Mysteries of Aurora - Saturday September 7, Morning

 

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Freya sketched the view from the balcony near her room shortly after breakfast. “What secrets are hiding?” she asked herself. “Somehow, I know I’m going to be involved in some things.”

 

“Talking to yourself, Freya?” Dana asked as she came up to her from the building.

 

“Oh, trying to make sense of some things.”

 

“What are those, the missing artworks?”

 

“Yes, but not that just. That they haven’t been found, like in private collections, or having been smuggled out of Aurora…” Freya answered.

 

“Have any been found?”

 

“Not as far as I know, but I could look it up,” Freya responded before taking out her tablet.

 

“You don’t have to right now.”

 

“I guess not.”

 

“But what else are you doing today?” Dana asked.

 

“Staying here in the Hall. I’ll be spending time with others here, especially other freshmen, later, so I’ll get to know them better and vice-versa. I have been mostly hanging out with you.”

 

“That’s a good idea. I know there will be a movie night in the Main Common Room tonight.”

 

“What sort of movie?” Freya asked.

 

“I think they were talking about a romance set in the South in the late 17^th Century.”

 

“I’ll think about it,” Freya considered with a smile.

 

 

At the same time, Olivia returned from breakfast to find Olivia playing one of her games. “Which game is that?” she asked.

 

“Imperial Ages, it’s real time strategy. I was inspired by what you have been talking about to play this particular campaign.”

 

“How so?”

 

“Aurora is one of the playable civilisations and this is set during the Nordic Era,” Janara said

 

“That’s interesting.”

 

“There are many other campaigns, mostly in the Roman Era.”

 

“I suppose I could look into it, at some point,” Olivia said.

 

“Or you could watch let’s plays on VideoSpace.”

 

“Would there be any in Auroran?”

 

“Of course. Aurora’s gaming community is quite large for its population,” Janara answered.

 

“Got it. I’m heading to the Library again.”

 

“Already?”

 

“It may be early, but there is a lot to find,” Olivia said.

 

Janara turned to her. “Just don’t wear yourself out, OK?”

 

“I will take breaks,” Olivia said in a reassuring tone. “And I will be at the pool again later.”

 

“That’s good. I’ll see you at dinner then?”

 

“Yes.”

 

 

Freya entered a common room shortly before Eleven. She saw that there were other first year students there, chatting away.

 

“Freya!”

 

“Daniela!”

 

“How did the first lectures go?” Daniela asked.

 

“Quite well. The lecturer’s are quite supportive…” Freya began.

 

“That’s very good.”

 

“And they have experience with neurodivergent students,” Freya said with excitement, bouncing up and down.

 

 

Daniela could tell that Freya was exited to tell her that. “I guess so. I looked into it after the treasure hunt.”

 

“Yes, the University’s web pages are very informative, although I had only skimmed them.”

 

“Very boring?”

 

“Yes, they couldn’t hold my attention. Maybe that’s something I could bring up,” Freya said in a thoughtful tone.

 

“It’s probably a good idea.”

 

 

‘Sometime on Monday,’ Freya thought. “I will do it.”

 

“What else is new?”

 

“I signed up for athletics and football.”

 

“Somehow, after Wednesday, I knew that you would be into sports,” Daniela commented.

 

“I guess I give off that energy.”

 

“What else did you do?”

 

“And I also looked at the art gallery with one of my classmates,” Freya answered. “But only a small portion of it as it became overwhelming.”

 

Daniela nodded.

 

“And I did more sketching.”

 

“You do that a lot?”

 

“It helps me focus and also calms me when I’m particularly energetic,” Freya answered.

 

“It’s good that you found something that helps you.”

 

 

It was a quiet day in the Library. Olivia had been researching slowly as usual. ‘Maybe I need to look further afield. Urbs Aeterna is important, but every part of Aurora has it’s own stories.’ She shook her head. ‘Not yet. Urbs Aeterna first, although it was one of the last major cities to fall to the Vikings.’ She stood up and looked around that floor of the Nordic Section. There were hardly any other students there. ‘Maybe that pink girl?’ she wondered. ‘But it’s not likely she would be here today either. But I’ll keep an eye out for her next week.’

She turned back to her notes.

 

Urbs Aeterna fell in 943, well over a century after the Viking conquests began.

 

‘Well, it had already fallen to the Romans. I’m certain that lessons were learned from the beginning and end of the Roman period.’

 

Note: Check records from AD 96 and 436.

 

‘Not too much at once,’ she thought. ‘But I will have a look at a book that covers the entire Roman Era at some point today.’