Humanoid (Dream Warriors Book 1)

Chapter 1

The advantage of a brain that never stops—there's never a dull moment inside my head. Once the 'on' switch activated, my thought process surged like an electrical circuit on a continuous looped pathway. Occasionally, I remembered to trip the 'off' button before I went to sleep, but more often than not, I was too busy thinking. From the alien to the damn-right bizarre, random notions, feelings and, dare I say, hallucinations played out behind my eyes like an outbreak of unwanted teenage acne.

In this moment, an intrusive earworm grooved inside my mind, singing to me about my current 'alien status,' but I wasn't in New York. Not today, anyway. Nope, it's late February in St Lucia. Not the Calypso Island but the campus at the University of Queensland or UQ for short. Sweaty Betty humid outside, inside one of countless campus lecture theatres, the air-con worked hard at keeping its occupants frosty.

Surrounded by three hundred eager undergraduates, I sat at an induction session aimed at helping international students make a smooth transition into campus life before Orientation Week. My enrolment email pushed for foreign students like me to attend one of the hour-long sessions within the first week of landing in Australia. They threw in the big 'C' for good measure— Compulsory.

'Scientia ac labore, by means of knowledge and hard work,' a passionate female voice rattled from the PA system. 'Since 1909, this institution has strived to...'

My jaw fought with a determined yawn. Perhaps my interest in the fundamentals of university should be more focused on what the adviser had to say, but a desire to get started on my academic journey, with maybe a little fun on the way, held more relevance. Hey, it is my last teenage year and a student's acknowledged rite of passage.

Multiple coloured slides, detailing available student services, projected important information across a giant rectangular whiteboard. Jotting down a handful of points in my notepad, I compiled a list of orientation activities worth attending. Once the presentation switched to Brisbane's extensive transportation options, I shut off from the overenthusiastic voice piercing my eardrums in stereo.

I lived in a flat less than twenty minutes from campus. And once I'd settled in, I'd bought myself a mountain bike to ride to and from lectures. Cycle paths and bike racks were available all around campus, so biking topped as the most efficient method of travel. 

An identical awed expression grappled with the facial features of every student my eyes landed upon. A diverse multicultural assembly, we represented a wide selection of nations from across the globe. The woman to my right wore a red African kaftan with a cobalt front panel, embossed with the shape of a traditional war shield. At intervals, she hummed a popular hymn under her breath, sparking unwanted memories of the church services I used to attend with my mother's family during summer holidays spent in Louisiana.

On my left, a student with flawless peaches and cream complexion reminded me of a pageant contestant. Dressed in a white strapless sundress decorated with oversized red roses, surrounded by pink daisies, I decided her fashion style fitted somewhere between bohemian chic and classic. I peeked down at my own outfit with a smirk; jersey shorts and a ribbed vest were my customary hot weather uniform.

A thunderous hum erupted around the hall as students began departing the lecture hall, signposting the end of the seminar. Eager to make my next appointment on time, I shot from my seat as Miss Pageant did the same. Both chairs snapped simultaneously into a closed position and the attached writing tablets slapped downwards. Without warning, Miss Pageant lost her balance and tripped over the rucksack I'd shoved under my seat on arrival. An extended 'Whoops!' escaped her baby-pink lips as she stumbled against my hip. 

A lingering floral, yet fruity scent clung to my nostrils.

'I am so sorry,' she drawled, righting her posture but neglecting to acknowledge me.