1

With a sigh Willow closed the last book on ancient Roman history. The mid-terms were closing on the horizon and Willow fully intended to match her last performance with a perfect score. The research she had to do to make that a possibility was taxing however, and by far the most tedious and ungrateful part of the work, and Willow had stayed at the library far longer than she had intended to. Now it was past midnight and she rose from the desk as she pushed her glasses up to her forehead to rub the fatigue out of her eyes before she returned the volume to the proper bookshelf. As she went back to fetch her jacket she thought she heard the sound of a car stopping in the yard outside. That was strange, because at this time not a living soul had any business at the annex building late on Friday night. Except Willow.
Willow was a sophomore at the college in her home town. She wasn’t an overly social person. And none of that helped her to get a boyfriend.
That was bothering her. She was smart and very learned, and she had a look that her mother and the neighbourhood wives called “cute”. But somehow that wasn’t enough. She was unfortunately very shy, and when she got shy, she got clumsy. She would stammer and overturn glasses, flowerpots and anything else in reach. Boys did not seem to like that. They would make excuses and say that they had a good time, but they never called back. No wonder, thought Willow. As clumsy and unassuming as she was. She never dared to wear anything sexy, anything that would turn some heads, and she had not quite reached the “physical maturity” that other girls her age had. Like all the cheerleaders. Instead she stuck to grounded colours and unassuming styles of clothes. The same went for her hair. She had a lovely head full of rich, deep brownish- red hair, but still she would not have a haircut more exciting than shoulder length hair that she trimmed down a bit when it got too frizzy. Her appearance was marred further still by her dark recesses under her eyes due to fatigue and her fear of applying makeup. An early teen episode had seen her go to school in far too much makeup and being cruelly ridiculed by her classmates. Since then she avoided all but the most basic and discreet makeup. And then there was the virginity matter.
She was still a virgin. Her scarce dating attempts had never resulting in anything that would be even close to losing it. At the same time as it embarrassed her, especially when she would listen to the other girls in the class who boasted over their sexual conquests, it also prided her. She would not give her first time away to just anyone. When the time came, it would be special. But she was starting to get a little anxious. She had been convinced that she would get to do “it” before certain other girls in her school and now several of them had apparently beaten her to it, judging from their red-faced, giggling confessions in the back of the classroom. But still, when the time was right she would know it. She was convinced of that.

As Willow left the annex she nearly missed the black Volvo that was parked out on the yard under the shadow of a tree. Only when she had closed the self-locking door behind her did she see it. Her heart jumped in her chest. Images of robberies and worse filled her mind. Quietly she started to circle the car while keeping as far away from it as possible. Suddenly she stopped as fear gripped her heart. She could clearly hear the sound of someone walking across the yard towards her, but she could not see anyone. Then he was there. A tall fair man in a dark suit. His very appearance and flair breathed old-fashioned nobility and a firm awareness of it. As he strode towards her she noted more details on his suit. The golden diamond-studded tiepin, his golden cufflinks, the antiquated shirt collar and the intricate pattern on his deep-red vest that seemed to swirl and change. He wore round steel-rimmed glasses and had a slight smirk on his lips. He walked to within three yards of her where he stopped, right in front of her.