Freshmen Blues

The first 3 chapters are available here as a sample. The entire book will be released from Dreamspinner Press sometime over the summer in 2015!

When Chris gets invited to the prestigious Creekville University, he realizes quickly that he is part of an experiment by the mysterious Professor Faran. There’s no way a C student like him would have been accepted legitimately into college, where mastery of your major results in unique powers. Only the smartest students can do that. But if Faran's hypothesis is right, even below-average students like him can get special abilities and get a good job after graduation. Chris just has to work hard.

Chris isn’t alone in being a guinea pig. Frederick, a tall, blond, gorgeous guy, has worked for Faran for years, and Chris doesn’t want to waste his time in college constantly working when he could be spending time with a guy as sexy as Frederick. But Frederick’s reticence is going to make it difficult. As far as Chris can tell, Frederick considers his time at Creekville a waste, and thinks his athletic powers are useless. Chris tries his best to find his place in college and increase Frederick’s confidence, and maybe even win Frederick’s affections along the way. But when Frederick’s shell proves hard to break, Chris begins to work toward a special ability in psychology. Even if Chris has no chance with him, he wants to help Frederick, and make sure the senior student isn't depressed.

If Chris can win a useful ability and help Frederick, he’ll feel even better about his own chances in college too.

CHAPTER 1 

Chris took a deep breath. Then another. The Isaac Newton dormitory loomed over his head.

He looked back over his shoulder as the engine of his parent’s car gunned, and he gave a weak wave to his mother. The car began to pull away, leaving him on the sidewalk with his two enormous suitcases by his feet. The car rushed past the faded sign proclaiming “Creekville University, 1891,” and then was gone.

Chris turned back to the double doors and took another deep breath, the butterflies in his stomach threatening to spill out of his mouth. He took a crumpled paper out of his pocket.

“Are you lost?” He jumped at the voice. A girl with long blond hair smiled at him, her teeth bright white. “Need help with your bags?”

“Uh…” she smiled wider, and he cleared his throat. “I’m Chris Taklo. I’m, uh, a freshmen.”

            “I figured as much. What floor are you on?”

            “4^th floor. Reed hall.”

“Great!” she stuck out a hand, and he stared at it for a moment before shaking. “I’m Krystal. What luck-I’ll be your RA this year! Welcome to the Newton dorm!”

Some of the butterflies began to flutter more slowly. “Thanks.”

“Parents aren’t helping you move in?” He shook his head. “That’s fine. What room number are you? No, wait, lets get your bags first. Fourth floor, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay. Here we go!”

She began to recite, and Chris’s butterflies swirled faster. He tried to pick out the words and numbers, and figured it out just as his bags began to levitate off the ground.

It was a physics equation, and it rattled off her tongue so fast he could barely make out the pronunciation of big G and little G, mass and velocity. The bags soon floated over his head, and then up toward the window of the fourth floor. The recitation changed, Krystal rattling off variables related to momentum, and the bags floated through the window.

“There!” she took a breath, then broke into another large smile. “That should lighten your load.”

Chris kept staring at the open window where his bags had disappeared.  This was college. He hoped he could make it through even one semester. “Thanks.”

“Don’t look so down! You might be able to do that one day, if you major in physics.” She patted him on the shoulder, then hopped up the cement stairs. “C’mon, lets get you to your room. Do you know what you want to major in yet?”

Chris’s mouth twisted. “Not yet.”

“That’s okay.” The interior was plain, the walls a smoky yellow. Fire doors marked exits down what must be hallways, but Chris didn’t get the chance to explore before Krystal hit the elevator button with a well-manicured fingernail. “A lot of freshmen don’t come in knowing what they want to do. I’m sure some of the older students will give you suggestions, though!”

“Right.” The elevator dinged, and Chris stepped inside. There was a tarp stretching across the interior, and he peeked over. There was nothing on the other side.

“That’s for researchers transporting animals,” Krystal said. Chris blinked. “And here we are!”

The doors swung open to the Reed Hall of the Isaac Newton dormitory, 4^th floor. Chris’ new college home.

Green carpeting led to two lounges on either side of the elevator lobby. His bags lay on the floor of the lounge to the left, and a guy with a buzzcut was currently using them as a footrest. A football game blared on the television.

“Derric!” Krystal shouted. The buzzcut guy raised an arm in a lazy wave. “Get off the new student’s bags!”

Derric lifted his legs, Chris’ suitcase falling on its side. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug.

Chris sighed, then walked over and pulled the bags away from the chair Derric sat in. “You a new freshmen?” Derric asked, his gaze swiveling from the TV mounted on the wall. “That’s all you have?”

“Yep.” Chris grunted as he lifted the bags.

Derric shrugged again, then went back to watching the game. Well, fine then. He wasn’t someone Chris would bother with much.

Reed hall stretched down past the two lounges, a row of closed doors on either side. The first one he passed was decorated with colorful letters spelling “Krystal R.A.”

“This is my room.” The blonde girl had followed him. “There are sixteen people in Reed hall, though I haven’t met all the new arrivals yet. Can you manage from here?”

Chris nodded.

“Great! We have a hall meeting tonight at 8, where you’ll meet all your hallmates. Let me know if you need anything at all. The two guys in the room next to mine are also seniors, and I wouldn’t ask Frederick anything but you can ask Kiefer anything too if you can’t tell me.” She winked, and Chris’s face heated. “Also, your roommate is a sophomore, so you can ask him anything too. Welcome again!” she waved, and Chris waved back before heading on down the hall. He wondered who Frederick was, and why he shouldn’t speak to him.

Most of the doors he passed were closed, including the one next to Krystal’s where she had said the seniors lived. There were two bathrooms, one for males and one for females, and finally he passed another open door.

The entire room was covered in paintings. Some were modern, splotches of bright color on white canvas, and others depicted stick figures. A few were more detailed, with paintings showing women in brightly colored dressed dancing in a brightly lit ballroom. A girl with long dark hair sat behind a desk, sketching something. She lifted her hand from the pencil for a moment, the pencil staying aloft and continuing to sketch.

Chris kept moving, staying aware of the numbers on the doors. His room was last.

He passed another open door, this one with no occupant. A giant football jersey spread over the doorway. Must be Derric’s room.

Finally, he stopped outside room 409, another bright red exit door to his left. He set down his bags, fumbling for his keys for a moment, before swinging open the door.

“Don’t move!” A voice shrieked. Chris froze.

Two enormous computer towers met his gaze, and parts littered the floor. A guy with slicked black hair and glasses stood, a pair of tweezers in his hand.

“You’re my roommate, right? He said. “Okay, give me a few seconds to get this stuff the floor.”

“Uh…what are you doing?” Chris asked. His new roommate turned one of the computer towers, the interior gutted.

“Making some adjustments.” He began picking up the electronic bits from the floor near the door, waving a hand. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you. My roommate last year never showed up, so I guess I kind of…forgot.” He grabbed wiring that lay near the empty bed on what Chris guessed would be his side of the room. “Come in, come in. I’m Gene. Short for Eugene, but…just call me Gene. You?”

“Chris.” He stepped carefully into the room, arms straining as he lifted his suitcases onto the bed. He wished he knew a few physics equations at the level Krystal did.

“Nice to meet you.” Gene shoved one of the computer towers back under his desk with a foot. “I guess, um, tell me about yourself. Where you from, all that stuff. We’re roommates now!”

“Uh…I’m from California. I’m nineteen.” He shrugged, giving a weak smile. “Not really interesting.”

“Nineteen? Same age as me. Old for a freshmen.” When Chris didn’t elaborate, Gene shrugged. “Then again, I was young in my year, so whatever. What are you going to major in?”

“Uh…no idea.” Chris set his suitcases on the floor and sat down on the bed.

“Figures. Not many people know. And even the ones who do know as freshmen don’t always know exactly what their abilities will be, even in their field. I don’t know yet, either. I’m majoring in computer engineering, though. Isn’t it obvious?” he gestured to the gutted computer tower.

Some of the tension went out of Chris’s shoulders. “You don’t know your abilities?”

“Nope. Maybe by the end of this year after a few more classes. Or maybe I’m in the wrong field and I’ll find out I have amazing skills in basket weaving.” He chuckled, sitting down in a plush computer chair. “Is that all you have, by the way? Where’s your computer?”

“I thought I’d rent one…?”

Gene’s eyes widened. “Wow. Okay, though. I’ll come with. We can go over to ITS and I’ll help you get something good. Otherwise you’ll end up with some piece of crap, trust me.” His chair creaked as he stood up. “Lay down your things and lets go. The sooner the better, or the good stuff will be gone.”

“Okay.” Chris laid down his suitcases, thinking for a second. “Let’s just go now then. All that’s in here are clothes and bedsheets.”

Chris raised a dark eyebrow. “Wow. Light packer, aren’t you?”

“I… don’t have much.”

“Well, let’s go then. Don’t forget your keys. Unless you’re majoring in locksmithing, of course.” He grinned, and more of the anxiety left Chris’s muscles as he smiled back.

So far, at least, college didn’t seem so bad.

Chris just wished he actually belonged here.

***

“Ugh.” Gene sneered at the laptop the bored looking girl held, the shiny white letters of ITS glowing on the desk behind her. “Only if you want it to crash every five minutes during downloads.”

“Okay,” Chris said, shaking his head at the girl. She put the laptop box down and picked up another one. “What do you think about this?”

Gene peered at it. “I think I could make you a better one out of my scrap parts.”

Chris sighed. Given the way this was going, that might be easier.

The door clanged open as the girl lifted another box, Gene once again peering at it. Chris turned at the sound.

His stomach flipped. An older guy had entered, probably two or three years older than him. His blond hair brushed the door as he walked through, and the measuring tape on the side of the door that was probably meant to help locate thieves gave Chris an immediate measure of his height-over 6’7.

His icy blue gaze met Chris’s, and the butterflies returned in full force.

“I think this one will do…” Gene turned and paled when he saw the newcomer. “Yeah, that will do. Wrap it up,” he told the girl.

Chris looked from Gene to the newcomer and back. The tall student wore tight jeans and a white sleeveless shirt, and he was more ripped than the football players Derric had been watching.

The guy nodded at Chris, then strode toward the counter. “I need my computer for this year, also,” he said. The girl nodded distractedly, handing over the laptop box to Gene.

“Thanks!” Gene moved away from the counter quickly, and Chris followed, casting one last look at the guy in the ITS store before following.

“Who was that?” he asked.

“That was Frederick,” Gene answered. “One of our hallmates and not someone to ever mess with.”

Krystal had said basically the same thing. “Why?” it was hard to erase the image of the tall student from his mind. He was…attractive, Chris had to admit. Not that he would tell Gene that without learning more about the other student first.

“Many reasons. First one, he’s doing independent research with the weirdest professor in the school. Second, he’s creepy, or at least all the girls say so. And third and most important?” Gene turned, meeting Chris’s eyes. “He killed someone last year.”

Icy water splashed through Chris’s veins, and he almost dropped his new laptop onto the grass. “What?”

            “Yep. We have our very own campus killer.” Gene’s stern expression melted into a grin as they walked past a fountain on the quad. “Wow, you really believed me there, didn’t you?”

            Chris let out a huff of half annoyance and half relief. “That…that was a joke, right?”

            “Well, half of one. There were rumors that he was nearly killed a mugger with his ability. He did get mugged in the city, and he did send the guy to the hospital, but there was no evidence that the guy died.” Gene shrugged. “But Frederick was untouched, and there were police around for a while. The rumor mill went nuts. People stay away from him now.”

            “People get mugged in the city often?”

            “Only in the 16^th ward, which is basically the ghetto. Just don’t cross the bridge and you’re fine. Most of the time the rednecks there leave the college students alone anyway. Frederick must have pissed someone off.”

            Chris had a hard time believing any sane person, even a mugger, would attack someone who looked like Frederick, especially if they knew he was as college student and had some strange ability. “What is his ability, anyway?”

            “Dunno.” Gene shrugged. “Which is weird in and of itself. He’s a senior. He should have one by now. His major is in Ethics, though, so maybe not. Seems like a useless major.”

            “Who’s the teacher he’s doing research with?”

            Gene raised an eyebrow. “Why so full of questions about Frederick?”

           

            Chris blushed, but recovered quickly. “It’s hard not to be curious when you tell me he sent a guy to the hospital!”

            “Fair enough,” Gene said with a laugh. “Professor Faran researches abilities. What he’s actually doing with him, though, I have no idea. Part of the reason he’s so creepy is that he’s quiet. What?”

            Chris put a grin on his face, hiding the rush of anxiety that had just washed over him. “Nothing. That’s cool, I guess.”

            Professor Faran. That was the name of the professor who had personally invited Chris to the prestigious Creekville University, despite him being dead last in his class in high school and rejected from everywhere he had actually applied.

            Suddenly, he wanted to talk to Frederick, and it was motivated by far more than just the other student’s physical appearance.

            Maybe at the meeting he’d get his chance.

CHAPTER 2

            “Welcome to Creekville University!” Krystal stood in front of the elevators, arms spread. A case of cupcakes sat on two plastic tables in front of her.

            Wedged into the small space of the lobby were Chris’ new hallmates-all 16 of them, if you didn’t count Krystal herself, and minus Frederick. Wasn’t this meeting supposedly mandatory?

            Gene lounged next to him, playing a game on his Gameboy-no, 3DS. That’s what they were called now, according to Gene. Chris had never been able to afford one.

            “Alright!” Krystal clapped her hands, and Gene snapped his game shut, looking over to Chris with a smirk. “For many of you, this is your first year here at Creekville, so we’re going to introduce ourselves.” A tall guy with blond hair pulled back in a ponytail laughed, and Krystal rounded on him. “Everyone, Kiefer! Why don’t you go first? Tell us all your name, your major, and, uh, where you’re from.”

            “Ugh.” Keifer stepped forward from where he had been leaning against the wall. “I’m Kiefer, a senior. I’m majoring in optics, and I’m from Creekville. Born and raised.”

            “A local,” Gene whispered. “He’ll know the good places.”

           

            Chris nodded, stomach tightening a bit with anxiety.

“Good. Now you can have a cupcake!” Kiefer grinned, leaning over and taking a cupcake with blue frosting. He popped the whole thing in his mouth, paper and all.

Krystal’s gaze roamed the room, and finally she pointed to the same long haired girl Chris had seen drawing, who sat in one of the rickety chairs that they had dragged into the lobby from the east lounge. “Alright, how about you?”

The girl froze, blinking. “Um. I’m Ariel. I’m going to major in art.” Not a surprise there. “I’m from New York City.” Gene let out a quiet whistle.

“Great! Grab your cupcake.”

Chris did a quick count of the people between him and Ariel. Fewer than half the people in the hall, two of whom looked older. He had always hated introducing himself.

At least he wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what he wanted to do. The next few freshmen didn’t know either, and it seemed that the amount of freshmen who did know was limited to Ariel and to Tyler, a boy who wanted to major in math. “Weirdo,” Gene muttered under his breath when the freckled Tyler announced it.

The next two were both juniors, a girl named Madison majoring in medicine and another named Alisa who was apparently passionate about entomology. Gene’s eyes widened at that. “Wouldn’t want to know her ability,” he whispered. Alisa looked up, catching Chris’s eyes, and he froze.

“What about you?” Krystal prodded. Chris’s heart jumped when he realized it was his turn.

“Um…”

The elevator creaked, then whooshed open. Krystal turned as Frederick stepped through the door, the tall man towering over her.

“Nice of you to join us,” Krystal said. Her tone came out different, more guarded. Did she dislike him? Or maybe she was just annoyed that he had missed half the meeting.

“Uh…” Chris found it hard to look away from Frederick’s gaze. His heart pounded, and he tried to ignore the fact that the other guy was incredibly good looking, with broad, muscular shoulders, a strong aquiline jaw, and sharp cheekbones. No guys back home had ever looked so good.

He immediately swiveled his gaze to the floor when the blond met his eyes. Introductions. Right. “I’m Chris. I don’t know what I’m going to major in yet, but I’m California.” People snickered. “I mean, from California!” Gene laughed behind him and clapped him on the back.

Krystal nodded when he looked up, an amused smile on her face. “Great! Grab your cupcake.” Face burning, Chris leaned toward the tables. As he did, Frederick turned away and headed down the hall without a word.

Krystal watched him go, but didn’t say anything, throwing up her hands in mock surrender. “Um, rude much?” the girl to Gene’s left said. People tittered.

“That's my roommate, Frederick,” Kiefer said, jutting a thumb in the direction of the hall. “He’s almost never here. Can I have his cupcake?” He said the last to Krystal, plastering a grin on his face.  

“Go ahead. And let’s continue!” She pointed to Gene, and the introductions continued.

Chris tried to pay attention, but there were too many names and faces to keep track of. By the end, he remembered Gene, Kiefer, Ariel the artist, and the two junior girls, Madison and Alisa. And, of course, Frederick and Derric, who left as soon as the last person had introduced themselves.

The cupcake box was empty, but Chris felt no need to leave. This was his first night in college-his first night away from home. Simply going to his room and sleeping was not an option.

Of course, that didn’t answer the question of what he wanted to do. He caught Gene’s eye, who was talking to Alisa wth great interest. Gene’s gaze kept drifting down to her chest, and Chris sighed.

“Hey.” He turned to see Ariel smiling at him. “Chris, right? You remember me?”

“Ariel.” She smiled. “I saw you earlier, actually. Drawing.”

“Yeah, I’m dead set on being an art major. I’ve already learned my ability.” She waved a hand as if knowing your ability before you even started college were nothing. Another girl came up beside her, her blond hair so long it went down to the small of her back. “This is Michelle, my roommate.”

Chris thought back to the introductions. “Aren’t you a junior?”

“That’s right. In Chemistry. Your roommate’s a sophomore, though. I was just curious-do you know your ability yet?”

Chri’s stomach twisted. “Um, no. Not yet.” He gave a nervous chuckle. “I don’t even know what I want to major in.”

“Oh, really?” Michelle’s eyes widened. “Usually advanced students are the ones who get put in rooms with older students. Most of the other students here are paired in the same year.”

“Sorry,” Ariel said. “I just figured…I wasn’t trying to brag, honest!”

“It’s okay!” Chris put his hands up. “I guess I just, uh, lucked out or something.”

“Or there were just uneven genders,” Michelle said. Right, that too. Chris hated feeling stupid.

“So, if you’re a junior…” Chris warred with asking the question, but figured he may as well. If they thought him weird, so be it. “What’s the deal with that Frederick guy? Gene told me kind of a strange story…”

Ariel tilted her head, and Michelle put her hands on her hips. Her long hair shimmered as she tossed her head. “Frederick is just strange, is all. I don't like to talk about other people behind their back, so I won’t.”

“That usually implies he’s really strange, then,” Ariel said, brows furrowed. “He’s not, like, dangerous, right?”

Michelle let out a gusty breath through her nostrils. “I really don’t want to say.”

Ariel and Chris exchanged glances, and Chris wished he hadn’t said anything. “Gene told me he put someone in the hospital last year,” he admitted. “A mugger.”

“Wait, a mugger?” Tension left Ariel’s expression. “That sounds like a good thing to me. I’ve been mugged before-it’s not fun.”

“Uh yeah…” Chris hadn’t thought of it that way. “I don’t know, apparently there were rumors that he killed the guy.”

Ariel snorted. “Why are we even making more rumors now? He’s here, right? Let’s just go ask him.”

Michelle nodded. “I think that’s a fine idea. Anyway, I’m heading out to Lakeside’s, so Ariel and Chris, you want to meet up there in half an hour? Bring your friends, too, if you want.”

“Lakeside?” Chris asked, at the same moment that Ariel replied with a happy “Sure!”

“It’s a little café on campus that’s open really late,” she explained as Michelle headed toward the elevator. “I’ve been here for a week, so I got to explore the campus a ton. I’ll show you around.”

“Um, Great.”

“C’mon, let’s go talk to Frederick. I want to ask him about the mugger.” Ariel beckoned.

The chattering voices of their hallmates in the lobby deadened as they headed down the long hallway and past Krystal’s door. Kiefer and Frederick’s door was shut, and name tags had been added since the afternoon. Kiefer’s was an array of colorful letters, much like Krystal’s. Frederick’s consisted of a post-it with his name written in cursive.

Ariel knocked on the door.

Nothing.

“He is here, right? I didn’t see him leave,” Ariel said, half to herself.

“Maybe he’s asleep?”

“It’s 8:30.” Ariel knocked again, harder this time, the flimsy wood banging against the frame.

No response. Chris leaned toward the door, but couldn’t hear any sound from inside.

“What the hell? Maybe he is asleep.”

“Like I said, he’s almost never home, and when he is, he’s asleep.” Chris jumped. Kiefer stood behind them, a key held aloft in one hand. “I wasn't thrilled with having a roommate my senior year, but as roommate’s go, one who’s never home is pretty great. Step aside, and I’ll let you in. Then you can talk to him, if he’s here.”

For some reason, Chris’ heart began to pound as Kiefer twisted the key in the lock. He wanted to ask Frederick about Professor Faran, but not with other people here.

Kiefer flicked on the light, revealing a room that was a study in contrasts. One side was decorated with movie posters and one poster with guitar chords, and discarded clothes and towels hung from a lofted bed that had a plush blue comforter. An immense computer tower, larger than the two in Gene and Chris’s room combined, sat on the desk, along with two monitors. A box of cookies sat next to them.

Stark white walls marked the other side, with a bed that had only a sheet. A white and blue ITS laptop box sat on the desk, unopened.

“Not here,” Kiefer said. “Told you.”

“But I didn’t see him leave,” Chris said. “We were by the elevators the entire time.”

“Exit door.” Kiefer pointed down the hall. “Frederick’s got keys.”

“Well, I guess that explains why he was in such a hurry.” Ariel shrugged. “Oh well. Want to head to Lakeside’s?” Kiefer nodded immediately.  

Chris sighed. He had really wanted to talk to the other man. Oh well.

“Sure,” he said. “Let me ask my roommate, too.”

CHAPTER 3

They exited the building through the back, which led them to a path that went straight up a steep hill. Steady light glowed from the building.

“That’s the Rush building,” Kiefer said, pointing. “The dining halls are in there. Luchest Dining serves lunch and dinner, and Lakeside is great for breakfasts and late evening snacks. It doesn’t close until midnight.”

The entrance at the top of the hill was quiet and dark, Chris’s skin crawling. “I wish it snowed here,” Ariel said. “It would be great for sledding.”

“I hadn’t even thought of that,” Gene said. Kiefer swiped his card, and the sounds of laughing and talking erupted around them as the door swung open.

A brightly lit hallway with yellow walls stretched ahead of them, diverging into two sets of double doors. Posters lined the walls, each one announcing some club or activity. Chris paused for the slightest moment at a white and green flyer announcing the Creekville U Gay Straight Alliance.

When he looked away, Ariel met his gaze, and gave him a soft smile. Chris’s stomach flipped.

Kiefer led them to the right, where they entered what looked like a more relaxed version of every café Chrs had ever been to, with giant purple chairs set around small tables. Other students chatted over gooey pizzas or drinks in plastic cups.

This was college. This would be his life, when he wasn’t studying. And if he didn’t fail out.

“Alright, who has meal plans?” Kiefer asked. “I’m looking for handouts.”

“I have 300,” Ariel said, brows furrowed. “Don’t you?”

“I’m a senior, and don’t have to take the freshy plan, so no,” Kiefer said with a laugh. “Buy me a drink?”

“I was wondering why you came with us,” Gene said with a smirk. “Mooching off the freshmen.” He turned to Chris. “You have the same thing Ariel does? I have more of a meal plan than he does, but I don’t think mine covers Lakeside.”

“Um…” Chris thought back to his acceptance details. The letter had explained how he would receive a scholarship that would cover tuition, lodgings and food for his entire stay at Creekville. “I think so.”

“Think so?”

“Yeah, I should.” He took out his student ID, his own smiling face staring back at him. When they got the front of the line, an older woman with a lined face took it from him and swiped it through the machine. “What would you like?”

“Um…Pizza. And…”

“Decaf Black and White on ice,” Gene said. It seemed he really did have the freshmen plan. Faran had covered everything.

When they turned away from the line, Michelle waved them over.

The food was somewhat bland, but the plush seats relaxed his muscles. The table was too small to fit all of their meals, so Chris balanced his pizza plate on his lap. Ariel had also gotten pizza, and wrinkled her nose when she bit into it.

“Not as good as New York City pizza, I assume?” Gene asked with a grin.

“Not really, no.”

“You get used to it,” Michelle said. She had a pillow on her lap, her plate on top of it. “I think I actually like this food more than the food at home.”

“That’s because you’ve given up on good food,” Kiefer said. “I can’t wait to get out into the real world and away from this crap.” He had a plain paper cup, Chris noticed, presumably filled with coffee.

“So, freshmen, right?” Michelle asked, pointing to Chris. “I know you guys.” She motioned in a wave to Kiefer, Chris, and Ariel. “What’s your plan for Creekville? I know you don’t know your major, but do you know what classes you’re taking?”

“Um…” Chris swallowed his bite of pizza slowly and put his empty plate on the small table in front of him. “Not yet.”

Gene snorted. “You realize registration opens tomorrow, right?”

“If you’re interested in biology or chemistry, you have to register fast, because the intro classes fill up.” Michelle tossed her hair, reminding Chris of one of his high school teachers. “Physics, too.”

“That was my very first intro class,” Kiefer said with an exaggerated nostalgic sigh. “Physics 113.”

“You’re…optics, right?” Chris asked.

“That’s right. I did an internship in the Osik laser technologies lab over the summer.” Kiefer raised his hand and snapped his fingers, and a beam of light flashed for a second, a bright red laser appearing in the air. Chris’s plate sizzled, a hole appearing in the center.

 “Whoa!” Gene leaned forward, staring at it. “Nice!” A few students in the back of the room were looking over at them too, and Chris ducked his head.

“You want free laser eye surgery?” Kiefer laughed and raised his hand toward Gene, and the dark haired man leaned back, waving his hands.

 “I wish I had a flashy ability like that,” Ariel sighed.

“What do you mean?” Chris asked. “I saw you-you could draw without touching the pen!”

“Spying on the girls already, Chris?” Gene laughed. Chris’s face heated.

 Michelle rolled her eyes, and Ariel just smiled. “Yeah, but that’s so…boring. It just lets me draw multiple things at once, or faster, exactly as I envision them. But it’s not what I really wanted.”

 "Wait, really?” Gene dug in his pockets, pulling out a pen. “Show me.”

“What, right now?” Ariel looked around, then her gaze settled on Chris. “Fine. Give me a napkin.”

 Kiefer reached behind his chair and grabbed one, then laid it down flat on the table. Ariel closed her eyes.

The pen leapt up by itself, floating over to the napkin. Ink bled, but the pen flowed smoothly, adjusting to the medium. A sketchy shape began to form-a man, with a defined jaw and piercing eyes.

 “Hey, that’s my roommate,” Kiefer said. Ariel’s eyes popped open, the pen falling and rolling away.

“What?” She leaned over, and Chris peered at it more closely also. It was true. An eerily accurate portrait of Frederick had begun to take shape on the napkin.

“Hmm.” Ariel bit her lip, then picked up the napkin and put it in her pocket. “Well, there you go. That’s what I can do.”

“What’s boring about that?” Chris asked. “I think it’s pretty cool.” 

 “I wanted to bring my art to life,” Ariel said. “Like Jaqueline Duerte. I wanted to be an artist like her.”

 “Not all abilities are the same just because the talents are,” Michelle said. “Do you know how many people major in chemistry and biology? And there are dozens of different abilities. I can cause decomposition immediately, no matter the conditions for a normal reaction, but that's it.” She shrugged. “But it’s still an ability. It’s still a mark of mastery.”

“I prefer Jason’s ability,” Kiefer said. Michelle punched him in the arm.

 “Jason can ferment anything,” Michelle said. “Shockingly, he’s head of the biggest frat on campus.” The first word dripped sarcasm.

 “I should take you all there,” Kiefer said. “They always have a big party before classes start. Tomorrow night, eh?”

 “Nice,” Gene said. Ariel and Chris exchanged glances. Chris wasn’t sure if he wanted the first party he went to to be a frat party. He had seen plenty of examples of that on TV and in movies.

Then again, it couldn’t be as bad as the movies, right?

            ***

 Kiefer and Michelle chatted ahead of the group as they walked, Ariel and Chris trailing behind. Compared to the warm, loud atmosphere of the café, it was peaceful, even if it was just a short walk back to their dorm.

 “So, something strange happened,” Ariel said. Chris looked away from the night sky.

 “What?”

 “When I drew Frederick…” she took the napkin out of her pocket, staring at it. “ I wasn’t trying to draw him. I was just going to do a quick sketch of you, not him.”

 Chris peered at the napkin. “It looks nothing like me. It’s…well, Frederick.”

“I know!” She crumpled it up and put it back in her pocket. “I tried to use my ability to draw one thing, and I drew another. That’s never happened before.”

Chris swallowed against rising anxiety. “So…what does that mean?”

 “I was hoping you could tell me. You said you don’t have any ability yet, but clearly something happened.”

 “But…I don’t.” Confession of his poor performance in high school and how he didn't really belong here welled on the tip of his tongue. “Really, I don’t even know what I’m going to major in. I have no specific skills,” he said instead.

 “Hm.” Ariel smoothed her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. “Well, I guess I’ll have to try again. Maybe I wasn’t focused.”

 “Were you thinking about Frederick?”

 “I don’t think so. Frederick is not my type.” She looked at Chris out of the corner of her eye. “No guy is.”

 A ball of anxiety that had been sitting in Chris’s stomach ever since she caught him looking at the Gay Straight alliance sign loosened. “Oh.”

“Maybe he’s your type, though?”

 Ahead of them, the older students kept talking, not having noticed where Ariel and Chris’s conversation had gone. “Yeah,” Chris admitted, lowering his voice.

One college hurdle had been cleared, at least with one person, and Chris let out a sigh. He’d only have to admit that…how many more times? Back home, his friends had known, and he had also known whom to avoid. Here, he was on the same ground he had been on when he had first discovered his preferences.

  “I hope he shares your inclinations, at least,” Ariel said with a smile. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” At least he had Ariel, though she had her own problems to face too, he was sure. “I hope you find a nice girl too.”

  “It’s not New York City, but it is college,” Ariel said. “I have hope.”

 “Hey!” Kiefer turned around and waved an arm. “Hurry up, freshmen!”

 “I suppose we’ll talk more tomorrow. Try to decide which classes you’re taking.”

 “Right.”

  “What were you talking about?” Gene asked as they entered the dorm and piled into the elevator. “Seemed pretty serious.” He smirked. 

 “Nothing important, actually,” Chris said quickly. “About her drawing.”

"I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Ariel said when the doors rumbled and opened into Reed hall. “I want to wake up early for registration.”

 “Already?” Gene said, but didn’t protest further as Ariel headed down the hall to her room. Michelle followed, waving goodbye.

“Damn. No more girls.” Kiefer gave a mock sigh and flopped down on one of the chairs from the lounge that had been left in the lobby. “Didn’t seem interested in me anyway. You, on the other hand.” He pointed at Chris. “Talking about art, really?”

 “Shut up, Kiefer,” a voice called from the lounge. Alisa, the junior who claimed to be an entomology major, poked her head out with a rueful smirk. “Leave the freshy girls alone.”

Kiefer waved a hand. “I wouldn’t date a girl from my own hall anyway. Too awkward when they see you stumbling down the hall at 6 in the morning.”

  “I thought you were with Alexa?” Alisa said.

 “How do you think I ended up with a roommate my senior year?” Kiefer sat up. “Alexa dumped me over the summer, the bitch.” Bitterness dripped from his voice. “I ended up on the bottom of the room list. No offense to you,” he pointed to Chris, “But I didn’t exactly want to be stuck on a hall with freshmen. It’s all fun until one of you does something stupid, which always happens.”

  “That sucks,” Gene said. Alisa nodded. Chris tilted his head, unsure if he should be offended or not.

  “Like I said, no offense. But every year some freshmen either gets so drunk he has to be taken to the ER, or gets an ability they don't understand how to use responsibly and wrecks something. It happened my freshmen year and my sophomore year.”

 “Last year a girl magnetized someone’s car. It was crushed into a cube,” Gene said.

 “See?” Kiefer waved a hand at Gene. “And, of course, this year my roommate is someone who apparently nearly killed someone last year. And he works with Professor Faran. I seriously hope he keeps up his usual routine of never being home, because damn.”  He sighed. “I still can’t believe she dumped me.”

  Chris perked up. “What do you know about Professor Faran?”

  “I thought he just researched abilities,” Gene added. “Why so against him?”

  “Research abilities?” Kiefer scoffed. “More like does human research. That group recruits special students, makes then sign a confidentiality form, and then does who knows what to them. Guinea pigs, I’m sure. Frederick probably is one.”

“Don’t spread rumors,” Alisa said, walking into the lobby and sitting down next to Kiefer. “I haven’t heard anything negative about Faran’s research. Why do you ask, Chris?”

  “I…”

  “I told him about Faran earlier today,” Gene butt in. “All I really know for sure is that he researches abilities. Again, why the negativity? Is there something I don’t know?”

 “He joined the campus when I was a freshmen,” Kiefer said. “My advisor hates him. He’s done research for years but has never published. My advisor thinks he’s taking the school’s money for no reason. Course, that could just be jealousy talking. Our lab got downsized last year.”

 “It’s a new field,” Alisa said. “Results don’t happen overnight.”

 Chris’ head swam. He just wanted to know why this Faran would have recruited him, but he didn’t want to offer up the information now. He wanted to be able to talk with everyone like this-normally, like he had with his friends back home. He didn’t want to be singled out as the special student, if that was even the right term.

 He wasn't dumb. He just…didn’t know if he belonged here. If Faran wanted him…

  “Which classes does Faran teach?” Chris asked.

“Ethics 101,” Alisa said. “It's the only class he teaches.” Ethics. That was Frederick’s major, too.

 “You’re not thinking of taking ethics, are you?” Gene said with a laugh.

 “If you want to do any sort of research, its required,” Alisa said. “And it’s not likely to fill up.” She shrugged. “Seems like as good a first choice of class as any.”

 “Take programming, too,” Gene said. “That one does fill up, though.”

 “I guess I’d better set up my computer before I do anything else, though,” Chris said. He stood up, rummaging through his pockets for his keys. He debated asking Kiefer to let Frederick know that he wanted to talk to him, but just waved and headed down the hall instead. He could find the older student himself.

 At least, he hoped he could.