Chapter Eleven: The Hunt for Julia:

At first, the girl stared at him.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” she asked. Wallace took a step back.

“Are you Julia?” he asked. He narrowed his eyes for a better look. The country boy shook his head.

“Oh, sorry,” he said. “I thought you were a girl I knew back in my hometown.” The not-Julia just blinked at him.

“Who are you?” she asked. Wallace struggled for a reply.

“Uh… nobody,” he said. He turned and walked away. Rocky and Eric caught up to him as the hall was clearing out.

“What was that all about?” Rocky asked. Wallace shook his head.

“Nothing,” he said. “Just thought I saw somebody I knew.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off.

“Wallace?” Eric asked after him.

Wallace had been so close but that wasn’t her. Now what? The country boy rubbed his forehead. How was he going to find her now? He didn’t even know what classes she had. Wallace looked up at the ceiling.

“Hey!” someone called out to him. The country boy turned his head. A girl with blonde hair ran, pushing her way through the crowd to get to him. Wallace looked at her through narrowed eyes. The girl caught up to him and panted.

“Me?” Wallace asked, pointing to his chest. The girl looked up at him.

“Did you say Julia earlier?” she asked. He raised his eyebrow.

“Uh… who are you?” he asked. The petite blonde stood up straight.

“Which Julia were you referring to?” she asked.

“Why? Who are you?” Wallace asked.

“Melanie,” the girl said. His eyes shifted back and forth.

“How do you know about Julia?” Wallace asked. He braced himself for a misunderstanding. He could feel it at his back waiting to jump on him.

“Are you talking about Julia Smith?” she asked.

“No, I’m looking for someone named Julia Thatcher,” Wallace said.

“Oh,” Melanie said. “Well, I know who that is too.” The country boy’s eyes widened.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“Well, I know of her,” she said. “I think she’s in the film club. But I am not really sure.” Wallace grabbed her by the shoulders.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked. The petite girl looked like she was about to be eaten.

“I… I don’t really know!” she shouted. “I thought you were talking about the other Julia!” Wallace let go of her with a confused look on his face.

“Why? What about her?” he asked. Melanie’s face turned grim.

“You would do better to run the other way when you see her,” she said. She shivered as she talked.

“Why would I do that?” Wallace asked. Melanie looked around fast enough that it looked like her head would snap off. Finally, she beckoned him closer. Wallace leaned in closer with a curious look on his face.

“She’s the devil,” Melanie whispered.

“Huh?” he asked. The blonde girl drew back, looking at her hands.

“I’ve probably said too much,” she said in a low voice.

“You’re not making any sense,” Wallace said. “Why is this Julia the devil? What did she do to you?” Melanie lifted her head.

“Nothing!” she lied. “She’s just really mean and scary.” The country boy started taking slow steps backwards.

“Uh-huh,” he said. “Thanks for telling me that. You know what? I’m just going to go.” The country boy turned and hurried away. He managed to get some distance away from the small girl before she could speak.

“Okay, bye!” she said. “Steer clear of Julia Smith!” Wallace just waved her off without turning back. What was that all about?

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Wallace found himself in the library. He didn’t know why he came here. It just happened really. Well, he had one more hour before his next class began. Might as well just look around for a bit. Felt so quiet in here. Wallace slowly relaxed his shoulders. He began walking around, just looking. How old were some of these books? Some of these titles he had never heard of. Were some of these even in English? Wallace walked past the librarian watching him from the front desk. Wallace didn’t really stop to look around. The thin purple carpet felt good at his feet. He had his hands deep into his pockets. Wallace walked past a pair of freshmen reading books at one of the small tables in the middle of the room. The smell of wet papers made his nose burn. Wallace could feel his eyes watering.

Suddenly, he turned his head. Who was that talking? Wallace followed the sound towards the back of the library. A group of freshmen women sat in a circle talking. Wallace slowed down his footsteps as I cocked my head. From what he could gather this was a group of women talking about school politics. Wallace looked up over a low bookcase. Six girls sat around in a circle in their middle chairs. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at each one. His heart stopped when one of them caught his eye.

“Julia?” he whispered to himself. Wallace quickly covered his mouth. The girl with strawberry blonde hair looked up.

“What was that?” she asked. The other girls looked. Wallace froze as his eyes shifted back and forth. Oh crap! What do I do now? The strawberry blonde blinked at first.

“Who’s there?” she asked. The country boy dropped his shoulders. He might as well come out now. Wallace slowly rose to his feet.

“Wallace?” the strawberry blonde freshman girl asked.

“Uh… hi…” Wallace said.