Nikki took a deep breath as she entered the academy for the first time, nerves coursing through her veins like an electric shock. The journey from Lisse had been quite long and had involved using almost every mode of transportation. She drove in a car to the Schiphol, where she flew as close to the academy as she could, rode on a train to the port, and took a boat to her final destination. Throughout this entire journey, Nikki couldn’t stop thinking about the many unknowns this new adventure held for her.

Gazing around with her chocolate brown eyes, the gorgeous stone architecture and the medieval feeling of the building overwhelmed her, but she couldn’t help but smile as she thought about how exciting this was. To finally be here at the academy was something out of a storybook, but the jitters in her fingers indicated how anxious and nervous she truly felt. 

Questions flew through her mind as she sat down in the large ballroom for orientation. Would she fit in with the other students? Was she truly good enough to be here? She was also concerned about her outfit being too casual for the event, which consisted a pair of ripped black jeans, black converse, a grey tank top and her tried and true denim jacket. Nikki balled up her fists in order to cease the shaking in her hands and tried to pay attention to Emery Wolfe’s speech to the best of her ability. 

Once dismissed, the blonde found her way to the Whitley Building, whereupon walking up to the door, could already hear the chatter between a small group of her new peers. Stopping in the doorway, she spoke softly to herself in Dutch. [i]“Het komt goed met je…”[/i](You’ll be fine)

Walking slowly into the common space, she now faced five people, two girls, and three boys. Trying her best to push her social anxiety to the side, she smiled brightly at everyone. [color=f6989d]“Uh... hallo everyone. My name’s Nikki, nice to meet you all."[/color] Realizing she was awkwardly standing there, Nikki moved and sat towards the end of the long white couch, where she would still be close to everyone, but far enough to keep some personal space.