The Blood Order

IV

The bed groaned as I sat up quickly stretching out my back after the horrible night sleep that had come the night before. The springs from the mattress dig into my back throughout the night and leave little markings that join the others all along my back. 

The subtle reminder that I am out of work is the lack of my uniform hanging over the folding chair in the corner of the room. Letting out a groan I fall back onto the bed and almost let out a small yell when one of the springs stabbed my back. Nothing could be better than this.

The alarm clock on my table glares at me as I rush to get ready, so I can catch the public bus to classes. Someone might think that I am crazy if they watched me stare between a grey tee and black tee for twenty minutes, but I just couldn't decide which matched the light blue jeans better. I went with the grey.  

The bus screeched to a stop and I quickly shuffle on moving to the back of the bus where another lady sat and a young man that I hadn't seen before. The old lady is a regular seeming to always lose her car keys, I personally think she just likes the view of the bus as it goes through the mountains or maybe it's the silence, that's comforting as well. I sit down in the straight back blue seat and watch the trees pass by as a blur of green losing my thoughts to the whimsical look of the forest. Just as my mind starts to imagine another imaginary world that's far away from here, the university comes into view and I forced to be reminded that I have obligations and priorities. No matter how much I wish I didn't. 

Before I run to my first class I walk to the on-campus library to print off the paper I finished as a project for one of my chemistry classes about the purpose and overall goal of the basic monosaccharide. It was so boring I can remember beating my head against the computer screen as I worked on it. 

"Oh Sultana!" I hear the screech of my favorite person and turn to see the woman that is trying to fuck me over in every way possible. 

I raise a single eyebrow and turn around in the computer seat in the middle of the old library. I wasn't in the mood for this. She sees the extra makeup on my face and looks concern for a split second before she goes back to the bitchy role that she has taken on. 

"Just wanted to see how you did on the chem paper?" She clicked her tongue and threw her hip to the side her curly blond hair moving beautifully in the movement. She really is beautiful and smart. Too bad she convinces people she is an idiot when we are competing for ranks in the background. Her face is confident as she approaches me, but I know deep down the reason she won't leave me alone is because I know too much about her and she wants to keep me quiet. She doesn't want me to share with everyone that she loves reading biology books and dreams to be a surgeon. She doesn't want anyone to know she has a soft spot for snakes and a fear of rabbits (especially the ones with red eyes) and she really doesn't want anyone to know that she is in love with a woman. 

Her father, no matter how many charities he donates to, hates anyone that has anything to do with the out of ordinary and his daughter being in love with the female robotics team captain would cause for the biggest upturn in her entire life. She shared the secret right before she ditched me, and I still catch her sometime trying to talk to her, she even works on her robots with her. 

I stand up and grab the paper that printed checking my watch as I walk. The girl that seems to hunt me around the campus comes up behind me and taps her foot loud enough the entire library can hear it. 

Finally feeling my voice in my throat, I turn to her and smile brightly, one of the fakest ones I could muster, "Just tell your father Valerian. Ask her out." 

This seemed to take her by surprise, and she sucked in a breath. I look around to see her usual group not anywhere to be seen. Now that is a surprise. 

"I did not come her to talk about that Sultana." Valerian croaks and covers her mouth as she looks at me in fear worrying that someone in the completely dead library heard me. 

"Then why, if not for validation?" I mutter and step back to my backpack that is slung over the back of a chair next to the computer. 

"I... I don't know." She stutters, Valerian never stutters. 

"I did fine on the paper Vale." Using the old nickname is a habit and seems to hit her hard as I walk past her towards my first class of the day. She didn't move the entire time I walked across the library which makes me half convinced that she did come for validation and encouragement. 

Knowing she is going to do something to me later for saying that I keep moving through the bodies of people that seemed to have just appeared on the sidewalk in the last two minutes. At least she can't saran wrap my car again.