Post by Alina Cedlov on Jun 1, 2010 22:59:43 GMT -4
It wasn't a noise or sudden movement that brought Ven's attention back to the hallway of the dormitories. Rather, it was the lack thereof. She had stopped walking automatically to avoid running into the person in front of her. The empty hallways fell silent as the sound of their footsteps faded. She turned her gaze to the door they were standing in front of, gradually registering what the woman beside her was saying.
"Here we are, Alina. Room 206."
Ven frowned at the words. She looked down at the small woman who had spoken. She barely reached Ven's shoulder. Her nose, however, looked like it had been stolen from a Roman emperor. She held back the correction that sprang so readily to her lips, simply nodding and giving a fleeting smile. "Thank you. I'll be fine from here." Her eyes followed the woman as she bustled away. Uh-lean-uh. She grimaced again. They made her musical name sound like mud. That had been vomited on. She was so used to being called Ven when she first arrived here she barely responded when called by her given name. Of course it was not their fault. They had her records and would call her by what was on the form. Still, it irked her. She was confident, however, that slowly but surely the staff and students would get it. Back home, at all of their homes, she had been called Ven. Her teachers, classmates, even her parents, had adopted the nickname.
As Ven pushed open the door and dropped her duffel bag on an empty bed she recalled the origin of the nickname. She was very young, playing some make-believe game with the children who lived next door in their apartment building. They were pretending to be superheroes..or spies...she couldn't remember exactly now. They all picked some secret codename that protected their identities. She was Vendetta. It was all she would answer to for the rest of the year, believing that it was the only thing that would keep her enemies from discovering her and her family. By then everyone had accepted it. Because it was quite a mouthful, Vendetta was shortened to Ven. As she matured she began to view Vendetta as a childish name, but the name Ven was so firmly engraved in everyone's mind that it remained.
Ven ran her thumb thoughtfully over the brass nameplate that was stuck onto her bag. It was an athletic bag, so the brass looked sadly out of place. Her first initial and last name were engraved on it. Trust her parents to add some touch of formality to even the most casual of items. With a smile, Ven unzipped the bag and began drawing out items.
After unpacking her single bag, Ven stepped over the window and drew the shades. The room was immediately immersed in darkness. She slumped back to her bed and sank onto her back, heaving a sigh. She fought the urge to rub her eyes and yawn, suddenly overcome by the desire to sleep. It was well into the afternoon and she didn't have anything to do until the next day. There would be nothing wrong with taking a brief nap. She looked at the photograph of her family that she'd placed on the small table by her bed. She could write them. She should write them. Her eyes shifted to the photograph beside it. It depicted a snow leopard, perched on some high cliff, looking down at the photographer. Her parents had given it to her as a 15th birthday present. Ven felt her lips twitch at the feline's imperious expression. From there her gaze drifted from the photos to the half of the room that looked occupied. She wondered what her roommate would be like. Well, she'd find out soon enough. Best to catch some sleep while the place was still empty.
"Here we are, Alina. Room 206."
Ven frowned at the words. She looked down at the small woman who had spoken. She barely reached Ven's shoulder. Her nose, however, looked like it had been stolen from a Roman emperor. She held back the correction that sprang so readily to her lips, simply nodding and giving a fleeting smile. "Thank you. I'll be fine from here." Her eyes followed the woman as she bustled away. Uh-lean-uh. She grimaced again. They made her musical name sound like mud. That had been vomited on. She was so used to being called Ven when she first arrived here she barely responded when called by her given name. Of course it was not their fault. They had her records and would call her by what was on the form. Still, it irked her. She was confident, however, that slowly but surely the staff and students would get it. Back home, at all of their homes, she had been called Ven. Her teachers, classmates, even her parents, had adopted the nickname.
As Ven pushed open the door and dropped her duffel bag on an empty bed she recalled the origin of the nickname. She was very young, playing some make-believe game with the children who lived next door in their apartment building. They were pretending to be superheroes..or spies...she couldn't remember exactly now. They all picked some secret codename that protected their identities. She was Vendetta. It was all she would answer to for the rest of the year, believing that it was the only thing that would keep her enemies from discovering her and her family. By then everyone had accepted it. Because it was quite a mouthful, Vendetta was shortened to Ven. As she matured she began to view Vendetta as a childish name, but the name Ven was so firmly engraved in everyone's mind that it remained.
Ven ran her thumb thoughtfully over the brass nameplate that was stuck onto her bag. It was an athletic bag, so the brass looked sadly out of place. Her first initial and last name were engraved on it. Trust her parents to add some touch of formality to even the most casual of items. With a smile, Ven unzipped the bag and began drawing out items.
After unpacking her single bag, Ven stepped over the window and drew the shades. The room was immediately immersed in darkness. She slumped back to her bed and sank onto her back, heaving a sigh. She fought the urge to rub her eyes and yawn, suddenly overcome by the desire to sleep. It was well into the afternoon and she didn't have anything to do until the next day. There would be nothing wrong with taking a brief nap. She looked at the photograph of her family that she'd placed on the small table by her bed. She could write them. She should write them. Her eyes shifted to the photograph beside it. It depicted a snow leopard, perched on some high cliff, looking down at the photographer. Her parents had given it to her as a 15th birthday present. Ven felt her lips twitch at the feline's imperious expression. From there her gaze drifted from the photos to the half of the room that looked occupied. She wondered what her roommate would be like. Well, she'd find out soon enough. Best to catch some sleep while the place was still empty.
