Thalia Complex, Chapter 1

a/n Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I've spent the last month few months relatively busy. Then I got seasons, which my game couldn't handle, with all my cc. But I cleaned out my cc folder and cut out a good amount of items, so I was able to start playing again! I'm also back at school and have a ton of work and this strange thing I didn't have in high school called a real life so I probably still won't be very consistent until Spring or Summer break(if then).

For the next few months, I prepared. I got a new outfit worked on my painting skill and read up on the other areas of study offered within the school. I loved painting, but I had never spent much time on any other craft. I wanted to have a chance to see what else they had available before I locked myself into a painting focus.

In the middle of August, I moved into my new 'dorm.' I use that term loosely, because it is truly just one of the many large refurbished homes that the school uses to house students. With my scholarship, I was able to get into one of the houses where each person would get their own room. I shared the house with four other girls; one in almost every focus area.

I knew very little about the home, when I arrived. I knew where my room would be, what to expect to find in my room, and what would be in the other girls' rooms. I spent a brief moment looking around the first floor; there was an empty room that at one point must have been an office, but now would belong to us for practicing dancing, if we chose to take a dancing class. The kitchen was large, perfect for all of us to gather in, and although the TV area was small, it was large enough for the five of us to watch TV. Tucked behind the living area was a small bathroom.

 I headed up one of the two large staircases to the second floor, where there were two spiral staircases to third floor rooms, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms. I took a quick peek in each of the room, knocking on each door in case they had already arrived, and finding few signs of life. The writer's room didn't look lived in, at all, the painter's room had one finished painting on the easel and an unmade bed. I couldn't see the musician's bed from the doorway, but the room didn't seem very lived in just by looking at the instruments I saw.

I went up each staircase. one was a plain room with a bed and sculpting station, the other was my room. My room was the most full room of them all. One of the options when choosing the little bit of furniture we were allowed to choose for ourselves was to get a loft bed rather than a normal one, which is what I had ended up doing. There was a guitar placed under the bed, a sculpting station across from it, a desk and easel on one side, and a dresser tucked in the corner near the stairwell.

As soon as I unpacked my things, I started painting. I was too nervous about whether or not the other girls would like me to try and find them. Besides, I hadn't heard anything while I was unpacking, so they probably weren't here yet. I got so focused on my painting that I must have missed the sounds of girls arriving because in the middle of my painting, I heard a voice behind me.

"I don't mean to throw you off your groove, but I thought I'd come say hi," a girl behind me said. I jumped and even squeaked a little; I hadn't heard her climb the stairs or anything until that second, "You're the undecided, right?"

"Yeah. I figured I would try multiple things before I chose a focus," I said, closing my paint tubes and cleaning up a bit, "My name's Thalia."

"Ooh, I like your name! Mine's Mia. It's nice to meet you!" She said, "I'm the painter. Are you as excited as I am to be here? I feel like I'm about to explode from excitement!"

I smiled. Mia was loud and excitable. She reminded me of little siblings, and although I was glad to be out of that house, I knew I'd start missing it and having Mia here would help a ton, "I am excited. I've been dying to come since I found out about it and I didn't know if it'd happen."

"I'm glad it all worked out for you!" She smiled widely, "Anyways, I came up to find you because the rest of the girls are outside and we were wondering if you wanted to join us!"

"Sure, I just have to clean these brushes," I pointed to the brushes I had left on the easel, "I'll be out in 10 minutes or so, okay?"

"Awesome! Meet you out back!"

She bounced down the staircase. I could hear her humming as she made her way outside.

I don't know what I expected to see when I walked outside, but it wasn't a stage. Mia was sitting with two other girls in front of the stage while another girl--I'm assuming the musician--was lost in her music on stage.

Mia smiled and introduced me to the other girls, "This is Emma," She said, pointing to the girl with light brown hair sitting next to her, "and that's Rad!"

Rad smiled and waved, "Hey there."

"Nice to meet you," Emma said, "Thalia, right?"

"Yeah. Nice to meet both of you, too."

"Hello," the girl who was playing said as she sat her guitar down and joined us.

"Sorry about that. I wanted to finish the song. I'm Orange."

I stared at her for a second, confused. Orange? Her name was actually...Orange? Were her parents painters, too? Or maybe they just loved fruit. She caught my look and laughed, "It's a nickname, but I prefer it over my real one."

"Oh. Okay," I said, confused, "and don't be sorry about the music. It sounded great."

"Thanks!" She said, perking up a bit, "I've loved music since I was a kid. Just about as long as I've loved broadway and spies!"

"Broadway and spies?" I laughed, "That's quite the mix!"

"What? They're both fantastic things! Besides, that's only the beginning of my strangeness! I hope none of you are into normality. I assume not, since you're in an art school, but..."

"Don't worry about it," Emma said shyly, "I know I don't mind. I hope you guys don't mind if sculptures of random everyday things appear everywhere. I love making things like that. Especially toilets! They're fun to make!"

"I'd be more offended if you tried to claim yourself normal!" Mia giggled.

"And I write. Need I say more?" Rad said with a laugh. When we all looked at her in confusion, she blushed, "Er...it's a writer thing. We have to be crazy, that's how we create characters that come to life."

"Sounds right up my alley," I smile, turning to face her, "I'll most definitely try that!"

"I'm gonna stick with painting and drawing! Writing seems so much harder," Mia said.

"Music is my one true love, along with my boyfriend. My hands may be good at strumming chords, pressing keys, and banging sticks on drums, but I could never paint the way you do, Mia."

The conversation continued, concentrating on our arts and what we love about what we do. Emma talked about how she doesn't think she could have the rhythm that Orange has, and Rad talked about how her imagination may be working all the time, but she could never have enough control to make sculptures like Emma's.

After a while, Rad gasped, "Oh my god! I just figured out how to fix a plot hole in one of my stories. I'm sorry to leave you guys, but I need to get this down!"

"I'll go too, actually. I think I'm gonna try to make a chair or something," Emma said, "Excuse me, girls. I'll see you later, or tomorrow or something."

"Sorry, girls, I hope you two don't mind but I think I'm actually going to go play something. I'll talk to you later," Orange said.

"Ha! Seems like inspiration is in the air! Maybe the two of us should go do something, too?" Mia said, "I'm kind of in the mood to paint."

"Sounds like a plan!" I laughed. We went inside and started walking up the stairs. I could hear Orange playing the keyboard and something from Emma's room. Mia and I went our separate ways, and I continued my painting.

As I painted, I thought about what else I wanted to do. Writing definitely sounded like a fun adventure, and playing instruments? Duh I wanted to learn! I wanted to at least learn how to play guitar. Then there was always sculpting. I figured that I'd give that a try too, as it was the other visual art and Emma talked really highly of it. Maybe I'd realize I didn't like doing any of them, and I'd end up focusing on painting anyway, but I knew I at least wanted to try them all!

I ended up painting until dark, grabbed some dinner, and headed to sleep.