Vulnerable

Even though he led Charm over to their table she didn't immediately sit.

He could sense that her thoughts were all over the place, so he nudged her gently.

Such a simple action brought her attention back and he followed up with a pointed remark. 

"I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable, if you wanted to sit with someone else," said Brendan bitterly. 

Even though his face looked pleasant his underlying words were tinged with jealousy.

Thankfully only he could hear it in his voice unless you knew him well then it wouldn't be so obvious.

Hopefully he managed to keep it from showing on his face. 

Charm managed not to flinch when he touched her.

"No, Brendan. It's not like that, I guess I'm still feeling exhausted," she responded, which was not entirely untrue. 

She had gone from jetlagged to almost drowning in unknown waters then surviving a perfect storm.

For less than twenty four hours Charm had been at this private college which would be her new home until she graduated.

Here she felt vulnerable like a fish out of water without her best friend Janet for moral support.

Charm knew she would have to shoulder every responsibility herself without Janet's friendly advice to rely on.

As her best and only friend no doubt Janet would be worried about her.

Charm arrived on the island unconscious so she hadn't been able to call Janet to let her know that she arrived somewhat safely though it was no fault of her own.

Her friend would no doubt be fascinated to hear that her once dull and boring life in the span of a few days read like something out of a fantasy novel. 

It seemed like her non existent dating life was no more if she was reading the room correctly so far she seemed to have two guys showing interest in her all of a sudden. 

Maybe that's something she should keep to herself for now. 

It made sense to only reveal it to Janet later whenever they managed to see each other in person as it would be hard to convey what she was feeling now over the phone. 

Right now she needed to focus on what Brendan was saying to her currently as there were simply too many new faces hovering nearby waiting for something to gossip about.

Other than a few of Brendan's friends whose names she could not remember from the yacht the only other face familiar to her was that of the snooty Katherine Depass. 

As expected Katherine seemed even more on edge now that Brendan had personally escorted Charm over to their table. 

Charm felt that the gulf between them had already widened even further just as she had predicted on the day they first met.

Katherine was naturally competitive in not just her dress and looks but also because of Brendan. 

To Katherine, Brendan represented everything she needed to impress her parents and make them proud of her. 

Once Charm was properly seated, the conversation at the table naturally resumed. 

She sat down to eat her breakfast and listened to them talk about how excited they were for the upcoming social.

Which would be the highlight of the new school term and the center of activity.

They tried to include her in conversation but not one to talk with her mouth full. 

Charm could only smile and nod at the appropriate times, as was her habit. 

When she had swallowed her last spoonful of porridge Brendan inched his body even closer to whisper in her ear. 

"Your forehead is all wrinkly, what are you thinking about, so deeply?" he asked out of curiosity. 

"I'm just wondering if I will fit in here since everyone seems acquainted with each other already."

She focused again on Brendan's lively, handsome face and tried not to feel down about Janet not being around when Charm needed her the most. 

Instinctively she knew that the only reason that the others were being polite to her and trying to include her in their conversations was because of Brendan. 

The least she could to repay him for his kindness was to try and mingle with the others, contributing to their mindless chatter and graciously accepting their compliments. 

Already it started to feel overwhelming, an introvert at heart she could already feel the weight of the pressure to conform with Brendan's friends.

This could be her chance to fit in for a change, she did not want this opportunity to slip by, she did not want to feel a lifetime of regret.

Leaving sure for unsure when it seems like Brendan was already making it pretty clear how he felt about Charm.

All of a sudden the dining room felt muted, the fluorescent light from the ceiling flashed violently making her feel dizzy. 

Her eyes closed and she felt Brendan's warm breath against her ears filled with concern by inquiring if she was all right. 

Charm's palms felt sweaty and she knew that it was time to get a hold of herself quickly for fear she fainted, as quickly as the panic came, it left. 

After her eyes reopened, the sounds of conversations and chatter around the dining room came flooding back.

With the exception of Brendan, thankfully no one else noticed her little episode, the room returned to normal and the lights no longer shone so brightly. 

"I'm sorry if I made you worry Brendan, I'm not exactly sure what came over me," she finally replied. "Thanks for being concerned, I really appreciate it. 

Before Brendan could even dream of responding a loud siren wailed in the distance gradually getting louder before the Dean's voice that sounded like a recording thundered through the speakers. 

"Attention, this is not a drill, all students and staff please evacuate to the auditorium immediately. Please do so in a respectful and orderly manner failure to comply will result in dire consequences. I repeat this is not a drill, all students and staff please evacuate to the auditorium immediately."