Anemoia // Sally Face

25: Someone new

September 22nd

The routine of life subtly became easier. College was a big change from high school, where paying attention used to not be important, but now each class I'm in it's vital to take notes and hear every bit of the professor's lecture.

Literature had interesting material, and the professor was one of the more chill ones. Letting students talk to each other on any topic simply because he said it would help you learn more than any teacher could try to teach. This particular day the professor wasn't feeling up to reciting his lecture and instructed us to talk to someone in the room about anything. School related or not, just get to know that person and write a short response on them. He said having connections to other living people was the most vital part of life, and one of the most enjoyable pieces of being a human.

People quickly got into pairs, finding people they knew or people they would like to know. No one came up to me. But one individual stood out amongst my classmates, a boy with blue hair just like Sal's. I recognized him from Nockfell high, but I never talked to him before, seeing as he looked more on the quiet side and completely content with that.

He looked like he wasn't going to get up to find anyone, so I gathered my things into my black backpack and walked my way over to his seat by the wall.

"Mind if I take this seat?" I ask.

"Hm? Oh, sure," he tried to smile, but the awkwardness of the situation was too much for him and his smile dropped to a thin line.

"I've seen you before, in high school. I thought we had a little familiarity so it wouldn't be too hard to talk to each other compared to complete strangers. My name's Katie,"

"I know who you are," he said. When he saw the look of confusion on my face, he quickly rephrased his statement, "I don't mean that in a bad way! It's just, of course I know who you are, you hung out with the guy Sally Face, and everyone knows him, It's- It's hard to go unnoticed when you have a group like that you know?"

"No, I understand what you mean," I reassure him.

"Anyway, my name's Philip. I should have just said that and not have been rude to you,"

"It's alright, it's nice to finally meet you,"

"If I'm honest, I didn't think I would even be going to this college, so I was prepared to never see someone from high school again," he sighed.

"What does that mean?"

"Well... I used to live with my grandma, before she died two years ago. She told me stories of Nockfell and the history surrounding this place. I thought what she said was cool, but every now and then she would warn me to get out of here, saying something like, 'Once you're here for too long, then you never leave,' She said it's best to get out when you still have time, and it was the one mistake she made,"

"Not to get off topic but, what history? I moved here a year ago, so I don't really know anything,"

"It's strange, you can ask any teacher about the founding of this town, and they'll lie to you. The reality of this place is so secret, and I don't understand why. You see, back in the 17th century, Nockfell was founded by a tribe of Native Americans who settled by Wendigo Lake. If you ask a teacher, all they say is, "This land was never used before, and was colonized to create a new America. No Natives lived on the land, and none were harmed," See how that's weird? There's proof at Wendigo Lake that people lived here before colonizers!" Philip explains.