The driver dropped me by the gate toward an ancient sprawling edifice whose white walls expressed the void and the pillars propped the loftiness of its roofs. The towering trees in lines and the weeds on the ground greeted me in a quiet atmosphere.

In the dormitory of the Academy of Haut, the name was boldly scribbled in capital black letters on the plank near the gateway.

Dragging my belongings, I made my way through the narrow path with shrubs on both sides. No one my eyes encountered except a middle-aged woman in a raven falling gown with her sour face and sharp gaze. Her dark lips motioned and the word "welcome" emerged from it but in a cold tone.

In an instant, she grabbed my suitcase. An urge to refuse died in my tongue as a nice friendly gentleman saluted me. My sight shifted to the handsome man's face with a strong jaw and beard along his cheek and then landed on his name tag, Brad Thompson. That man in a dark suit and pants led me to the reception bar where I could enroll in this place as one of the new inhabitants.

"Your name, please?" His soft peaceful voice reverberated in my eardrum.

"Dylanesa Dawson...D-Y-L-A-N-E-S-A D-A-W-S-O-N, " I spelled my full name. The screen he monitored popped up my whole data including my birthday, ID, and room number.

"Done! You are officially admitted. Here is your room key. Every intelligentsia has a maid with a duplicate key to access the bedroom for cleaning up. And now your maid, Ms. Greyson will take you to your compartment." I thanked him and followed his instructions.

I would live in this bizarre lodging for the rest of the four years ahead. This was a part of the requirements the Academy of Haut, where I would study, had set.

The stranger maid, Ms.Greyson, the one who yanked my luggage, took me to the top floor. A long dark snake-like corridor faced me when the door of the lift gaped. This tunnel with faded light split two rows of silent rooms on the right and left sides.

I felt awkward since this middle-aged woman next to me just muted her mouth even until we stood before the brown curved door. My eyes now traveled to the number written on the key in my hand, 2012.

Ms. Greyson unlocked the door by tapping the card key on the silver plate under the door's handle. I plodded behind her into my room.

I stared in awe witnessing the luxury inside the room. It was way bigger than I could imagine. My eyes drifted from the grand pink bed on one side of the room to the vanity on the left and a table lamp on the right side.

Like the rest of the room, the white hue dominated the wall and ceiling. Only the property such as sofas and desks were painted brown. A huge wardrobe in beige stood on the opposite side of the bed.

There was a separate room in the other nook; it was the restroom. The light above illuminated our faces. My feet carried me to the window, then stared down at the miniature-like scenery. All changed into tiny objects from this twentieth floor, one space before the rooftop.

If it wasn't for my mother, I would not have had a chance to experience all of this. Her story about this enormous and magnificent academy where my father graduated from and its dorm enchanted me. And a dream of studying in this institution grew in my heart. It blossomed and brought me here.

Every inch of its skin now would remind me of my parents. All the limited memories with my mother abruptly created the melancholic feeling; her devastated expression when she shed tears every time she mentioned my father's name still vividly lingered. Sadly, destiny separated me from my father even before I was born. And strangely, my mother seemed to have no interest in telling me his first name. My hand clutched on my coat, restraining the agony that suddenly existed.

Now, I had only me after death looted my mother's life nine years ago in a terrible car accident. Despite residing in an orphanage, I grew up to be a tough girl. I wiped the tears that barely streamed down my cheek and turned my head to the maid who now touched my luggage.

She was loosening my suitcase and moving all my stuff into the cupboard without my consent. I was about to protest yet her words stopped me.

"Let me do it for you. It is a part of my job. Just take your time to have a rest. You must be so tired."

"Thank you."

"Your dinner will be ready in one hour. You have to go downstairs fifteen minutes before the dinner starts. The dining room is on the second floor in the left corner."

Without a word, she left after finishing her work. The bed called me to rest my torso there. The fluffy mattress bounced up when I tossed my body on it. The journey to get here drained my energy and it only remained the fatigue in me. And it was time to recharge it by taking time to nap.

The ringing bell jerked me awake from my sleep. I didn't have any idea how long I'd slept. The time showed fifteen minutes after six. The rule was clear; I had to be in the dining room fifteen minutes before it began. I was a half-hour late. Did it mean that I wouldn't have my dinner?

I had a quick shower and randomly pulled a t-shirt and jeans out of the wardrobe, then got dressed. Someone knocked on the door and said my name before I had time to comb my messy wavy long hair. It was a man I encountered when the door swung open.

"Here's your dinner, Miss." The old man with a wrinkled forehead in a taupe jumpsuit with a white apron covering his tummy handed me a tray of food. "Since you didn't show up in the dining room, I decided to bring this food to your room." He said genially. He laid my food on the table next to the sofa directly without waiting for my approval.

"That's very kind of you." I complimented him. He responded with a small smile and walked out.

I just glanced at the food, I would eat them later. First of all, I needed to tidy my messy hair. A square object hanging on the wall covered with black cloth attracted my attention and my feet brought me to it.

Hesitantly, I swiped the cloth away. I jolted back seeing my reflection there. It wasn't the mirror, but a picture of a girl who 99 percent looked like me, her oval visage sculpted with big round emerald green eyes, a pointed nose, and thin small pink lips. Her wavy long brown hair with a straight bang defined her beauty. It was me, no! It was someone else whose face duplicated mine.

Did I possess a twin? My mother never informed me of that.

"Excuse me, Miss. I am sorry to bother you but I...have to...take that photo away." He proceeded inside through the open door. His eyes focused on the picture. Did he realize that we were like twins?

"Who is the girl in the picture?' I asked in curiosity.

"I forgot her name as she never came back to this dorm after she was reported missing."

"Missing?" He gave me a slight nod. "How come?" I impatiently asked him a question.

"No one knows what happened to her. Goodnight, Miss." He bid goodbye. He didn't notice our similarities. Was he blind? "I am wondering if you two are twins," he commented while shifting his sight from the photo to me and vice versa.

"Take care of yourself, Miss." He said alarming words before vanishing behind the door.