Romance: The Campus Player: A College Romance

by Caroline Lake

  She heard the young man step back out and then Doran’s footsteps. With a panic, she ran to the spot where he had told her to wait. The last thing she needed now was for him to discover she had been eavesdropping. When she promised her Elder she would do anything to help, she meant it. As long as he continued to treat her well, even if it was a lie, this could be bearable.

  "One more stop for the day," Doran said as he held up a bag and shook it. "This one might take a while, though. We'll need to work for it."

  By the time the two of them returned to the cottage, they were both exhausted. Guinevere, having spent the day with him, had decided maybe what she saw was not so bad. Perhaps he was not as kind as she thought but that did not have to mean he was bad all together. Everyone had dark sides, even her Elder. When he gave her a swift peck on the lips to say goodnight, she allowed it. She was strong in not letting it go further. For a brief moment she had wanted to fall into his arms and shut her eyes to drift off to sleep but that could not be. She climbed into bed and looked out the window, the moon hanging ominously overhead. Many times she had seen the moon like this in her home in the deep of the forest and always it brought bad news. It was all she could do to hope this time it would be different.

  Chapter Nine

  Guinevere spent the following morning waiting. She paced back and forth in the main room of the cottage and even right outside of it but Doran was nowhere to be seen. Several times she debated marching up to his house and knocking. He had her list and only he knew where to find anything. She had not even a clue how to go about searching for things. But as the morning wore on it became evident none of that mattered. She could not waste a day waiting for him. If Guinevere had to find a way to do this on her own, she would. After checking to make sure the collected items were safely hidden, Guinevere stepped out and slowly made her way toward the town.

  “Guinevere!”

  She stopped cold. It was him. It was his voice but it was not coming from behind her where his house was. It was coming from somewhere else. She turned to her left and saw him running down the pathway. He looked strange and exhausted like he had not slept all night. Had he just come from somewhere else?

  “Were you going to leave without me?”

  “I couldn’t wait anymore,” she told him.

  “I see,” he said. The crease on his forehead made it perfectly clear to her he was not very happy with her decision or response but he disguised it. “Let’s go.”

  The two of them walked in silence to the center of town. There were plenty of stands set out that had not been there before and a large crowd of people. As they walked amongst them, Guinevere could not help but notice the looks they received. In particular, she saw how many people looked at Doran. Their eyes were not full of admiration the way hers were when she cast her gaze upon him. It was obvious there was no fluttering inside them or unique warmth or desire to be touched by him. It was not until that moment she noticed how cold he could be toward some people and with others he was polite but distant. Many looked at her curiously, almost as if wondering why she was with him more than whom she was. It made her nervous but she carried on.

  “There she is,” he said, nodding toward a portly older woman behind one of the stands. She was laughing and talking to people as she prepared something in a jar for them. “She has something you need. It’s something we can find here only on days like this.”

  The two of them approached the stand and the woman smiled widely, “If it isn’t Doran. I thought you were over my jam?”

  "How could I ever be 'over' your jam, Louise? I've even brought a friend to try it!"

  Louise turned to look at Guinevere. She got the same look in her eyes of awe as if not once in her life had she seen someone who looked like her. Guinevere smiled in return and then looked down at what she assumed was the "jam" and thought it did not look very good. Humans, however, seemed to love the stuff. She had seen some spread it on bread during breakfast but it was obvious Louise's was special somehow. What she found oddest of all, however, was the fact that Althaeda had requested this for the Elder's treatment.

  Doran purchased one jar and held it tightly as he continued to speak to Louise. While the two of them laughed, Guinevere started to become agitated. Not only had they gotten a late start, now he was wasting time telling jokes to this woman. She turned to look in the direction of the forest and coughed. She had to believe her Elder was still alive. If that were not the case, she would have somehow received news of it.

  The two of them went to a couple shops to find a specialty herb on the list but it was nowhere to be found. Feeling disappointed, Guinevere walked silently with her head down back to the cottage when night fell. She almost missed seeing a tall, frightening looking man standing a little away from the cottage. He was waiting for Doran, who looked concerned as soon as their eyes met.

  “Go inside,” he muttered, “And be careful.”

  Guinevere locked herself inside the cottage and carefully peered out the window. Doran was having a conversation with the strange man but something about it troubled her. The man looked angry and Doran looked tense. She heard shouting. The night had set in already and she relied solely on the vision she inherited as a dragon to make out the two figures in the dark of night. She quietly made her way to the bedroom and pressed her ear against the window, shutting her eyes to focus. If she really tried she would be able to overhear at least snippets of their conversation.

  “You should have known this would happen if you threatened Gerald,” the man said gruffly.

  “It wasn’t a threat,” Doran maintained.

  “You don’t call convincing him to do your bidding or else his secret gets out a threat?”

  “You reap what you sow. You and I both know that. Do you want to be next?”

  “Now you’re threatening me too? Listen, Doran, there’s plenty of ways we can mess up your life so I suggest you watch your back.”

  “No,” Doran hissed, “I highly suggest you watch yourself. We don’t want history to repeat itself, now do we?”

  The man stared at Doran in utter shock. Guinevere had no idea what he was talking about but it was clear the man did. There was a lot of history here and none of it was good. All of this spelled bad news and Guinevere’s heart began to pound in her chest. Maybe she had made a mistake in choosing to trust Doran. It certainly was a mistake to get carried away with the mysterious feelings that had overtaken her. She gulped. This could not go on. She would get the list from him and find the rest of the items on her own. If this man was dangerous or he was at least by association, she needed distance.

  “That’s what I thought,” Doran sniggered. She saw him reach out and grab the man’s shoulder. It must have hurt because the man winced. “Run along now. It’s late and you know how bad things have a knack of happening at night.”

  The man stared at him and mouthed something but Guinevere could not make it out. She doubted if even Doran was able to make it out. The man turned on his heel and took off in the opposite direction. She saw Doran remain still, watching until the man’s running figure disappeared into the darkness. He turned slowly and she immediately dropped to the floor, heart racing. She hated that now it was frightening to think of what he might do should he catch her eavesdropping.

  She heard his footsteps approaching and realized he would become suspicious if he found her in the bedroom. She darted into the main room and collapsed on the couch, chest heaving. He came inside and looked at her for a moment before working to get a fire going in the fireplace. He was silent the entire time and she could feel the bad energy coming from him. It was the first time she counted down the seconds for him to leave. Even the first night had not been this distressful. He stood up and turned to look at her with a smile. Somehow it looked contorted now, like a wicked grin.

  Doran walked over to her and leaned down, wrapping his arm around her waist. She flinched and looked into his eyes. He pulled her up and asked, “Everything okay?”

 
Guinevere nodded. It was a blatant lie but it was the only way to be safe. He looked deep into her eyes and she could feel him trying to read her. She closed them and tilted her head slightly to one side. Then she felt his lips press against hers. Before she had time to think, she pushed him off her and shook her head. He stared at her, whether it was in confusion or anger she could not be sure.

  “I’m–”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he croaked.

  He turned around and walked straight out the door. She walked outside to watch him run off to his house, wanting to be sure he made it inside. And that was when she saw it– a signal only the dragons knew. Smoke curled into the night sky; smoke made from burning a special kind of branch hidden deep in the forest where the dragon clans lived. It was a signal that let her know it was time to return, whether she had gathered everything or not.

  Chapter Ten

  Guinevere ran. She ran as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself, a sack full of the acquired items clutched tightly in her hand. The run felt eternal as her eyes were fixed on the curling billows of smoke. She ran and ran, with only one thing on her mind– her Elder. This could not be it. This could not be the signal that she was too late and life had been lost. She did not have everything. She'd tried her best. Every fiber of her being longed to transform back into a dragon to fly speedily over the canopy of trees until reaching home. She knew it was not safe. She knew it would put everyone in danger. She ran and ran until she finally reached the area of the forest marked for safety.

  Then she sped. She moved so quickly through the forest she could hear the wind tunneling in her ears. She made her way through the thickening trees so quickly the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes flew off her face in a streak. Her eyes searched desperately for the first glimpse of a sign she could transform back into a dragon and fly. Even when her journey had seemed long and frightening at the start, it was nothing compared to this moment. She looked up but could not see the sky through the leaves of the tall trees. And then she saw it– safety. She pushed her body to move faster than it ever had until she reached that line and transformed into a dragon at once.

  Her skeleton stretched and curved. Scaled burst out over her skin and she felt like she was exploding out of a small bag. She grabbed the sack with her teeth and took off flying into the night. If she flew fast enough she would arrive before sunrise. It had to be a record time for a dragon to arrive at that clan's territory from the nearest human town. She soared through the skies and beat her wings, feeling like she was moving too slow. She beat and beat her wings and stretched her neck forward until soreness moved through her. She kept going, the thought of her Elder keeping her up. Sure enough, she arrived before sunrise. She skidded to a halt at the mouth of the cave and Althaeda rushed out at once, an alarmed look on her face.

  “Please tell me my Elder has not–”

  “It is not that! Come inside! Quickly!”

  Guinevere followed Althaeda in and her heart broke immediately when she saw her elder collapsed on the cave’s floor, looking frailer than ever. The body shuddered every few seconds and a weak whimper could be heard. The condition had worsened significantly.

  “Show me what you have,” Althaeda commanded.

  Guinevere placed the sack on the floor and it opened to reveal its contents. Althaeda sifted through them and separated them into two piles, muttering to herself. She looked up at Guinevere and then over to her Elder.

  “You have brought back everything at least for one of the treatments.”

  “It was difficult. I can acquire the rest.”

  “Not now. There is no time,” she said, looking over at the Elder, “We need one to get through this and then we will see. Then we will see.”

  “Madame Althaeda, please, what is happening?”

  “We must leave with haste. A band of dragons this way comes. They are trouble dragons and your Elder cannot withstand a battle or anything they may try. The best thing we can do is have your Elder gather just enough strength to travel with assistance.”

  Terror filled Guinevere. She looked at the weak body on the floor and thought it impossible to travel safely or in time. She had no idea what dragons these were that posed a threat but if even Althaeda was in a panic, surely it was something to worry greatly about. For Guinevere, however, her greatest point of concern was her Elder.

  “How long will it take?”

  “If I start now and this works, we can leave not long after the sun rises.”

  Guinevere stood at the mouth of the cave on guard as Althaeda worked on the Elder. She looked up at the sky and watched the color lighten little by little. She silently hoped everything would work out. Her Elder's condition was delicate enough without having to face yet another challenge. She felt resentment toward the trouble dragons that wanted to come and ravage the land she called home. It was incomprehensible to have such a greedy, heartless character. Doran flashed in her mind. She shut her eyes and faced down, feeling like she was back in her human form just for a fraction of a second. The last thing Guinevere wanted to believe was that he was as terrible of a being as the trouble dragons heading their way. It was more heartbreak than she could handle.

  The sun rose and she looked into the cave but there were no signs of her Elder being strong enough for travel. As the sun slowly made its way across the sky, she began to fear the treatment had not worked. “What if it doesn’t work? I’ll have to stay behind with my Elder. I cannot take off to safety in good conscience. I have to wage the battle.”

  “That will not be necessary,” said a weakened version of a familiar voice.

  Guinevere turned to see her Elder resting against the side of the cave right by the opening. She felt joy swell up in her chest and she looked up at the sky, opening her mouth and expelling fire in celebration.

  “It worked! You’re better,” Guinevere called out happily.

  "Let us not get ahead of ourselves. We do not know what my condition shall be when we arrive at our refuge… If I arrive.”

  “Please do not say such things,” Guinevere beseeched.

  “Let us go,” Althaeda interrupted, “For we know not how far off those dragons are.”

  The three of them took off in flight, Althaeda and Guinevere flying just below the Elder in the case of a collapse. They made their way slowly in a direction Guinevere had never been. She had no idea how far their destination was or what clan they would now be united with. She did not even know what had become of the rest of her clan. The sun had just begun to set when Althaeda began to descend. Guinevere followed suit, careful to make sure her Elder was still in decent condition. Her heart trembled with sadness when she saw the heavy eyes filled with the pain of her Elder.

  “We are nearly there,” Althaeda reassured them.

  They landed in a large clearing surrounded by large boulders, where a green dragon stood. There were two other green dragons flanking him, but they were smaller. Althaeda approached them as Guinevere helped her Elder rest back on one of the boulders. She did not bother to overhear the conversation. Instead, she fretted over the state in which she saw the old, white dragon she had always shared her life with. Althaeda then walked over to them and informed a dwelling had been prepared in advance. The green dragon led the way and although he was not very amiable, he welcomed them to his clan’s land. It was strange for Guinevere to be in such a structured hierarchy of dragons, having come from a clan that rarely interacted.

  “You cannot leave,” Althaeda muttered to her later that night as the Elder slept.

  “But the other items…”

  “As much as they are needed, you cannot leave your Elder just yet. You must remain here for at least three days and then inform the leader of your journey.”

  “Why?”

  “Guinevere, do not question their ways or authority! Do not disrespect their clan! They have welcomed you with open arms, indefinitely. They will care for your Elder in your absence. They will alert you of anything nece
ssary. Must you really ask for reasoning?”

  Guinevere stayed quiet and lowered her head in apology. This would take much getting used to but she was thankful they were somewhere safe now. Her stomach growled and she knew her Elder must be hungry as well. But now she did not know if it was acceptable to just go out and hunt. She cautiously asked Althaeda who flew off to have a meeting with the green dragon in order to relay important customs of this clan and their land. Guinevere, meanwhile, sat beside the sleeping Elder. She watched the white chest fall and rise. She heard the whimpers of discomfort and pain.

  She looked up at the sky and wished to fly away more than ever. How had she lost her home so suddenly? Everything had changed so drastically. And if her Elder did die, her life would never be the same. She could not help but think of Doran and wonder what it was he was doing. She questioned whether or not he even cared about her sudden disappearance. Would he remember her? Would he miss her? She felt sadness weigh down on her with thoughts of her sick Elder and the disillusionment of Doran. She was so disappointed in herself for engaging in an act of intimacy with a human all because she had been unable to keep her emotions under control. She did not even know what it was, exactly, that she felt for Doran. What she did know was that, in spite of it all, she missed him.