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Although Lainey’s dorm room was empty when she first creaked open the door, it was evident that someone had already been in there. She knew from the start she would have a roommate, so she was anxious about who this person would end up being. Despite not being present in the room, Lainey could already tell a lot about them just by the decor already set out. Clad across the chipping white walls were posters of some of hip hop’s biggest names, boy bands she vaguely recognized and logos for a soccer team she had probably seen once or twice. Along the left wall was a bunk bed, the bottom bunk covered in a bright orange bedspread, overstuffed throw pillows and even a collection of glitter beanie babies. The wardrobe was half full of flashy clothing looking straight out of Seventeen magazine, and the final thing of note was a telephone already plugged into the wall and resting on top of one of the writing desks.
Lainey didn’t really mind the clutter greeting her, it’s not like she had much to decorate with anyway. She followed her mysterious new roommate’s example and also began unpacking, taking up much less space in the wardrobe and placing her plain blue blankets on her mattress. The only thing she had to hang up on the wall was a customary star chart, required by one of her first semester courses. From the top bunk, she spent a few minutes awkwardly trying to stick it to the ceiling, her back twisted and both of her arms outstretched to hold it up.
“No way! I didn’t know you were here yet!” The door to the dorm had opened and a clarion, animated voice was calling out. Lainey poked her head out from her bunk to see the person she would be living with for the next 8 months.
The first thing Lainey noticed was that she looked small. Even if she wasn’t towering over her from a bunk bed, she could tell she would be taller than her. She also had short brown hair styled into a flipped-out bob, with sparkling gold earrings peeking out from behind it. She was dressed from head to toe with the day’s latest fashion trends, with baggy acid-washed jeans, a bright yellow baby tee, and the iconic new Balance 990s in blinding white. The girl looked up at her, her head tilted with curiosity and excitement.
“Oh, do you need help with that?” She asked, noticing Lainey still attempting to hold up the poster.
“No, thanks, I’ve got it,” Lainey replied simply, finally sticking the last piece of tape down before slowly but surely letting go of the poster.
“I hope you don’t mind I decorated,” the girl said sheepishly, watching Lainey slowly descend the ladder of their bed. “I just couldn’t stand these bare white walls. But if you hate anything let me know, and I took the bottom bunk, I hope that’s alright with you, I just really don’t like heights, y’know.”
“Nope, everything’s good,” Lainey stated simply, turning around on the ground to face her.
“Thank God.” The girl smiled with relief. “Anyway, I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m Petra. Petra Oritz in case you wanted to know my last name. I’m in nursing. Actually, I’m thinking of changing to just a more broad biology major, but I haven’t decided yet.” As Petra blabbed, she held out a hand for Lainey to shake, the other stuffed in the back pocket of her jeans. Lainey took it, being reminded of Mary’s tips on making friends. She didn’t know if she was doing well so far, since Petra had done most of the talking, but Lainey honestly preferred it that way. She wasn’t a particularly quiet person, but this whole “getting to know” people was still a foreign concept to her.
“So, how about you? What’s your name and major?” Petra finally asked her.
“Oh, my name is Electa. But you can just call me Lainey. And I’m majoring in astronomy.”
“An astronomy major? I could never do something as smart as that, wow.” Petra gawked at her. “And I’ve also never heard a name so gorgeous. Electa. Why would you shorten it to Lainey? Everyone I know named Lainey is usually short for like Elaine, or something, which is way less cool.”
Lainey just shrugged at this comment, not really knowing what to say.
“I like your name too,” she said, hoping this was how you made friends. Petra smiled and brushed off her comment.
“Bah, it’s whatever. I only tolerate it because I was named after my abuelo, Peter. But now half of my cousins are named Peter too, so it’s pretty confusing. How about you?”
“My cousins?” Lainey asked, slightly confused by the question.
“No, no, I meant just in general, I guess. If I’m gonna be rooming with you, well, you can’t be a stranger. Tell me more about yourself. Where you’re from, why’d you come here, what’s your favourite colour, you know, basic stuff like that.” She walked past her to plop down on her bottom bunk, patting the space next to her for Lainey to sit as well. She obliged hesitantly. She felt like she was being interviewed, with a bright spotlight shining down on her. As she sat down, she anxiously smoothed out her hair, a habit she had gotten into because of her constant frizz and flyaways. She immediately envied Petra’s sleek brown hair as opposed to her curly mess that always had to be tied back and away.
“Well, uh, I’m from New Mexico, so, only a state away but still pretty far.” She started as Petra nodded and listened intently. “And I, I don’t know, I kind of just came here because it was my only option. I got in on a full scholarship.” She winced at hearing herself say these words. For one, she didn’t want to sound like she was bragging about how smart she was, and she didn’t want Petra to think she was poor, even though she kind of was.
“Wow, good for you,” Petra beamed at her. “You know, I’ve heard that you can get a scholarship if you have generations of your family that went here. Is that what you have, too?”
Once again, Lainey was at a loss for words. She had no idea this was a possibility at Cerebres State, and hearing it now, she wondered if it could be the case. But how on Earth was she supposed to find out? It was time to reveal the big looming truth about her life to Petra. After all, if they were going to be friends, and Lainey desperately hoped that they would, she would have to find out sometime.
“Maybe, but I honestly don’t know… I don’t know who my family is.
“You--oh,” For the first time since meeting her, Petra didn’t have anything to say. She just stared at her with an awestruck look, a sudden sorrow forming in her almond eyes heavy with mascara.
“God, I’m such an idiot. Here I am talking about my family left and right.” She finally said, smacking herself in the face with her palm.
“No, it’s okay, really. I just have a foster family. Foster mom. I really don’t mind you talking about it,” Lainey was suddenly reassuring her, not wanting her to feel bad for something that was entirely out of her control. It’s not like Petra was the reason why everyone in her family had vanished from the face of the Earth.
“Sorry, sorry,” Petra kept apologizing repeatedly while Lainey tried to tell her it was fine.
“But thank you for telling me,” Petra said eventually, giving her a sheepish grin. “Because I was going to go off about some dumb problems in my life for a second and I would’ve felt even worse knowing that.”
Lainey laughed, she couldn’t help it. “No, go ahead. Like you said, if we’re going to be rooming together I’d love to hear all about your problems to get to know you better.”
“How about I tell you later,” Petra concluded, standing up again. “I’m starving and I heard there’s a pizza dinner tonight for first-years. Wanna come with?”
Lainey followed her, feeling a strange sense of elation she had never felt before. She wasn’t sure where this would lead, but she was just happy that for now, she wasn’t alone.
Lainey and Petra spent their time in the tiny cafeteria laughing and chatting over lukewarm pizza and bottles of complimentary soda that Lainey would never usually drink. More students poured into the building, many looking anxious or even depressed now that they were away from home. Some introduced themselves to the duo and they cheerfully greeted them back, that was with one exception.
“Are you almost done with that?” Petra suddenly said out of the blue, motioning to Lainey’s can of pop.
“Yeah, I’m done,” Lainey replied, shaking it only for nothing to come out. Petra hurriedly grabbed the can from her and walked across the room to put it in the garbage, even though there was another bin right next to them. Lainey watched her with confusion. She moved deliberately, weaving between groups of people to almost conceal herself. For a wild moment, Lainy feared the worst and assumed Petra was running off, deciding she didn’t want to be friends with her anymore. But after a few moments, she had returned, breathing a sigh of relief as she sat back down.
“What was that about?” Lainey asked her with an eyebrow raised. Petra just laughed nervously, her eyes scanning the room. It wasn’t her she was hiding from, but it was definitely something.
“I’ll tell you later,” she echoed her sentiments from earlier, but later would not be for a long time.
In fact, this behavior would continue for the next few days, while orientation and welcome events occurred. During the campus tour, Petra purposely made them move to the back of the group when they originally stood at the front. During their projector movie night in one of the lecture halls, Petra asked to move seats twice, get popcorn twice and go to the bathroom three times. Normally, Lainey would call out these inconsistencies. Though she didn’t think she was a ‘genius’, she also wasn’t an idiot. But it was the fear of losing her new friend by confronting her that made her hold her tongue. And yet, she wondered if she could even put up with someone so jumpy, so secretive. It was killing her to find out what exactly Petra was running from, but soon, that would be the very last thing on her mind…
It was finally the long-awaited orientation ceremony at Cerebres State. All of the first-year students, living in residence or not, had gathered in the largest building, Lucgodden Hall. They were all stuffed uncomfortably in the main entrance, and all around her she could hear students complaining about it.
“Why can’t we just sit in the gym, there’s way more space in there!” She heard one boy whisper from behind her.
“Even the lecture halls in the C building would have more room than this.” another student mumbled darkly. Lainey herself could not comprehend why they were here until she spotted it. They were all arranged in a ring, and in the middle of that ring, in between two large columns carved with leaves and blossoming flowers, was another of the circles. The same kind of circle that lay in the front of the building. This one looked more warn, despite being inside surrounded by walls and architecture that sparkled. It was a dark gold-like material, though most likely brass since it was too tarnished to be real gold. This was the only relic of the school that actually resembled its age. To Lainey, it looked like the sun, or a lone star shining out on a polluted night, not able to reach its full potential with other light blocking its way. She was just glad there wasn’t that problem here in the middle of nowhere.
She watched as the dean walked across the atrium and stood right in the centre of the circle. She held up her hands and waited patiently for the echoing noise of the crowd to die down before beginning her opening speech, one that she had probably repeated many times over the years.
“I’d just like to start by saying…welcome home devils!” She exclaimed while the rest of the orientation staff behind her began cheering and holding up flags for their school mascot, a little red devil. The sea of students also began to applaud, although much more hesitantly. Petra and Lainey clapped along with the rest, though Petra was still nervously looking around the room. After waiting for silence once more, the dean continued.
“I hope all of you have enjoyed the orientation events our humble school has made for you. I hope your roommates don’t snore too loud and you haven’t gotten lost on campus yet.” She joked, trying to get comfortable with her audience. Lainey figured that most schools didn’t have their dean give a speech to the whole school in a single entrance hall, but Cerebres State only had a maximum of 5000 students, and 3 quarters of those students weren’t even here yet. It was definitely a more personal experience, and the school knew that, because of the next thing asked by the dean.
“Who here can tell me when this school was founded?” She called out. A number of people eagerly raised their hands, while others looked around at each other with blank expressions. Lainey looked at Petra, who shrugged earnestly.
“1784,” A boy answered after the Dean gestured to him.
“That’s correct,” she beamed. “1784, that’s 209 years of serving education to our pupils. One of the very oldest institutions in the country. Let’s just hope it doesn’t fall apart on us,” she winked.
“And yet, we are still changing, evolving and expanding through time, along with our students. So many of you will blossom here in your chosen subjects. Maybe biology, maybe astronomy, history, psychology, fine arts. The list is endless. You will not only learn a lot, but you will grow as people and grow closer to each other. Although we are a small school, that only means that we here at Cerebres State have a stronger sense of family, which is a very important value that we’ve held here for generations. Think of that motto that you saw when you first arrived here. I’m sure you all saw it.”
Lainey thought back to what was engraved on the sign in front of the campus.
“‘mens et materia nos complere’, pardon my Latin, roughly translates to “mind and matter make us whole”. We not only care what you’re learning about with your mind, but what you do with what you learn. How you apply that knowledge in the real world and the experiences you make along your university journey. That’s what we’re all about at CSU.”
The dean continued her speech, speaking passionately and clearly despite not having a microphone. As Lainey listened to her and took in her words about ‘mind and matter’ she was glancing around at the room around her, studying the intricate designs on the walls. She couldn’t help but gaze at the massive skylight that leaked with moonlight and dim flickers of the stars, some shielded by hazy summer clouds.
But soon the dean’s words were completely lost, tuned out, fading away from her focus. Because on the railing of that large circular window, overlooking all of the students and staff, were no clouds in the slightest. They were figures cast in shadow, leaning over to stare down at them all.
At least a dozen silhouettes were visible, masked in deep purple robes that were illuminated by the yellow moon, almost full at this time of its cycle. It was like she was in a zoo enclosure or an aquarium, and they were the visitors, beadily staring, searching for their prize. She continued to look up at them, trying to make out what they were doing. Could they be a set of rowdy students, somehow managing to make it up to the roof of the building? Could this be part of an ancient ritual that the school held annually?
The more she stared, the more eerie she felt. She just couldn’t escape the feeling that these figures were hungry for something, desperately looking around, the way they twisted their heads.
At last, they seemed to find it as the figure in the very centre of the skylight knelt down and pressed their face right up to the glass, their purple robes billowing in the breeze when they leaned in. And then, they were pointing right at her with a gloved hand.
It was at this moment that Lainey decided to look away, not wanting to see whatever was going to happen next. Her heart was beating fast, and she didn’t entirely know why. It was entirely possible that they were just pointing in her general direction for some other reason and not at her, but something was burning inside of her, or maybe outside of her, because the back of her neck was suddenly stinging like she had just gotten a bad papercut.
“You okay?” Petra whispered to her, noticing Lainey wince in pain.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m--I just…look up at those people on the roof,” Lainey said suddenly, wanting to see if Petra knew of these strange shadows. She did as she was told, but to Lainey’s dismay, all of the cloaked figures had disappeared.
“People on the roof?” Petra asked, surprised at the notion.
“I swear, I saw people up there in robes,” Lainey murmured, now questioning if she had seen anything at all. She looked around. No one else had seemed to notice anything. Everyone was either having a whispered conversation or still listening to the dean’s speech. Maybe it was nothing. Lainey was pretty tired, after all, and now that they were gone, the pain she felt was quickly subsiding.
A few moments later, the students clambered to their feet after being dismissed by the dean, ordered to get a good night’s rest before classes started the next day. Lainey was still nervously glancing up at the ceiling all the way out of the main hall, much to Petra’s concern.
“You’re sure you saw something? It wasn’t just like a trick of the light?” Petra asked curiously.
“I’m not really sure anymore,” Lainey sighed, rubbing the back of her neck, a cool breeze soothing it with her hair being tied up in its typical topknot.
“But there were many of them, and they were kind of looking around at everyone, and then I thought I saw them point in my direction.
Petra immediately stopped in her tracks at hearing these words, for once not hurriedly rushing away from crowded places like it was a crime scene.
“Hmm, okay, totally not weird at all,” she said sarcastically. The two of them then spent the next minute craning their necks and standing on tip-toes to try and see the roof of the building from the outside, attempting to spot anyone on top.
“I don’t even think there’s a way up there,” Petra observed. “With how old the building is, I feel like it would crumble to bits if someone stood up there, don’t you think?”
Lainey was about to respond when suddenly a voice shouted out from behind them. A voice that made Petra turn bright pink.
“Petey!!! Finally!!” They both turned around to see a small cluster of friends making their way towards them. It consisted of two boys and three girls. In the back was a boy with spiky brown hair styled with copious amounts of gel, skate shorts and a baggy T-shirt. In front of him were two girls, one with cornrows and baby-pink lipgloss, and the other with blonde highlights and arms covered in beaded bracelets. The two of them seemed lost in their own conversation. Finally, in the front was another boy, who was the same one who answered the dean’s question in the orientation speech. He wore thin-wired glasses, a gleaming silver watch and sported a short black comb-over. Dragging him along, her arm wrapped in his was the girl who had evidently called out. Her hair was light brown and extremely long, swaying at her waist as she skipped over to greet them. She wore very similar clothes to Petra, down to the bold colours and hoop earrings. They looked like dolls from a matching set, so why did Petra look so afraid?
“We’ve been looking for you this whole time, Petey! I was like, ‘Okay, this school is like, tiny, we’re bound to run into you sometime, right? And then we found you! Perfect!” The girl spoke like the two of them had known each other since birth, but the look on Petra’s face indicated otherwise. It was the most stiff Lainey had ever seen her; she was usually so bubbly.
“Yeah, hey, Leiko, I thought I told you I didn’t want to be called ‘Petey’”
“Oh, you were serious about that? I thought you were kidding about that. Wasn’t she kidding about that?” She turned to ask the boy next to her, who was still arm in-arm with her. He shrugged awkwardly. Petra looked over at him briefly but didn’t acknowledge him. She instead turned to Lainey.
“Oh, this is my roommate, Lainey, or Electa, in case you want to be called by your actual name. She’s really nice and super smart since she’s an astronomy major.” She introduced her to the group of friends, stepping closer to her as if for protection. Lainey smiled politely and waved at them all but they didn’t really seem to notice her. Leiko definitely didn’t.
“Ok, Petra, sure, we can call you Petra again. Anyways, where have you been these past couple of days? You won’t believe the kind of stuff we got up to at the orientation events, right Xander?” She once again asked the boy next to her. “Do you remember what happened in the cafeteria? Oh my God, we’ll tell you all about it. We’re doing a little last night of summer get-together in Krystal and Daphne’s dorm tonight before classes start and everything. You have to come so we can fill you in on everything. C’mon Petey,”
“Uh…Lainey, do you want to come?” Petra asked her, not answering Leiko’s question. Lainey could tell that Petra was pleading with her to say yes, continuously standing closer to her. Lainey still didn’t understand what had happened to her and this friend group, but at this point, she was open to meeting anyone. She had never really been to a ‘get-together’ before, and supposed there wasn’t any harm in going now. Besides, she had already had luck with Petra, and these people seemed more or less the same, especially Leiko.
“Yeah, sure,” Lainey agreed, making Petra grin with relief. The only person who wasn’t smiling anymore was Leiko.
“Well, uh, ok maybe I should have been more specific but when I asked you, I kind of meant only you, not the both of you.”
Lainey’s heart sank at moment, no longer feeling a sting on her neck but a sting in her heart. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but this might have been the first time she had ever been rejected face-to-face. She supposed making friends was full of trial and error, and it didn’t always work out.
“Oh, that’s fine,” Lainey said awkwardly. “I guess I have a lot of classes tomorrow so maybe it’s for the best.” She kind of just wanted to leave after that, go back to her room and sleep until she forgot about this rather shameful encounter. But Petra would not let her.
“Why can’t she go?” She inquired, a hand on her hip. She was suddenly gaining back the confidence Lainey had come to know her for.
“Well, I don’t know, it’s just kind of weird, we don’t really know her,” Leiko blurted out, trying to explain herself.
“Well, I do, she’s my roommate. I told you, she’s nice.”
“There’s probably not even enough room for her, the dorms are pretty small. It was just supposed to be an Earhart thing, not new people.”
Petra stepped in front of Lainey as she felt her cheeks grow hot from embarrassment.
“That’s a pretty stupid reason.” Petra shot back.
“Just let her come, it’s not that big of a deal,” Xander suggested, placing a gentle hand on Leiko’s shoulder.
“No, no, it’s fine. I’m just going to go back and get some sleep. I need it, I’ve been yawning all day.” Lainey finally said, quickly waving goodbye to Petra and turning away from the group and back to the dorm. She felt wanted but unwanted at the same time. She knew that even if Petra convinced them to let her come, things would still be uncomfortable anyway. She figured it was best to just go back to her room. Petra would probably reunite with her friends better when she wasn’t there, anyway, maybe that’s why she had been avoiding them.
They had spent so long talking that the campus was left barren, with everyone having sped up to their dorms to get to bed. The grounds were dark, with tall trees whispering in the soft September breeze. Lainey had not been alone much in the past few days, not like she usually was before she came here. She finally had a moment to herself to think. To process everything that she had seen, and take in the magnificent sky once again. But she wasn’t actually alone. There, along the short cobblestone path to the dormitory buildings, wisped a cloud of gritty cigarette smoke, with a person behind it, watching her intently. Just like the figures in purple, watching, looking to see if it really was her. If they saw what they thought they saw. A flash of white was clearly visible on her exposed neck, a tiny groove carved into her flesh that she had lived with her entire life. He saw it. He blinked rapidly, but it was still there. Lainey tried to walk past the boy quickly, disgusted at the second-hand smoke, but soon he was directly in her path, standing over her like one of the trees.
“Wear your hair down.” Was all he said at first. Lainey looked up at him, alarmed, barely getting a good look at his face. As the smoke around him cleared, she was staring back into brilliantly green eyes, ones that didn’t look natural, and a mop of messy red hair.
“I’m--I’m sorry?” She said, taking a step back from him immediately. “Why, what’s wrong with my hair?”
“Nothing’s wrong with your hair.” He said flatly, holding the cigarette to his lips again. “It’s your scar. You can’t be showing it around here.” He pointed to her neck, where she knew her birthmark was.
“It’s a birthmark,” she corrected him, trying to inch past him around the path. “Are you saying that because people are going to judge me for it or something? No one ever has before.” But he was growing more frustrated with every question.
“No, just trust me. Wear. Your. Hair. Down.” That was the last thing he said before he slipped into the darkness, making this one of the most confusing days of Lainey’s life.
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