Dottie walked along the halls of the college, alone. She was feeling lost, out of her depth, and very misplaced. When it came to what she was studying, she understood a lot of it when it was explained to her. While there were things, a lot of things, she hadn't learned before, most was quickly assimilated into her way of thinking, even if she hadn't got it down memorized or fully understood. On second thought, maybe the reason they were assimilated so easily was because they weren't fully understood. However, on third thought, she had gotten used to a higher reading level than most of her peers and that while she was requiring use of a thesaurus and dictionary to understand some words, a lot she knew the definitions of already so it was more learning language she didn't know. When it came to those around her, everyone was new and had new attitudes compared to what she was used to. Well, there was maybe one person that she could relate to, but he was quite busy, as he was the councilor.
She wandered down to the ground level/basement, depending if you were at the part in the hill or not, and walked to an area she knew was full of windows. There, she was beside the hill, and there she watched the wind in the trees, the gopher popping in and out of its hole, and the grass swaying back and forth in front of a view of buildings and a road.
She started wondering where the friends she had had back in high school were. She had had spent the last five years working as a part time cleaner for the local high school where she lived now. There had been Hope, Heather, Dean, Layton, and Paul. Paul had also lived close to her, and had come over to her house at times before her family had moved. He had moved to, but she didn't know where. Heather had followed her to her new school when she moved, but had left soon after graduation. The others had also stayed behind.
As she stood there, she noticed that one of the trees in the copse had a picnic bench underneath it. Apparently she wasn't the only one to get bored of cement, metal, and glass. She decided that she would eat lunch under the trees with the wind.
The others in the class had already formed groups. She didn't know how, but there was already some that knew others or had been outgoing and found a common ground quickly. She hadn't. She was a young lady that limped when others ran smooth, was quiet and planned ahead, and didn't really do much when it came to movies or computer games. She had barely any social life outside her family and close knit circle of friends, if shopping counted or her one online game. It made her feel more the outsider, and it kind of hurt to walk into class with the flow of students when the others were laughing and joking.
She was asked once by a teacher if she still worked. She did, casually in the evenings. Her job went faster than anyway, as she wasn't working around people and she was left alone.
She no longer felt lonely once she was home, usually. She would drop her books into her room, take a sip of water, and head outside. It was her house, her neighbourhood, her bit of forest, and her family. This was where she belonged, and she felt it.
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Reuben Oaksher wandered around the woods during the day. He had come to live here years and years before, at least it felt that way. It may have been with the way that his life had changed. When he first came here, he was a spry young man fresh from college, and had joined the local insurance company. However, since then, he had been bitten by a werewolf, been given the secret to the local fairy kingdom and kept the entrance neat. He had been rashly, or so it felt at the time, given all the books that pertained to this new life and burden he had been given quite soon after being turned. However, then his mentor died, who had also been the one to turn him during a bout of dementia, and he was given the task with barely any training and an amount of homework. With determination and steadiness, he had gone through the books and papers, put them in some type of order, and put enough together in the first couple of weeks that he had been able to do the routine stuff. However, he was a wolf without a pack. Wolves died early without pack, and he needed to rectify that somehow. Given the way his mentor died, it would not be an easy death. However, he would not turn someone without their consent, at least he hoped not to. He might very well have to, unless he could convince someone to be willing to be bit. There had been a girl, rather steadily the last couple years, but increasing still in the last two months, that had been using the entrance to the fairy kingdom as a place to meditate. He had listened a few times, and had grown to care a little for her. He was hoping to catch her today, which is why he was out during the day on the path.
He spotted her slowing down for the drainage dip.
"Hello."
"Hi."
"It's a nice day today."
Dottie had been going to continue walking before he said that, but felt it right to turn and face him. The guy wasn't a total stranger, as she had seen his face in the neighbourhood a few times, but she didn't know the guy well. It also felt rude to just walk away when someone felt he should talk to someone else. So she gave him her attention.
"A little windy, but the warmth really balances it. It's kind of sad that in a month it won't be like this."
"Yeah, it will be getting ready for winter, if not winter already."
She laughed.
"It will be wet."
He laughed as well.
"I've seen you around this section of the woods lately. Do you like it?"
"Oh, yeah. It's a good place to relax and get away from the noise and cement."
"I feel the same after work."
"Right?"
He nodded his head.
"I've seen you in the insurance place."
"I work there."
"Well, nice meeting you. I hope we meet again some day."
"Thank you."
Reuben watched her head on down the trail. Not many connected with the woods like she did.