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While studying abroad has its perks – like learning a new language, experiencing a new culture, and meeting new people – often times it also leaves a student behind in course work. That's me. So instead of enjoying my summer vacation like a normal person, I am stuck doing homework and taking classes.
I love college. I loved my semester in the Philippines. But I am not thrilled about taking organic chemistry to catch up to my peers. I hate chemistry. I should have picked a more interesting major, something easier, like inter-species relations, I muse as I pull out my textbook. The large book thumps on the table, causing the two girls sitting at the next table over to jump. They glare daggers for a couple moments before turning away again. Werewolves tend not to like humans anyway, so I don't particularly care that I disturbed them.
"Maggie?" the barista, a centaur, calls, and I look up. He sees me and comes over, hot tea and biscuit in hand.
"Thanks," I say as he sets them down in front of me.
"You're welcome. What class are you studying for?"
"Organic chemistry," I reply, sticking my tongue out and wrinkling my nose.
"Not a favorite, I take it," he laughs. "If you need help, let me know. I'm a Chem major."
"I might take you up on that," I reply as he moves back toward the counter.
He is attractive, I realize as I watch him go. He has thick, black hair pulled into a short braid, a thin face, and while I did not see his eyes, I imagine them to be a deep blue. His lower half is a beautiful chestnut and his tail is pitch black like his hair. Sadly, I did not get his name. I resolve to ask when I get a refill.
With a deep breath to clear my mind of everything except Chemistry, I hunker down and begin looking at carbon based molecules.
When I finally look up, there's been a shift change. A goblin stands behind the counter, and the centaur has gone. Disappointed, I pack up my books and leave. In my car, I turn the radio up to blast the pounding headache from my skull and drive home.
Home in this college town is an inter-species apartment complex set on the edge of the woods. My parents would have preferred an all human building, but the rent here was cheaper. And I don't particularly care if my neighbor goes for a run as a wolf during the full moon or goes out and buys packages of blood. Well, okay, vampires are a touchy subject with humans. But all the others (brownies, domovoi, fawns, selkies, harpies, werewolves, dwarves, etc.) don't bother me. They make the whole place more fun, to be honest. I am happy to be out of the dull all-human community that my parents live in. They still live in the medieval time before all of these creatures revealed themselves to us.
"Hey Maggie," my neighbor, Haruki, calls from his porch when I get out of my car. He is a baku – a Japanese spirit that feeds on nightmares. While he always looks human to me, I've looked up pictures of baku's true forms and they're pretty weird. I love living by him though, because I haven't had a complete nightmare since I moved in.
"Hey Haruki. How are you doing?" I ask, pausing at the entrance to the building.
"Pretty good. The vampire three doors down just had a nightmare. I think it's going to be a great night to eat," he replies. "What about you? School, right?"
I groan.
He laughs, his black eyes twinkling like stars in the fading light. "Don't have any homework related nightmares. I won't eat those."
"Alright."
That night I do not dream of textbooks, I dream of that centaur. He stands in a field with other centaurs, staring up at the stars. I am watching from the trees. He sees me and smiles, gesturing for me to come stand next to him. He points up at the stars.
"Do you see that set of stars? That's Cholesterol. See the carbon double bonded to oxygen? It's right there."
There's a snicker and the dream fades away. I wake with a start, and can here Haruki laughing outside my window. I open it and look out at him sitting on his porch. He grins at me.
"What's so funny?" I growl. My dream wasn't really a nightmare, but he ate it anyway.
"That's something I can totally see Forrest doing," he replies with a poorly contained snicker. "Chem test tomorrow?" Haruki asks with a smirk.
At least I didn't dream about textbooks. But then it clicks. "Wait? You know that centaur?"
"Of course! I am a Chem grad student. Forrest helps with my research," Haruki says, puffing up his chest. "And that wasn't Cholesterol; that was Stearic Acid."
"What did you say his name was?" I ask, ignoring the jibe. I know I am going to fail my test in a couple days. I don't need reminding.
"Forrest. Don't you know him?" the baku asks, his eyebrows furrowing. "He was in your nightmare after all."
"I met him at a coffee shop today," I reply. Forrest. What an original name for a centaur.
"Let me guess. Forrest was working and-" Haruki starts, and then turns away sniffing. "I'll be right back." I see the man I know slowly turn into a true baku and float away. I will get nothing more out of him tonight, so I go back to bed.
There is a phone number taped to my window when I wake up in the morning. Along with one line: Call him.
I growl at Haruki and get ready for class. That baku does not know how to keep his nose out of other people's business.
My university is not small by any standard, but summer session always feels smaller. I see the same people every day. It feels like there are only a couple hundred of us there. As I walk out of class, and towards the student union building, I notice Haruki leaning against one of its walls in the shade. He's looking hopefully at a couple of people sleeping under shade trees, but turns to me as I approach.
"This is unusual. I don't think I've ever talked to you on campus before," he says with a smile.
"Is that on purpose?" I ask.
He purses his lips and looks off into space for a few moments. "Not particularly," he finally says.
I nod. "Is seeing me today on purpose?"
"But of course!" he says with a grin. "You are coming on a hike with me. We're going to get you an O Chem tutor."
"Why won't you do it?" I ask as he grabs my wrist and lightly pulls me toward the forested edge of campus.
"Darling," he begins with a sigh that says it should be obvious. "I simply don't have the patience. And frankly, you couldn't afford me even if I did tutor."
I laugh a little at this.
"Oh, and guilty as charged with the number of your window. I thought for sure you'd call him."
I roll my eyes and continue to follow the baku. I look around as we walk and notice a bird sleeping on a nest.
"Hey, Haruki?"
"Hm?"
"Do you ever eat animals' nightmares?"
He looks back at me, his black eyes taking in the expression on my face. "Only if I'm starving. They're quite bland and predictable."
I'm about to ask what makes a nightmare bland when Haruki stops and I almost walk into him.
"Maggie, this is Forrest. Forrest, this is Maggie. My neighbor. Work your magic on her, all right?"
Forrest smiles, and I see that I was wrong about his eye color. They are a dark, dark brown. "So you need help, hm?"
I simply nod.
Forrest looks to Haruki and back to me. "I think we'll be fine, Haruki. I'll see you in the lab tomorrow."
With a nod, the baku leaves me here alone with this beautiful centaur.
"Where would you like to start?" he asks.
Where to start. That's always a good question. With no study guide, or guidelines, or prompt, I simply don't know. It leaves things open to many possibilities, but it's also frustrating. I have no idea what to focus on.
"Um… how about the difference between Cholesterol and…" I falter on the name Haruki had told me last night.
"Stearic Acid?" Forrest finishes with a grin.
"How'd you…?"
Forrest leads me towards a table and sits down, as only a centaur can. He holds out his hands toward the seat next to him.
"He told me you had a dream about me. I don't like playing a major role in nightmares, but let's see if we can turn it into a pleasant dream."