You fluttered your eyes open and looked above you. The ceiling was made out of achromatic white tiles. In the center was a bright light, which you presumed came out of a light bulb. Wait, light bulb? The shock on your face was priceless! You were back! You were truly back! A beautiful, gentle, smile made its way to your Salmon-red lips. You stood up and immediately went upstairs to the living room. Seeing your cousin, Thalia, you hugged her with all your might. Yes, she was mean, but she was still your cousin and you missed her!

Thalia stayed quiet for about 4 seconds. "Ugh, get off me, freak!" she shouted, pushing you away. She looked at you from head to toe and gave you a disgusted look. "Wait, you're back?! Why?! You shouldn't have come back! You should've stayed in that place because you don't belong in this world!"

"Thalia, there's no need to shout," you chided, but your voice was soothing, like a sister's. "I know that I never agreed with you once, and we never got along.. but please, Thalia, make me feel like a part of the family at least once."

"You were never part of our family," she stated coldly. "You were a burden. You were nothing, (Y/n). You know, it's a good thing your parents died! They don't have to deal with you anymore!"

You slapped her face violently. It left a red mark on her once pale cheeks. She stared straight into your piercing, (e/c) eyes with wide eyes and a parted mouth. Tears streamed from your eyes and down to your neck.

"Don't you dare bring my parents into this. They deserved something better than death," you said in sobs. "I have been very patient with you, Thalia. I treated you well like a sister. But I have my limitations, which you have just crossed. And I assure you, the next time you cross it again, you will not just get a slap in the face." You turned your back harshly and walked away, towards your bedroom.

Thalia stood there, pondering your words. She snickered. "Does she think she scared me? Only a fool would think that." She shook her head disapprovingly and went down to the basement. "DAD!"

You closed the door gently and huffed. Think happy thoughts, (Y/n). Aha! You excitedly went to your cabinet and took all the folded clothes out, revealing a chest, engraved with beautiful, black swirls. You smiled and took it to your work desk. It's been a while. You took the key from your drawer and unlocked the chest. Hearing the click of the lock, you opened it, revealing black and white photos of your parents; some included you in the pictures. In the very bottom, there was a journal. You took it and laid it on the desk, flipping it into a certain page.

"Dear Diary..

..but I believe that anyone can make a change, big or small."

You sighed and got your pen from the chest. It was the same, old, calligraphy pen from which you wrote your most recent entry. You proceeded with writing a thousand words. They were all done perfectly with lovely hand strokes and great writing skills. You felt so attached to the entry you were writing that it felt as though you were living in that exact moment, with Xalvador, Corrianne, Odelette, and lastly, George. Every detail of your experiences were written in the entry, together with every emotion, every detail, engraved with ink. You were happy with the outcome. The words were chosen perfectly to describe ecstasy.

Finally, you set down the pen and looked at your written work. It was a masterpiece of "perfection." You decided to go outside to see the neighborhood once again, but there was a problem with your clothing. Searching and scanning for a wearable top in a cold weather, you found a sweater. You wore it, along with pants, a scarf and a thick coat. The gown was hung on a hanger as a decoration. It served as a reminder and a souvenir from your trip to the 18th Century.

It was such a relief to get some fresh air in a long time. But the neighborhood gave a feeling of unfamiliarity. It felt like you didn't know this place at all. You sighed and started to walk through the sidewalk.

"Oh my god! (Y/n)! Is that you?!" a vaguely familiar voice asked. You stopped walking and turned to the direction of the speaker. You saw a really enthusiastic brunette. "Blimey! It is you! I missed you so much!" She came up and hugged you ever so tightly.

You chuckled. "Colleen, it wasn't that long!"

She pouted and stomped her feet childishly. "But if felt like years!" she protested, letting go of you.

"What actually happened when I was gone?" you asked her as you elbowed her arm.

"Well, all of the teachers in school missed you. They asked me everyday when you were coming back, and it's getting really annoying!" She scratched her head frustrated. "But now you're here and I don't need to worry about them anymore! Oh, I almost forgot. We also have a new classmate in History class from the US. I forgot her name though."

You raised an eyebrow. "A new classmate? In the middle of the school year?"

"I know right! It's weird. They said that she excelled in Harvard University, and was provided a scholarship to a better school in Britain, which surprisingly is Cambridge University," she explained and crossed her arms. "Isn't King's College better? I mean, their students are so beautiful. They practically look like models."

"Hey! A school's quality shouldn't be measured by the students' looks. We, in Cambridge University, are smart," you said, tapping the side of your head to indicate your brain.

Colleen huffed. "Easy for you to say! You always get a high score in all of the subjects. And all of the professors love you. The favoritism isn't fair.. Alright, enough with this! Where have you actually been?!" she asked. "I demand an acceptable reason!"

You laughed nervously. "Yeah, about that. Heh. You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She shook her head, causing you to gulp in nervousness. "I.. well I went on a trip to another country," you lied.

She looked at you from head to toe suspiciously. "And what country is that exactly?"

"France. I visited my grandparents in France, and my parents too."

Colleen felt her heart drop and the temperature rise higher in resemblance to her guilt. "Oh, I-I'm sorry for pushing that answer out of you." She clears her throat. "Do you want to get coffee or something? It's my treat."

You shook your head and smiled. "No need, Colleen, and it's fine. I assume you were just worried and I'm grateful for that," you reassured her. She sighed in relief. "I have to go. I guess I'll.. see you tomorrow at school?"

She nodded her head excitedly and ran ahead of you. You stayed in the sidewalk and turned to go home. It was nice to see her after such a long time. To be honest, Colleen reminded you of a certain friend of yours in the 17th Century; someone bubbly and a bit childish as her.

====[Author's Note]====

Psycho: There's another chapter done. I'm not dead, don't worry. I'm not going nonstop or overworking myself. I'm actually being really really lazy. And recently, I broke the evaporating dish in the school laboratory. 0.o I had to replace it, and 1 evaporating dish costed about 2 US dollars, or 95 Philippine pesos. *shrugs*

Why yes, I'm glad you noticed. It seemed more relevant to the plot so I thought "Why not?"

I don't know if I got the concept of college wrong but if I did, then I'm sorry and please correct me because I don't really know anything about college. One, because I'm from a different country. And two, I'm practically in grade 7 or first year highschool.

2 well known universities are mentioned in this chapter - Cambridge and King's. I didn't mean any possible insult to the two universities and I apologize if I somewhat insulted your school . They're both great and contains some smart and beautiful students *wink.* I hope this doesn't change your outlook on this story in any way. Again, I apologize.

Heh. She's.. someone. She'll have an important part, don't worry! But for now, she's basically a supporting character. *shrugs* Oh, and I also got the name from my History teacher. Lol.

Psycho: Okay.. If someone could tell me which character Colleen reminds the reader of, that'd me great. I mean, if someone could get the right answer. *shrugs* Welp, bye!