Generation 2 - Chapter 9: University Life
Adora thought she was the first one arrived, so she was stupefied when she walked through the kitchen’s door and saw a woman with wings, wearing clothes made with flower petals and leaves.
“How... How can that be?? Are you an elf??”
“I’m a fairy, silly! she giggled. My name is Shannon. You’ve never seen a fairy before? Humans are so funny!
- No! I didn’t even think they existed! I have so many questions! Lamarck and Blyth were right, transmutation is--
- I’m so happy you’re here! But the other will be here soon too! You know what this calls for? A party! We need to prepare everything before they arrive! Oh, I’m so excited!! We need to get ready!”
And she left, flying around excitedly.
Shannon’s party was a good idea, actually. They lit a fire and it was a very convivial way to get to know each other. All rooms were shared, and it made the allocation easier. Her roommate was a Korean woman called Ye Gangnam. She was not married but she had a fiancé, she was in sophomore year of business major and she seemed nice at first.
Together they shared a small but comfy room.
Little did she know: in reality, Ye was snob, grumpy, she woke very early because it took her a lot of time to get dress and she would lit every lights when she got up... and worst of all, she was an artist!!
Adora tried to tell her about her behavior and her art, but Ye yawned and said a girl so unsophisticated like her wouldn’t understand her art and her lifestyle. She couldn’t have picked a worst roommate, and she was going to spend three years with her...
Fortunately she got along with the other women! She found Shannon a little weird: she was nice, but Adora was annoyed because she would not even answer her questions about the transmutation of the fairy specie. The person she liked the most was Margaret Cade, an irresistible loser with a good sense of humour.
Margaret was funny indeed, she would often make her laugh by making silly faces and impersonations of teachers.
Soon they were the best of friends!
Adora was not the only woman in the science department anymore. With two women in freshman year, there were now three of them!
Adora studied hard, and she was stressed all the time. Her schedule was busier than ever and she had no time for fishing anymore. In order to relax, she would splash in puddles for a little fun.
Adora was better at tinkering, and she hadn’t forgotten the fire that lit one night in Malan Hall. She couldn’t help thinking she might not be so lucky next time, so she decided to upgrade all fireplaces to make them fireproof. She would spend all her extra free time tinkering. One day, she was upgrading the fireplace of the living room while her roommates were talking. Shannon was there, listening, and she was having fun as always.
Suddenly Adora heard Margaret say distinctly to Shannon:
“What are you, Shannon, anyway? You’re a freak that looks like a bug! Yuck, so gross!”
Shannon was very hurt by what Margaret had said. Adora couldn’t believe her ears. How could Margaret say such a mean thing? Being good, Adora could not stand here doing nothing while her roommate was being bullied.
“This was an ignorant and mean thing to say, Margaret. You should apologize to her. It’s not because she’s from a different specie that you are entitled to treat her badly. She might not be human, but she’s sentient and she deserves respect.”
“What do you know, Mrs. Know-It-All? I do what I want. If I want to call a bug a bug, it’s my problem, not yours. Don’t get involve when it’s not about you.”
Adora couldn’t believe it. So that was how Margaret’s true face was! She went to Shannon, and asked if she was okay.
“Yeah... I’m used to being call a bug. Thank you for standing up. I hope you won’t get in trouble.
- It’s the normal thing to do. Hey, Shannon, I never see you with anyone. Don’t you have friends on campus?
- I don’t really have any friends, no. I guess I’m too... different.
- Well, I don’t have any friends anymore now. Want to be friends?”
Her face brightened and a smile lit her face up.
And Shannon became her best friend, and she kept that title until they both graduated.
Three years had passed very fast. Adora brilliantly passed her final exams, and finally she graduated! With a science degree in hand, she was ready to go home and become the scientist she was meant to be.
