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"I think I've got it Gran, I don't need yo-" Elli started, interrupted as her grandmother began sifting through her closet for her, throwing clothes around her already messy room.
"You try telling Gran to stop. I dare you." Drew, Elli's younger brother, called from the hallway, watching with an amused look on his face.
"You must make a good impression, Elli! And..." Gran paused as she stuffed the last shirt into Elli's already overpacked bag, "Remember what I always tell you."
As her grandmother started talking, Elli joined in with her as well as Drew, "Always strive to be the best at what you do. Even if you make boxes, be the best dang box maker there is."
"I know Gran, I know. I'm already late so please, can we hurry this up?" Elli implored her grandmother, trying to grab her bag from her. She already had two bags full to the brim. She wasn't even good enough at magic to make them float so carrying them would be a chore. Suddenly there was a knock and the door which prompted all three of the Winters to perk their heads up.
"I'll get it." Drew replied quickly already rushing to the door. Elli could hear a familiar voice as the door opened. D-Doctor Trent! What was he doing here?!
Elli rushed for the door, nearly crashing into Drew as she stopped in the hallway in front of the door. "D-Doctor Trent!" Elli shouted, blinking. The dark haired man laughed, a deep laugh that brought a sense of comfort with it.
"Somehow, I figured you would pack too much, so I brought over one of the moving trolleys I had left over from when I moved here." He explained with a wide smile, revealing the trolley behind him. Elli's mouth hung open as she moved to look it over. Not only was it enchanted to hold more than it would be able to otherwise, but it had hand brakes. "I also know how clumsy you can be, Elli." The doctor laughed, causing Elli to blush.
"How kind of you, Trent!" Elli heard Gran from behind her. "Please come by for dinner sometime. Drew and I would love to have you." Gran added, smiling from ear to ear.
Nearly an hour later, they'd finally gotten Gran to let Doctor Trent leave and it was time for Elli to leave. She smiled as she waved to her grandmother and brother. "Goodbye, everyone. I'll visit soon! Remember to write me letters." She called out, tears coming to her eyes. This would be her first time living away from them. She prayed that Drew would take good care of Gran and vice versa.
Lost, why am I always lost? Elli let out a sigh as she mentally berated herself for not looking for a map of some sort. Shed mostly ignored the fairies swarming around her, mostly because they frightened her. It didn't help that that portal left her feeling a bit queasy. She was used to magic, sure. Her small island was full of it but she hated new places and this was one giant fright-fest for her.
It helped though that she was bundled up to the point of being barely recognizable so she could walk around without fear of the cold. She hated being cold and relished in warm temperatures. She loved snuggling up with her blankets and pillows. She waddled around with her trolley, the pink puffball on top of her pink hand-knit beanie flopping around on her head. All anyone could really see of her would be her hair and her eyes, which were darting around trying to take everything in. It wasn't very hard for her to get suddenly overwhelmed.
It also didn't when sad music suddenly started playing out of nowhere. She stopped dead in her tracks, fairies swarming around her, and looked around for the source of the sound only to find nothing. It wouldn't have unsettled her so much if she could have spotted it's source but now she could only assume she was being followed by violin playing ghosts. With renewed vigor, Elli pushed her trolley along the path towards where she hoped would be her dorms.
The music had stopped by the time she finally found the building in question and Elli could only assume that the violin ghost had lost interest in her. Which, she was glad for because the sad music was doing absolutely nothing to lift her dreary mood and only made her want to cry more. She buried her face deeper into her scarf as she approached the dorm room. She pulled her mini-journal out of her pocket where she kept pertinent notes and noted the number of her room.
It took her a few minutes of looking, but eventually she found her room and entered. She was surprised to see that she was the first to arrive to the room, aware that she would have roommates. She just couldn't remember how many. Not wanting to be surprised, she locked the door behind her before continuing on. With a quick inspection of the room, she noted 3 total beds. So... two other roommates? That's shouldn't be too bad but Gran always says that three's a crowd...
She pushed the worry aside and pulled at her scarf, draping it over the trolley's handle. She began walking around to try and figure out which bed she wanted to claim for her own.