For that, I'm proud of you," he said. "Thanks, guys," I said, feeling better. I got up and we all decided to start skipping stones. All of a sudden, I heard the voice of Oswald shout "Jason!" in a serious tone. We all turned, and he approached me without saying anything. When he got close to me he smiled. "You played well. I'm impressed," he said before joining us in skipping stones. As I looked at the horizon, despite losing the game, I strangely felt like I won. 138
Why the Pachucos 139 by Sara González
“Well your grandfather was a Pachuco”, said Lena. “I’ve heard people at school mention it but I never really understood it. What are they?”, replied Maria Lena, with a smile, replied, “A Pachuco, they were the Mexican “rebels”. Women ‘pachucas’ and men “pachucos’ that came from immigrant parents who rebelled as a way to express many things about themselves and the society they lived in” “Where did they come from?”, said Maria “The Pachucos themselves didn’t come from a specific place, some emigrated from Mexico and some were the children of immigrant parents.” Maria paused. She looked up in trying to find the right words and asked, “But, who had the idea of that" rebellion? I mean, it seems like it was such an important part of our culture but I don’t know much about their origin.” Lena replied, “The story goes like this”: The year was 1889 and there was this family who lived in La Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; Gabriela Alvarez– the mother –, Luis Flores– the father–, their 16 year old son– Arturo–, and of course Elena who’s been in Gabriela’s stomach for six months. The house smelled of toasted tortillas and spices due to the wonderful kitchen Gabriela crafted in every day to come up with new meals for her family. Luis was with Arturo about to go buy some more supplies for Gabriela, as they got closer to the door it opened with a fast push from the outside. It’s them, Arturo and Luis, with the same clothes on but they look tired and dirty. Luis is stunned and Arturo runs to find Gabriela, but as he turns Gabriela is already there: “What happened?”, Gabriela asks, but to the Arturo and Luis that just came from the door. “We need your help” Other Arturo replies. “Bueno, eso lo sabía ya chico. Why are you here?” Gabriela states firmly. “What’s going on?” 140
Luis asks in desperation. Other Luis and other Arturo giggle a little. Gabriela sits them down and continues to tell them how the men in her family have always had this ability to travel through time, know one knows why but it’s always been that way, the ones born with it are the ones who directly come from her family but whoever gets to marry to the Alvarez family obtains these powers. Unfortunately the women don’t have this power but they are a vital step to the process of travel. No man has been able to do it alone, not even the brightest in the family, which is why we see future Arturo and Luis back in their house all distressed. But an important rule is that to travel the men need all of the women and girls from their immediate family, that is why Luis had no idea this was possible until now, until the last pregnancy, the last child who is Elena. Now that Gabriela explained the rules to Arturo and Luis they asked future them the same thing: “What happened?” Future Luis says how future future Luis and Arturo came in different clothes asking for help because Mexican culture in the United States had died. “Oh no!” Gabriela says in shock. They continue saying how it was very few Mexicans who remained with their customs. “We have traveled back and forth but nothing we do has worked.” Says Luis “We have protested, formed secret societies, and tried to build communities of Mexicans in different counties. But nothing. Nothing seems to be working. For some reason people are being consumed by the hate brought to us when we traveled” Replied Arturo. “Have you come to me before?” Asks Gabriela “Yes.” 141
Say Arturo and Luis at the same time. Gabriela starts pacing around the room trying to figure out what else to say. All of the things future Arturo and Luis have said sounded like suggestions she would say. So what was missing? “¡Dios mio!” Gabriela shouts as if she discovered something. “¿Que?” All the Arturo’s and Luis’s question. “¡ELENA!” They all become still, look at each other, and smile. Elena says to them to come back to this day 14 years later. They say their goodbyes and future Arturo and Luis travel. Gabriela orders everyone to continue as normal. So they do. It has been 14 years since. Gabriela and Luis raised Elena to know about the family’s abilities. Gabriela was writing something in her journal, Elena was washing her clothes, Luis was outside painting their house, and Arturo was at work. Gabriela puts her pen down and walks to the door, just as she gets there future Luis and Arturo appear. Gabriela smiles and calls Elena. “Hola hermana” Arturo says to Elena “Hola hermano” Elena replies. Arturo and Elena hug. Elena already knows what is going on. She knows her mission. She stares at them and says: “I’ve been thinking of this for months, and I thought, all I do is think about what I’m going to wear tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after- well you know. Clothes!, that's your solution. Dress differently, one main way of being like everyone else is by looking like everyone else. If we just rebel and look different, but have a reason behind it then that is a way of sticking out to others. People will notice and talk about us, who knows, maybe even write about us!” “¡DIOS MIO! You’re a genius” 142
Luis replies and hugs Elena. They travel. Gabriela and Elena look at each other and give each other a high five. Luis and Arturo go to Houston 1930 and begin their look for the perfect clothes. They settle on high rise, wide, cuffed trousers, a long coat with long and wide lapels, padded shoulders, a tie, and of course… a hat. They gathered a couple young Mexican men and women, and said that no matter what they could not lose their culture. “We must dress like this to stand out. It will be a symbol and fight against the unjust treatment of most of these American people, do it for our pride, this is our resistance among our Chicano community. Don’t succumb to uniformality. We thrive as Mexicans!” Arturo said to the men and women he gathered. They looked around, everyone agreed and named themselves the Pachucos and Pachucas. Named after where they were in the city of El Paso, Texas. “Wow I had no idea”, said Maria “Interesting right?” replied Lena “Very. So did you know them?” asked Maria “Well, my mother was the daughter of Elena. I would say I know them” “OMG! I’m related to Elena. I wish I got to know her” said Maria in awe. Lena replies, “I wished that too, but she lives in our hearts and in spirit. Because of her we now have the duty to protect who we are and our culture no matter what. And remember, guard our secret.” They look at each other and smile. “Buenas noches, hija”, Lena says. “Buenas noches, mami.” 143
Trillions of years ago, planet Earth had no oceans, lakes, or rivers. It was a huge landmass with only forests, deserts, plants, and animals, so you may be wondering: “How did bodies of water come to be?”. This story will explain it all. Trillions of years ago, the only human-like creatures that roamed the Earth were two giants: Asier and his mother, Sage. Asier was a young giant, 8 years old at the time, with brown hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. Sage was older, about 30 at the time. Her and her son looked very similar, except she had long hair, which she usually wore in a braid. They lived alone in a big hut made of straw in an arid, desert-like area that bordered a lush forest with lots of animals. Sage had chosen that location for their house because it had lots of open space for Asier to run around and play in, but was still close enough to the forest for her to gather food. On a typical day, Sage would wake up and, since there were no sources of freshwater on Earth, she would put a huge bucket in the forest to gather rainwater. Then she would go collect herbs, meat, and berries in the forest to make dinner with, while Asier stayed home and played with the animals in the outskirts of the forest. Asier hated this. He wanted to go deep into the forest with his mom and help her find food, but Sage would always respond: “You’re too young to help. You’ll get lost or get yourself hurt!”. This finally changed on Asier’s 12th birthday, when Sage decided that Asier was finally old enough to start helping to prepare meals. She said, “You still can’t go to the forest with me, but you can help me prepare dinner when I come back.” Asier was overjoyed. Even though he still couldn’t go to the forest with his mother, he was excited to finally be able to help his mom, which, at the time, seemed much more exciting to him than playing in the outskirts of the forest. A River Myth by Michael Ubarri 144
That day, Sage went to the forest looking for herbs and berries to make a salad with since it was the easiest meal to prepare, and the hardest one to mess up. She trusted Asier, but she kept in mind that it was his first time making dinner, so she didn’t want to overwhelm him. Sage had been in that forest many times, so she knew exactly where to go. She started her trip on the west side of the forest, where the tomatoes grew and worked her way east, collecting the lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots, before going back down south to her house. When she arrived, Asier was eagerly waiting outside the door. They made their way inside while Sage gave Asier safety instructions. “Be very careful with the knife. Always cut away from yourself and take your time to make sure you don’t cut yourself”. “I know mom. I’ve watched you do this a million times”, Asier replied. Sage laid the vegetables on the wooden table she always used to cut ingredients and watched anxiously as Asier cut the vegetables, occasionally correcting his technique. Asier was annoyed by his mom’s corrections, but he didn’t show it because he wanted his mom to let him cook again. After only a few minutes, Asier was done cutting the vegetables. “Now put the sliced vegetables in that bowl and mix them,” Sage said while pointing to a huge wooden bowl. Asier complied, and the salad was ready. The two sat down at the dinner table and started eating. “This is great Asier, I’m impressed,” Sage said. Asier was satisfied with his work, and had enjoyed helping as much as he thought he would, definitely much more than those boring days alone in the forest. Sage was so satisfied with Asier’s work that she turned it into their new routine. She would go out into the forest to find materials to make dinner with while Asier would wait patiently for her to return so they could cook together. 145
As the days went by and Sage’s confidence in Asier’s cooking abilities increased, Sage increased the difficulty of the meals she made Asier prepare, eventually getting to meals as complicated as stew. Two years later, however, when Asier turned 14, he lost his love for cooking. He had become rebellious, had to be begged to help his mother, and would constantly sneak out of the house to go into the deep forest, which he was not allowed to enter. One day, Sage started to notice that the area of the forest she had been gathering meat and berries from was running dry, so she would have to go deeper into the forest to find food the next time. The next day, Sage asked Asier to make stew with leftover ingredients while she went deeper into the forest to find supplies. Annoyed, Asier agreed. He hated making dinner now. It was so boring. He just put all the ingredients in a pot over the campfire and waited. On top of that, he has to watch the food so it doesn’t overcook, so he can’t do anything else while he waits. Asier had an idea this time though. He would spice his cooking experience up by doing tricks with the cooking utensils and food like a teppanyaki chef. As soon as his mom left for the forest, Asier started chopping up the meat and vegetables, interspersing knife flips into the usual, boring routine. He performed flip, after flip, after flip, skillfully, catching the handle of the knife every time. Once he was done cutting the meat and vegetables, he lit the campfire, put the cut-up ingredients into his usual giant pot, and grabbed the wooden bowl filled with rainwater. Asier decided to spin the container in his hands to make a whirlpool effect with the water. It was so easy and looked so cool that he started spinning the container faster, and faster, and faster. 146
Eventually, the container was spinning so fast that it fell out of his hands. The water rushed out of the bowl, fueled by the whirlpool Asier had created, and washed Asier away into the forest. As the water rushed out of the bowl, it began to pool in the dry areas of the desert, forming large puddles of water fed by the never-ending stream of water emanating from the bowl. These puddles became oceans and lakes, while the stream of water rushing out of the bowl, became what we call rivers today. 147
Thump! My eyes flew open. Clash! I sat up straight on my bed. Crash! A young girl whom I had never seen before stood before me. She had bloody torn clothes, hair so disheveled it looked more like a bird nest, and eyes crying. Wait- is that…It was…she was crying blood. “Help me!”, she yelled so suddenly with a voice full of pain and anguish that it shook me to my core. She had started reaching out to me and I backed away, terrified I closed my eyes refusing to believe this was happening. When I opened them again she was gone and in her place was a long snake. Before I could even comprehend what was happening another hooded figure emerged. It had a silhouette of a woman completely covered from head to toe except for its face which had a devious smile that sent a wave of shivers down my spine. “Not yet love.” A drop of sweat rolled down my forehead and fell on my cheek. “W-w-what.” “Not Yet!” it screamed and suddenly it lunged at me. My eyes flew open. I scanned the room as my heart raced in my chest, it was still dark out and my door remained closed. It had been a dream, yet why wouldn’t this anxious feeling leave? The next morning I woke up to the familiar smell of daal and roti cooking downstairs. “Ayla come down!”, mama yelled. I walked down and sat at the small kitchen table. “How was your sleep?” “It was good baba, the tension in my body from the plane is almost completely gone. Who knew a flight from London to Karachi would be so long? Also baba-” The Snake by Zara Akram 148
I immediately stopped wondering if I should continue with my sentence, I didn’t want Baba to think I was crazy or homesick but last night's dream wouldn’t leave my mind “Yes, beta?” “This might sound strange, but is there any connection between children and snakes?” “Ah! You’re right that is strange. Hmm, all I can think about was something I heard long ago.” I raised my eyebrows which Baba took as a sign that I was interested in what he had to say. “Long ago there was a woman who was loved by her village. She was beautiful, smart, and had a great of gold as people would always see her helping any child that came her way. However, what the people didn’t know was that she was a witch but she always used her magic for the betterment of others, never evil reasons. One night she sat in her kitchen casting spell upon spell on the bird to cure it. Then suddenly she heard a vase fall and she immediately turned around to a young girl with a horrified look on her face, she had witnessed everything. The woman tried to explain but the girl ran and she followed. Their chase led them back to the village where the girl yelled for the people to come out and announced what she had witnessed. The town was shocked to learn that the woman they had been so deeply relying on was a witch and started to corner him. The woman pleaded and pleaded until a man struck her knee. As she fell she realized no one deserved mercy, she had done nothing wrong but try to be righteous her whole life. Envy and hatred boiled inside of her chest and she lost control of herself. All she could remember was the frog back in her kitchen and realized it was all this child's fault for witnessing her take care of the frog. So at that moment she cursed all of the children of that town and transformed them into long frogs with no hands so they could never ask for help, no legs so they could never run from her, and took away their ability to speak so they could never shout again. The people of the village were shocked and disgusted so they attacked but before they could even reach her their children started to devour them one by one. In the end, there was nothing left but the witch, her snakes, and the anger within her. That Ayla is how snakes were created.” 149
Baba must have seen the look of shock and horror on my face as he proceeded to say, “Anyway it's a good story but it is probably not true. Now finish up your meal and go to the aunty across from us, she's been asking for help since yesterday.” He was right, this story could never be real. Magic in our world, what an absurd idea. Yeah! The similarities between this story and my dream were probably coincidences, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. The house before was a humble building with an abundance of greenery around it. The roof was high and flat but decorated with intricate geometric patterns and the porch consisted mainly of pillars and little windows. It looked quite cozy but the longer I looked at it, the more this ominous feeling in my stomach grew. I wonder why? “Hello, beta!”, a middle-aged lady said as she emerged from the front door. She was not too tall but not short, had a rather young face for her age, and a well-kept figure. Something about her seemed eerily familiar to me but I couldn’t put my finger on it. “Hello Aunty, Baba told me you needed some help. Please let me know what I can do for you.” She tells me she just needs some help around the house so for the next few hours I help her with with chores like washing the dishes, cleaning the garden, sweeping, and much more. During this time I came to learn that she was native to this village. Originally she came from a village far from here but decided to move here a few years ago since she heard that it was gorgeous here. She told me how she moves villages every few years because being on the go excites her, something I could relate to as well. I enjoyed my time with her so much that I didn’t even hear my dad when he called me to come back as dinner was done. “Thank you so much beta for helping me” “It was my pleasure Aunty”, I said with a simile as I headed out the door. However, before I could leave she reached out to me and grabbed my arm. 150
“I just realized you never told me your name beta” “Oh how rude of me I apologize, it's Alaya meaning high status.” It was a custom of ours to say what our names meant as we believe everything has a meaning. “Oh, How beautiful! My name is Muhaimin meaning protector” Hearing her name brought me a lot of ease. We said our goodbyes and I headed back home. She seemed like a good woman and I genuinely enjoyed being with her, maybe I’ll come back tomorrow. For the next few days, I continued to visit her. As a result, our relationship grew a lot closer. I would help her around the house and in return she would teach me about plants and how to use different herbs, like a mentor. However, there was this one door in her house that made me feel uncomfortable for a reason I could not comprehend. Wherever I would go I could feel the door eyeing me so intensely that I was afraid it might just read the secret hidden within my soul. Whenever I would ask Dealla about it she would say it's just storage and move on, I tried to believe her but it felt like there was more hidden behind it. Maybe she wasn’t lying, I had been feeling this way since the moment we stepped foot into our village. Yeah, it probably had nothing to do with her, it was me. “I think I’m sick,” I said to Dealla who sat across from me. “Is that so maybe you should go home and rest them”, she said with a sweet smile on her face. She is right I think a nap is exactly what I need right now and headed back. When I got back home I went straight to my room and fell into a deep sleep. Thump! My eyes flew open. Clash! I sat up straight on my bed. Crash! Wait- this situation felt familiar. I looked straight in front of me expecting to find a little girl, but there was nothing. I must be stressing out over nothing, after all, what happened a few days ago was just a dream. 151
The room was dark and I could see the stars shining outside through my window. “Wow I must’ve been really tired to take a nap this long,” I said to myself. “Yes, you must have been,” someone replied. I immediately turned towards the source of the noise only to find nothing. “Wh-who-whose there!” I managed to get out. From the shadows emerged Dealla and I felt myself relax. “Aunty, what are you doing here?” She let out a snicker, “Don’t tell me you forgot,” and then gave me a devious smile. At that moment my whole world stopped. It was her, that hooded figure from my dream a few days ago. Then suddenly the story my father told me started coming back to me and the pieces fell into place. She was the witch, she turned that little girl into a snake in front of me, and she was here to do the same to me. “How could you betray me like this Aunty? I trusted you!”, I screamed at the person I once considered my mentor. She let out a high, loud, terrifying laugh. “Now you can feel what I’ve felt every day of my life.” Then suddenly the world went dark. When I regained consciousness I realized I couldn’t speak or feel my hand and feet. I tried to look at myself to see what had happened, to my horror my body was long and scaly. I had just turned into a snake. Dealla snatched me from my bed and put me in a bag. It was dark in there but I could feel her moving somewhere. All I could think about was my family. What will Mama and Baba think? That their daughter abandoned them. Sorrow filled my chest yet I couldn’t even let it out because snakes can’t cry. When Dealla took me out of the poach I saw a door in front of me. We were in her house and about to go through the door that had always made me feel uneasy. “Want to see what's behind it,” Dealla said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry you’ll feel right at home.” 152
She opened the door and I let out a hiss. The room was filled with snakes kept in containers. There were many names of children and villages. “Welcome to your new home Ayala! Though unfortunately, you won’t be able to enjoy it for long as your mind should completely transform into a snake’s within the next few minutes.” She put me down and closed the door behind her. I lay there listening to the hissing around me fade around me as my whole existence as Ayla was getting erased. The last thought that crossed my mind was Baba telling me his story was a lie. Baba had lied. 153 Art by Adriana Marrero (‘27)
Cecilia had always had a weird obsession with coquís. No one could really explain when it started or how it originated even her family members from her mother's side were perplexed and oftentimes left her out or ignored her. She was just enchanted by the melodious symphony that filled the island's nights. As well as their sweet, high-pitched calls that echo through the lush rainforest, Cecilia often found herself lying awake, mesmerized by their music. Cecilia's fascination with the coquís ran deeper than most. She longed to have a carefree life like the tiny creatures, whose only worries seemed to be serenading the moon each night. She dreamed of being one of them, to have the ability to leap from plant to plant and sing the same tunes every night. Her wish was so sincere that one night as a shooting star passed through the sky she made her wish again and ultimately found herself in the body of a coquí. She was astonished, her body had transformed and become a tiny creature with webbed feet and a beautiful voice. Cecilia decided to embrace her change after all she had been wishing for it for a while. She decided to go into a Yunque and create new friendships with her fellow coquís. During her stay there she heard of the tale of the Coquí and the Goddess of the rainforest, it was said that the Goddess had lost her beloved Coquí long ago due to a passing hurricane that separated the lovers. Because of this incident, she remained mournful and depressed after her love went missing. This is why coquís were created as their beautiful songs would comfort the Goddess and remind her of her lover's name. After hearing the story Cecilia was deeply moved and decided to embark on a journey to try and figure out what happened or where Coquí had gone. That night Cecilia began by talking to the elder coquís who had heard all about the tales and the theories they had on what came to happen. A Coquí Tale by Viviana Ramos Myatt 154
Before their existence there had been inner turmoil in the realm of the Gods because of the hurricane. Many homes and lives were lost and they could no longer reach the Goddess who was in mourning. The coquís had heard that Coquí the son of the chief was a very strong, imposing, and courageous individual. They believed that he had not been killed by the passing hurricane but had no idea why he would not try to return to the Goddess's side. With the information Cecilia received she went off towards Coquí’s village. Although she faced several dangers living in the world of a coquí is not easy when most things are your preditor but she thankfully made it. There she met with relatives and friends of the family who knew of Coquí, such as how enamored he was with his Goddess, what a resilient young man he was, and the skills he was taught growing up that should’ve helped him survive the appearance of the hurricane. Cecilia could only conclude that either something terrible occurred which led to Coquí's death or that something came in the way preventing him from coming back to his loved ones. The last person Cecilia wished to talk to was the Goddess herself who had imprisoned herself in the place where She and Coquí shared some of their most fondest memories. Although at first, the Goddess refused to speak to Cecilia, the girl's persistence led to the Goddess’s wariness falling. Once she began to speak of her past with her beloved she couldn't stop, Cecilia would come during the early morning and stay till darkness flooded listening and comforting the lonely Goddess. After forming a tight bond with the Goddess she soon said her last goodbyes. Honestly, Cecilia had no clue where she was going to start in trying to find Coquí even if it meant finding his dead body she wished to give the Goddess some form of consolation. So, off Cecilia went from village to village trying to find a person who matched Coquís's profile or someone who knew of him. It's hard to believe but after several years Cecilia finally understood what had occurred to Coquí. 155
What Cecilia ended up finding out is that the world was that there was an imbalance in the world because of a Goddess and a regular human falling for each other so the hurricane was a measure imposed to separate and warn the two. The Gods who had formed the hurricane from their anger did not realize how powerful the wicked storm could be towards regular people. Many of the civilizations and people from Puerto Rico were harmed or lost to the hurricane. This however was not what happened to Coquí, it was found that during the hurricane he became deeply worried about his Goddess and went in search of Her. With the hurricane in toe, there was hardly any lighting due to the heavy rainfall so not even ten feet ahead could be seen. Because of this Coquí ended up slipping on a rock and falling off a cliff. Thankfully, he survived being swept away by the hurricane but it came with repercussions as he wasn’t able to remember his past or who he was. Once Coquí regained consciousness he was severely confused. He did not know who he was or where he was. The only thing he could think of doing was heading to the nearest area with people. Once he finally found the nearest civilization he tried asking the locals if they knew he was or what had occurred to him. They told him that sadly they had no idea who he was but that something must have happened to him while the hurricane passed by. The locals advised him to only stay for the night as they were having a rough time because of the losses of both housing and their people who had to leave but that he should try heading to another village to find who he was and his family. He did just as advised. He had no luck at any of the other villages until he arrived at this village where a woman claimed that she was his wife. It should be obvious but she was most definitely not his wife. This woman was a widow who had suffered deeply from the passing hurricane and was not able to provide the best for her children, so she decided that her only option was to take advantage of this man. The man had no way to refute her words and she sounded pretty convincing so he began living the life of a man named Guayanuey. He helped his family rebuild their housing and became the sole provider while his “wife” stayed home taking care of the children and the house chores. 156
He realized quickly that there was no love between his wife and himself but he believed this to be normal. One night when Guayanuey was intoxicated he began remembering things from his past but the wife being scared to be found out took advantage of him and from what occurred that night a child was born. Guayanuey was not able to completely piece together what his past was but became happier with his incoming child. As it turns out Cecilia was actually very closely related to this story. She was the child born from that night, who was deeply loved by her father but disregarded by her mother and siblings. She could remember how throughout her childhood her father looked and listened to the sounds the coquís made very profoundly. With all the pieces of the puzzle complete, Cecilia returned to the Goddess and told her of what had happened to her beloved Coquí. To the Goddess's amazement, she would be able to reconnect with her soulmate. The reason why Coquí was still alive despite all the years that have passed is because Gods are not allowed to interfere and kill people they may only accept them once it is their time for their passing. So, Coquí was granted eternal life and so was his daughter. Like this, the myth of the Coquí and the Goddess is changed to one where they end up living happily ever after along with Cecilia their wonderful daughter who reconnected them. 157 Art by Adriana García (‘24)
A CHANCE ENCOUNTER ISABEL BRINGAS “Okay, I think it was this way...” The girl turned the corner, walking under one of the building’s many archways. The campus was even more gorgeous in person, and she couldn’t help but admire her surroundings. In the early autumn sunlight, her blue hair stood out against the cooler purples of her outfit. Taking out her phone, she consulted the map she’d pulled up again. “This should be it. Hopefully I got the right place this time—” Just then, she collided with someone else going in the opposite direction. Several papers went flying as they both stumbled backwards. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” cried the blue-haired girl, quickly bending down to help pick up the papers. As she did, an unfamiliar male voice met her ears: “It’s alright. Though maybe look where you’re going next time.” Halfway to standing, she tilted her gaze up to get a better look at him. What she saw was admittedly unexpected. The boy had fair skin and light brown hair, with soft, dark eyes behind his square-framed glasses. He wore a forest green sweater over a white polo. The girl quickly glanced away, hoping she wasn’t staring. “Here. These are yours, right?” she said, handing back the armful of papers. “Oh—yeah, thank you,” he said, placing them all into the folder he was carrying. The boy tucked the folder under his arm, his eyes sweeping up to meet her gaze. “Sorry again for the inconvenience.” The girl blushed, a little embarrassed. “Oh, it’s nothing, really.” She put her phone back into her pocket, which very gently reminded her of the predicament that had landed her here. “By the way, do you know the way to the east dorms? I’ve been trying to find them for a while now...” The boy’s gaze traveled down to the indigo roll-aboard suitcase beside her. “New student, I assume?” he asked. She nodded eagerly. The boy chuckled faintly at her enthusiasm. “Well, you were unfortunately going in the wrong direction,” he said, pointing over her shoulder the way she’d come from. “It’s that way.” “Oh my—yeah, of course,” she muttered, facepalming. How clueless can you be? “I must’ve read the map wrong.” The boy laughed, a kind smile overtaking his face. “It’s alright. Happens to everyone.” He walked a bit further ahead, but kept his gaze on her. “I could walk you there, if you like.” The girl’s eyes lit up with relief. “Would you?” she said, grabbing her bag and following him. As they walked, she couldn’t help but notice the unspoken familiarity in his gait. He almost seemed to know every route by heart. Eventually, curiosity got the best of her. “How long have you been studying here?” she asked. “This year will be my second. I volunteer on campus a lot, so I’ve gotten pretty familiar with the layout of things,” he explained. And from what she saw, it showed: every one of his strides carried confidence and familiarity. 158
“Yep. I just finished an internship in London.” “You’re kidding!” The two kept talking as they went. They’d only met an hour ago, yet it felt as if they were old friends. Eventually, they finally arrived at a building with ivy crawling up the stone walls. The boy walked ahead, stopping at the door. “Here we are! East dorms, as promised,” he said, smiling. The girl smiled back, coming to join him with her suitcase. “Thanks again, by the way.” “It’s no problem.” The boy repositioned the folder tucked under his arm, before turning his gaze back to her. “You never did give me your name...” “Oh! Right.” The girl chuckled sheepishly, before holding out a hand to shake. “I’m Sadia. Sadia Lennox.” The boy took it with his free hand. “Hugh Renfield. A pleasure,” he replied, a glimmer of warmth in his dark eyes. Once they shook hands, the two lingered outside the dorms for a moment. Neither one quite wanted to leave yet. Finally, Hugh broke the silence: “So, I’ll see you in class then?” Sadia’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! See you in class,” she said, absentmindedly tugging on the end of her ponytail. Hugh gave her one more wave before turning and heading back the way they’d come. Sadia watched him go, a half-smile on her face. She took hold of her suitcase and went inside, already looking forward to what college had in store. That’s so cool!” the girl said, intrigued. She tucked a stray lock of blue hair behind her ear, taking in the atmosphere. “It’s only my first year here.” That seemed to pique his interest. “Really?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “What are you majoring in?” She smiled, her whole face lighting up. “Creative Writing. It’s always been my passion. But I’m thinking of adding something else too!” Turning to her companion, she nodded towards the folder under his arm. “You?” He adjusted his glasses, the faint smile on his lips betraying a hint of pride. “Art History.” “Really?” 159
Perceptions is published thanks to the support of the Saint John’s School Secondary English Department. This work may not be reproduced without written permission of the Saint John’s School administration and the writers and artists showcased in this magazine. Created in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in May 2024.