Burned Out [Completed]

My First Day of College

Martin and I took turns showering the next morning, and after a quick breakfast of pop tarts, Mart, Tim, and I sat down to a planning session. Jim had left for work, so we had the house to ourselves.

Tim pulled up a Google Maps image of Winston College. The campus consisted of three buildings; the main administration building, a second building to the right that housed the math, science, and technology halls, and a third to the left that housed the english and liberal arts halls.

The second building is where we would focus our search since my dad taught history. I pulled up my father's missing person article.

"We should find this guy 'Rayner.'" I suggested. "He might know something else that's not in his statement."

"That's a good starting point." Martin agreed. After some researching, we learned that Professor Rayner was the head of the Anthropology department. He had started out as a specialist in ancient cultures.

"Hey, look at that!" Tim was pointing to a link on the college website. "'Sign up for free campus tours.'"

"That's perfect," I exclaimed. "The next one is at noon."

Things seemed to be working out quite nicely, but I knew to be cautious. My life had been anything but easy in the past couple of days. Martin and I got up to pack our bags.

"This is where we leave you, bud," Martin said to Tim. "Your brother would murder me if we got you tied up in all of this."

Tim scowled, but nodded. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right."

We said our good-byes and left. As soon as we were riding away, Martin heaved a sigh of relief. "I really thought he was going to come anyway."

"The farther away from us he is, the better," I assured Mart. "We're heading right back to Jin or Nick or who knows what else."

We arrived at the college ten minutes to noon. The picture from the internet didn't do the place any justice. The regal brownstone buildings sat behind a sprawling, manicured lawn. The walkways were lined with small trees and the entire campus was surrounded by a tall, wrought iron fence.

Students walked past at odd intervals or reclined on stone benches that were surrounded by mini gardens. We entered the campus under a fancy sign that sported the school's motto: scientia sit potentia.

Winston College seemed like the perfect place to earn a degree if you ignored the possibility that it was harboring a creepy cult.

We made our way to the main building where a small group was already forming for the tour. Mart and I hung behind all of them, trying to blend in.

After a few more minutes, a girl in her late twenties marched in. She wore a neat pantsuit and clutched a clipboard to her narrow chest. Her name tag proclaimed "Jessica." Clearly tour-giving material.

"Everyone here? Perfect, let's begin!"

She launched into an enthralling narrative (yawn) of the college's history, setting off at a brisk pace.

Every few minutes she'd point out landmarks; places to study, public art donated by prestigious alumni, on-campus restaurants, the whole works. I was basically sleepwalking when she finally said something useful.

"And here we have the libral arts building!" Jessica chirped with false excitement. Once we were inside, Martin, and I quickly dodged into a side hall, leaving Jessica to preach to the others without us.

"You still alive?" Martin asked, checking his pulse.

"Are you kidding," I said in mock appalment. "I could have listened to her for hours!"