Platypus

Chapter Three

Fenton was one of the last people to leave class. He had the luxury of having an hour between classes, which was supposed to be his lunch hour. However, it was also when thousands of freshmen were also having lunch.

He had counted on his knowledge of the city to carry himself through. Fenton could take the tram to a stop away, grab some food at someplace that wasn't busting at capacity, then be back on time. But now, he didn't feel hungry. Any thought of food that crossed his mind was replaced by his stomach twisting in knots.

His hands were shaking. Fenton struggled to type a text to Albert on his phone. "Call me."

Albert wouldn't respond for a few hours. He liked to take his classes back to back, skipping lunch completely in favor of having a larger dinner. That would give Fenton enough time to finish up his last class of the day but he desperately wanted someone to talk to now.

Rafi wouldn't be a good choice. He was too confrontational. Fenton could vividly see Rafi now, charging into Caspian's office, ready for a long screaming match.

That wouldn't do. Fenton shook his head. None of those stressful thoughts. There was a reason why Caspian was right for him. He felt apprehensive about meeting "the one," so it was likely that Caspian felt the exact same way.

Fenton started to do a bit of stalking online. Caspian would appear on social media. Anyone who had lived in the outer world would have an account, but outside websites were banned within marked cities. They would know if Fenton tried to search for one.

All he could find was that Caspian had a year old account on True, which was a marked city social account, and his professor's profile on the school's website. There was an email address, but the thought of contacting it now made Fenton feel queasy again. He put his energy into finding out everything he could without actually talking to the man.

Caspian Song. Age twenty-four. Master's degree in design engineering from Harvard. Last year, he came to Blue Ginger and studied education for a year before becoming a professor. Most of what was on his True account was where his study group was planning on meeting.

There weren't any listed interests, but he was tagged in pictures by other people. As part of a group going to an old-fashioned arcade, or at a poetry bar. Wait, they had poetry bars in Blue Ginger? Fenton's nose crinkled at the thought.

This was the first day of classes. Caspian had a lot on his mind. Fenton nodded to himself. Give him some space. He'll find a way to contact his professor later without causing a scene.

All Fenton needed was time. That's something he had plenty of but time did nothing to calm his nerves. He was in a daze as he attended his next two classes. Any attempts to stifle his nerves was met by the urge to vomit.

He wobbled out of his last class and collapsed on a bench. His phone began to buzz in his pocket. Shaking, he pulled it out and put it up to his ear.

"... Hi," he whispered.

"You alright, Fen?" It was Albert on the other end.

"... Not really, no." Fenton kept his voice low. The freshmen were still out in massive crowds. He curled his legs up on the bench and hunched over slightly.

"What happened? Do you need me to come to you?" Albert asked.

"My mark activated," replied Fenton in a hoarse voice. "I-I don't know what to do."

Albert paused. "Okay," he finally said. "Where are you? I'll take a trolley there."

"I'm still at-"

Fenton's voice got caught in his throat. His mark was burning. That meant that Caspian was close. Didn't it? It was burning just as much as it had when it first awakened.