Chapter 1
Chapter One
Monday, November 12th
A gasp was ripped from my lips as the frigid wind swept past me and snapped at my face and legs. It almost made me want to return to the heavenly bliss waiting on my bed back in my apartment instead of heading to my car, which was right across the road. But, while I shrugged my scarf up over my nose, I steeled myself against the harsh swirling of flurries and tugged the building’s door shut after me, all with the thought of hot chocolate waiting at my cozy desk being the only hopeful comfort that propelled me forward.
My boots trudged through the packed snow that layered the sidewalk unevenly, my hands shoved into the pockets of my thick jacket like they were trying to find some sort of warm wormhole within. I glanced up only briefly to climb over the piled snow drift that acted as the sidewalk’s barricade, and to check either way before hurriedly pacing across the narrow road. When I pulled my keys out of my jacket, I looked into my car and noticed the locks to my car were undone. Carefully I grabbed the nipping handle, my pale thumb poised over the button, and pulled it open, finding myself jump when I thought the alarm would go off. But that didn’t seem to be the case. I was only met with whistling wind in my ears, standing in the road like some space cadet while snowflakes were finding shelter inside.
With the shake of my head, I slipped inside and started the car to blast the heat, my gloved hand on the vent as I tried to wait patiently for warmth to spill from it. After, I could feel a desirable warmth steadily filling the confined space, my steel eyes were trained on the bare steering wheel, attempting to recollect locking it when I got home last night. Even as I did have the thought, I kept second guessing, unsure if I heard the usual honk when it was secured. As I trailed my eyes to the radio to find a station, they caught the clock and I sighed softly before randomly throwing it on and pulling away from the curb.
The town was in the full swing of the season, looking like the spirit of Christmas had personally come through overnight and puked all over the main street that ran through it. All the leftover mom and pop shops that have been around since I was a kid had the flashing green and red lights in the window as they opened early, for those who liked grabbing a hot breakfast before work. The Yankee Clipper’s windows displayed all the classic characters associated with the holiday while surrounded by intricate designs of pale blue flakes. Even the new shops that were opening more and more recently had decorations. Everything from wreaths on their shop doors and twinkling lights in the display windows to well thought out Christmas trees and little presents with various bows drawn on the glass. Even with how small it was, Beacon was going all out like always, hoping to bring more and more residents in by being festive and cheery. Yet, seeing all of it brought a grin to my face, the joy of people putting in such effort filling me. I almost sung along to the holiday tunes as I drove towards the highway.
The older woman at the front desk greeted me as I gently opened the door. “Morning, Dove.”
“Good morning Helen!” I responded cheerily, my gait having a slight hop to it as I smiled. “Have a great weekend?”
Maybe it was all due to how warm the building was, and that I didn’t have to keep smacking my hands together to keep generate feeling and heat in them.
“Sort of. My mother’s rats are driving me up a wall. Nothing but yap, yap, yap all hours of the day.” She sighed, “Hopefully yours was better.”
I shrugged, “Kind of relaxed.”
“Sounds like heaven.”
I chuckled, “Does Carder have mail in his box? Or mine?”
With a quick glance at the cubby holes, she kicked her chair from the desk, so she could thoroughly check. Fixing her glasses onto her nose, the delicate chain of her charm bracelet jingled against the beaded string which hung her wire frames.
As she plucked some papers from the mail boxes, she adjusted her frames and answered, “Only a few things. Mostly late assignments.”
After taking the extended sheets, I gave her a warm smile and wished her a great day before continuing on to my shared office. The recognizable squeaking of the wheels on the linoleum from Helen’s chair was all I heard as I strode a few doors down and ducked into the small room. Once the heavy door closed slowly behind me, I flicked the lights on as I dropped the small stack of papers on the professor’s desk.
The room was simple, with off white painted bricks and aged ceiling panels to match the drab space. But the furniture that waited within helped make it seem cozy. The professor’s desk was of simple oak that had silver legs and looked more like a table than a desk. His set up only having a sleek monitor, a matching laptop and tablet framing either side with a pristine white keyboard and mouse stationed in front of it. Two standing shelves sat diagonally from each other, his in the corner to the right of my desk and mine in the opposing corner across from his. Beside my shelf was a standing coat tree. The age of it only known from how the paint on some parts of it seemed to be chipping. From what I heard, the thing had been around since the dean was a teacher here.
Damn.
When the fluorescence finally decided to cease their seizure induced blinking, I walked over to mine. My chair faced in a way that allowed me to see the entrance. Dropping my bags behind it, I shrugged off both my coat and scarf and deposited them on the coat rack. I shook my long hair out, the bouncy long locks shaking out any flurry stragglers that could be clinging. When I made sure my gloves were in the pockets, I removed my keys and phone and checked for any notifications as I rounded the mahogany desk.
It wasn’t until I sat down in my cushioned chair that I spotted the large lidded cup sitting on the desk. With my eyebrows knitted together in confusion, I reached over, ready to drop the cup into my waste basket, but was surprised to find it was full and really hot, like it was just made. Sliding it closer, I popped the lid off and gave a whiff, discovering it was hot chocolate, not coffee. I was confused. Putting it back on the desk, I noticed that there was something written in a steady scrawl.
Keep warm, Dove.
“Odd,” I remarked aloud. Normally Helen and I were the first ones in the building this early, besides the maintenance crew.
The sound of the door opening gave me a start, and as my eyes flicked up to see who it was, I almost knocked over the cup, but I quickly grabbed it with both hands, keeping it steady. Upon seeing that it was only Carder. I slouched a bit in my seat, releasing my breath. He nudged the door closed behind him with the heel of his oxford, his dark hair matted to his head from the melting snow flakes.
“Good morning Dove!” He balanced a cup holder with drinks in one hand while the other rested his briefcase on his chair.
I greeted back with a friendly smile, “Good morning sir.”
He shook out his hair like a dog, shooting water from his strands like liquid airsoft pellets. Once the brunette stood before the desk, he sat the cup holder on the edge of my work surface before smoothly sliding his spindly arms out of his peacoat to drop on the hook beside mine to drip dry by our metal heater.
“How was your weekend?” the older man wondered, using his scarf to dry away as much of the melted snow as he could.
“Pretty quiet. So, I can’t really complain,” I told him, turning the computer on.
“Sounds nice! My house was taken over by family. Everyone wanted to help set up decorations, but I knew they wanted to scope out my new place.” He threw his scarf right on top of his jacket indifferently.
“Still sounds nice though.”
All he gave was a shrug, like he was almost responding back with a ‘it is what it is.’
“Hey,” he commented, pointing at the cup that was still beside my keyboard, “You already grabbed hot chocolate?”
“Actually,” I began, picking the sweet-smelling drink up delicately like it could suddenly turn searing at a moment’s notice, “It was here when I got in. I was gonna see if Helen wanted to surprise me or something.”
“As. If. That woman rarely ever makes others something to drink. And when it is, it’s all the same. Straight black coffee.”
I shot back, “Well, it’s the thought that counts.”
While he took his drink from the cup holder, I eyed the cup warily.
“I think I should dump it.”
He asked, holding his cup to his chapped lips, “Why?”
“There could be something in it.”
“Like..?”
“I don’t know,” I said, holding the cup at a distance, “Like, rohypnol-”
Carder cut me off, “Alright CSI, relax. Who do you think it’s from?”
I shrugged, “There’s a message on the side though.”
Before he could open his mouth to ask what it was, I turned the cup to show him and what his reaction as he read the simple three words. A smile came to his face.
“You, my dear, have a secret admirer.”
I chuckled, “Yeah. Right. I have an admirer.”
He perched himself on my desk, ankles crossed while his hands cradled his cup in his lap, “I wonder who it could be.”
I just said as I typed, waiting to log me, “Have fun with that, and tell Scooby Doo I said hi while you’re at it.”
All he did was nudge my shoulder after he stood up with a smirk then headed to his desk, needing to attend to the papers left abandoned. Giving the cup another careful sniff, I put it to my lips and took a small sip, softly popping my lips. The only thing that tasted off about it was that whoever got the hot chocolate for me seemed to know that I liked mint in it too. Without realizing it, I smiled as I took another sip, this time taking a bit more, before I sat it next to the monitor and got to work pulling up my emails while checking out my mail.
When eight rolled around, I graded the last of the papers, then I slipped out of my boots and into my Keds. Putting the monitor into sleep mode, I scooped up my folder of papers and my drink before I headed straight for the door.
“See you at eleven for lunch?” Carder asked, still hunched over papers with his forehead balanced on his fist and his harsh red pen scratching across the paper.
“Wouldn’t miss it.” I replied with a smile, “Tell the husband I brought his favorite cookies.”
“I’m gonna need them more than him. Our beginner writers act like they’ve never written a thing before in their life.” He huffed in irritation.
“The twelve o’clock or two?”
“Does it matter??”
I laughed softly, saying, “I’ll help when I get back.”
Leaving the little room, I strode down the short hall and left into the main section of the building where the classrooms were held, having to travel only a few down to the small auditorium. I stepped in and flicked the lights on, blinding a small handful of students who were already there and causing some groans as I walked down the ramp which ran down the middle.
“Good morning!” I chimed.
Even with one or two simple grunts back, I still smiled. Once by the stage, I rested my cup and papers on it and signed into the computer that was off to the side. The archaic thing decided to take some time breathing life into itself. With a quick log in, I stood up straight and took down who was present. I saw my students all huddled in, the usual friend groups herding together with a few independent ones beaded off to the sides, but I took note of some unfamiliar ones.
“Excuse me,” I began, stopping a girl not much younger than I was before she could sit with a few already in the front row, “What class are you with?”
She answered, “Professor Raven’s Sci-Fi.”
“That’s right. Sorry to bother you.”
She smiled before sitting down, quickly taking out her small laptop. With my eyes skimming both sides, I noticed that almost all of the females were around the front while the male students sat in back, a few from either intermingling at random points. As quickly as I thought it, the notice was gone because of how the door closed behind the last student who hurried to their spot, causing me to glance at my watch.
“Good morning everyone!” I greeted, getting a range of response levels back. “It’s week one of collab. work. Who doesn’t love having another assignment stacked on all the others you have?”
That got a few chuckles from the crowd.
“For those who aren’t in my other classes, I’m the student teacher for Professor Sanford’s Science Fiction and for Professor Carder’s Creative Writing. You can call me either Professor Darling or Ms. Dove.”
A hand in the back shot up, causing me to nod at the man that was possibly from the other class.
“What’s the workshop we’re gonna be doin’?”
As I went to answer, the door opened. I directed my attention up the walkway, thinking I was going to see a late student, but the man who entered wasn’t a pupil by any means. While he dressed sort of casually in a black tee and dark Chucks, he held himself in a way of where he radiated this energy that required attention. Smoothly, he strode down the walkway, causing me to catch how the females seemed to sit up straight and perky, some even going the extra mile to cinch their hair and give it volume.
If I wasn’t standing in front of the students, under the beaming lights of the stage, I would have rolled my eyes. But, I couldn’t.
Once he was just a few steps from me, I stretched my hand out.
“Hello! You must be Professor Raven. I’m-”
“Ms. Dove.” He cut me off as he took my hand and shook, dwarfing it considerably. “I remember you from the department’s meet-and-greet.”
I almost hummed in response, noting that how he poke seemed a bit off, as if we had already been introduced.
“Good morning students,” his baritone voice easily travelling across the auditorium without issue. “I trust everyone is ready for the workshop these next few weeks.”
He got some enthusiastic remarks, especially from the first few rows.
“Our first day of workshop,” I began, standing before both columns, “is to get with your groups, whomever it may be, and come up with an idea for an original science fiction novella. You’ll have almost the whole class time to come up with one, and to ask any questions. First though, I want my students to come up and get their responses back on Blood Child.”
As Professor Raven’s students were getting together and were discussing, mine gathered their things and came up. I gave a bit of feedback with a few of them on how to strengthen some of their remarks, bouncing some suggestions for them to try working with, before allowing them to get with their friends and start.
“Blood Child, huh?”
I glanced over at the professor, who held a smirk on his face as he leaned against the stage, his right foot balanced behind the other as his hand was shoved into his pocket, thumb dangling.
“It was my favorite, so I thought it was appropriate to assign.”
“Didn’t pick you for a sci-fi person.” He stated, taking a sip from his mug.
“Oh?” I asked, clutching my cup to keep my hands warm, “What did you think I was?”
He pursed his lips out just the slightest bit, his eyes narrowing a bit in deep thought.
“Maybe a Letters to Juliet kind.” He answered after a moment.
I laughed lightly, leaning against the stage while I crossed one arm across my abdomen to rest my hand in the crook of my elbow, my cup cradled in the other hand.
I told him, “Don’t let the blonde hair fool you. The only light reading I have is the Miss Peregrine’s series, the rest spans from Le Guin and Butler to King and Lovecraft.”
Professor Raven seemed to smile wider at my answer, taking a long sip that allowed me to take in more of his appearance. His look was quite different from other professors I’ve met. Their short hair was the complete opposite of the man’s before me. It was long and dark, held back in a messy bun with stray locks escaping. He was not clean shaven, but his beard which was about an inch and a half long was very well kept. And I noticed how his almost native-esque tattoos made his tan skin almost seem darker.
A sudden ‘ahem’ broke my attention, and upon glancing up it was aimed towards him from a student than with me.
“That would be you.” I said.
Without a word, but the smile still there, he nodded and strode over to the group of girls. My eyes were just skimming over mine when a hesitant hand rose, placing the drink on stage before walking over. I ended up attending to almost everyone partnered up in Professor Sandford’s class, hearing such wonderful ideas and suggesting some material that could help them.
When I heard many chairs begin to squeak as well as saw people were packing their laptops and notebooks away, I checked my watch and saw the end of the time.
“Alright,” I began, keeping some of the attention, “Next time we meet, we’re gonna share our ideas and get some criticism or suggestions for day two. So, make sure you and your group mates are here.”
As just about everyone was leaving or were gone, I walked back to the front to collect my only belongings, taking a sip from the now cold drink with ease.
“What other classes do you have today?” Professor Raven suddenly asked me, carrying the folder at his side.
“I have a twelve and a two with Professor Carder. Then, I have to head home and grade.”
“So, you’re working under Carder AND Sandford?”
I answered, walking alongside him up to the doors, “Yup.”
“How’s that going?”
My shoulders shrugged as I nudged the door open, responding when he exited just after I did, “I’m learning what I’ve been working towards, so I couldn’t be more happy with doin’ it.”
That same charming smile came back to his face, making it seem as if that was what lit up the jade chips scattered through his charcoal irises. It caused my eyes to also catch the sight of the small fly-aways that framed his face, outlining more of it.
The sudden sound of a smack upon the linoleum made me jump out of my skin, my empty cup falling out of my hand and tapping beside my shoe. My attention darted about, trying to hunt down the source of the noise. When it caught the sight of a binder just behind him and me, it allowed a mild chuckle of relief to release from my mouth. Pressing the tips of my fingers to my face like a fan, I hoped it would hide my blush that was beginning to rise in my cheeks. When I lifted my eyelids, I saw the professor just standing up from kneeling down to pick up my cup, only causing the heat to raise higher.
“You’re skittish.”
The way he spoke was in a tone that I wasn’t sure if it were a question or an aloud observation, but it made me nod my head in embarrassment.
“Well,” he commented, handing me the empty cup, “I’ll let you go. I’ve got another class.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice to waiver if I opened it. So, with a simple wave goodbye, I turned in the complete opposite direction of where we stood in the hall and began my personal walk of shame back to the office. Knowing Carder, when I told him what happened, he’ll never let it go.
Hopefully it won’t go on for too long, since I didn’t want to hide my blush behind my fork of pasta while trying to enjoy lunch with the two men.
~*~
Tuesday, November 13th
With a sigh of contentment, I stepped out of the shower while wrapping myself in one of the hanging towels. There was something about being blasted with hot water in the morning (especially when I wasn’t expected as early on my Mondays) that resonates and soothes one’s being. The kind where it almost brings a soft moan out of you.
As I grabbed another and used it to dry my hair and face, I padded over to the sink. Sweeping my hand, I cleared a wide strip of condensation off of the reflective glass. Looking into it, I smiled, flashing myself with pearly whites, the thought that the caffeine pills I was taking were helping out a bit. My hands went through the motions, completing all that needed done before I left, looking fresh faced and ready for the day. While holding the fold of my towel, I slipped into my slip-ons while the other scooping up my toiletry bag and ducked out into the hallway, leaving the door open to air out the moisture.
A feeling came over me, raising my head from where I had glanced down to try and shimmy my foot more into my shoe to glance down the hall towards the other part of the apartment. It was like the sensation where your ears can’t pick it up, but you know someone had just said your name. Checking the inside of my wrist to catch the time, I saw it was still early to where if I glanced out the window the sky would be dusted with the colors of cotton candy.
The thought of how my roommates weren’t up before six crossed my mind as I shuffled my feet towards the living room.
“…not now….” My ears barely caught, the voice sounding muffled.
“Morning,” I began as I rounded the corner, grin on my face dissolving into confusion. “Guys?”
There was no one there. With my metal-like eyes, they scanned the space and saw it was as undisturbed as it was last night, when both my roommates cleaned up their guests’ mess from weekly DnD. The lamps and lights were still off, even the beam of the Keurig’s blue flashing numbers wasn’t on.
“I can’t with the neighbors.” I muttered to myself, heading back to my room to continue getting ready.
It didn’t take long before I was coming back out, bundled up and bag in hand. After leaving I began my even paced jog down the few flights of stairs. Once outside the building, I felt that the wind wasn’t as nippy as the day before, but still held the cold breeze that could wake a comatose patient if exposed to it. Checking both ways, I followed the same route that had me stretching over the slightly shorter snow drift and hurrying to the comforts of my car. Whipping my key out, I was about to double click the unlock button but was stopped just before doing so when I saw they were undone.
I couldn’t help but gaze around, as if the answer of my car being unlocked was going to spring from the slush along the road and tell me, like a child tattling on another. Ready to press the car key if the alarm went off, I gently tugged on the handle, only to be met with silence once more.
Easing into the car, I tugged my boot clad feet in after clicking them together, riding some of the slush. My face being slapped with a blast of cold air had me shivering in my bulky jacket, my inch-thick gloves pressed to the vent in wait of warmth. As the car began to heat up, I pulled out my phone and went through my alerts, occasionally tapping on a stray email. When the drop-down screen was void of them, only showing the temperature and weather, I put it into sleep mode, tightened my belt, and pulled away from the curb.
The short drive was smooth, or as much as it could be so early in the morning with barely to no cars on the road. It was when I was walking from the staff parking lot into the English building that I could feel something was off.
Like eyes were watching me.
With the same glancing about as just earlier, I gave a once over to my surroundings only to be met with nothing more than the whispering of the trees and the glistening of the remaining snow. Shaking off my paranoid nerves like one would with water on their hands, I adjusted my tote back onto my shoulder and scurried in. As I strode to the office, I heard my phone ding, causing me to lift one strap off and dig through it. Once in my hand, I stood tall again, catching something in my peripheral.
The gasp that was expelled from my throat echoed off the walls, travelling through the still air, made my stomach drop and my blood pulse. When my pale irises were able to process who exactly was before me, I almost tried to replace the noise with a nervous chuckle. With my hand covering my heart, to muffle the knocking in my chest, I gave a smile.
“Good morning, Mr. Raven.” I greeted, walking up to the towering man.
“Everything alright, Dove?” he asked, a confused but surprised look on his features.
I tried to explain, both of us continuing down the hall, grin still draped, “I think I’m just tired.”
He nodded, whether in agreement or understanding.
Remembering why I had gotten so frightened in the first place, I lifted my phone in my tight grasp and waited patiently for it to light up. It only caused my eyebrows to scrunch together, detecting not a thing that had made it jingle the way it had.
Maybe I’m just more tired than I thought. That has to be it.
“It’s perfect that I ran into you,” he stated, dragging me out from my mind, “I needed to talk with you.”
“Sure.” I told him as we got to the door leading into the small rotunda of rooms, “I’m free till our class, let’s go to my office.”
Just before getting to my shared space with Carder, I checked with Helen if I had any papers. Once she passed them, we continued on, the professor helping me open the door as well as turn on the lights. I shuffled, my boots squeaking across the linoleum floor as I did, while I looked over the papers.
“What’s that?”
Confused, I glanced over my shoulder at the older man, only to redirect it in the direction he was looking in. With slightly wide eyes, I noticed another cup sitting on the desk. Same design as the one from the day before, a dark maroon and specs of off blue with a white lid. It was the ones that the campus café provided to customers when they make their hot drinks.
With careful steps, I rounded my desk, laying the papers beside the cup so that I could pick it up and inspect it. Unlike the one from yesterday, there was a different message written on it.
Stay cozy.
I chose to sit it back on the surface adjacent to my keyboard and look up at the awaiting men, “So, what did you need to talk about?”
As he deflected his attention from it, he spoke while I went to the coat hanger to dispose of my jacket and scarf.
“I was thinking,” his baritone voice started, perching on the edge of my desk while I sat on the chair, exchanging my boots out for the flats in my bag, “will you be here in the spring?”
“I believe I will. Gotta complete a full year of classes, but I want to double check,” I responded as I nudged the bag underneath and began booting up my computer.
“Well, if you have the chance, would you like to student teach for me?” the dark-haired man asked, “I’m doing a horror writing class, and I thought of you.”
Grinning as my fingers danced fervently over my keyboard, I said, “I’ll see what I’m doing and get back to you.”
“Great! I’ll head out then. See you later.”
“You too!” I remarked back, watching as he strode gracefully from his seat to open the door and leave, making sure the wood didn’t slam into the jam with his sinewy arm slowly assisting in easing it closed.
Even after he was gone, for a solid minute I couldn’t help the smile on my face at the idea of working with him. So, as I clicked away, I brought the sweet warmth to my lips and took another light sip.
