Lucas and I walked down the halls.

“Where are you from?” I asked, breaking the silence.

He continued on as if he hadn’t heard me. Douchebag. But I wasn’t going to let him ruin this moment for me. Honestly, I didn’t think anything could break this high I was running on.

I checked the key the headmaster had given me, and the number sixteen was etched on it. We walked through a long glass corridor suspended in the air, leading toward the dorm room buildings.

The corridor led to a lobby with seven bullet-shaped pods. This middle level separated ten levels.

I pressed the up button and waited. Lucas didn’t move, so I assumed his room was on one of the upper levels as well. One pod opened and students filed out excitedly. Catching a glimpse of us, their expressions changed, and they didn’t do much to hide their whispering. I just dropped my eyes and entered the pod, pressing the button for level ten.

“What floor?” I asked Lucas.

“Same,” he answered. A man of many words.

I stepped back as the numbers began to light up. The ride was smooth, and I wouldn’t have thought we were moving if the pod wasn’t transparent. Looking out the glass walls, I saw how endless the school’s boundaries seemed. I wondered how far this dimension spread.

“How long have you been practicing your Ceres?” Lucas asked. I jumped, surprised he was talking to me.

“The chrome, I practiced for the first time last night, but I’ve had my electricity a bit longer,” I answered candidly.

“Last night?” He crinkled his brow.

“I only found out about that part of my Ceres last night, so I didn’t have much time to perfect it.”

The pod beeped before the door slid open. The first ten rooms were to the left, while the remaining ten were to the right. I made a right and started walking toward my room—Lucas was one step behind me.

Room sixteen. I stopped in front of my door. Lucas had stopped at room fifteen. Next door neighbors. Great, I thought unenthusiastically.

The room was spacious—a small desk was tucked between two windows lining the corner, which were slightly ajar and drawing in the fresh air and soothing natural light. Beside the chocolate wooden desk was a bedside shelving unit and a single bed. To my right was a door to a bathroom.

My luggage was neatly stowed away inside the closet to my left. I took out my duffels and began unpacking my things. This was going to be my home for a while now.

I carefully removed the present my parents had given me. The box was made of an aged midnight blue leather. I pulled at one strand of the crimson bow and watched it unravel in my hands. I couldn’t help but gape as I opened the box—a stunning gem rested on the black velvet cushion. Each petal was an individually faceted gem—a deep sapphire blue—layered into a delicate rose.

How had my parents gotten a hold of this clearly expensive jewel? We had always lived a somewhat humble life, and I would never have dreamed that they would indulge in such a lavish present—the long story behind the gem gnawed at my mind again, and I wished I could ask them about it.

Placing the jewel carefully on my windowsill, I couldn’t help but repeatedly glance back at as I continued to unpack, mesmerized with how the setting sun reflected against its sharp edges.

Checking the time, I still had a while until my Extraction, so I inspected the pack the headmaster had given us when we had left his office.

There were three books: The History of Ceres, Power and Control, and Examinations. I set them aside to the corner of my desk.

A strange small silver metal cube caught my attention. I flipped it around until I discovered one side had an oval indent. When I pressed my finger against it, it lit up and floated above my palm.

Suddenly, a translucent three-dimensional projection of the school appeared—there was a small red dot with my name above it, indicating my current location. I was able to rotate it and zoom where I wanted. When I touched a room, it revealed more information about it. It also showed the areas I had access to and restricted ones.

The school grounds were vast, and its layout was reflective of Celestria. The central building was the largest and tallest, reserved for administration. Four separated areas surrounded it: classrooms, common areas, study rooms, and the library. The library was the largest single room in the school.

When I grabbed the floating cube, the interactive projection disappeared.

“Mr. Brayden, please follow me,” a muffled voice said outside in the hall. I guessed Mr. Sloan had arrived to lead Lucas to his Extraction. He would soon return for me.

I opened a small manual. It contained information about how to send mail and packages, special events held at school, places where you could buy school supplies, and other basic housekeeping info.

I flipped to the mail section first, wanting to send a letter to my parents to let them know I had arrived and settled in. Apparently, at the end of each floor in the dormitory was a mailroom that had a mailbox with our name on it; all we had to do was place the letter or package inside for it to be sent out by the end of the day.

Opening a blank notepad, I began writing—including everything that had happened today, like a diary entry, knowing even then, the detailed account would still not be enough to pacify Mom’s anxiety.

I sealed the letter in an envelope and addressed it. Down the hall, I found the mail room. The sixteenth box had my name, so I opened it and placed the envelope inside.

Right as I was returning to enter my room, Mr. Sloan and Lucas turned the corner. Lucas entered his room, shutting the door behind him.

“Miss Somerset, if you are ready, we can head to the Extraction,” Mr. Sloan said.

I was finally going to get my very own phersu egg.