I
was anxious to see Jake again. He had always been different from the others
with this air of wisdom and patience; not just that, but he had this way of
seeing more in a situation than most people might ever see. It was one of the
reasons I wanted him on my team.
That
he was in college now seemed appropriate enough, though it also seemed strange.
Not strange in a bad way, but strange all the same. The last time I saw him was
when he was 15 and leaving to return home; now he was 20, if I had kept track
of my years properly.
Valetta
had left an extra note in the folder saying she hadn’t spoken to him, but she
had managed to find a copy of his schedule. I wouldn’t ask, despite my
curiosity; I had accepted long ago that they had their ways of obtaining what
they needed. If I didn’t ask, I didn’t have to know, and right now, I didn’t
think I wanted to.
The
campus clock tower struck noon; scanning the schedule, I headed toward the
business and computer science building—with the help of a friendly student who
was kind enough to ask if I was lost. I vainly wished I could have assured her
I wasn’t, but what would have been the use? Other than to seem smarter and end
up stranded anyway?
Walking
through the campus, it started misting, and as hoods and umbrellas opened to
keep the students dry, I was filled with envy. College had been something I’d
been working towards. It had been my dream, my one salvation from the life I
hated so much. It was going to free me, in more ways than it did for most
people. For me, it was my chance to start over, to be who I wanted to be, do
what I wanted to do—for the most part—and not ever have to look back. I had
been doing so well; I had already applied and was well on my way…and then I had
been screwed over by whatever plan of the universe was at work. When I had
visited Kora, it didn’t feel like such a big deal. Probably because I was still
so antsy about recruiting people I hadn’t seen in several years. Now I was
nervous about this last one, and distractions were more than welcome. This
environment, just being in it, was reminding me of everything I had planned for
myself, and how every single one of those plans had been destroyed. Shattered. Picked
up and tossed into a black hole.
I
promised myself when this was over, I was going to work towards a degree;
granted I wouldn’t be able to actually go to a university or anything, I could
take online classes. It was a close second. Besides, even though I wasn’t happy
about not having what I had wanted for myself, what I ended up with wasn’t so
bad. There was Drei, all of my friends, and parts of myself I had figured out
after all. It honestly could have been worse.
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