IT HAPPENS

Chapter I: Brotherhood of IT

March 14, 2010
Northwestern Michigan College
11:15 AM
:30 till It goes down

Michael Weitseher is on the campus of the College, for he discovered a lead about his parent's killer. There is a Professor Lainger teaching at the school. Michael knocks on a local fraternity house's door, hoping to learn where the murderer's office is. This fraternity's name: Iota Tau.

A man who goes by the nickname Redneck is in his frat house, doing some drafting for his engineering class. Then he hears a knock at the door. He spits in a nearby waste bin.

Annalisa approaches the door of the house, humming a tune. She stands right next to Michael.

Adam Tenser is dozing in and out of consciousness on the couch. Yet another sleepless night. He also hears the knocking.

Adam's brother, James Tenser is just sitting throwing a ball up and down out of boredom. He also hears the knocking.

Wolfgang Kasperov is not in the frat house, nor in his treehouse, which he has called home for months now. He is in a drainage pipe in the forest. Trying to wait out the disaster that was about to happen. He wasn't called crazy, mainly because he didn't release his ideas. Who was going to support an idea with vampires, robots and dinosaurs? He finishes barricading the pipe. It is pitch black. He turns on his lantern and tries to ignore the low growl behind him. "By the way, I'm not going to turn around so you can get the satisfaction of seeing me gasp in fear before eating me." The velociraptor leaps swiftly.

The vampires, robots and dinos have entered the city. In half an hour, they'll take it over. In the mean time, socialize.

Michael shifts his weight from left to right. He looks at Annalisa and smiles briefly. He says in a German accent "Pardon me miss, but may I ask what the name of that song is?"

Redneck looks up from the desk, which is actually a folding table, in his second story room and spits again into an empty plastic bottle on his desk (trash cans are gross, because you have to clean them, not just cap them and toss them.) He steps over a scattering of clothing and opens the window so he can see who is at the door.

"Hey "'Lissa," who's your friend?"

'Neck waves and then leaves the window and heads downstairs to where James and Adam are.

"James, your fine-a** crazy maybe-girlfriend is here with some dude shes probably screwing. You can let her in, if you want."

"Huh?" Seeming to notice the young man for the first time, Annalisa affords him a brief glance. "Oh, well. I guess it doesn't have one yet. I should probably get around to that."

She waves to Redneck when he peeks out the window, then goes back to humming, waiting for the door to open.

*knock knock knock*

Adam groans loudly.

*knock knock knock*

"Alright already, I'm up I'm up!" Adam grumbles loudly as he picks himself up off the couch. Walking down the hall to the front door, Adam pulls it open. "Oh, hey Annalisa, I'm not sure where James is right now but you're welcome to come in."

Adam turns to leave before she can respond, not even paying the least bit of attention to the man standing next to her. He heads straight for the kitchen and pours himself a cup of coffee. He takes a deep swig and almost gags. "Ugh... I hate coffee..." Reaching into a nearby cabinet, Adam grabs a back of dark chocolate chips and pours a small handful of them into the cup before refilling the glass.

Michael is confused and slightly annoyed by the man who has just answered the door's behavior, but he doesn't show it. What he does know is that he has not been invited in or even addressed and so he will remain where he is for the time being.

Annalisa skips through the door, pausing a moment to turn back to the guy on the porch. "Well, c'mon big guy. No use standing out in the cold."

She heads over to the common room couch, dropping her backpack beside the arm and taking a seat. She leans over the edge and starts digging through the bag, looking for something. "So, how's Iota Tau house today?"

"Don't really know, don't really care," Adam said as he walked into the room, plopping himself down in the chair across from Annalisa, stirring the dark chocolate into the coffee before taking a deep gulp. "You here to see James or what?"

Michael hesitantly enters and stands in the common room, waiting politely for a lull in the conversation or for someone else to enter the room. He absent-mindedly begins playing with his pendant, the only sign of how out of place and awkward he is currently feeling.

Annalisa finally finds what she was looking for - her sketchbook - and settles back into the couch with it and a charcoal pencil. She starts sketching something, occasionally looking over the top of the book at Adam.

"Iota Tau's always hopping. Where else would I be?"

"Anywhere else would be a fine start. There's an excellent spot by the river I like to go to sometimes. Very good place for fishing. Peaceful too, I sometimes like to sneak away from classes and nap there." Adam replied, holding his wrist up long enough to glance at the white rook tied there.

"James! 'Annalisa' is here, get your ass out here and deal with her."

Redneck knocks hard on James's door again and then heads into the main part of the house where the others are. He stands with his thumbs tucked behind his belt buckle and leans against a door frame so he can see into the kitchen and the living room. He sizes up the foreigner standing in the living room.

"You with 'Analissa' now or what?"

He spits another stream of nasty brown fluid into the plastic bottle. It's only half past eleven and theres already an inch and a half in there.

"Might make a nice backdrop," Annalisa remarks absently as she keeps working on her sketch. "Think you guys might take a picnic break there this weekend?"

When Redneck shows up, she puts down the sketch and makes a face at him. "That's disgusting, Redneck."

"I usually go there by myself. I like the quiet," Adam yawns, leaning his head back onto the chair. "I wouldn't be opposed to showing it to you next time I decide to go fishing. I'm starting to get sick of ramen so it won't be too long before I go back."

The hammering on the door finally makes its way through James' headphones, and he switches off his ipod and heads out into the common room in time to catch Annalisa's comment.

"You know he can't help it, Redneck's just built that way. Disgusting."

He grins at the other man, before lightly pushing his brother.

"You're the one who can cook, Adam. Make those ribs again and I'll chip in a few bucks."

Noticing the stranger, James walks over and offers his hand.

"Hi, I'm Jim. If these barbarians and lady haven't introduced themselves. . . "

He gestures at each of the others as he names them.

"This is Redneck, Adam and the lovely Annalisa, artist and subject of countless boy's fantasies."