Burning Hope

Chapter 7: How to Deal With a Psychopathic Roommate

I looked down at the key I had been given to my room. Kallan had helped me to get ready for life on campus, which was basically buying me school supplies, helping me get my schedule and finding out my living accommodations. Sadly, the room I had woken up earlier was not mine, but it was Kallan and Talia's. Luckily, though, their dorm wasn't too far from mine. Kallan said I was welcome to stop anytime I needed to, but I knew more than likely I would not be stopping there often.

Now all I had to do was go into my dorm and meet my roommate. Kallan had told me that the girl that used to live with her left the Academy recently when she was diagnosed with some rare disease and had died a week or two later. I stood there, wondering what lied on the other side of the door. I shook my head and gently chided myself. You know how wrong you were about Xiao, so don't go assuming things. Just introduce yourself, and then see where the road goes from there.

I took a deep breath and swiped the room key across the lock and watched as the small light glowed green and the door popped open. I turned the handle and paused for a bit before finally pushing the door open. Before I even saw anything, my nose was immediately hit with the scents of cinnamon and pumpkin. I was immediately reminded of the pumpkin pies that Tracy would make halfway between Halloween and Thanksgiving—a tradition passed down in her family from mother to daughter—I learned how to make it three years ago, and we've been making it every year since.

I frowned at the realization that this year; we might not be able to continue this tradition, but I shook my head. Why was I thinking of that all of a sudden? I was here to meet my roommate, not wallow in my own self-pity, so I swung the door open, not quite knowing what to expect to see.

The room was about as wide as a classroom, with two beds on both sides. On one side, there wasn't anything particularly worth noting, but on the other side, I felt like I had just stepped into a greenhouse. The windows had roses that grew entirely around the frame; from the ceiling, there hung many assorted potted plants; the room was mostly decorated green, but there were also a lot of bright colors that accentuated it. The most significant thing that I saw was a small cherry tree sapling in bloom on a night stand.

And in the middle of all this, there was a petite girl rushing around and singing a cute little oriental song while watering the plants. Her hair was pale pink and braided to the side, a daisy resting behind her ear. She wore a blue knit parka and khakis with what I assumed were UGG boots on her feet. She suddenly stopped what she was doing and looked at me with the greenest pair of eyes I had ever seen.

"Oh, you weren't supposed to come until later!" She said, smiling widely. "I'm glad you're here, though."

"Thanks, I-"

Before I could finish, I was glomped and wrapped in a hug. "It's nice to meet you, new roommate!" She let go and started bouncing up and down. "I'm Hazuki Omori, but everyone just calls me Hazu. I'm super happy to meet you! How old are you? What's your favorite color? Do you like flowers? What's your name?" As she was speaking, room suddenly smelled strongly of citrus.

"I'm fifteen, my favorite color is white, I've neither really seen flowers up close before now, nor taken interest, and my name is Scarlett Kaida." I answered, trying to keep up with her intensity. "What's up with the changing smells in this room?"

Ignoring my question, Hazu began to go off on her own tangent. "Cool!" She said, clapping her hands together. "As you can see, I'm a bit of an anthophile, or I really like flowers! I guess it's because my dad was a flora dragon. It's funny because the scent in whatever room I'm in changes depending on my mood. Also, I-" She stopped talking for a bit. "Oh, wait! I almost forgot!"

Hazu ran over to the roses that grew up the windowsill and gently spread her hands over them, making them bloom fully and a few of the stems grow longer. She made a snipping motion with her hands and five of the flowers fell into them. The roses suddenly hovered in the air and began weaving themselves into a headband. Hazu spread her arms, and then the crown of roses flew towards me, resting atop my head. "Consider it a welcoming gift! Pink roses are a symbol of happiness in the language of flowers!" She squealed. "Hanakotoba wa sugoi, nee?"