Chapter 4

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. Khalil Gibran

As they all gathered into the airport floor by the front doors, Seraphina and her classmates stuff themselves into cars as they file out of the airport doors. Seraphina was in a car with her plane/classmate and Nova, giggling away at the fact they were finally on their trip.

"I can't believe we are here! We are, right?" Nova was looking out the window and the car pulled away from the airport loading lane. Seraphina and her plane/classmate giggled to each other at Nova's child-like curiosity.

~~~

The car ride there was soothing. It was dark out, and everyone was exhausted as it was from the excitement and whatever whiplash it was that sitting on a plane did to people.

Everyone had already found their rooms at the hotel they were staying at, Nova, Charlotte, and Seraphina were all sharing a room while Samuel had joined in with another group of his classmates in a connected room. For now, they were all gathered in the girl's room.

"What do you think the hospital will be like here?"

Nova was unpacking her clothes and placing them into a dresser the room came with, looking over at Charlotte with a shrug, "They can't be that much different I'd say. Maybe not as crazy as Americans."

The room burst with laughter from Nova's comment. Samuel shushed them with a pout as he got up and left the room. He was on the phone with his girlfriend. The girls snickered as they heard I love you and I wish you were able to come with us. Samuel being all lovey to his girlfriend was teasing fuel for the girls.

As Nova and Charlotte chatted it up, Seraphina was more focused on her game. Color by number. It helped her relax and calm her thoughts so when he went to sleep, it was so much easier than dealing with a million thoughts going a mile on her. Sleep was starting to take over her, her eyelids closing on themselves. Seraphina decided to call it a night and turned her light off, telling her friends goodnight, and soon dozed off. Seraphina was out like a light now.

~~~

The sun broke its rays through the barely parted curtains into the girl's hotel room. Charlotte, Seraphina, and Nova were all getting dressed now, heading down to the large breakfast downstairs in the lobby of the hotel. Most of her classmates were already there nearly done eating or getting small seconds in secret.

A quick breakfast and then out the lobby doors filing into cars again. Today's To-Do: visit the hospital they were going to learn at and see how everything works and how to deal with difficult patients.

When they all arrived, some doctors and nurses were in the lobby waiting to greet them. Seraphina and a few others looked around at the halls and rooms as the whole group followed around.

Soon, they split off into smaller groups. Seraphina and Charlotte were in a small group together with some of their classmates as Nova gave a sad look as she was dragged away with her group.

"You think she'll survive without us for a bit?" Charlotte and Seraphina giggled to themselves as they followed their group into a hospital room with a coma-induced patient.

~~~

As the hours passed, Seraphina learned how to treat patients that were young to old, in comas, and walks in for a check-up. But the most she learned from was how doctors dealt with difficult patients.

The Kars and the Kevs. You'd think that if you are going to someone for medical advice, you'd listen! Not finding some way to tell them they're wrong, yet, they went to med school.

As notes were being jotted down, doctors needed to keep the more hostile Kars away, and other patients waving and smiling to the students, lunchtime was a go.

Time to explore and relax a bit before carrying on with the day and mushing brains into a liquid with knowledge.

Seraphina was all too ready for lunch. Her stomach was growling for the need of food from wherever she was going to get it from.

~~~

Seraphina hummed happily to herself as she finished off her meal. She had ordered Coddle. It sounded good, with the fact of bacon, pork, and potatoes being a part of it.

She sighed out pleased as she paid and set off on her way out to explore the town. She still had enough to kill for the exploration.

As her discoveries grew from the town's homes, shops, and places to eat, something had caught her eye just from a pathway through the center of town. A soft glow from between the trunks of the trees caught her and she followed towards it.

A yes, common sense! Let's NOT follow the pretty light. What are we? Crows?

As the light grew but started to fade, the trees seemed to have swallowed her up. The entrance of where she started seemed farther away than normal. Seraphina shook her head and looked away, continuing to follow the glowing light until a building came into view.

A cottage stood in front of her. It looked like no one had been here in decades to maintain it. The forest had started to claim it back as its own by the tree's roots and the moss climbing up the walls and into the opened windows. The sunlight that broke through the leaves flooded into the back windows of the cottage.

"This is kind of cute. Too bad it's all broken in," Seraphina peeked into the windows, seeing all the dirt and plant-grown furniture.

As she backed up, Seraphina's attention twisted to the front door. It was a little out of place for such an earthy pale-toned hut.

The pine-colored door was embroidered with dusty sand color hinges and door handed. A circular window was at the top letting you look more inside of the home as you would enter it.

The door had an age to it. Like it the sun was splitting the wood with its rays, the rain was softening the wood to make it peel as the wind-exposed its pale insides.

Seraphina reacted to it, turning the doorknob and swinging it open.