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She had come to the college a few days earlier and had received her classes. She was facing math and English , along with
US History. She had already taken a college history class in high school, but she was told she would have to take it again.
Fine. At least she was a step ahead of the game. Then there was Chemistry, then Psychology. The last was a freebie course,
one of three that she had signed up for. The other two were next semester, along with her hated Spanish class, British Lit.
and another English class. It was her major, after all.
She looked out her window, taking in all the University's brick buildings. She had walked around, learning her way around
campus. She wasn't going to be the student who gets lost and is late for her classes. No. That would be someone else. Someone
who can stand to have eyes on them.
She hadn't been prepared to feel so... trapped, still. She hoped she would loosen up – maybe her subconscious couldn't
believe she was safe yet. Maybe she wasn't sure. Maybe... over time...
She sighed. She had gotten here... she was one step closer to fulfilling her goal... to getting free. She was at the college.
Her mother wasn't here anymore, and she wouldn't see her again until Thanksgiving vacation. She was free. She was free! So
why did she still feel the burden of pain and hopelessness? And for how much longer?
“Dammit,” she whispered, “how much longer?” She was so tired... she was so tired of fighting... against
the world and against herself...
She looked around her at the single dorm that she had. She would be sharing this part of her with no one. No one had to see
her sadness; she would be alone in this part of her. At least she had a place to hide here.
The rest of the students came in the next day. She watched a few through her window. She had practically camped out in her
room, only coming out to eat and to speak with her college advisers. She turned away from the window.
Brittany would be coming in today – this was a girl who she actually knew. She had been given a doubles room at first,
and Brittany was to have been her roommate. Brittany had called her after they'd found out who their roommate would be. When
they'd spoken on the phone, they'd been able to have an okay conversation. She hadn't had a huge panic attack afterwards.
But so far, Brittany was the only person that Trista knew even a little bit. She didn't leave her room. She could hear people
coming into the residence hall she stayed in. Some were laughing, others talking. Some quickly struck up conversations in
the hallway, with their roommates or people they recognized. She could hear some kids' parents talking to them, wishing them
luck, telling them to call. Some said they'd be calling once they got home. Others that they wanted to know how their child's
first day went. There was more laughter.
“Honey, I want you to tell us all about the college in a few days.”
“Yeah, yeah, Mom. Okay.”
“Take care of yourself. I love you.”
She effectively hid in her dormitory, keeping herself quiet. She wasn't in the mood to meet anyone.
<*>
He looked around, strangely confident despite not being used to his form. His Lord had warned him that he would attract far
too much attention if he went onto Earth in his robe, wings spread and bright aura gleaming around him. So he had gotten his
form changed and had come to Bladesbury University with an enormous amount of stuff. He had been given his own room, for the
privacy to speak to his Lord and stretch his wings if necessary.
He was unpacked in record time. What did humans find necessary with all this? Televisions and Disc players and... MP3 players.
Were such things really necessary to produce music? It was all much easier in Heaven. And laptops. He found the things intriguing,
but time-consuming. He preferred books.
The people he'd met were rowdy but fun. He'd already met a couple girls who were kind, and a guy lightly punched his arm and
welcomed him to the college. The punch hadn't hurt; apparently it was some sort of male handshake. Strange, but not completely
uncomfortable.
He was ready to find the girl. She had to be extremely important to his Lord, or else he wouldn't have been sent. Would this
be difficult? He had to wait until his first English class to find out. They had been situated to have many classes together
– she had gotten past a free year of English due to her high AP English scores, so they could have English together.
He was in a higher math class than she, since she was taking the lowest math class she could. He guessed she didn't like math
all that much. Then there was US History, which he couldn't be in, since he was supposedly in his second year here. There
was Chemistry, which he could share with her, since he could have taken a number of other science classes last year. Last
was Psychology, which he could certainly take any year he wanted to, as it was a class in the General Education Program, which
every student was obligated to complete.
The classes didn't seem hard. He had read up on many human novels during his existence. He was fond of Faulkner and Frost
in particular. Poe was a bit too maudlin for him, and Shakespeare was a bit of a classic. Math was simple enough, as would
be his World History class. After all, he'd seen many of the historical proceedings with his own eyes. Most were horrible,
so horrible he had needed to turn away. Humans slaughtered one another fairly regularly.
Chemistry, too, would be easy enough. He was taught how the world was created, how it formed, how it prospered. He would most
likely know more than the professor.
As for Psychology... who was better at understanding the human mind than an angel who could read the emotions inside it?
He wanted to do this as quickly as possible so that he could return back home. Back to Heaven, to his friends and his mentors.
And with that thought, he left to find this Trista Elle.
<*>
She stayed in her room as long as possible, until it was almost the time when the cafeteria closed. She hoped that there wouldn't
be many still there, too tired from the trip and unpacking to stay up late to just get a bite to eat.
She made her way out of her room as quietly as possible, as if stealing away to rob someone in the night. She was lucky enough
to not meet anyone on the way out. Her extra time here had given her a chance to learn where everything was. Those first days,
after she'd come so early, had been blessed. The campus had been practically empty. At least now she was able to move unerringly
toward the cafeteria.
There were others on the sidewalk, moving around for one reason or another. Many were gathered around the entertainment building,
some buying books from the store within, others hanging out in small groups, talking and laughing to one another. She passed
them all without speaking to them. They weren't a part of her world. She nodded and smiled when one waved at her, however.
She wondered idly who the person was. She looked really kind, and sort of shy. She was a little short, with straight, shoulder-length
blond hair and a slight frame. Petite. She looked almost too young to be in college.
She entered the cafeteria slowly, gaging the area. There were a few students there, about fifty to one hundred in all. They
were laughing together. She noticed one small group, quieter but still close. There was a group of guys and girls swarming
around one huge group, the tables pulled together to give them all room to sit down together.
The cafeteria was large, however, and suited to accommodate about five hundred students at a time. There was plenty of space
for her to hide. She quickly grabbed some food and sat down, far away from the others. She kept her eyes on her table and
tried to look inconspicuous.
<*>
He had seen her the instant she had walked in. Even if he hadn't been shown what she looked like, his eyes would have instantly
caught onto her anyway.
She was just as he'd been shown – about 5'5”, with long jet-black hair and bright, jade-green eyes. Her skin was
a different tint than most, her eyes almost almond-shaped. Her face was oval-shaped, her lips large and full, her nose pert.
Her body was willowy, her legs long and smooth. Yet, somehow, she looked different in person. She was wearing a simple A-line
dress, brown and velvety and only reaching to her knees. She sat away from everyone, distancing herself. He could Feel her
emotions – he could feel anyone's if he so chose – and he knew she did not think herself above anyone. She was
nervous. Afraid.
He watched her as she ate, knowing that he was staring and not stopping himself. She was the one he needed to Save? This girl
with the clouded eyes? He thought about it, then realized that she was going to be very difficult. Beyond the immediate fear
were far deeper emotions, ones that he couldn't quite name because he had never felt them before. They were heavy. Burdens.
“Hi there.” His thoughts were interrupted by a woman. He turned to her and smiled charmingly. She was fairly tall,
all legs with an hourglass shape. Her hair was a bright gold, a wavy mass that fell like a waterfall down her back. Her lips
were like dewy rose petals. In human anatomy – any anatomy – she was perfectly made.
And paranormal. He could sense it – she was not human. Fey? No, not quite. But she had some fey blood in her veins.
It clicked in his mind. She was a werewolf.
“Hello,” he replied easily. Werewolves in themselves were fairly harmless. It was only on the full moon that their
anger becomes dangerous.
“Mind if I sit here?” He shook his head, and she took a seat across from him. “Are you new here?”
No threat in her thoughts. Just curiosity. “Yes. Just transferred in.”
She nodded. Her eyes considered him. “You aren't human.”
He smiled slightly. Here, there was no reason for secrets. “No, I'm not. And neither are you.”
She smiled brightly at him, showing her canines. Unlike vampires, werewolves' canines didn't drop; they were always long.
Luckily, they were also much shorter. “Of course not. I wouldn't notice anything... strange... about you otherwise.”
Interesting. “Just what's strange about me?”
Her smile changed a bit. “Your smell.” Werewolves had exceptional scent glands. “You smell ethereal. Not
at all like humans. Not like us, either, or bloodsuckers.” She spat the last word out as if it were poisonous. Werewolves
and vampires had never been close. “So just what are you?”
He pointed to the ceiling.
It took her a small moment, then she pulled in a sharp breath. “You're an...” She didn't need to finish the sentence;
her emotions proved she knew what he was talking about. He nodded. She sat back with a hard thud. “Jesus,” she
muttered, then shot him a look. “Ah... holy smokes. You're... well. This is new. Where are you staying?”
“The Gabriel dorm.” He was amused by her switch. Her emotions were simple enough – shock, interest, confusion,
even greater curiosity. The small bumps in the readings meant that she was trying very, very hard to keep herself under control.
That was hard for werewolves, but necessary.
“Gabriel. With the fairies?” She scoffed.
“They aren't fairies,” he said gently. Elves. He was in the dorm with elves. Kind people, though they always flirted
with the opposite sex... and sometimes the same. He almost blushed at the memory.
“Oh – right. Sorry.” Flustered. She wasn't used to the idea of speaking to an angel yet.
But he could understand her point of view. Elves had it pretty easy in the forests or the world – they were beautiful
and easily fit in with the human world. There was nothing about their appearance or anything that gave them away. Their ears
were not pointed, despite most human myths. But they were able to manipulate nature – create floods, make a sapling
reach adulthood in mere minutes. If angry, they could wreak havoc through natural disasters. If happy they could make wildflowers
grow in deserts. Nothing dangerous. Nothing too difficult to hide.
Werewolves and vampires had it different. Vampires for the obvious reason, werewolves because of their emotions. If their
emotions aren't in check, they could transform. And they aren't normal-sized wolves. They were almost double the normal size.
“So,” she continued after a long pause, “what are you doing here?”
“I've been sent,” he said simply, and left it at that.
She nodded. It was easy to take the hint that he wasn't going to talk about it. “Okay.”
But her question had him thinking about Trista again. He didn't dare a glance, but a quick flick into her emotions told him
she was feeling a bit relieved, but still cautious. She was leaving.
He didn't quite understand everything. He managed to hear the blond werewolf introduce herself as Shamira, was cognizant enough
to tell her his own name. He excused himself and took his tray up to be cleaned.
His Lord had said that Trista had “refused” him. Just what did that mean?
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