[b]"Finally..."[/b] Alto gasped, panting from his recent exertion. [b]"I made it!"[/b]

He stood up straight, breathing hard. He turned and looked at the sloping mountain behind him.

[b]"Why the hell did they put this school on the very top of this mountain anyway?"[/b] He said aloud.

Alto had run all the way from the bottom of the mountain to the school gates, transportation being out of the question. He was just late enough to miss the tram to the school and was forced to run to not be late. Students like him would usually wake up early to make the hike just to get to the School, but the majority of the teens in the school itself never had to worry about hiking to school. The college was a boarding school after all, and normally all the students would live in it but Alto lived close by and you had to pay extra fees for the dorms. Still, he was considering it now, because he had an extra load to keep in mind.

The book he'd gotten earlier this morning wasn't just large, it was heavy as well. He'd struggled a little but in the end he made the climb. [i]Maybe I will move in.[/i] He thought wearily. He could afford it, but filling out the forms now was going to be bothersome. Still, living in Pantheon College did have its advantages.

Food was provided of course and he wouldn't have to climb all year as well. There was also the view, which was fantastic from the dorms. The school dormitories were built like towers on the mountainside, because any other kind of building would've been difficult. The dorms were arranged in a semicircle enclosing part of the mountain itself. The centre of the semi-circle housed a large courtyard area where all the classrooms and the cafeteria were.

It's most prominent feature however, was probably the headmaster's office. The school itself was built just below the peak of the mountain, but the Headmaster's office was on the very peak itself. It seemed to provide an extension to the mountain, and it looked just like a large castle spire of some sort. Apparently people sometimes stayed overnight in the headmaster's office to see the sunrise. Some people said if you looked at just the right angle, the sun, the land, the night, the wind and the sea all seemed to converge into one point.

[b][i]"You are going to be late, human."[/b][/i] Nuul said suddenly.

[b]"Oh, hey!"[/b] Alto said in surprise, [b]"You can talk to me outside of my dreams as well?"[/b]

[b][i]"As much as I would like not to, yes."[/b][/i] He replied.

[b]"That's pretty damn cool."[/b] Alto said. He felt Nuul twitch in his mind.

[b][i]"If you delay any longer, you will be late. Why did you even bother exerting so much effort, if you were going to spend so much time admiring scenery?"[/b][/i]

[b]"Ah, right."[/b] Alto said, remembering the time.

He ran into the school gates, and towards the auditorium in the centre of the courtyard. [i]Hope someone else is later than me.[/i] Alto thought.