When compared to summers in Texas…Colorado was cold!
Our planed landed at six in the morning, when it was still around fifty-something degrees out. I'm not use to such temperatures in the middle of summer. Dean McWell was already there with a young man not much older than me holding a sign with my name scrawled across it.
"Miss Sawyer," Dean McWell greeted me as we came to a stop in front of him. He seemed to be overly cheerful and happy to see me, while I, on the other hand, was not. Normally a morning person, I didn't do so well with mornings in which I had to wake up at two a.m. in order to catch a flight. "I hope your flight was fine."
He had lined up the pitch, so I was going to hit it out of the park. Or so I wanted to. My grandmother seeing the look on my face, elbowed me in the ribs and gave me a stern look that had me sighing. "As fine as could be for a flight so early in the morning and with two ten-year-olds."
Dean McWell's eyes went to my brothers who were busy whipping their heads from one side to the next, their eyes trying to take in all they could. Understanding what I meant, the dean nodded and turned back to the business at hand. "I want you to meet our student body president, so to speak. He is the head of our Masters Council, which is basically our school's version of a student body council. This is Dominic Davenport."
The young man beside the dean was what I would describe as a modern day mix between some Roman god and a male super model. He was tall, far taller than my five foot, four. I estimated him to be about six foot, three or four and he towered over me by more than head and shoulders. He was lean, well toned, probably supporting a six-pack with the amount of well trained muscle I saw on him.
Hair was dark as a raven's wings hung a little on the longer side around his face with it's stunning blue-green eyes. It was like looking into a crystal sea, they were so clear. He had good looks to kill and there was a pleasant enough smile on his tanned face. I wasn't one usually won over by good looks, but even I had to admit that he was pretty hot. The look of him was made hotter by the suit he wore, minus the jacket and with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
Next to him, my pale blonde hair bleached white by days in the Texas sun and my fair skin freckled across the shoulders were so plain. I was well aware that I wasn't unfortunate looking, but I was no beauty either. I mean, I had a nice frame, well curved without too much extra fat, and my face was adorable at best with it's heart shape and cupid's bow lips, but I could never come close to this man before me.
The only stunning thing about my appearance was the fact that my eyes had two different colors in them. A Sectoral Heterochromia, as my doctor had called it. While my eyes were over all a baby blue, there was a small part of the iris that was an amber yellow. It was my eyes that this Dominic focused on, his smile blossoming into a crooked grin that would have made any other girl weak at the knees.
Be still, you treacherous heart!
My back-stabber of a heart flipped when Dominic suddenly leaned down to my height, but I managed to keep my face collected. "Interesting. A Heterochromia. Are they real, though, or merely contacts?"
I buckled down on the way my heartbeat fluttered at his closeness and gave him a sour look. I could hear my grandmother whisper "Oh, no" behind me before I opened my mouth. "It's a Sectoral Heterochormia, to be exact and if you're referring to the amber parts…it's a natural eye color occurring in about five percent of the world populace. It just means that part of my eye contains mostly pigment lipochrome and not a lot of melanin. Though, if I'm being honest, with how pale of a blue my eyes are, no part of my eyes contain a lot of melanin. It's not really all that special, though, it is real."
One dark eyebrow raised at my retort and he straightened to his full height. I tried not to notice the sudden lack of peppermint and cloves that I had noticed filled my nose until he pulled back, taking the scent with him. The slightly stunned look on his face as he eyed me, made me want to laugh, but I didn't. He probably wans't use to girls not falling over themselves around him. Sorry, but whether my heart wanted to or not, I wasn't going to do it. Natural body response wasn't going to trump my instincts and those were telling me that he was a big package of trouble.
"As delightful as it is to have yet another person hound me about my eyes, I'd really rather get my grandmother to somewhere where she can sit." I pointed out.
"Oh! Of course! Right this way." Dean McWell led the way and I brushed past Dominic, pretending as if I didn't notice the tingles the brush of skin sent up my arm. Honestly! I didn't know what had gotten into me. I had been around handsome boys before. He was not the first, but something about him just set off warning bells in my head while my heart and body wanted to back flips.
It just made me sure that I would be avoiding Dominic Davenport for the foreseeable future.
The car that the dean had waiting was a fancy, short limo with two rows of backseats that faced each other. Dean McWell offered the front seat to my grandmother and climbed behind the wheel. Dominic opened the back door with a smirk and a small bow to me. My brothers rushed past me, diving into one of the rows of seats. That left me to sit next to Dominic. I kept my eyes plastered on my brothers and refused to look at the man sitting next to me.
As soon as we pulled into traffic, Dean McWell started talking. "We'll swing by your family's new house, let them get settled, and then we'll head to campus. You'll be in the Moon Dorms and your things are already there. Also, at AU, we have a sponsor-system. New students are taken under wing by the older students. It's so they can have someone to show them around and answer questions, that sort of thing. You are very fortunate, Miss Sawyer…Mr. Davenport has agreed to be yours."
So much for my plan to avoid Dominic.
I glanced at the grinning Dominic and looked away once more. No, I could still manage it. Just because I could go to Dominic for directions and advice, didn't mean I had to. I'd choke on my own innards before I did that…as pleasant as that image was when compared to how I felt around Dominic.
"Nice to know." I said idly.
Hunter turned in his seat then. "Sis isn't going to live with us?"
"I want to stay with Rory!" Gabe added.
"Your sister can come visit whenever she has free time, but we require our students to live on campus. It cuts down on the amount of people going in and out of the grounds in the average day." Dean McWell told the boys.
I leaned forwards in my seat when it looked like my brothers were about to throw a fit. They fixed their eyes on me when I did. "We'll still have Sunday dinners and game night, and if you want to talk to me badly, I'm sure the dorms have a phone."
"You don't have a cellphone?" My eyes darted to Dominic who was looking at me in surprise.
"No need. I make due with what I have and what I have is enough." I told him.
I directed my attention to Dean McWell's endless prattle to my grandmother after that, listening to the man as he assured my grandmother that I would be perfectly safe on campus. The whole time I could feel eyes on me but I refused to acknowledge the feeling. I would not look at Dominic. I just felt like if I did, it would be like admitting some kind of defeat and I was too stubborn to ever throw in the towel if I knew I could win.
By the time we reached the house that was to be my family's new home, I was just glad to put distance between me and Dominic. I quickly forgot about the conflicting feelings he gave me when I saw the house. The thing looked brand spanking new! Two stories of hardwood floors, cream-colored walls, and accenting moldings and wall switches in a pretty royal blue. There was even a decent backyard for my brothers to play in.
My family was instantly in love with the place. No longer would they have to be afraid to invite someone over because something was wrong or broken in our house. It would make it hard if I decided I didn't want to stay at AU. Which I was aware was the dean's goal when he decided this would be the house provided.
I might be blonde, but I was not stupid.
When we left for campus, Granny and the boys stayed behind to unpack and rest. It meant a little more room between me and Dominic, but it also meant that I could now see him staring at me out of the corner of my eyes, though I acted like I couldn't. I really wanted to bite his head off and demand to know what he found so fascinating.
Patience, Rory, I told myself. Nothing came from showing my hand at the start. If he thought I didn't care, maybe he would stop and stare at something else for a while.
Like, maybe…the sun?
An image of Dominic's perfect, sea-colored eyes melting from the sun popped into my head, making my lips twitch in amusement. I quelled the display of mirth when I saw his eyebrow raise.
"Something amusing?" he asked.
"Not at all. Just a passing thought with a little merit to it." No way was I admitting I had been thinking about him in any way. I wasn't sure what had caused my instant dislike of the guy, only that something had set off my fight-or-flight response, one of those prey-knows-predator things, and Aurora Sawyer even ran and was no one's prey.
A chuckle had my eyes shifting from the window I had been staring out of, to Dominic. "I suppose you would be prone to idle thoughts. You are, after all, a simple country girl regardless of what paper says to the contrary."
Uh…snobby prick say what?
I kept a calm, collected expression and tone, which was a task in and of itself not to give away any annoyance his words had sparked in me. "And that is supposed to mean what exactly?"
"Excuse my frankness, Miss Sawyer, but I have read your file. A small, countryside town in Texas? Texas ranked at thirty-five out of fifty when it comes to education for those from pre-k to twelfth grade, and only slightly better when it came to higher education. It was no wonder you were able to graduate so early. There is no competition. It will be nothing like your bumpkin school here, but Dean McWell believe you will be good for our school's public image. I, for one, don't see how a redneck from Texas could do us any good."
Calm, Rory, calm. Think of all the things you love. Like Granny, the boys, kittens, things that glitter, butterflies, the color silver…
I continued the list even as I gave Dominic a slow blink. The smirk on his face told me that he thought he had gotten under my skin. Boy did I have a surprise for him.
"You are aware that we had internet and, therefore, access to advance programs for our college credit courses, right? If you had read all the way through my file, which I doubt since you are being incredibly ignorant, you would have seen that my advance coursed ranged from molecular gastronomy to computer graphics and even a few courses in chemical compounds and applied physics. As for your use of the term "redneck"…you will need to specify, because there are a few different definitions . If you are referring to the nineteenth century definition in which they were referencing the red, sunburn ring around farmers' necks, then I assure you," My fingers went to the pale length of my neck, his eyes zeroing in on it. "I'm pale all over. Now if you are going by the Cambridge Dictionary definition…"A poor, white person without education"…well I have education, but the rest applies. "One living in the countryside in southern US, who is believed to have prejudiced idea and beliefs"…Well, I suppose that is true."
Blue-green eyes grew wide, encouraging me to continue. "Though, by 1970, the term also included racism, loutishness, and opposition to modern ways. While I don't see the point of a cellphone when landlines work just as well, I assure you, none of those apply to me. I, personally, don't agree with you referring to me as such because it's typically used to describe men and I don't know about your understanding of biology, but I am certain…I'm female." I ended my spiel with a gesture to my own body.
Dominic continued to stare at me as if I had just grown a second head. Which I would have to do to be a true definition of redneck. I even saw a grinning Dean McWell glance at us in the rearview mirror. Feeling pleased with myself, I leaned back in my seat and folded my hands in my lap. For a moment, Dominic just stared at me. Then a slow smirk curled his lips.
"My apologies, Miss Sawyer. I shall endeavor to consider my words more wisely in the future." His lips twitched…they twitched! He was amused! I don't know why that annoyed me more than his initial insult. "Remind me of your full name again."
"Aurora Sawyer…Rory." I was suspicious of his sudden interest in my name, but he just nodded.
We arrived at the school then. The campus, located at the west end of the town, backed right up against the foot of the Rocky Mountains. It was completely surrounded by ten foot tall, stone walls, a pair of cast iron gates swinging open for the car to pass through. All of the buildings on campus looking like pictures of old European castles I had seen in history books. All stone and mortar with brick walk ways between them and vintage, cast iron street lamps. The lawns were meticulously well maintained, but I saw no one out and about in the overcast morning.
"Since term does not start for another two weeks, many of the students are still away on their summer vacation." Dean McWell informed me as we parked in front of a building baring Moon Dormitory over the double doors. The dean lead the way up the wide steps, handing me a packet with my key, dorm rules, and the entry code into the building inside it. "Of course, there are certain rules you must follow. No drinking, no drugs, no fighting, being among the most important. I understand that you are young adults with certain…desires, but I will stress to you, since you are younger then the rest, to be wise in any choice you make."
I almost made a face at him. To have this man I barely knew try to warn me away from anything sexual just felt wrong. I wasn't stupid, I knew the risk. There was no way I was prepared for anything like that.
"You will be provided an allowance and meal plan. You can cook your own meals or eat in the café. Your choice." McWell continued.
My eyes wandered as we entered the building. Inside was much more modern than the outside. Smart TVs, a gaming room, a kitchen full of stainless steel appliances, a gym with every piece of exercise equipment imaginable. There was even an indoor pool! I was finally going to be able to lose the extra ten pounds that had been padding my waist forever!
We took an elevator up to the fifth floor. There were only six doors lining the single hall off the elevator. McWell led the way to the very last one. The so called dorm room, when I unlocked the door, was almost bigger than my entire house back in Texas. It had a full kitchen, a huge bedroom with a large, king sized bed, and master bathroom, a walk-in closet that could almost be a bedroom itself, and a living room area with plush couches and a large, flat screen TV. There was even a little study area with a big desk, a brand new laptop and printer setup and plenty of office supplies.
It was all so fabulous, so high class…I wanted to walk right back out. Such luxury was wasted on the likes of me. I feared for my morals if I was to be so spoiled. I knew what this kind of lifestyle, so pampered and accommodating, could do to people. I didn't want to become on of the rich, self-absorbed snobs I disliked.
Dean McWell must have saw my desire to run on my face because he became very anxious. "Is something wrong with the room?"
"No, somethings wrong with me." I replied before I could stop to think.
"I don't understand." Dean McWell looked confused.
"This is too much, Dean McWell." My gesture took in the dorm room before me.
Confusion took over the dean's face. "This is a normal dorm room here, Miss Sawyer."
That only made it worse. Heaving a sigh, I just dropped the topic. "Just forget about it." I had to make do. For my family's sake.
McWell seemed relieved. "Alright then. Well, I shall leave Mr. Davenport to show you around. If there's anything you need, just ask him or me."
With that, the man hurried back towards the elevator, leaving me and Dominic in the doorway of my room. Dominic turned to me and grinned. "Shall we set out, Aurora?"
I so didn't miss the casual change from "Miss Sawyer" to "Aurora". Instead of confronting it, I took a step back into my room, hand on the door. "I think I'll explore on my own, thanks. Night."
With a jerk of my hand, I closed the door and threw the deadbolt. I was in no mood to suffer him for who knew how long. I waited at the door until I heard his footsteps recede down the hall. Heaving a sigh, I turned to look around my new home for the next four years.
Four years, I just had to make it four years, maybe three. That meant first thing, after a nap, I would have to find the library and get to work on studying. The sooner I graduated, the sooner I could be away from Dominic Davenport and the way he set every instinct in me on edge.
Just take it one day at a time. It was all I could do.
For now.