PICTURED: Aspen Conway

   You know that state of consciousness between being asleep and awake? Things are goofy. Mismatched. Instead of time running along a linear track, it follows a chaotic system of loops and tunnels, disconnections and connections. You can't quite differentiate between what is real and what is not.

   That was why I didn't really process the scream immediately.

   It wasn't the kind of scream someone gives when they're in pain or a piercing shriek of desperation. No, it was more of a horrified sound, tumbling through the layered veils of fog my dreams had coated around my mind.

   When I finally realised that it wasn't something my mind had concocted I sat upright, my fingers fumbling to find the lamp switch on my bedside table.

   I could hear the shower running, the hot water system of our small on-campus apartment was groaning. With a thump, the water stopped, causing a water hammer to ricochet through the thin plaster walls.

   It had to have been Isobel. She was the only one crazy enough to be showering so early that it was still dark outside. I tossed off the thick layer of blankets encasing me and ran to the bathroom, thumping my fist hard against the door.

   "Bel?" I asked loudly, my hand continuing to pound against the wood.

   "Aspen?" I heard from the other side. Half a second past before the door opened to reveal Isobel clasping a towel around her body, her blonde hair slick with water, the droplets still clinging to her skin. There was a terrified expression on her doll-like features. "Oh God, please kill it!"

   I was dazed for a moment, my mind still slow from sleep. "Kill it?"

   "The spider," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She pointed to the wall behind her, which was home to a black, skinny-legged spider the size of a coin.

   "That's why you screamed?" I asked, giving a sigh as I stepped past her into the humid room, the air sticky with moisture. "A spider?"

   "Sorry," she said, grimacing. "It just spooked me."

   I gave her a tight lipped smile before pulling the lid off of a can of hairspray which was sitting on the counter. Isobel's pale eyes followed me in terror as I sized up the spider and trapped it under the plastic.

   "What are you doing? Why don't you just kill it?"

   "I'm not going to kill it," I said. "If you wanted someone brutal you should have woken Gia. I don't think he deserves to die just because he happened to wander into our bathroom."

   Isobel didn't say anything. She just stepped aside as I carefully pried the lid from the wall, pressing my palm to its rim so the spider was sealed inside.

   I returned to my room and used my shoulder to push open my window, the cold air hitting me instantly and clawing through to my bones. The sun was just starting to creep over the crests of the trees around our building.

   In one movement I removed my hand and shook the lid, my eyes barely catching the small black critter falling to the gutter just below me. Hopefully he wouldn't find his way back into our bathroom anytime soon.

   Isobel was sweet. She'd always been sweet, from the first summer I'd attended soccer camp with her. Even if she was fierce on the field, she wasn't particularly brave when it came to bugs. Along with soccer, she took ballet and owned a wardrobe larger than a clothing store.

   There was no point in going back to sleep, my alarm was due to go off within ten minutes anyway, so I shut it off and turned the light on. I could hear Gia's snoring faintly through the wall, and I smiled to myself. It was the first day of semester, and I was still getting used to living with her and Bel.

   Our weekend of settling in had involved numerous bottles of champagne and a few too many arguments over the bathroom schedule. Living with my two best friends had been something I was hesitant about. We were as close as siblings, which meant we bickered like them too. The three of us were different in so many ways. Sometimes it wasn't hard for a little friction to turn into a raging fire.

   But still, I'd take the two of them over rooming with strangers any day. I took a while to warm up to people, I was introverted and too quiet to be the kind to form close relationships with people fast anymore. When I was young, friendship came easily. Forging close bonds was just natural. You could accidentally kick your ball into another's face and the next hour you'd be the best of friends.

   My parents sent me on soccer camp each summer to socialise with others my age throughout my early teenage years, which allowed me to grow up with Gia and Isobel. I lived on a small property in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles from the nearest school. The only kids my age were a ten minute drive up the road, unless you counted my younger brother, Nathan, who was two years my junior. I did school online, which left Gia and Isobel as the closest friends I had, even if I was only with them for a few months each year.

   I saw Gia in the kitchen not long after eating my breakfast. Her black hair was a cocoon, shielding her face which was puffed up with sleep. I knew her well enough to know that attempting conversation before her morning coffee was not a good idea, so I gave her a tight lipped smile and left to use the bathroom.

   When there was only twenty minutes left before our first class, Gia and I met again in the living room while we waited for Isobel. Gia dressed in a way that was intended to catch attention; her petite frame was sporting a leather jacket and studded black boots that raised her height by at least three inches.

   Next to her well coordinated outfit, I felt overwhelmingly ordinary. Weren't girls supposed to pre-plan their outfits when they were scheduled to be the new girl? I was doubtful that my worn denim jeans and fluff-balled knitted sweater was likely to don a lasting impression. And my brown hair hung limply where it hovered above my shoulders, it was lucky to even get a comb through before I stepped out of my room this morning.

   Just as I was considering retreating back to my room to put on a coat of mascara in order to add at least a little effort to my look, there was a rough knock on the door.

   Gia looked at me in confusion for a few seconds before moving forward and opening it.

   "Ugh, seriously?" she asked the open space with a disappointed tone. "It is way too early for your lovey-dovey couple bullshit."

   She stood aside, her attitude not dissipating the broad smile from her face.

   Aaron, Isobel's boyfriend, walked in, a sheepish look on his face as he nodded in my direction. Gia had a way of intimidating him. She was good at intimidating everyone. How could someone barely much higher than five feet do that?

   "We've got fifteen minutes," I said tentatively once he was down the hallway and into Isobel's room. She was still getting ready, despite being awake longer than either of us.

   "We should just leave," Gia said. She took a deep breath, projecting her voice enough to yell at the two love-birds down the hallway. "We'll see you in class, Bel!"

   The hallway outside of our small apartment was busy with life. We were in a small high-rise building, the closest student accommodation to campus.

   The stairway was packed with others, travelling in both directions as they hurriedly got ready for their morning classes. It was orientated in a spiral fashion, giving me a glimpse of the pale tiles almost twenty metres below us.

I shuddered. I'd never been one for heights, especially when I was being rushed down rickety metal stairs surrounded by people.

   New West Brighton University was hardly the largest, or the most prestigious university in the area, but it was nestled amongst a pretty national park, and was conveniently located close to Isobel and Gia's home town.

   Its campus was gorgeous, thick with lush vegetation and old stone buildings. It took us less than a minute to walk from the entrance of our building and into the heart of the university, a bustling courtyard decorated with a well maintained garden, its flowers blooming in the early-Autumn sun.

   "I can't wait to properly introduce you to everyone," Gia said. "Sometimes I just assume they all know you already, we talk about you so much."

   Because of the university's proximity to their home, Gia and Isobel already knew a large group of people attending. I knew some of their names from Gia and Isobel's conversations, but had never actually met any of them in person.

   "I'm excited too," I agreed, meaning my words despite the tremor of shyness that washed over me at the thought of meeting the group of people I'd heard so much about. "Aren't some of them in psychology?"

   Because we were first years, and because we all had electives, the three of us had found a mutual class that fit with all of our degrees, being psychology IA. It fit loosely with my science degree, although the subject itself had never held much of my interest.

   "Yep," Gia said, popping her lips as she came to a stop, her eyes scanning the buildings around us. "It was the Fourier theatre right?"

   I nodded, and we resumed our journey into one of the university's larger and older buildings. Its ceiling was high, and its stain-glassed windows cast a warm glow throughout the interior, which contrasted with the sharp chill of the air inside. Most of the buildings were almost a century old, not quite equipped with modern additions like air conditioning.

   We headed up the stairwell and followed the signs to our class. I hesitated in the threshold of the doorway, my neck struggling to stretch high enough to observe the intricate details of within the theatre. Ornate patterns were carved across the stone ceiling, and velvet curtains were draped over the windows, tied with golden tasselled ropes.

   I almost missed the fact that Gia had already started walking down to aisle, her attention fixated on a small group of people sitting towards the front, spread over two rows of chairs. The space was large enough to seat at least a hundred people, but it wasn't huge enough to lose its intimate feeling either.

   My attention soon shifted from the gorgeous decor to the group of people we had reached. There were five or so of them, and they all greeted Gia with enthusiastic hand-grasps and blown kisses.

   "This is Aspen," she said, curling her hand under my arm, showing me off with pride.

   I felt my face heat as I gave the group an awkward wave, my brain quickly forgetting the series of names Gia listed to me.

   Once the introductions were out of the way, my anxiety eased a little and I internally cursed the warmth beneath my eyes, burning a sign into my face that branded me awkward as fuck. Instead of saying anything, my lips just tremored feebly and I soon found myself fading into the background as Gia spoke intensely with the girl closest to her, leaning lazily over the back of the chair closest to the aisle.

   My eyes were instinctively trailed on the floor, and I mentally kicked myself and lifted my chin, my gaze instead meeting that of the boy's closest to me.

   He had eyes that were capable of capturing people. They were as bright and blue as a summer's day and as wild and pale as the foam lacing a turbulent tide. His lips were pink and full, curled upwards in a smile which looked both amused and inviting.

   I tore my eyes from his, feeling my face warm even further. He was cute.

   I wasn't immune to cute boys. In fact, I was particularly sensitive to them, mostly because of the lack of interaction I'd experienced with boys in general. I'd never had a boyfriend, unless you counted a few sloppy kisses exchanged during games of truth-or-dare. Even though I grew up with a brother, boys were still completely unfamiliar to me.

   But, even then, I was certain I wasn't the type to be dazed by one. I had a logical brain; I didn't believe in love at first sight or falling head over heels. But, that being said, exploring relationships was high on my list of things to do during university.

   "Aspen, you want to sit down?" Gia asked, oblivious to my musings.

   I could still feel the boy's piercing gaze stuck on me.

   "Yeah," I said, trying to shake off the attention, but failing miserably. It only brought the sliver of a goofy grin to my face, making me feel even more stupid.

   For a moment I thought Gia was gesturing me to slide into the row next to the boy, and my heart froze within my chest in a terrifying excitement. But, she was only giving me a suggestive glance to something behind me.

   I turned, seeing a sheet of platinum blonde hair and instantly recognising Isobel, who shot me a relieved grin when she spotted me.

   By then, Gia had already filed in to the row in front of the boy, and I followed her, knowing he was directly behind me, holding the ability to make my heart thump loudly in my ears. What was his name?

   When she finally made her way across the room, Isobel slid in beside me, her pale cheeks a rosy red from the fresh morning air. She let out a breathless sigh and began sifting through her backpack for her material, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, she leaned back, her arm draping over the back of her chair.

   "Oh, Isaac, Aaron said to meet him by the training rooms after this," she said. "Something about a uniform?"

   "Oh, right," the voice of the boy directly behind me responded. It was deep, much deeper than I'd expected for the boy I'd merely glimpsed at. Black coils of hair had barely grazed the top of his forehead, his brows were thick and the planes of his jaw sharp. Isaac. His name was Isaac.

   I busied myself with taking out my notebook and writing the date in the corner, my mind fixated on the boy behind me. It was silly and stupid, and completely superficial, but I couldn't stop the giddy feeling that swept over me. I'd rarely crushed on anyone, and when I did it was fleeting. This boy just seemed so real. He was in sharp contrast to what now seemed blurred in the back ground, his eyes still burned into my mind in an intense clarity.

   I barely noticed the professor entering the room and setting up his notes on the projector, I was too busy eavesdropping on Gia and Isobel's conversations on either side of me. And maybe it was my new found infatuation with the boy behind me with the piercing stare, or just my brain failing to pay attention to the class itself, but I seemed to zone out after that.

   Whenever I tried to recall that lecture, it was covered in a cloud that was only just opaque enough for everything to go blank.