26: A Mysterious Tome
Ten minutes later Phantasia arrived at the Academy, but she wasn’t the only one who’d arrived early. Phoenie was early as always; Chris and Lance were loitering around the former’s car like spiders, trying to snare any girl that strayed into their territory; Hermia, Korrigan and their athletic friends were playing tennis in the courts, and had probably been there an hour already; and Dante was sitting alone, sketching, paying no heed to the world around him. So many people and so many stories. Every day was a new start and every new start brought with it the possibility of new adventure – Phantasia kept that hope alive as she made her way inside.
She was the first to enter her tutor group’s classroom, which was a common occurrence. The room was dedicated to Culture Studies, the class taught by Phantasia’s tutor, Ms Thorburn. The walls were plastered with posters made by students old and current, based around the sort of coursework the class involved, such as the study of social groups and society’s norms, and how culture had changed since the old world (and, in many ways, not changed at all!). A separate corner of the room had been set aside for the tutor group itself, however, and was littered with all sorts of random things:, announcements from members of staff, a list of holidays, festivals and examinations, and maps of environmental revitalisation projects were joined by Kaori’s drawings of her classmates, Joel and Doyle’s song lyrics, photographs of everyone taken by John, and an assortment of bizarre works from Lysander and Angelo that were, she was told, ‘affectionate parodies of Torsten Academy Life’. Absent – not that it was surprising – was anything from Dante.
Dante had himself entered the room whilst Phantasia had her back turned, though she could still sense him looking out the window at the school’s playing field. She had come to accept Dante’s odd ways by now. He was a chameleon, blending in with the background noise and refusing to draw attention to himself. His flow of thought was unpredictable, but there was something behind them, as if he was being random to take his mind – and the attention of others – off something else.
John entered next, saying a cheerful hello to both his classmates before sitting at a desk and fiddling with another gadget from his family’s collection of old relics. Phantasia watched him, fascinated as he pulled out wires and rearranged them, his nimble fingers picking up the right tools as if on instinct, as his eyes focused through hi-tech goggles into the heart of the device. She daren’t break his concentration, even though she wanted to know what he was working on and why – there would be a chance to ask questions later, as there usually was, and the answers would threaten to consume her entire break!
Joel and Kaori arrived, inseparable as always. Kaori’s fringe was whiter than usual and she was wearing a tight corset and frilly shirt, while Joel’s velvet top caught the light in odd ways. So far, there hadn’t been a single day where they’d worn the same clothes – in contrast to John and Dante with their predictable choices – and it was a wonder where the couple found the space to keep so many outfits! Kaori waltzed straight over to Phantasia, while Joel engaged Dante in some random banter about ‘zombie squirrels’.
“I started making your dress last night,” said Kaori, her eyes gleaming with happiness. “I know the Yuletide Ball isn’t for another three months, but better to start sooner rather than later, right?”
Phantasia smiled and nodded. Kaori was making the dress as thanks for her friendship and support – even though the illusions prevented her from knowing why they were close in the first place.
