Chapter 1: A Guest

Evelyn jerked awake and fell out of her bed onto the cold wooden floor, she panted and wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was 2am and people were still out dancing and singing in the streets, she could hear her neighbour Diana having a good time with her latest conquest. She got up off the floor and walked through to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face, once again she had already forgotten the dream that had awoken her, she didn't remember any of it. She climbed back into her bed and layback staring at the ceiling. Evelyn James was 20 years old, when she was six in 1944 her family had been taken from her during the war, she couldn't remember how or why. She had spent the next ten years with her adoptive family, Warren and Annie James, they were already in their fifties when they adopted her and warren had died just after her 10th birthday leaving just her and Annie. She was a quiet child who always had her nose in a book; this lust for knowledge had led to her being accepted to medical school when she was sixteen. She trained for two years as a nurse, when she graduated she spent a year working in a hospital before deciding to go back to school and train to be a psychiatrist. And she was just starting out in her second year, she loved to learn about people and spent her weekends working in the medical hospital, nursing some of the patients the students examined. She rolled over on to her side and pulled her pillow around her head to cover her ears as her dorm neighbour Diana shrieked with pleasure, she groaned and wondered what she'd done to deserve a neighbour as noisy as her.

She managed to get three more hours sleep before she had to get up for classes, she looked out of the window, London was already in full flow and soon she would join the hustle and bustle with the rest of the campus. She washed and dressed in a simple grey dress, she pulled her hair into a low bun and swept her long fringe off to the side with a flick. She was applying her simple make up when Diana waltzed through the door in full, heavy glamour girl make up, her peroxide blonde hair was in tight Marilyn Monroe style curls, she wore a very tight red dress and heels, this was everyday casual for the wealthy Diana. Evelyn liked Diana; she could be a nice person when she wasn't bragging,

' Morning sunshine' Evelyn greeted her as she applied a coat of mascara

' Good morning, how did you sleep?'

' Is that supposed to be funny?' Evelyn said sarcastically

' I'm sorry I couldn't help it, he was just so good'

' Ok I don't need to know anymore and we're going to be late' she applied a small amount of red lipstick and smudged it on her lips so it looked dull and grabbed her black coat and bag, Diana pulled on her navy blue coat and followed Evelyn, still smiling dazedly.

They separated and walked to their separate classes, Evelyn walked across the path in the middle of the campus green towards her lecture; she arrived early and sat down,

' Someone's eager' her professor Stephen Burton said smiling, she smiled back and rubbed her face,

' Diana give you another night of restless sleep?' she nodded and laughed quietly, she got along very well with professor Burton, she had been his nurse over a year ago in hospital when he'd had his appendix removed, it was he that suggested she take his course and they'd been friends ever since. He was a elderly man with a kind and wise face, he had privately confessed to her that he was homosexual and feared that if anyone ever found out he would lose his job,

' She sure did, what's on the agenda for today?'

'Freud's psychoanalytic theory' he said smiling

' Sounds good'

' And in a couple of weeks you'll get a guest lecturer twice a week'

' Oh really who's that then?'

' Dr Hannibal Lecter, a surgeon and a psychiatrist and he's only two years older than you'

' Wow that's a lot of accomplishments at a young age'

' I know makes me envious, here this is his latest paper, why don't you have a read?' he handed her the papers from his briefcase and she smiled in thanks, the rest of the class filtered in and soon the lecture began.

Evelyn re-read the paper again for the third time, rumours had been circulating the campus for the last week and professor Burton had announced that Dr Lecter would be coming a week early to sit in on classes and get to know people. Diana wasn't fazed by it; she sat in Evelyn's room with her while Evelyn wrote her paper,

' I don't get the big deal he'll be some boring old fart' Diana said sprawling out on Evelyn's bed,

' He's twenty two so I doubt he'll look that old' Evelyn said vaguely as she wrote,

' Fine then he'll be an ugly little geek, I'm bored you coming out?' she stood up and unnecessarily reapplied her fire engine red lipstick,

' No I have to finish this paper'

' Oh Evie come on, you need a night out, just one drink?' Diana pouted mockingly then smiled

' Fine one drink then will you leave me alone to finish this?'

' Of course' Evelyn stood up and smoothed her emerald green dress down before grabbing her coat and leaving with Diana.

They went to a club near the campus, Diana was in her element when drooling men surrounded her, Evelyn stood by her and watched the clock on the wall wondering how long she had to stay. Evelyn ordered a red wine while a rather tipsy Diana fawned all over her latest conquest, Evelyn sipped it slowly and looked around the crowded club, mostly it was just her drunken class mates. A man sat next to her, she hadn't seen him on campus so she assumed he wasn't a student or teacher, he sat quietly, waiting patiently for the bar man to serve him, Evelyn turned and looked away from him,

' Excuse me' she turned back in surprise,

' Yes?' she looked the man straight in his strong blue eyes,

' How is the wine?' he asked slightly raising an eyebrow,

' Awful' she said, he smiled in surprise at her honesty

' Thank you for the warning' he smiled, it was an almost lop sided smile but all the same it made her smile back. They didn't speak anymore, he left soon after she'd told him how awful the wine was and she left after seeing Diana was all geared up for another noisy night. She left the club and climbed into a taxi, she gave him the address and sat back enjoying the quietness compared to the club, the taxi pulled up outside a small house and she paid her fare and walked up to the door pulling her key out of her bag,

' Who's there?' a quivering voice called from the living room

' It's only me mother' she shouted back as she pulled her coat off and walked through to the living room,

' How are you dear, how's school?'

' I'm well, school's great, how are you feeling?'

' Stop worrying and fussing over me Evelyn, I'm fine' she placed a hand on her mother's forehead

' I cant help fussing it's my job' she said smiling. She stayed with her mother a few hours before going back to her dorm room; Diana's room was silent so she assumed Diana had gone back to her conquests room for the night. She undressed and climbed into bed, she fell asleep soon after her head hit the pillow.

Hannibal stood outside the club; he had become instantly intrigued by the honest woman and wanted to know if she was at the medical school, he watched her walk outside and swish her long dark hair out of her face as she hailed a taxi. He went back to the dorms and walked around admiring the architecture when he spotted her again, she was a student, he smiled his lopsided smile and watched her walk inside the building.