The sun shone through in glittering rays as the clouds rolled across the sky, allowing spears of light to slice through the otherwise gray day below. Students walked about the campus grounds, excited exclamations ringing through the courtyard as old friends met up after the break, sharing stories of the adventures—no matter how mundane—they had had.
Sitting on one of the benches in the manicured lawn of the courtyard surrounding the college’s dorms, Victoria sat on a bench, her nose stuck in a book as she waited, trying to avoid looking at the other students and faculty passing by. It had been a long morning spent moving in, and she had been the first of the three girls assigned to her dorm to arrive.
One other of the girls had arrived soon after… a human, as far as she could tell, much to Victoria’s relief. But, there was still one other girl unaccounted for yet, and there were at least two supernaturals already on her floor…
As hard as she tried, Victoria just couldn’t concentrate on the words in front of her. For the umpteenth time, she questioned her resolve to abide by her aunt’s request to attend a college. So many unpredictable people in such a small space.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. The screen lit up, declaring it twenty past two.
Please get here soon, she thought. Taking a deep breath, her brows furrowed as she tried to force herself to concentrate on the page before her.

Alex walked across the courtyard, feeling the sun on his skin. He still hadn't forgotten what a luxury that was, and he enjoyed it. He felt the warmth on his skin and smiled. It was an interesting feeling, to be in the sunlight like that. It felt strange, moreso than when he was human...
He spotted her. Across the courtyard, book in hand, sitting on a bench. Why wasn't he surprised? He smiled a little as he changed his trajectory and walked straight toward her. He was quite surprised that they were friends. He knew she could spot supernaturals, but she hadn't figured him out yet, which he was relieved about. He was one of very few who believed her ability, and he knew it was getting stronger.
The longer he spent with her, the more he worried that eventually she would see him for what he was. He hoped, though, that when that time came, she would realise that he had always been a friend, and look past it. Was that too much to ask for?
'Hey, bookworm.' He smiled down at her, waiting for her to move the book and see him.

Victoria placed her hands in her hair, her fingers tangling with the bluish-black strands as she tried to block out the others walking and laughing around her. Finally able to center her attention enough on the pages, the world of words wrapped her mind, coloring her thoughts with the welcome distraction of the pictures the marks conjured.
“Hey, bookworm.”
Victoria jumped at the sound of Alex’s voice, her hands pulling from her hair and heart fluttering unpleasantly as she looked over. She blinked at him, her mind taking a moment to unwrap itself from the strands of words.
“Alex,” she breathed, relief in her voice as she fully recognized her friend. “Hey.” She returned his smile, then frowned. “Don’t do that!” It was annoying how easily he could sneak up on her… but she could never hold that against him for long.
She quickly tucked her book away in her purse, part of its edge sticking out and making the purse impossible to zip up. Slinging it over her shoulder, she stood and faced Alex. “How’s it going?”

Alex laughed. 'Oh come on, it's not my fault you get so wrapped up in your books that you don't notice what's happening.' He smiled brightly and his eyes were lit up with humour.
He shrugged at her question. 'Same as usual. Not much really happening on my end. You know me, ever the loner type.' He chuckled a little before looking around. 'Want me to show you around? This place is pretty big, I wouldn't want you to get lost. We can walk and talk.' He offered, smiling as he did so. He tended to permanently keep a smile on his face when he could.
In his minds eye a scene played out before him, one were Victoria saw him for what he was and immediately feared him. That would be worse, he thought, than if she simply hated him. For her to be scared of him... He never wanted that.

Victoria scrunched her nose and playfully stuck her tongue out at Alex’s remark, then nodded understandingly to his answer.
She cast a quick glance around, considering his offer to show her around. Lost. There was no telling who--or what--she would run into come Monday, and the last thing she wanted was to encounter the ‘wrong kind of people’ and have no idea where she was. And she could think of no one else she would rather have show her around than Alex.
“Yeah,” she answered quietly, before looking back to him. “Yeah, that’d be great,” she repeated louder. She couldn’t help but return his perpetual, yet rather contagious, smile.
Her head cocked slightly and her brows twitched downward as emotion flashed through his amber eyes. Sorrow? Fear, perhaps? She was not entirely sure.
“Everything okay?” she asked slowly. “Something on your mind?"

Alex smiled and held his arm out, curved around slightly, gesturing for her to take it. It was one of his more old-fashioned habits that he had never gotten out of. He enjoyed being a gentleman.
He turned to her when she asked if he was okay and shrugged. 'It's nothing to worry about. Just thinking about a few things.' He inwardly cursed himself for letting his guard down. Considering Victoria hadn't seen past his human facade, she knew him better than anyone, and could read his face like a book. Sometimes he wondered if the reason she hadn't seen him for what he was, was because she didn't want to. Of course, with her ability getting stronger, she may have to face it at some point.
He looked around, mentally working out a good place to start the tour, and figured the main building would be best, he could work outward from there. He mentally mapped his route, he tended to be pretty good at that. He had an excellent sense of direction and always seemed to know where he was going.

Victoria’s lips quirked at his familiar gesture.
Chivalry isn’t dead yet, she thought, linking her arm through the offered crook of his elbow. Not as long as he’s around, that’s for sure.
She grinned at the ground and let him lead her through the courtyard, her hair falling around her face. She had always liked that about Alex; he always had this old-fashioned aura about him no matter how modern his surroundings. In her experience, it was rare for her to sense that in a non-supernatural. But, as she had reasoned long before, she would have seen it by now if he was anything but human, and even her aunt and uncle had not seemed to mind him on those few occasions when they met.
“A penny for your thoughts, then?” She shook her hair out of the way and looked up sideways at him, her gaze searching his face. “Anything I can help with, maybe?”

Alex smiled at her, a sad smile. Of course, he was playing a part, and he had to remember that. 'I just worry about you is all. The thought of you getting caught up with the wrong crowd, or finding yourself facing something... different.' He raised an eyebrow when he said that, signalling that he was talking about something other than human, and less than friendly. 'I just don't want you getting hurt, is all. And college is one of the easiest places for that to happen. Just... Be careful, won't you?'
He knew that Victoria was naturally cautious, but he also knew that even she couldn't protect herself all the time. And he knew that there were supernaturals she couldn't see just yet, after all, he was one of them. He didn't want to let her know what he was really thinking, though, as that would mean explaining to her that, for all the time they'd known each other, he had been pretending to be something he wasn't. And that was a conversation better left for another day.

Victoria bit her lip and looked to the cemented path as Alex voiced her own fears, her grip on his elbow tightening slightly at the thought.
“Yeah. I’d rather avoid that, too,” she muttered, taking a deep breath as he continued. She looked back to him, his concern for her making her smile. “As careful as I can be.” She squeezed his arm in both thanks and reassurance, the latter as much for hers as for his. “Besides, no one can beat my white belt karate techniques.”
She offered him a halfhearted smile, actively ignoring a small group of students that passed in the opposite direction, talking loudly and a couple of the men pushing each other around playfully.
“So, where to first?” She glanced to the building looming ahead of them, recognizing it as the backside of the main building.

Alex smiled. 'You know, I have offered to teach you self defence before now. The offer still stands, if you're ever interested.' He turned to look at the building.
'We're gonna start with the basics. Library, cafeteria and classrooms, then I'll show you the other areas on campus that I find useful, and if you have any questions at the end, we'll work on those then. Sound good?' He asked. He had already planned that out in the few minutes they had spent walking to the main building. He knew that he could show her everything she needed, but wasn't sure exactly what she wanted out of the college experience, and he wasn't overly familiar with having a social life, so he wondered if he would be able to answer some of her questions.
'The building here has most of what we'll need. And you've already seen the dorms.'

“Yeah, I know.” Victoria’s lips pursed together as the memory of the failure of the last self-defense class she had attended flashed through her mind. She sighed in resignation. “Might have to actually take you up on that this time ‘round.” This isn’t kids’ stuff anymore, after all, she added silently as he answered her question.
“Yep, sounds great. Important stuff first.” She nodded in confirmation at his final statement.
She looked up as they neared the door. A young man exited, his eyes quickly registering Alex and Victoria.
Victoria inhaled through her nose as their eyes met. His human guise vanished beneath her gaze, leaving a human-like face with a blueish-green tint. Gills lined the sides of his neck, moving with his breaths. Fish scale sideburns glittered slightly in the sun filtering through a new opening in the dwindling clouds, and his previously brown eyes glowed an eerie orange.
Her attention snapped to the ground, her teeth chewing once more on her lip as she involuntarily stepped into Alex to get as far from the naiad as possible.
The young man held the door open for them, his brows furrowing at Victoria.
“Afternoon,” he said cheerily, his voice holding a bubbly, echoic sound in Victoria’s ears.
Keeping her head down, she reluctantly separated from Alex so they could both get through the door. She hurried inside, muttering a nearly unintelligible “Thanks" before looking behind her to make sure her friend was still there.
She couldn't help but wonder what Alex thought of her odd behavior around other people. She hated the thought that he might somehow figure out her little secret and think her a freak like the select couple friends whom she had chosen to tell in the far past, only to have them push away from her. Her fallback story of autism could really only go so far, after all.

Alex looked at Victoria quizzically, she didn't know that he knew about her ability, and he would prefer to keep it that way. But he had recognised what she could do early on. Her unusual behaviour, he irrational fear of seemingly random people and, of course, he could see them, too. In supernaturals, the sight was more common. There were a number of them who could recognise others immediately, in the old times, it was considered somewhat advantageous during times of conflict. Now, however, it was less useful, and more problematic.
His ability to spot other supernaturals further separated him from normalcy, and he wasn't exactly happy with being different. He normally stayed away from people in general, to avoid anyone finding him out, because that could be disastrous, but for some reason he was drawn to Victoria, even with the danger of her seeing him ever growing, he couldn't seem to leave her alone.
He stepped around the aquatic gentleman without a hint of knowing what he was, and walked back to Victoria. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. 'You okay?' He asked, though he knew the truth, and he knew she would lie to him.

Ignoring the confusion on Alex’s face, Victoria took a deep breath. Content with knowing he followed and wanting to place as much distance between her and the naiad as possible--even though he wasn't the worse thing she had seen--she continued forward, her gaze devotedly on the wide hall’s gray carpet.
She jumped, a surprised shout catching in her throat and turning into a gasp as she felt an arm drape over her shoulders. She relaxed nearly instantly when she registered it was Alex. She happily let him pull her to him. She took a deep breath, letting the familiar sense of safety she felt around him flood through her and normalize her heart rate.
Normal. Gotta act normal, she inwardly scolded herself. Yet, a small voice in the back of her mind quietly inquired, What is normal anymore?
Victoria nodded. “Yeah,” she grumbled. “Sorry. Wasn’t expecting anyone to come out with us that close. Guess it startled an episode out.” She sighed, the phrase rolling from her tongue with unnerving ease from its years of use. “So,” she began, forcing a light tone as she eagerly changed the subject, “why didn’t you warn me that the orientation lecture was so boring?” She drew out the word. “I’m pretty sure I fell asleep for most of it.”

Alex lessened his hold on her, allowing her to move a little further away from him, should she want to. He chuckled at her question, and shrugged. 'I didn't think. It's been a year since that happened to me. Plus it's like a right of passage. If we have to suffer, so do you.'
He continued to walk down the corridor until he stopped by a doorway, which had no door. It led into a wide space filled with tables, each of which were like a tiny island, surrounded by a sea of chairs. These chairs were always in place at the start of every day, but by the end they would be strewn around the room as people moved to sit next to their friends.
At the back of the room there was a long counter, with enough space behind it for the cafeteria staff to stand behind, and there was a door on the far end, where they brought the food through, generally.
'Welcome to the feeding ground.' Alex said, sighing. 'Generally, at lunch time, basically everyone files in here, and it turns into a manic zoo-like place. I don't tend to come here. There's a store just outside of campus which sells decent enough food. There are a few of us who tend to go there instead.'

Even though she felt his grip loosen, Victoria remained near him. “Uh huh. Jerk.” She scrunched her nose up at him. “I guess misery really does love company, huh?”
When they stopped near an open doorway, she slowly lifted her attention from the floor. She suppressed a sigh of relief at the vacant room before them. She took in the tidy setting, streaks of wetness visible on a couple of the tabletops from a recent washing. Daylight streamed in through a few windows visible between soda and juice machines against one wall, and large trashcans cowered away in the corners from the army of chairs.
Feeding ground, she chuckled through her nose.
She nodded as Alex continued speaking, imagining the scene unfold in the room; hundreds of students packed together, impatiently waiting for their turn to get their hands on whatever food the cooks dished out, only to hurry back to their table and waiting friends.
“Sounds like a good idea,” she muttered, frowning at the visual as her imaginary students faded into nothingness.
Ever since she found out one of the cooks at her high school was a rather grumpy old troll, Victoria had insisted on bringing her own lunch. It seemed college would be no different, except perhaps without the troll cook.
At least I'll probably get to see him then, she thought, casting Alex a quick side glance, hoping he would not mind her tagging along with him to the store.

Alex internally chuckled at her calling him a jerk. Playful name-calling had always, seemingly, been a part of human friendship. One that he had grown to find rather endearing.
He smiled at her before offering her his arm once again, to head to the next destination. 'Unfortunately the cafeteria does get a little crowded. Not my scene.' He said simply. He didn't see the point of eating socially when he wasn't a social person. He had no friends here. A few acquaintances who he could nod to in the hallway, but he never really allowed himself to get close to anyone. He spent a lot of his time studying, reading and quietly contemplating his life. When you had an eternity, boredom didn't seem to be such a problem anymore.
He wondered if Victoria had ever noticed his anti-social tendencies, as he often did. Recently she'd been going through his mind a lot more frequently. Thoughts about her seemed to fill a lot of his waking hours, and even more of his sleeping ones. It was getting ridiculous. But she was the only person he had ever been really close to since before he turned, so it wasn't totally strange.

Victoria linked her arm almost habitually through Alex’s when he offered it.
She smiled at his last comment. “No, I’d imagine not.” She tried to recall the last time she had seen him actually enjoy being in a crowd, but came up empty. Introverts unite, she thought, her smile widening slightly.
Victoria scowled as voices floated down the hall, causing warning bells to sound in her head. Trying to make the action as nonchalant as possible, she looked to the floor, letting her hair fall over her face and aid in obscuring her vision of the others.
Her body inadvertently tensed as three pairs of feet came into her line of sight as they strolled by in single file. Their voices quickly faded behind them as she looked back to Alex.
“What’s next?” she asked, silently hoping it would be the library.

Alex smiled as she linked arms with him. It was a part of their friendship which he quite enjoyed. It was only a small thing, but it showed a closeness that he had not experienced with anyone else. Not even when he was human.
He looked at her and had something between a knowing smile and a quizzical look when she commented on his dislike of crowds.
He noticed her tense up when the other students walk past them, at least one of which raised an eyebrow at Alex when he looked between them, evidently assuming there was something going on. Alex had come to terms with the one track mind of teenage boys a long time ago, but it didn't help with his frustration at them.
The boys quickly left, and Alex was relieved of it. Victoria had relaxed a little as well, and Alex almost laughed at how completely obvious it was, but he didn't, for the sake of Victoria.
'Let's try the library, shall we?' He offered, smiling down at her and beginning to walk in the direction of the library.

“You have to ask?” Victoria’s brows rose as she met his gaze. She had always loved the color of his eyes, and the ‘old soul’ that so often shone through them.
She looked back ahead as the hall opened into bubble-shaped dome. The gloomy sunlight reflected off the glass of a large window on one side, while two chairs sat comfortably in the other, creating a reading nook. An older girl sat in one of the chairs, her legs stretched out to the other. A textbook sat on her lap, and she chewed on the end of a pen.
Victoria quickly looked out the window before she could get a good look at the girl. She gave a quiet, irritable sigh at the situation, a couple stray drops of rain splattering against the window.
The girl looked up at them for a moment, offering Alex and Victoria a quick smile in greeting, then returned to her studies as they passed through the bubble into the other side of the hall.
“So, what’s your school schedule like?” Victoria asked, looking back to him. “Don’t suppose you’re taking any entry level classes this semester, are you?”

Alex smiled, his heightened hearing catching the thud of the droplets of rain splattering against the window. The smell of a storm was on the wind, coming through one of the windows, which had been left open, but was quickly shut by a librarian. The rain slowly began to climb in it's severity until there seemed to be an endless rush of water flowing past the windows.
As they walked into the library, he smiled at Victoria. 'Just one. Psychology.' It was the only one he felt would be useful to him. Psychology was an ever advancing field, and he was more interested in people that he was in physics or natural sciences.