Senior Year

The first day of college was like any other first day. Parents and students swarmed the city like bees protecting their hive making it impossible to move about. The freshmen were particularly easy to spot as they wandered blindly through the campus, their eyes glued to multiple campus maps. Ashling threw her duffle bag on top of the uncovered mattress and fell back onto her new bed. One more year, she kept telling herself. Despite the fact it was her fifth year at the university, Ashling had chosen campus housing for the first time. She figured this option would be easier than subleasing after graduation. After that, she had no idea where she would end up. With Ashling's gift, every day was a new adventure.

Still, Ashling was cautious about her new roommate. There were few people who truly appreciated her unusual behavior. Ashling had formed a tight bond with her friends from freshman year, but unfortunately all of them had actually graduated on time and had already moved on from the university. They had been the first real friends who had overlooked this unusual behavior, and Ashling knew it just would not be the same without them. The door slammed open startling Ashling as she fell from her bed.

"Hey," came a voice from beneath a pile of bags.

"Hey," Ashling replied pulling herself up off the floor. The bags slid off the new body forming a different pile next to the door.

Once free from all the extra baggage, it was easy for Ashling to analyze the girl's true traits. Her new roommate was tall and scrawny, quite a contrast from Ashling who was average all around. Her roommate's slightly curled brunette hair fell well beyond her shoulders only to lightly rest upon her back. The carefully constructed hair and makeup told Ashling that her new roommate had performed in many theatrical performances, and Ashling recalled the book she had read as a child that compared the techniques used in theatre, television, and cinema. Judging by her roommate's body mass in comparison to the lump of bags that continued to rest on the floor, it seemed impossible that her new roommate would be able to handle that much weight. It was obvious that in this case, body size was a misrepresentation of actual strength.

"I'm Anna," the girl reached out her hand.

"Ashling," Ashling reciprocated the gesture, "Do you need assistance moving in?"

"No, that's pretty much it, but thanks," Anna dragged her bags across the floor to her own bed and began unpacking.