"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Paris! Mesdames et messieurs, bienvenue à Paris ! The local time is currently XXX.
Please remain seated with your seatbelt securely fastened and all carry-on luggage stowed until the aircraft has come to a complete stop at the gate and the captain has turned off the Fasten Seatbelt sign.
Before you leave us today, please take a moment to look around your seat for any personal items you brought on board. When opening the overhead bins, please use caution, as items may have shifted during landing.
On behalf of your entire flight crew and everyone at Caran, thank you for flying with us today. We know you have a choice when you travel, and we are so glad you chose to fly with us. Have a wonderful evening here in the City of Light, and a safe onward journey! Merci et bonne soirée!"
I forced my sleeping body up upon hearing the announcement, waking myself with a light slap on the cheek.
Most of the students had already gotten off, and the rest were just girls quickly fixing their makeup.
I grabbed my things, holding them tightly, though I was sure no one would steal them.
Soon, we all stood outside, watching as a teacher took roll call and the bus driver helped us load our suitcases.
I waited patiently for my name; the teacher was still at the surnames that began with B.
"Hey there", A voice said.
I turned to my side, seeing Ariana standing there with a cheerful smile. "Are you happy?" she asked. "This is the first time we're in Paris!"
I nodded, barely listening. "It'll probably be fun".
I felt a hand on my neck all of a sudden, and I turned to Ariana, confused.
She placed her hand on her waist. "Did you not want to come here? Perhaps you wanted to go somewhere else? You're so moody; are you sure you're feeling well?"
I sighed as silently as I could so she wouldn't notice. "I'm having lots of fun right now; please don't worry about me".
I moved away from that spot, going nearer to the teacher so I could hear my name easily and avoid Ariana.
She was too friendly.
We got into the buses once we were done; there were two for the sake of our comfort.
A lot of kids in our school were politicians' kids anyway.
"10 days!" our teacher shouted to a random boy. "Who spread the rumor that the trip would last two weeks?"
Groans filled the bus; a lot of people were already excited for a long trip.
The bus stopped at a hotel, Ven Hotel, that was owned by the principal. There were also rumors that he had added a few things for the sake of the school trip.
The teachers gathered us all in the lobby, telling us the same thing they did every school trip.
The do's and don'ts, the consequences that came with breaking those. Who to see if you forgot something, and where we could go for anything we needed.
Switching roommates was one of the don'ts, the only one I was slightly afraid of. I wasn't the one switching, but there was a chance I would be labelled an accomplice.
People lazily dragged their suitcases on the floor, talking with their roommates absentmindedly. I spotted Ariana with her boyfriend, handing him a few of her bags.
She whispered something in his ear and pecked his cheek before coming towards me.
I opened the room door, expecting nothing less than what I saw. A huge master bedroom with two beds and various necessities.
I let Ariana go in first, allowing her to pick the bed she wanted so I would take whatever she rejected.
She lay down on the dark red bed, stretching her body. "Apple", she called. "The trip was so stressful, right?"
"Kinda".
She chuckled. "You're a woman of few words, all right. I just hope you're not hiding your true emotions from me; I don't want to switch roommates if you're not okay with it".
I placed my luggage down. "I'm okay, don't worry".
"He's a senior, though", she quickly added. "I forgot to tell you my boyfriend's a senior".
I looked at her, feeling a little envious; I wish I could smile like her.
"I know your boyfriend", I told her. "The one with medium-length black hair named Tim. I know he's a senior".
"So, um..." She played with the sheets awkwardly. "Around when would you want us to switch?"
"You can go right now if you want".
She sprang up immediately, squealing as she grabbed her bag; the rest was with her boyfriend. "The teachers never check the rooms, so you don't need to worry about that, and if that boy causes problems for you, just tell me everything!"
"Sure".
She gave me a quick hug, then hurried off as silently as she could, though it was unlikely the teachers would catch her.
Something in me wished they would.
But I was the one to blame; I wanted to avoid problems so much that I simply agreed to everything she said.
I stuffed my clothes into the wardrobe, feeling a bit parched, but I didn't have the strength to find the water I'd drunk a bit of and stuffed in my bag earlier.
"There's probably a vending machine outside", I thought. "It will be easier".
I tied my hair up, opening the door once I was done, as J felt my pockets with my left hand to ensure I had money on me.
The door, unexpectedly was pushed from outside at the same time, making me back up due to the harsh force used on it.
Was it Ariana coming in?
A guy stared at me, his face a bit familiar. He had blonde hair and light green eyes; he was slim and tall, and he was wearing clothes that looked more corporate than casual.
He pushed his suitcase into the room, walking in without sparing me a look. His ignorance was enough to make me know he was a senior.
"Do you also have a boyfriend you're going to see?" He suddenly asked, already on the bed. "I won't lie for you if that's what you're planning".
I looked at him, less focused on his question, but more focused on whether I had seen his face somewhere before. I usually never remembered the people in this school, so this was unusual.
He placed his hand on his jaw. "Why are you looking at me like you don't know me? Are you new here?"
He shook his head, muttering something before continuing.
"You should know me; I'm Roman Vault".