Chapter 2: Welcome to Genius University!

Samira arrived at school in less than five minutes. She also said goodbye to her father when she got off the tricycle. She was walking towards the gate when suddenly someone blocked her path. She looked at the lady in front of her. She was wearing a white uniform and a blurry glass. She looks like a doll even wearing an eyeglass. Her curly hair was like a wig but it seems so natural and true. Samira didn't know who she is and what year level her uniform color symbolizes.

"Good day fellas! Welcome to Genius University!" A lady in a pure white uniform interrupted her. Only now did she realize that there is also a white uniform exists in the university.

"Thank you!" she said. It would be embarrassing if she did not responses to the lady.

"Are you a freshman?" the lady said next.

"Ah, yes," she replied.

"Good. Do you want me to tour you around?" The lady suggested. She turned around, there are many in white uniforms approaching a freshman like her.

"All right, thank you!" she replied again. She didn't know this lady, but if she refuse she'll lose the opportunity to know something about the university.

"By the way, I'm Hela, sophomore student." The lady introduces herself and offer her hands to her. She immediately reached for the lady and shook hands.

"I'm Samira," she said introducing herself.

"So, let's go!" She smiled at the lady and walked into the university as well.

As soon as she stepped inside, she suddenly felt heavy. Her body seemed to gain weight as well. Probably because entering, the large statues of Greek gods and goddesses can be seen there welcoming you inside. But what caught her attention was the largest statue of an angel with horns. Her eyes narrowed at where it was then. Does that mean it's one of the things the students who study here look up to? She was still confused because for her it was an image of a devil and not of an angel. She feel something strange by just looking at it. And it feels like there's a force that dragging her to get near the statue.

"Don't stare!" Samira heard from her companion. She immediately turned away her attention to the devil statue. "Other students said, you'll get unlucky if you stare at that statue." The lady continues. Luckily, they have already passed that part.

"How it will happen?" Samira said wondering.

"Everyone who stares at that statue loses their sanity. I don't know why, but one of our professors said it's because those who stare at it see fairies and mess up their lives," the lady explained. Samira was suddenly felt terrified because she had been staring at it a while ago.

"Is that so? But why not just remove that statue?" she said wondering.

"That's impossible because the statue is connected to all the buildings here. When it's demolished all the buildings here will collapse," the lady responded. Samira just kept quiet because of what she knew was amazing. She was thinking that this school was built by an excellent engineer.

As they walked, they met students with different colors of uniforms, grey, brown and red.

"I guess the color of the uniform is different here," she said as if asking for an explanation.

"You're right, the brown uniform was wear by the junior and the grey is for the senior," the lady explained. "What is your course?" the lady asked.

"Accountancy," she replied shortly. She wanted to know what year symbolizes the red uniform but she was a bit shy to ask because she was asking too many questions. The lady stopped walking and looked at her.

"I'm marketing management student, so we have the same department," the lady said with a smile. She smiled at the lady, too. "But do you want to know what year level symbolizes the red uniform?" She stopped at her track and stare at the lady.

"Yes, I want to know," Samira replied.

"Then come with me, I'll take you to a place where no one will see and hear us." Samira just fell silent to what Hela had said. Those words sounds like terrifying for her. The thought that they need a place where no one will see and hear them was quite suspicious. Like there are secrets that she'll going to know at an instant. "Are you going with me or not?" Hela said confirming because Samira was being statue on her track.

"Of course I'm going with you," Samira replied.

They kept walking until their feet reach their destination. The ambience there was quiet, only the sound of a bird and the breeze of a wind will hear there. It was like a small paradise inside the university. They seat on a chair made of stone and started the conversation again.

"About the red uniform, it wasn't about the year level but their identity," Hela started. Samira just looked at her and listening carefully. "It's a sacred secret and no one knows it, except to the students and professors who has high position in the university.

"Really? It was really intriguing that I want to know it right away," Samira said.

"Students wearing red uniform can be seen in all year levels, they wear that kind of color because it has something to do with their identity," Hela continued.

"Then what is their identity?" Samira said wanting to ask for more. Hela just looked at her while a grin drew on her lips.

"It's a sacred secret so I won't tell it to you either." Hela was laughing afterwards. "I'm sorry Samira but you need to have a higher position to know that," Hela continued. Samira was a bit disappointed. She walk all the way here just to know that but she didn't get what information she wanted to know.

"My hopes to you are gone, I thought you will let me know about that!" Samira was a bit pissed-off.

"Don't be so pissed-off, I really can't tell you that because I'm not in a position to do so. I just accidentally know that when I heard my mom and her friend talking about that. My mom is the University Dean so she knew about that."

"I'm not pissed-off, I'm just disappointed because I'm not in a position to know that," Samira said.

"Don't worry you'll know it when the time comes," Hela said comforting her.

Since, Hela doesn't want to tell that secret to her. She decided to go back and wandered around the university rather than just sitting there. Samira was about to step on when she noticed the man in the grey uniform. Her mouth fell open because the guy he's seeing now looked exactly like the man in her dream last night. The man had his white complexion and lips that is red as roses, the man looks like a vampire in the movie. Time seemed to stop as she stared at the man, especially, when the man looked at where she was. That man was probably the man in her dreams. She gripped her chest, she never felt the speed and strength of her pulse like this before.

"Samira, it looks like you're already a statue there." There's a voice she heard but like a whisper registered in her ear. She rolled her eyes around. There were people speaking but she could not hear. She only saw herself following the man she had just been staring at.

They kept walking until they stopped at the place where only the two of them were there. Large acacia trees are the only trees there. She seems to have returned to her senses and was looking now for the one with him earlier. But she was surprised because the place they are right now was the place where the man brought her in her dreams. She just stare at the man and can't help but examining all parts of it.

"Why did you follow me?" said the man who she followed. The man's voice was so masculine. But she could not answer that question because she herself, also did not know what the reason was. Her feet just spontaneously followed where the man was going. "Aren't you afraid of me?" At that moment the man confronted her. But astonishment only drew in her mind at what the man said. How could she be afraid of that angelic handsome face?

"N-no, why should I be afraid of you?" Finally a voice came out of her mouth as well. The man just smiled at her.

"What's your name?" the man asked her. A part of her heart suddenly rejoiced. The thought that the man wanted to know her name was like a sound of I wanted to know even more about you in her ears.

"I'm Samira," she immediately replied without a second thought.

"Samira? You're kind of weird, your surroundings are shining," the man said seriously. Samira turned around but saw no light. Suddenly the hair on her body rose. She thought that there may be many souls around her now. Apart from the large acacia trees, there is also the smell of sampaguita around even though there are no sampaguita trees there.

"Can you please stop scaring me?" But instead of answering, the man walked closer to where she was. It was so close to her that their bodies would almost hit. The man lowered his face slightly and brought it closer to her face. She was shocked when his lips touches her forehead. Then the man grinned at her. She could not move from where she was standing and became dumbfounded by what the man had done. All she thought was the scene last night will happen again but that was only a dream.

"Stand up for what you did following me because I already own you." Even she was dumbfounded, what the man said still registered in her mind. How that man could possibly own her by just simply following him?

Eventually, the man turned away from her and walked away. Samira, in turn, was left speechless as she stared at the man's image farther and farther away. That scene was like a scene in her dreams.

A smile drew on Samira's lips, it was her first day in college and it seems like she has a good start. She doesn't want to stay in that scary place so she kept on walking until her feet stop in front of the canteen. She want to buy something but she remember that she was short of money. She was about to turn back when she felt that her uniform was wet. She felt a cold water running through it.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She face the lady who just apologize to her. The lady was wearing a red uniform and a red lipstick on her lips. "I'm sorry but you're not looking on your way!" The way the lady speak those words wasn't apologetic but seems like she was blaming Samira for what happened. Samira, on the other hand was just quiet and didn't know what to react because her mind was filled with thoughts about the red uniform. She need to stay calm and she was avoiding herself to argue with someone who's powerful inside the university. She doesn't know this lady's identity but she was sure that she came from a noble family.

"I'm sorry, I didn't look at my way," Samira said not looking straight at the lady. She keep her head bow down not because she was afraid of her but she doesn't want anyone to see her in that state.

"Samira!" A girl wearing white uniform came close to her. "What happened to your uniform?" The lady pick a handkerchief out of her bag and immediately dried up Samira's uniform. The lady in red uniform just passed by as if she'd done nothing wrong.

"It's nothing Hela, I'm okay, it's just a wet uniform," Samira said softly.

"Well, you know I'm just worried, I've been looking for you but you just disappeared a while ago." From the tone of Hela's voice she seemed worried towards Samira.

"Is that so? Or you're just worried because I just encountered a student wearing red uniform?" Hela was a bit shock to what Samira had said.

"You know, I'm just worried about you, don't think about that." Hela just fake a smile. "By the way, come with me, I'll give you a new uniform," Hela said changing the topic. She doesn't want others to know that they are talking about students with red uniform. If someone will know about that, she and her mother would be expel from the university.

Even if Samira wanted to reject Hela's offer she wouldn't do because it was what she needs right now. She went with Hela and they reached her locker in an instant. Hela opened her locker and she get a black uniform inside of it. Samira, on the other hand was thinking why a sophomore student have a uniform for freshman.

"I thought you are a sophomore," Samira said.

"Yes, I'm a sophomore. That uniform was my uniform when I was a freshman, I hope it fits you," Hela said.

"Thank you!" Samira went inside the comfort room afterwards. She changes her uniform and luckily it fits her body.

Samira's first day in college didn't went smoothly but because she's with Hela the whole day, it wasn't that rough at all.