Alice walked down the carpeted hallway, dragging her overly large suitcase behind her. Her eyes flickered back and forth between the many mahogany doors lining the walkway and the little plastic card-key she had been given by the large lady at the welcome center.
“A-112... A-113... A-114... Here it is! A-115!” Alice was practically shaking with nervous excitement. She had made it! To Buttercomb! Had her roommate already arrived? Would all of Mel’s lengthily spiels about the glorious living conditions prove true?
Gathering her courage, she brought the keycard up to the slot with a shaky hand. She watched as the little red light flashed green, and with a certain solemnity, she twisted the brass doorknob.
She eased open the door with deliberate slowness to prevent herself from simply running it down. Degree by degree, her new home greeted her. One watching from the hallway may have been confused as to what the little blond girl was doing standing there with her mouth wide open - but fortunately for Alice, there was nobody in the hallway.
When she had succeeded in opening the door, Alice tentatively stepped inside the short entrance hall. From it, she entered a sizable space, presumably the living room, with a couch and a plush loveseat gathered around a central television. To the right was an open kitchen, fully stocked with a stove, microwave, and refrigerator, and a kitchen table to boot. To the left was a hallway, presumably leading to the bedrooms. Straight ahead was a large window, which bathed the space in natural light.
Alice was spellbound. Mel had been right - the place could have easily been categorized as an apartment, and a pretty nice one at that. She dragged her suitcase behind her as, mouth left dangling, she walked down the hallway to the left.
At the end of the hallway were two doors, both open. Peeping into the left one, she saw no immediate signs that it had been claimed by her roomie, and walked in. It was quite sizable, and held a queen bed with a dresser at it’s base, with another t.v. placed on top. A door reviled a large bathroom, complete with a shower. But what interested her most was the large basket of what looked like chocolates which sat on the bed.
She examined the basket more closely, and found a card nestled between boxes that, indeed, held sweet chocolate goodies.
“To Alice Carlyle,” she read out loud. She picked up the envelope, carefully broke the seal, and silently examined it.
Dear Ms. Carlyle, we would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Buttercombe Academy for Gifted Young Woman! We hope that your time with us will be satisfactory to suit your educational needs, and know that you will have all recourses necessary to ensure that your future ambitions will be realized.
We invite you to attend the Freshmen Induction Ceremony to learn more about your new school, classes available, schedules, and any other information you may deem necessary. Dinner will follow after the gathering.
This ceremony will take place at the Auditorium at six-o-clock. If any information is needed before this time, please refer to a Welcome Center guide.
Thank you for your cooperation, and we hope you enjoy your time here at Buttercombe.
After a few minutes of re-reading - she had to be sure to memorize the note - Alice placed it back into its envelope, and placed that into its original position, nestled in the center of the many chocolates.
She hesitated, looking at that basket. She just didn’t want to ruin the perfectly arranged treats, but… she was a tad puckish. It had been a very long car ride, after all.
Reluctantly, she made a tiny slit in the plastic wrapping of a bag. She fished around for one of the individually wrapped candies, and carefully fished it out.
There. Still perfect.
She unwrapped the little treat, and plopped it into her mouth. As she chewed, a wave of chocolate and caramel filling hit her like a truck. She savored the treat for as long as possible - she had forgotten how good chocolate was. Candy had been all but banned from her home for quite some time now, ever since her oldest sister had come home from Buttercombe…
As she sadly swallowed her emancipated goodie, she couldn’t help want just one more. Just one.
But one more foil-wrapped treat later, she craved more. She knew her mother wouldn’t approve of any sort of candy-munching. And really, the whole balance of the arrangement would be ruined without that one bag. But after a few moments of internal struggle, Alice grabbed the whole package.
What harm could a couple chocolates do?
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