House of Goths

Chapter 1

House of Goths

*****

Chapter 1

"Who do we have here?" Dorian gasped as he and his two housemates approached the old Victorian home they shared. "Dear God, is she... dead?"

"Not dead, just sleeping," Kell said, hovering his fingers over the unconscious young woman's slightly parted lips.

"Out here on the old chesterfield, on our front porch, in October, why in the world?" Crispin asked the obvious.

The three Goths studied the girl, trying to figure out if she looked familiar.

"She's definitely not one of our ex-girlfriends. Do you know her, Kell?"

"Hmm..." Kell leaned in for a closer look at the small female. She did look somewhat familiar. Yet it was quite dark out and her tousled brown hair greatly obscured her features, making it near impossible to properly identify her.

"Well?" Dorian asked. "Should we call the cops?"

"The cops?" Crispin balked. "Whatever for?"

"Maybe they're looking for her? Perhaps she's lost," suggested a concerned Dorian. "Surely, someone is missing this girl."

Hearing the rumblings of voices in the near distance, Becky stirred but didn't dare wake up. She hadn't slept this well in weeks and she was loathed to interrupt her much-needed rest.

Not since the start of the school year, had Becky felt this level of comfort. Moving into the college dorm had sadly turned from the exciting prospect of forming long lasting friendships to a nightmare of never ending gossip and being cruelly shut out.

Becky had arrived as fresh-faced and optimistic as could be. Her dear grandmother who'd raised her since she was a toddler had scrimped and saved all her life to send her only granddaughter to college.

Gran had such wonderful aspirations for Becky. Her greatest wish was for her shy granddaughter to get a good education but most of all for Becky to have a wonderful time at school, make lots of friends and create long lasting memories.

Unfortunately, Becky's experiences thus far had been the complete opposite of her dear gran's idealistic hopes for her.

As it turned out, her dorm roommates were the unfriendliest group of females, she'd ever met. Having arrived a day later than most of the girls on her floor had put her at a disadvantage from the start.

Cliques and alliances had already formed. Roommates had been chosen, beds occupied.

No one had made an effort to say hello or to make her feel the least bit welcome. The chill in the air was palpable.

What it was about Becky that made the other girls take an instant dislike of her was somewhat of a mystery to her. The only thing she could think of was that she was shy and nervous. Maybe they found her lacking a certain quality. Perhaps they didn't like that she wasn't wearing the latest fashions, that her hair wasn't blonde, straight or severely parted to the side.

When Becky finally found an unoccupied bed, the girl who had already claimed it as a good place for her clothes just about threw a fit when Becky meekly asked if she could have it.

The following weeks were barely tolerable. College life proved to be cold and indifferent. Classes weren't quite so bad because her mind was occupied but lunch breaks were lonely and desolate. Becky had all but given up on making any new friends. In truth, she was homesick, lonely and missing her grandmother terribly.