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And then they were driving
out of the giant gates and were gone.
    Whilst they’d been around, exclaiming at the lovely
buildings and fussing over her, she’d been able to pretend this was just a day
trip to another world. Now however, the fact that this surreal medieval complex
was to be her home for the next three years was slowly sinking in.
    Harriet went back to her new room, and excitement about the
evening ahead began to wipe away her panic. According to her welcome booklet,
there was going to be a formal dinner in the hall, followed by a trip en masse
to a club in town. She couldn’t wait for the meal, looking forward to diving
deeper into the world of privilege. The prospect of a night out afterwards was
just as appealing. Whilst she was no stranger to the clubs of her hometown,
this would be her first time clubbing away from home – no aunt to suggest she
wore something more sensible or to worry if she came home late. And maybe, just
maybe, she’d see Tom again and anything could happen.
    After much internal debate over what to wear, she settled on
a bronze coloured mini dress with little blue jewelled shapes on it. It clung lightly
to her chest and billowed out to skim around her thighs. She wore opaque tights
to make the look cooler and less revealing. Praying that she’d be able to dance
in them all night, she added blue and silver suede heels Over it all, she put
on the most important bit of the outfit – her gown. This was the first
opportunity she’d had to wear it, and despite the fact that the short, plain
and baggy garment was fundamentally unflattering, she loved it for what it
represented.
    As she got herself ready, Harriet gradually became aware of
the sound of a piano being played beautifully in the room next door. She
wondered who was living there, and considered knocking on the door, but didn’t
want to interrupt them. After a while however, the music stopped, and seconds
later, there was a knock on her door. She opened it to see a boy with messy
dirty-blond curls, tight jeans and a T-shirt bearing the name and logo of an
obscure band.
    “Hey, looks as though we’re neighbours,” he said, radiating
genuine friendliness through his thick West Country accent.
    Harriet was staring at him in amazement. If she’d met him
just a few hours earlier, she was sure she’d have been flirting with the
angelic looking boy, but since their meeting, the only person she’d been able
to think about was Tom.
    “Was that you playing the piano?” she asked.
    “Yeah. I hope I wasn’t disturbing you. I’m a music student
so I’ll have to practise a lot, but feel free to knock if you’re ever trying to
sleep or concentrate and I’m getting on your nerves.”
    “Don’t be silly, it was lovely. Really soothing.”
    The boy seemed crestfallen. “Oh? Soothing? I meant it to be
dark and disturbing. I’m going to have to try harder.”
     “Are you going to come and eat?” she asked, keen to change
the subject rather than demonstrate her lack of musical knowledge. “I think
it’s nearly teatime.”
    “Actually, that’s the main reason I came round, to see if
you’re coming down to dinner.”
    Dinner .  Harriet made a mental note not to call it
tea in future. As they walked to the hall, he explained that he was from
Somerset and that his name was Josh. As well as playing the piano, he sang in
the college choir.
    Harriet knew she was being silly but was glad to have
avoided walking to the dinner alone. The dining hall was in the oldest bit of
the college, a dark stone four sided cloisters, covered with a beamed roof but
with old glassless windows opening onto a central patch of perfect grass. There
were mysterious doors at irregular intervals along the ancient walls. Harriet
could only presume they led into tutors rooms and meeting rooms, but wouldn’t
have been overly surprised to discover that they were doorways into other
worlds. She shivered from a mixture of the cold and the atmosphere.
    At her