Kristen Day - Forsaken

“Anastasia.”

She gave me an odd look and quickly directed her gaze back down to the paper. “Okay, Anastasia,” She put emphasis on my new first name and scribbled something down on the form.

“Name officially changed. Now let’s go introduce you to your new suitemates!”

Back in the golf cart, we passed several more gray stone buildings and turned onto a cobblestone street lined with little shops on either side. The golf cart’s large beach tires had us bouncing around like a demented carnival ride. By the time the shops ran out and the road changed back to smooth pavement, we were both laughing hysterically.

“Normally we don’t drive down that section,” Kira explained sheepishly, as she wiped a couple of happy tears from her cheek. “But sometimes it’s just fun to do.” Several looming buildings to my right caught my attention.

“Here we are!” I looked up in wonder at a seven story building, resembling a medieval beach resort. The constant roar of the ocean greeted me as we walked up the stone steps of Maren Hall. The strong smell of sea grass filled my nose and the warm nighttime air tickled my skin, as it swirled around me. The gothic feel of the exterior stopped abruptly at the front doors. The extensive lobby was filled with large, overflowing brown leather couches and chairs. Flat screen TV’s hung on several of the walls and an enormous fish tank was set into the wall on my left, exotic-looking fish cruising along its length. Straight ahead, more doors led out to blackness. Kira’s eyes followed mine.

“Maren is one of the two oceanfront halls. The other is Rostrum Hall next door, which is one of the guy’s halls.” This was too good to believe. My new home would be oceanfront? I could count on one hand the number of times I’d been to the beach and now I’d be living on it!

We rode a sleek elevator to the third floor and came to a stop at a normal-looking door labeled 327. Kira knocked three times and I heard a pair of feet running towards us.

The door flew open and a petite girl with chunky layers of red, blonde, and brown hair stood before us. “Hey Kira!” Not waiting on an answer, she turned her attention to me, “And you must be our new roomie! Willow! Carmen! She’s here!” She wrapped me in a bear hug, and then motioned for us to come inside. Two more girls walked into the room.

“Look guys, she’s here!” She was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

“You’ll have to excuse Phoebe. She forgot to take her meds today,” the dark haired girl joked, as she collapsed dramatically onto the couch and took a big gulp of Gatorade.

Phoebe shot her a look and rolled her eyes. “That’s Carmen, she’s just mad cause I beat her at tennis on the Wii today.” Then she whispered loud enough for everyone to still hear, “I’ve got a wicked back hand.” Glancing over at the girl on the couch, she stuck out her tongue.

“I’m Willow,” the third girl gave me a very genuine smile.

“I’m Anastasia; it’s nice to meet you.” I returned her smile. The second I said my name, the other two girls quit arguing and looked at me the same way Kira had earlier. Feeling extremely awkward, I continued, “But you can call me Stasia.”

Willow recovered first. “Welcome to Lorelei, Stasia, we’re really happy you’re here.”

Kira squeezed my shoulder and turned towards the door. “You girls help Stasia get settled in and I’ll stop by tomorrow to see how things are going, okay?” She gave me a wink. After she left, I turned and looked at my new suitemates. They couldn’t have been more different.

Phoebe was no taller than 5’1, and her tri-colored hair matched the rest of her rocker girl style. She was wearing gray skinny jeans, red Converse sneakers, and a vintage AC/DC t-shirt. Her hunter green eyes were on the smaller side, and they crinkled up when she laughed. Her smile was infectious and could brighten an entire room. Willow lived up to her name as she floated into the kitchen in a white strapless sundress with lace trim, bare feet, and unruly, wavy blonde hair braided down her back. Wisps of hair feathered out around her round face, framing her full lips and big blue eyes. Her demeanor was very calming and put you at ease right away. Carmen’s Brazilian descent was evident in her dark features and long legs. Her deep brown eyes shined with confidence and her mouth seemed to be stuck in a permanent smirk. She gave off a distinct aura of attitude. Her dark chestnut hair was piled on top of her head in a loose bun, and she was still lounging on the couch in yoga pants and tank top.

Phoebe’s slender hand slid into mine. “Come on, I’ll show you your room! You get to share a bathroom with me!” She pulled me farther into my new home. The common room was like an apartment, with a small galley kitchen on the right that opened up to the rest of the room via a bar with four wooden stools. A small table sat in the space between the kitchen and living room, but I could tell they never used it by the amount of books and papers piled on top of it. The living room had a comfortable-looking cream-colored couch decorated with fluffy turquoise pillows, a cream and turquoise striped love seat and two recliners, which all encircled a wooden coffee table. A flat screen TV like the ones downstairs hung on the wall and glass French doors that led out to a balcony facing the ocean. There were four bedrooms, two on each side of the common room. Phoebe opened one of the doors and my jaw dropped.

“We did a little decorating,” Phoebe said sheepishly. She launched herself onto the bed in a flurry of giggles, sat Indian style and waited for my reaction. The queen size bed was covered by a white down comforter and at least ten pillows of different sizes and shapes. A long wooden dresser with a mirror stood opposite the bed and an armoire towered in the corner. A big, blue shag carpet rug decorated the floor. Behind the bed, hung three large picture frames with the words Live, Love, and Laugh written in swirling letters. Everything was decorated in light blue, silver, and white. There was a small closet and another door that led into the bathroom I’d be sharing.

“So what do you think?” I could tell the suspense was literally killing her.

“I absolutely love it!” She jumped off the bed and gave me another quick hug. Over her shoulder, I spotted my luggage in the corner, waiting to be unpacked. I couldn’t believe how amazing my new home was. I was expecting a cramped dorm room with maybe a mini fridge. This rocked.

“I picked out the comforter!” Carmen yelled from the other room. I could tell her attitude was really just a cover for the very caring, sweet person she really was on the inside. It made me wonder what happened in her life to cause her to build walls around her heart, too.

“You guys are too much, honestly, this is amazing.” I addressed all of them with gratitude.

Phoebe beamed with pride. I looked at her, slightly perplexed by how very normal she seemed as well.

“Everybody here seems so normal. So…what brought you here?” I hoped the question wasn’t too personal, but she gave me an equally perplexed look and frowned.

“The same thing that brings everybody here, silly,” she replied. Before she could continue she sniffed the air and her green eyes lit up with mischief. I did the same, hoping I remembered my deodorant this morning, but the rich, sweet smell of cake filled my nose, instead.

“Hey Carmen, what time is it?” Phoebe shouted into the other room. I could hear the delightful anticipation in her tone.

“Smells like….cupcake thirty!” Carmen called back to her. Willow snickered from the kitchen.

“Cupcake thirty?” I questioned Phoebe, but she just licked her lips and dragged me up to the bar.