Girl That Inspires • •

[mai dalia de vries]

The library was where Mai spent a lot of her time during the day. If she wasn’t in class then she could be found between the stacks or sitting at one of the larger tables so she could spread all of her things out without having to create a pile in front of her. Mai didn’t like it when she had to fumble through books and pages to find what she was looking for. It was easier to work with copies, excess of books, and spread across a large surface, even if it made other students grumble when they came across her and the amount of space she was taking up. She could move if they asked her to, but very few actually asked her to. They seemed to enjoy grumbling and having an excuse to not be able to do their work that day. Mai just liked having the space, and since she was up early for her breakfast and insulin, it made sense to head to the campus early, too. She wasn’t the type to laze about her apartment when she could be pushing herself and planning out upcoming college assignments.

Mai liked to be ahead of the curve. She had been there her whole life despite how her conditions had made some teachers think she ought to take things a little more slowly in life. That wasn’t how the colourful Dutch girl approached anything. She saw something and she hurdled over it with as much enthusiasm and gusto as she could muster, and with the intention of wowing the world around her. Mai wanted to make changes and leave her mark on the planet in the best way possible, and she had been told time and time again that she had the brains to accomplish that. It didn’t stop her from aiming higher or pushing herself harder. Mai readjusted the beanie hat over her bright hair and leaned back, bringing her legs up to support the heavy reference book of anatomy while she balanced her notebook against the left page, pencil scribbling away notes on the surface. She didn’t have classes until after lunch today, but she had every intention to get through as much of the recommended reading and then some. She was already ahead by several weeks, but that didn’t slow her down. She’d finish the listings and then ask her professor for more, as well as finding her own pieces within the shelves of the library to read and further her knowledge with.

She switched textbooks to double check something she thought she had read about an hour before, grabbing her highlighter and highlighting her notepad with a bright yellow streak. Mai was on a roll, and she didn’t want to stop any time soon. Unfortunately, the shrill sound of the fire alarm meant that she would have to, and while the usual protocol that everyone knew insisted on people leaving their belongings, Mai, and so many others, were not about to discard their possessions in the library. Swearing under her breath, Mai untangled herself from the chair and hastily scooped everything into her bag. Then the librarian explained it was just a test of the alarms and no one needed to move, just as Mai dropped a heavy book of neurology on the floor by her desk. A group of guys who looked like the type who came to college to party rather than study sniggered and pointed, causing Mai to glower at each of them in turn and mumble even more Dutch curses under her breath. None of this would have happened if she had been able to stay at her table.

• • •

TAGGED! Sawyer Jackson Ramsay
WORDS! 623!
OUTFIT! Bright Brainiac!
LYRICS! The Schmuel Song - - - The Last Five Years
NOTES! <3

[Sawyer Jackson Ramsay]

The library wasn't Sawyer's first option for a study place. In fact, he didn't like how crowded it tended to be with other students. He wasn't a homebody and usually loved a good crowd but when he needed to study, even the quiet of the library wasn't good enough. He knew it was because he had to be quiet and he had to behave. It was rules like that, that made him want to blast loud rock music and do anything but behave and stay silent. He'd rather a coffee shop, park or even his own apartment where if he chose to get distracted, he wouldn't get into trouble because of it. But the library was where his little study group had wanted to meet up for their group assignment. So Sawyer got there a little earlier than he needed to be so he could grab them a large table and find the mindset to actually do some work in the library. He grabbed the first textbook, one he'd already read through twice and settled in to read through the appropriate chapters once again.

He had been a straight A student his entire life, never getting anything below that before for everything. He pushed himself so he wouldn't find a grade below that anywhere on his reports. He was at least a month ahead of the rest of the class for the reading lists, plus thanks to a couple of his professor's, he had the upcoming assignments taken care of already as well. The only ones he couldn't sit around his apartment and take care of were the group assignments. He refused to do all the work but at the same time, he demanded they get a top grade so he offered to be the one to go over everything when they were finished with it all. It was usually then that he added things or took others away. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he was a perfectionist but the boy hated mistakes.

Sawyer was half way through the second chapter when his phone buzzed on the table with a text message. Annoyed, he checked the message over quickly, not really reading it at first then when it sank in, read it again. There was a change in the plans; a couple people in the group couldn’t make it, something about a shift change, Sawyer wasn’t interested. Now he was just pissed that he was left alone in the library and because of this setback, their assignment might not make deadline. Okay, so he wasn’t going to let that happen, it would kill his GPA but he’d make the rest of the group sweat it out. He sent back a message, asking for the rescheduled time before packing up his things. He didn’t need the huge table for himself, he preferred smaller spaces and a corner would do him just fine. And siting at he big table felt like he was waiting for the crowd that wouldn’t be showing up now.

With his things gathered once more, Sawyer contemplated just heading over to the coffee place on campus but he was already at the library and he was finally in the mindset to actually get some work done. Moving to a smaller table or even one with someone already at it would do him well enough. “Hey sorry but would you mind if I took up a corner of the table?” He asked the first person he saw alone. He didn’t recognise the colourful girl but that really didn’t mean anything; especially if they were in different classes. He would put money on it that come graduation, he wouldn’t know half the names called out!

Tag || mai dalia de vries
Words || 618
Clothes || Frustrated Forensics Student
Music || Kickin' With You --Jason Mraz
Notes || <3

[mai dalia de vries]

If Mai had been able to study in The Lounge, she would have done. However, she had tried it and she had found herself clearing tables instead of working on her next class assignment. She enjoyed working with music on in the background, but since she worked at The Lounge for the same reason she had wanted to study in there, it hadn’t worked out all that well for her. Plus, at least when she was in the library she could grab any information she wanted from the shelves whenever she required it. There was no huffing about needing to pack up and trek over there for one thing, only to later realise that she needed another. The library was convenient, if a little too quiet at times. Then again, Mai hadn’t flown across the world to keep up on the gossip and be a part of the drama. She had come here to escape the bubblewrap life her parents and siblings had offered to her. Mai had health concerns, big deal! She didn’t need to be treated like some porcelain doll because of it. She knew how to look after herself after so many years of hospital appointments and doctors poking at her. And she would rather break her leg living her life than grow miserable watching everyone else live theirs.

So far she was living through travel, tattoos and hair dye. The rest she hoped would come later in life after she had graduated and was on her way to making changes in the world. Mai never looked at the smaller picture, always the large one. She was going to dive into genetics research after she was done with school, maybe with a PhD under her belt, and then she would dedicate her life to making other lives better. Her focuses would be personal, maybe even a little selfish to some, but she had grown up with two very serious conditions that would last until she was in her grave. She wasn’t the only person out there who would go through the same thing, and she wanted to commit her life to at least finding a treatment for them, or one of them. Both would be a dream come true and since Mai believed in hard work over wishes, she would probably push herself to make that happen. There hadn’t been a day in her childhood when the science kid had slacked off, and it wasn’t about to happen in her adulthood either.

Settling herself back down again, Mai grabbed another book, switching it out for the one that had been in her lap and twisted even more awkwardly in her seat. It never seemed like it would be comfortable, but Mai had joked for years that she did her best work in knots. Though she still had to be careful not to twist and crack something; her body wasn’t as youthful as she was. Hearing the voice, Mai looked up and just blinked for a moment. Usually she was left totally alone when she was in the library because of how much space she took up and because of her habits when she worked. There were quirks to everyone, but Mai often felt like hers leapt out more obviously at times. “Alsjeblieft, zitten.” She was still getting used to being in a new country, and remembering to actually speak English was still coming to her, even if she was a junior now. Thankfully, this time she remembered after the Dutch fell from her lips. “I mean, go ahead.” Leaning forward she cleared some of the space, though a tiny part of her hated surrendering desk room. It would mean shuffling papers more.

• • •

TAGGED! Sawyer Jackson Ramsay
WORDS! 619!
OUTFIT! Bright Brainiac!
LYRICS! The Schmuel Song - - - The Last Five Years
NOTES! <3

[Sawyer Jackson Ramsay]

Sawyer hadn’t known how he would feel about New York before he’d made the conscious decision to move to America for schooling. He’d only known he wanted to explore before his eventual return to the UK. His major hadn’t been one that he just had to do in New York. Really, he could have gone to any university and found the courses he required for the degree he was after but he’d had an itch to wander before he settled and that itch brought him to New York. He could travel from New York around the country and do short trips to cross places off his list on his motorcycle or on a train. So far he hadn’t crossed off as much as he would have liked around the states but he was getting there. He would have to really buckle down after graduation, but he already had a couple spots lined up, it was just a matter of if he was going to stay in New York for a little while longer or head out to the west coast for a spell.

Eventually he would find himself back in Wales but until then, he wasn’t sure what his next move was. Sawyer wanted to solve puzzles and save the world. Only one of those would ever really be possible but at least through solving those puzzles, he could help someone find closure and they could put a guilty man behind bars. He just needed to finish the year out and agree to one of the offers he’d been given. It was a lot to think about. He wanted to see the west coast but he loved the east coast feel. He felt like he could be in New York for a decade and still not see all there was to see in the city. He had time so he wasn’t going to worry about it until he really had to.

Right then, he just wanted to do what he needed to for his part of the assignment and then he wanted to get out of there and spend a little free time doing something he actually wanted to do. Study was great and all, it helped him get the higher grades that he preferred for himself but it left little time for a personal life. “Bedankt.” He said with a smirk. He didn’t know much Dutch despite the fact he’d spent a summer there when he’d been seventeen but he knew the basics. Probably couldn’t hold a decent conversation but he could understand what someone said to him.

Tag || mai dalia de vries
Words || 457
Clothes || Frustrated Forensics Student
Music || Kickin' With You --Jason Mraz
Notes || <3

[mai dalia de vries]

When Mai had first told people that she was moving to New York for school, people had flipped out. These were the people who knew she was diabetic, had seen her at her worst when her blood sugar levels had dropped dangerously low. They were also the people who had witnessed how easily she broke bones and snapped herself. Mai didn't want to be wrapped up in bubble wrap and treated like a priceless porcelain doll for the rest of her life. She was young and she wanted to live, to see the world, and make memories that she could laugh so hard at she would eventually cry. Her conditions should not be able to deny her that. She wouldn't let them deny her that. Her family, and her closest friends wanted her to stay close to home, to keep her safe, but Mai wouldn't listen to them. She was the one living with everything and being constantly treated like she had a 'Fragile: Handle with Care' tattoo across her forehead. In fact, Mai was genuinely contemplating getting the words inked on her skin somewhere in a sarcastic fashion. New York was her first break away from a lifetime of protective treatment that Mai felt she didn't need. She knew how to look after herself, she knew the signs of a bad turn, and she most certainly knew the feeling of some part of her breaking or dislocating. Mai didn't need mollycoddling through any of that. It was her day to day life after all.

One day she might return to Amsterdam, but by that point Mai hoped that everyone would have learnt to trust her with her own life. A few years away might show them that she was capable of that much. They praised her for how intelligent she was, so why couldn’t they give her some space and a chance at living her own life? It wasn’t like she was about to run and throw herself under a bus just to see how much it would hurt! However, Mai was ambitious and Amsterdam didn’t house the best laboratories or research teams that she would want to work with. As much as she might wish to return home, she was fully aware that it might only be for Christmas and special occasions. She wanted to makes waves, not ripples, and she would go to wherever was the best for her to do that. It could mean that she remained in America after she was satisfied her college studies were over, or she might head on back to Europe, or even another part of the globe! Mai didn’t know, but she’d worry about it only when the time came. She had plenty she wanted to see and do before then.

Her bright blue eyes widened a fraction in surprise and then a smile crossed her lips. The way he spoke was enough to reveal that he wasn’t a native, but it also wasn’t butchered enough to suggest that he had been a drunken tourist on a quick weekend getaway with the guys. Mai had witnessed plenty of those over the years as they keeled over in the street, sick to their stomach on beer and drugs. “So, where are you from?” She asked curiously while she scribbled down a few more notes before they escaped her mind completely. Mai was a girl who adored science, and science meant asking a lot of things in a quest for answers. It was something that extended throughout her personality, and she was more curious than Alice in Wonderland at times, asking total strangers all sorts of things. Not that she would ever complain since it was commonly how she made friends!

• • •

TAGGED! Sawyer Jackson Ramsay
WORDS! 620!
OUTFIT! Bright Brainiac!
LYRICS! The Schmuel Song - - - The Last Five Years
NOTES! <3

[Sawyer Jackson Ramsay]

Sawyer could have gone to school anywhere to become a forensic scientist but he had wanted to see a small bit of the world so he wasn't just in his own area. The UK was nice and all but he'd seen it all; or at least most of it. He wanted to see a bit more before he was settled back in his hometown, most likely, and working away at his dream career. He'd wanted to be a forensic scientist ever since that car accident so many years ago. Though, it was a career he could really do just about anywhere. And who really knew if he'd decide to go home when he was finished school. He might land himself a job in New York or just about anywhere at all. It was something exciting for Sawyer. But first he needed to finish school; which was surprisingly difficult for the young Welshman.

It wasn't the courses, classes, lectures or assignments, it was life. Sawyer had been all around the UK but he'd hardly gone further than that; a handful of places for school and for group vacation with his friends but nowhere too far or too fancy. And now here he was in New York City with all it's sights and sounds to impress even those difficult souls. It was a rush and Sawyer wanted to be in the centre of it all; which was so much easier said than done. But he'd made a promise and he was a man who kept his words once it was given. He would finish out the school year before he got into any real trouble around the big apple. And with any luck, he would graduate with a job offer or two that saw him in the city for a little while longer at least. All experience was good experience as the sayings went and he needed the experience before he would be taken seriously by anyone.

He'd already had a few interviews that looked promising and that would keep him in the city for a while longer yet. But first, he needed to finish school, graduate and then they'd make a real offer. He understood how it all worked. The library was his haven when he needed to work. Though he had yet to run into anyone who wasn't from the United States; not in his programme anyway. "Wales. Cardiff." He told her with a grin. It was probably strange to be hearing her own language in a city so far from home but then, he'd probably blink as well if someone approached him chattering away in Welsh. "What about you?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him as it always did.

Tag || mai dalia de vries
Words || 452
Clothes || Frustrated Forensics Student
Music || Kickin' With You --Jason Mraz
Notes || <3

[mai dalia de vries]

Getting out of the bubble her family wanted to keep her in had been a big thing for Mai. They wouldn’t be around to keep her safe forever, and even with their fussing and pandering there was no certain way to stop her from getting hurt, or ending up in a hospital bed a couple of times. She had accepted that already, but she didn’t want to let her medical history define her life. There was absolutely no reason why it had to. Mai had to look after herself more, take certain precautions with her health and lifestyle, but she didn’t need to stop living her life, or sit back and say she couldn’t have the same future as everyone else just because her body was fragile and faulty. No, she worked hard to show those who doubted it that she could have what they had, and more if she so wished. Her mind was her strongest asset, as she had proved time and time again with top grades and by getting into a programme in NYU that demanded dedication and hard work. It was mentally taxing at times, and her professors threw so much information at her in a language that wasn’t even her first. Yet Mai still scored those impressive marks on exams, and showed everyone that they shouldn’t write her off.

Of course, out here, it was only a few doctors, and her school file that painted a picture of a girl who might need a bubble. She had friends who knew she was diabetic because that was something Mai didn’t try to hide. However, the part where a simple stumble might break a bone, she did. The fussing and the alienation of that was something she did not want to see from the people she had met here; not if she could help it. It was easy to pass off her injuries and crutches or splints on a clumsy nature than it was to start prattling off medical explanations about conditions that stemmed from another condition and would be with her for the rest of her life. It wasn’t exactly a quick way to solidify friendships; in fact, many people were freaked out and put off whenever they discovered someone wasn’t likely to join in on wild ideas and reckless notions even if she looked the part. College kids didn’t want to have to worry about each other constantly when they had classes to be concerned about already.

If her plan worked out like she hoped, Mai had every intention of staying in New York after graduation. She was toying with the idea of continuing her education anyway, but if she was honest, the better research was happening outside of her home country. She missed it, and would continue to do so, but it was her dream to improve life for future generations and that meant going where the best equipment and teams were. She could never accomplish much if she was working somewhere with a facility a decade behind everyone else. “Amsterdam.” She replied with a small smile. Telling people exactly where she came from usually led to a barrage of questions or jokes. Mai took them in her stride though, and she was used to them by now after living in New York for a few years. Her eyes suddenly drifted to his shoulder where some fluff had come to settle after floating by. “You have some…” She trailed off and then just decided it was simpler to lean forward and remove the offending debris with her slender fingers, showing him it before flicking it to the floor between them.

• • •

TAGGED! Sawyer Jackson Ramsay
WORDS! 610!
OUTFIT! Bright Brainiac!
LYRICS! The Schmuel Song - - - The Last Five Years
NOTES! <3