Dina and Kezef looked at each other, and then back at the school building. They were not sure if they wanted to go in. But there was not much else they could do, staying outside all night wouldn't help them either.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
"No" Kezef sighed and took the first step, pulling her with him. "But we haven't much choice." She nodded, he was right about that. They indeed didn't have much choice, they needed to get some rest. They both had class in the morning, and she had her work on top of that. Carefully they entered the building, but there was no one waiting for them behind the door. She let her breath go, not noticing that she was holding it until now. Beside the closing of the front door behind them, there was no other sound. The halls were empty and abandoned. Did they just worry about nothing, well she wouldn't say nothing? Anything could still happen until they reached their dorm rooms. "I am coming with you." He said, and she nodded. He had brought her to her dorm room after work for the last couple of weeks, and she didn't expect that today would be any different. Still she was glad that he had said it out loud. The lighting inside the hallway was better, ever since the attack. She felt somewhat safe walking through them. But her heart stopped when they reached her door. It was still closed, but barely. The wood was covered in, she couldn't describe it. Eggs, tomato's, dirt and so much more. The stance of the rotten food was unbearable, if that smell had slipped under her door. It was not a question about if, it was how much. All her clothes, sheets and towels would most definitely smell. Her stomach turned, this was sick. The concierge approved them from the other end of the hallway.
"I am so sorry Dina. I was about to clean it up before you got back." He said, but she shook her head. Somewhere glad that she had seen it. This only indicated how far those people were willing to go. She stepped closer, but almost threw up from the smell. "They have emptied the waste bins behind the cafeteria, so that means there is a week's worth of rotten food against that door."
"Thank you for the warning." Dina said, stepping back. Tears jumped in her eyes, Kezef wrapped his arm around her.
"I am so sorry Dina." Kezef whispered. She turned towards him, glad that he was there to face this with her. But she wouldn't be able to enter her room, not with that smell.
"Ah miss 21, and mister Coarse. You two are finally back. I would ask where the two of you have being, but after seeing the damage to miss 21's door. Well let say that, I understand you two staying away from this place." The dean entered the hallway. "I know this all seems grim, but we luckily could prevent the angry mod getting in. I do not want to think what they would have done."
"They would have destroyed everything they can." Kezef said, if it was a matter of fact. Maybe it was, but she was indeed glad that this wasn't the case. She had worked hard for everything she had in that room. And the posters of her dad, were unreplaceable. They were the only once left in the world.
"You are probably right about that." The dean said with a sigh. "But now we need to come up with a solution for this, she can no longer stay in this room. It is simply not safe, and I do not have any other rooms left. No one of the girls wants to bunk with you, and that is also the case for the boys."
"But I thought that boys and girls were not allowed in each other's rooms." Dina said, and the dean nodded.
"This is true, but this is a special circumstance." The dean replied. "So mister Ink is currently packing his belongings, and is going to move to this room. And you miss 21, you are going to move in with the only one on campus that is from your age and likes you." The dean points to Kezef. "And I cross my fingers in the hope that I didn't make a mistake." Kezef frowned slightly, and Dina's mouth fall open. She was going to move into Kezef's room? What was going on here?
"But, but..." She started, great now even words failed her.
"Why Virgil?" Kezef asked.
"Because he was the ring leader, and I think that spending one night, or maybe more nights inside the stench is a nice punishment." The dean said with a large grin on his face. "Mister Cause, and I have taken the librarty of getting all your stuff out of that room. Your toolbox and the posters of your dad are stored away. The rest of your stuff and clothing are already inside your new room, no worries there is a teacher with mister Ink right now. So there is no way that he is able to damage your stuff." Dina still didn't know how to react. They went through her stuff, two men went through her stuff. Her underwear drawer... She blinked and looked in horror at the dean. "What, you had nothing inside that room, that I haven't seen before."
"That is not the point. It is about my privacy." She snapped, Kezef looked at her, confused. "I think your wife wouldn't it if I went through hers without her knowing." The dean shook his head.
"No you are right about that, but we didn't have any other option at the time. You weren't here and otherwise all of your stuff would have smelled." The dean said. "But enough chit-chat, it is already late. You two have class in the morning, and you, young lady have a shift in the cafeteria. Also, you have changed classrooms, you will have the same schedule as mister Coarse. I think it is for everybody's best interest that you two stay as much together as possible." The dean turned on his heals and left.
"You two can better follow me." The concierge popped up behind them. "I think it is for the better that you two not face the large crowed that is currently surrounding Virgil." Dina nodded, that was the same crowed that had damaged her door. The same crowed that would have destroyed her stuff if they got into her room. Kezef took slightly pulled her with him, her mind was currently spinning. And her body didn't respond directly as a result. Before she realized where they were heading, they had entered a part of the building that was unknown to her. "This is the old part of the school, teachers are using these corridors to avoid students." The concierge was lighting the way with a torch. "Normally I wouldn't show students these passage ways, but the dean is right. These are special circumstances." Dina nodded, although the man couldn't see it. "Here you two are. Home sweet home." He opened a door, stepped aside and they passed through. They were standing in a bedroom, at least a part of it. A large bookcase, which was filled with books was placed in the middle of the room. The behind of the case was closed, so nobody could look through it. At the end there was a curtain which formed a passage way to the other side of the room. The bed wasn't made and there were boxes against the wall. This was apparently her part of the dorm room, she currently shared with Kezef. She looked at him, but he didn't say anything. He just let go of her hand and walked through the curtain to his part of the room.
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"Thank which ever God is out there." He said with a sigh. She wanted to rush towards him. But there was something that stopped her. She just had thrown a fit against the dean about privacy, now she was almost intended to go into his part of the room uninvited. The door behind her closed, and was not even visible. It was just a wall, but she would swear that there was a door when they entered the room. She sighed and opened the first box. It was luckily her bedding and clothing. The books inside the bookcase, were all her books about cars and her schoolbooks. She started to unpack the rest. "Please tell me when you are done unpacking your underwear." Kezef said from his side of the curtain.
"I am already done with that." She replied. It was even the first thing she had done. Under the bed there were drawers where she could place such items. The rest of her clothing needed to go in the closet with his clothes. Would he have his boxer or what ever he was wearing underneath his clothes... "Uhm Kezef, are yours inside the closet?" She felt her face burning up. What was she thinking, well he was her boyfriend. She could hear him stumbling and mumbling, that was probably a yes. She wanted to giggle, but somehow she wasn't able to do so.
"Alright, that was the last one. Sorry, I didn't think about mine." He said, and he stepped through the curtain and opened another box. She sighed, looking at all her stuff that needed to find a spot in this new setting. "Is there something wrong?" She shook her head.
"I am just a bit tired." She said. "It has been an eventful day." He nodded slowly.
"Well, this all can wait, let's make your bed." He replied and he picked up her sheets. It didn't take long for him to make her bed, she just watched him doing it as in a daze. What was happening to her? She normally didn't stand back and watch, normally she would pull the bedding out of his hands. Told him off and that she was able to do it herself. But not this time. "Here you go, ready to be slept in." He turned towards her, and a worried look appeared in his eyes. "Are you really alright?" This time she didn't pretended, there was no use.
"No I am not alright, but I will be." She said. "I am going to take a shower. Can I borrow one off your towels, mine are still in a box." He nodded and she stumbled towards the bathroom. The space wasn't that much different than the one in her old room. But it smelled nice, not what she had expected. The slight scent of sandalwood and something else. Liqourish? The door opened slightly and Kezef's arm appeared with a towel. "Thank you." She said, while taking it.
"You are allowed to use of my toiletries, I will try to dig out your toothbrush." Kezef said, and he closed the door. He was so nice to her, it slightly comforts her. The water was warm, and the soap was the source of the nice wooden smell. But the point that she started to feel safe to let everything out. Was when she wrapped the towel around her body. "Dina?" She was as quiet as posible, but he still heard her. She pulled herself together and then noticed that she didn't had a change of clothing.
"Uhm, can you go into your part of the room? I do not have my nightwear." She said, the door opened slightly and his arm pops in again. This time with her nightwear and toothbrush.
"Here you go."
******
Something didn't feel right. Was it the bed, or was it the change of room? Dina didn't know, but she was so tired. But still sleep didn't come to her. She kept tossing and turning, groaning and cursing under her breath. Hoping that she wouldn't wake Kezef or if he was still awake that it didn't prevent him from sleeping.
"What in hell's name is going on over there?" His voice wasn't that loud, but loud enough for her to hear him. She wanted to apologize right away, but she heard his footsteps. How was she able to hear his footsteps, there lay a carpet on the ground. Still she could hear him walk. She could see the curtain move and then him approaching her bed. "Is there something wrong with the bed?"
"I do not know." She replied. "It is the same type of bed as in my old room." At least it felt the same. There were no bobbles, or something else that made the bed feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was the room, or the fact that she was now sharing it with someone. Which she has never done before, not even in the small house she lived in with her father. He had given her the only bedroom so that she had her own place. But now she was sharing it with a roommate, and not only that. She was sharing it with Kezef. "I think it is the fact that I am in a strange room." He hummed slightly, and lay his hand on her shoulder.
"Well I can stay here, until you have fallen asleep." He said, her heart skipped a beat. It had done that earlier when he had handed her clothing and toothbrush. But also came with a slight sense of guilt. If he stayed with her, that meant that he didn't get any sleep himself.
"Please go to bed. I will be fine." She said, trying to push his hand away. "You are not going to lose sleep over me." He sighed.
"Forget it. I am staying by your side." He said. She sighed and switched on the light on the nightstand. Wanting to look him straight in the eye. The light was sharp to both their eyes, and they needed to blink multiple times. "Was that really necessary?" She nodded, yes it was.
"Kezef, I wanted to say that I love the way you want to take care of me. But I am not made out of glass. I will not break so easily." Dina said. He raised his hand, stopping her from speaking.
"You just said you loved me." He said, she wanted to slap him on the head. Was that all he had heard. She indeed said that she loved how he took care of her. "And I love to take care of you." He smiled, and moving a bit closer to her. "I also know that you are not made out of glass. You are one of the strongest women I have ever known. Not counting my grandmother, still I want to take care of you." He slightly pushes her to the side. "I will stay above the covers." What was he saying? But instead of explaining it to her. He kept pushing her until she was against the wall, then laid down next to her. His head was on her pillow, and his eyes were closed. She didn't know how to feel about this? But instead of feeling panicked she felt that her eyes grew heavy. Was sleep finally catching up to her? But before she knew the answer she had fallen asleep.