Morbid

Annie, Arnold, and Kelly were up at five o'clock the next morning, had a quick breakfast, then loaded up the car with the essentials that they would need. Arnold's new suits for work, new clothing for the evenings and weekends, about half of Kelly's wardrobe, blankets, sheets, pillows and cases, towels and toiletries, and even a box of basic kitchen items and staple foods that all kitchens needed.

The room had a small kitchenette and a half-sized refrigerator, so they knew they were going to need at least some items to start with, especially since they didn't know what the food situation was going to be like there. They did know that Kelly probably wasn't going to be allowed to eat in the cafeteria during busy times, because she wasn't a student yet and they frowned upon non-students using up student resources.

They piled into the car and Annie started to drive them to the college, then asked Kelly to tell her about the prom. Kelly had tried to tell her about it the night before and she flatly refused to listen, because they would have plenty of time to talk during the drive to college the next morning. Annie had sent Kelly and Arnold right to bed after they had undressed.

Annie was quite surprised as Kelly relayed almost everything that happened at the dance, especially about Arnold turning down being Prom King. She had no idea that her son would even be eligible for something like that, then Kelly told her why.

“I am very proud of you, Arnold.” Annie said as she glanced into the rear view mirror and into his eyes. “Doubly so, considering what you did for the other students and then you turned down being the king so you could be with Kelly.” She smiled and glanced at Kelly. “I bet everyone was shocked.”

“The whole place was quiet!” Kelly said with a laugh and a blush. “Everybody heard it and then watched us sneak off under the spotlight.”

“Sneak off? Ha ha!” Annie laughed. “I can just imagine the looks on everyone's faces!”

Kelly's cell phone beeped at her and she took it out to check it, then she went quiet.

“What is it?” Annie asked.

“You don't have to imagine it.” Kelly said and briefly showed her the article someone posted on social media.

“Most popular King of the Prom abdicates to kiss girlfriend?” Annie quickly read and then looked back at the road. “Read it for me, please.”

Kelly nodded. “This year's prom started off like any other...” As she read, she felt a little bad for all the people that wanted to thank Arnold by voting him as the prom king. When she reached the end of the article, it reminded her of the significance of what Arnold had done. He gave it up to be with me. She thought with renewed happiness. “There's even a video.”

“That's great! I'll watch it when we get to the college.” Annie said. “What happened after the prom?”

Kelly kept talking and told her all about going out to eat and what they discussed, then about everyone missing getting together and Arnold telling them that he and Kelly would be back every weekend, which prompted them to arrange a once a month meeting.

“That's so nice!” Annie gushed. She was very happy about it, because she had never imagined Arnold actually making friends, since it had never happened before. Not in all the years he had been in school had anyone even tried to make friends with him, and now he had a whole bunch of them.

“It really is, because it just... kind of happened on its own.” Kelly said and then she chuckled. “Before you ask, nachos and cheese were involved.”

“The currency of friendship!” Annie joked and laughed.

Kelly turned to look at Arnold. “It's just a joke, Arnold. You can't actually buy friendships with nachos and cheese... although, it can start one sometimes.”

Arnold nodded and Kelly faced the front again. Annie had nodded as well, only it was for approval and not in agreement. She liked that Kelly corrected an assumption she thought Arnold might make from the joke.

She is definitely the right girl for my boy. Annie thought and they drove the rest of the way to the college. They had plenty of time to get there and unload the car before Arnold needed to change and get to work.

*

Heather rolled over in bed and stretched like a lazy cat. She felt a twinge of pain between her legs, which meant she had been a bit too rough with herself the night before. She had thoroughly enjoyed herself, though. She had had sex twice and both times were really good, now that she could look back on them with a clear head.

The first time was with Brad and it had been an eye-opener for her, because she hadn't realized she would enjoy it like that. The second time was with Eric and it had started off nice and slow and ended up with the both of them frantically trying to please each other.

Heather reached down and pat her pelvic bone as she remembered how much better it had felt with Eric. She was surprised by the difference that one little piece of plastic would make. Everything felt so much hotter and more responsive, and the thrill of him not wearing a condom had given her that extra little push and made her finish quicker and a lot more than she normally did.

She wasn't stupid enough to assume that it would always feel like that, since the thrill would wane if it kept happening. It was still amazing to her that it had happened at all, and she had to admit that Eric had been pretty smooth with his moves and had swooped in when she was vulnerable. She smiled as she remembered turning the tables on him and taking control for herself, then he was like putty in her hands and he let her do whatever she wanted.

Heather picked up her cell phone and didn't see a message from Brad. There were three from Eric, however. She clicked on the first one and it was just him asking her if she was okay. The second one said that he had a great time last night. The third one said that he hoped she had slept well.

I did. Heather thought. She stared at the phone for several minutes, then she made a decision. She started a new text. 'I think... I think we shouldn't see each other anymore. You're going off to that other college and I'm going to the local one.' She typed. 'There's not going to be a lot of time for us with you so far away, so I think this is for the best.'

Heather sent it and waited. After ten minutes, she received a reponse.

'Yeah, sure. Whatever.' Brad responded.

Asshole. Heather thought. You could at least pretend I meant something to you. She closed that and clicked on Eric's last message. 'I did sleep well, thanks.' She typed. 'What are you up to today?'

A minute later she received a response.

'It's Saturday, so nothing.'

'Do you want to come over?'

'I don't know.' Eric typed. 'I'm pretty busy doing nothing.'

Heather chuckled. 'I have a pool.'

'I have a car. See you soon.'

So easy to tame. Heather thought with a smile and put her phone on the dresser. She climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. She needed to look her best, because Eric hadn't seen her in a bikini yet. He's going to be surprised. She thought happily and stepped into the shower.

*

Arnold would normally have Saturdays off; but, this was going to be his orientation day and his introduction to the biology department. He would also find out, officially, what his duties would be. He had received a fairly detailed description from the biology teacher, so he was as prepared as he could be for everything.

Annie parked the car in the spot reserved for the room Arnold would be staying in and the three of them stepped out of the car and looked at the huge building in front of them.

“Wow.” Kelly said. “It's huge.”

“You can gawk at it later.” Annie said and opened the back door. “Grab something and let's get inside.”

Kelly chuckled and grabbed a box and folded up a pile of dry cleaning bags to put on top. Annie opened the trunk of the car and Arnold grabbed a huge box and walked over to the building's front door. He put the box down and held the door for Kelly, then picked up the box and carried it inside.

“Hi, there!” A very dark skinned woman said when they came into the lobby. “I'm going to assume that you're Arnold.” She said and he nodded. She held up a set of keys and Kelly took them. “I'll remind you that your room is still on the fourth floor at the end.”

“Thanks.” Arnold said and walked over to the stairs.

“You can take the elevator.” The woman said and pointed.

“I'll do that.” Kelly said and walked over to the elevator and pushed the button and waited. It dinged and opened, then she stepped in and pushed the button for four. She wasn't surprised to see Arnold at the end of the hall waiting for her. She walked down to him and put her box down, then used the keys to open the door. They stepped inside and Kelly gasped at the size of the thing.

“This is a double room?” Kelly asked, surprised. “It's huge!”

“You can gawk at it later.” Arnold repeated Annie's words and Kelly laughed.

They brought their things inside and put them near the door, shut it, then went back to the elevator. While Kelly stood there and waited for it, Arnold went down the stairs. By the time Kelly stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor, she saw Arnold as he passed and he went up the stairs.

“You see something new every day.” The dark skinned woman said with a laugh.

“We'll be back down to introduce ourselves properly after we get everything moved.” Kelly promised.

“There's no rush for that.” The woman said. “I'm here all the time.”

“That doesn't mean we shouldn't be polite.” Kelly said as she walk by and the woman smiled and nodded. Annie handed Kelly another small box and more dry cleaning bags with clothes in them. Kelly went back inside and waited for the elevator and Arnold came down the stairs to get another box. They kept working and eventually emptied the car, then Annie locked it up and went inside. Arnold and Kelly came down in the elevator and the three of them went over to the desk.

“Hi, I'm Annie, Arnold's mother.” Annie said and reached out to shake the woman's hand.

“I'm Doris, the dorm manager.” The woman said and stood up to shake the hand. She looked to be about forty-five years old and was five feet five inches tall. She had really dark skin, styled short black hair, and wore a tight black skirt and a nice white blouse. Both her chest and her hips were substantial, especially for her height, and her clothes accentuated her assets, either by design or by accident.

“It's nice to meet you.” Annie said. “This is my son, Arnold.”

“Hello, young man!” Doris said and shook his hand. “I hope we can become good friends, since you're going to be staying here for so long.”

“I'm sure we will.” Kelly assured her and shook her hand next. “I'll be here just as long.”

“Oh? What course did they rope you into?” Doris asked.

“Interdisciplinary Studies.” Kelly said.

Doris caught her breath. “You're going for a Social Science degree?” She asked and Kelly nodded. “Then, yes, I'll be seeing the both of you for a long time.” She said and then chuckled. “That almost sounded like we'll be dating!”

“Kelly and I are exclusive.” Arnold said. “We can't date anyone else.”

Doris had a surprised look on her face for a second, then she burst out laughing. “You're just precious!” She said when she calmed down and her eyes sparkled. “We are definitely going to get along with a sense of humor like that!”

“Look at the time.” Kelly said as a distraction before Arnold could say that he wasn't joking. “Arnold, you've got enough time to grab a quick shower and change for work.” She said. “We'll wait here for you.”

“Okay.” Arnold said and walked over to the elevator. Even though taking the stairs was faster, he knew not to make himself sweat before going to work.

“White shirt and black tie!” Annie reminded him and he nodded to her, stepped into the elevator, and the doors closed.

“He must be amazing to have a job with Professor Crenslav before becoming a student.” Doris said. “He's a man that respects skill above everything else.”

“What else can you tell us about him?” Annie asked.

Doris smiled and told them everything she knew about the strict man. He was a stickler for detail and he would settle for nothing but the best results. Annie and Kelly looked at each other, because they both knew what the high school biology teacher had told Arnold about the senior assistant, Amy. They silently agreed to advise Arnold about getting instructions from the professor directly and not to only do what Amy instructed him to do.

Arnold stepped out of the elevator twenty minutes later and looked great in the new suit. Kelly's face flushed red at the sight as he walked over to her.

“You look very handsome.” Kelly said and gave him a brief hug and a kiss.

“Ol' Hamil is going to like you.” Doris said and smiled. “You better start walking now if you want to get to Building F before eight o'clock.”

“Oh! Let's go!” Kelly said and waved him towards the front door. “You can't be late on your first day!”

Arnold nodded and the three of them left the dorm building. Arnold and Kelly knew where the building was, so Annie followed where they went and walked several feet behind them. Eight minutes and a cautious warning about Amy later, they arrived in front of another large building with a large letter 'F' painted on the front and they went inside.

“It's on the second floor.” Kelly said and looked at the elevator, then sighed and went for the stairs. They didn't rush and went to the second floor at a normal pace. When they stepped out into the lobby, the three of them gasped at the huge displays.

“Oh, my god.” Annie said and covered her mouth.

Right in the middle of the lobby, in an eight foot tall and six foot wide glass case, was a body in the classic star pose with arms straight out to the sides and legs about two feet apart. It wasn't just a normal body, though. It was completely intact on one side and had been sliced exactly down the middle. The other side, though... it was... gruesome.

It had been dissected.

Each and every part of the body on that side was pulled apart and covered in wax to preserve it, then it had been suspended in a clear resin to hold it in place. It looked like the body had been caught in the instant of an explosion and then preserved. Muscles, tendons, veins, arteries, and the skin had its own layer. Annie and Kelly stayed back and Arnold walked right up to it.

He marvelled at the intricate work that it would have taken to suspend all of the arteries like that and saw that the eye had been dissected to show the various parts it contained. There were even sections of the bones cut open to reveal the marrow inside.

“I see you've met Adam.” A young woman's voice said from behind them. Annie and Kelly turned to see who it was and saw that it was Amy.

“Why... why would he have it on display like this?” Annie asked. “It's... it's morbid.”

Arnold turned away from the display and looked at his mother.

“He's the prize of Professor Crenslav's collection.” Amy said with a grin. She always enjoyed people's reactions to seeing it. “I can't tell you how long he worked on it, and I don't know if he knows himself.” She chuckled and walked over to them. “Well, now that you've met the first man, it's time to go and meet the man who created it.”

Neither Annie nor Kelly had missed the subtle reference or the implication.

“This way, please.” Amy said and waved for them to follow her.