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Better to Lie - benny blanco, Jesse, & Swae Lee307Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7o32xk2erW
Silence - THEY.307Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAemLOZ5T9n
A Future Secured
The sun peaked through the blinds of my new room, waking me up in the process. The time on my cell read 8:15 am on a Monday morning and I breathed in the new day.
Now that I am free and safe from the council's reach, I can do anything I want with my new life. However, something that will not change is pursuing higher education. I mean, seriously. Vampire or not, my mother would come down here and murder me herself if I threw my future away.
So the only logical next step for me to take is looking into some schools around here. I might as well take advantage of this new location. When I was still one of Mystic Falls' finest, I was on the fast track to Whitmore to major in drama. But now, I don't think I want to go that route. I'm already dramatic as hell so I don't need to study it.
Hmm, I wonder if Mr. Lafont could get me into a college tour or something.
Dialing the leasing office number, he picked up after the third ring.
"Good morning, Mr. Lafont."
"Ahh, Miss Michaels. How can I help you today?" He asked.
"Do you remember what I told you last evening?"
"Yes," he replied in a compelled daze. "I'm supposed to help you in any way I can during your time in New Orleans."
"Excellent. Now, what can you tell me about the local universities this city has to offer."
"Well, there are plenty to choose from." He began. "There's Dillard, Loyola, Tulane, U of New Orleans, and Xavier. There are others but the ones I mentioned are the most easily accessible from your new apartment. Loyola and Tulane hold a special place in my heart though, my wife attended both schools."
"What's so special about them?" I asked. "Other than your wife."
"The best thing would be that you could enroll concurrently at both institutions because of how close they are to one another. Say you wanted to take a science class but it's not available at Tulane the semester you need it. Loyola will most likely have the class and offer it to a number of Tulane students and vice versa. Helps control classroom numbers ironically."
"Think you could get me into a tour of those schools?"
"I certainly can!" I could hear him typing on the keyboard that was no doubt in front of a monitor. "The next tour is scheduled for 10:15 am. I'll use the email you gave me yesterday to send you all the information."
"Thank you, Mr. Lafont!"
Hanging up the phone, I mentally checked that off my list.
I took my time getting ready and by the time it was 9:40 am, I was ready to go.
Hopping into the car, I connected my phone to the speaker and dialed my mom's number. It was high time I let her know that I'm safe and ready to move on from Mystic Falls with a little bit of her help.
The dial tone rang twice before she answered.
"Care?"
"Hi Mom!" I raised my voice so that she could hear me over the sounds of the traffic coming from outside the car. "How are you?"
"I'm much better now that you called, where are you?" She asked. "Actually don't tell me. I don't want to be the reason they find you."
"Well, I am safe. But, are you alone?"
"I'm at home, since I no longer have a job." I could tell she was still miffed about that.
"Ah, crap. Sorry mom."
"Don't worry about it sweetheart," she said. "Now, what do you need?"
"Remember how you and the mayor said you'd help with school records? I'm going to need those very soon. I've scheduled a tour at a couple of universities for this morning. Hopefully I can get an appointment with somebody in the registrar's office. Since my grades are topnotch, regardless of the supernatural stuff going on, I won't have to do much compelling."
"Okay! Of course," she said. "When should I send everything?"
"ASAP," I said. "And if you could send me a new license, new bank account information, new everything, that would be great. In a lapse of judgment, I compelled myself into an apartment with the name Care Michaels."
"Mikaels... as in Mikaelson??" She asked in knowing surprise.
"I know, I know, stupid name but it's kind of sticking. If it's any consolation, I spelled it the regular way."
"This doesn't have anything to do with the other hybrid that has feelings for you, does it?" She asked tentatively.
"You wish!" I said with a nervous laugh, maybe a little bit. "He's actually dead though."
"Oh, well that settles it. Send me the mailing address at the last possible moment and I'll get everything over to you ASAP. I love you, Care."
"Love you too, mom." I said. "Oh! When you're ready to send everything, you should probably ask Dr. Fell to mail the package for you. In case anyone is monitoring you. No one would suspect her to mail something for you."
"Yeah, they probably wouldn't expect it at all. That's a good idea," she said. "Don't worry about me, sweetheart. You just make sure you can continue your education."
See. Told you she'd have my head if I didn't go to college.
"I will mom. One more thing."
"Yes?" She asked.
"How is everyone? What about everything going with the whole supernatural side of things?"
"Not good," she said. "I heard that all the vampires in town were being rounded up by the council. Unfortunately, they're not done searching for you so don't even think about coming home."
"Believe me, I won't. I miss you though."
"Oh honey, I miss you too." I could tell she was trying to be strong. "By the way, how's Tyler?"
Shit.
"The last time we talked he was doing good." I can't tell her he's dead because then I'll break down and I absolutely cannot do that right now. "We split up for safety and have plans to meet next week."
"Alright honey, stay safe."
"I will, mom. Almost at the first tour. I'll call soon." Click.
I hated lying to my mom but, if I told her that Tyler is dead, she'd tell his mom, and... it's just better this way. He was supposed to outlive Mayor Lockwood anyway. Instead of dwelling on bad thoughts, I needed to keep myself busy so that I wouldn't have a mental break down. The perfect way to do that was figure out what I wanted to do about college.
Finally pulling up to Tulane, I could see what Mr. Lafont was talking about. Both of the schools were literally across the street from each other. Finding a parking spot, I got myself together before exiting the car with bittersweet thoughts for the future.
"Welcome everyone to our college tour," a pretty brown skinned girl without a name tag said. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"My name is Angelique and I will be your guide today. We have some pretty amazing sights to see which I hope will help you make the decision about which institution is the right fit for you. If you would please follow me..."
I tuned Angelique out during the rest of the tour. Most of the things she was saying about Loyola and Tulane I already knew from Mr. Lafont. Speaking of which, I need to talk to him about getting a P.O. Box. He gave me his cell and told me to keep him updated during the tour.
After sending him said update, I tuned back into what the guide was saying.
Just then, the scent of blood wafted into my nostrils. Looking around, I saw what looked like a ritual of some sort going on in the center of a grassy area on the Tulane campus. I could feel the veins near my eyes fill with blood but looked down as I willed myself to relax.
"To our right, we have our Mystic Arts club conducting whatever faux rituals they have scheduled today. New Orleans can be a magical place when it wants to be, whether you believe in that kind of stuff or not." Angelique looked directly at me when she said that. She gave me an interesting look which led me to believe she definitely believed in that kind of stuff. "We are coming up on the last leg of the Tulane part of our tour, after which we'll have a twenty minute lunch break before continuing onto Loyola's campus."
Following the tour guide into a brightly lit room, I realized it was actually a large venue. Looking around, I saw about forty or so works of art in various mediums. There were drawings, enamelwork, graphic designs, mosaics, paintings, sculptures, anything you could imagine, it was there. I was awestruck with the beauty of it all and it was super inspiring being around it, getting to see inside someone's mind like that.
"Welcome to the famous Crescent City Art Gallery. During a time of great struggle and turmoil, this beautiful city lost its imagination, its light, its magic. To remind us that beauty can be found anywhere, the city of New Orleans donated this building to these illustrious universities. A place where we can all come and experience brilliance and creativity through the lens of all who find that art is their calling. While Tulane's primary focus is medicine and research, it has one of the premier programs for the fine arts in the country. I may be little biased because I am an art major here." She let out a slight chuckle which caused the rest of the crowd to laugh with her. "But, it is truly an amazing experience to learn and practice under the excellent professors who teach here."
All of a sudden the lights went out.
"Don't panic people," Angelique said. "Just part of the tour."
As the words left her mouth, a blacklight came on and the artworks before the crowd came to life. Lots of people gasped when we were exposed to an entirely different set of artworks. I was also shocked to say the least.
"At Tulane we have an awesome opportunity for those interested in what's offered in our various Bachelor of Fine Arts programs. Blacklight projects are optional but everyone usually does them. I mean seriously, look around you. I can't say I've heard of a school that lets you do this. Let alone teaches you how to do this."
The regular lights came back on and in that instant, I knew what I was going to major in.
The irony of this choice, and other choices I've made since moving out here, was not lost on me. Klaus showed me his paintings and even gave me a drawing. Regardless of these facts, I'm kind of grateful to him. In a way, he set me free of the chokehold that Mystic Falls had on me. Even in death he's showing me that small-town life truly was never enough for me, that I was always meant for the finer things. Maybe it will take some time for me to fall madly in love again, to share art and culture with a man who will choose me first, but I can start that adventure right now with someone I already love.
And that someone is me.
By the time I got to the Loyola part of today's college tour, I was already sold. I was going to apply to Tulane and if necessary, compel myself into that art program.
While I haven't shown any interest in art since middle school, I remember that was when I was at my most imaginative. Where my creativity translated to event coordinating and party planning in high school, I used to be involved in quite a bit of arts and crafts. While I know that doesn't qualify me for any kind of art program, I'm confident that my high school portfolio of everything I've done to look good on a college application will at least get me into the school. But first, I needed an appointment with admissions.
Stopping by a map, I located the registrar's office and waited like a good little human for an appointment.
When it was my turn, I walked into the room and focused on the woman who was supposed to assist me.
"You're going to welcome me into your office and tell me to close the door." I whispered the compelling words as I gazed deeply into her eyes so those outside could not hear.
"Hi there, my name is Mrs. Dorsainvil. Welcome," the woman began. "If you would please close the door, we can begin your appointment."
Following her instructions, I closed the door and sat down.
"Now, how may I help you?" She asked.
"I am currently a senior in high school and I wanted to know if there are any late application deadlines for this institution? I'm pretty sure I missed the regular admission deadlines..."
"Actually, you're in luck." I watched as Mrs. Dorsainvil typed on her keyboard before turning her screen. "The regular decision deadline is this Friday, so if you hurry you can make it."
"Seriously?" Oh my god! "Yes!"
"Do you have a computer at home?" The woman asked. "If not, you can use the library here on campus or any number of the cafes around town. I can give you the link for our online portal which is where you can start your application. You might have to fast track access to your school records, though. Things like letters of recommendation and transcripts can be sent after the application is complete as long as you have appropriate emails and website links."
"Unfortunately, I went to high school in a very small town with limited access to electronics. What if I was able to get hard copies of everything?"
"We do accept physical applications but that deadline is this Wednesday at 7pm," she said gathering some papers into a folder. "Here's everything you need to get started."
I gave the woman a tight smile.
"No problem," I said. "And do I turn it in to you?"
"I am one of the people who read applications," she said. "Would you like to set up another appointment?"
"Yes, Wednesday at 11am."
"Alright, under what name?" She asked.
"Care Michaels."
"Okay, Miss Michaels. I will see you on Wednesday, have a blessed day." She stood up and I followed suit before leaving the office with a giant smile on my face.
I left the registration building and immediately ran into someone.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." I helped the girl pick up her belongings.
"Nah, it's my bad. I was texting— it's you!"
I abruptly looked up and saw Angelique from the tour.
"Oh, hi. You were my tour guide right? The art major, I actually had a couple of questions about your program."
"Yes, I was the guide. I seem to remember you being caught off guard by the scent of blood." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Excuse me?" I cocked my head to the side. "I don't think I know what you mean."
"Yes, you do. But don't worry, I won't tell your secret. In fact, I know this place that might be of interest for you... to help with the cravings," she said.
"I'm sorry, I really have no idea what you're talking about." Could she have seen my face when I smelled that blood earlier?
"Yes, I saw your face. Yes, I read your mind. No, I'm not a vampire. Yes, I'm a witch." She smiled, a smug look gracing her features before sticking out her hand. "Angelique Bennett, nice to meet you....
"Care. Care Michaels." I shook her hand, albeit warily. "Wait... Bennett?"
"Yes."
"Any relation to a Bonnie Bennett?" I asked.
"Yes. That's my cousin and last I heard she was using magic all willy nilly in Mystic Falls. By chance, is that where you're from?"
"It is."
"So, Care. Are you looking into attending this university? The studio art program specifically?"
"Yes actually," I said. "You never did answer my question..."
"Ask away," she said with a nonchalant wave of her hand.
"I wanted to know more about the beginning of the curriculum. Do they teach you how to draw, paint? Like entry level courses."
"They do, the BFA route is more extensive in what is taught to make sure the student is confident in their skills before moving on to the next level. It's for those who want to make a career out of art. If that's not for you, I'd suggest the BA route instead." Angelique inspected her manicure while she explained everything to me. Her nails were done in a way I've only seen on TV. Long and bedazzled, I found myself inspecting my own nails wanting to get them done too. I need to get to some kind of spa one of these days. Dealing with all the supernatural drama while living in Mystic Falls, I never had much time for that. Maybe now I will.
"What route are you interested in?"
"Oh sorry, I spaced." I turned my focus back to the girl in front of me with an apologetic smile. "The BFA route."
"Nice, but you probably shouldn't have skipped out on the rest of the tour then," she said with a shrug.
"Right, haha. I bailed because I went to pick up an application at the admissions office. Which I should probably get started on."
"Welp, don't let me stop you. If you're still looking for a place where you can be yourself in this town, hit me up. My number's already in your phone."
I looked at her incredulously before taking out my phone to check. Turns out she was right. When I glanced up to thank her she was gone.
So that's what that feels like.
ns 172.70.35.90da2
