Excerpt: Happenstance

Chapter I

"Do you know 'oo I am?" he asked, closing the door behind him.

Joshua looked the young man over, ignoring the fine tailoring of his clothing and the quality of the leather used for his shoes and bag. Everyone dressed as such here excluding the few scholarship recipients. Instead he took in the man's green eyes. They were rather violent set against his olive skin complexion. He had an almost perfectly straight Palatine nose except for the dent where ridge met forehead. It was much like a permanent impression from glasses worn too long. His build was slim and well kept; the most unruly part of his appearance was the curling ends to his brown hair.

Wholly unremarkable in Joshua's opinion. A mere carbon copy of the kind of student that which the University catered.

"No," Joshua answered.

"Elijah."

Joshua nodded at the introduction.

Elijah pulled at his cuffs, removing imaginary creases, and then stuck his hand out. The gesture looked unnatural. His arm extended at a perfect 45-degree angle.

He leaned forward, out of the chair that sat in front of his desk, and shook his hand. "Right, Elijah," Joshua said, pulling away. "Sit down and we'll get to business."

He looked around at the bed saturated in odd clothing, the overturned rubbish bin, and the casualty that was Joshua's closet. "I prefer to stand when doing business transactions."

Joshua shrugged, leapt from his chair, and went around to the other side of the desk. "I need to forms of picture ID. Fill out this questionnaire." He pulled a clipboard out of a drawer and pushed it across the desktop. "Don't bother lying because all your answers will be doubled checked and wasting time is pointless. I also need your current class schedule--"

"Excuse me?"

He looked up at Elijah, who had angled the clipboard to be perpendicular to himself.

"Look, pretty boy, I might be the scholarship kid, but I'm not stupid. If you want something, I need to have security."

"I'm good."

Joshua looked him over again. "I"m sure you are." He pushed the clipboard forward again. "Questionnaire, classes, two forms of picture ID. I'd prefer one of them to be a passport, but I'm flexible."

"I cannot give that."

"Then you get nothing." Joshua grabbed the clipboard.

Elijah placed his hand flat on the questionnaire. It smacked onto the desktop. "I'm willing to pay double, triple, whatever it takes to secure that for which I seek."

"Money is nice, but it means nothing to you people." He pried the clipboard from under Elijah's hand. "I want collateral," Joshua said, sounding out all the syllables. "Surely you can understand why."

"So there is risk for both parties involved," he answered then pulled at his cuffs again. "I did not think your business was so well organized."

"Like I said, I might be the scholarhip kid, but I've earned my keeps here. Now, hand over the information, Elijah, or get out of my room."