The Key
By A. B. Betancourt
Text Copyright © 2013 A. B. Betancourt
All Rights Reserved
For my Mom for always inspiring me to write and to my friends and family for their support.
“God I’m bored,” I muttered to myself as I skimmed through the pages of a particularly dry textbook. I was only a few weeks into my second year and already I was bored of college and of all the pretentious students at Drummund Hills College. Nothing interesting ever happens at Drummund Hills College. Ever. Of course, I wasn’t helping matters by hanging out on a Friday night in the school library, but that’s what happens when your annoying roommate “sexiles” you and all your friends go to another college.
At ten in the evening, I had given up on reading my textbook and was busy stalking my old high school friends on Facebook. Most of them were off at the state school, probably partying with their fraternities. I was stuck in a tiny college only known for their history department and for having only one fraternity. Good for my old friends, I guess. I just wish I could have been rich enough to join them. I was only here because my father worked as a professor in the English department, and he was able to get free tuition for me. I was only able to get a dorm room here because I spent all summer long working at the local grocery store, just so I could have the “college experience.” I enjoyed the freedom of living on my own; I just didn’t like having a roommate.
I was staring at some old pictures, wishing I were elsewhere, when a bright light illuminated the wall in front of me. The light source came from behind me, causing a glare on my computer screen. My back was to the source, so I turned around to investigate just as a girl in dark skinny jeans and a loose green top closed the door to the closet and extinguished the light. She leaned against it and shrunk to the floor, her knees at her chest, as she caught her breath. Her auburn hair was tied back in a tie, but a small piece had fallen out and draped over her knee. It took me a moment to realize that she looked familiar. It took me another moment to realize the door she had just walked through was a janitor’s closet.
I stared at her curiously and began to wonder what the heck was she doing in the closet? Where did that light come from? Why did I recognize her? Why did she remind me of middle school and of books? So many books.
The girl stood up and in her hand she held a tarnished silver key on a long black ribbon. She put the key around her neck and tucked it under her emerald green shirt. She brushed herself off and adjusted her messenger bag. It looked heavy, like everything she owned was in it. It was a simple tattered brown leather bag that looked like it had had a lot of use. There was a family crest pressed into the front flap of the bag. I recognized her and after seeing the crest. A wave of memories of the girl I had a crush on in middle school came flooding in. While our moms talked up a storm, we were busy pretending to be pirates and looking for buried treasure from the age of six.
How could I forget? She used to carry that heavy bag to school. Her father had given it to her when she started middle school and she always had it on her. We grew up together until my family moved to the next town over at the end of eighth grade when my dad got the job at Drummund Hills College. I lost contact with her and never heard from her again, not even on Facebook. I stopped reminiscing and noticed how much she changed. Boy, she had grown up.
She looked up and suddenly noticed I was there. She casually walked over to me. Her long auburn hair flowed behind her as she strode towards me, her green eyes staring into my dark brown eyes.
“Amber? Amber Collins?” I asked, standing to greet her.
She stared at me for a moment before the realization hit her as well, “James Rook? Wow! What a small world.”
“Yeah, how are you?” I didn’t know if I should go in for a hug or a hand shake. I ended up lamely standing there with an awkward smile on my face.
“Uh-I’m good, you?” she replied distractedly. She was busy studying the room. Her eyes darted from the windows, to the stacks of books, and finally to the lone entrance behind her. She took a couple steps to the side to keep the entrance in better view.
“Great! What brings you here?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
“Dunno,” she shrugged. Then she turned to me and asked, “Where is here?”
“Um…” I paused. How could she not know where we are? How did she get to the library through the broom closed? Instead, I simply replied, “The school library.”
“I know we’re in a library,” she chuckled patiently, “I meant, what school?”
“Oh, right. We’re in the library at Drummund Hills College, in Toronto.”
“Perfect,” she replied, trying to peer through the dark windows. “I’m not too far from home then.” She stared into space. I could see the gears in her mind turn as she was thinking.
I stared at my old classmate, waiting for an explanation on what she was doing there, but as I waited it became clear that the answer wasn’t going to come unprompted. “Are you okay?” I asked noticing how nervously she was fidgeting. She looked a bit pale and nervous, as if she was expecting someone to be chasing after her.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said curtly. She turned back to me and smiled kindly. It was an incredible smile, lighting up her whole face. The smile stretched across her fair cheeks and into her vivid green eyes. I forgot how to speak for a moment and I even forgot the endless list of questions that were forming in my head. “Thanks, James. It was good to see you, but I’ve got to go,” she finally said. I barely heard her, still too distracted by the charming smile. She turned on her heel and headed out of the study room.
After she left I stubbornly tried to finish the chapter assigned in my textbook, but now I was too wound up to read. Instead, I ended up packing up my laptop and heading out. My roommate had to be finished with our room by now. If not, the lounge sofa was quite a comfortable alternative to sleep.
It was around eleven by the time I stepped out into the chilly fall air. I buttoned my brown coat and put my headphones in as I walked across the mall. When I got back to my dorm I heard a rustling noise behind me. I stopped and peered into the shadows, but I couldn’t see anything. My curiosity wanted me to investigate, but my instincts told me to keep walking. Listening to instinct and hoping it was just my imagination, I continued up the stairs to the door and swiped my ID card on the lock to let myself into the building.
I skipped the elevator, which had a tendency to break down when drunken students decided to all jump at the same time, and took the stairs up to the third floor. I could hear loud noises of already drunk students getting ready to hit the bars or other parties off campus. As I ascended to the third floor I heard a rowdy crowd passing the stairs.
While I walked up the stairs, I kept getting the weird feeling that I was being followed, but I kept looking back and seeing no one. Each time I would shrug it off, hoping and praying that it was my imagination and continued walking. The third floor hallway was filled with guys getting ready to hit the town. A group of them started down the hall towards the elevators. As I approached my dorm, my roommate and a girl came out of the room, ready to join the group headed towards town.
“Hey Mark,” I greeted. I nodded a hello to his tall, leggy companion. “Headed to town?”
“Yeah,” he said distractedly, pulling on his coat and scarf. “Do you want to join us?” I knew he was only asking to impress the brunette on his arm. His expression was pleading me to stay behind.
“No, can't. I've got an early morning at my folk's place. Thanks anyway,” I said. That wasn’t just an excuse, I really did have to wake up early. The downside to having a parent work at the same school you attend is that you can't get away with any
thing. I didn't even own a fake ID to get into the bars.
“Alright, have a good one then,” Mark said, pressing his hand on the brunette’s back, nudging her forward.
“You too,” I replied, letting them pass. With my roommate gone, the dorm hall was deserted. I was about to unlock my door when movement caught my eye again. I looked back towards the stairwell and did a double take. There was a tall dark figure standing in the doorway. His figure was in shadow, the light behind him. Startled, I dropped my keys. When I reached down to pick them up, the man had already reached me, clearing a distance of twenty feet in a matter of seconds. Before I could even touch the keys he pinned me to the wall.
I wasn’t a light-weight. I was six feet tall and a runner, but that guy was freaking strong. He pushed me against the wall like I was a nothing. I gasped desperately as I tried to catch my breath.
“Where is the key?” he demanded. His voice sounded like gravel in a blender and his breath was worse.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied quickly, hoping the man would let me go and stop breathing on me.
“Where’s the girl?” He demanded again. I tried looking at his face, but again it was somehow in shadow.