Brookeville

I started the car back up, and it purred to life.

I left the diner parking lot without another glance backwards. Was what the waitress said true? Legends? Surely just myths. There was no way there could be any truth behind her words.

About an hour away from Brookeville, the road started getting bumpier and the cars started to dwindle.

15 minutes out from the university, I started feeling uneasy. The sign for Brookeville finally came into view. What the fuck?

The sign, or what you would have called a sign, was half missing and the other side hanging on by a single bolt. It was swaying slightly, with the word "Brook" at an angle. Okay, maybe this is just a coincidence. Signs fall off all the time and Brookeville is very old.

I was staring hard at the sign when my phone began to ring.

I jumped out of my seat and fumbled with my phone. Who the hell was calling me?

Janet, of course.

"You just scared the shit out of me Jan!" I sighed a relief honestly, this was the best person to be calling right now.

"I'm sorry! I was just calling to see if you had made it, and if you have seen any hotties!" Jan squealed in my ear and I winced. There was no way she was calling about that at a time like this.

"Janet, I have not even stepped foot on the school grounds, I promise I will call you when I hear or see anything that would excite your lady bits!"

Janet laughed and I sighed a sigh of relief. I seriously was going to miss hearing that laugh in person. I just hoped I could find someone like her to keep me entertained for the next three years.

"Alright Eve! But are you okay? How was the drive?"

"It was okay. I stopped at this diner about halfway through and had a really weird experience but other than that it was fine!"

"That's good! Well I have to get back to work but call me when you can! I already miss you so much."

Janet quickly hung up the phone and I was once again left to my own thoughts in the car.

There was no sign of life in this town. What the hell was going on here? Maybe there was an event? But there were hardly any cars and if a tumbleweed could have crossed my path it definitely would have. Benefit of the doubt Evangeline, benefit of the doubt.

A couple more miles down the road the Maybury sign came into view. Surprisingly there were students walking around and talking. Some were laughing with books in their hands while others had their heads down in their phones.

Okay so this wasn't so bad. There are people who live here and maybe I just came through the wrong side of town.

I pulled up to the main building and turned the car off. I hopped out and walked into the adminstration building hopeful that this was exactly what I was needing.

A woman with round glasses and a tight bun looked up from her computer and smiled at me. Her teeth were white, too white, but at least she looked like a regular person.

"Hi there! What can I help you with today?" Her smile beamed, almost blinding me.

"Hi, my name is Evangeline May and I am a transfer student. I'm supposed to start here on Monday."

"Ah yes! Evangeline. Not everyday that we get new students in the middle of the year, so welcome! I will get your schedule and find out what room you'll be staying in. Just hang tight." She went back to her computer and started typing.

I looked around the room. It was simple, clean, a couple of book shelves and trophies. There was another door labeled with a name and "dean" on top in bold letters. No guessing who that office belonged to.

There was nothing out of the ordinary in this building. It seemed like this was the main room and there were only a couple of meeting rooms and the dean's office.

The secretary finally looked back up and started stacking the papers she had printed into a folder.

"Alright Ms. May, I have your schedule, your room, the books you will need, and a list of contacts in case you need any help. Will you need any help finding the dorm building? Maybury isn't very big but I have gotten lost a few times here and there!"

"I think I will manage, thank you, uh, what was your name again?"

"Oh I am Susan! Dean Lainey's secretary. I put my contact in there too, I love helping students out where I can so if you ever need anything just let me know."

"Thanks Susan, I appreciate it."

I walked out of the building and headed for the car. I started looking through the folder and was genuinely surprised. They had all of the classes I was taking at my old college. There was just one class that stood out amongst the others. Archery? I guess that was cool, though on my way in I didn't see anywhere that archery could take place. Well at least all of the important classes were on here.

One day I hoped I could become a park ranger. Both of my parents were, and they were devoted to their practice. I wanted to carry on their legacy, just as I knew they would have wanted.

I felt my eyes begin to burn and quickly shook my head reminding myself why I was here. I realized I was standing idle behind the car and probably looked silly so I quickly hopped in and started it to life.

The dormitories were not too difficult to find, in fact, so many students were coming out of it that it felt like a moth to a flame. There was no way you could miss it.

I parked the car behind the building and made my way up the stairs. The door opened with a slight creak and I stepped inside feeling the cool AC air hitting my sweaty forehead. Surprisingly it was really nice in here. The floor was wooden, and there was almost a foyer style set up when you first walked in. Stairs lined both walls and went up several floors. An elevator was to the right and a couple of bathrooms to the left. I couldn't complain, this was a lot better than what I was imagining.

I started up the stairs to the third floor. In my folder I found my room number, 303B. This dormitory had six floors, so I guess the middle wasn't the worst in the world. Let's just hope that whoever I am roomed with matches the overall vibe of the place. Cool and, well cool.

I found my key in a separate slot of the folder and pushed it into the door. 303B was about to be home for the next 3 years and I was starting to become really nervous.

I pushed the door open and-

What the absolute fuck?

The room was huge, way bigger than my studio at home, but that wasn't what I was focused on.

I think I just walked in on my roommate, and whoever this guy was, boning?