Before The World Sees Us
Country: Aurivelle
City: Auremont
Alvara
(Two Months Later)
I stepped out of the bathroom, the faint scent of soap still clinging to my skin as I walked to my wardrobe.
My fingers moved through the hangers slowly, thoughtfully, until I settled on a cream blouse and beige baggy trousers.
Simple. Clean. Enough.
After dressing, I slipped into my brown flats, then reached for my structured tote.
A pair of pearl earrings followed, small but elegant, before I gathered my hair into a neat low bun.
Just as I began placing the last few things into my bag, a knock came at the door.
I opened it.
Isabella stood there, already dressed, already smiling.
“I’m done,” I said immediately.
Because I knew exactly what she was about to say.
She tilted her head slightly, amused. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You were about to.”
A small laugh escaped her.
I picked up my bag, and together, we stepped out.
“The institute has changed over the week,” she said as we walked. “I can’t believe it’s been six months since we came here.”
“I can’t believe it either,” I replied. “It still feels like yesterday.”
Tomorrow was the runway show.
The past two months had been nothing but work. Endless hours. Sleepless nights. Quiet determination.
We had finished our designs just last week…three runway pieces in two months. The fastest I had ever worked.
And somehow… the best I had ever created.
Even now, it didn’t feel real.
From where we started… to standing on the edge of something like this.
Tomorrow, our designs will be on that runway.
The thought alone felt unreal.
Over the past week, the institute had been changing.
Not suddenly.
Not loudly.
But in quiet, deliberate shifts.
Each day brought something new.
Something refined.
Something adjusted.
Even security shifted.
Stronger.
More controlled.
Access tightened, not with noise… but with presence.
As if the institute itself was slowly closing in…
Preparing.
By the end of the week, it was no longer something you could overlook.
You felt it the moment you stepped inside.
Not with your eyes.
But in the air.
The institute I had come to know was still there.
But beneath it…
Something else had taken form.
Something bigger.
Something waiting.
Something ready.
“I will miss the institute,” Isabella said as we settled into our seats in the refectory.
“Just say you’ll miss the food,” I replied, rolling my eyes.
She shot me a look, lips twitching.
“Well, the food is part of the institute.”
I laughed softly, and soon our breakfast was placed in front of us.
For a while, we ate in comfortable silence.
After breakfast, we all made our way to the hall…the same hall we had first been welcomed in months ago.
It feels different now.
Heavier.
We took our seats among the other designers, the usual chatter reduced to low murmurs as we waited.
Then she walked in.
Mrs. Alexia.
Calm. As always.
“Hello everyone,” she said, a soft smile on her lips.
“It’s been a long journey with you… an amazing six months.”
Her gaze moved across us…slow.
Like she was taking us all in.
For the first time…
And the last.
“When you arrived here,” she continued,
“you came with ideas.”
“Raw. Unrefined. Untested.”
Her expression softened slightly.
“But today…”
A small tilt of her head.
“You sit here as designers.”
“You’ve been challenged.”
“Pushed.”
“Questioned.”
“And in some cases…”
Her eyes flickered with quiet understanding.
“Broken.”
A subtle shift passed through the room.
“But that was never to bring you down.”
“It was to show you what you’re capable of becoming.”
She stepped forward.
“Tomorrow is not just a showcase.”
“It is not just about who wins… and who doesn’t.”
Her tone sharpened slightly.
“It is about presence.”
“Identity.”
“And the ability to stand in a room full of people who matter…”
“And make them feel something.”
My fingers tightened slightly in my lap.
“Out there,” she gestured faintly,
“are people who will decide more than just your ranking.”
“They will decide if you are worth remembering.”
“But listen carefully…”
Her voice softened again.
“You have already done something most people never will.”
“You created it.”
“You endured.”
“You stayed.”
A small smile returned.
“And for that… I am proud of you.”
She paused.
“Today, your designs will be moved to the Atelier.”
A shift of attention moved across the room.
“Once they are placed, no further alterations will be permitted.”
“You will report there tomorrow, where you will prepare your models.”
Her gaze swept over us again.
“Everything you have worked for…”
“Come down to that moment.”
She straightened slightly.
“Do not hesitate.”
“Do not doubt.”
“And whatever you do…”
A brief pause.
“Do not hold back.”
“Prepare yourselves.”
Her smile returned.
“Tomorrow… you step into the world.”
She paused again.
More personal.
“And because of that…”
Her hands came together lightly.
“This will be the last time I address you like this.”
Something shifted in the room.
“Tomorrow night, you present your work to the world.”
Her gaze moved across us.
“And by Saturday morning…”
“You will all be leaving the institute.”
The silence deepened.
“Arrangements have already been made.”
“You will each be taken to your respective homes.”
“No buses this time.”
A faint smile touched her lips.
“Fifty cars have been prepared.”
“Each is assigned to you.”
A quiet murmur spread through the hall.
“But before that…”
Her voice steadied.
“You have one final night here.”
“One final moment to prove yourselves.”
“And after that…”
“You all go your separate ways.”
“You may not see each other again.”
Her eyes moved slowly, deliberately.
“And that is the nature of this path.”
“But wherever you find yourselves after this…”
“Whatever you choose to build…”
“I wish you nothing but the very best.”
Her smile softened.
“You came here as students.”
“But you leave as designers.”
“Make it count.”
The doors opened, and staff began to enter.
“Three staff members will follow each of you to your personal studios,” she continued. “They will assist in moving your designs to the Atelier collection.”
“The show will begin at 7 PM tomorrow.”
Her gaze lingered briefly on a few of us.
“The selected ten are to report to the Atelier by 2 PM…for final adjustments, if necessary… and to prepare your models.”
“Now, you may return to your studios.”
“Staff will escort you and ensure your designs are transferred safely.”
Her eyes moved across us one last time.
“Make the most of the time you have left.”
And just like that…
It was over.
She left after that, and the staff moved toward us.
The three assigned to me followed quietly as I led the way to my studio.
No one spoke.
There was something about the moment… something final in the air.
They handled the garments with care.
I followed behind them as we made our way to the Atelier collection.
The moment I stepped inside, I paused.
It felt different.
More polished.
More… complete.
This was my first time inside it, and somehow, it felt like stepping into something bigger than all of us.
Everything was arranged with precision.
Controlled.
Ready.
One by one, my designs were placed carefully in their assigned sections.
My name was attached.
Simple.
But it felt… permanent.
Like sealing something I couldn’t take back.
When it was done, we left.
Just like that.
No adjustments.
No second chances.
Only tomorrow.
“What should we do?” Isabella asked as we walked away.
“I don’t know… maybe just get ready to leave,” I said.
“Yeah… I guess so.”
We headed back, reaching her room first.
I dropped onto her bed while she moved to her wardrobe, already pulling things out.
“I still can’t believe we’re going,” she said. “It’s been a journey… we’ve really come a long way.”
“We have,” I replied softly. “And we’re not even close to being done.”
She smiled at that.
I stood up and walked over to help her.
“We came with one box…” I said, folding a piece of fabric, “but we’re leaving with four.”
Isabella laughed.
“It feels like we came here to shop.”
I smiled, watching her as she dropped the clothes onto the bed.
And for a moment… I just looked at her.
Really looked.
This girl…
This person who walked into my life without warning…
And stayed.
From being just a colleague nine months ago…
To be my best friend.
The one who brought out sides of me I didn’t even know existed.
The one who stayed through everything.
Who encouraged me.
Who held me together when I was close to falling apart.
I used to watch other girls from a distance.
The laughter.
The closeness.
The ease of having someone.
I used to envy it.
Quietly.
Thinking maybe… it just wasn’t for me.
But now…
I had her.
And somehow…
I got the best of them all.
“Bella,” I called softly.
She looked up at me, a small frown forming, like she didn’t understand why my voice sounded like that and why I called her Bella.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” she asked, almost brushing it off.
“For everything,” I said, my voice quieter now. “For staying… for not giving up on me even when I didn’t know how to let anyone in.”
I swallowed, my chest tightening.
“I didn’t have this before,” I admitted. “Not like this. I used to watch other girls… the way they laughed, the way they had someone… and I’d just…”
My voice broke slightly.
“I didn’t think I’d ever have that.”
Her expression softened instantly, her eyes already shining.
“But then you came,” I continued, my lips trembling despite the smile I tried to hold.
“And you didn’t just stay on the surface. You saw me… all of me… and you stayed anyway.”
A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.
“And now I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Hey…” she whispered, her voice breaking as she crossed the room.
She pulled me into a hug before I could say anything else.
“Don’t say it like that,” she murmured, holding me tighter. “You’re stuck with me, okay? You don’t get to get rid of me that easily.”
I let out a small, shaky laugh through my tears, holding onto her like she might disappear if I didn’t.
“I’m serious,” she added, pulling back slightly, her eyes wet now, tears slipping down freely. “You’re not doing this alone anymore. Not tomorrow… not ever.”
That was it.
The tears came fully.
I nodded, unable to speak, and she wiped my face, even though hers was just as wet.
“We did this together,” she said softly.
“Every late night, every breakdown, every moment you thought you couldn’t do it… you did. And I’m so proud of you.”
My chest tightened.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “We did this. Not just me.”
She smiled through her tears.
“Then we’ll win it together too.”
I shook my head, smiling through my tears.
“Whatever happens tomorrow…” she continued, her voice softer now, steadier, “I just want you to remember this moment. We made it here. From nothing… to this.”
Silence settled between us.
But it wasn’t empty.
It was full.
Of memories.
Of struggles.
Of something real.
I rested my forehead lightly against hers, closing my eyes.
“Thank you for choosing me,” I whispered.
She squeezed my hand gently.
“Always.”
And in that moment…
With tears still on my cheeks and her hand still holding mine…
Tomorrow didn’t feel so terrifying anymore.