Tricia Rayburn - Undercurrent: A Siren Novel

I T WAS S EPTEMBER first. The day my older sister Justine should have been starting classes. Buying textbooks. Thinking about her future. The day she should have been doing all the things freshmen do but wasnt, because her future had been decided the second she jumped off a cliff in the middle of the night three months earlier.

On this day, I walked a college campus instead.

Thats Parker Hall, my tour guide said. And theres Hathorn Hall and the chapel.

I smiled politely and followed him through the main quad. The pretty, parklike square was surrounded by redbrick buildings and filled with kids talking, laughing, and comparing schedules.

Thats Coram Library, he continued, pointing. And right behind it is Ladd Library, the one-hundred-twelve-thousand-square-foot Mecca of learning.

Impressive, I said, thinking the same thing about him. His brown eyes were warm, his dark hair slightly messy, like hed fallen asleep on an open textbook before meeting me. His toned arms shone bronze against the sharp white of his crew team T-shirt. If Bates strived to appeal to teenage girls romantic aspirations in addition to their academic ones, theyd picked a good representative.

And comfortable. Trust me, I should know. He stopped, took my sweatshirt sleeve in one hand, and tugged. As I stepped toward him, a Frisbee sliced through the empty air space my head had just occupied.

I do, I said.

We stood so close I could hear his quick intake of breath. His fingers tightened on my sweatshirt, and his arm tensed. After a few seconds, he released me and grabbed the backpack straps near his shoulders.

Whats that? I asked.

He followed my nod to a tall building next to the libraries. That is the deciding factor, he said, starting down the side-walk. When he reached the buildings front steps, he turned toward me and grinned. Behold Carnegie Science Hall.

I covered my chest with one hand. The Carnegie Science Hall? Where some of the worlds most brilliant, forward-thinking scientists conduct groundbreaking research that continues to shape the landscape of modern science as we know it today?

He paused. Yes?

Hang on. I have to get a picture.

If youre familiar with the building, he said as I rummaged through my purse for my digital camera, then you know the work it houses sets this college apart from the rest. Even if youre not a science major, I think that alone warrants the hefty two-hundred-thousand-dollar price tag.

Vox clamantis in deserto .

I stared at the digital camera screen and my mind filled with images of green key chains. Coffee mugs. A sweatshirt and an umbrella. All bearing the familiar Dartmouth shield.

Vanessa?

Sorry. I shook my head once and held up the camera. Say lobster.

He started to speak but then stopped. His eyes lifted and landed somewhere behind me. Before I could look to see what had caught his attention, there was a tap on my shoulder.

Thats all wrong, a guy said when I turned around. He looked about my age, maybe a year or two older, and was flanked by two other guys who smiled when I glanced at them. He wore cargo pants, a fleece, and hiking boots, like he planned to hit the trails as soon as he was done with classes.

What do you mean?

I mean, its a fine shot but itd be better if you were in it. He held out one hand, palm up. May I?

Oh. My eyes fell to the camera. Thanks, but

Mitosis, my tour guide said.

The hiker looked up, toward the steps behind me.

I just remembered that theres an excellent photography exhibit of cellular mitosis inside. Its best seen right about now, in the late morning. We should get going before the light changes.

Right. The hiker nodded. You know, youd probably recruit thousands more students each year if you included her in the schools promotional materials.

Ill be sure to pass that along to Admissions.

The hiker gave me one more appreciative look before leaving. I waited for him and his friends to walk away and round the corner, out of sight, before turning back. My tour guide stood on the same step, hands in his pockets, his face tight with what? Nervousness? Jealousy?

Is there really an excellent photography exhibit of cellular mitosis inside? I asked.

If there is, it wouldnt be on the tour. We dont want to bore kids into not applying.

I held up the camera again.

Lobster, he said.

I took his picture and put the camera back in my purse. So, I realize the Carnegie Science Building sets your college worlds apart from others, but theres still one other thing Id like to see before making any decisions.

The gym? Theater? Art museum?

The dorms.

My pulse quickened as he looked down. Thinking Id made him uncomfortable, I prepared to offer an alternativelike someplace off campus, where there were fewer people, fewer distractions. But then he started down the steps and turned right, back the way we came.

Just wait till you see the concrete walls and linoleum floors, he said. You might never go home again.

We didnt talk as we walked through the quad. Every now and then he greeted friends or classmates, but I stayed quiet. My head spun with thoughts of Justine, last summer, this fall, and I didnt know which thought would come out if I tried to speak. The spinning continued all the way across campus, into a tall brick building, and up four flights of stairs.