For The Love Of History

Chapter 3

▪️O C T A V I A▪️

My first class would be taught by a familiar face and the course was called Enslavement in the British West Indies.

While I did not need to take this class, my father had urged me to do so anyway since I had two elective course options. It was taught by a colleague and friend of his, Professor Linda Thompson-Ghoddos, who had been a guest lecturer at U.W.I many times and was very passionate about the subject she taught.

I supposed it was fitting that she was destined to die at her desk, among her books. In my vision, I had seen that she would pass away peacefully due to old age, while leaning back in her chair with a manuscript on her lap.

Upon reaching a few minutes before class started, Professor Linda smiled when she saw me enter and she hurriedly walked over to embrace me in a quick hug.

"Octavia, my dear! So good to have you in my class, not that you need it, aye?"

"Nice to see you too, Professor!"

Professor Linda had honey-brown coloured hair with streaks of grey caressing through the strands. She wore her mane in a nicely styled bob that touched her shoulders, the thin rectangular gold rimmed glasses that she wore suited her face.

"Have you settled in nicely?"

"So far so good," I replied. "A bit chaotic in some parts but overall, it's been easy to manage since I had Emily to help me. It's nice having someone who's already been through the system."

We conversed lightly for a few more minutes before I moved to settle into a seat near the front as other students began to trickle in.

The last three hours had been slightly boring.

Not that Professor Linda was bad at what she taught, she was great, but having a History Professor as a father, who specialised in African enslavement, one could best believe that I had heard everything that there was to know about the theme and then some.

"This will be an easy A," I said to myself when class finished.

Packing up my bag, I told the Professor goodbye and left the lecture hall. With a smile on my face, I headed towards the large sycamore tree on the east side of the university where Emily and some of her friends were waiting for me.

I took my time walking across the campus, smiling politely to the guys that would muster the courage to say "hi" when I passed. Soon, I could hear Emily's voice as I neared the tree.

"Hey Vi!" Emily beamed, patting a space next to her on the bench. "How was your first class?"

I greeted everyone at the round table before turning to answer Emily, "Well, it was Professor Linda Thompson-Ghoddos, you know she's a friend of my dad so it didn't feel as intimidating as the rest of my classes would be."

"What class do you have next?" Michael asked.

"I'm free for the rest of the day as tutorial classes don't start until next week," I answered.

Michael Campbell was another one of Emily's friends whom I had met during welcoming week.

When I greeted him, I had to suppress a grimace when I met his gaze. Michael's visage was angelic, but what I glimpsed in his future resulted in a closed-casket funeral.

Michael possessed striking grey eyes that accentuated his presence. His thick, dark hair was meticulously styled in an undercut, framing his face in a way that highlighted his features. With a height just over 6 feet, his slender build exuded a confident presence. His distinctive taste in clothing was reflected in the bold choices he made, like the vibrant orange shirt he sported today.