Could you imagine being so depressed pizza tastes like nothing. Dysgeusia is a taste disorder that can occur in people with depression. That's where Beatriz was at right now. "You don't get to leave me all alone.” Those were the last things she said to her brother Tyler. She had no idea if he even heard them either.
After his death, there was a moment at lunchtime with her friends that made her realize how the rest of her life would go. College acceptance letters started coming in. Beatriz was telling the group how she got into the local college Charleston University and there was a class about the artistry of film she wanted to make Tyler take with her. As soon as she told the table that, she instantly remembered he was gone. She felt alone.
Another moment at graduation, they announced her name and she walked across the stage. When she turned around to see him, of course he wasn't there, that same feeling crept in. Now it was her first day of college and here it was again. That feeling.
As much as Beatriz was sad, there was a part of her that was angry. She knew why he killed himself. It was to stop Ethel from opening a door to the otherside and allowing bad people from the otherworld to come through, potentially saving thousands. A part of her wished he didn't.
Beatriz was standing in her new dorm when her roommate walked in. "Hey did you pick a side yet?" Delilah asked.
"Yes, I'm gonna go with the left side."
Delilah grabbed her bag and threw it on the bed. The pair were quietly unpacking, when Delilah pulled out a photo and handed it to Beatriz. "I was going through my stuff and I thought you might like this."
It was a group photo they took on Halloween at their friend's house. It was the moment before everything went wrong. Beatriz hated that photo. That photo was a reminder she would feel incomplete for the rest of her days. Always having utter loneliness creeping up at random moments.
"Thanks, Delilah. It's the perfect addition to our new room." she lied as she hugged her friend.
The two spent the afternoon chatting about the campus and college life. There was a definite feeling of excitement Beatriz couldn't deny. After unpacking they decided to grab a bite to eat. They picked out a pizza joint nearby. Zane was already there waiting.
"My two favorite college co-eds. How'd the unpacking go?" he asked as they sat down.
"Nothing we couldn't handle," Delilah replied.
"Yep, everything is in its place," Beatriz added.
The two women slide into a worn out pleather booth near the window. It had a great view of the college square. It was so sunny outside. Everyone around looked so happy, like the beginning of a horror movie before the shit hits the fan.
"Good, I met my new roomie. He seems chill. I also ordered already if that's cool." Zane said.
"New roomie? What happened to Quinn." Delilah asked.
There was a bit of a laugh with Zane's reply. “He bailed and went to New York with Paul,"
"Did he say why?" Beatriz asked.
"Yeah, he said he needed to get further away from Autumnvale and find a purpose.”
The pizza arrived. It was half pepperoni and half veggie. Veggie was Tyler's favorite. Beatriz was not a fan. She was sure Zane mixed the twins up. Beatriz was kind of happy Zane knew Tyler's favorite pizza. It was an odd sense of comfort knowing someone else was still thinking about him.
She picked up a slice of pepperoni. Zane's eyes followed her hand as she ignored the veggie. Trars start swelling in his eyes. She assumed he just realized his mistake. He shook it off with a fake cough while shifting his body position and changed the subject.
"So speaking of unexpected things. Noah went to New York as well. He says it was to find his purpose as well and not to pal around with Paul but I have a feeling it was."
"That I never saw coming," Delilah replied.
"I think Melissa made the right decision. California sounds pretty awesome." Beatriz added while reaching over for napkins.
The three went on to discuss class schedules and the different groups they wanted to join. Delilah wanted to check out sororities. Beatriz thought that sounded awful. Zane wanted to have a normal peaceful college year.
Delilah and Zane went to check out an orientation mixer. Beatriz decided to just wander around a bit. She wanted to learn the lay of the land. Eventually, she found herself in the auditorium. As she was walking up to the stage she heard a crash from behind the curtain.
"Hello? Who's back there?" she called out. There was no response. She tried again. "I'm not walking up to the curtain for a jump scare."
A head popped out from the curtain,"Beatriz?!"
The person behind the curtain walked in front of it. It was Trevor. A friend from Autumnvale High. She was relieved to see a friendly face and not anything notorious.
"Trevor! I was hoping to run into you." she exclaimed while running to hug him.
"Yeah, I decided Charleston would be a great place for my talents. Plus it was my cheapest option." he explained.
"What are you doing in the auditorium?" she asked.
"Just wanted to see a few places. Check them out." he responded.
"Me too, I like knowing where I'm going." Beatriz added.
"Well, I'm gonna find the library next, if you wanna come. I'd love to not look like a loser and a pretty girl would help."
That legitimately made Beatriz smile. So she agreed to tag along. The library was pretty impressive. Beatriz planned on being there a lot. She wanted a strong start to her college years. Graduating early would be ideal. She just wanted to get college over with.
The pair decided to go to the mixer and be social. Who knows, maybe she could meet new friends. When she arrived she saw Delilah and Zane dancing. It made her glad her friends were happy.
She also stopped to think about their relationship. Would Delilah become a vampire as well? Her mind wandered a little. How did Zane become a vampire? Then the anger crept in. If Zane didn't try to turn his sister, Tyler would still be alive. She knew that wasn't fair to Zane but still, it made her think of the butterfly effect.
The butterfly effect is the idea that small events can have big consequences. She has been thinking about it a lot since that day in February. There were so many what-ifs. The biggest one being, what if she could have broken the connection between Tyler and Ethel. What if her magic worked alone just that once? It made her feel like a failure. Maybe he was always destined to be there at that specific moment to stop Ethel. Is fate even real?
Delilah's voice cut through the crowd, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Beatriz over here.
Trevor and her went over to join them on the dance floor. Beatriz did her best to have a good time.
It was the first day of class. Beatriz found herself struggling to pick an outfit. What do you wear to your first college class? Do you dress up or go casual? First impressions are important but it's college so who cares. She settled on black jeans and a plain black v-neck.
Her first class of the day was a public speaking course. It was a required class. She was bored the whole time. Why was this a core class? She thought. There was an hour until her next class. Not enough time to do anything. So she sat in the grass and read a book.
She enjoyed these moments. There was a peacefulness to it. The way you can lose yourself in a new world and focus on other people's problems. She heard her name being called.
"Beatriz!"
She looked up instantly, her heart skipping a beat. A rush of cold raised the hairs on her arms. Her eyes searched the surrounding areas, but the students walking past were wrapped up in their own conversations, oblivious. No one was looking at her, and no one was nearby. Before she could spiral into the eerie stillness of the moment, she checked the time on her phone and saw that the hour was up. It was time for her next class.
It was a comparative religion class. It counted as a social studies class for her requirements. This class sounded interesting to her, so she took a seat in the front. Upon sitting down, she accidentally dropped her book. It opened up to a random page about the Episcopal Church that showed a picture of the 10th president. She couldn't help back notice how creepy he looked.
The professor walked in and got straight to business, discussing the curriculum and passing out the syllabus. Class was dismissed early, and with no more lectures scheduled for the day, Beatriz headed back to her dorm to get a head start on the assigned reading.
Delilah came bursting into the room about an hour later, practically buzzing with excitement. She had spent the afternoon looking into Greek life and had settled on Tau Psi.
Delilah sat next to her on the bed. “You know, joining new things can be a lot easier if a friend comes along.”
“My goal for this year is to lay low and just get through it. Greek life definitely wasn't on the agenda,” Beatriz responded.
“Well, there's a party this weekend so all the girls can introduce themselves. Please just think about it,” Delilah insisted.
“I will think about it,” Beatriz promised with a faint smile.
Beatriz went to bed that night feeling surprisingly good about her first official day of college. It was terrifying doing all of this without her twin by her side, but step by step, she was learning how to navigate the world on her own.