Eternal Veil

Chapter 4

"You'd think they'd give better directions", I mutter, lugging my suitcases down the middle of campus, dodging people carrying stacks of boxes to and from surrounding buildings. My patience has reached sub-zero. I arrived to campus earlier than the school-wide email advised, yet still found myself waiting in a registration line for over 2 hours. Better yet, once I eventually reached the front, I was told I had mistakenly checked into the wrong dorm, and was hence instructed to "go find" the right one.

I huff as I drag my stuff along, the wheels of my luggage rattling against the uneven cobblestone. I feel like a lost puppy. No– a pack mule. A very lost one at that. It's incredible that a prestigious place like this can't even manage to label their buildings properly. "Go find it", they said. As if I'm supposed to magically know where that is. I scowl at the crumpled map I was handed at registration. Useless. I'm about two seconds away from launching this map into the orbit when I hear a familiar voice behind me.

"Well, if it isn't the law firm," the voice says with a playful recognition.

I turn around, brow furrowed, and sure enough it's him– the guy who practically bulldozed me at the hotel. He's standing with a casual confidence, hands in his pockets and that same easy grin spread broadly across his face.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, more startled than I meant to sound.

"Apparently saving you from being hopelessly lost," he jabs, his eyes flickering to the map suffocating in my clenched hand. "I thought you were a pro at navigating hotels. Guess dorms are a different challenge?"

My eyes narrow. "Stalker much?" I taunt.

He chuckles, throwing his hands up in defense. "Relax, law firm, just here to help."

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued how he can possibly be of assistance. As if reading my mind, he continues, "One of my friends is an RA. Gave me the scoop on where they're putting the freshies."

I grimace at that word. Freshie.

"So you know where I'm supposed to be?" Relief washes over me, though I keep my expression one of casual intrigue.

He bows dramatically. "At your service."

I hesitate for a second, but my lips mimic his grin. I don't need rescuing– especially not from someone who looks like they just stepped out of a catalog. But it's either this or wasting another hour wandering around campus; the choice is obvious. "Lead the way."

With that, we set off. After 15 minutes of navigating through clusters of new students and their frazzled families, I begin to realize my sense of direction was drastically off. Ellis spends most of the walk chatting nonstop about campus life and lecturing me on the do's and don'ts, as if I'm some social alien. His enthusiasm would've been exhausting if it wasn't so comically sincere– like watching a puppy try to catch its own tail.

At long last, we reach a towering brick building– Halcyon Hall, according to the bold letters carved above the entryway. The ivy-adorned walls on the exterior hint at the years of history this campus bears, but it's the trees that truly capture my attention. Large maples and oaks stand tall before the dormitory, as if stalwart guardians to the hall, their leaves beginning to blush with the first signs of autumn. Like the ones from home.

I notice Ellis already at the entrance, leaning against the front door frame and chatting with a cheery looking girl wearing a bright yellow RA shirt. She has long black hair with wispy bangs, and an endearing smile that sends a feeling of ease through me. She's smiling warmly at whatever Ellis just said and, as I approach, she turns that same expression towards me.

"You must be Eleanor," she says, giving me a friendly wave, "I'm Lydia. A first-year, right?"

"As if it wasn't obvious enough," my eyes gesture to my overflow of bags.