The Irangel | Prequel Story |

Chapter 19 ~ Incomplete

Cole flew towards the city of Haven, Germany. He sighed contently as he looked down at the familiar buildings, not needing a map to find his university and dorm room. He landed softly on the grass, the campus grounds quiet. He looked around, feeling somewhat surreal that he was finally back.

He had to break into his own dorm room, as he had left his key in his backpack that Tori had confiscated and left in the shared bed room. Cole's Iredescent eyes quickly adjusted as he realized he had night vision, not needing a flashlight to see in the dark. I'm like a cat, or Batman, he thought in delight. He walked quietly past his sleeping roommate Nico and lay on his back on his own bed. He sighed, feeling like he had just returned home after a vacation.

Some vacation, he thought, scoffing. More like a nightmare.

Cole got up and began to go through his own stuff, frowning. Those aren't mine, he thought, pulling out a thick textbook he didn't recognize. He put it back in the backpack and pulled out a folder with stickers of cats on them. What the....

He put the backpack back on the floor and looked in the drawers where he kept his clothes. Those definitely aren't mine, he thought, lifting a dark mustard yellow sweater and some white dress clothes. He found a Playboy magazine hidden underneath a stack of shirts. The shoes at the door weren't his either.

They've already replaced me, he thought, the sudden realization like ice down his back. Nico got a new roommate. He's probably out with friends or at a girl's house; that might be why he's gone. What did they do with my stuff?

He went over to Nico and shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up. "Nico, wake up. I'm back. Where's my stuff? What happened?"

Nico, his messy brown hair tousled from sleep, groaned quietly and rubbed at his eyes, saying, "Cole? Where have you been, man? Everyone thought you dropped out."

"What? Hell no. I'm only a few months away from graduating with honors." Dropped out. I have to tell my teachers I'm still attending the university, Cole thought in alarm, his mind beginning to race. "Can you tell me where's my stuff at?"

"They gave them back to your mom. Figured it was the right thing to do instead of donating them. When you went missing, nobody knew what happened. Everyone just assumed you dropped out."

"I'm certainly not dropping out. I never intended to drop out," Cole told him firmly. "I gotta talk to the professor."

"Well, class isn't going to start for another five hours. Did you get any sleep, man?" Nico asked.

"I'm not tired," Cole answered, not wishing to sleep. He thought about what he was going to do before he could talk to his professors, when it suddenly came to him. He went to the bathroom, freshened up, then walked past Nico, saying, "I'm gonna return to campus in five hours. See you later, Nico. So good to see you, man." He suddenly gave Nico a hug, surprising the guy.

"Yeah, good to see you too, man," Nico said in response, giving him a confused look. "Dude, are you sparkling? You got glitter all over you."

Cole sighed heavily, not wishing to explain. "It's a long story," he said at last, going over to the door.

"Oh ok, gotcha," Nico said in understanding.

Cole left the dorm room and headed for a certain house located in the suburbs near campus. He landed on the roof of the house, his wings still stretched out as he began stepping carefully to reach her window.

Lena Krasota was his girlfriend. She went to the same university he did. They had been dating for a year now. Lena had long straight brown hair and was very beautiful. Her last name meant beauty in Russian. Cole smiled as he thought of her, wishing he had his phone so he could text her to let her know he was right outside her window. He tapped quietly on the glass, hoping that would wake her up without bringing anyone else's attention.