Chapter 14:
Entertain Us
The following week had started, but it was only 1:34 AM. The second week of the Academy would officially begin at 8:30. With this timing, you would think the student would be asleep, but some people can't help waking up in the middle of the night. Maria's throat was parched; it needed water. She sat up from her bed, half asleep, fighting her sleep demons.
"Cough. Cough", her body couldn't go back to sleep. With that, she was forced out of her bed to get water. She slowly unwrapped the blanket off her and unwillingly stood up. The warmth of her bed was calling her, and Maria's body was dissipating heat. She didn't want to leave, but her throat was like sandpaper. She rubbed her eyes and stumbled her way out of her room. She swayed from side to side, not turning on the lights, only using the moonlight shining through the balcony to navigate her way to the kitchen. When she reached the kitchen, she opened the faucet and carefully washed her face and eyes with cold water. She grabbed a glass drying on the side and filled it. She sipped the drink first, letting the cold water heal her throat. She looked up from her glass and looked at the room. She was entranced by how beautiful it looked due to the moonlight illuminating it. Caught in the moment, she wandered towards the balcony to see the moon more clearly. When she reached the balcony door, she was amazed by the sight of it. Eagerly wanting more than just visuals, she wanted to feel the cold air and be a part of the atmosphere. She opened the balcony door. It felt like she was in front of a portal between reality and dreamland. She stepped out, and everything hit at once. The cold air kissed her face, the sound of the wind whispered in her ear, the smell of the fresh air, the cold air enhancing the cold taste of water she had moments ago and the visual of the moon in front of her. All her senses got to experience something different the world had to offer. It was a dream-like experience. Was it always like this late at night? Her eyes were focused in front of her, but she noticed something in the corner of her left eye. She instinctively turned her head to the left and saw Malakai leaning on his balcony's railing. Was this a dream?
Malakai turned to look at her, surprised someone else was awake
"Yo".
Maria, trapped in the moment, just stared at him for a few seconds before replying,
"Hey." She then took a few steps to the right to get closer to Malakai's balcony.
"Why are you on the balcony?" She questioned, staring at him, trapped by his presence.
"I can't sleep. What bout you?" Malakai stood up from his leaning position.
"I went to get some water because my throat was dry. Then I saw the moon and wanted to see it better." Maria was still holding her glass of water with both hands.
"How long have you been out here?" Maria asked.
"Not long. I was in bed and couldn't sleep, so I just thought, lemme look at the sky." Malakai then looked up at the stars,
"It calms me down. It reminds me that the world can be beautiful sometimes".
Maria joined Malakai in looking at the stars. They both watched the night sky for a few seconds. Maria turned slightly to look at Malakai, who was admiring the sky. He had a look in his eye that was different from all the other times she'd looked at him. She couldn't figure out what had changed, but it definitely was different. Whenever Maria looked at Malakai, he always had something different about him; it was like she was learning more about him only by looking at him. That interested Maria, and she wanted to know more about Malakai because of those different looks. Maria wanted to keep talking. It was the first time they could properly conversate one on one,
"You said you were from the UK; why did you come to America?" She asked, taking the first step.
Malakai blinked to snap himself out of the moment and then turned to Maria,
"To come to this Academy. My friends told me to, so I did".
Maria finished her glass of water and placed the cup on the floor.
"You mean your friends now? How did you meet them?" She asked.
"Online. We've been friends for like two or three years." Malakai broke eye contact and looked at the sky to act out in his head and reminisce the memory.
"It was so random. I was just playing by myself and thought, let me join a public lobby. Next thing you know, I joined a lobby with those five". Malakai then looked down,
"I didn't really wanna speak, but I got pressure into talking, so I put my mic on, and yeah, the rest is history. We kept winning, so we decided to become friends. From that day on, all of us kept speaking in the group chat we made." Malakai then looked at Maria, who looked like she was invested in the story.
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