Hello guys! A promise is a promise: here's the second chapter. I hope you will appreciate it despite the mistakes (tenses! Aaaargh). Don't worry, they will become longer. Thank you sooooo much for you reviews, you are awesome :) (it is so weird to be on the other side of the screen!)
To those who don't have an account:
- Rauguste: Thank you! I hope my Belgian Ana won't disappoint you ^^
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Enjoy! xx
Characters belong to E L James (or Snowqueen's Icedragon for those who knew her here ;) )

Chapter 2 – Begin Again

After I had spent the latest hour confined with too much people (why the hell was everyone coming at the same time as me?!) in an old smelly little shuttle bus, whose air conditioning system was non-functional, I eventually found myself in front of the campus.

In fact, I think I am on campus, but the term 'town' would better describe it. We had been driving through it for at least five minutes when we finally stopped next to an impressive edifice. It was composed by a large entrance door overhung by a majestic arch, and surrounded on each side by a tower.
We all looked around; eyes wide open as if we were children brought to Disneyland for the first time. I however made a point to keep my mouth closed.
Buildings of different types circled us: some were quite modern, but most of them had a Collegiate Gothic or Romanesque style. It was absolutely breathtaking. Not that I am a big fan of architecture or even care about, but it gave a certain charm to the place. The atmosphere made me think of Hogwarts, which was… awkward.

We were taking our bags out of the minibus when I realized that the streets (yes, the campus is really huge) were crowded. I had naively thought that coming two weeks before the start of the academic year would spare me the back-to-school effervescence. Well, I was wrong. Parents and students were transporting pillows and fitted sheets, running between their open-trunk cars and halls. But it was so funny to watch and I felt so good, like I was a freshman again. Which is not the case, though. It's your 4th year and you still don't know what to do after. If you're trying to spoil my day, you better try a little harder because I'm at a level of happiness and fullness that you could barely imagine.

When all bus passengers had their personal stuffs, a blond chubby-cheeked guy, probably around 40, came to us hopingly.

"Good morning everyone! I'm Connor Wayley, your guide!" he introduced himself. "We're gonna do a short tour of the residence halls in order to let you place your suitcases in your respective rooms, and right after, I'm gonna show you the main places of this beautiful campus. Considering that getting lost is as easy as failing your exams, I strongly recommend you to follow me… Ha ha, that was a joke!" he added, seeing that everybody was mute, looking at him with concerned faces.

Personally, I was not sure it was a joke... at all.

"Welcome to Princeton!"

The tension dissipated and everybody followed him, except me. They were going to the right, and I knew my bedroom was in Hamilton Hall. It was apparently situated in the North-West, what my map indicated as being the left. My suitcase was so heavy that I couldn't be bothered to carry it more than necessary. Moreover, I had never been a gregarious person. And furthermore, I could still visit the campus during the following days. And plus, I… Oh and shit! I don't have to justify myself. Not listening to Mr. He-Is-Not-The-Law Wayley doesn't make me a bad student, right? I turned back and silently left the group.

On my way to the housing hall, I noticed a same poster several times, fastened on trees as well as on billboards which ran along the sidewalk. It was a picture representing a ginger girl who had to be the same age as me. Her eyes were emerald green, her hair was curly, and freckles covered her face in a cute way. Maybe she was a bit younger. Actually, it could've been a great electoral poster if the question 'Have you seen that girl?' wasn't written in 72px bold characters right over the photo. I stopped by for a second, and then resumed to walk. What did happen to that girl? Is she a student? Probably. Or was. Stop with your negative thoughts! You've watched too many criminal TV shows, good heavens! She is not dead, she has just disappeared. A shiver ran through my body. I was trying to convince myself as much as I could, but I felt bad; I should've written down the phone number indicated at the bottom of the poster. How are you supposed to know where she is? You've just arrived. I know. Nevertheless, it preoccupied me for the rest of the walk.

Twenty minutes later (yes, it's worth saying it again: the campus is really really huge) I finally reached the Hamilton Hall. The building wasn't really high –only two floors- but quite vast, it was built in old bricks and had lots of squared or semicircular arch windows. Of course, ivy covered it broadly, claiming his membership of the world-famous league. It was part of Mathey College; one of the 6 residential colleges Princeton is divided into. The others are Rockefeller, Butler, Whitman, Forbes and Wilson.
I entered and came face to face with one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen. No, it was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. His cheekbones were prominent, he had a square jaw and undisciplined brown hair that makes you want to run your fingers through. He was very tall –at least 1,90m–, and had a build worthy of Greek Gods. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a grey t-shirt from the University which made not only his muscles visible but also brought out his eyes. These were sharp grey. They were magnificent, but in addition with the thin line formed by his lips, they made his face cold and tough. However, this one was astonishingly symmetric and he had delicate features.

"Are you looking for something?" he asked with a perfectly-under-control artificial smile, after what seemed to be an eternity.

I immediately turned my eyes away from him to look down at my feet. What happened to me? I've never ever been able to stare at a boy in the eyes more than one second. Being submissive was one of my many flaws in the current society where males want enterprising females. Unfortunately it wasn't me, and probably never will be. This time wasn't an exception to the rule, but the magnetism of his look pushed away my nature a short moment.
I swallowed my saliva and quickly glanced at him. He was smiling crookedly, apparently amused.

"Hm, yes, the room number eighteen…" I shyly answered.

He imperceptibly raised his eyebrows, certainly surprised by my I-thought-I-hadn't-anymore-but-obviously-yes accent, but didn't comment.

"Turn left at the end of the corridor and this is the first room on your right."

"Okay, thank you."

He stepped back to let me pass. I hesitated but then regained self-control and followed his instructions. I could feel his eyes on me while I was trying to walk normally, which was a hard mission given my jelly knees. He's undressing you. No he's not. Why would he? I mean, all the boys I had met in my life seemed rather inclined to give me an additional sweatshirt.
I quickened my pace and finally reached my bedroom, whose door was in solid wood. The image of my future nest replaced his in my mind, just in time to save my panties from the imminent wetness. The room was big: it contained two desks, two chairs, two night tables with bedside lamps, a small fridge, a large wardrobe, a sink accompanied with a round mirror and of course, two beds. The ceiling was snow white whereas the walls were painted in burgundy, which was reminiscent of Mathey's emblem. A rectangular window that looked onto a beautiful courtyard lighted all of it. Everything was perfectly tidied up and sparkling clean.
Despite sunbeams that invited me to go out, I decided not to waste time and began to unpack my suitcase. I chose the left side of the closet but didn't place too many things in it in case where my roommate wouldn't be okay. Under my mountain of clothes, I found a picture of my sweet gelding that I didn't even remember taking with. I've already missed his whinny.
I was lost in my thoughts when I heard a newly familiar girly voice behind me.

"Oh come on, daaad! That's fine, I can do it by myself, you can go now! Hop it!"

I turned around and saw her. Kate. I opened my mouth in surprise.

"Ana?" she almost yelled, dropping her enormous bag. "Do not tell me you're my new roommate?"

I bit my lower lip, nervous. Doesn't she want me to stay? Did I make such a bad impression in the plane? I breathed in and answered very quietly.

"Yes…"

"Aaaaww, that's amazing! I can't believe it! How long do you stay? How old are you? Are you freshman? Why do you study here and not in Belgium? Oh maybe you're not here to study! Are you a new assistant? I should show you the campus! There are a lot of hot guys, trust me. Daaaad!"

She was debiting her words so fast that I struggled to understand. It didn't matter, tough, because she didn't let me answer. Her excitement made me laugh. There was no need to worry, she's apparently happy that we'll spend the first semester together. Me too, really.
Her poor father, expelled two minutes ago, came back running. He was breathing loudly when he arrived in front of the room and his eyes were wide open, probably concerned by his daughter's scream.

"Dad, Ana. Ana, John Kavanagh, my father. It's incredible, dad, we met in the plane! And now we're roommates and future BFFs! Oh and she speaks French, that's so cool!" she was jumping up and down, clapping her hands.

She reminded me of Alice Cullen from The Twilight Saga, but in Rosalie's body. I observed her better now that we were standing in front of each other. Perched on twelve-centimeter heels, she dominated me broadly. She wore her hair up in a bun but wild strands were escaping from it, which made her face thinner. She was wearing a white top and a pink short that showed her endless legs, and to cap it all, her blue lagoon eyes were intensified by her tan. In conclusion, she has what it takes. She is so beautiful and I'm so jealous.
Even if I had taken only ten seconds to detail her, I felt ashamed. Looking at other women was something that I had refrained from for a long time now, because I didn't want people to think I was a lesbian. Unfortunately they do, even people who are close to me and it's hurtful. They're waiting for a coming-out that will never arise. The thing is that I am not ogling girls and I absolutely do not want to go out with them, I just admire them so I can find ways to improve myself. Other girls do this too, right? Seriously, does having kissed only two boys and being still a virgin at the age of twenty make me a lesbian? Well… You really want me to answer? No! That was a rhetorical question!
My internal reflections restarted the eternal argument between my body and my brain, about whose fault it was: 'You look ugly!' 'It's you who live in a fairy tale, waiting for the Prince Charming!'… and claptrap. I decided to ignore them.

"Pleased to meet you, Ana." M. Kavanagh held out his hand and I shook it.

"Same here!"

"Do not hesitate to put my daughter in her place if she's…"

"Dad! Enough! Let us between girls." she pushed him out of the room.

He winked at me just before she shut the door in his face. She turned back and brightly smiled at me.

"I'm so happy that it's you! My previous roommate was unbearable! It's gonna be your best year, you'll see! This university is great."

"Uh, I stay during 6 months only. I'm here for my Erasmus." I said, still surprised by my words.

Who could believe it? Princeton!

"Oh, what a pity!" she said with a sad pout but recovered in the blink of an eye. "Never mind, it will be your best 6 months then!"

Is it possible that she's even more positive than me? I adored her already.

"There is no shadow of a doubt over that!"

And I was sincere. I had been looking forward to coming here for so long that nothing could ruin my trip.

"You have lunch with me?"

It was more a statement than a question but I was glad she proposed; I was starving. Second lunch of the day. Do I have to remind you all your good resolutions? Excuse me but, seriously, I don't call what we received in the plane 'food'. Consequently, it doesn't count.

"Yes, sure. I'm very hungry." I replied, smiling provocatively at my guilty conscience that was looking daggers at me.

Once changed (I swapped my pair of jeans for a blue skirt given the temperature), we headed for the Graduate College dining hall, where one can buy 'thousands of extra-delicious stuffs' according to Kate. I followed her through the campus and it became crystal clear that she was Rosalie. She adopted a self-confident pace and held her head haughtily. Actually, she looked like a bitch. Exactly like the first time I saw her in the plane. I wonder why she turned herself into such a pétasse when we went out. She's usually so friendly. Well, since I've known her only for a few hours, I don't know. But she was really nice towards me. Maybe she just needs an uglier friend to seem prettier. Typical. You know what? Fuck. You.

When I discovered the Procter Hall, I stopped abruptly. Oh mon Dieu. Remember when I said it looked like Hogwarts? Well, saying that this room was a copy of the Great Hall would be a euphemism. It was the Great Hall. Two rows of large tables stretched as far as the end of the room, and the back wall was garnished by an incredibly huge stained-glass window. Impressive lusters were hanging from the vaulted ceiling which was extremely high. On lateral walls, one could find painted portraits of different men, probably illustrious contributors or founders of Princeton. Only the professors' seats were missing. Now I really wonder if students have to wear a Sorting Hat to be given a College… The room was almost full although it was 2.30pm; students' voices and the noise of flatware were resonating loudly. I could almost hear the famous Harry Potter Theme. Magical.
When Kate noticed that I wasn't by her side anymore, she turned around with a look of incomprehension.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry." I snapped out of it and caught her up.

We headed for the rich self-service buffet. Indeed, everything seemed 'extra-delicious' and the large display of fruits broke all European prejudices. Nevertheless, still mad ad my reason, I chose something quite fat: fries. Kate took a Caesar salad and yoghurt. That's it, I feel guilty again.
Once seated, she returned to normal –or at least, to whom I knew as the normal Kate. She took a bite of salad and stroke up the conversation.

"So, Ana, let's talk a bit about you! You said you were twenty, so it's not your last year of College?"

"For you, yes. I'll be twenty-one in October so it's my forth year but it doesn't mean final straight for me, because my program lasts five years in Belgium."

"Oh! And what are you studying?"

"Business. In fact, it's called business engineering but it doesn't exist out of Belgium." I've always found that ridiculous, by the way, since trade is clearly an international matter. The Facebook page 'Could only happen in Belgium' doesn't exist for nothing. "The main courses are accounting, law, economy and languages but we also have others like physics and chemistry."

"Brrr, sciences! I hate that! But it sounds good, or at least very varied."

"Yes, it is. I don't regret my choice, even if it's not really my vocation. I love reading and writing."

I had chosen my studies for many reasons, but 'by passion' was not one of them. My father had always told me to do what could give me a job rather than what I liked. I wasn't indignant that he thought that way because 1) I knew he wished I could find both and 2) given the current European economic situation, he was totally right.

"Maybe you should have chosen literature? But after all, who does what he likes nowadays, huh? And it's got nothing to do with but I thought that people only spoke Dutch in Belgium. I love French!"

"We have three official languages: French, Dutch and German." (And if you knew the amount of troubles it causes…) "As for me, I love English! Especially yours, you American. You have such sing-song accents. But enough about me; what about you? I wanna know everything!" I encouraged her to talk.

"Well, where to start? I've been studying here for three years now, it's my last year. I love Princeton. Besides being one of the most prestigious universities, the atmosphere is great, professors are very approachable and there are a lot of events organized throughout the year. I'm studying architecture and as you can see it, I have enough to be going on with! Princeton is a wonder of architecture." She finished with dreaminess.

Okay, so obviously she was talking about her earlier when she mentioned people who didn't like what they were doing, but I understood her wrong: she is one of those who actually love what they do. Surprisingly, I felt truly happy for her.

"Indeed, the campus is incredible."

"Wait, you haven't even seen the quarter of it. Mathey occupies most of the historic buildings on campus. For example, the Edwards Hall was built in 1880…"

I was listening carefully until his voice diverted my attention. I turned my eyes away from Kate (don't ask me why but I had to) and then I saw him. He was standing next to a table, a few meters further on. Damn, he was startlingly handsome. Since all girls around him were smiling blissfully or gesticulating seductively or both, it was clear that I wasn't the only one that thought so. He must have felt my eyes on him because he jerked his head in my direction and his look pierced me. He gave me an awesome half-smirk half-charming smile. Oh My. I instantly blushed and bit my lower lip, which seemed to be a bad thing because he lost his grin as instantly and his eyes darkened. I quickly focused back on Kate who was looking at me, hands on hips, with a 'do I bother you?' expression. I realized that I hadn't heard a single word she had said after '1880'.

"Oh Kate I'm sorry!" I blushed unabated.

"Apparently, Christian Grey is more interesting than me."

"Who?"

"The guy over there, his name is Christian Grey. He's outstanding, I'll give you that, but he's the biggest asshole the world has ever known. He needs a flaw, you're gonna tell me."

"Oh." Not surprising. At all. "Is he a student?"

"He was. And probably one of the smartest. He studied politics but he's an RGS now, a resident graduate student. He's from Rockefeller and therefore, resides there."

"And what do RGSs do?" I asked, curious.

"They organize fun trips and help undergraduates via study groups. However, I suspect Grey to sell his services, if you know what I mean. Last year, I think he slept with at least 50 girls, including assistant professors."

"Is it why you call him an asshole?"

"Isn't it enough?!" she rebelled.

I was taken aback by the animosity in her tone. It's not that I don't agree, but if there's something that experience taught me, it is not to judge people without knowing them. Yes, but since you will never know him, who cares? Fair point.

"Yes, sure." I nodded in feminine solidarity.

"The worst is that he's not the only one. His Greek friends are no better."

"His Greek friends?"

"Yeah, he's the vice-president of the student organization theta beta omega. They organize the best parties but it is extremely elitist. As a result, it's very difficult to join it, especially for women. In my opinion, they're all misogynists." she said with disdain.

"Okay, I think I got it: I must avoid θβΩ members."

"Exactly!" she looked at him and then rolled her eyes. "Pff, look at those girls who gravitate towards him. They inspire pity."

I glanced at him and caught him offering the same half-smirk half-enticing smile he addressed me earlier. Oh please, don't tell me you thought it was reserved for you? No, I'm just wondering if I'm the only girl here that sees it doesn't reach his eyes.

We finished the meal talking about the different parties we wanted to go to. Or rather the parties Kate wanted me to go to. I am not the kind of girl that goes out a lot but she convinced me when she said that it would be amazing and that we had to enjoy our last (well, for me last but one) year. Furthermore, I was really excited to discover everything that was waiting for me, and parties were definitely part of it.
We got up from the table to put our trays away. When we passed behind Christian, it was like the air was ionized; I could feel the energy that emanated from him and my muscles tensed automatically. Could he feel it too? I didn't dare to turn round because I knew that if I established contact with his deep gaze, my knees would let me down.

During the afternoon, Kate undertook to show me the cult places on campus and this time, I made a point to stay concentrated. Fortunately we didn't cross him; otherwise I would have lost control of my body as there seems to happen every time I see him.
We came back to our bedroom around 6pm but I was already dead tired. Jet-lag. Yes, I could fully feel it now; it was knocking me out. It had to be about midnight now in Belgium.

"I'll have dinner with my friends tonight, kind of reunion dinner which became a tradition after holidays. Do you wanna come with?" Kate asked.

"It's nice to invite me but I'm too tired and I wouldn't like to be an intruder. They don't know me."

"Not yet, but I'm sure they will adore you!" she said with enthusiasm. "But I know jet-lag is a bitch so I'm gonna let you sleep."

I laughed.

"Have fun!"

As soon as she had closed the door, I slipped into my pajama –a large t-shirt and a mini-short–, braided my hair as usual, and felt asleep thinking about everything that was waiting for me. So many things to see, so many people to meet, so many experiences to live: it's so exalting to feel like you're beginning again!

What did you think? Please let me your impressions! (getting reviews is a really addictive phenomenon haha :p)
Chapter 3 will be there on August 9th ! (or maybe 8th for Americans, 10th for Chinese ^^)