Claws and code

New room and introductions

My life changed when I started uni, actually... My life changed when I met Sasha.

The first day, moving into the University dorms. She was supposed to get a room to herself but I'd admitted myself to the programs of my choice and into the only room that had a single occupant. Ironically, though I didn't know why at the time, she was like a skittish cat, cornered by my tiny presence.

Sasha was beautiful, she looked like a swimwear model. I'd never seen someone so perfect in my small, dark world. All graceful muscles, perfect skin and so tall. Yet she looked at me with fear in her eyes before rushing to the admin building mumbling about mistakes, humanity's general stupidity and torture.
I followed in her wake, three rushed steps to every single, quick step she took. I silently stood at the doorway while she tried to beg, bribe and, finally, threaten the office ladies that I was to be removed from her dorm. Needless to say, she was unsuccessful in her attempts to have me removed.

She'd stalked back to our dorm and started digging through her bag. She'd continued to ignore me, as she had been doing since she found me in the room earlier that morning. She had pulled out her phone and called someone, only to tell them that there was a dormmate in her room and they refused to remove me. She hadn't said anything else, just hung up. After that she sat on her bed, staring at me, clearly upset. 

After half an hour of silence, while I unpacked my meagre belongings and she simply looked on defeated, I tried to start a conversation while organizing my things.

'I'm sorry that it upsets you to have me as a roommate.'

She didn't say anything but did heave a tired sigh. Taking that as encouragement I continued. 'I'm not a party animal, I'm simply here to study. If you want the room for yourself to study just let me know and I'll stay in the library.'

She still didn't say anything but her facial expression had turned from defeated to interested so I talked on. 'I have a friend that lives in the city, I can go there for a night or two in the weekends if you have friends over or anything.' I hinted that I didn't mind staying away if she had a boyfriend. I tried to get some sort of response but she still refused to talk. I refused to ask her why she wouldn't talk to me and did the talking instead.

I told her about the fact that I was there to study for a double major in computer science and psychology. I was just telling her about my plans to start my own business as soon as I left school when she suddenly straightened up. A few seconds later there was a knock on the door. She was at the door in a flash and the moment it opened she threw herself into the arms of the man on the other side.

He was rather imposing in size and I could clearly see the resemblance between them. He stepped into the room with her still clinging to him and another man, equally large stepped in behind them. I could see two more men outside the door, so I relaxed against the wall behind me while my fingers continued to fly over my keyboard as they had been doing the whole time I spoke to her. I didn't need to see the keys to know what I was doing. An occasional glance was enough.

I angled my computer under the guise of adjusting my position and took a short film of the men. I'd take stills from that later and look them up. It helped that she had given all her details and a number to ring when she had been arguing with the ladies at the office. So much information for me to play with, it was what I lived and breathed, and they had no idea. I smiled at the men that were crowding the room and the older gentleman dislodged Sasha, handing her to the other man.

'Hello, young lady. I'm Gus Benedict, Sasha's dad.'

I shut my laptop and stood up to shake his outstretched hand. 'Cloe Smith, sir. How do you do?'

'I'm good, thank you Miss Smith, but my daughter has a problem.'

'She does indeed, sir. She seems unable to engage in polite conversation.'

'Excuse me?' The man asked with a hint of a smile while the other man chuckled and patted Sasha on the head. She hit his arm away and turned to glare at me but still remained silent.

'I know she can speak. She had quite a lot to say to the ladies in the admin block and I heard her talk to, presumably, you on the phone yet she hasn't said a word to me since she waltzed in here this morning and demanded I leave her room.'

'Well, I'm sure she didn't mean to be rude. It's just that, we had arranged for Sasha to have her own dorm while studying here. It seems that something went wrong in the system and you were assigned to this room. I have been to the admin and there seem to be no other dorms available at present. Which brings us to our problem...'

'Respectfully, sir, you mean your problem. I'm fine here. As I explained to Sasha, I am happy to stay in the library during the day, so she can have the room to herself if she needs to be alone to study and I can occasionally stay at a friend's place during the weekends if she want to study or... entertain.'

He frowned but I didn't back down, regardless of the feeling that I should be running as far and as fast as I could to escape these people. I couldn't put my finger on it but there was something about them that made me feel cornered. They seemed to take up so much space, it put me on the defensive.

'Maybe we could go and have a coffee while we discuss this. I'm long overdue for my coffee today.' I suggested, simply to get them out of the room.

A voice from the hallway stated. 'That sounds like a great idea, Gus.'

I didn't see who owned the voice but I subconsciously took a step back. I could see that Sasha's dad had seen it. I turned to my laptop and shoved it in my backpack before stomping past the two big men and my beautiful, tall roommate. The two men in the hallway had been joined by a third. He didn't look more imposing than the other men but there was an air about him that had my instincts on red alert.