Going to college was supposed to fix everything.
Nearly everything.
Most things.
Tyler scooped up his papers as they blew around in the student union courtyard after his brother, David, had knocked them out of his hands. It was nothing more than the plus-size dragon had done to him dozens of times before. This time, however, it grated on Tyler more because this was supposed to be his sanctuary. David wasn't supposed to be a student. He probably couldn't even pass the entrance exams. But his freakishly huge physique, combined with the eagle eye of a recruiting coach, had gotten him in the back door and into the football program.
Football with a side of wrestling.
And maybe, if his usual athletic excellence held out, some hockey.
David's way of telling his little brother the good news was to come on to campus, call him "poindexter", and knock his notebook out of his hands. Laughing, he'd gone off with several of his other jock friends towards the cafeteria.
Tyler was small; very small.
A rich purple in color, the five-foot-nothing dragon was fairly slender with a slight paunch and scrawny limbs. His wingspan wasn't much to look at and he'd felt insignificant in the shadow of his older brother for years. He knew David didn't hate him but his brutish ideas of "fun" and "funny" made Tyler's life miserable. They lived together in an apartment a few miles away and Tyler spent most of his time at the small, corner comics-and-games shop he'd bought with monies culled from a trust fund and his high school salary earned while working at an Italian restaurant.
But being in retail, even if he was his own boss, wasn't his idea of a good plan for the future. So, last spring, he'd decided he'd pursue an advanced degree at the university. Now, chasing his papers amongst the falling, autumn leaves, he wondered if it had been such a good idea. He'd been in class for several weeks and was starting to doubt his choices.
The last of his papers wafted up against the base of a campus directory. On it were pinned announcements of parties at the frat houses, political rally messages, job offers, and class notices. Picking up his now damp treatise on "The History of Sumptuary Legislation in the Roman Empire" his eyes caught a glimpse of something different.
On the board was a small, tan paper advertising a mid-semester course, open to all students, for two credits. The headline said, "Experimentation in Bio-Mass Labs: Changing Mass and Dimensions". Beneath it were several classroom locations. While "changing mass and dimensions" piqued Tyler's curiosity the words "survey class: free for first 10 applicants" were even better. The class, it seemed, was based in one of two buildings; buildings he didn't have classes in right now; that would mean he could get out of his normal pattern and maybe avoid David for a while longer.
But what were the "Metaphysical and Ancient Studies Classroom Building" and the "Advanced Quantum Chemistry Lab Building" the course was held in? He'd never heard of such things outside of comic books or Sci-Fi novels.
Curious, he decided to check one out and apply.
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