FRESHMAN YEARFALL SEMESTERChapter 1: A Walk In The Park/Breaking Even
Leon walked down the quiet cobblestone path, hands dug in his pockets and eyes scanning the trees around him. Located dead in the center of campus was Umbrella University's very own miniature central park. A beacon of nature amid all the modern architecture that made up the dorms, class buildings, and staff structures. Not that a reminder of what nature looked like was all that necessary. The campus was nestled in the Arklay mountains, a stretch of woodlands that went on for miles. The only other source of civilization being a small college town just a few miles south, and after that, there was nothing but trees all the way down to Raccoon City.
This place was supposed to foster the best of the best the nation had to offer. Young minds and unbridled talent that could be shaped into the leaders of tomorrow. Being 'stranded' all the way out in the mountains meant that there would be little to focus on besides work.
The thought prompted a sigh out from Leon's lips. What the hell was he even here for? What exactly was he so good at that earned him his scholarship in the first place? Nothing. He wasn't any kind of genius or athletic all-star. He was just a kid who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Leon frowned as he recalled that fateful day. The water was so cold. There was a scream so loud he thought his ears would bleed. His lungs burning, eyes stinging, the piercing howl of the sirens nearby. How could…
"Oooof!"
In the middle of reliving the ordeal, Leon had failed to notice the woman in front of him. Her books scattered across the walkway beneath them while she was knocked down onto her rear. Leon could feel his pale cheeks flush as he realized the reason she'd spontaneously decided to take a seat on the ground was because he'd bumped into her. Leon dropped to his knees, right away grabbing one of the textbooks.
"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was walking…"
Leon thought it best to not mention he was reliving his trauma, instead opting to sound as apologetic as possible while gathering her belongings. The woman fixed herself up, switching to a kneeling position herself, grabbing the books closest to her.
"No, I'm sorry. I was carrying so much, it was blocking my eyes. That was silly…"
She sounded just as sorry to Leon which only made him feel even more guilty. Although that hardly lasted as he began to look over her face, his heart skipping a beat. She had fair skin that only looked more pale thanks to her natural red hair which ran down her back in a ponytail. The fall had caused some to fall before her lightly blue eyes. She was dressed in the standard school uniform of a plaid skirt along with a white cotton top, buttoned all the way up, but added on a red leather jacket to fight back the cold. Leon had done much the same with his brown coat over his similar shirt, the biggest difference in their outfits being that he was wearing slacks.
It wasn't until that she too began to blush that Leon realized how long he was staring, quickly standing back up and breaking the awkward silence by clearing his throat. Eager to look anywhere but at her, largely for risk of getting lost in her eyes once more, he instead gazed at the books he helped her to gather. Chemistry, trigonometry, French history, anatomy. Each one thick enough to be classified as a weapon.
"Whoa. Not exactly light reading huh? Gearing up for the semester already?"
His gaze followed her as she stood back up with her books clutched against her chest. Even though he was already holding half of what she'd been carrying, the ones in her grasp looked to be just as intimidating. The girl smiled sweetly to him and gave an affirmative nod.
"Yeah, and these aren't even the ones the professor assigned us. I still gotta go pick those up from the library later."
Leon could hardly hide his surprise, eyes widening as he looked back to her, then to the books, then back to her face again to emphasize his shock. She giggled while he gauged to see if she was being serious.
"You're kidding. All of this is just what…prep?"
The girl shrugged her shoulders innocently as if the books between them didn't hold a collective page count numbering well into the thousands.
"Basically. I just like being prepared."
Leon could only nod, still taken back and now feeling more out of
place than ever. Luckily before that self-doubt could begin to gnaw at him, a distraction came in the form of an outstretched hand from the pretty girl before him.
"Oh, I'm Claire by the way."
Leon gladly accepted the gesture, shaking her hand politely while returning the introduction.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Leon. Leon Kennedy. And ah…sorry again about crashing into you."
She held up her hand to silence his apology, shaking her head before readjusting her grip on the textbooks.
"Like I said, it's my fault too. I shouldn't have been walking around without looking where I was going."
Hearing that, it was as if a lightbulb had appeared over Leon's head. Tapping the pile of books in his own hand, he gave her an offer.
"How about I help carry this stack over to the dorms for you then? Maybe it'll save us both from crashing into anything."
Leon's smile widened as his words elicited another giggle from Claire who seemed happy to accept his request. She spun on her heels, heading off towards the park's exit. Leon watched her go for a few moments, taking note the way the gentle breeze caused her auburn hair to flow gently before he realized he was intended to follow and dashed forward so that he was at her side.
Paired up, they entered the main campus area where a few dozen more students were mulling about. Umbrella University had a small class size. Between all the grades the student body danced around the five hundred mark, although it felt like a little more since every student was required to live on campus. And with so little to do in the surrounding area that essentially meant that every student, professor, and staff member spent nearly every second somewhere on campus.
That helped with the loneliness, although being lonely was the furthest thing from Leon's mind as he walked beside Claire. He fought the urge to take more than a passing glance at her, and seeing as how the silence left too much room for him to fail in his nobel quest to walk forward in a straight line, he instead decided to strike up a new conversation.
"If you don't mind me asking, what do you think about this place? I've only ever visited a few campuses myself so I don't have much to compare it to."
Leon spoke candidly, perhaps too much so as Claire gave him a brief, confused side eye before looking forward again.
"UU? This place has been my dream college ever since middle school. I worked my butt off to get in, and honestly, it's everything I've dreamed of. The campus is beautiful, the professors seem great, and the legacy this place has…it's like you can feel it in the air."
Claire let out a content sigh to wrap up her assessment, which had only left Leon feeling worse off about being here. Claire seemed to deserve her spot here as much as anyone could. He had no reason to doubt her capabilities, considering the textbooks in his hands would make his head spin if he ever tried to understand them. How many other 'Claires' were there who's dreams he had a hand in undoing by stealing their spot? The idea of it forming a pit in Leon's stomach that thankfully Claire was distracting him from with a nervous laugh.
"God, I sound like a total nerd don't I?"
Leon chuckled along with her and shrugged.
"I mean…yeah a little. But it's cool that you're so passionate about this place. I can tell it's your dream. You're glowing just talking about it."
Once again Claire's cheeks flushed and once Leon realized the implication of what he said he quickly scrambled to follow up.
"Yknow, that you're excited. That's what I meant. You seem really happy."
It was a pitiful attempt at a save and the desperation came through in his voice. Claire graciously had pity to spare though, and gave Leon a silent smile of understanding in return. He returned her expression with one of his own while continuing to walk forward. Seeing now that perhaps silence really was best.
They only walked for a few more minutes before Claire came to a stop, nodding her head to the side in reference to the large brick building now standing beside them. The boys and girls freshman dorms were easily the oldest buildings on campus, relics of the University's earliest days. Still they had some modern conveniences including a scanner built into the door that would only open for those with a specific medallion. One that every student was provided, bearing the school's iconic red and white logo.
"Well…here we are. Thanks for your help"
Claire announced their arrival out loud as if her original gesture wasn't enough. Leon couldn't help but feel disappointed about how quickly they reached their destination but obliged her by adding the books he'd been carrying to her stack.
"No problem. Here you go."
Leon placed the last book on top of her stack, still quietly in disbelief that all of this was solely on her own volition. Which gave him a fresh idea. Just before she turned away from him he called out to her.
"Oh, Claire!"
She turned back, peeking her head out from the side of her book pile.
"Yeah?"
"I was just gonna say that, if you need any help getting the rest of those books from the library I'd be happy to help. I think hauling textbooks might just be my calling."
With all the books blocking her face, Leon wasn't entirely sure if he'd seen her smile. But from the way her eyes looked at him, he was certain he knew her answer before she even said it out loud.
"Sure. I was thinking about going tomorrow around ten."
Even if her smile was hidden, Leon's own was as wide as he could be. Shooting Claire a thumbs up, Leon turned around and headed off in the direction of the boy's dorms. A small bit of hope rekindled that perhaps this place did have something to offer him after all.
/
Jill stepped out from the campus store, chewing a fresh tick of mint gum. The cool taste mixed with the crisp fall air brought a chill down her throat that she didn't entirely mind as she descended down the steps away from the shop tp reach the sidewalk. In ten minutes she was supposed to meet the girl who would apparently be her roommate this semester, Rebecca Chambers. They two of them had exchanged two calls in the weeks before their arrival here on campus, and Jill got the impression right away that Rebecca was the academic type. A slight nervous stammer to her voice, the first topic of conversation being what major Jill was thinking of pursuing, and the poor girl even felt to need what Jill's bedtime was.
Still, there were definitely worse folks to be paired up with. Jill wasn't a slouch when it came to academia herself, although it wasn't where her true passion lied. If only she knew where it did lie. Jill's appearance on campus wasn't exactly set in stone. When it came to grades she did just fine, better than that even, being in the top five highest GPAs in her county. And her first three years of high school you couldn't find a better softball pitcher wherever you looked in the state. Senior year though, that changed. Kicked off the team and damn near disgraced. She just got lucky that word spread to the college board so slowly that by the time they heard of her 'incident' she had already been offered a full ride.
One that had been easy to accept. Jill would have taken any opportunity to escape her hometown. And a college campus in the middle of the woods, miles from any major civilization? They might as well have hung up a sign that read 'Sanctuary for Jill' over the entrance to campus. As she stepped past the other wandering students, Jill got the impression that this place would eventually lose its luster. But surely she could hold out for four years, enough to get a degree and then afterwards, kickstart the rest of her life.
Until then, she would try to enjoy herself as best she could. Barring that, she'd stay out of trouble long and coast on through four years, taking what time she could to relax. After the whirlwind that was last year, time to herself without having to look over her shoulder sounded alright with her. For now her focus was heading to the park where she was supposed to meet Rebecca. Jill would wind up a few minutes earlier than intended but that was alright with her. The campus store turned out to be a poor fit for loitering as Jill quickly grew tired of the creep eyeing her up from behind the counter.
Jill was entirely aware of the attention that she garnered, although she often didn't care for it. Her fit form was a product of hard work in the gym, and evidence of her strict discipline. Not sculpted just to be drooled over by horny guys looking for a quick score. Normally a quick glare from her sharp blue eyes would be enough to send most men away with their tail between their legs. For those that were more persistent, she had other tools at her disposal.
Despite herself, the mere thought of action got her heartbeat to quicken slightly. Jill knew inside that getting excited to fight wasn't exactly a 'normal' trait for a nineteen year old girl to have but she couldn't help herself. For the past few months, her local kickboxing gym had been the one place of solace she had outside of her own home. Jill would be okay if she didn't make new friends during her time at Umbrella U. But she might just go crazy if she didn't find someone to spar with.
The obvious first choice was Rebecca, although Jill had little faith that the timid girl she spoke with over the phone would be eager to step into the ring. Jill had assured herself she would keep an eye open, and as if fate had been listening to her, she spotted a woman just as she entered the park. It was a group of three actually, all of them fit, although the leftmost one was who had captured her attention. Broad shoulders and a short but wide build gave Jill the impression of a flag footballer or some other contact sport. The other two were also fit, although less overtly so.
Now that she was looking at them more closely, Jill noticed the center one was drop dead gorgeous. Long dark hair and olive toned skinned, with a curvy figure. The school uniform did her little favors but she possessed a natural beauty that made her radiant even with the handicap of their bland attire. Although there was already something that rubbed Jill the wrong way about her. Something that she could see in her emerald eyes the closer Jill got to the trio. A kind of malice that Jill loathed to recognize. This chick was trouble, and Jill was preparing to give them a wide berth before she noticed that there weren't actually just three of them.
They had actually been gathering a petite looking girl sitting on the bench, one who kept her head down and eyes glued to the pavement as the other three looked down upon her.
"I-I don't know what y-you're talking about…"
The seated girl stammered the words out, and right away Jill recognized the voice and sighed inwardly. Rebecca. It looked like Jill's character assessment had been spot on. Rebecca was a timid one, and it looked like these harpies were already taking advantage of that. The lead one smirked and clicked her tongue.
"You don't have to play dumb with us babe. Professor Birkin is hot, but acting all flirty with him on the first day? Wild stuff. You know he's married right? His wife is another professor in the lab so you'd better watch yourself if you decide to keep up your game."
The beautiful bully tried to make it sound like she was giving advice but as if her teasing tone wasn't enough, the malicious giggling of her companions sealed the deal. Rebecca already seemed to be on the verge of tears as she strained to defend herself.
"I wa-wasn't flirting…! I just wanted to s-s-say how excited I am for his cl-class…"
The leader of the trio rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"Sure, sure. But piece of advice, you'd better cool it with that. Or else someone might get the wrong idea and submit an anonymous report about a student attempting to get too intimate with a staff member. I know I'm new here but going off this school's rep, personally I'd say they'd wanna avoid controversy at all cost."
Jill had heard enough. She wasn't sure what it was these girls were looking for with Rebecca but it wasn't anything good. Jill stepped forwards and put her fingers to her lips, letting out a high pitched whistle she learned on the softball field. The volume was loud enough to cause all the girls in front of her to jump back in surprise, the head bully whipping around and frowning as she saw it was only Jill standing there. Satisfied to have thrown them off their attack, Jill afforded herself a smirk as she broke eye contact with the harpies and instead looked at the sniffling girl on the bench.
"You're Rebecca right? I'm your roommate, Jill Valentine. Sorry I'm late."
Rebecca still looked to be in shock, blinking slowly as if she was unsure if her savior was a mirage.
"Jill…?"
That was she got out as the head chick cleared her throat, forcing Jill to look back at her. She was clearly pissed now, hands on her hips as she looked Jill over with obvious distaste.
"Um hello? Didn't you see we were having a conversation?"
"Oh I saw. Heard plenty too. Like you said, this school hates controversy. Threatening to submit a false report the first week of class…?"
Jill shrugged her shoulders, letting her comment linger for a few seconds before she continued.
"...sounds like grounds for expulsion for me. But honestly, sitting in the dean's office giving testimony is not how I'd rather spend my day off. I'd much rather grab a coffee with my new roommate. So, do you mind if I borrow her?"
Jill looked to Rebecca and waved for the girl to come stand by her. Rebecca quickly obliged, scurrying over to stand behind Jill which separated her from the pack. The lead chick was still frowning before she finally willed her lips to twist into an evil grin and she finally lowered her hands from her hips to feign a more relaxed stance.
"Sure. You can do whatever you like. Jill Valentine right? I'm Excella. Don't be surprised if we see each other around a lot this semester. So long as you're here, that is."
Despite the look of satisfaction Excella wore, her tone betrayed her continued annoyance at having her machinations interrupted. Jill just smiled back at her.
"Looking forward to it. See you around."
The trio turned away and Jill watched them go. Unlike Excella, she had done significantly better in hiding what emotions she felt inside. Dread being the primary one that swelled within her. She came to Umbrella U to escape this brand of bullshit and yet here she was, getting herself into more trouble. She was starting to think that it was a curse. Though as Jill turned around, the wide grin on Rebecca's face did help soothe the pain.
Her gratitude didn't end there as Jill suddenly found herself wrapped up in a spontaneous hug, gently patting her new roommate's back as she looked around unsure of how to react.
"Mmmm! Thank you, thank you! I was so upset and I didn't know what to do and they just followed me out of class and…"
Rebecca had already begun to ramble but Jill put a stop to it by stepping out from the hug and placing her hand on Rebecca's shoulder.
"Listen, you're still all worked up. How about we do what we came here for originally first. Let's grab a cup of coffee and have some proper introductions, yeah?"
Rebecca looked lost for a moment and perhaps fearful that Jill would pick up where the others had left off. But as soon as she processed Jill's words, she gave a bright smile along with a nod that sent her short cut hair up and down.
"Sure! That sounds great. I spotted a place just this way. Cmon, I'll show you."
Jill walked by the girl who's fears had blossomed into such infectious excitement in just a few minutes. Jill had a feeling she was going to like her, and to that end perhaps the day wasn't a total bust. One friend and one enemy made. So far, she was breaking even.
