Author's note:
Jenny's story progresses slowly but steady. So still not much nudity or lewdity here, but mostly setup for the events to come.
All comments, critics and thoughts on the story are again very welcome. I wish you a good read.
Jay Hawnee
***
Beep-Beep... Beep-beep. Jenny opens her eyes and lies still for a second, then she hastily starts to run her hand over her chest. As her fingers brush against the soft fabric of her nightwear, a sigh of relief escapes her and she sinks back into the mattress. Slowly, it dawns on her, that her naked walk through the library was nothing more than a bad, bad dream.
Beep-beep... Beep-beep. The sound of the alarm clock finally drags Jenny back to reality. She reaches for it with a groggy hand and manages to silence it. After a moment, she swings her legs over the side and frowns slightly as she rubs her temples. She gets up and walks slowly into the bathroom.
After a refreshing shower, she brushes her teeth, fixes her hair, and puts on her uniform. She gathers her backpack and heads out of her room toward the university.
When Jenny arrives at the lecture hall, Professor Cavanaugh stands at his lectern and types something on his laptop with a stern expression. She sits down in the same place as the day before and looks tensely at the front of the room.
"Hey," Sheena's cheerful voice snaps Jenny out of her thoughts. She sits down at the seat next to Jenny, leaning close. "Are you okay? You look like you wanna eat Cavanaugh alive. I wouldn't mind getting rid of him, but I think, he's not that tasty."
Jenny startles but slowly a smile forms on her lips. "Hi Sheena, I urm... just didn't sleep well, that's all."
Sheena raises an eyebrow. "Hmm... your face tells different, you know."
Jenny shakes her head quickly, her voice is tense. "It's nothing, really."
"Fine," Sheena holds up her hands in mock surrender, "keep your secrets. But if you continue to stare at Cavanaugh like that, he's gonna think you've got a crush on him, and that's a nightmare I don't need."
Jenny blushes and laughs. "Okay."
At this moment, Professor Cavanaugh, turns his head and directs his strict eyes to the audience. "Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the second lecture in microbiology. As I can see, everyone has adopted the uniform rules and dressed accordingly. So I don't have to dismiss anyone today, do I?"
Professor Cavanaugh scans the rows thoroughly with his eyes and his facial expression turns slowly from excitement to disappointment: "This is... well... great, as any delay for throwing the culprit out of the lecture would go to your disadvantage. Any topics we do not cover in this lecture you will have to work out by yourself."
Professor Cavanaugh straightens. His voice rises slightly. "But now enough of chatting, There is still a wealth of knowledge to be conveyed for your future professional life as a medic and of course for the coming exam. I will give a short introduction to the smallest living creatures known on earth, which can consist only of a single cell: the bacteria. As you already know, the outermost layer of an animal cell is the plasmalemma, which is also called cell membrane. But the structure of the bacteria cell goes beyond this. It adds an additional layer to its outer limits known as the cell wall. The cell wall consists of murein, a complex of sugars and amino acids. It builds a natural barrier that supports and protects the cell just as our academic institution does with you, dear students."
He makes a sweeping gesture to encompass the entire room. "But as it is with us humans, not any bacteria can be considered harmless and fit itself seamlessly into its environment. Sometimes bacteria just fall out of their natural given role. They can trigger fevers, pains, and in rare cases even hallucinations due to toxins affecting the nervous system. They can destroy the human body up to the point of its total failure. Medical scientists are in this case, the savior of society. We know means to dissolve the cell wall protection of the bacteria by exposing it to strong antibiotics like Amoxicillin and Penicillin. This stops the reproduction of the cell wall, exposes the vulnerable inner cell of the culprit, and...", he slides his fingers grinning across his throat., "...leaves it to its certain death."
A murmur goes through the room. Sheena whispers to Jenny: "He behaves even creepier than yesterday."
Jenny looks uncomfortable: "Indeed."
Professor Cavanaugh slaps his fist annoyed on the table. "This is university and not a coffee party. If you have questions, please ask them! If you have to discuss anything private, only do so after the lecture! Now back to topic. I will now introduce you to the classification of the bacteria."
***
After the lecture, Jenny and Sheena leave the lecture hall and join the queue at the dining hall's food counter. Jenny walks with her gaze, lost in thought, while Sheena watches her with a mix of curiosity and concern. "You still don't wanna talk about what happened?" Sheena asks, breaking the silence.
Jenny hesitates before replying, her tone uncertain. "Hmm... I think I need to see a doctor." She raises an eyebrow. " I... I think I had a hallucination last night! After you left, I saw something. I don't know, it was so real, but it can't be real, l... like a ghost..."
Sheena's brow furrows in confusion, then lifts in mock disbelief. "Like some weirdo under a bed sheet?"
"No," Jenny smiles skeptically at Sheena and shakes her head. "not a bed sheet. She did actually wear nothing at all."
Sheena leans back, crosses her arms, and smirks. "What?"
Jenny puts her hand up. "No clothes, no underwear, you know?"
Sheena's grin widens, a playful glint in her eyes. "You mean like naked?"
Jenny looks away, embarrassed. "Yes, urm kind of..."
Sheena laughs. "Really? Cool! I wish I had your imagination."
Jenny's frown deepens. "This is not funny, Sheena. I could be really sick."
Sheena looks thoughtful. "Hmm... for me it sounds rather like stress. I told you not to study that long."
Jenny's face is pensive. "I don't know, Sheena... I don't think it's just stress. It... it felt... way too real... you know?"
"Come on Darling." Sheena says, her tone light. "It's well known, that working too long can cause people to daydream. But as long, as those are such nice daydreams, I personally wouldn't mind!"
Jenny mutters, shaking her head: "Nice is definitely different. It was quite a shock!"
Sheena gives her a playful nudge. "I wouldn't give too much on it, just make sure you don't overdo it again."
Jenny sighs but manages a small smile. "Okay, Sheena."
Meanwhile, the two reached the front of the queue. Denver, standing behind the counter welcomes them with a friendly stoic: "Eating what?"
Sheena beams. "Oh, the charming guy from yesterday again, I would like to have the baked potato with salmon and your phone number."
Jenny asks perplexed: "What?"
Sheena gestures and tries to explain: "Well, Jenny... salmon, the fish, you know?"
Jenny hesitates. "Yeah I know but..."
Denver says stoically: "+1-A23-555-0A79"
Sheena types the number down in her smartphone and says smiling at Denver: "Thanks"
Denver puts the salmon on the plate and passes it to Sheena. "Next"
Jenny looks astonished at Sheena. "Wow, you are quite out..."
"Eating what?" Denver asks stoically.
Jenny looks confused at Denver. "Oh..., well..., for me please: Steak with fries."
Jenny looks back to Sheena. "You are quite outgoing Sheena."