Dream Developments - Part Three

 

My eyes roam up to the top of the sheet, locking to the information Kimberly was referring to;

Name: Jordan Hughes*
Designation: Student

As I read the designation I had been given I blink rapidly, attempting to clear the sleep from my weary eyes in an effort to fix the word in front of me in the hopes I had been reading it wrong.

"I...is that right?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow as I point to the designation on the page. "I mean... I applied expecting something more... Proper? I guess something more substantial."

Kimberly looks up at me for a moment, her look shifting to one of concern for a second before she returns her gaze to the clipboard once again. As she flicks through the pages she waves for me to follow her, her heels clicking down the old cobblestone street as she begins the tour without me.

I race over to her, still feeling sluggish after the drive. However, once I catch up it is relatively easy to keep pace with the short woman as she moves with care not to get stuck in any gaps or slip on the slick stones.

"This is the new Graceport University" she explains in a halfhearted manner, her hand gesturing to the large artistic construct of blanketed steel and glass sitting beside the town hall with a lush park resting between them. "It was recently built to accommodate both local students and..."

"Yeah, about that student thing" I interject, the blonde woman barely looking up as she scans through page after page in the clipboard. "I have three degrees, I've taught at a college, I think there may have been some..."

"Mistake?" Kimberly scoffs, rolling her eyes as if she had heard the suggestion a thousand times before. "We don't make mistakes here Mr. Hughes we..." She begins to explain in a dry manner, pausing as she realizes she was pulled off topic again.

"I didn't mean any..." I begin to explain myself, trying to soften the accusation as she quickly cuts me off.

"Designed with the latest facilities and best faculty, the Graceport College campus boasts..." She rambles, pausing as she looks down at her watch. "Damn, okay moving on" she huffs, pivoting in place as she returns to her brisk yet careful stride.

The footpath itself begins to slope downwards as me head out if the town center, the descent guiding us towards the docks and sea below. We pass several small stores on the way, from cozy and quaint bookshops to quiet seeming cafes and restaurants without many customers to feed.

"They'll be more than full soon enough" Kimberly states, catching me looking into the largely empty cafes as we pass. "We're still waiting on over sixty percent of our current resident staff and..." She states, her optimistic words getting cut short as she grinds to a halt.

Sitting on the slight slop to our right sits a large complex of buildings, some seemingly as old as the town hall with the central redbrick block certainly showing its age. Two taller three story buildings flank the small brick and rendered ones, paths and benches being only slightly visible from the court deeper in.

"Here we have Graceport High, formally St. Sebastian's though we are in the process of having that sign taken down" Kimberly states, gesturing to the complex and namely to the old daunting brick building in the center. "We have sought to keep the original character while modernizing the school and bringing it into the 21st century. The interiors, lovingly restored, have been upgraded with the best facilities and faculty this side of..."

"Yes, about that faculty... thing..." I interject, wincing as I watch the blonde grow more frustrated with my interruptions.

"What about it?" She grumbles, tapping her foot as she glances down at her watch while struggling to maintain her smile.

"I was...well I was kind of expecting to 'be' a part of the faculty. I've been a student for..."

"It says here ten years of college, and of course thirteen years of primary to graduation" Kimberly interrupts, glancing down at her watch with a sigh as she waves me onwards.

I follow along as she guides me down towards the docks, pausing only very briefly to gesture at more buildings as we pass them by. Evermore cute and quaint little store slip past, from a florist overflowing with flowers to a music school with the ominous sound of a lonely piano being played inside. Everything seemed to have been set up ahead of time, with residents filtering in to be sent straight to their assigned work.

Pacing myself a little ahead of Kimberly I try to speak up again, only finding myself getting cut off sooner than I had expected. "Um... So about..."

"Twenty-three years of schooling" she chirps back, a glint in her eyes as she looks up at me and quickens her own pace to get ahead of me. "And you're... let's see..."

"Twenty-Seven" I call back, causing her to click her tongue as if I had snatched the words from her mouth.

"That's right, Twenty-seven. So you've been in some sort of school as a student for... Well, it must be around eighty... No eighty-five percent of your life at this point." She explains smugly.

"That's... Wow is it really that much?" I huff, the air and bluster getting taken out of me.

"Let's... oh I see, never were very good at math" she chuckles, flicking through to my old high school transcript from over a decade ago. "You weren't the best student in general then, but you got better apparently with each passing qualification" she goes on to explain, thumbing through each academic record.

"That's right, I didn't start out great but I'm more than qualified for..."

"For going for one last trip through schooling" Kimberly states firmly, finishing my sentence. "With the new schools we're going to need some stellar representation from the student's bodies" she states, flinching slightly at her own misstatement.

"Isn't it sort of cheating to have someone like me do that? I mean going for a fourth degree is fine if I'm getting paid, but that doesn't sound as impressive if I do well after all that" I remark, looking over my shoulder as I try to see the college campus behind us.

"You just let us sweat the details, you just focus on your marks and inspiring the other students around you" she states, her voice turning softer as it appears she's won me over.

I can't help scoff at the suggestion of a mature-aged student doing any sort of inspiring acts, most of my younger years being spent turning my nose up at anyone around the campus over the age of twenty-three really.

"You really think a bunch of freshmen will be inspired by some guy who'll be thirty once he graduates again?" I laugh, noticing a sign in the distance reading 'Rose's Garden'

"Again, just leave that to us" Kimberly chirps, waving a hand dismissively as she holds the clipboard to her chest. Her eyes brighten up as she sees the cafe as well, the corner building having quite a lot of outdoor seating laying largely empty at the very bottom of the hill.

Lively brushes appear to have been placed along the sidewalk, the red flowers only now beginning to bloom. Lovely ornate wrought iron garden furniture sir outside in the shade thanks to the large canopy-like awning hanging overhead. Ashtrays and menus sit on the neatly organized wooden tables, though only a scant few appear even used.

Outside sits a rather fit brunette woman somewhere in her forties, her firm toned body and trim physique poorest into her athletic wear seeming to keep her youthful energy. Her face switches readily between gleeful grins as she sips at the cup of tea in her hands and looks of discomfort and confusion. Her biceps and calves twitch happily as she enjoys the sensation of the powerful muscles, her eyes darting towards her large tightly constrained chest as it jiggles along with the movement of her arms.

A few tables away sits a waitress, her lanky pale form draped over the wooden table as she holds what could barely be called the remains of a cigarette. Her dark brown eyes look into the distance in an unfocused manner, her whole tall body going limp in the tight white shirt and black skirt she was wearing.

I shrug a little as we approach, figuring she was just on break or something considering the lack of customers. She doesn't even turn to look at us as we go by, though the middle-aged woman appears to look over myself and Kimberly as her lips quiver and contort as she fights back a sly grin. Her tight and firm thighs press together beneath the table, the light gray skintight pants making the action all too visible.

"Can we..." I begin to ask, slowing by the door as I look inside.

The interior is bright and vibrant, the white walls lined with ornamental picket fences and a mixture of fake plants and hedges along with those that were more obviously real. The theme of homey and darling, with light wooden tables and seats, alongside boxes being used as seating.

"We didn't have time to grow all the plants we needed" Kimberly mutters, her lips twisting into a pout at the failing. "Rosie will work it out soon enough" she continues, peeking around to see if she could see someone inside.

Suddenly a squeak catches both our attentions, the two of us turning around to see what looks like another waitress in the same uniform as the zoned-out young woman but now with an accompanying floral apron.

She is in her late twenties, her long wiry brown hair pulled into a frantic ponytail. Wide green eyes stare at us like a deer in the headlights, her dainty and delicate features leaving her looking downright adorable. She stands only around 5'6" in her black non-slip flats, her uniform confirming tightly to her slender and petite frame. Her chest and hips seem to press tightly against the material of her inform, buttons straining beneath the apron in an effort to hold it all together against the squashed flesh and bone while a faint hint of her cavernous cleavage peaks through.

Her eyes lock to me, her lightly tanned cheeks quickly turning crimson as her soft lips part a little.

"Hi Rosie, just a double shot of espresso for me" Kimberly states, walking past the stunned young woman.

"Hi, I'm Jordan it's nice to..." I begin to say in introduction, the snapping of Kimberly's fingers cutting me off as they catch my attention.

"No time for introductions, come on now" Kimberly snaps, waving me towards her as she nods down to the docks.

"But you just..."

"I'll pick it up on the way back, that's alright isn't it Rosie?" She explains, realizing she should ask the dumbfounded woman if she could pick it up later.

Rosie's lips quiver for a moment, her wide eyes darting over me as they begin to water slightly. Suddenly she snaps to attention, racing inside with a whimpering "That's fine, five minutes okay?!" She squeaks, a slight southern twang to her fine and gentle voice as she darts off into the building.

I stand in shock for a moment, turning to watch as the woman practically hides behind the counter at the back as she fiddles with the coffee machine. I'm soon brought back to the tour as Kimberly snaps her fingers once again.

"Come on Mr. Hughes, no time to dawdle" she chirps, ushering me towards her with the clipboard.

As we walk along I notice Kimberly freezing up and pausing on occasion, checking her watch before quickly shuffling along. "No time for that..." she sighs under her breath, checking the clipboard along with her muttering comments. "Skip that one too..."

"Sorry?" I ask, keeping pace beside her.

"Nothing" Kimberly sighs, guiding me down the long road as it winds left from Rose's Garden before turning right as it wraps around a block that only contained a single large building. "Just... check your map if you get lost or need something once the induction is done" she huffs, frustrated at the tour being cut short. "That's the hospital and medical center by the way."

"We could just be a little late for the..." I mutter, slowing down as I look at the towering brick of the building. Despite the massive daunting size of the glass and steel creature only scant few lights are even on, whole floors of the overwhelming behemoth being used as doctors and nurses are toured around the floors and they get their bearings.

"I think she has a crush on you" chirps Kimberly, walking away from me faster as she entices me with her words. Her plan works almost too well, my sad and lonely self racing to catch up to her in search of clarification.

Ahead of us rests the docks, several boats of different varieties being moored along the aging and in some places replaced wooden boards. Small tugs and practical fishing boats bobbing gently alongside the large recreational ships that appeared brand new and unused.

"Other incentives for moving to Graceport" Kimberly noted, nodding to the boats before taking a sharp left and crossing the street as we headed towards a large warehouse resting near the docks.

"Yeah, cool. What did you say about..." I eagerly begin to ask, a smirking Kimberly cutting me off.

"About Rosie having a bit of a crush? Oh come on, it was obvious wasn't it?" Kimberly giggles, enjoying the gossip. "You had to have noticed right? Are you that socially awkward? Maybe you'll have a chance to relearn that stuff once..."

"I mean, I noticed she was sort of..." I respond, cutting off her line of thought with my own. "Do you think I should..."

"Not once we're done here" Kimberly responds, opening a side door in the warehouse before stepping inside. "It's a shame really, can I get you a glass of water?" she muses, shuffling into the small office carved out of the long sheet metal-coated building.

"What do..." I begin to ask, my eyes immediately darting to the cooler of water as I realize just how parched I was after the day-long drive out here. "Actually, yeah do you mind if..."

"No problem Mr. Hughes, please take a seat" Kimberly chirps back eagerly, mincing over to the watercooler as I take a chance to look around.

The office itself is small and cozy, being closer to a waiting room with two desks squished beside the watercooler at the far end of the room. A door leads deeper into the warehouse proper, the sound of heavy machinery and vehicles being muffled by an outstanding level of soundproofing.

The walls are a pale yellow, the floor covered in a plush brown carpet. Plush black seats sit lining the walls themselves, begging for the weary new residents to sit in the metal-framed furniture. A few small stains dot the otherwise shiny and freshly cleaned chairs, the hardy strong construction being juxtaposed with soft and supple cushions that appear almost scrubbed to a medical-grade shine.

Dropping in the seat I watch as Kimberly pours some water into a plastic cup, fetching her own drink from one of the two desks in the form of a long black metal water bottle. She soon mines back over, passing me the cup before returning to the desk once more as she unlocks the screen and desktop combination sitting atop the dark brown wooden desk.

"So..." I mutter, sipping at the water. It's strangely heavy in my mouth and almost metallic, my mind quickly chalking it up to being from an old container being left in the cooler for too long or perhaps the dispenser itself leaking out aberrant metals from the tap. "Where am I going to be living?" I ask, jingling my keys.

"Oh!" Kimberly squeaks, looking at me before returning to the computer. She quickly finishes her task as I continue sipping at the water, my eyelids feeling heavy as I sink further into the seat. My heart rate slows, my whole body slumping in the seat as I feel my aching and tired muscles relax in the soft and comfy seat.

"Well those aren't going to be your keys, but I assume they're for someplace nice" muses Kimberly, tapping away at the keyboard. "Just... give me... a moment..." she mutters, clicking at the screen and typing at the keyboard with her long manicured nails.

"What do you mean..." I blurt out, yawning loudly as my eyes drift close. "Not my..."

"There we go" Kimberly coos, the blonde speaking to me from the darkness beyond my closed and desperately sleepy eyes. "Awwww, looks like someone was ready for their nap. We usually have to wait a little longer for this" comes a soft and soothing whisper, Kimberly lowering her voice as I begin to drift off to sleep.

"I just checked your new address. It looks like you'll be housed in one of the...