Chatoyant College, Book 1: New Student Orientation

Chapter 26: Clover & Salt

In the darkness, the campus was shadowy and strange. Though the sky was still reasonably light, the wall and the trees seemed to cast long shadows. It made Corrie want to be quiet, and apparently that applied to Edie and Dawn as well, since none of them spoke. The paths were lit, but the lamps weren't quite close enough together that the pools of light touched. They didn't seem to illuminate much beside the path itself, either; only small patches of grass were visible on either side. As the three made their way along the path, though, Corrie noticed something she hadn't before: much of the grass was actually large patches of clover, growing wild and rampant. As she half-consciously scanned them for four-leaf clovers, something seemed to nudge at her memory again, but when she mentally reached for it, it slipped away.

When they reached the last pool of light, the one coming from a light set over the door of Gilkey--Corrie was glad it was one of the closest dorms to the front gate--Dawn finally spoke. "Do either of you think this college is... stranger than it seems at first appearance?"

"Yes," Corrie readily agreed.

Edie pursed her lips and shook her head at them while Corrie swiped her card to open the door. "I don't see how it could possibly be any stranger than a college full of people who actually seem to believe in magic. Since you two seem okay with that, nothing should be weird to you."

"But it is anyway. That's the strangest thing. Like... Ever. She doesn't strike you as very unusual?"

Edie shook her head, but Dawn nodded rapidly. "She pushed me away from Lorelei this afternoon. It was like she didn't want me talking to her."

"And she says she's allergic to salt," Corrie mused. "Oh!" She stopped in her tracks on the stairs as a thought finally occurred to her. "I just remembered what that reminds me of. The story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves! The head thief wouldn't eat salt with Ali Baba, because that was a sign of friendship."

"You're right," said Edie doubtfully. "I remember that, too. But we weren't asking her to eat salt with us. And I'm sure there's a such thing as a salt allergy."

"Oh, I'm sure there is," said Corrie quickly, not wanting Edie to think she was criticizing Ever for a legitimate disability. "It just reminded me of it, that's all." They resumed climbing the stairs.

"And remember what happened to Annie last night?" Dawn asked.

Corrie glanced back at her. "Who's Annie?"

It was Dawn's turn to stop in her tracks. Edie nearly bumped into her. "Surely you remember."

Corrie searched her memory, but came up blank. She'd known an Annie Dawkins in elementary school, but that was probably not who Dawn was talking about. She shrugged. Edie looked equally blank. "I don't remember any Annie," she said.

"There was a scream. Last night," said Dawn. "We tried to figure out what happened. Lorelei came to see. It turned out that a girl, Annie, was missing."

Corrie looked at Edie. She knew the incomprehension she saw in her roommate's eyes was mirrored in her own. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dawn. Are you sure it wasn't a dream or something? All I remember doing last night is talking for a long time, then going to bed."

Dawn shook her head. "Maybe I did dream it," she mumbled. Corrie could tell she wasn't entirely convinced, but let it go. Probably in another day she would have forgotten it.

Dawn stopped them partway down the hallway to knock at a door. They waited, but there was no answer. "Who lives in there?" asked Edie. Corrie had been wondering too, but had thought she'd humor Dawn. Maybe she knew someone Edie and Corrie hadn't really met yet.

She gave a long sigh and slumped her shoulders. "Annie does. Or did."