Page 11 of Black Hollow: Awakening

Maybe that was why he felt obligated to attend. Since he was such a useless member, he could at least boost the attendance numbers. He wasn’t a fan of books. At first, he’d tried to read the titles the group selected, but he quickly gave up due to a lack of time. He wished it was that noble lack of time—the kind spent on studying, working, or other extracurriculars. In reality, he just preferred doing other things. Even if that other thing was rewatching the same show for the tenth time.

“…is one of the most interesting characters. The depth of her transformation reveals…”

It was getting harder and harder for him to concentrate. The flickering fluorescent light above his head intensified his distraction. His gaze began to wander involuntarily around the room. They weren’t alone. Students looking for books moved between the shelves. A small group had gathered in a corner, probably working together on a project.

Suddenly, his gaze landed on someone who was looking at him. Will instinctively looked away, as one does, but when he glanced back at the petite Asian girl a moment later, she was still staring at him with a strange intensity. She looked familiar. They’d probably had a class together last year, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember her name.

Amidst his growing embarrassment, he decided to smile. It went unreturned. Will cleared his throat quietly. He stopped looking, but he could still feel her eyes on him. And a sense of anxiety that was disproportionate to the situation.

The fluorescent light above his head gave up the ghost with a loud pop. Will flinched instinctively, looking up.

“Will,” Joan said.

“Yes?” he replied, startled.

“What did you think of the book?” she asked. She sometimes tried to draw the less active members into the discussion, which was why Will always did a little prep by reading summaries and reviews.

“It was great,” he answered, too thrown at the moment to manage anything more.

“What’s your take on Jacob? Or did another character resonate with you more?”

“Uhh… I think…”

He trailed off when he noticed the Asian girl walking past them. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, but now he, for a change, couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

“Yes?” Joan prompted, a hint of pity in her voice.

“Everything was cool,” Will said, swallowing nervously. “The characters and… and the whole book.”

Joan just smiled. She didn’t ask him any more questions. Thank God, because Will was still completely thrown for a loop.

He could feel that something was wrong.

October 3 | Thursday

Autumn hadn’t settled in yet. It was sunny and hot outside, probably nicer than it had been in August. Will would have loved to go out in shorts and a thin T-shirt, but considering the circumstances, he opted for dark jeans and a nice short-sleeved button-down.

He peeked into his roommate’s room.

“Danny!” he called out, seeing him still lying in bed. “Wake up.”

Danny rolled onto his side to face him, grumbling, “Yeah… no thanks.”

“Danny, I’m serious! Move your ass, or we won’t make it!”

“I’m not planning on making it.”

“What?”

“Some crappy field trip, seriously?” Dan mumbled, annoyed. “Are we in elementary school or what?”

It wasn’t a field trip, it was a school-organized visit to Kubrick Corp.—the largest private research facility in this part of the country!

“It’s going to be awesome,” Will insisted, not understanding his friend’s lack of enthusiasm. “They probably have some badass machines. And they conduct all sorts of twisted experiments. There’ll definitely be something to see.”

Danny yawned ostentatiously.

“Besides, we have to think about internships, right?” Will reminded him. Over the course of their education, they had to complete a total of twelve months. “Is there a better place than KC? I heard they pay their interns. And pay them well.”