BELGRAVE UNIVERSITY.
To Blaire, it was the single most interesting place in the world. She'd received the offer of a lifetime almost a year and a half ago, now. It seemed like a lifetime ago with everything she'd come across during her time at the university. After an incredibly successful career in her undergraduate program, Blaire had her heart set on a legal education. She knew, somewhere inside, that law school was her next step.
The real mystery was where.
The U.S. has more than enough law schools to choose from, with varying degrees of prestige and notoriety. One of the challenges Blaire faced stemmed from the bulk of her undergraduate work: research. She'd successfully earned her bachelor's degree from a fairly well known institution in history. Ancient texts, to be specific. She'd dabbled in other topics, but nothing else in her repertoire stood out as much as the ancient texts did. That's likely why Belgrave reached out to her, after all.
She honestly thought it was a scam, at first. She'd never even heard of Belgrave University before the letter came. Already equipped with a healthy dose of skepticism, warning bells had run rampant through that eerie sixth sense most people have when the letter not only offered her a spot in their part-time law program, tuition free, but also requested that she apply to the University's "esteemed research program," which boasted numerous accolades, grants, and more. Even further, the letter informed Blaire that the position was paid (very well) and provided her the option of on-campus housing options (included in the employment offer) or a housing stipend, recipients choice.
Needless to say, the first thing she did was research. With a school boasting such a prestigious research opportunity in addition to seeking her out, something felt wrong. But everything checked out. Belgrave proved to be very real, and very rich in history. Blaire discovered that the University was located on the other side of the country, and chalked that up to her lack of prior knowledge of the institution. Something was bothering her, at the edge of her conscience, but like all the ignorant chose to ignore it and push forward with the opportunity.
Admittedly, it didn't take her long to make her decision. Known for her impulsive decisions, her family wasn't exactly surprised when one day they heard about the letter and subsequent opportunity and only six days later a decision had been reached. Truthfully, she'd been waiting for an opportunity to explore the world even a bit more, and had been struggling to find appropriate work in her home state.
It was all too convenient. Perhaps she should have listened to that small part of her that was screaming a warning. Maybe she shouldn't have. Fate is a fickle thing, doing whatever it takes to get the result it wants. In the end, her choices were small and inconsequential. The larger facets of her life were already laid out, leaving only the timeline left to chance.
That had been during the winter after graduation. Six months later, as summer blossomed, Blaire found herself saying her final goodbyes to her family, traveling to the elusive Belgrave University, and settling in quickly.
STARTING HER NEW life during the summer months had been a relief. Her nerves were more alive than they'd been in years moving so far on her own, without the added stress of classes starting soon. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't terrified. Her choice to live in an on campus accommodation soothed her only a little; she had relative safety even during the summer living on campus than if she'd had to find her own place in the surrounding area. From what, she wasn't sure.
When she arrived, she was happy with her decision. The place the University had assigned her was nice. Very nice. Set back from campus, it was clear the building was and older house that had been repurposed a few times with the changing needs of the school (made obvious by the sign in front of the closed in porch that read "Manor House" over poorly covered weather spots from what had once been other names for the building). It had that classic 18th century look to it, with large bay windows on each side of the heavy wooden door, set out in alcoves even up to the second floor. Small windows where the foundation would have been alerted her to the presence of a cellar from the front of the house. The siding was clearly not original, painted a dark color (could have been brown or black, the sun had faded it just enough where it was hard to tell which was the original shade) with light colored storm shutters to contrast.
A small distance behind the home was the forest that surrounded half of the school, a clear dirt path leading to a trail of some sort that disappeared around a bend in the trail, obscured by the trees. Blaire made a quick mental note to explore that in the near future.
The interior was just as gorgeous and aged as the exterior. Faded wallpaper lined the walls already pre-decorated with period photos and paintings, and the more she explored her new home, the more surprised she became that she was the only one living there. Surely the University made a mistake; there was way too much space here for just one research professional. The first floor was clearly the "living" space, holding a spacious kitchen, two half baths, a dining room, a study, and not one but TWO living rooms. Then entryway was more of a high-ceilinged foyer with a chandelier that showed it age over the staircase that led to the second floor, which was one of those that the "hallway" overlooked the foyer over a wooden railing. The various bedrooms and bathrooms were hidden behind closed doors that weren't explored immediately due to the knock at the door.
Startled, Blaire navigated her way back through the maze of boxes the moving company had dropped off for her to the door, and opened it. Standing in front of her was a well put-together woman with sleek, dark hair wearing a sharp skirt suit. Blaire felt incredibly underdressed in her well worn jeans and t-shirt.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Kensington. I hope you are finding your accommodations adequate, I must apologize for not being able to introduce myself sooner. I had hoped to greet you as you came to campus this morning, however something came to my attention that I had to see to immediately. I'm Chancellor Vera Stone, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to the staff of Belgrave University. We truly are lucky you have you," the woman introduced herself, clasping her hands in front of her as she spoke.
Blaire's eyes widened a fraction, so this was the woman with whom she'd been in contact with since her selection for the position. "It's wonderful to finally meet you in person, Chancellor Stone. I'm looking forward to working with you in the future. Please, forgive my appearance. I wasn't expecting to see anyone so soon," she admitted sheepishly.
Chancellor Stone raised an eyebrow, "Yes, well, you'll come to find that you'll expect the unexpected during your time here. Anyways, I have for you a brief on your first assignment as well as my contact info. You're familiar with Latin, correct?"
Blaire blinked, "Yes, Chancellor." She took the folder that was extended towards her from a perfectly manicured hand. "I'll get started right away."
"That's what I like to hear. Feel free to use the library to its fullest extent, there's a map of campus included in that folder. The normal operating hours are shortened with the summer session, but your identification card will get you in after hours. Be sure to leave things as you find them, else those privileges will be revoked. I look forward to seeing what you've accomplished on Monday." A whole four days away.
Blaire nodded, flipping open the folder and beginning to skim the documents. Without another word, the Chancellor turned and left, her heels creating the perfect cadence on the wooden porch underneath her. Stunned by the abruptness, Blaire hesitated a moment before shutting the door behind her. What a harsh woman.
Taking a glance at the mass of boxes that blocked most of the foyer, she let out a sigh. Looks like this might take all summer to get settled after all, she thought to herself as she pushed her way to the dining room. For now it was the room with the most space to spread out, and already held her laptop which was likely going to be her most useful resource for at least a little while. She was happy to leave the attempt to navigate the comparatively massive campus to a later time.
And so, Blaire began to settle in to her new life.
If only she had known what she was in store for in the beginning.