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[b]...........................August Marco[/b]
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“Hey, Mom?”

“Yes, August?”

“I can't breathe.”

 The boy squirmed out of his mother's grasp. He had gone home over the summer, of course. It was nice to be home for a while, just being able to relax. He spent most of his summer in the pool. (He actually just ended up putting board shorts on in the morning, so that he didn't have to worry about changing.) Autumn crept up quickly, and before he knew it, he was stuck on a four hour car ride with his mopey mother. Of course, his parent's had insisted that they rent a nice, fancy car to bring him back to the Academy. It wasn't [i]really[/i] a limousine, but it might as well be. He hated when his parents did that. He honestly preferred the Jeep, but no. 

 His mother sighed and smoothed August's hair. “You are a mess. Why didn't you let me get your hair cut?”

 “I'll get it done before school starts.” He assured her, brushing her hand off. She had been fussing over him the whole way, just like she always does. His father would just occasionally glance at him and smile sadly, as if sympathizing with his son's predicament, but had said virtually nothing.

 They pulled up outside the dorms, and August quickly climbed out of the car. He loved his mother dearly, but he couldn't wait to get away from her. He insisted on getting his own stuff out of the trunk while his mom looked on with distaste. “Is that all you brought?”

 “What do you mean, 'all I brought', Mom? You practically had me pack my entire closet.”

 “Don't be ridiculous. You couldn't possibly fit your entire closet into a single backpack and suitcase. What if you run out of underwear? You always leave it at the pool...”

 “[i]Mom![/i]” August almost wailed. “I'm a big boy, I can handle it. Can I please go now? I want to unpack and find some food.”

His mother sighed once more. “Yes, yes.” She hugged him tightly, her eyes a little wet. Man, she was [i]so[/i] embarrassing! His dad simply patted him on the back and told him not to set the school on fire. He watched them get back into the rental and waved as the driver pulled away and out of sight.

[i]'Finally!'[/i] August thought, relieved. Although he knew they were the whole reason he was even able to attend Caelbury, he wanted nothing more then for them to step back a little and let him take care of himself.

He followed the instructions he was given to his dorm. He stood in front of the door for a moment, a little hint of butterflies in his stomach. What was up with that? He never got nervous. He stuck the letter from Acacia – man, he really missed her! - back in his pocket. He knocked on the door before using his key, sticking his head in. “Hello? Anyone home?” He called. He didn't want to barge in and piss his roommate off the first day, so he'd try and contain himself.