Page 10 of Facade

Just beyond that was the Student Center with the cafeteria, campus store, and a small infirmary. She found the Humanities building where she would be teaching her classes.

The dorms were at the back of the campus. They were each five stories tall with brick exteriors and windows with white trim. Although more functional than architecturally riveting, they were still stately.

Ornamental trees, shrubs, and cobbled walkways accented the front of the buildings. The drive curved around behind the dorms, each having a modest parking lot.

A heavily wooded area lay behind the shifter dormitory, which was on the far right, giving students access to nature in their animal forms. To the left of shifter housing was the elemental dormitory with a large pond in the meadow next to the woods. The powered dorm was on the far left, with casters being housed between the elementals and powered students.

The greenspace beyond the powered and caster dorms reminded Clarke of a city park. There were walking paths, benches, trees, and a few fountains. It was peaceful.

Clarke parked, and unlocked the backdoor of the dorm. She got her groceries out first, since it was a sweltering day. Having been closed for the summer, it was nearly as hot inside as it was outside.

The common area was huge, with groupings of couches and chairs as well as tables for eating or studying. Next to the double doors was an elevator on the left. Identical, heavily-carved wood doors were directly across the room at the front entrance.

A massive fireplace with a stone hearth was to her right. At the far end of the left side of the building was a staircase, storage room, and her office. The other door had to lead to her living quarters.

She set her grocery bags on the floor to unlock the door, and stepped inside. Already sweating with her hair sticking to her scalp, Clarke flipped on the closest light switch, searched for the thermostat, and turned on the air conditioning before looking around.

The only windows were on the back wall, and the blinds were drawn. There were plenty of overhead lights, though, to keep it from being gloomy. An open-concept layout gave an aura of spaciousness, and would allow sunlight into most of the apartment.

The kitchen, which was larger than she’d expected, and a small dining area, were to the right. Clarke put her perishables in the refrigerator. To her joy, she found a utility closet with a washer and dryer past the kitchen. Not needing to share public units with the students would make her life much easier.

On the other side of the front door was the living area with a desk in one corner flanked by tall bookcases. The bedroom took up one end of the apartment, with the bathroom accessible to both the bedroom and living room. It was a larger unit than she had anticipated.

The furnishings were simple but comfortable. Clarke had everything she would need, and wouldn’t feel cramped. She was pleased.

Clarke animated the free-standing coat rack by the door, and sent it to the rear exit. She only had two bags with shoulder straps, but that would free up room on the cart. Even with the luggage cart and coat rack, it took three trips to get all her things inside. Clarke was dripping sweat by the time she was finished.

She decided to shower and change before having a light lunch. No doubt, she would end up sweating again on the walk to the physical training center, but she felt too disgusting not to clean up. Driving the short distance would probably seem strange.

After unpacking her clothes and toiletries, Clarke explored the dorm from the basement to the highest floor. It was doubtful the clue would be here with no one in residence, but it would be stupid not to check. On the other side of the common room was a communal kitchen, dining area, student laundry, and another staircase. The basement was mechanicals and storage with nothing noteworthy.

The student rooms were as clean and empty as the rest. Clarke went back to her apartment, wondering how easy it would be to escape Mr. Smith and search the offices. Hopefully, he would leave her to her own devices after the tour.

There was a faculty meeting on Tuesday at noon, and students would be arriving on Wednesday. Clarke wanted to go through the administration building tonight, before more staff arrived.

Wearing summer clothes had Clarke feeling exposed. But she resolved not to worry about her disguise holding up since the guards at the entrance bought it. She also had to get used to the fake penis and balls, which felt weird.

Sofia had found a soft, waterproof fabric that would be easy to wash, using pillow stuffing to add dimension and density. Everyone voted that she looked more normal with the addition in her pants. Clarke felt ridiculous, but if that’s what it took to round out her disguise, so be it.

Giving herself plenty of time to get to the physical training center, she set off on foot. Having to wear layers in the heat was not pleasant. Fortunately, her destination wasn’t very far away, and there were a few trees offering shade along the route.

Clarke opened the double glass doors, and stepped inside the cool building. This was a side entrance, opening to a large expanse where Clarke guessed students gathered for drills and exercises.

A man Clarke presumed to be J. Smith stood in the center of the room. He was about her height, wearing a tank top, athletic shorts, and running shoes. Black hair with streaks of brown and tan was cropped close to his skull.

He had broad shoulders, legs like tree trunks, and was stacked with muscles. If Clarke had to describe him with one word, it would be solid. The man looked like he could withstand hurricane-force gales.

Clarke was about to make her presence known when he turned in her direction. Something about him seemed familiar. Did she know him? Those thoughts flew out of her mind when the man spoke.

“Holy fuck! How did you do it?”

“Excuse me?”

Clarke was totally thrown off by his unprofessional speech. And what was he talking about? Had he somehow realized instantly that she wasn’t really a man?

“I knew you’d be in disguise, but this blows my mind,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. The male took several steps in her direction before stopping with a concerned look on his face.

Clarke was on the verge of panicking. From his physique, she guessed this man was a shifter. But he shouldn’t be able to smell her gender. She’d never heard of that being possible. And he had to be at least fifty feet away.