Obey

Chapter 5: Genesis Hall

Nearing the grounds of Genesis Hall...

"God-"

"Damn," Brandon cut Hailey off.

"This place is huge!" said Tina.

"From your reactions, I take it that neither of you read my email last week." Roscoe exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Shoot! I knew I forgot something," his Guardian whispered and nursed what was left of her precious stimulant.

"Genesis Hall, huh?" a tenor-like voice questioned toward the back of the group. "Someone was a bible-thumper."

Tina pivoted, took in a nearly unrecognizable Denzel. He had his hair and unicorn eyes hidden by a white cap, assuring Tina that she wouldn't have noticed him if he hadn't spoken.

Though his markers help.

Tina bypassed Denzel's layers of a woolly long-sleeve, patterned t-shirt, and tapered jogging pants for the small cross and stack of ornamental bracelets she has yet to see him without.

As the ex-athlete raced over, Roscoe transformed into a tour guide.

"Genesis Hall is where incoming students take their classes, where their academic journey begins, hence the moniker."

Tina spoke aloud, "So, we-"

"Negative."

Ashley jumped in after her boyfriend. "Since we're in the Advanced program we take classes separate from everyone else. We're over in the, what's the name again," she wondered, "De- No that's wrong, D... Desi Hall? No. Didi Hall? Wait, no."

"Dje-Dje-Djedi," Roscoe stammered between hard inhales.

"Glad I could entertain you." Ashley scowled.

With a smile, Roscoe pulled himself together. "It is Djedi Hall."

"Who?" asked Hailey.

"Djedi," Roscoe answered. "Though there is no archaeological or historical evidence that he ever existed, Djedi is believed to have been a commoner of extraordinary age, a man who was endowed with magical powers and talented in making prophecies. The fourth story of the Westcar Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian text that contains five stories about miracles performed by priests and magicians, notes him as having hailed from Egypt in the B.C.s." With each sentence, the human encyclopedia became giddier. "Djedi has been an object of interest for many historians and Egyptologists. His magic tricks have been thought to be connected to later cultural perceptions of King Khufu, the pharaoh who commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World."

"You know you light up when you talk about your tomes, Mr. Bookworm?" His curly-haired friend poked fun at him.

"A magician, huh?" Hailey crossed her arms. "Someone's got a sense of humor. It's messed up. They're tryna say we don't exist, that what we experience isn't real, right?"

"Bingo." Ashley nodded and continued walking the overly flowered maze she'd found herself in.

As they traversed the path, the group began hearing live music, a jazzy beat riding the cool breeze that also swayed colorful balloons.

"At least someone knows how to get down." Hailey bobbed her head.

"Because of its population and the fact that the university works on a cohort and Fall semester-only enrollment model, Genesis Hall is the largest building on campus." Roscoe ran through more superfluous information until he felt a tug on his arm. He turned to see both Ashley and Tina taking a literal moment to stop and smell the roses.