The Locket

Chapter Twenty-Two

I still can't believe that I am at college. It's so surreal that I'm here right now. Aiden and I are on our way to the Student Affairs office to begin the orientation festivities. I'm excited, yet I'm terrified at the same time. I don't know what this year will bring but I'm curious to see how it will turn out.

The Student Affairs building is probably the beautiful building I have ever seen. It has large white pillars that extend the entire three stories of the building with cascading stairs that lead to the lawn below.

"Are you excited for tonight?" Aiden asks me as we walk up to the food area.

"I am. A little nervous but excited. Are you?" There are so many food choices to choose from, I don't know where to start.

"Yeah, I am really excited. This year is going to be a really good year, I can feel it," Aiden says. I watch as he piles pasta onto his plate. I like how he is so positive about everything.

"How's your roommate? Is he nice?" I ask.

"Yeah, so far I like him. I've only known him for a few hours so I can't really judge anything yet," he says.

As we get to the end of the table, Aiden scans the crowd for a place to sit. The lawn is littered with students. Aiden must have spotted a place because he motions for me to follow him. I follow him, weaving in and out of students as we walk to where ever he is leading me to.

"The looks like a good place to eat, don't you agree?" He sits down on the ground below a giant oak tree. It must have been here for hundreds for years.

"Yeah, this looks like a nice place," I say. We don't say much as we both basically inhale our food. Moving in today must have exhausted us both, especially Aiden, since he did it twice.

We sit in silence as we finish our food. As we're sitting there I look to my left and see something in the shadows of the building. It's just standing there and I can feel it watching me. Goosebumps arise on my skin as a shiver courses through my body. Whatever this thing is, it is becoming bolder. It used to only appear when I was alone or just with one other person, but there are hundreds of students here. I can't help but feel that this is some sort of warning, like it's telling me that soon, whatever is going to happen, will happen.

"Are you going to bonfire tonight?" Aiden asks me. His words pull me out of my foggy thoughts.

"Yeah I am. You're going right?" I ask. It's probably not a good idea though. The bonfire might be the place where this thing will finally get me.

"Yeah. I figured we could just probably go there from here. I think my roommate is going to meet us there," Aiden says.

"Cool, I look forward to meeting him," I say. I look over to the shadows and to my relief, it's no longer there; but it leaves behind a feeling of dread.

The students are starting to thin out. From what I can hear, they are all starting to head to the bonfire, which is held towards the perimeter of the campus by the school's lake. The lake is home to the school's rowing team and when they're not practicing, it is like a private beach for everyone else. It's smart to hold the bonfire there; if there's an issue, the vast water supply will be of good use.

"It looks like everyone is heading to the bonfire. Are you ready to head over?" Aiden asks.

"Yeah, let's go," I say. We both get up and toss our trash in one of the nearby trashcans. We follow the herd of students towards the lake. I'm hoping that I'm blending in enough so that whatever is following me, can't see me; at least for the moment.