Chapter 2: The Newcomer

Verena Layton 

Ring ring…ring ring…

"What the heck is wrong with this phone?!" I groan, trying to continue my sweet sleep. 

It has been ringing since the last minute and I'm stiff-necked enough not to get out of my blanket burrito roll and throw it god knows where so that I can continue my sweet slumber. After a few seconds, the annoying ear-piercing sound stops. I sigh in relief. Finally, it's time to continue my sweet dream that is disrupted by the stupid alarm. I’m about to drift into sleep when that damn phone starts to ring again. 

Fucking hell!

I curse with my eyes closed. That's it! I am resolved to throw away the only source of my alarm today! This cannot keep going - either the phone will stay in my house or I’ll stay. 

I crawl at a languid and sluggish pace like a sloth with the blanket wrapped around me like a burrito. With my eyes still closed, I aimlessly move my hand to the adjacent table, trying to find the rectangular object. As soon as my hands trace the target object, I pull in it like the tentacles of an octopus dragging the poor sailor into the depths of the ocean from his lifeboat. I open one eye to snooze the alarm. I am so drowsy that I had to swipe thrice to snooze the alarm. 

Peace for five minutes! I exhale. I promise I will sleep only for five minutes more. 

Putting the phone aside, I’m about to close my half-lidded eye when the irritating tune of the phone rings again. 

What the hell! 

I sit up with a jerk. Lifting my phone, I’m about to throw the disturbing element so that it will get destroyed by hitting against the wall when my financial condition and my current situation flashes into my mind. 

Nuts! I’m broke as hell. 

Out of habit, I press the side key. Forcing myself to open my eyes, I gape at the phone screen to check the time. Instead, my eyes fall on the caller id that pops up on the screen. 

Julia Babe?

That's my best friend, Julia Boone. Huh? So since a while ago, Julia has been calling me and I have mistaken it as my alarm. Shit! I’ll get an earful now. It's my fault for using the same music as her call notification and my alarm. Swiping the green icon, I answer the phone, still in a stupor. 

“Hello?” 

“Are you still sleeping, you little sleepy head?”

 A shrill sound from the other side pierces my ear drum, almost making me deaf. I distance my phone from my ear to protect it.

“Why are you shouting?” I groan sluggishly, struggling to keep my eyes open. 

“Have you checked what time it is now? It's 8:30 am and we have class at 9:00 am.” She pauses. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to skip the class!”

“Mn hm…” 

I am about to nod off but my friend’s ear-drum-bursting voice knocks the sleep out of me. 

“VERENA LAYTON!” She screams, making me jump out of my bed.

As a result, the poor phone flew out of hand and landed on the floor. Stretching my hand, I quickly pick it up. To my dismay, the screen of my phone cracked up. Now it appears like the tarantula has spread its gracious legs on my phone screen. 

“Yah! Are you even listening to me?” 

The voice pulls me out of my daze. 

“Don’t shout. You aren’t going to take responsibility if I become deaf.” I yawn, folding my blanket. 

“I’ll see that later. First, stop yawning and go get ready for classes.”

She ends the call. I look at the rectangular object in vexation and toss it on the bed. Taking the clothes within my reach, I dash to the bathroom. Within fifteen minutes, I am ready for my classes. I tog up in sky blue jeggings paired with a white-coloured oversized top and a loose blue denim jacket. A simple white pair of sneakers completes my look. I plan to leave my hair loose but then I remember how bad I’m at managing loose hair. So I end up styling my waist-length hair into a fish braid. A simple butterfly-designed necklace and bracelet enhance my look, making me appear like a not-so-shabby student. 

I check myself for one last time in the mirror. 

Perfect!

My stomach growls like a hungry lion, begging me to give it its fill. I glance at the wall clock, expecting to get some spare time to stuff some food into my mouth. 

Shit! It's ten to nine. There’s no time for breakfast, not even for instant noodles. 

I quickly hang my bag on my shoulders and take my bicycle. Paddling as fast as I can, I ignore all the mouthwatering aromas of the street food stalls. 

Ugh! I really wanna have some of those tasty foods. I groan, glancing at the freshly cooked and baked foods. The steam swirls up from the food and disappears into the air. The shopkeepers enthusiastically welcome the passing customers to have a taste of their otherworldly delicacies. Some of the office workers even compromise their entry time to satiate their growling stomachs. 

But I’m not born under a lucky star. So, I have to keep my eyes on the road and drive to the university. 

As soon as I reach the university, I quickly park the cycle at the stand. It's already 9:05 am. Rushing to the lift, I press the down button. I don’t wanna drag my long legs all over the stairs to the fourth floor. It will take forever to reach my classroom. At that moment, I really had the urge to squash our boys’ class representative’s face for arranging a class on the fourth floor. 

I mean, weren’t there any other classrooms available? I click my tongue, hitting the down button thrice. 

Why isn’t the lift coming down from the second floor? 

The indicator still shows it's stuck in that damn floor. I brutally hit the button another two times when a junior told me that both of the lifts aren’t working. 

“Argh! It's darn irritating!” 

I climb the stairs, skipping a step, as fast as I can. By the time I reach the desired floor, I am gasping for air. Crouching, I inhale as much air as possible to meet the oxygen demand of my body. I don’t wanna die young. I still haven’t found my Mr Vampire.

 As I am focused on breathing, I suddenly notice a pair of Chelsea boots appear in front of me out of nowhere. Who is this jackass now? 

I raise my head, as uninterested as an engineering student in a surgery class. My eyes widen as soon as I recognise the person. 

It's Julia Boone, my best friend!

“Welcome, sleepy head,” she greets in her usual way with a faint smile on her face. “Why are you sitting like that? Gonna take a crap?”

“Can’t you say something decent?” I roll my eyes. Taking her hand, I stand up. 

“Here.” She shoves a paper bag against me. 

“What's it?” I exclaim, holding the bag immediately to prevent it from falling. 

Julia wiggles her arched eyebrows, signaling me to take a look myself. I snort, gazing at her before opening the bag. My jaws slack and my eyebrows almost disappear into my hairline as soon as I see the item in the bag. It's my favourite burrito! I was dying to have it when its mouth-watering aroma assaulted my nose on my way. 

“Oh my god, Julie!” I squeak. “How did you know that I am craving a burrito?” 

I cannot wait a single second without shoving it into my mouth. I moan out of satisfaction as the heavenly taste of the burrito revived my taste buds. It has been a while since I had a bean and cheese burrito. 

“I’m your best friend, ain’t I?” Julie chuckles, tucking her naughty locks behind her ear. “I know everything.”

“Aw…I would have married you if you were a man.” I give her elbow a nudge. “It's such a pity that you are a girl.”

“God did a favour to me by making me a girl,” Julia jokes. 

“Tsk…you are mean,” I scowl, acting like I’m hurt. I stuff the last piece of the burrito into my mouth. 

Both of us head back to the classroom. I thank my lucky stars that the professor is late today. 

After around fifteen minutes, the heavy footsteps of the professor echoed in the room. And the next second, I find myself standing along with my other classmates. 

“This old man…” Julia groans. 

“Tsk…Julia, lower your voice,” I hit her lightly. “The professor has the ears of a fox. Just put up with the medicine class. Attendance is important, you know.”

“Good morning students. We have a transfer student,” the professor announces. 

The next moment, the murmuring noise floods in the room. I can feel the excitement of some classmates while the wavering gaze of others. Because no one generally changes universities in the third year of our course, bachelor of occupational therapy. 

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about the newcomer. I feel like a cat on a fence - a small part of me is curious about him who has the guts to change university during vital years of the course, while the major part is as uninterested as Julia is about the newcomer. 

Soon a handsome guy walks in, making everyone go nuts. He is roughly around 6 feet tall. He is dressed in an oversized jet-black shirt with his sleeves rolled up just below his elbows and a pair of black jeans, giving off a mysterious aura. A black belt hugs his perfect waist, making him look polished. His ebony-coloured neck-length hair is swept back with a side fringe. A few locks fall on his forehead, causing him to look kinda sexy. He is standing with his hands in his pocket. 

Geez…He is giving off ‘don’t you dare to approach me’ vibes. 

An earphone is plugged into his left ear while the other one is dangling hopelessly. A pair of black Chelsea boots gives him the perfect appearance of the handsome hunk whose single gaze is enough to make girls, and even some dudes go crazy. He has porcelain skin and red lips like that of a vampire. In contrast to his attractive appearance, his sapphire eyes seem to have zero interest in joining the new institute. He has a pair of deadly cold eyes. 

That's odd. I have seen a lot of guys who are as attractive as vampires and even look close to them because of their appearance. But it's the first time I’m seeing someone who looks 99.9% like a vampire. 

Well…I’m someone who is deeply into vampires. Julia blames it on the web series and movies about vampires but I say it's because of my strange taste and fetishes. 

I quickly glance around the room only to realize that the girls have already started to fangirl over the newcomer. Well…I don’t wanna admit it but I guess I’m too swayed by his gorgeous appearance. He has got everything that will make a girl go barking mad. But for me, he got the perfect vampire appearance. And that perfect long hair…it's one of my greatest weaknesses. 

“He is your new classmate,” the professor introduces. He glances at the newcomer. “Please introduce yourself.” 

“Hello, I’m Lorcan Judson,” the newcomer says with his voice devoid of any enthusiasm. “I hope we can get along.” 

The moment he finishes his intro, the room fills with the squealing sounds of girls. 

“Oh my god! That's such a manly name.”

“His voice…it's deeper than the pacific ocean!”

“Aww…he is so handsome! He looks like my dream prince.”

“Aish…these girls,” Julia rolls her eyes, looking as uninterested as ever. 

“Silence, everyone!” The professor yells, loud enough to make everyone go silent. “Please take your seat, Mr Judson.”

“Thank you,” Lorcan voices out like a robot before walking to the last seat. 

Putting his black bag on the desk, he takes his seat. Plugging the dangling earphone, he buries his face in his arms. 

Heh!? Is he planning to doze off in the medicine class? IN THE MEDICINE CLASS! Has he lost his mind or what? That's one of the toughest subjects of the third year. What a weirdo!

I keep taking glances at him, curious if he really nodded off. Abruptly, I notice that he is tapping his foot, probably according to the beat of the song he is listening to. 

Oh? He didn’t sleep.

The girls in the adjacent seats keep sending him letters through sticky notes and small pieces of paper. In short, they are pestering him. But, it doesn’t seem to disturb him. He kept his face buried in his arms, occasionally turning his face from left to right and vice versa to avoid straining his neck muscles. He simply doesn’t care. It seems that even an earthquake won’t bother him. 

“Excuse me, Professor!” Lorcan stands out of nowhere, grabbing the attention of every soul present there. “I need to go out.” 

Before the professor can give permission, he storms out. The poor professor looks at the empty door for a second, astounded, before resuming his lecture. 

“What a cold-blooded creature he is!” Julia whispers, nudging my elbow gently. 

“Hm?” I look at her, telling her that I’m all ears. 

“Did you see his attitude?” She says. “That's damn annoying. He could wait for a second for the professor’s permission, couldn’t he? What's with the unnecessary commotion?” 

“I guess he couldn't stand those girls,” I assert in a low voice. 

Obviously, we don’t wanna get caught by the professor. He may not say anything to Lorcan Judson since he is a newbie but he won’t go easy on us if he sees us gossiping instead of listening to his hella boring lecture. 

“You don’t need to defend him.” She notes everything that's written on the board, without taking a glance at me.

“We will talk after the class,” I utter, taking my pen to copy everything which is written in her copy.

After a while, Lorcan appears at the entrance of the classroom. Taking the professor’s permission, he walks in. He seems a bit calmer than before. I think he went out to cool his mind. 

I notice something. Lorcan keeps looking out of the window every now and then. What makes me curious the most is his gaze. His gaze has hints of sadness and longing as if he is missing someone. Though he is composing his expressions very quickly, I cannot help but notice the minute changes when he is looking outside the window.

Is he really that lonely? Is he wearing a facade of being cold just to avoid the girls? 

I’m quite intrigued by his quick change in expressions. I am 100% sure that others didn't notice the changes in his expressions. I do have a special ability, or better say, I have developed this special ability to read expressions very quickly within a blink of an eye. I don't know why, but I feel a sudden urge to talk to him and if possible befriend him. 

God knows how long I have been staring at that guy. Suddenly he turns his face towards me. My breathing hitches as soon as our eyes meet. My heart skips a beat, feeling unprepared. I didn’t expect to make eye contact with him. I am about to avert my gaze, I see him frown. Before I can look away, he has already turned his face to the other side. 

Did he just roll his eyes? I narrow my eyes, intently staring at his side profile. I want him to look at me again so that I can roll my eyes this time. Unfortunately, that special chance didn't come as he keeps staring at the board. I look away, breathing out something like a sigh. Who am I to complain? I am about to do the same. It's just that he did it before me. 

After what felt like forever, the boring lecture ends. The once pin-drop silent class is filled with a rustling sound. Everyone is hastily shoving the books and whatever stationery they took out at the beginning of the class into their bags. I know the next destination for most people present here is the cafeteria. 9:00 AM classes mean students rushing to the empty classrooms with growling stomachs. 

As the folks disperse a bit, I turn to check on the newcomer. But the seat is empty. Huh…did he already leave the class? He was here just a second ago. 

“Whatcha thinking so deeply?” Julie encircles her slender yet strong arm around my shoulder. She follows my gaze. “Don't tell me you are trying to find the newcomer.”

“Who's going to find him?” I lie through my teeth. “I was just checking on him. Don't you think he's strange?”

“Everything about him is strange- starting from the tip of his cowlick to the toes,” She replies. 

I guess she abhors him at first sight. 

“Babes, did you notice that he gives off vampire vibes?” I say, stuffing my pencil box into my bag. “He has unusual pale skin and red lips, and he dresses entirely in black. It reminds me of one thing - the vampires.” 

“This happens when you are too much into the vampire web series,” she snorts, zipping her bag. “Vampires do not exist.“

“Uh-huh…” I shake my head. “Perhaps you are not paying attention to the news. Nowadays, vampire activities are being noticed.”

“I am sure that it's the work of some people,” she says, hanging her dark purple bag on her shoulder. “They are just making up stories to gain popularity on their channels and to gain public attention.” 

“I can never win against you,” I chuckle. “Let's go to the cafeteria. I wanna have some fruit juice.”

“Yeah, let's go. I wanna munch on some snacks.” 

After reaching the cafeteria, I realized one thing - we definitely came at the wrong time. It's bustling with students, waiting in line to get their food. I glance at my best friend with a such a wrong timing gaze. She looks at me and shrugs her shoulders. 

“We have no other option, Rena. Amara told us to wait here,“ Julia voices out. 

Julia calls me Rena instead of Verena. It's like a nickname. But in reality, she is too lazy to pronounce my full name. Whatever the truth is, I like this nickname. None other than her calls me like that. 

“Yeah,” I nod, disinterested. 

Amara, Julia and I are the iconic group of three friends. Amara took the course Bachelor of Physiotherapy. So her classes take place in an adjacent building. The cafeteria is our meeting point. After our classes, we meet here and then we plan for the rest of the day. 

For now, I really wanna have a seat. I look here and there, trying to find a seat. Unexpectedly, I notice a familiar face; Lorcan Judson is sitting in the corner seat with another guy in black attire. 

Huh? Did he make friends this soon?