on Mount Washington in Alberta, Canada. It was also ranked fourth place on a list of 25 Best-Selling Books for 2019, having sold about... 142 million copies world-wide.

Quite a huge achievement, and it's also one I'm definitely proud of.

The book's protagonist was a college student who hoped to establish herself as an author someday; let's call her, Iris. She shared a connection with the son of a well-known family; we'll be calling him, James. Four years after they meet, he organises a weekend at his parents' lodge and he invites her to come along with her cousins Taylor and Lauren, his sister Holly and a group of their mutual friends. After everyone's settled in, they soon discover that they're not the only ones on the mountain. Seems simple enough, right?

Well... to me, it isn't. You see, the thing is... the events in my book are based on an experience my loved ones and I all had to face. The character, Iris? She's meant to symbolise myself, essentially. Taylor and Lauren symbolise two of my cousins who I adore, Tyler and Lily. Holly symbolises one of my best friends in the world, Hannah. And finally, there's James. He's a rather difficult character for me to discuss, because... he symbolises someone who I once shared a connection with - or at least, I thought I did.

But, enough about that.

In any case, five years have passed since that ordeal and I'm pleased to say that we're all doing well, for the most part. Tyler's been off streaming video games online to his heart's content with our mutual buddy, Chris. Hannah's now an established artist and she's been putting her skills to good use by designing the covers for mine and another mutual friend, Ashley's books. Another individual worth mentioning is my second best friend in the world, Sam. She's happily settled into her new job as a conservationist and... since we're both animal lovers, I admire the fact that she wishes to help them - I really do. And finally, there's Mike. The former president of our class and womanizer has turned over a new leaf and with that, came a completely different person.

We all owe it to him and Sam for helping us survive what happened five years ago as well, because those two together? They're a force to be reckoned with.

"Isobel?"

A tired yet pleased voice caught my attention, prompting me to glance up into the brown eyes of my former professor, John. Oh, hello. I rose from my seat with a smile. "Hey,"

"Hello there," The 43 year-old smiled as we both shook hands. "It's been a long time, how have you been?"

"Yeah, I've been great," I answered happily, before a concerned grimace painted my face. "Though, it does feel strange being back after five years,"

"I understand," He reassured me. "I'm sure that once you've settled in, you'll be fine," He then snuck a quick glance around our surroundings. "I assume everyone else is en route?"

"Ah, they shouldn't be too long," I explained kindly. "I know that Tyler and Hannah are meeting up with Chris and Ashley, so - chances are, they'll probably arrive any minute now,"

Hearing this, John gave a small sigh. "Well in that case, I was wondering if you might be interested in a catch-up at the cafeteria?" A friendly smile. "Some of my students are there, so you'll be able to meet them if you'd like?"

"Sure, of course,"

With that, my former professor gestured for me to follow him and the two of us begun our walk down the hallway leading to our destination. As we engaged in conversation, I couldn't help but allow excitement to brim at the thought of meeting my little cousin, Lily, again. Thanks to Facebook, I knew that she was studying the same course my friends, Tyler and I had graduated for... almost a year now and judging by her picture online, it was just...! It was just amazing to see how much she's grown!

I wonder if she'll remember all of us?