“Great,” Diana said, sounding defeated. “I can’t wait to be woken up by that at three in the morning.”
She sighed and looked to her room door, wondering if her roommate had already moved in. Having never shared a room with anyone before, Diana wasn’t looking forward to living with a complete stranger. She read the name next to hers—Gigi Bradley.
“My roommate sounds like a French runway model,” Diana declared.
“Or a stripper,” her dad chimed in.
Diana chuckled. “Even better.”
Diana took a deep breath before opening the door to her new room. Her roommate had already moved in, but she was no longer there.
“Let’s snoop,” said her mom with a hint of mischief. “You can always tell a lot about a person by their stuff.”
“Please don’t,” Diana pleaded as she sat her backpack down on the bare mattress. “The last thing I need is for my roommate to find my mom snooping through her stuff. Do you want her to think I’m crazy on the first day?”
“Okay, fine,” her mom said before sitting her own load on the bed. “We’ll just judge the girl by the stuff we can see.”
“Thanks mom.” Diana just shook her head and then began taking note of her roommate’s possessions and various decorations. She had set up her own TV, and her thin white laptop was already on the provided desk. The flowery blankets and pillows of yellows and blues made her roommate’s bed look warm and inviting.
She appeared to be a typical eighteen-year-old girl.
On a cork bulletin board she had pinned a collage of pictures of people that were no doubt her friends and family back home, and Diana concluded that her roommate was the girl that appeared most frequently. This Gigi is very pretty. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, with just the right amount of curl to it, piercing blue eyes, and a slim build. She also looked to be the perky sort of girl. She was quite the contrast to Diana’s generic thick brunette hair, pale skin, and unremarkable hazel-green eyes. Diana had always considered herself “librarian-chic”, but pretty in her own plain sort of way. Her roommate was very much the cheerleader type. Of course though, if she were a cheerleader, those would be the most prominent pictures. Not a single pom-pom graced the collage and Diana was thankful; she had never had much luck befriending cheerleaders.
The only other notable wall decoration was a black and white poster of Audrey Hepburn from Roman Holiday.
“She likes Audrey, I approve,” Diana said to her mother. “Much better than Marilyn.”
“Why?” her father asked from behind. “Hepburn is okay, but I like Marilyn—she’s much hotter.”
“Exactly.” Diana smirked at her father’s comment and shook her head. “Most girls are either a Marilyn Monroe fan or an Audrey Hepburn fan, not usually both. I’m not usually keen on the Marilyn Monroe types. They tend to steal your boyfriends.”
After a few trips back and forth to the truck, all of Diana’s belongings were now in the room, waiting to be unpacked. The next few hours would be spent putting everything away and organizing her new living quarters.
As she looked away from the boxes to her parents, her heart ached and her eyes began to water.
“I guess this is goodbye for now,” she managed to get out before she got too blubbery.
As usual, her mom quickly became the bigger mess and Diana took her into her arms. “You’ll be alright mom; you can call me whenever you want.”
Her dad put his big arms around both of them. “Expect a ring in about an hour.”
“We’re gonna miss you so much,” her mom said through the tears. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to have to get a dog or something, now.”
“Wow, that makes me feel great,” Diana said through a laugh. “Replaced by a dog, I can’t wait to come home for Thanksgiving. Save me some scraps.”
Her dad spoke up. “Now, all you have to do is call me if you need me. I don’t care if I have to drive six hours, I will be here and you know it.”
“Oh I know it; I have no doubt in my mind.”
“I love you, baby girl,” he said as he gave her a final, loving, bear hug.
Knowing she would soon be a bigger mess if they remained much longer, Diana walked her parents down the hallway and out the door of Peabody Hall. She decided it would be best not to walk all the way to the truck with them. Watching them drive away would be too much.
As she waved goodbye, Diana fought to hold back the tears, but a few escaped the battle as she turned and went back inside. She felt like she was going to her first day of kindergarten, and felt just as embarrassed she had then. She had cried that day too.
As she walked back to her room she lifted her head up high, trying to force herself to grow up and be an adult. She was on her own now—her own woman—and she had to act like it sooner or later. It might as well be sooner.
When Diana got back to her room and saw her life in boxes, the tears burst forth like a dam breaking.
It had always been the three of them, and now she was alone—in a whole other world. Why did she do this? She could have gone to community college or something back home, with her friends. Her life was back in Indiana; why did she pick a school in Ohio?
Because it was the most responsible option—that’s why. College is expensive, and for some strange reason, Flinders offered Diana a full scholarship. A few lonely years away from home would be better than decades of crushing student loan debt.
With a sigh she plopped down on her bare, unmade, bed and sank her face into her pillow. At least she had her favorite blankets and pillows. As she inhaled the scents of her room at home, however, Diana only felt worse.
Why am I being such a baby? I’m eighteen—a grown woman. But here I am, crying my eyes out like a four year old at a forced sleepover. No; she’d beat her damned crazy emotions—beat them into dust and wave them goodbye along with her old life.
Diana’s determination failed as she continued to sob into her pillow, and time became meaningless.
Somewhere, beyond the sorrow, Diana felt the shadows tug at her heart. The unconscious sense of dread, the strong vertigo—it was happening again.
She wanted to scream.
Diana was brought back to reality by the sound of keys, followed by the door opening. Relief flooded into Diana as her eyes fluttered open. It had grown dark and the sharp light pouring into the room from the hallway left Diana feeling confused and disoriented.
It had only been the beginning of a normal bad dream—nothing more. The lingering fear remained, however, but Diana buried it deep, where it belonged.
When had she fallen asleep? Having been so exhausted from moving in, her fit of crying must have tuckered her out completely.
Diana’s groggy eyes caught those of her roommate’s as she walked through the door with a bag of groceries in her arms—it was the blonde girl from the pictures.
“Oh hello, you must be Diana. Nice to meet you, I’m Lani,” she said with a wave and sat the bag of groceries down on her bed.
“You too,” Diana replied as she stretched out the last of her sleepiness before sitting on the end of her bed. After regaining her mental faculties, she remembered the other name on the door.
“Did you switch with Gigi or something?”
“Oh right, sorry,” Lani said with a roll of the eyes. “I’m Gigi Bradley. My middle name is Elaine. For obvious reasons, I started having people call me Lani as soon as I could.”
Diana decided to ask the obvious question. “Why Gigi? Is it a family thing or something?”
“Sort of, my grandmother wanted me named Gigi, and that woman always got her way in the end. It’s the name of an old Audrey Hepburn play she really liked.”
Diana smiled. “I love Audrey. I almost brought my poster too.”
Her roommate nodded with approval and grinned. “I feel many a Hepburn-binge is in our future.”
“Sounds good to me.” Diana looked to her various unpacked boxes and sighed. “I guess I better get started,” she said
and then began to rummage around in her duffle bag for her bedding, while Lani tended to the groceries she had just procured.
“Are you from around here?” Diana asked as she began putting her favorite light green sheets on the mattress.
“I’m from Pittsburgh,” Lani replied as she put a few yoghurts into their mini-fridge. “I needed to get away from my family, and I thought three hours away was far enough. Older brothers are a pain, and I have three.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Diana replied. “I’m an only child.”
“Must be nice,” her roommate said with a hint of jealousy as she sat down on her bed.
“Yeah, not gonna lie,” Diana replied with a wide smile. “I get whatever I want.”
Lani arched an eyebrow and appeared to be sizing her up. “You’re not one of those bratty princess girls with her daddy’s credit card, are you?”
Diana shook her head. “My parents aren’t rich, but I am pretty spoiled. I like to think I’m just loved the same amount as three kids.”
“I get it. I’m the only girl of four, so I’m a daddy’s girl too—when he’s around.”
Feeling a bit awkward at her roommate’s comment, Diana quickly moved the conversation along. “These rooms aren’t terrible. At least they give us our own desks and bookshelves—the mini-fridge is pretty convenient too.”
“Yeah, it could be worse.” Lani replied as she laid her head on her pillow. “Flinders might be kinda small, but at least it’s not so big that it takes twenty minutes to walk to class. Have you seen Ohio State?”
“We drove by it on the way into the city,” Diana replied. “I had no idea a school could be so big. It was like a town.” She started to laugh. “They even have their own giant hospital complex—that’s convenient.” She’d heard OSU had one of the best medical schools around.
Diana began to put her hodgepodge of books onto the shelf, admiring the collection she had brought. It was an eclectic mix—histories of ancient civilizations, Jane Austen novels, the Lord of the Rings. She had a wide ranging taste.
“What’s your major?” Diana asked her roommate from over her shoulder.
“Music Education,” Lani replied. “I want to be a teacher of some kind. Music has always been my passion. My parents play in a band around town on the weekends and they used to let me sing and stuff. Nothing major, but it was fun.”
Lani sat up and moved to the edge of her bed. “How about you?” She had a look of investigative curiosity. “I’m guessing Social Work.”
Diana chuckled. “Not even close. Do I look like a therapist or something?”
Lani shrugged. “You’re just easy to talk to for some reason; like you really care. I know that sounds weird since we literally just met five minutes ago.”
“I get that a lot, actually; I just have a caring face, I guess.” Diana pulled out the green laptop from her backpack and placed it on the desk—it matched her sheets. “I’m studying Archaeology and Ancient History. I want to be a professor someday.”
Lani let out an astonished whistling noise. “You mean like Egypt, King Tut, and mummies and stuff? That sounds . . . practical.” The sarcasm wasn’t missed. Diana’s guidance counselor had made similar comments in the past, using the same tone.
Diana shrugged it off. “I’m not really suited for much else. History is the only thing I’ve ever been passionate enough about to make into a career.” Diana took a rolled up poster from a box and sized up the wall to determine the best place to hang it.
“How’s the job market for something like that?” Lani asked.
“Probably bad,” she replied with a smirk. “Professors usually keep their jobs until they die, or don’t want them anymore. The way I look at it, most of them are really old as it is. By the time I have a PhD, I bet a lot of them die or quit.” She laughed at her own joke.
Lani smirked. “I guess you have a point.” Her eyes went wide when she took notice of the poster Diana had hung on the wall. She probably hadn’t expected the black-clad band, strange runic symbols, and swirling fire. “You don’t really strike me as the Death Metal type, Diana. You’re not secretly suicidal, are you?”
She laughed at her roommates comments. “No, I’m fine. And they are Symphonic metal—no demonic death grunts. Have you heard Legacy of Man? They’re pretty epic.”
“Can’t say that I have,” Lani replied with a sideways smile. “I’m sure they rock pretty hard. I’m a CCR and Stones kinda girl myself. Classic Rock is more my speed.”
“Usually mine too. Just please—no Alice Cooper for a while.”
Lani burst with laughter. “You too? I was about ready to kill my dad before I left.”
Diana smiled. She liked Lani.
As the night went on, they continued to get to know each other a little better and found they had many similar interests. Diana had been worried her roommate would turn out to be a large, unpleasant, tattooed girl who listened to Gangsta Rap all the time. At least she could cling to this small victory.
With one less problem to worry about, Diana drifted off into an untroubled sleep bereft of swirling shadows, her mind occupied by thoughts of her first week of classes.
Chapter 2
With Mother dearest taken from my side,
And Father questing for his love to find,
I am left in Darkness bereft of light.
A woman imprisoned I shall not be,
My own battles will I be free to fight.
I am yours to mold, Draconian Knight.
Diana yawned as she walked across the quad and cursed the god-forsaken metal door outside of her room. The inevitable slam occurred around 3 AM and jolted her awake from a dream. Her sleep for the rest of the night had been considerably less deep. It had taken every ounce of self-discipline Diana had within her to get out of bed when her alarm went off.
A little bit more sleep would have been nice, but it was the first day of classes and she wanted to straighten her thick long brown hair into something a little more presentable than her usual side-braid. Diana typically didn’t waste copious amounts of time on her appearance, but at the very least, she cared about first impressions. She always liked to look her best on the first day of classes—to let people know her abilities—and she thought she looked rather classy in her calf-length olive green skirt and coral-pink cardigan. Tomorrow she would sleep in a bit longer.
After patting another yawn, Diana took her schedule and map from her bag and attempted to gain her bearings. Her first class was History 111—room 307 in Emerson Hall. She quickly found the location on the map and then began walking in what she hoped was the right direction.
After a brisk morning walk and a few more yawns, she found her class room. When she walked through the doorway she paused, startled to find it empty. Am I in the wrong room? After making quite certain she wasn’t, and checking the time on her cell phone, she realized that she was the first one to arrive. I’m barely ten minutes early, where is everyone? Diana couldn’t possibly be the only student in the class that liked to be early.
With a shrug to herself, Diana sat at a desk in the middle of the second row. Her vision wasn’t always the greatest so she liked to sit near the front. She reached into her bag for a notebook and placed it on the desk, then took out a pen and laid it on top. She was ready to go.
After she sat in nervous silence for a few minutes, more students began to trickle into the classroom. Each looked more tired than the next; some even a bit queasy—probably from having started their college party days the first night. You’ll never see me barely making it to class because I’m hungover from the night before. She had more to worry about than parties and drinking. Diana was determined to reach the highest levels of scholastic achievement; drinking and carrying on were not going to get in her way—not if she could help it.
When the clock hit 8:30 the professor finally walked into the room, with a few flustered students rushing in after him. He arched an eyebrow at them from behind his thick glasses and placed his bag on
the chair in the instructor’s station. As he began to write his name on the chalkboard, Diana couldn’t help but smile to herself at how much the man looked like a crazy professor from a movie. He wore tan slacks and a maroon sweater—that looked like his grandmother had knitted for him in the 60’s—over a white shirt and green tie. His rusty-colored beard had flecks of gray in it, and could have used a trim, while his unruly matching hair surrounded the sides of his bald head. Only a pipe in his hand could have completed the image.
He took the class roster from his bag and addressed the room. “My name is Dr. James Osgood and I will be your professor for History one-eleven. It’s going to take me a while to put all of your names with your faces, so I’d like to ask you all to sit in alphabetical order, at least for the first week or so. Then, I can see who shows up to class and determine whether or not it’s worth remembering your name.”
Diana stood up along with everyone in the room as they grabbed their belongings and waited to be called.
“Also, please tell me if I butcher your name when I call it.” He looked to his roster. “Lacey Albright,” he called and then gestured to the front desk. The blonde girl, to whom the desk would belong for the time being, quickly took her seat.
Diana waited patiently for her name to be called—one of the many joys of being a Selene—and began to scan the room, examining the other students. It was the typical group of college freshmen, although there were likely some upperclassmen mixed in with the group as well. She could tell by their demeanor. Diana could feel the nervous anxiety of the freshmen as they were filled with both excitement and fear on their first day of college classes. She greatly empathized with them, being one of their number herself.
The upperclassmen had a different sort of bearing about them. She could feel they were just going through the motions, perturbed that they even had to be here. The irritation of one echoed within her more than the others—a smartly dressed boy with black hair gazing out the window like he wanted to sprout wings and fly through it, away from everyone that surrounded him.
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