Chapter 111: A coincidence?
A long moment of silence passed. They all just stared at Yuki.
Yuki stood there, still holding the strap of her bag, while Celeste’s expression changed from confusion to embarrassment. She quickly straightened away from Gareth and wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.
"I guess it’s time to leave," she said quietly.
Gareth stared at her for a moment before sighing. "Celeste," he called out. She ignored him.
He shook his head and leaned down to press a quick kiss against her forehead. "Call me when you arrive."
Celeste nodded before hurrying away.
Yuki watched her leave before turning her attention to the remaining students. There were five of them altogether. Marie, who had ranked first. Gareth, who was second. Two other boys whose names Yuki had yet to learn. And then there was her, sitting in fifth place.
Yuki offered them a polite smile. "Hi. I’m Miyuki Donovan. I look forward to working with you," she chirped, ignoring the hostile looks.
Marie looked at her for a moment. She seemed to be studying Yuki, perhaps deciding what kind of person she was, before finally responding.
"Just don’t hold us back," she stated. Yuki’s smile faltered slightly. Marie turned and walked towards the waiting minibus.
Well, at least she knew where she stood.
Yuki followed the others outside and climbed into the vehicle. By the time she got in, everyone else had already taken a seat. She settled beside the window on the second row and fastened her seat belt.
The journey began in silence.
Yuki quickly realised that the silence was not because the others had nothing to say. They were mind-linking each other.
Every so often, one of them would glance in her direction before looking away again. Yuki did not need to be a mind reader to understand that she was the subject of their conversation.
She chose not to care.
She had not come to Dravenhall to make friends. She was there to learn and improve her academic record. As long as their personal opinions did not interfere with her studies, she had no reason to concern herself with them.
Yuki turned towards the window and watched the scenery pass by. The further they travelled from the university, the more tired she became. She was still exhausted from yesterday’s incident, and the morning had already been exhausting enough.
She rested her head against the window. She would close her eyes for only a few minutes.
That was what she told herself.
The next thing she knew, someone was gently tapping her shoulder.
Yuki jolted awake.
She blinked several times before the unfamiliar surroundings came back to her. The driver was staring at her through the gap between the seats, a frown creasing his forehead.
"Your classmates didn’t wake you," he muttered. "They’ve been inside for five minutes already."
Yuki’s eyes widened. "What?" she blurted. The driver pointed towards the window.
"We’ve arrived," he informed her. Yuki immediately sat upright and looked outside.
Her breath caught.
The enormous hospital stood directly in front of her, its towering glass exterior reflecting the afternoon sunlight. Several interconnected buildings stretched behind the main structure, and the Ravencourt family emblem was engraved above the entrance.
Ravencourt Central Hospital.
Yuki glanced at the time. She had fallen asleep and missed the others leaving the vehicle. They had deliberately left her behind. So much for working together.
"Fuck," she cursed, her fingers quickly unbuckling her seat belt as she grabbed her bag.
"Miss?" the driver blurted.
"I’m sorry." Yuki pushed open the door. "Thank you."
Before the driver could say anything else, she jumped out and hurried towards the entrance.
She had already wasted five minutes. The others were probably halfway through their orientation by now. Yuki rushed through the main entrance, nearly stumbling in her haste.
The hospital was enormous.
Doctors in white coats hurried through the lobby, nurses pushed patients in wheelchairs, and visitors moved between the various reception desks. The sharp scent of disinfectant and herbs filled the air, mixed with the faint aroma of coffee drifting from a café somewhere nearby.
Yuki looked around anxiously.
Where were the others?
She spotted a reception desk and immediately headed towards it. There was already a small queue, but Yuki glanced at the clock again and made a quick decision.
"Excuse me," she politely called out. Nobody moved. Yuki stepped around the people waiting.
"I’m sorry for cutting in," she apologised to the queue of angry-looking people. The nurse behind the desk looked up immediately.
Her eyebrows drew together. "Excuse me, miss," she said in a displeased tone. Yuki stopped. "There is a queue," the nurse pointed out.
"I know," Yuki said quickly, pulling out her student identification card. "I’m sorry, but I’m from Dravenhall."
The nurse took the card from her. Yuki continued before the woman could reprimand her. She pulled out her student ID.
"I’m from the Clinical Medicine Faculty, Department of General Medicine and Surgery. I’m here for the special student internship, but I lost track of my classmates," she quickly explained the situation.
The nurse stared at her. "How did you lose track of them?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at Yuki.
Yuki hesitated. "I fell asleep in the car," she sheepishly said, scratching her forehead.
The nurse’s expression changed. Her lips twitched subtly. "You fell asleep? Dravenhall isn’t that far."
Yuki’s cheeks warmed. "Yes," she drawled. "I had a long night, and anatomy class was pretty boring," she admitted, and the stern nurse couldn’t help laughing.
"I can imagine." She shook her head, then looked at the identification card again before sighing. "But honestly, how does someone fall asleep and lose an entire group of students? Didn’t they wake you?"
That was the same question on her mind. "I don’t know. Maybe they were in a hurry and forgot..." she made excuses. She couldn’t say her course mates weren’t fond of her because she had ruined their clique.
The nurse gave her a long look. Yuki pressed her lips together. She did not have a reasonable explanation.
The nurse shook her head and glanced towards the hallway. "They already went for the orientation. I can call someone to..." she said, reaching for the receptionist phone, then her voice trailed off.
Her attention suddenly shifted past Yuki. The nurse’s expression changed. "Doctor," he called out.
Yuki instinctively turned slightly. The nurse raised her hand. "Doctor, could you please take this student to the internship orientation? She’s heading in the same direction." She pointed at Yuki.
A calm voice answered from behind Yuki. "Sure." Yuki froze.
She knew that voice.
Her entire body went still as a familiar scent reached her. Clean herbs mixed with something warm and spicy.
No.
There was no fucking way.