The Study of Devotion

Chapter 1

The soft glow of dawn filtered through the dorm room window, and the jarring buzz of the alarm clock snapped Evangeline from her dream. She let out a groan that morphed into a yawn, then stretched. Rolling over, she stared at her ceiling for a good 15 minutes before her stomach growled, urging her into action. She got up, set her coffee pot to brew, and hurried off to shower. After dressing, she settled down with a bowl of cereal and a cup of hot coffee in her favorite mug, running her fingers through her cascading waves of brown hair and tucking a few stubborn strands behind an ear. Every morning started this way. In fact, every day was the same. She didn’t mind. Her days were a comforting routine of predictability and normalcy.

After breakfast, Evangeline left her dorm and headed to her classes. She had come to enjoy her walk to campus, a daily ritual she found very peaceful. She followed the same route every day, walking past familiar buildings and across the campus green. Nodding to classmates and flashing her brilliant smile that lit up her expressive hazel eyes.

Her classes were a mix of lectures and discussions. She enjoyed participating and spent a lot of time in the library studying, consistently maintaining an A grade. For lunch, she walked to a small café near campus, where she ordered her regular soup and sandwich. She relished the social aspect of the café, chatting with other students and teachers or meeting classmates for study sessions. It was a cherished part of her day, providing a pleasant break from her academic responsibilities.

In the afternoon, she took a break for exercise, enjoying jogging and regularly attending a yoga class at the student gym. Evenings were reserved for preparing a simple dinner in her kitchenette, watching a movie or catching up on her favorite TV shows, and then climbing into bed around 10 every night.

She slept well. Her life, though mundane, was easy and full of small joys. The routine was important to Evangeline. It gave her a sense of balance and order, a source of reassurance and contentment. "Today is like every other day," she thought as she locked her door and made her way toward the library to study. Little did she know that today would be the day her sense of security would begin to unravel.
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The leaves crunched beneath Evangeline's boots as she walked towards the café.  It was a beautiful crisp autumn afternoon, a time when the campus was painted with vibrant fall colors and the air carried a hint of the season’s chill. The sidewalks were empty of people and she was deep in thought as usual when she began to feel the hair at the nape of her neck stand up. She stopped and glanced around. She thought she caught a glimpse of a figure moving behind some trees but it was gone so fast she decided it was a trick of the mind. She had been feeling the sensation of being watched more and more frequently lately but chalked it up to test jitters. She shook her head at her silliness and began walking again. She could see the café and couldn't wait to eat.

Lunch at Cindy's was her favorite part of the day. It was a quaint little place known for its cozy atmosphere and to-die-for cappuccinos.
She pushed the door open and went inside. It was warm and quiet this time of year. Evangeline tried to put the eerie sensation out of her mind as she settled into her usual seat by the window and greeted Cindy, who quickly brought her regular order. As she sipped her coffee, she noticed a man outside on a bench.
The man was wearing a gray hoodie and sunglasses. "How strange," she thought. She didn't remember seeing him out there when she walked up.

As she ate she watched the man with curiosity. There was a nagging sense of familiarity and she knew she had seen him around but she had never met him. The two had never spoken before. It seemed odd to her that he would be here.  She never went home for fall break. She had left home as soon as she could. She loved her family but, there was a lot of tension and she hadn't had the greatest childhood. She blinked, pulling her thoughts back to the present. Most of the students were home for the break. So why was he here?

Evangeline dismissed it as a coincidence. She told herself she was simply being paranoid. Cindy's was the best cafe around and people often hung around public spaces for various reasons.

After finishing her lunch and savoring the last sip of her cappuccino, Evangeline reluctantly left Cindy's. She glanced back at the man in the gray hoodie as she walked away, feeling a slight twinge of unease. Shaking her head, she brushed off her lingering thoughts and continued on her way. She still had a busy afternoon of study planned, and a yoga class to attend.

The sensation of being watched persisted in the back of her mind as she made her way to the back to the library. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, even though she tried to convince herself it was just her imagination. As she reached the library and settled into her usual study spot, she found it hard to focus. The man outside the café seemed to linger in her thoughts.

Her study session was interrupted several times by her wandering thoughts, and she decided to cut it short. She made her way to the student gym for her yoga class, hoping that the physical exercise would help clear her mind. The class was soothing, as always, but the sense of unease lingered.

By the time she returned to her dorm room in the evening, the routine comforts of eating and relaxing while watching her favorite TV shows did little to dispel her anxiety. As she lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, she couldn't help but feel that today was the beginning of something... Her predictable life, once a source of solace, now seemed poised to shift in ways she couldn’t quite comprehend.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to push away the growing sense of dread, hoping that tomorrow would bring some clarity or at least a return to her comforting routine.