Free The Revelation of Gabriel Adam by S.L. Duncan Page B

structures, none of them taller than a few stories, like a military base enclosed by a very large stone wall.
    Carlyle led them on a cobblestone path surrounding a grass courtyard embraced by a crescent of buildings. He mentioned that many of the university’s classes met in these buildings. The Great Hall looked most impressive with its stone brickwork façade. Directly across from it was the keep sitting atop a stepped hill supported by a large earth-retaining stone wall. The imposing octagonal structure above provided a bookend to the grounds.
    “This is Castle College, or University College if you prefer its formal name. Oldest college at Durham University, by the way.” Carlyle pointed to a door marked Lowe Library. “Below the Great Hall and down the stairs is the Undercroft. Over there—”
    “What’s the Undercroft?” Gabe interrupted.
    “Oh, well, that’d be the student pub,” Carlyle responded. “A bit like a dungeon but with lager and spirits. Course that’s hardly torture, is it?”
    “Wait. There’s a pub just for students inside the college?”
    “Certainly. Every college here has one. Many of the locals resent the university types, so on the weekends, students keep to their college pubs rather than mix it up with the townies.”
    “You’ll do well to stay away from it,” his father warned. “You’re not of age yet, so no need to find any trouble there.”
    “Don’t be daft, Joseph. He’s almost eighteen, isn’t he?” Carlyle said.
    His dad shot him a look that Gabe knew too well.
    “Right. What I meant to say, mind you, was being that you’re American, as it were, and it would be inappropriate, you understand. Ah, never mind. Follow me.” Carlyle led them toward a building adorned with a large black clock, though Gabe’s attention was still drawn toward the Undercroft.
    “You’ll be staying at the dorms there in the Castle Keep, at least temporarily,” Carlyle said. “The best view of the town can be seen here, though the accommodations are a little . . . well, tight shall we say.”
    Making their way to the inside of the keep, Carlyle obtained a set of keys for two rooms as well as two document envelopes from a student running an information desk. He handed them one of each.
    “We’re not in the same room?” his dad asked.
    Gabe couldn’t help but grin.
    “No, the rooms are far too small. End up killing each other, I suspect, and then what use would you be? The porter’s number is in the packet. If you have any problems with the room, he’ll sort you out. Also, numbers for local delivery and the like should the cafeteria be closed. Your rooms are fortunately buffered from the rest of the student population, but expect a bit of mischief. You remember those days, eh?” Carlyle gave Gabe’s father a sharp knuckle to the shoulder and let loose a hearty laugh.
    “I’m not sure what you mean,” he said.
    Carlyle frowned. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t. Anyway, let me show you to your room, Gabriel.”
    The interior of the dorm hardly impressed. A bed, a closet, a desk that doubled as a dresser, and a chair for the desk. Desolate but Gabe loved it. Simplistic necessity , he thought—exactly how he dreamed. He could almost see the open bags of potato chips and empty soda cans littering the desk, the floor covered in dirty laundry, posters of models and rock bands tacked to the wall. He imagined sitting by the metal desk light, cramming the night before a test, exhausted from partying with friends.
    For the first time in a while, Gabe felt his spirits lift as he looked out the windows to the River Wear and the crowded shops of the square below, with its statue of a man on a horse.
    Carlyle rummaged around the cabinets and drawers in the restroom, tossing towels out onto the floor. Half his body seemed wedged under the sink, and Gabe wondered if he might get stuck.
    “Aha! Found it. I specifically requested a few things be put into your rooms. Essentials