Chapter 17

Chapter 17

A woman stood there, watching her with an amused but knowing expression. She was tall, with sharp yet graceful features, wearing a crisp lab coat over a dark blouse. Her intelligent eyes gleamed behind thin-rimmed glasses, and she carried herself with an air of quiet authority.  

Sophia immediately recognized her—Professor Evelyn Carter. She was the one meant to lead the induction session for new students. But Sophia hadn’t seen her enter the room. Had she been there the whole time, silently observing her?  

**“I see you’re the curious type, aren’t you?”** the professor said, stepping closer.  

Sophia’s face burned with embarrassment. She suddenly felt foolish for letting her curiosity get the better of her. She quickly pulled her hand back, clasping it tightly to her chest as if that would erase what she had done.  

**“I—I’m sorry, ma’am,”** she stammered. **“I didn’t mean to—”**  

Professor Carter held up a hand, cutting her off with a slight smile. **“Relax, dear. I’m not going to bite you.”**  

Sophia exhaled, shoulders sagging in relief.  

**“Curiosity isn’t a bad thing,”** the professor continued, studying her with interest. **“In fact, it’s the very foundation of science. I myself have always been a curious mind, just like you.”**  

Sophia swallowed, still feeling a little nervous. **“My name is Sophia,”** she finally said. **“Umm… I was here for the induction, but I didn’t see anyone around, so I decided to explore a little.”**  

Professor Carter nodded knowingly. **“That explains it. You’re early. The others will be here soon.”**  

Sophia glanced at the brain in the jar again. **“So, is that… real?”** she asked hesitantly.  

**“It is,”** the professor replied, stepping beside her. **“A preserved human brain, donated for research. It’s been here for decades.”**  

Sophia felt a strange mix of fascination and discomfort. **“Why do we preserve things like this?”**  

The professor smiled. **“That’s an excellent question.”** She gestured toward the shelves around them. **“Specimens like these allow us to study anatomy in ways that textbooks alone never could. They help us understand how the human body functions—and what happens when things go wrong.”**  

Sophia nodded slowly, absorbing the information.  

Professor Carter observed her for a moment before asking, **“Tell me, Sophia, what do you hope to achieve by studying here?”**  

The question caught her off guard. **“I—I guess I just want to learn as much as I can,”** she admitted. **“I’ve always been interested in how things work, especially in the medical field.”**  

The professor’s expression softened. **“A thirst for knowledge is a powerful thing. But remember, true learning isn’t just about memorizing facts. It’s about asking questions, challenging what you know, and never being afraid to explore—responsibly, of course.”**  

Sophia smiled, feeling a little more at ease. **“I’ll keep that in mind.”**  

Just then, the sound of voices echoed down the hallway, signaling the arrival of the other students.  

**“Looks like it’s time to begin,”** Professor Carter said. She gestured toward the door. **“Shall we?”**  

Sophia nodded, feeling a newfound excitement. Maybe she had just embarrassed herself, but she had also learned something important—that curiosity, when nurtured, could open doors to incredible discoveries.  

People trooped in, and they were all seated. Sophia glanced around— they were all newcomers here, just like her.  

It began, and they were briefed on the things that go on in their department. About two more professors joined Carter as they addressed them.  

A few minutes later, they were asked to network and meet with their fellow coursemates, exchanging pleasantries. It was a fun thing to do. Sophia felt comfortable seeing people with like minds as hers. She felt just right here, being with people with ambition like hers.  

Classes were to start officially tomorrow, and with all she'd seen today, she wouldn't miss it for the world.  

---  

The janitor dropped off Ryan's bags just at the door. Ryan was proud of himself, having managed to use his family's name to con the man into working for him.  

"Is there anything else I can do for you, good sire?" the janitor asked.  

Ryan wasn't one to let an opportunity like this slip from his hands. He didn't actually need the services of the janitor but sought to collect his number so he could use him for future purposes.  

"Oh no, not really, I do not," Ryan said to him and pulled out his phone. "Why don't you put your phone number here so I can reach you? I really must tell my parents about you—you have been far too kind."  

The janitor smiled with joy as he inputted his digits on the phone.  

"You'll hear from me soon enough," Ryan said.  

The janitor thanked him once again and went back to his duty.  

Ryan opened the door and stepped into the room. His roommates were already in—random strangers he had no idea about. There were three in the room, and they all seemed to look older than him.  

---

**"Well, hello there, stranger."**  

The voice came from one of the guys lounging on a battered couch, half-empty beer bottles littering the floor around him. He had brown, dusty hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in days, and his ripped physique suggested he spent time in the gym—though his current state of relaxation hinted at anything but discipline. He held a bottle of beer in one hand as he pushed himself up and walked toward Ryan.   

Before Ryan could react, the guy slung an arm over his shoulder, the scent of alcohol and something stronger lingering on his breath.  

**"You're the roommate, aren't you?"** he asked, his voice slightly slurred.  

Ryan took in the guy’s small, bloodshot eyes—ones that carried a familiar haziness. He had seen that same look before, in one of Zach's cousins who had been deep into drugs.  

Not wanting to cause trouble, Ryan forced a polite smile and gently removed the guy’s arm from his shoulder.  

**"Yeah,"** he said simply. **"I’m the new roommate."**  

The guy smirked, unfazed, and took another swig from his beer. **"Welcome to the jungle, man nice to meet you*  

Ryan didn’t bother responding. Instead, he scanned the messy dorm, noting the disorder. Clothes were thrown carelessly over chairs, the floor was covered with discarded food wrappers, and the faint smell of marijuana was in the air,he suspected they just finished smoking. The walls were covered in band posters and crude graffiti, and the coffee table in the middle of the room was cluttered with ashtrays, cigarette packs, and crushed beer cans.  

   He wondered how it was already such a mess if they've been here for only one day ,unless they weren't fresh students and had been here a long time

He made his way to the only vacant bed he could find, relieved to see that at least he had a space of his own—until he noticed the traces of weed scattered across the sheets.  

He sighed heavily, brushing the remnants off with the back of his hand before sitting down.  

This was going to be rough.  

Ryan hadn't bothered introducing himself properly or asking for his roommates’ names. He already knew he wasn’t going to like it here.  

The guy who had greeted him plopped back down on the couch, lighting up a joint and passing it to another roommate, who lazily took a drag. They both chuckled at something on the TV, seemingly unaware of Ryan’s discomfort.  

Not wanting to engage with them, Ryan pulled out his phone and his headset.  

He scrolled through his apps before opening one of his favorite video games.  

**"Hey, new guy, you drink?"** the guy with the beer called out, glancing in his direction.  

Ryan didn’t look up. **"He was avoiding alcohol for now ,not with the way it had messed up his head the past few days , plus he didn't know what these guys could be drinking, there was a possibility it was laced with something 

He decided to politely decline it.

"No, man, thanks, I'm good," he said softly.

The guy shrugged and turned back to the other roommates, mumbling something Ryan couldn’t quite catch.

Tuning out the noise, Ryan slipped on his headset and pressed play on his game.

If this was what his new living situation looked like, he figured he might as well find an escape—at least until he figured out what to do next.

Lana was still fuming after having bumped into Sophia. She didn't know her but hadn’t liked the way she confronted her.

Lana wasn't always good with females. She seemed to carry this sort of anger towards them. It was no surprise she didn't have any female friends. She always had this notion that she would rather hang around guys than be in a group of women.

But she was going to have to change her perspective, especially now that she was in a female hostel.

She got to her room and hesitated at the door, unsure how she was going to exchange greetings with the people inside. She took a deep breath and finally opened the door. To her surprise, the room was empty.

"Well, that is a relief," she said to herself, then quickly scanned around the room. People had been here, but it seemed they were gone now.

"Well, that settles it. All I have to do is stay in my bed and not talk to anyone, hoping they keep their distance too."

She sat on the unoccupied bed. The room was quite hot, and the bed close to the window was taken. She wished she had gotten here earlier—and she would have if not for having Ryan to worry about.

She smiled at the thought of him, then brought out her phone to text him. It was then she noticed the crack on her phone screen. She hadn't seen it earlier.

She sighed loudly.

"That stupid girl! And she still had the guts to confront me. She better pray I don't see her around—it won't be funny," Lana cussed under her breath.

She texted Ryan: Hey you? Are you in your room yet? How is it? Would you believe some dumb girl broke my phone? Then she hit send.

The message didn’t deliver. The reception was poor.

"Bloody hell!" she cursed out loud.

"Hey, language!" she heard someone say.

"Language, please. It's quite too early to be using curse words, don’t you think?" the person continued.

Lana was wrong about her roommates being out—there was someone in the bathroom. She heard the flush sounds, and the person stepp

ed out.

"How about you mind your business? What concerns you with any cuss words I use?" Lana snapped at her, for no reason at all.