Rachael awoke to the sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway--and chatter. The voices seemed young and energetic, which made her feel like a bum for sleeping past 9:00, but she’d stared at the ceiling for hours the night before, thinking about Graham and also about Dr. McCall the Elder’s theory on world collision. So when what she assumed was the first group of fresh recruits came through, she wasn’t ready to pop out into the hall to say hello. Luckily, she heard Trip’s voice pointing out the available empty rooms, so she wasn’t missing out on seeing Graham.

Their presence got her booty in gear, though. She rushed through a shower and making sure Scrappy’s bowls were topped off before she emptied the kitty litter and made herself presentable. Hopefully, if Graham brought a group through in the next few minutes, she’d be able to step out into the hallway under the guise of telling them all hello and see him, too.

All night, she’d wondered about the significance of that hug, the feel of his fingers on her skin as he brushed her cheek. What might’ve happened if she’d leaned in for a kiss? Would he have done it? He had told her she reminded him of Chell, after all, which was probably because she’d written Chell a lot like herself. The character’s name was even half of her own.

But she wasn’t Chell, especially not to the other people who had actually known her--like Graham. And Sammi. She couldn’t expect to step into this world and suddenly be someone else. She couldn’t expect Graham to just forget he’d been engaged to what he thought was the love of his life only to have her taken away. And if he ever found out that Rachael was responsible for her demise, she wouldn’t be able to expect him to just forgive her, either. She’d written him to be an understanding, sympathetic person, but not crazy, and that’s probably what it would take to just forgive someone who was responsible for your fiancee’s death.

She decided to eat a breakfast bar rather than trek down to the cafeteria, just in case she missed Graham coming by. She realized she hadn’t even turned the television on since she arrived, but since she wanted to be able to hear activity in the hallway, she sat on the couch and stared at the wall while she ate, eventually taking her phone out of her pocket so that she could read. It had been a long time since she’d checked out any of the other books on WebReader, so she went there to see what the new number one was. A book about werewolves. “Nice,” she muttered. “Maybe I should message the author and let him know it’s a bad idea to kill off the main character and then put yourself in the book.” The idea of a bunch of werewolves running around on top of the vampires made her stomach unsettled.

Rachael didn’t actually send the email, though she did read for a few minutes before she heard more voices in the hallway. It was obvious to her now why Jazz slept with a fan on, and she thought she might have to try that if there were going to be so many people coming and going at all hours. Locking that thought away for later, she hopped up off of the couch and strode to the door.

His voice echoed down the hall before she saw him, and Rachael found herself leaning against the door jamb with a wide smile on her face before Graham’s tall form even came into view. He was walking backward, talking to a group of four or five kids--Rachael didn’t pull her eyes away from him to check. Instead, she let her imagination carry her away again, imagined her fingers running through his thick, dark hair, her face pressed to his neck, those arms around her again….

Lavender eyes flickered before hers, and she realized he had turned around and was talking to her now. “Good morning, Rach.” One eyebrow was cocked just enough to make her wonder if she’d been daydreaming too loudly. Had he read her thoughts? “How are you this morning?”

“Good, good.” She focused on the others for the first time. There were four of them. Two young girls, a boy who made Rex look like a grown man, and a guy who could’ve been Rachael’s older brother by the looks of him. That had to be Tony. He was definitely older than the others, probably Graham’s age, but not what she’d envisioned when she’d heard his name. Muscular didn’t quite do the man justice--his muscles had muscles. His bald head gleamed in the hall light, and though he wasn’t tall, he was definitely powerful. His eyes were a clear shade of blue, almost like ice with a streak of sky. It suddenly dawned on her why Graham had been slightly defensive the night before at the mention of the new student. He was hot--and he was looking at her with a Joey Tribione smile.

“I’d like for all of you to meet Rachael Barnes. She just moved in a few days ago and will be in your class.”

“Our class?” one of the girls echoed. She was blonde and looked more than a little lost, but one side of her face pulled up in a snarl as she looked Rachael up and down.

“Yes. I’m a nontraditional student,” Rachael explained.

“Does that mean old?” the blonde asked.

Rachael’s eyebrows raised, but she didn’t have to reply. “Hey, there, kid watch yourself,” Tony joked, nudging the girl lightly in the shoulder before he approached Rachael with his hand out. “Hey there, Rach. I’m Tony, Tony Espisito. Man, is it nice to meet you.” He looked her up and down in a way that made Rachael feel like a piece of meat hanging in a butcher shop--only somehow in a good way, which she couldn’t quite sort out. She took his hand and heard a low grumble from Graham.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Tony.” She didn’t look at Graham or acknowledge the sound he’d just made, and if Tony heard it, he didn’t either. “I take it you’re also a little older than the high school graduates.”

“Yeah, yea. But I ain’t thirty yet.” He chuckled and finally let go of her hand. “Glad to have a babe on the floor who’s not fresh out of glee club.”

Rachael felt her face go warm, but before she could reply, Graham stepped in. “Rachael, this is Belinda Shields.” The blonde--she waved but didn’t step over. Rachael forced a smile and waved back, mentally checking the “do not like” box in her mind. “This is Karma Malone.”

“Hi,” Karma, a petite Latina with curves waved, and Rachael instantly liked her. She had a friendly smile and dark hair the color of a raven’s feathers. It fell down her back, almost reaching her waist.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Rachael said, meaning it for once.

“And this is Doug Cooper.”

Doug did not seem to belong. Wiry with glasses and hair so chopped up in front, it looked as if his mother must’ve cut it, she had a feeling he’d get eaten alive by his classmates or trainers before the vampires even had a chance.

By the expression on his face, Doug looked like he knew that, too. He lifted a hand in a self-conscious wave, and Rachael said, “Hi, Doug. Nice to have you here.” She swallowed hard and then returned her attention to Graham who seemed to be trying to figure out how to get Tony to take more than a step away from her. Rachael wasn’t used to seeing anyone be jealous of someone giving her attention, but she liked it on Graham, even though he didn’t wear it well.

“Can we see your room?” Karma asked. “My parents are bringing my stuff later this afternoon. It’d be great to have an idea of the layout.”

“Sure,” Rachael replied, pushing the door open all the way. Scrappy took her opportunity to dart to Graham’s leg, and she heard him utter a curse word as the new recruits came in.

She let them mill about freely, having nothing to hide, assuming Tony didn’t open her underwear drawer. Rachael scooped up her cat. With the others in her apartment, she was alone in the hall with Graham for a second. “Sorry about Scrappy,” she said, standing only inches from him and looking into his eyes.

He shook his head, one side of his mouth pulling up into a grin. “It’s okay. I just don’t get why she likes me so much.”

“What’s not to like?”

Graham’s smile widened, but before he could respond, she heard Karma exclaim, “Oh, cool. You get your own bathroom.”

Rachael grinned at him and then walked inside, fielding questions from the newbies for a few minutes as she tried to keep track of where all of them had gone. Tony was dangerously close to her drawers, and she could see him looking inside if she turned her back on him for a few seconds. She held Scrappy in her arms to keep her off of Graham, and Belinda whined that she didn’t get to bring her cat, Fluffy.

Graham stayed in the living room area for the first few minutes but eventually followed Doug in beyond the divider. Rachael had her back to him and was talking to Karma about the water pressure when she heard him gasp.

Turning around, she realized he was fixated on her bed. His eyes were wide, and all of the color seemed to be draining from his face. Without a word, he backed into the living room. Rachael was certain no one else had noticed, but she felt like an idiot for letting him wander in there and see that bedspread with all of the new recruits around. For that matter, she felt stupid for having bought it in the first place. She should’ve known better.

But he didn’t know she had any idea what would’ve made him react that way, and she had to keep that in mind for the next time she spoke to him.

It didn't take long for him to decide they needed to move on. It was clear when she walked back into the living room he wanted out of the dorm at all costs. Rachael feigned confusion, and he smiled at her reassuringly, as if to say that everything was fine, but she knew better--she would’ve known better even if she wasn’t aware of what had caused him to react that way. In a matter of minutes, he had the newbies moving on down the hall and didn’t stop to point out anything else in Lower Summer.

Rachael went back into her apartment and let Scrappy go, feeling like a jerk. She ran her hands down her face and tried to get a grip on herself. After what happened last night, and Graham admitting she reminded him of Chell, the last thing she needed was for it to seem creepy--and having bought the exact same bedspread as his ex was probably not a good way to keep things innocent.

She walked over to the sofa and sank into the cushions, wondering what her next move should be. Would he ever even want to come back to her apartment knowing what was on the other side of the screen? She hoped so, but she couldn’t blame him if Graham never walked through the door again.