A Friend and A Colleague 

Noah found his way back to the foyer, the sprawling marble steps and wooden walls were hardly a comfort. Neither were the gold railings nor statues that either were a part of the walls, ceilings, and archways, or sitting on marble platforms near beautiful paintings, some looked as old as the castle itself.

Yet, Noah hadn't the time to look at them, instead, he was flipping through his bizarre school pamphlet that had neither a picture nor drawing inside. He had thought it would be simple to find his way to his roommate, classroom, dorm, or anywhere.

"To your left" was not a helpful instruction as there were two buildings to Noah's left when he stepped out onto the porch. They were newer than the castle, brick and covered in ivy that was shaded from green to bright red. To his right was the same, ahead of him was the sprawling gardens and courtyard before the gate.

A loud yet calm voice called out to him in what was undoubtedly French. His years of learning it pushed to the forefront of his mind when he looked to see the same girl he had seen before. She had her merlot blazer tossed over her shoulder, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes were squinting to look at him as the sun shone brightly on her tawny skin.

Noah scrambled for words, trying to remember what his mother, father, and teachers had taught him. He was better at reading French, he had always credited himself with the ability to understand it written. Speaking it, forcing his vocal words to make the noises was far different.

"Englishman?" The girl eventually asked.

"American," Noah replied, somewhat relieved she seemed to understand him without him having to speak. 

"Oh, thank god," she said in an American accent. "I thought I was the only American in this entire place." She huffed.

"I'm, uh, Noah Cooper," he said, holding his hand out to her. He hadn't thought he would meet another American at the small, prestigious academy. To meet one that clearly spoke French and German, he knew that he had to attempt friendship—even if he believed himself to be too awkward to do so.

"Mi Na," she said as she took his hand. "New people always get lost."

Noah nodded sheepishly as he looked back to the booklet. Despite his literacy, the booklet was more confusing. Context clues were scarce, many words he didn't know were used. "You speak French, right?" He finally asked her, showing her a bit of the booklet.

Mi Na stepped towards him, looking over his shoulder to the booklet.

"My French isn't as good as my German," she confessed before shrugging. "But it isn't that hard to find your roommate around here. There's only a couple hundred of us."

Noah frowned at the idea of a 'couple hundred' candidates. He hadn't done well in school, trying to avoid his studies as well as his classmates. He hadn't wanted to go to a university either—it left him with little choice but to go to the academy. The idea of a 'couple hundred' peers he must endure put a frog in his throat. 

It seemed Mi Na sensed his angst and patted his shoulder. 

"Trust me, just go into the dorm and find the bed that doesn't have anything on it. Everyone gets to personalize their side of the room—whichever one is empty, that's your's." She said. 

Noah nodded. "But which building is it?" He gestured to the two at his left before looking back at her and the broom that was in her other hand, it distracted him quickly. "Why are you sweeping the floor?"

"Ha!" Mi Na had a barking laugh, she twirled the broom around her fingers. "If you didn't notice, the Headmaster and I don't really get along. He's got me busy since I insist on breaking into the pool all the time."

"Why?"

"Because this place is hellish about rules. Even if you don't break them, you have to still work on the castle, the gardens, or whatever else the Headmaster sees fit."

"No, I meant why did you break into the pool?"

"Because I like swimming." She said simply, looking to the side as if it was an obvious answer.

"There's a lake." Noah pointed to where he could still see the teal lake that looked just as much like a picture of the castle at his back.

"What?" Mi Na laughed, "You can't get into town! Not even if you're over eighteen!" She paused, "Are you over eighteen?"

Noah nodded.

"You're in the smaller house then." She replied, "There are fewer rooms--easier to find yours. Most of the people here are kids or high school students. Some of them are like us—just meandering until we know what we want to do."

Before he could answer, there was a high-pitched voice that came shouting in German behind them, clearly scolding someone inside the building. Noah could hardly make out more than the tone of her voice.

"The Mistress," Mi Na whispered to him, her voice drawn out and mocking drama. "Also-known-as Ms. Rae. She's in charge of everything since the Headmaster is typically in his office avoiding us after he deals out punishment."

"Right," Noah laughed nervously at the shouting coming from inside the castle, attempting not to crumple the booklet in his hands. He knew how they wanted to shake, but he refused them the right to do so.

Mi Na hardly said goodbye, she took her broom, patted him on the shoulder again and continued inside, he could hear her voice disappear as she spoke in German to what sounded like another girl inside the castle. He wondered if he should go back inside, but his bags weighed heavy on his legs and he looked back to the houses near him.

There was a definite smaller one. It had only three floors, made of brick and wood, Tudor in style and had the same ivy that spread from the first house to it. It had a single, square door that was slightly open when Noah made his way up the ramp, to the door, and quietly inside.

It smelled of warm wood and reminded him greatly of the music building at his high school. The walls were mostly wooden, what wasn't had floral wallpaper that had faded with age and bright sunlight. The windows were large and open, frail-looking white curtains swayed gently in the breeze. It was an old building, he thought it must have been someone's house at some point as he looked around the common areas from the foyer.

The entirety of the building seemed to funnel back to the foyer and the grand staircase that had a thick, wooden railing with designs and figures carved into it. He took in a deep breath before lifting his rolling suitcase up the first step.

Noah had never played sports; his mother hadn't wanted him to and it was one of the few things they had ever agreed on. He knew he was thin and he wasn't muscular, but it had never bothered him until he had to drag the suitcase to the second floor and walk up and down the hall to find what Mi Na had spoken of. 

Noah noticed a few things in every open door; it seemed the dorm was full-up as Mi Na had said. Only seven rooms on the second floor but most had two beds inside, one had three, and each were taken by the looks of them. He understood what Mi Na said. Each room was divided down the middle by what either side liked. Most still had the basic books, bags, papers, desks, comforters, but the colors, amount, and certain trophies and things clearly liked by the individual were there.

With each room full, Noah heaved a sigh as he looked at the secondary staircase to the third floor. He didn't think he would mind being at the top of the house, but he minded dragging his suitcase all the way up. Step by step. Trying to be as quiet as possible despite the lack of people until he reached the third floor.

Only some of the doors were open, a breeze coming from one side of the house and out of the other. The chandelier turned on when Noah passed by a sensor. He pressed his hand to his chest, feeling his heart hammering harder than usual. He hoped that he wasn't in the wrong building, that Mi Na wasn't playing a cruel joke on him. He wasn't certain he could climb the four floors of the other building, or even take his suitcases down the three he had already climbed.

There were only four doors on the top floor. It was smaller than the second, a bay window with window seat was at the end of the single hall, looking out towards the castle or towards the town. Noah left his suitcase by the stairs and went down the hall, the first door on his left was shut and he was hardly comfortable opening it.

The second stopped him in his tracks. The door was open, allowing him to look inside. There was only one bed in the last room on his left. The bed had a red and gold comforter, a soccer ball was on top of it, holding a book open. There were many athletic things, a baseball bat, trophies, helmets, pads, and uniforms hung by the highboy. But what struck him the most was an easel that held a board that took up the space where a second bed was to be placed, it was so large it spanned from the side of the wall to the closed door. 

It showed the near-mirror image of the view outside of the window, the beautiful town and lake, the mountains and rolling grasslands. It was incomplete, but it seemed whoever slept in the bed had both an athletic and artist career by the guitar, violin, and keyboard cases that were behind the easel, blocking the path of the door. 

"Noah?"

An unfamiliar voice called his name made Noah realize just how far he had wandered into a stranger's bedroom. He felt his ears turn hot before he scrambled to get out of the bedroom and into the hallway. The voice had been distant, male, and Noah was already panting when he got back to his suitcase and saw someone on the second-floor landing.

He was wearing the school uniform, had dark, round glasses with brown rims that faded into his tanned skin. He had parted brown hair and a square jaw, but what he was holding was what shocked Noah the most. A solid-white cane rested against his shoulder, held between his hands.

"I'm guessing you're Noah," the man said. He was around Noah's age, he wagered. He had a strange accent, it wasn't German but Noah couldn't place it.

"Uh, yes, I am." Noah nervously pressed his chest, wiping his hands as he looked at the other.

"Oh, good," he replied, "I'm glad you're not a bugler or something—I wouldn't be all that helpful." He said as he lifted his cane.

Noah watched as he set it down and carefully began to tap in front of him, finding the steps and reaching around for the hand railing until he found it and started to walk up the steps.

"I heard that someone new arrived," he spoke as he climbed the steps, "I knew you must have been my roommate."

Noah scrambled to move his bags from the top of the stairway as the other got to the top.

"I get it, I get it," the other said. "You're worried about being roomed with the blind guy." He laughed softly as he reached the top, "I don't get in the way, I'm fine on my own. Besides, I like being put with people that can see. It's fun to be challenged."

"I'm not worried about that," Noah said, hearing how hard he was panting the more he spoke.

"Just never met a blind guy before?" He smiled, but he wasn't looking at Noah.

Noah felt a need to both step in the direction where the other seemed to think he was, but also to leave him completely alone.

"Oh! I didn't tell you who I am." He said, "I'm Liam—Liam Horvat. I'm here to add to my education and to finish learning Swedish. I speak five languages, my English isn't very good but I hope it's easy to understand."

"Your English is very good," Noah replied, nodding a bit.

"Our room is here," Liam extended his cane, tapped along the wall as he walked by it until he tapped the first doorway on his right. "Even though I asked to be on the third floor, I still can't quite follow my way all the way back there."

Noah took his smaller suitcase and followed Liam inside, who was still talking, boasting about his life and family in Croatia. The room was plain, there were things only on one side of the room. There was a large window but the curtain hadn't been moved, no lights were on, and everything had a few inches of space between each item that was carefully laid out or put away.

It was then that Noah realized that the other door only led to his side of the room. There was nothing but a twin bed, desk, empty shelves on the wall and a closed dresser near the other door.

"Even though I can't see," Liam said, "I do ask that you keep your things to your side of the room...since I can't see."

Noah laughed nervously. "I'm tidy, I promise."

Noah waited for Liam to make his way to his chair before he went to his side of the room and looked at the bed-frame. There were initials from dozens of people carved into the wooden frame but the mattress was brand new, covered in plastic with labels still on it.

"Can I open the curtains?" Noah asked as he ignored the bed, turning to see that Liam had made his way to his desk chair and had settled down.

"I didn't know they were closed," Liam replied.

Noah chuckled nervously, nodded, and went to the window, opened the curtain and seeing a spectacular view of the campus and its grounds. He stared at the mountains for a moment before walking to the closed door near the foot of his bed. It opened inward and soon Noah was staring back into the bedroom he had meandered into before. He could see the bed and part of the window and painting, a trunk was beneath the bed, he noticed.

"Who lives across the hall?" Noah asked.

Liam paused, "I do not know."

"Looks to be some kind of artist."

Liam chuckled.

Noah turned back to him, seeing that Liam was rocking a bit in his silent laughter. 

"I'm going to get a lot of blind jokes out of you," Liam snickered.

Noah scratched his cheek nervously. "Sorry about that."

"What's there to be sorry for?" Liam asked, "I like happiness. I like making jokes. I don't know who lives across the hall, or really who lives downstairs. But I think we'll have fun here."

Noah stared at him for a moment, he glanced back to the room across the hall and felt as though it were watching him. He looked back to Liam and nodded. He looked Liam head-to-toe once again, his statement had felt strange to Noah's ears. Strange to his being. 

"Yeah, I hope so," Noah replied softly.