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Dinner hadn’t been extraordinary. There were a number of students getting food when I reached the cafeteria at seven. They mostly looked like freshmen also trying to get their bearings.
I wasn’t very hungry; I’ve never been able to eat when my stress level is up. Instead of a real meal, I grabbed a yogurt and an apple. The apple was portable and could easily accompany me to my room for later. The yogurt gave me something to do with my hands while I watched as all of the lost and scared came in, tightly bunched groups, not unlike sheep. They milled about together as they grabbed trays, filled them and then shuffled over to the tables.
The good news was I discovered that by sitting a few feet away and ignoring eye contact, I was able to ignore most of the emotional output around me. Because I didn’t know any of these people, their emotions remained at a relatively low hum. My optimism grew.