Atlas Black

Chapter 4

L L A N A M O R O Z O V A

Making my way into lecture hall we both adjust ourselves to the back far corner, away from the prying eyes. It's glad having Sas as a friend as I would have been sitting on my own if not for her.

Assessing the room, I see a whole load of other students who I have no clue who they are except In the corner opposite us at the back sit Aiden and Kai.

The professor- who's name is projected on the screen; Professor Douglas- begins fumbling with the keys as she sets up her desk and laptop. She's devouring salad with her hand crooked in a hook across her mouth. I register that it's Abnormal Psychology. The most interesting of all my classes, so it's a good start for me.

As she begins reading out the names on the register, names I'm barely paying attention too, my head instantly powers on as if a switch has been flipped when she comes across my name.

"Llana Morozova?" She calls out.

I stop for a second, not sure if it's my social anxiety enabling me to stay quiet or if it's something else. Or rather someone else.

It feels like something is burning into the side of my head, unraveling me like a toy. I'm now gazing at Aiden. His eyes are open wide, his lips sealed tightly shut in a thin line, his lips gone dry and his.. glare. His death stare feels as if it could kill me on its own.

Kai nudges him on the side, directing his gaze away and to him and once his gaze leaves me, I feel like I can breathe. That was... weird? Intense? Creepy? Confusing?

I can see them whispering to each other-about what? I don't know-but I can hear their whispers from where I'm sitting. Somethings going on and it's not my place to be up in other peoples business but.. this doesn't sit right with me.

Professor Douglas repeats my name, clearing my thought I go with a simple, "Present." She smiles generously at me, considerate at the fact that it's my first day in Stanford college.

I so desperately want to swivel my head around to see if I can catch anything from the boys but I know it's pointless. I lean forward resting my forearms on my knees, notebooks and laptop scattered on the spare seat next to me, my hand propped underneath my chin as I slowly doze off.

The boys whispers are increasing gradually now, I want to pop open one eye to look and I see a shuffle of a piece of paper being drawn out of Kai's bag. It's so tempting as I'm drawn to what the commotion is about when they're not even trying to contain their whispering.

Kai's pointing to one of the girls sat in the middle row, black hair short in a ponytail and a neat cut fringe covering her eyes, he's now looking back at the paper eyeing it likes he's burning a whole right through the page, trying to desperately decipher something.

The only word I can grasp from their little 'argument' is the word "Tina" or "That's Tina", nothing more or nothing less. I'm growing frustrated now because they're acting like total brainless dicks sitting there staring back and forth between-Tina, I presume- and me and thinking that I can't totally see them from the corners of my eye.

It's clear to me that I'm not the only one going paranoid as it's evident on the way Aiden seems just as delusional and confused. He almost seems upset? Or angry? Both? But I'm not sure why.

A seat creaks from the weight of someone getting up and footsteps travel down the stairs to the front of the hall towards the door, swinging the door harshly making it bang against the wall. I hear muffled shouts of the professor but it's not what I'm focused on. I'm eyeing Aiden's empty seat, and Kai's ogling still directed towards me.