CHAPTER- 8 (PART-1)
730 Words
The Welcome Festival
Blackwood University had one tradition that every student loved.
The Welcome Festival.
For one day every semester, lectures ended early, the campus transformed into a celebration, and even the strictest professors accepted that studying could wait until tomorrow.
By noon, the university looked completely different.
The central courtyard was covered in colorful banners stretching from one building to another.
Food stalls lined the walkways, filling the air with the scent of popcorn, burgers, tacos, and fresh pastries.
The Music Club had set up a stage beside the fountain, where a live band played cheerful songs that echoed across the campus.
Students laughed as they played carnival games, posed for photographs, and wandered from stall to stall with friends.
For the freshmen, it was unforgettable.
For the seniors, it was a tradition they never wanted to end.
Ara stood in front of the cotton candy stall, staring at the enormous pink cloud in Ryan's hands.
"You bought the biggest one?"
Ryan looked offended.
"I earned this."
"By doing what?"
"I survived Dr. Sterling's lecture."
Noah laughed.
"I don't think that's how rewards work."
Logan shook his head.
"You've eaten since breakfast."
Ryan proudly nodded.
"Exactly."
Mia rolled her eyes.
"I genuinely don't understand how you're still hungry."
Ryan pointed at his stomach.
"It's called dedication."
The group burst into laughter.
A few minutes later...
Noah stopped walking.
"Oh no."
Ara frowned.
"What?"
He pointed toward a large banner hanging above the Science Building.
SCIENCE EXHIBITION REGISTRATION TODAY
Ryan slowly read it.
"... Can we pretend we didn't see that?"
"No," Mia answered immediately.
"I was hoping."
Ara folded her arms.
"Come on."
"We've got this."
Ryan looked at her.
"You say that with dangerous confidence."
"I know."
Inside the registration hall, dozens of students filled the room.
Posters covered the walls.
Prototype models stood on display tables.
Senior students discussed research ideas while professors moved from group to group.
At the front of the room stood Dr. Emily Carter, smiling warmly as students signed their names.
Unlike Dr. Sterling, Emily had an easygoing presence.
She greeted everyone by name if she remembered them.
When Team Seven reached the desk, she smiled.
"Ara Mitchell."
Ara blinked.
"You know my name?"
Emily laughed softly.
"I know all my teams."
Ryan leaned toward Noah.
"I think I like this professor."
Noah whispered back,
"Wait until she starts grading."
Emily handed each of them a blue folder.
"Inside you'll find the exhibition rules, judging criteria, and deadlines."
Ryan peeked inside.
"...That's a lot of pages."
Emily smiled.
"I recommend reading them."
Ryan quietly closed the folder again.
"I'll admire them from a distance."
Even Emily laughed.
At the far end of the hall...
Dr. Nicholas Sterling stood speaking with Professor Hawthorne.
He wasn't supervising.
He wasn't judging.
He was simply reviewing several research displays prepared by postgraduate students.
Ara noticed him immediately.
Not because she was looking for him...
But because everyone else seemed to be.
Several students whispered as he walked past.
"That's Dr. Sterling."
"I heard he's publishing another paper."
"Someone said Harvard invited him."
"No, Oxford."
"No, both."
Ryan leaned closer to Ara.
"I think half the university is scared of him."
Ara watched Nicholas examine a microscope display.
He corrected a student's explanation with only a few quiet words before moving on.
No unnecessary criticism.
Just precision.
She frowned slightly.
"He's different outside the classroom."
Mia noticed.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know."
"He seems..."
She searched for the right word.
"...less impossible."
Before Mia could answer...
A loud crash echoed across the hall.
Everyone turned.
Ryan stood frozen.
Beside him...
A cardboard model of a DNA helix had collapsed onto the floor.
Silence.
Ryan slowly looked around.
"...Good news."
Nobody spoke.
"It wasn't expensive?"
The room erupted into laughter.
Even Professor Hawthorne covered a smile.
Dr. Emily Carter sighed dramatically.
"Mr. Parker..."
Ryan raised one hand.
"In my defense..."
"There isn't one."
More laughter followed.
Even Ara couldn't stop smiling.
Across the room...
Nicholas looked up briefly.
His expression remained calm.
But for the smallest fraction of a second...
The corner of his mouth almost moved.
Almost.
Ara noticed.
She wasn't sure if she'd imagined it.
But somehow...
The coldest professor at Blackwood University looked just a little more human than he had yesterday.
And somehow...
That thought stayed with her longer than she expected.
- Writer
