Vampire University (Book One in the Vampire University Series) (2 page)

A few seconds later, they could hear her repeating the message at the next door.

“They have scheduled dinners here?” Taylor asked.

“Just this week,” Hannah replied. “Everything is scheduled out this week. Didn’t you get the orientation schedule from the RA in the lobby?”

“I guess I didn’t see her."

“It’s all optional, but I want to do everything. When are we going to get a chance again to meet this many new people all at once? With activities
designed
for meeting people! Here, look,” Hannah said, thrusting the week’s schedule into Taylor’s hands.

A week full of constantly meeting new people sounded exhausting to Taylor, but the schedule seemed harmless enough with plenty of emphasis on games and free food. Taylor found the first item on the schedule.

6:00 Dinner with Family – Meet @ 5:30 in front of Summers Hall.

Beneath that:

Students without visiting family meet in Harris Hall lobby.

“You’re going to dinner tonight, right?” Hannah asked.

“To the dinner with family?”

“No, not that one. The one meeting over at Harris Hall. It’s right across the street. For the outcasts like us!”

She said this as if “outcast” was a title to be proud of.

Taylor’s first impulse was to say no, but she didn’t want to disappoint her new roommate. Besides, the only excuse she could think of was that she didn’t feel like going and she suspected that Hannah would make short work of that argument.

Still, Taylor was somewhat surprised to find herself sitting with Hannah in the lobby of Harris Hall waiting for dinner. A college student sat behind a reception desk, ignoring them as he tapped away on his cellphone. The crowds that had filled the lobby before were now congregating on the sidewalk outside. There were a handful of other people in the room and Hannah dutifully introduced herself to each one with the same assertive enthusiasm that she had first greeted Taylor with.

Once Hannah had met everyone in the room, she began introducing people to each other.

“Kyle, this is Amber. Her hometown’s just an hour away from yours. Maybe you know each other somehow!”

“Sarah, this is Andy. You’re both English majors. Maybe you could study together?”

Taylor was enthralled by the way Hannah worked the room. There was something deeply silly about Hannah’s appearance
—
in head-to-toe red like some sort of Christmas elf
—
but no one seemed to look down on or make fun of her. Hannah approached every interaction like she was in charge and no one she talked to seemed to mind. Most of them appeared to be relieved, with Hannah bestowing upon them the gift of not having to introduce themselves first.

Taylor turned her attention away from Hannah towards the elevator door as it opened and closed, with a seemingly endless stream of students and their families spilling out towards the street. Lost in thought, Taylor was startled back to attention by a firm hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just was going to see if this seat was taken.”

Taylor made a mumbling noise that sounded something like permission to sit and a boy about her age did not hesitate to interpret it as exactly that. He was cute enough, in a boyish way. He would be handsome if his ears didn’t poke out a little too much or if his dirty blond hair had ever in his life seen a comb. He looked like the type of boy who needs another year or two to grow into his face, but still passes for a grownup when you throw a suit on him.

“So, you’re a freshman?” he asked.

“That’s the plan,” Taylor replied.

“Me too. Name’s Eric.”

“Nice to meet you, Eric."

“So polite!”

Eric looked at Taylor expectantly.

"And your name is...?" he asked.

“Oh, right. Sorry! I’m Taylor. It’s been a long day.”

“Well, Taylor-it’s-been-a-long-day, it is a pleasure to meet you too. So, is there free beer at this thing?”

“I don’t think they allow beer in the dorms,” Taylor said matter-of-factly.

He laughed.

“They don’t allow a lot of things in the dorms,” he said with a wink.

This drew Taylor’s attention to his eyes. His face may have some growing up to do, but his eyes were perfection- the purest blue she had ever seen. She had never seen eyes so captivating.

Eric confidently returned her stare and continued smiling.

“Want to get out of here, then? Go where there are a few less… rules?”

As he said this, Taylor thought she saw a shadow flicker across his eyes. She turned behind her to see what was casting the reflection, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Taylor looked nervously to the side. While she was flattered that she had so quickly landed the attention of a boy, she did not drink beer and was not interested in breaking rules on her first day here. Alcohol and rebellion drew more attention than Taylor was interested in.

“What about dinner?” she asked.

Eric seemed genuinely taken aback at the question.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Dinner? Is that not why you’re here?”

“Oh, well yeah, obviously. I was just surprised that you’d rather hang out with the RAs, that’s all. Think about it. Don’t you want to go check out the campus?”

He looked at her eagerly, as if the answer was obvious and she just needed to arrive at it. Taylor saw the shadow dance across his pupils again, but another quick glance behind her revealed nothing new.

“I think I’m gonna pass. I told my roommate I’d come to this thing with her. I don’t want to leave her hanging.”

Eric pouted in response.

“How can I say no to a face like that?” said Taylor.

He smiled confidently.

“But seriously, no,” she said.

His smile dipped slightly.

“But, what about… I mean…” he said.

“Don’t get told 'no' often?”

“Actually…” Eric began, but before he could finish, a hand reached from behind, grabbed him by his upper arm, forcefully pulled him up out of his seat, and spun him around.

“Hey Joe,” Eric said to the figure that had yanked him from his seat. “So glad you could make it.”

The boy facing Eric looked like a taller, darker, and slightly more handsome version of Eric. If a few more years would allow Eric to grow into an adult, this Joe had already beat him to it and traded the dirty blond mop for a more kempt dark brown version.

“Taylor, this is my brother, Joseph,” Eric said over his shoulder.

Joseph did not remove his gaze from Eric or otherwise acknowledge Taylor. He looked pissed.

“Uh… Hi, Joseph?” she said.

Joseph did not respond and instead hissed something in Eric’s face that she couldn’t make out. He then began leading Eric by the arm towards the door. Eric turned to look at Taylor with a grin on his face and shrugged his shoulders. He held his thumb and pinkie up to his face in the shape of a phone and mouthed the words “call me” before disappearing out the front door.

Taylor was going to respond that she didn’t have his number, but he was already gone.

-2-

“What was that about?” asked Hannah, who had finished making a round of the room.

“What, those guys? I don’t know. I could
not
hear them, but that guy Joseph was pissed about something,” Taylor said, looking out through the lobby windows to see if she could see them outside.

“That’s boys for you. First day on campus and they’re already picking fights with each other.”

“Well, they are brothers,” Taylor said, turning back to Hannah.

“Oh yeah, I know. Twins, actually.”

“Really? I wouldn't have guessed. So you’ve met them already?” Taylor asked. “I didn’t see you talk to them when they came in.”

“I ran into them this morning and introduced myself. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this about me yet, but I’m not shy.”

“No, definitely not. You’re going to have to teach me how you do it.”

“You just do it,” Hannah said with a shrug.

“Oh, well that explains what I was doing wrong this time,” Taylor joked.

“Pretty much! Don’t worry; just stick with me. I’ve got you covered!”

Taylor had never thought of herself as shy, but she could see how that would be the case when compared to Hannah. Taylor always assumed she was as confident as the next teenager, which was to say "not very", so she could appreciate having someone as confident as Hannah on her side.

“Well thanks,” Taylor replied.

Just then, the door to the lobby opened and in walked a pair of teenagers about their age, possibly slightly older. One was carrying a stack of pizza boxes so high that all you could see were his legs. The other was carrying her purse.

Without waiting for attention, the female addressed the room.

“I’m Addison, the RA for Summers Hall third floor,” she said. “My friends call me Addie. You will call me Addison.”

Taylor and Hannah flashed each other an “is she serious?” look.

“This,” she said, gesturing to the boy besides her, “is your dinner.”

With that, Addison turned and stepped out the front door, not making eye contact with anyone as she left the building.

The boy was still standing there with his arms full. Half a face peaked out from behind the stack of pizza boxes.

“Hi, you can call me Tom," he said breezily in contrast to Addison’s brusque demeanor. “I’m the
resident adviser
for Harris third floor.”

Everyone just stared at him for a moment.

“So, uh, can I get a hand, maybe?” he asked.

“I’ve got you, bud,” came a voice from behind Tom as Eric appeared grabbing half the stack. He brought them over to a small table in the corner and set them down with an exaggerated flourish.

“Hey, thanks man, I…” Tom began, but stopped suddenly as Joseph reached from behind him and grabbed the rest of the boxes out of his arms.

Joseph did not look at Tom or anyone else in the room. He somberly kept his gaze straight ahead on Eric as he followed behind. Joseph set the boxes down next to the others and then proceeded to the opposite end of the room. He leaned against the corner and glared silently at seemingly no one in particular.

Eric, on the other hand, walked straight for Taylor and Hannah and sat down between them.

“Okay guys, if you need anything, I’ll be upstairs," Tom announced. "And I do mean ‘guys’. Ladies, if you need anything, well... good luck with Addison!”

“Yeah, I think we might need it. That Addison sounds
rough
,” Taylor said, leaning behind Eric to talk to Hannah.

Eric leaned back to block their view.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” said Eric.

Hannah leaned forward around Eric and said, “I think we can handle her.”

“Oh I have no doubt. You two don’t look like the types who let anyone tell them what to do," he said.

“Exactly,” Hannah said, her tone and expression flat.

She then turned to Taylor and brightened up again.

“Wanna go grab a slice?” she asked Taylor.

Before Taylor could respond, Eric leapt out of his seat and declared, “Allow me!” and marched off towards the food.

“You don’t like him,” Taylor said under her breath.

Hannah shrugged and said nothing.

“He seems nice enough,” Taylor offered.

Hannah still did not respond. Taylor wasn’t even sure that Hannah was listening to her. She was staring off in the direction of Eric but didn’t seem to be looking at him. She appeared to be lost in thought.

When Eric came back, Hannah jolted back to attention and her easy smile returned.

“Thanks Eric,” she said cheerfully.

Hannah took a bite of her pizza and then immediately began to assault him with questions, giving him only a moment to get out an answer.

“Where are you from?”

“What are you studying?”

“What do your parents do?”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

Hannah’s shift was so convincing that Taylor wondered if she had imagined any awkwardness before. Taylor only caught a few of the answers. He was undeclared, his favorite color was green, and his parents were vacuum salesmen or veterinarians. Taylor didn’t catch which. Something with a "V". Maybe. Instead of giving her full attention to Eric, she was distracted by the figure of Joseph brooding in the corner. He seemed to be fixated on Eric, but at the same time tried to mask it by appearing disinterested in everything.

Taylor wondered why the boys were fighting. Joseph didn’t seem even vaguely interested in her, so she assumed that she wasn’t the object of their dispute. For lack of a better explanation, she chalked it up to sibling rivalry.