Chosen by Sarah Swan Read Free Book Online Page B

you’ve met Vlad, then.”
    “How did you know?”
    “That’s the only way you could have gotten to the island this early,” he explained.  “It’s quite a journey with him, isn’t it?”
    “You don’t even know half of it,” I replied in a tone that said I did not want to talk about it .  “Anyway, I take it we’re only on the first floor, now?”  The first door I could see down the hall was marked with a large 10 right above the peephole.  Chris nodded.  “That means we’ve got two more flights of stairs to go?”  He nodded again.  “Let’s go do it then.  I’m getting anxious to see my room and have a chance to unpack.”  Then, noticing the hopeful way Chris was eyeing the bag I was carrying, quickly added, “Not that I’m complaining about the stairs, of course.”
    “Of course,” Chris replied, and tilted his head to the left.  “It’s this way.  Believe it or not, your room is on the same floor as mine.”
    “Really?”  For some reason, I had been under the impression that the floors were arranged by gender.
    “Yup.  What are the odds, huh?”
    “No kidding.  Is it nice?”
    “What?”
    “The room.”
    “Oh… well, you’ll see,” he said mysteriously.  And before I could decode the meaning of that, he jumped forward.  “This time, I’m not letting you beat me to the top.”
    “Hey!” I protested, but he was already racing down the hall.  I ran after him, laughing at the pure craziness of it all.  He took the first flight of stairs two at a time.  When I tried to do the same, I nearly fell flat on my face.  Unwavering, I pressed on, but I could already see Chris turning the corner that led to the last flight of stairs.  And so, by the time I got all the way to the third floor, red-faced and huffing, Chris was the one staring triumphantly at me in front of a small door marked 34 .
    “Home sweet home,” he announced, cheerfully smiling at me, tapping the door behind him.  “This is where you’re going to be spending the year.”
    “I’m excited,” I said genuinely, pushing a stray bit of hair out of my face. 
    “Well, come on then,” he urged.  “Get your key!  I want to see your first impression of the room.”
    I eyed him curiously.  Did he mean that the rooms were bad, or that they were good?  He stared blankly at me, his expression inscrutable.
    I knew I wasn’t going to get anything out of him.  Not that it really mattered, since I was literally a foot away from the door.  If the way the lobby and interior of this building were set up was any guide, my room should be very nice.  But then again, sometimes lavish outside appearances were there only to cover up lackluster interiors.  Taking a deep breath in, I turned the key in the lock.
    The door slowly opened.  Before me lay the single most amazing room I had ever seen.
    “Oh… my god !” I exclaimed, running inside.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  The room was absolutely huge— preposterously monstrous.  And it was fully furnished.  In the middle of the room was a brand new, circular rug, still in its plastic packaging.  Beyond it, by the far window, was a dark oak desk with a lavish office chair.  Off to one side was an enormous queen-sized bed.  I noted with delight that the mattress was also brand new.  Beside the bed, installed right into the wall, was a full-length mirror and a nightstand.  I turned around.  On the other side of the room, standing along the wall, was a sturdy shelf and a beautiful antique cabinet.  There was another door right by the shelf.  When I opened it, I found a private bathroom, complete with a sink, toilet, and extra-large tub.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  At any other school, there would be at least six kids stuffed into a space this size.  But here, it was all for me .
    “Does everyone have rooms like this?” I asked Chris.  He had diligently brought both suitcases inside while I had been admiring my new living