Chapter Three

The first day of classes went on much like they did with high school, Penelope found. She bustled from classroom to classroom, building to building, attempting to make it to her courses on time and without incident. The campus was small, and everything was clustered together by major, so finding the rooms wasn't terribly difficult.

 

Though she had managed to wander into an upper level biology lab, instead of her Intro to  American History class, which made things rather awkward during the Q&A segment, when she blurted out "What does all this have to do with Indians?"

 

By the end of the day, Penelope was completely drained and barely stumbled into her final lesson, English Composition I. She practically fell into the desk, sliding down in the seat, a look of pure exhaustion on her face. Having started her day at 8:00am and racing through four classes, each an hour and a half long, it was 2:24 in the afternoon before she managed to take a break and breathe. Such were the consequences of taking eighteen hours’ worth of courses, and stacking more than half of them into one day.

 

Penelope was about eight minutes early to the class, which meant she had about eight minutes to doze off before the instructor came in and demanded her complete attention. Her calves burned from the six flight of stairs she flew up, and the city block she sprinted to get to the building from the other side of campus. Despite the slow ache in her stomach from not eating, and the severe enervation, her mind and eyes wandered around the room.

 

 Aside from the painfully small chairs, the classroom was just like all the other buildings she went to that day. The walls were void of any color, adornments, or identifying markers of any kind. There was nothing but harsh, white, peeling paint and the occasional dent from where a desk might have been bumped into the wall. The floor was the same dingy black and white tile from her dorm, and not the flattened carpet she'd noticed in the rest of the  buildings on campus she visited that day. Scuff marks and stains littered the floor and contrasted the off-white tiles, the design created by them was erratic and distracting.

 

Penelope let out a soft sigh before clenching her eyes shut, trying to force her brain to shut off, if only for a second. The door shot open, creaking and groaning as it slammed into the wall, jerking Penelope from her meditation. She opened her eyes, staring at the door in agitated bewilderment.  In the doorway stood a young woman, tall and thin, with wiry red hair and startling blue eyes. Her face was long and angled with thin lips and a pinched nose, dotted with pale freckles. Despite its strong features, her face looked remarkably young and innocent, untouched by the world’s worries.

 

She wasn't unpleasant to look at, but there was something strange about her eyes that seemed to skip from person to person with nothing but excitement and joy in them. Penelope locked eyes with the girl, which happened to be a huge mistake that would come back to haunt her. The girl smiled a broad, bright, beautiful smile and bounced over to the empty desk beside Penelope, despite there being an abundance of empty chairs throughout the room. Penelope had been the first to arrive in the classroom, followed by about three other students who were of little consequence to her tired mind. The only reason this girl was even on her radar was because of her obnoxious entry. The stranger sat turned in her desk, looking at the side of Penelope's face, smiling. It felt like a hole was being bore into the side of her head, so Penelope finally looked at the strange girl.

 

"Hi there!" the strange one said, "My name is Emmaline."

 

"Hi," Penelope said,

 

"I'm a freshman, totally new here, I'm a little nervous about this. I've never been in a classroom before. At least, not like this one. I was home schooled, right down the street from here actually." Emmaline's high pitched voice hit Penelope like rapid fire from an assault rifle.

 

"Really?"

 

"Yep," Emmaline replied, "My mom made me come here because it was closer to home than the other college I wanted to go to. She's crazy overprotective of me. I mean, she wouldn't even let me go to the grocery store by myself until three weeks ago. It's crazy. So what about you?"

 

"I've been going to the store by myself for about four years now," Penelope couldn't resist. This girl had invaded her space, her personal bubble.

 

"Whoa, really?" Emmaline's eyes grew wide at the enormity of that slight example of freedom, completely missing the sarcasm that was laden in Penelope's voice. "Your parents weren't worried that you would get stolen away by crazy people?"

 

"What?" Penelope couldn't believe her ears. That girl, Emmaline, had to have been more than sheltered to believe something as absurd as that. She must have been brainwashed.

 

As Penelope opened her mouth to retort, a short, round man waddled into the room, his mustachioed face red and sweaty. His breathy pants echoed through the full classroom. Penelope scanned the filled desks, wondering when so many people had come into the room and how she managed to miss them entering.

 

"Good afternoon, my name is Mr. Bruce," the man barked, his voice was harsh and raspy, as though he gargled gravel every morning. "This is the English Composition I class for Mondays and Wednesdays. If this is not the course you thought it would be, leave now, or forever hold your peace." Emmaline wiggled merrily in her seat, bright blue eyes trained on the teacher, though they occasionally darted in  Penelope's direction. Whereas Penelope remained slumped in her desk, attempting to go unseen though she was sitting directly in the center of the front row, only a few feet from Mr. Bruce.

 

"I expect nothing short of at least 85% of your attention throughout the class period," he said, shuffling through papers in his briefcase, "I understand that there will be some diversions throughout the semester, and certainly there will be some obnoxious circumstances that will prevent us from having one another's complete attention, especially with the ongoing construction on the building. But that being said, there should be no electronic devices present in my class. If I see your phone during my lecture, I will take it. No questions asked. Mid-way through the semester, I will simply ask you to leave and you will receive a 0 on any upcoming quizzes or assignments. This is serious business, people. You're in college now, it's time you all started acting your age."

 

Emmaline's face went pale, which Penelope thought was some kind of magic considering how translucent Emmaline already was. Her gleeful wiggling had ceased and the smile slipped from her face, replaced by a worried grimace. For a moment, Penelope understood the strange girl beside her. She understood how frightening  all of these new experiences really were. All of this, the world, the people, it was completely new to her. She'd entered into the adult world without all of the natural buffers she herself had.

 

There were no cruel high schoolers, or teachers that couldn't care less where Emmaline was from. There weren't any crazy superstitious townspeople that constantly judged her every breath, not in Emmaline's world. And as awful as all of those were, Penelope understood that they prepared her for the real world outside of Ulysses, KA. Emmaline, never had any of that.

 

As Mr. Bruce continued going over the syllabus, Penelope made up her mind to do something she knew she was going to regret.

 

"Are there any questions about the syllabus or about how you can contact me if you have any problems throughout the semester?" Mr. Bruce asked, taking a deep breath as if he'd just sprinted a 100 meters. The class was silent; half of the students seeming completely uninterested in what the bowling ball of a man had to say. "If there are no questions, you all are free to go."

 

The room came to life in an instant. Backpacks and purses were slung over tired shoulders in a new frenzy of energy as if someone electrically charged the room. The sound of desks scraping against the tile and feet trotting towards the classroom door over powered the already muffled voice of Mr. Bruce, who mentioned something about reading chapters one through four in the assigned book before the next class period. Penelope rose, making a mental note about the assignment, though her attention was elsewhere. She glanced over at Emmaline who had been taking furious notes throughout Mr. Bruce's introduction. There were papers and pens scattered all over her table top and she scrambled to get them all collected before the next class entered the room.

 

Instead of fleeing the room, what her instincts were telling her to do, Penelope stood, watching Emmaline scurry around, a pinch of pity for her rose in her throat, along with the familiar sensation to bolt for the door while there was still time. A minute or two passed before Emmaline finally gathered all of her belongings and began her cumbersome gait towards the classroom door.

 

“Wait up,” Penelope said, fighting back her instincts. Emmaline turned, a thin film of sweat lay in her creased brow. All the childish innocence was gone, replaced with strain and worry.

 

“Oh, hey!” She said, fumbling with three large bags, broad smile returning, melting away the doubt. “I never got your name.”

 

“Penelope, you want some help with those?” She reached her hand out to take one of Emmaline’s bags, unaware that each one weighed nearly the same as an unborn calf. Grunting as she received Emmaline’s purse, Penelope instantly regretted her decision to befriend her.

 

“Sorry it’s so heavy,” Emmaline said, noticing Penelope struggle.

 

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. I remember you saying something about being homeschooled, right?”

 

“Yeah, since I was about seven. My mom took me out of school right after I left the first grade. It was really weird. I never told my dad this, but I think my mother is paranoid. Like seriously. You wouldn’t believe the stuff she did to the house. All because she thought someone was after us.”

 

“Uh huh,” Penelope said, struggling with the satchel, “Say, do you live close by, this bag is a little ridiculous.”

 

“Oh! Yes, I live on campus. I was really excited that my parents let me move away. I begged them for five months, just to let me live on campus in a dorm room. I wore them down at the last minute, and barely got my room assignment in Lovell Hall!”

 

Penelope, who managed to finally find a good stride while carrying an extra thirty pounds of bag, stopped suddenly. Images of Emmaline appearing at her door at all hours of the day and night flooded her mind. The constant talking and never ending energy that Emmaline seemed to radiate terrified Penelope. I’ll never get sleep. I’ll never be alone. What have I done?

 

Regret rose like bile in the back of her throat. To have someone constantly close and prying was  the last thing she wanted. It was bad enough that Mina was always there. Yes, Mina was sweet enough and always kind to her, but Penelope still noticed the strained glances her way. It had only been three days since she moved in, and she could already tell that Mina was uncomfortable around her, though she tried not to let Penelope see it. She couldn’t blame her. If a girl claimed that she was nearly run out of town because the people there thought her father was killed by a demon, there would definitely be some red flags raised about her potential sanity.

 

“Do you live there too? That would be so cool if we lived on the same floor. It would be nice not to be so lonely all the time. I’ve got no one to talk to and no one wants to talk to me. They probably think that I’m weird,” Emmaline was quiet and still for a moment, though her face was smiling, her eyes told a different story. “I am weird,” she mumbled. Penelope looked away, unsure of how to receive the sudden shift in emotion from the girl dressed in a hot pink sweater in the heat of summer.

 

“You are weird,” Penelope said plainly. Emmaline’s eyes lowered to the ground. “But then again, so am I. So… let’s be weird together.”

 

An instant light reappeared in Emmaline’s eyes as she nodded her head violently, causing her to nearly drop her bags.

 

The two of them continued walking, reaching Lovell Hall in minutes. On the way, Emmaline managed to pry out various small details of Penelope’s life, never digging too deep. For someone who’d never had any friends, she certainly understands boundaries, Penelope thought, relieved. She discovered that Emmaline’s room was seven doors down from hers on the 4^th floor, which was just far enough for her taste.

 

“I’m not super-duper close, but I’m still close enough to visit, right?” Emmaline asked, her eyes were filled with intense hope as she looked pleadingly at Penelope. She reminded her of a spastic puppy begging for a treat.

 

“Yes,” Penelope chuckled, “You’re close enough to visit.”

 

“Awesome!”

 

“Just don’t get too carried away and think you can live with me. I do have a roommate.”

 

“That’s cool! I won’t be a bother, I promise. I got really good at staying out the way when the men were putting the bars on our windows, and installing all the security systems around the house.” Penelope’s eyes grew wide as she watch Emmaline open her room door. The instant image of a padded cell willed with unicorn stickers invaded her mind as she imagined where Emmaline must have come from.

 

“Oh don’t worry. It’s not like they did it to keep me in or anything. I’m not crazy,” Emmaline stated simply, sensing Penelope’s unease. “My mom and dad did it to keep danger out.”

 

“Do you, uh,” Penelope stuttered as she plopped the heavily purse on the ground in front of Emmaline’s door, “Live in a bad part of town?”

 

“Nope. We live right next door to the police station down the street. Dad chose the house right next door because he wanted us to stay nice and safe.” Penelope raised an eyebrow but refrained from making a smart comment, in case Emmaline was a sensitive about her parents as she was.

 

“Well, I’m going to head to my room now. Knock if you need something.” Penelope warily gave Emmaline permission to invade her life, but, sensing no immediate danger from her new acquaintance, decided it couldn’t hurt.

 

“Okay, bye!” Emmaline waved after Penelope until a small noise behind her in the room caught her attention.

 

Back in her own room, Penelope sank onto her bed, letting all tension ease out of her shoulders and back. She assessed the damage done to her body from carrying Emmaline’s bag half way across the campus and up four flights of stairs. Penelope became sickeningly aware of how dumb her decision to stay off of Lovell Hall’s elevators was. Her eyelids becoming heavy, Penelope kicked her beaten up Converse sneakers off and wiggled into a more comfortable position on the bed. Taking a deep breath, she settled into the complete calm and quiet of the room.

 

She hadn’t seen Mina since the night before and assumed her roommate had just as early of a day as she. There was no cause of concern. And no reason for her to still be awake, when she had the perfect opportunity to catch up on some much needed rest after her hectic day. As her eyes drifted close, Mina came bustling into the room, talking on her phone and tripping noisily over her hot pink chair. An exasperated sigh escaped Penelope’s lips before she pushed herself up onto her elbows and watched as her roommate recomposed herself after her near fall.

 

“Yeah, Everett, can we talk about this later? I can’t handle all this right now. I just started classes today, and what you’re asking me to do is way too much for me to deal with right now.” A low voice grumbled on the other end of the phone, vibrating the air and making the hairs on Penelope’s arms stand on end. She vaguely remembered Mina talking to her about a guy she liked named Everett, but the conversation came to a screeching halt when Penelope asked Mina why she hadn’t asked him out yet.

 

“Thanks. See you--” the voice on the other end stopped before Mina had a chance to finish. She looked down at the phone which was blinking, indicating that the call had been ended, “…soon.” She let out a deep sigh, her entire body sagging from the hasty end to the conversation.

 

“You okay?” Penelope asked, noticing the drop in Mina’s voice.

 

“Yes, I’m fine,” Mina muttered, slowly unpacking her book bag and organizing her various papers and books on her desk. “How was your first day?”

 

“It was intense,” Penelope admitted. She let her head fall back and released the tension in her shoulders. “I made a new friend today.”

 

“Oh really?” Mina asked half-heartedly. She was still gazing longingly at the phone, her attention devoted solely to the small electronic device, as if she expected it to vibrate and light up at any minute.

 

“Yeah,” Penelope responded, noting the disinterest in her roommate’s voice, “Yeah, she was an ax murderer. Had three heads. Ate babies for lunch.”

 

“That’s cool,” Mina mumbled.

 

“Hey… do you want to talk about it?”

 

“Talk about what?”

 

“That call? Or whatever has you so…distracted?”

 

“I’m sorry,” Mina said, finally looking at Penelope. She ran her long, slender fingers through her blonde hair, clenching her eyes shut as she shook off the effects of his call. She smiled and opened her eyes, free from the crushing weight of her feelings for him. “Nope. I’m good.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yeah. I’m fine. So you made a new, three-headed friend?” Mina laughed.

 

“Her name’s Emmaline Gray. And she is certifiable, but still a pretty nice person.”

 

“Did you say her last name was Gray?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And she’s from around here?”

 

“She lives right down the street, how did you know?” Concern spread over Mina’s face as she looked at her roommate, a sense of dread rose in her stomach.

 

“I’d be careful around her, if I were you.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“That girl, Emmaline,” Mina said slowly, her eyes were deathly serious, “Her family is bad news.”

 

“What do you mean ‘bad news’?”

 

“Word around town is that they have some demons in their closet.” Penelope stiffened at the word ‘demon’. Thinking back to Emmaline’s smiling, cheerful face, she couldn’t imagine that there could be anything dark in her past. Suddenly Emmaline’s words echoed in her mind: My mom and dad did it to keep danger out.

 

Penelope shivered, trying to get rid of the sudden nausea that crept up the back of her throat. Something wasn’t right about this. She didn’t feel right judging someone so sweet and innocent. It was too much like Ulysses all over again for her to buy into the local legend about some unfortunate girl’s family. Still, something unsettled her about Emmaline’s description home and now Mina’s words added to the suspicion.

 

“Demons. What kind of demons?” Penelope maintained an indifferent exterior, hoping that Mina hadn’t noticed how shaken she was by the strange new information.

 

“I’m not sure. I’ve only heard things from around town, and the people here are just as superstitious as the ones back in your home town.” The lump hardened in Penelope’s throat as Mina’s unblinking eyes narrowed, sternness spreading over her beautiful face.

 

“What do they say Mina?” Penelope asked, a slight quiver in her voice and the image of Emmaline’s boarded up and firmly secured home in the front of her mind. Mina’s face darkened and she shifted her weight against her twin bed, looking Penelope square in the face.

 

“Cursed.”

 

“What?”

 

“People say they are cursed.”