[center][b]CTS Entrance[/b][/center]
«Here we are.» she whispered as she entered the beautifully built College. She had received the letter quite some time ago yet the question she was most eager to ask whoever was in charge wasn't why her but how did they manage to find her and whether they were aware of her past. Her life had been... eventful at least so far and for that reason she had learned how to blend in and how to be discreet while avoiding all kinds of authorities. In fact, Doc had made sure that all files concerning her had been deleted when he took her away.

She took a deep breath before heading upstairs in search of Ivory, the dorm she had been assigned to. No thoughts, no feelings, nothing to distract her. She felt exhausted but she wouldn't let herself get in the way of perhaps having a normal college experience. Nellia wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep up that why-so-serious facade but then again she wasn't sure that the stairs she was about to follow knew how to get her where she was going.

[center][b]Ivory Dorm[/b][/center]
After a small adventure throughout most of CTS, Nellia finally found Ivory, her dorm and the place which she would call home for the foreseeable future. Full of hope and with her mind already making happy-end scenarios she went ahead to open the heavy-looking door.

«Aaaaand it's locked.»

[i]I could pick the lock. It doesn't seem like a door capable of giving me trouble. I would prefer transforming into a hundred and eleven perfect, little, multicolored ants and simply pass under it, through the tiniest of spaces but I guess it's not possible otherwise everyone would do it.[/i] she thought as she kneeled in front of the lock which she opened within a few moments.

«Hmm... Someone has been here.» With her interest piqued she checked every door of the dorm only to find one locked too and two leading to unclaimed rooms from which she picked the less fancy one. She could say that she hated how bright everything was, how posh the whole dorm looked yet her girlish side felt like a princess. All that was missing was a tiara.

«Hello my room!» she yelled as she entered her place, a room with a bed and all kinds of luxuries. Beds weren't something she had enjoyed a lot over the last few years and a luxurious life wasn't in her priorities yet she didn't mind it at all. She threw her suitcase on the bed and started touching and examining everything around her, from the little decorative porcelain horses to the curtains which were made of something so smooth that she felt it slipping through her fingers.

«A dress? And a mask?»
When she opened the wardrobe, she had no expectations to find clothes there.

«I can understand the beautiful [url=http://www.maskparty.co.uk/ekmps/shops/maskparty/images/black-butterfly-diamante-metal-filigree-mask-1--2123-p.jpg]mask[/url] but why the [url=http://lianaspaperdolls.com/uploads/february11/black-masquerade-gown-with-rainbow-underskirt-tabbed.png]dress[/url]?...»

And then she saw it, the envelope on her new nightstand.

«Umm. Right. A Masquerade Ball. I could attend... Or I could resume counting the stars...»

She put on her dress and then admired herself in front of the mirror. She knew that her physique along with her facial structure were aesthetically pleasing yet what made her stand out from the millions of beautiful people was her eyes. A deep blue one and a bright green one which at the moment stood out even more with the mask.

«I look ravishing. Ravishing is a nice word. So's viridian but I don't look viridian, that would be silly.»

With no other words she left, heading towards the Grand Hall where the ball was taking place.

[center][b]Grand Hall[/b][/center]
She didn't have any trouble finding it, afterall lots of students were heading this way, dressed as if their futures depended on it.

She entered the mostly empty of objects and somewhat filled with souls Hall quietly. The amount of others was fueling her anxiety which in turn threatened to take over. She felt her self-control disappear when thousands of thoughts flooded her at once. She couldn't plan ahead. With so many possible conversations, variables and outcomes, Nellia couldn't predict what the best move for her was.
---
[i]«Nellia listen to me.»
«Doc it hurts! It hurts so badly, i-if you just give me a moment to set some of them free!»

A sixteen year old girl threatening to cut her head open in order to let some of her maddening thoughts out was something Doc had been trained for, even if that girl was someone like Nellia O'Dell.

«Just listen to me for a moment dear. I want you to imagine boxes. As many boxes as you want with a number on each one.»
«...Yes?»
«Now I want you to put each thought into a box. The ones you-»
«I understand. Prioritizing my thoughts. Hmm. Who would have thought it. Thanks Doc, I guess I owe you one, cutting open my head could have been... troubling.»[/i]
---
The memories flooded her unexpectedly as if someone or something gave her just what she needed, a watchful and uknown protector. Or simple self-preservation. Within moments she was back under control, each thought in order.

She walked towards the tables with the refreshments and grabbed something to drink. And then she simply stood. Idle and quiet, watching everyone have fun and mingle. She wouldn't approach anyone in order not to make a choice which could shape her future. She'd leave it to luck, whoever approached her would go to her according to his or her want to do so and not because the wheels of her fate demanded such a thing.

Or, a far less complex scenario, she considered approaching anyone and introduce herself, a normal social behaviour, a far too stressful and scary thing to do. She let out a whisper, barely audible yet strong enough to reach her ears despite the noise.

 «Beginnings are scary.»