As Fate Would Have It

1

I shut the door to my dorm room, locking it behind me. Winter break started two days before, but I wasn't in the mood to be home at the moment. I looked at my name written on the snowman pasted to my door, "Helen" was written in sloppy handwriting. I took it down and stuffed it into my pocket. I sighed, dragging my suitcase down the long, empty hallway. Most kids had already left. Really, only the kids that couldn't get home right away or had to wait for their flights stayed behind for so long. It was eery. My footsteps seemed to echo. The familiar sounds of laughter, yelling, basketballs, and loud music were absent. If only it was like this all the time, dorm living might be a little more tolerable. But, it was convenient.

As I started down the tight stairway, my suitcase 'clunking' behind me, I considered the next few weeks ahead of me. Christmas was a week and a half away. Winter solstice was even sooner. My fae neighbors had been chattering on and on about the festivities they'd be participating in at the courts in Avisere. Avisere was the "other" part of our city. It wasn't a place that you could get to by car, train, or plane. You needed a faefolk to take you. Well, or you had to have your own enchantment to get there. I had gone several times on school trips when I was younger, and it was a beautiful place. But, as an adult, I dared not go alone. Despite their sweet, ethereal beauty and looks, the fae were not as kind as they appeared, so I stayed my distance. Us human children were always warned about the dangers of Avisere - the stories of lost children and horrible tricks that were played upon my kind were something I remembered vividly.

I reached my car, hardly realizing that I had reached outside as I was caught up in my thoughts. I would be woeful to leave my prime parking spot. Right outside the dorm-hall with plenty of room to backup. I hadn't driven in weeks in an attempt to keep it. I opened the back drivers-side door of my silver Nissan Rogue and tossed in my over-packed luggage. Maybe I should have used a larger bag than my carry-on.... Slamming the door shut, I hopped into the drivers seat and started the car. Buckling my seatbelt, I pulled out of the housing parking lot and headed to the main road.

My college was not large - we had about five thousand students. I liked how small it was. Everything felt personal and tight knit. I could ask professors for help if I needed it, and they were always able to assist. I didn't think I could survive in a larger school again. My high school was large and I struggled. So, as soon as I got out of there, I picked the smallest school that I could find. And that was how I settled on Cypress College. It was about an hour from home, so, I was able to visit my family frequently if I wanted to. Which, I didn't. That was why I had taken the two extra days of solitude to myself. My roommate left early the first day of break, and I was left with my thoughts and Netflix for almost 48 straight hours. It was glorious. I soaked it up as much as I could.

I loved my roommate, Shay, but... she could be a lot to handle. Her constant night-owl tendencies, her random (and, slightly unnerving) outbursts of laughter, combined with her strange music playing at all hours of the day, it was a wonder she was able to accomplish anything, let alone sleep. So, have two whole days without her was a welcomed experience.

Shay and I had met in an English literature class at the end of the previous year. My roommate was moving in with her boyfriend off campus, and she wanted a better room. I overheard her talking about it, offered for her to come and look at my suite, and by that same afternoon, we were signed up as roommates. I didn't really know anything about her before then, other than the fact that we were the same major and she loved K-pop. That was enough for me. I firmly believed that it was for the best to not live with someone you consider to be your best friend. I learned that the hard way my third year of college with Renee. It's been nearly a year and we still haven't spoken to each other.

I whirled down the nearly empty street. Most people were out of town and visiting family. What is usually filled with student vehicles from block to block was now completely desolate. The town my school as in, Madison, was not a college town. It was merely a town that happened to have a college in it. Otherwise, there was nothing really unique about it. We didn't have any big-box stores or any chains (aside from a few fast-food places), most things were made in the community and community run. It was nice to see, but left options very limited. If I needed anything important, I usually had to drive to the next biggest town about 30 minutes away.