The University of Diversity

So this was Iowa, it was certainly warmer than what London was used to and that made it a lot harder to wear her hoodie and be comfortable doing so. However, she’d be very uncomfortable not wearing it. Her hopes were high for this year, she could tell there were going to be changes, the menacing gloom that seemed to stalk after her told her that much. Of course, this ominous shroud didn’t necessarily doom her to a terrible year, no she was doing that to herself by hiding from the crowds and being completely and utterly unable to say hello to a single soul. It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried, she had. Simply put, she had tried and failed, quite miserably. By this point she was sitting behind a bush pondering what had gone wrong even after all the practice in the mirror.

Trying to initiate a conversation she discovered early on was a mission condemned to failure, however, her hopes were that if someone else said hello she could at least return the favor. However, when this opportunity arose, the people saying hello were not only strangers to her but also chose to do so in a group and she ended up having a panic attack that sent her into hiding. Now clutching her chest as she tried to remind herself to breathe properly she criticized her actions, what is wrong with you!? Lightly she smacked her cheek, they were being nice; they weren’t criticizing me! That could have gone so well but I ruined it! This is hopeless.

A spark of determination brought her to her feet as she reminded herself again of what she had to do, stop that! Pity never got anyone anywhere! I can’t change if I don’t think I can change! Which probably means I’ll never change, but yes I can. The revolution of her mind came in quick and sudden bursts as she clenched her fist before her, turned towards the school again, and faced the throng of people. In the end her scarlet face led her towards the deserted part of the school where she found herself better able to calm down, or at least that’s what she thought for the moment.

“Pleasure meeting you here!” London nearly mentally died right then and there as an older man with round glasses took her hand and shook it so fiercely she was forced to meet his gaze. The result? Her entire body took to trembling and her already scarlet face turned green from nausea. “I take it you’re here for the sponsorship program! Splendid right this way no need to be shy! Follow me now.” Somehow she couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine as his final statement trended more towards a threat than a request.

Just what this sponsorship program was, London had no idea, she’d only just arrived at the school half an hour ago and she hadn’t even found her dorm building yet, or her bags for that matter seeing as they were lost on the flight from Washington to Iowa. “W-wait, sponsor, I do-” she begun.

“I’m so glad to see you are just so willing. Right this way, so many papers to sign so little time.” The man walked unusually fast and all but carried London into a building and office that didn’t inspire much confidence in a euphoric ending to this adventure. The man then proceeded to shove London into a folding chair with such force she nearly fell backwards. Confused and beginning to feel light headed the blonde tried to piece together in her head what exactly she was so willing to do. For the life of her she couldn’t remember agreeing to anything and yet this man seemed convinced she had.

“B-but I did-” Again her thought was interrupted this time by a pile of papers being shoved into her lap.

“GREAT! Here’s a pen, just sign there,” he pointed at a line on the bottom of the page, “and you can be on your merry way. Or you could just sit here with me for as long as it takes for you to understand. We could have a nice long conversation about it or I can just fill you in while you sign and you can be gone in two seconds it’s up to you.” This man had completely lost London’s attention the moment he asked her to sign the document. Not because she wanted to leave as soon as possible (though she certainly did) but rather because of the mere fact he wanted to watch her fill out a document. Deeper confusion set in as she wondered where she had been taken and who he was and why she was here. What did I do wrong to end up here? I don’t remember what I did wrong! I must have done something. Who is he again?

“I’m the Sponsorship Club Director,” the man started to speak. London looked up at the guy, this would be the final straw because the moment she made eye contact with him for the second time her mind went blank. No longer did she register who he was or she was, or where she was, or what she was doing. The man was talking but she couldn’t hear any of his words over the sound of the pounding of her heart. Nor could she hear the sound of scratching as her clammy, cold, trembling hands, scribbled her name on the paper, London Dawn Merlo.

She had no idea what she had written or if she had even written anything at all. By this point, the chances that she had actually penned her name on the line was astronomical seeing as she was a mere shell of her former self. However, chance and the aligning of the stars would have it that the line was marked and the deed done. Even if London didn’t know it herself.

The form was removed from the still soulless girl and the four-eyed man smiled before tucking it away in a mass of papers. “Pleasure doing business with you Ms. Merlo.” He stood and brushed himself off before helping London to her feet and guiding her out the doors of the workplace and building. “Let me take you to your dorm room, you seem a little flustered at the moment and I worry you may be unable to find it on your own.”

The walk was rather slow paced as the man was currently guiding a weak jointed stringed puppet along a poorly kept path. At the end of this path was a shoddy building that looked like it would collapse if you simply opened the front door. He led her inside and then guided her up a flight of stairs and down a hall. He stopped in front of a forlorn oaken door and took out a key. He unlocked and opened the portal before handing the key to London.

By this time London had started to regain her mental functions, and actually analyze her surroundings. What kind of dorm is this? It’s an accidental death waiting to happen. The man patted her shoulders, “well then make yourself at home. If you need me you know where to find me.”

That most certainly was not the case for London, still trembling she went to reach out for the man that was starting to leave, “a-a…”. Her throat was so dry her voice actually got stuck inside it, but that was nothing compared to how dry her mouth was. Before the man’s feet (seeing as that was all she could see from beneath her bangs and hood) disappeared completely however he turned back around.

“Just in case you didn’t hear me before, you’re to look after the witch vampires; if you need any specific information on how to do this, I have some files in my office or you could always just ask them. Well then, bye.” Then he literally picked his feet up in a mad dash to get away from her. London stood there; the nausea and dizziness made her feel like she was about to keel over then and there. However, even they weren’t enough to stop her next thought, what is he talking about?She turned towards her dorm room. It was dark inside and covered in cobwebs. There was wallpaper that was tearing away from the wall, and a broken light bulb on the ceiling as well as a single dirty window with chipped paint acted as her only light sources. This isn’t a room! This is a cave of shattered dreams and confusion!

Well, an hour in to her first day and already London had shot herself in the face, metaphorically speaking of course. At least, she was pleasantly unaware of what she had done to deserve this. All in all, it is time to test the age-old proverb, “ignorance is bliss.”