Soul Sparked

Chapter 7: Roads We Travel

When Derek went away to college, he wasn't able to immediately move on campus since he left at the beginning of summer after he'd seen the reactions of his family to the removal of his soul mark. It wasn't their decision to make. It was his and therefore he didn't want to stick around for their judgment. He packed up and with some money he saved up he rented a small apartment off campus which he decided could tide him over for a couple months until classes began.

Georgia was not what he expected it to be at all but he wasn't disappointed in the least. It was green and had a place where he could run fully shifted without fearing someone would find him. It was liberating and he couldn't make himself regret the move. He set up a daily routine of a morning run as a human before a big breakfast that was healthy as could be on a budget. He then went to work at the college library which had been a big break for him. They let him start his job there early even if he wasn't allowed on campus for anything else just yet. He'd work the morning away, have a small lunch in the afternoon, work a couple more hours, close up and go back to his apartment. That was his daily routine every day during summer except on weekends he'd take time to run fully shifted.

Classes began the first week of August and Derek was thrilled to get started on his degree. He had always loved reading and always had his nose in a book. So he decided to get a degree in English Literature. He was on cloud nine as he started his first week of classes and dove quickly into his core classes eager to get them out of the way. His education was of utmost importance to him but he did notice that he had a lot of free time on his hands with which he knew not what to do. He supposed it couldn't hurt to attend the activities fair. It was held in the Student Union Center on the other side of campus.

When he walked up to the door he took a deep breath already attuned to the buzz of conversation in the building that would soon be much louder. Sure enough as he opened the door he was hit with a flood of voices and smells. It was so overwhelming he considered going back the way he came. No. He wouldn't turn tail and run anymore. This was his school damn it all and he planned to leap at the opportunities before him. With that resolve in mind he walked through the double doors into a giant hall filled with booths and students talking a mile a minute. Suddenly he felt like the small town kid he was but his eyes were drawn to a table with books stacked on it. The booth didn't seem to be super busy and so he made his way over.

A redheaded girl fixed him with a look before grinning. "Howdy Handsome," she purred.

Derek gulped nervously and gave a nod. "Hello," he said quietly.

"Oh honey bunny. No need to be nervous. You're new right?" she asked with a reassuring smile.

Derek gave another nod. "Yes. F-Freshman," he stuttered out.

"Well welcome then! I'm guessing you're a lit or English Major considering you chose this booth first," she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. English Literature actually. That and well you have books on your booth," he gestured.

The redhead smiled and nodded. "That we do indeed. Maybe it's lame to some people but I love to read and I know there's others that do too. Leisurely I might add. So we have a book club. We're small but welcoming," she held out a flyer with an encouraging smile. "So what do you say?"

Derek gave a small smile and took the flyer. "Thank you. I'd love to. What book are you currently reading?" he asked as he looked over the flyer.

"Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen," she replied with a grin. "It's a classic that you can never go wrong with," she stated.

"Truer words have never been spoken," he said with a smile feeling more comfortable. "Is it alright if I use my own copy?" he asked.

"Oh of course darlin! Here's my number in case you have any other questions. Okay?" she said as she jotted down her number on a card and handed it to him.