Absonditus Metus - Hidden Fear Part 2

The bus ride had gone relatively undisturbed since the older man in the tweed jacket had gotten off, leaving Jonathan alone in his silent thoughts, swirls of books passages and quotes from an author he almost detested but loved all the same, swirling in his mind. He'd forgone reading the book since the man had left, unable to concentrate for longer than a few moments due to the drifting thoughts he'd gotten. Now he was examining the ends of his rather long scarf, one he'd picked up back in Georgia before he'd left from an elderly farm wife who probably mistook him for someone else going off to college.

But he'd accepted the gift none the less, his manners and self-preservation kicking in as he did so, even going so far as to put it on for her, regardless of the hot Georgia sun and temperature as it pressed in around him and his suffocating, stick like frame. It was a deep maroon color, something he'd never worn before, but the woman insisted was 'his color' or some such nonsense. Even now he was silently thankful for the forethought; especially since the weather was far cooler here then it had ever been at home, even during their winters.

And with what he'd seen so far since arriving here, it was only going to get colder in the months to come.

He was just hoping his sighs weren't getting increasingly audible. He was getting enough strange looks as it was, what with the way he was dressed and all…not to mention his luggage and the shabby condition it was in, much like his own self. All he really needed was yet another reason for people to run screaming in the other direction from him, not like they didn't already do that.

That thought alone made Jonathan's lips twitch in a smirk behind his scarf, which was now pulled up and secured around the lower part of his face, concealing his mouth and neck from the frigid air pouring in from the gap in the window on his left. At least they couldn't see him react to his own thoughts, or at least not that he could see from the spot he was in. It didn't matter anyways; his stop was coming up next, according to the map pasted above the cabin entrance.

Although he wasn't sure how to get the bus to work in his favor upon getting on it, he now knew how to stop it at his request simply by watching what others did around him. It was a simple trick he'd learned over the years, one that got him less punishment if he picked up on subtle things most people wouldn't watch or care about. (Things like what the bullies talked about in school, their facial expressions, how his Great Granny walked even. All indicators of something that could potentially be life threatening.) That's how he knew that going into Psychology was the right thing for him…

The dim bulb flickered briefly before flashing out as he pulled the cord that would get the bus to eventually stop, the squeal of breaks and the audible ding of an overused bell the only signal to his arrival to Gotham University.

Yes, Jonathan thought, it was going to be a good start to a brand new life.