University Of Shadows - Book I

I. When The Shadows Attacked

     The university grounds alone had enough activity to get any eager ghost hunters hot and bothered. In theory. Taya may have believed in the supernatural but never having seen a ghost, on campus or anywhere else, she'd kept a healthy sense of skepticism. She'd known people who made claims to have seen them. Recently it seemed the campuses local ghosts were acting out more than usual, eager for attention. Attention for what and why no one knew. Perhaps it had something to do with the growing darkness, a giant shadow that had loomed over the campus since the semester began, a sign that something was wrong.

     Looking back on it, if she had tried to pay a little more attention to what was happening, it might have saved all of them some trouble.

     It was growing late and Taya was getting nowhere with her school work. "Henry let's just go. I'd rather just finish my work at home."

     Henry, deep in concentration, took a deep breath and exhaled. "OK. Just let me finish these last few paragraphs."

     "Fine."

     Leaning back into her chair she felt disappointment. Out of all of her classes, she'd been most looking forward to starting her new school year studying at the Astronomy Lab. Heatherton University boasted numerous majors in different branches and more than half the campus had a different building dedicated solely to said major. For Taya, this one was her favorite. With a generous donation made by long-time benefactors, the Riordan family (hence its official title being the Riordan Astronomy Lab) provided a well-furnished, two-story building. It carried an 18.5" refracting telescope and the best part, to Taya at least, was what the student body affectionately referred to as the Trek Lab.

     The observational astronomy lab was based on the old Star Trek command center, right down to the color scheme and chairs. Students, teachers, and visitors could tour around the observatory and looking through a double-sided window where the students worked. What was doubly impressive was that it had access to the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, to study gravitational waves.

     Except things weren't going as Taya had imagined. From the moment she stepped foot into the building something seemed wrong. She got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that wouldn't go away. There was a heaviness in the air that made it hard to breathe sometimes. It was always too dark in the hallways and in the classrooms, now especially. Even when all the lights were on, there were shadows everywhere. More than once she had the sensation she was being watched. Taya would swear that she had seen something moving in the darkness, out of the corner of her eye, just out of her peripheral vision. Not that anyone would have believed her.

     Well, certain someone would have, she thought sadly.

     Taya noticed something was moving toward them out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, thinking it was another student, but only Henry and herself were here. She rubbed her tired eyes and leaned forward in her chair when she saw something move past her feet on the floor.

     "What was that?" She asked.

     "Hmm?" Henry hummed in question, too distracted to notice anything.

     "I--nothing."

     She was beginning to wonder if there would be an outbreak of rats next. Swiveling to her left to speak with Henry when she paused. She saw a shadow, like a black blot hovering on the wall across from her. She turned around, no one else was here but them. She turned back to look at it but it had disappeared. Taya turned in her seat to look for it. It wasn't on the walls or on the floor. Where had it gone? Could she have imagined it? No, that was too vivid to not be real, Taya thought.