Beyond the Veil

Chapter 2

Sera did not sleep well last night, she had a nightmare for the first time since she can remember. Her eyes felt tired and she craved the luxury of being able to crawl back under the duvet. She had her morning coffee in silence, her one bedroom apartment feeling particularly lonely this morning. She wished Quinn was here, making some type of mess and talking so vibrantly about all the plans she had for this week.

Sera walked to campus, the ground was covered with mud and puddles, an aftermath from the harsh storm that kept her up last night. Sera noticed that not many cars were on the road this morning, it seemed that everyone was having a slow day, herself included.

Classes were monotonous, Sera was not getting much out of them. After classes Sera walked to the library on campus, her eyes felt heavy and the words of the novel she was reading were slightly blurred. She heard her phone start to ring, and quickly left the library to take the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sera! Wanna go to the bar?" Quinn's voice was bright and full of excitement. Sera looked down at her watch and saw that it was coming on 5 pm. "It's too early to go drinking, but I'd go later. Do you want to go get food instead?"

"Yeah sure, there was a panini place near my last class."

Soon after, Sera and Quinn were eating their sandwiches on a small metal table outside of the sandwich shop. They watched the afternoon students begin dispersing to their classrooms. In the distance, Sera could see Saul and the boy from the library together, the boy was talking animatedly with his hands and Saul did not seem to have much interest in what he was saying. The two boys were headed in their direction.

Sera turned to Quinn, "I had the strangest interaction with that guy over there, I have no idea how to even explain it."

Quinn looked up from her sandwich, and spoke with her mouth full, "wait, who?" She was looking around trying to see whom Sera was referring to.

"Him over there," Sera said, subtly pointing to the two as they approached. "He wanted to come on the trip you're planning, but I told him no. I've never seen him before and I just had the weirdest interaction with him. He didn't have an ID or anything."

Quinn noticed them, "you mean Saul and Tyler?"

Sera looked at her with mild alarm, "you know them?"

A look of confusion came across Quinn's face, "They have gone to school with us since like... forever." Quinn took a large bite of her sandwich, trying to fit the largest possible amount into her mouth.

Sera felt lost upon hearing this, she tried her hardest to remember but she was sure she had never seen him before. The population of locals was small enough to where she was sure that she had not seen him until recently. It was common for students to move here to attend Eagle Mountain Institute, one of the only 3 universities in the state.

Most students never stayed much longer after graduation, it was an unsettling, sleepy town, with not much to offer younger people. One bar, 2 grocery stores, a county library, and whatever was on campus. It was a life that Sera had gotten used to, but she knew it wasn't for everyone. What worried Sera is she knew that Quinn was counting the days until she could leave. That was just about the only thing that could make the place more dull. Quinn might just be the only thing in this town with so much life in it, she is loved wherever she goes, and Sera couldn't imagine being here without her.

"I'm sure he has not been here before, when did you meet them?" Sera asked, her voice brimming with intrigue.

Quinn seemed to pause, like it was something she had to think about. She shrugged, "I don't remember, I think we might have played together as kids or something. Whatever though, Saul seems like a bit of a loner anyway. Tyler is cool though."

Sera looked at them, trying to scrutinize how it could possibly be that they were here all this time. She looked over to see Saul watching her and Quinn with subtle side glances while mumbling once in a while to ensure Tyler that he was listening.

"Fine then, what is Saul's last name?" Sera asked inquisitively.

Quinn laughed, "girl, I have no clue."

Sera didn't know what to make of that, but it was certainly intriguing.

Sera leaned into Quinn and whispered, "something really strange happened with Saul and it made me so uncomfortable. Being around him made me feel so unsure of my own thoughts. I could have sworn I saw his eyes change and darken somehow, but obviously that's impossible. I... don't really know, I have no idea how to explain it to you, honestly.'' She looked over and Saul was watching them more intensely, Sera wondered if he was curious about what they were whispering about, and was careful to bring her voice down.

Quinn laughed, "you're always so anxious, Sera. It was dark out, I'm sure it's just your imagination. I think your pupils get super big when there's not as much light."

"It wasn't like that though!" Sera said adamantly, she regretted speaking so loud, especially with him sitting on the other side of the terrace.

"Haha, sure." Quinn shook her head softly laughing, and took another bite of her sandwich.

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Sera couldn't shake off the strange feeling that had been lingering in her mind since her encounter with Saul, it was impossible to get the strangeness of everything off of her mind. It was such a pungent thought that kept returning to her every time she thought she had just gotten her mind off of it. She prepared herself a small dinner, but she was not much in the mood to eat.

The feeling from the library, the feeling of meeting Saul for the first time, and especially even seeing them together, she was sure it must be connected somehow. How could it be that Quinn says they grew up together, when Sera had not even seen them once? She refused to accept that. She was confident she had never seen their faces before, but remembered that single instant when that murky disorientation had completely overtaken her. She felt like she had known him at that moment, but when she came out of it she again knew him to be a stranger.

With only half of her food eaten, she cleaned up her kitchen and did a small workout. Sera regretted losing most of the day to her fatigue, and considered if it would have been better to go to the bar with Quinn. She almost never obliges, as she isn't very enticed by the thought of losing her sobriety.

Maybe Sera did not have enough fun, but she enjoyed being disciplined and felt that too much indulgence took her away from that. She liked routines, schedules, and kept a detailed planner. This was what made her happy. If she could have a weekend to herself, she would work on perfecting a new tea blend for her collection and getting ahead on her assignments. There was little space in her mind for partying and drinking, and in the back of her mind hoped that Quinn wouldn't go down that path.

She wasn't like Quinn in that way, she couldn't just let go and hope everything would turn out. Sera depended on having security, saving up money, and creating something with herself, but she admired Quinn's ability to live in the moment, enjoy herself, and not live every moment stressed about if things will go the way she wants them to. Quinn was a free spirit and she liked that.

Sera decided that she was going to call her. She didn't get to go out with her as planned, and she was feeling in need of her company.

She picked up her phone and dialed Quinn's number, feeling the need for her friend's company. As she waited for Quinn to answer, she couldn't help but reflect on their different personalities. While Quinn was carefree and lived in the moment, Sera was more practical and focused on security and stability, they are polar opposites but they complement each other perfectly.

When Quinn picked up, Sera greeted her with a smile in her voice, "Hey, Quinn. I know it's late, but do you want to come over?"