Raindrops: A story of Life and Circumstance ; Chapter Three: Strange Bedfellows

  As the bus finally pulled into the transit stop, I quickly began counting my lucky stars. I was this close, this close to finally being able to relax and take the rest of the day off.  I breathed in deeply before giving a small smile to Natalie, who'd sullenly been chewing on her vanilla extra-... I mean cupcake... She returned it, although through a mouthful, which contorted the expression in odd ways.As the doors opened and people filed off, I stood up, and winced at the uncomfortable feeling of a full bladder. I hadn't drunk much today, and I'd thought that would help but... Suddenly, the other passengers couldn't get off fast enough. Picture of composure, I grabbed my duffel bag, threw it over my shoulders, and followed behind Natalie's energetic stride.  We left the bus, but instead of going towards the taxi line, I  walked swiftly and stiffly  towards the central hub, and a sign conveniently labeled 'restrooms'.  I heard a sound of confusion, and then panting as something ran up behind me.

 "Hey... Maddie, where are you going? the cars are THAT way." She looked around and her eyes fell on the bathroom sign. She flushed a little, as if realizing the airheadedness of her question. "Oh, right, of course... Sorry." I wasn't in the mood to chastise anyone right now. But, maybe I could get rid of her more creatively...

 "Look, Natalie. If you really are going to wait around for me, could you hold my bag? " She nodded and I passed the heavy bag to her. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I walked right through the bathroom door. 

  After I had relieved myself, I walked out to find Natalie, sitting criss-crossed, on the floor of a major transit hub, humming happily to herself as she read her book. I sighed and coughed pointedly.  She looked up and quietly put her book away before trying, unsuccessfully, to stand up carrying the duffel in one hand and hers in the other. Unfortunately, the two just threw her off balance, and I quickly caught her by the waist and shoulder to stop her from falling over again. Her fleece sweater was really soft... I wonder if it was just because it was expensive... She straightened herself up and I removed my hands cautiously. She breathed out a sigh of relief before awkwardly handing over the bag. There was a slight blush on her as she held her head down, bangs once again covering the rapid spread of red across her face.

 "Clumsy me. Can't even stand up straight..." I patted her shoulder comfortingly before walking away.

 "Well, are you coming? Cars are this way, right." I heard a startled squeaking noise as she caught her breath and jogged up behind me, struggling to keep pace.  The blush still hadn't quite dissipated yet, but it was now more of a light pink than a full-blown strawberry red. I slowed down imperceptibly, but it was enough to allow her to walk more easily beside me. 

 "Yeah, come on, I've got one waiting for me." She bounced ahead and this time I was the one who had to catch up. Her bouncy and excited way of walking seemed one hop away from skipping at all times. I jogged awkwardly behind her, breath catching as I tucked the duffel into a more convenient place to stop me from crashing into the pavement. At least it was easy to see her in the crowd. No one else was wearing such an unseasonable white cap in the fall. Half of the people around me still had raincoats on, whether it rained or not. It was a dreary reality in Seattle, and all the Pacific north-west. Rain came in the winter, but winter could come in any day of the year. I caught up to Natalie as she stood beside a black car that had been pulled up to the sidewalk. Beside her was a man in a black suit and tie. They seemed to be having a conversation, and the driver (I assumed) flicked a glance at me before nodding. Natalie quickly said something before rushing back over to me.

 "So, um... Maddie, do you have someone waiting for you, or are you just planning to take a cab?" I stared at her a little, uncomprehending. 

 "I was just going to take a taxi?" I said cautiously, not knowing exactly what I was answering. She nodded quickly before continuing.

 "Do you... want a ride by any chance?" I breathed in, taken aback. My eyes looked up to the driver, his eyes boring into mine with subtle calculation. I gulped.

 "Are you sure your driver wouldn't mind?" Natalie waved it off with a concise hand motion.

 "Of course he wouldn't. I've known Sam for years. He's really a big softie once you get to know him." If the man had any reservations about being called a 'big softie' at his hulking 6'7", he hid them well, instead opening the door as Natalie walked over to him. She handed him her bag, and got into the far side of the back seat. I followed her and cautiously approached the large and well muscled driver. He held out his free hand and I nervously gave him the strap of the duffel bag. Even though the thing threw me off my center, and poor Natalie could barely pick it up, it didn't look like he was holding any weight for all he cared. I quietly stepped into the back of the leather-upholstered interior as the car door shut behind me. The muffled thud sounded a bit like the sound a coffin makes as it closes for the last time. And with that happy thought, I began to feel a LITTLE claustrophobic.

 Not that the actual car wasn't roomy. It was one of those compact models of limousine with large, fancy European names I couldn't pronounce, and had all of the bells and whistles of its class. The two rows of seats in the back faced each other, with ample legroom on both sides. I shifted around, trying to fit myself into as little a space as possible. Natalie looked at me curiously as a muffled click sounded behind us and the trunk popped open.
 
"What's the matter? You look like a rabbit when a fox stares it down." An apt expression, I thought to myself, as I caught sight of the aforementioned glare stuck on the drivers face, even while loading bags, not even focusing on me, but rather giving the world a look of derision and threat. I took a breath in and uncoiled a little.

 "Oh ,it's nothing, I've just... never ridden in one of these before." The best of lies had a heart of truth.T his one checked that box nicely. Another muffled thud echoed as the trunk was forcefully closed and the driver stalked around the side of the Car. Meanwhile, Natalie smiled understandingly and nodded. 

 "I know the feeling. It took me a while to get used to it too." She put on a slightly embarrassed expression. "My first time, I didn't know that the man opened the door for you, and I ended up knocking Sam over and falling out on my rear." she smiled happily at the memory as the driver's side door opened. Sam, on cue, took his seat. He glanced at me coolly in the mirror and the feeling of being trapped released a bit now that he wasn't actively glaring me into the ground. 

 "I assume you will be going to the college as well." I nodded. His voice was not the deep rumble I'd expected from a man his size, but a medium tone, neutral and concise. He nodded affirmatively in response before buckling his seat belt and putting the key into the ignition. He turned it, and the car came to life with a very quiet and low-pitched purr. It was somewhat comforting, although slightly alarming as the sleek automobile pulled out of the parking space without the squeaking and grinding of metal I'd come to be used to. A small frown crossed my face as a pang of homesickness hit me. I waved it away. It was ridiculous. I'd only been gone for less than a day. It made no sense to be homesick. And besides, I would see Aunt Vi in two days. I'd be just fine. I sighed, and Natalie looked at me with a confused expression.

 "It's okay, really, this is all new to you I guess. I suppose I've just gotten used to it over time. Being the stepdaughter of a powerful broker and all...""She drifted off and looked out at the windows at the city as it passed by. "I guess this is all kind of new and scary for us both. After all, this is the first time I've ever been out on my own, but it'll be fun, right?" She stared out of the window solemnly. The drivers voice cut through that solemnity with efficiency and diction.

 "With all due respect, Miss Natalie, The last thing you are is on your own. Your father made sure of that. I'd be happy to go around the city with you on  your off hours. After all, don't you want a tour of the city you'll be living in for the next four years?"  He smiled faintly, eyes still firmly affixed to the road.  With measured precision, he merged seamlessly onto the bustling I-90. Up ahead, I saw one of the sights that Natalie would definitely be wowed by. She looked like she needed a distraction. 

 "Natalie, Look up ahead." She curiously gazed through the window as the the incline of the road slowly sloped down. Her eyes widened as she saw the mouth of the tunnel.  She stared at it with an open kind of wonder in her eyes as we passed the entrance and started our journey through one of the longest tunnels in the Northwest. She looked through the wind shield next, but the other side was much too far away to see. 

 "How far does it go?" I smiled as I took in the burning curiosity in her eyes.  That worked easy.

 "1,930 feet from one end to the other, it passes right under Sam Smith." She looked confused at my statement, though I couldn't understand why.

 "Who's Sam Smith?" I froze and kicked myself mentally for being so stupid. Of course she wouldn't know that kind of stuff, would she? I drew in breath to answer, but the driver once again beat me to the punch.

 "It's a place, not a person. This tunnel goes under the Sam Smith Park." She nodded in understanding, her eyes moving back out the window at the seemingly endless string of recessed lights that bathed the tunnel in fluorescent gold. In their glow, a pretty picture painted itself . Natalie sat in her seat, head at an angle, looking through the window, while her white fleece and khaki ensemble slowly faded into an amber color. She stared, wide eyed and wondering at the world outside. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. This really was all new to her.  I quietly sat back in my seat. I made the mistake of looking up and saw in the mirror a pair of stormy gray eyes pinning me to the seat. It was only for a moment, but it was still enough to make me shrink back just a little more into my seat.  
 As we finally left the tunnel, I squinted in the dim gray light that filtered through the patchy clouds.  Natalie sank back into her seat. I looked at the road we had just moved out on and a slight squeeze threatened my heart, and stomach. The bridge was very, very busy today. To be fair it was always busy, but still...

 "Hey, um... Sam, Maybe we should find a way around. My dad used to complain about this bridge every day, Said it was always blocked up by something or another.." For the first time, I saw a small satisfied grin on his face. 

 "Your father also probably can't say he's navigated downtown London during rush hour without stopping once." With a smile and a sardonic look in his eyes, he gently accelerated the car, bobbing and weaving around the traffic that was slowly beginning to coagulate at the on ramp to the bridge. With contemptuous ease, Sam filed through the two lanes of build up that had slowed the other newcomers to a halt behind him. Within a minute or two, we had crossed over onto Mercer Island, a little suburban city in the middle of the steel-grey lake.  We'd slowed down a bit, and although I couldn't exactly say it was scenic,  it was considerably more so than the industrial smog that was rising from the south side.  In a moment, we had crossed the small communities of  Roanoke and Beaumont, and we were back over the water. Small wavelets played against the east shore, lapping against the green and grey checkerboard pattern that denoted the beach. Small concrete buildings jutted out of the wooded beachfront like sore thumbs. I honestly didn't know why the contractors thought THAT was a good idea... 

  After another bit of driving on I-90, we came into a rather thickly enclosed area of trees. If I hadn't known any better, I would have said that this was the point Seattle ended. I'd seen this magic trick before, but I still sat back to enjoy the show as we turned off of the Interstate and onto the long, winding road that demarcated the beginning of Calmouth. And, truth be told, it was still fun to see the change as we passed under a brick and cement archway, and the whole of the university was revealed. Perhaps it wasn't so much a university as a city within a city. Only two roads stretched into the block of trees the school was sheltered in, and around it, a small town had developed, more or less Isolated from the greater part of the Seattle Metropolitan Area. 

  To the right of the eponymous Calmouth boulevard, a bustling city block, with red brick buildings and quirky shops all set up to cater to the needs of the residents and students. As I had read in the introduction pamphlet, the stores all benefited the college, and had a mutual relationship with the school itself. To the left of the wide paved street was the School Itself. Tall iron trellis hung between brick fence posts with ornate décor winding throughout the otherwise plain diagonals. Many yards of this intricate fence line provided the demarcation of the external boundaries of the campus proper, which on its own measured several acres of wooded hillscape.  After the obligatory stops for crossing tourists, we pulled up to the main gate. On each side of the wrought iron gates, two statues stood on large pedestals. Each representing one of the schools founders.  

  Directly outside the gate, a small pavilion had been set up, with a sign welcoming incoming freshmen, and an even larger one labeled 'Information'. Behind a cheap plastic folding table, two girls sat. One was petite and slim, with dark hair, while the other one was full-figured, with a artfully curled mass of blonde hair.  They waved as we passed by, and Sam pulled up to the curb and stopped the car's engine. He opened the door and stretched out, before walking over and opening Natalie's door. She stepped out, and I scooted across the seat to follow her. As I did, I watched one of Sam's eyebrows creep upward. He didn't say anything, but for some reason I felt I had done something wrong. He shook his head and closed the door behind me. Turning to face both of us, he gestured to the Pavilion.

 "See what they've got to say. I'll park the car and wait for you two outside the residency office." With a rather stiff nod of the head, he began to walk back towards the open drivers door. A thought popped into my head and I called out to him.

 "Wait! We need our folders." I didn't know if it was true, but it would probably be a little mortifying if they wanted to check our papers and we accidentally got kicked off campus for loitering. He stopped and nodded back at us, fishing the keys from his pocket and pressing one of several buttons on a miniature remote looped into the key chain. The trunk popped open with a soft click and I rushed to my duffel bag. Another raised eyebrow.

 "You know, I could just get them for you" I stiffened. The last thing I was going to do was let him go through my clothes and personal belongings. I quickly unzipped my bag and pulled out the folder in question. Carefully re-zipping the duffel bag, I stepped aside as Natalie retrieved hers. I noticed that there were several suitcases and bundles tucked along side our two travel bags. From the looks of it, she'd either planned on moving in early, or maybe this WAS her travel gear. I suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy for Sam, who undoubtedly would have to carry each and every one of these up to whatever dorm she was assigned. The man in question simply stood aside, letting Natalie retrieve her own folder before closing the trunk. "Anything else?" I shook my head, a slightly embarrassed blush forming at his derisive tone. He shook his head and perfunctorily bobbed his head to Natalie and I before getting into the car and driving away. She looked at me with a puzzled expression. 

 "Why didn't you let him get the folders? It is kind of his job." She sounded a little confused, but a little vexed underneath.  I looked at her blankly. She really couldn't be THAT dense, could she? On the other hand, her bag was full of cupcakes and romance novels, so it wouldn't be overly surprising that she HADN'T thought about what I kept in mine.

 "Because," I began tartly, "I don't particularly enjoy the thought of having a fully grown man pawing through my underwear and toiletries." Natalie suddenly stood up straight, her face turning a deep crimson. She took several quick breaths, stuttering her words slightly.

 "Y..ye... Yeah, I guess I can see how that might be... a problem..." She fiddled with her fingers quietly as she spoke in increasingly breathless gasps. I smiled jokingly and put one hand on her shoulder. 

 "It's fine. Besides, It's not like I had much in there anyway, so if he honestly feels like it... as long as I don't know, I think I'll be fine." Egregiously violated, perhaps, but fine. She smiled wanly at the attempt of a joke and took a deep breath. Wordlessly, She started walking towards the pavilion, where the blonde girl greeted her, smiling. I followed behind her, still grinning a little. It had been cute to see her blush like that. And no less so to see her walk up to the blonde, not realizing that she had her hands full of folders, and offer a handshake. I chuckled a bit to myself as the blonde girl awkwardly re-positioned her load and shook Natalie's hand hesitantly. Realizing her mistake too late, Natalie pulled away, causing a good deal of the folders to tumble to the ground. I sighed and walked over to the two, where Natalie was profusely apologizing as  she helped the blonde pick up the scattered purple, green, and yellow folders. I bent down myself, and helped gather up the last few scattered about. 
 Seeing that Natalie was in no fit state to talk, head in her hands and even redder than before, I took the folders from her and walked with the other girl to set them down on the table. She  smiled gratefully.

 "Well, that was an interesting finale  for my evening at least." She said in a strong soprano, voice echoing slightly in the featureless gateway arch. She took a deep breath before walking back over to Natalie, who was still mumbling to herself, covering her face with her hands. The girl approached her slowly and held out her hand. "Let's try that again, okay?" Natalie wordlessly took the handshake, though with considerably less force and determination than before. "My name's Abigail, Abigail Calmouth." I tilted my head to the side slightly, looking for a resemblance between the girl in front of me and the large bronze-colored statue of what I supposed would be one of her ancestors.  She noticed my stare and smiled sweetly. Natalie was still out of commission, so I walked over to salvage the situation.  I took Natalie's hand from Abigail and held it reassuringly. 

 "My name's Madeline Perrine, and this is Natalie Lind." She mumbled something that sounded like 'pleased to make your acquaintance' before falling back into silence. The blonde raised an eyebrow, but I made a quiet 'don't ask' look in her direction. She nodded and stepped back to the table, where she retrieved two folders from the once-neat pile of purple. Instead of holding one out to both of us, she handed both of them to me, taking in the still incapacitated Natalie.

 "These are your basic guides around campus. They tell you a little bit of everything. If you two are planning to stay on campus until orientation, there are directions the hotel in Calham Square. If not, we have a few dozen campus highlights you could stop by and see to tonight." She cheerfully explained, pointing out in time with her explanation each point on the map. Several cafés and stores where marked in red ink, while others had small ,but helpful, notes penciled in to the side. I accepted her words with a nod and bent down to examine the map looking for something interesting to do between here and the dorm Block. 

 "Excuse me, but how do you get to the dorm residency office?" She looked a little surprised, but quickly changed back into a smile. She pointed down the central path of the school. 

 "Keep going down that road, take a left at the sign. Once you travel down that stretch, you should see the library, massive modern hunk of metal, you can't miss it. Cross the street there, and head down along the service road until you see an off branch turn into a cul-de-sac. The office is the building directly across from the entrance road." She smiled, delivering her monologue with surprising quickness and alacrity. I couldn't help the confused look from coming through on my face, and she smiled apologetically. "Here, let me see your map." I handed her the paper,and she took a teal marker from the pockets of her jeans. Bending over the table, she showed me as she marked a series of lines and arrows across the page, circling one of the box-like representations of buildings on the map.  I nodded, understanding this considerably better than her rapid-fire diatribe. She handed it back to me, and I smiled at her appreciatively. 

 "Thank you for everything, and sorry for messing up your folders." She simply laughed to herself before recomposing the smile on her face. 

 "Its no problem, really. Heaven knows I've been here all day, smiling and handing out folders like an automated newsstand. It made my day, and that's something on its own. " She waved at Natalie, who was sitting sullenly on a nearby bench, before walking back and chatting with the other dark-haired girl. I walked over to the aforementioned sullen Natalie and sat beside her. She huffed and blew a stray strand of hair from her face melodramatically. She sighed and leaned back, hand over her eyes.

 "Tell me when it's over." I nudged her playfully. Something made me feel a little protective of her. I didn't know why, but she seemed precious then. I waved my hand in front of her face. She giggled exasperatedly. "Alright. Do you know where, exactly, we're going."

 "Just about, we both have maps now." I took her hand and pulled her up off the bench with me. She tottered a little, laughing, before  I caught her again. She smiled benignly before letting go. Something in her smile was familiar... She laughed again and time slowed down,  a small crack ran through my heart. Her eyes sparkled blue and gray through her thin glasses, her blonde locks fell around her face, perfectly framing the pale skin and beatific smile. That's what it was. I let go of her hand, and pulled back, eyes stinging. She reminded me of Chloe... An image flashed through my head, one I'd been keeping down for a long while. I'd never wanted to go to the funeral, never wanted to see them, laying there, unmoving.  But I'd never unsee my sisters face, frozen in the smile she was so fond of. Devoid of warmth. Another crack sounded, and I could almost swear It was audible. Chlo- Natalie looked at me with a look of concern that rattled me to the soul. It was almost the same, but so different. The way her eyes widened, the furrowing of the eyebrows, the tilt of her small frown... The world lost a little of it's color, and I forced a smile onto my face, despite the feeling of shattered glass shredding my heart.

"Come on, let's go." I said in a quiet voice, hoping she wouldn't hear anything out of the ordinary.  She nodded, but the look lingered. Everything was normal. I hugged the folder a little closer. Everything will be fine... I will... Be fine... I repeated this to myself over and over again, until at last the feeling had subsided. I was careful not to look back at Natalie, as that might ruin the process. I didn't want to hurt her. I was too trapped in my memory... I shook my head and tried to clear away the thoughts as we approached the library of the campus. 

 Unlike every other building we'd passed so far, this one didn't even TRY to look older than it was. Whereas the others were all red brick and sand-blasted cement, covered in carefully tended ivy and vines, this building... It was modern to the extreme. All four floors were designed in an inverted staircase shape. And under each overhang, floating glass balconies hanging from steel cables. As the path continued across the street, It went under one of the overhangs projecting from the side. Unlike the others though, that one had an enclosed glass bridge over to a tower. Again, made of glass and cement, and concrete. A viewing balcony wrapped around the uppermost level of the tall structure, and just looking at it's glass floor gave me vertigo. On the other hand, a picture presented itself to me. How beautiful it would be to stand on that balcony, bared to the sky... I stopped the subtle skipping of my heartbeat, and looked for cars. None were coming, and we crossed over, before sharply turning left. Natalie had been silent this entire time. I felt a small hand tap on my shoulder again, halting me. I spun around, but not quickly enough to see the remorse in her eyes.

 "What?" I hadn't meant for it to come out as a growl, but I was hurting, and it came out anyway. I instantly regretted it as Natalie flinched back, eyes watering. I wanted so badly to comfort her, I approached her, but she sidled out of reach before turning around burying her head in her cap. 

 "I'm sorry..." My heart fell. I quietly walked up to  her and placed my hand on her shoulder. 

 "It's not you, I promise. I'm sorry for acting like that, it's just... complicated." She sat down on the sidewalk, quietly sobbing. I sat down beside her and tentatively put my arm around her. I patted her shoulder. It felt awkward and forced to me, but I hoped it was helping. 

 "I just.. I thought..." I squeezed her gently. I felt terrible. I'd done this too much before. First with my friends, then my family, then with my own... I stopped the thought there. I couldn't think of him. I couldn't... Another crack widened. I forced my mind off. I shut it down with sheer will. I wasn't doing this. Not here, and not with her in pain. 

 "I'm not mad at you. I was... Thinking about someone else. I promise..." She nodded, unconvinced, I stood up, and offered a hand. She took it, and I held her hand as we walked down the road together. Overhead, thunder rumbled. "Come on. We need to get inside before the drizzle starts again." I held back the urge to run away from her and towards the storm. It would not be helpful. I pulled her along with me, walking quickly down the sidewalk and turning into the cul-de-sac described on the map. The urge to stop and wait was growing stronger with every step, every small tear I felt open in my heart as I pulled Natalie along by the hand. Her hands were small and soft, just like hers. Her tears were the same, the catch in her breath as another sob broke through. The edges of the world started to blur and go gray. I felt the wind tussle my hair playfully, but I ignored it. Denied it as strongly as I could. I ignored the small drops of Ice cold rain that stung my skin, prompting smaller tears within my heart at each moment of contact. I almost screamed in relief when we finally went through the wide double doors into the sparsely populated main room of the office building. Gently, careful not to repeat my mistake from earlier, I let go of her hand. 

  It was a nice place, if a little spartan in decoration. A long desk ran across one  side of the wall, while benches ere spaced evenly long the others. In the middle of the room, a square booth existed, practically empty except for the rather lumpy woman working it, and two people who were talking to her. I let out the breath I had been unconsciously holding in and turned to face Natalie. Her eyes were a little puffy, but otherwise, she seemed to have recovered. Turning inward, I buried as much as I could. I had to be reasonable. Now was not the time. 'Later?' another part of me wondered, but I simply ignored the question. I would cross that bridge when I got there. When I wasn't with her. I slowly took another breath in and out. 

 "Feeling better?" She nodded. "Good. I'm really sorry you had to go through that. It wasn't your fault. I want you to know that." She eyed me warily, but said nothing. I tried to smile, but it came out wolfish rather than comforting. Her eyes lowered, seemingly dejected at what they saw in mine. I... I didn't know what to do anymore. I sighed and sat down on the bench. Natalie cautiously sat by me, but at the edge of her seat, as if ready to run. I felt horrible. I felt horrible... What a monster I was... Slowly, another snowball of emotion began coiling itself within my heart. Fear, shame, sadness. What a monster I was. Even a trusting lamb like her, I ruined her faith in me too. Just like everyone else. 

 "I believe you. At least, I want to. Can you tell me why, then?" She was looking at me more warily, but I slowly unwound, as much as possible, the fit of festering malice surrounding my chest. I looked into her eyes, and saw only myself, reflected in them. The shriveled hair, the mania in my eyes. No wonder she had felt threatened. Slowly, she put her hand on my shoulder, and moved in closer, looking me in the eyes coolly and evenly. "Will you tell me?" My breath caught in my throat. The two guys who'd been talking to the housing attendant had finished their meeting and were walking by. One of them, A slightly built boy with curly black hair and brown eyes met my gaze and a look of profound concern and worry overtook his features. I looked away, unable to meet anyone else's eye. I was trapped here, a broken little doll crying in the corner. I shouldn't let people get close enough to fix me. That was my one rule. I'd learned it early on. So early on. And yet here I was, being comforted by a girl who burst into tears after one minor slip up. What a monster I was. 

 "Not now. Maybe later... not here... I can't. I cant..." She placed a finger in front of my face, silencing the rest of my sentence. Her eyes hardened to something like steel, firm and unyielding. The blues becoming muted as gray dominated her iris. Wordlessly, she rose up out of her seat and took the two folders from my shaking hands. I wanted to object, but I just slumped down further. Natalie withdrew from the bench, quickly making her way to the desk. As they begun their conversation, a weight settled down on me. I had broken my one rule. But I didn't know why. Was it simply because she was nice to me, or was it because she reminded me of... someone else... The picture of her laughing merrily flashed in front of my mind again, mirrored over another stronger one. A cold approximation of that smile, stretched unnaturally thin and wide over a corpses grimace. A cold white hand of fear gripped my throat. I remembered the look of her, petite hands clasped over her chest, peaceful, and yet... wrong. Wrong in so many ways, wrong without the gleam in her eyes, the spark of life that would never go out, even when she was crying. Instead of the awful breaking, I just felt a throbbing emptiness. I laid down my head on the back of the bench, and tried to tune out the lack of noise, the silence. Slowly, I leaned over, until at last, my head was resting on the arm of the bench, and I started crying. There was no way to contain it now. Natalie came up to the bench, folders in hand, and grabbed my hand from where it was firmly grasped in my other one. With surprising strength, she pulled me to my feet and held firmly onto my arm. 

 "Come on then. It's my turn to drag you if you won't move" I complied meekly, not quite understanding the look of determination on her face. I didn't even know where we were going. I tried to stop her to tell her as much, but she just looked me in the eyes, worry and wariness written deep into her own  gaze. Without another word, she moved the folders into the crook of her arm and shouldered open the doorway. Darkness had began to fall, and the rain was still going on, in a small drizzle. I didn't know what to do. The usual urge wasn't there, at least not in a strong enough measure to make me run off into the night. Outside, Sam waited with an umbrella. 

 "Everythin-" Natalie shut him down with a wave of her hand, causing a look of surprise and hurt on him. Great, I thought numbly to myself. One more person I'd inadvertently hurt today. To my surprise, and to Sam's, she walked to the back of the car.

 "Open it." She said flatly to him as she moved, undeterred. Quietly, he fumbled with his keychain before popping open the trunk. She let go of my hand and dug through the pile of things until she found a large bundle wrapped in plastic baggage. She took that, and then put the duffel bag over my shoulder. I barely noticed the weight. She then closed the trunk and took my hand again, tucking the parcel under her arm with the folders. She looked quietly at Sam and held out her free hand. He hesitated, but held out the umbrella to her. 

 "If you need to go somewhere, I-" She silenced him with a look I thought Sam had reserved for me. Coldly, she issue an order in a curt, clear voice. 

 "You can come drop the rest off tomorrow, Sam. We'll be outside of Girl's Dorm B around noon." He started to protest but quickly withered under the unforgiving steel in her eyes. I couldn't understand what was happening. But she dragged me on with her, umbrella shielding us from the increasingly severe rainfall. I was still in shock, I think, but I retained something eventually and started to drag back as we passed one row of lit streetlights. She paused momentarily, looking me in the eye with a ferocity I had not seen, or thought her capable of making. 

 "Where are we going? I don't even know what dorm I'm in! I don't know where it is, or even what it looks like!" She looked at me quietly, and shook her head. 

 "You said you would tell me why you were crying later. I'm holding you to that promise. You have a full year to tell me now. But until the night's over, YOU will not be leaving my sight." I blanched slightly at the implications of her threat. Maybe the airhead blonde I thought I'd been humoring was really a sociopath hiding in plain sight. She turned back around and continued to pull me with her. I gave up resisting. If what she said was true, and for some reason I didn't doubt that, we were room mates and she was leading me to our room. We passed several buildings in silence, until eventually we came out in front of a larger multistory building, within which a slightly dim light was emanating. Without breaking stride, Natalie closed the umbrella and slid it into one of the bags located conspicuously by the door. She picked the bag up and used the same hand to open the door, pulling me inside with her. 

 It was furnished similarly to the office, which was to say, not decorated at all. The only real wall hanging was a cork board pinned up with a myriad of notices. I didn't have much of a chance to look around as Natalie all but dragged me to the reception desk. The girl behind it looked at me ,puzzled, but immediately switched her gaze to Natalie and shrunk back slightly.  Natalie put the umbrella down and fished out two pieces of paper from the folders, placing them onto the desk. The girl suspiciously checked them over, and then glanced at me again. If the poor girl was going to say anything as she drew in a breath to speak, Natalie cut her off.

 "If you don't mind, we've both had a rather rough travelling day, and would like to get to bed as quickly as possible. " The girl looked at Natalie's expression again and fear registered a little behind her gaze. She breathed in deeply before looking at me, determined and questioning.

 "It would be... very nice to lay down about now." I didn't know if I was signing myself to a slow death by torture at the hands of a sociopath blonde, but I was tired, and ready to lay down, if just for a little while. She nodded cautiously and glanced down at our papers before unlocking a desk drawer and pulling a set of keys from it. She took one of them off of the chain and handed the other two to Natalie, who nodded. The attendant walked out from behind the desk, eyes not leaving Natalie's calm and un-flustered gaze. 

 Quietly, she turned and led us through a door to the right, and up a flight of stairs, before opening a door somewhere down the hall. Natalie quietly entered the room, let go of my arm, and took the duffel bag from me. Setting all of the objects we'd brought against the wall of the entryway, she bid the worried looking student who'd led us 'goodnight' and shut the door. She turned on the lights and began unpacking her small parcel. Out of it, she drew a pillow and a white comforter, as well as what looked like a fuzzier blanket of the same color. She set the comforter and pillow up on the small bed and beckoned me over. She sat me down on it, and looked me in the eyes for the first time since the incident at the the residency office. Her eyes melted slightly, but still held something firm and unspeakably sad within them.

 "Alright, let's talk about it." I stared at her, and the shattered feeling returned.