The sun had gone down the horizon and the sky had already darkened by the time Elaine was allowed to leave the sick bay. Instead of returning to the dorm, her feet carried her straight toward the admin building. Every step felt heavy. Her nerves thumped inside her chest, and though her body trembled, her thoughts were louder than the pounding of her heart.
What would her mother say if she left? Would she even believe her? How could she possibly explain that there were creatures in this school that weren't even human?
Standing before the wide, looming building, her mind replayed her very first day here. She could still remember the strange noises she had heard, the unsettling atmosphere in the halls. Nothing had ever been normal about this place. How had she ignored all the signs?
"Sorry, Mom…" she whispered under her breath, before pushing herself forward.
She knocked lightly on the principal's office door before stepping inside, only to see another student already there, seated opposite Principal Diamandis.
"Oh, I'll wait outside," Elaine said quickly, about to leave.
"Ms. Randolph," the principal's calm voice stopped her. Her tone was pleasant but firm.
"Yes, Principal Diamandis," Elaine replied nervously.
"I was just about to send for you."
Elaine's heart skipped a bit. "Why?" she asked outwardly composed, but her heart had already began racing, her mind pondering every possible reason as to why the principal would want to send for her.
The principal gestured to the blonde girl seated in front of her. "You don't have a roommate, correct?"
"Um… yes, ma'am," Elaine answered politely.
"This is Miss Matthews," Principal Diamandis continued. "She will be your roommate for the rest of the year."
Elaine's stomach dropped. She had already made peace with finishing the year alone, but now she would be sharing her space, and why now that she would be leaving. The blonde girl offered her a small, polite smile, Elaine returned it faintly, though her mind was elsewhere.
"Principal Diamandis," Elaine finally said in a soft voice. "I… I have something to say."
The principal's expression shifted, and she motioned for Miss Matthews to step outside. The room grew heavier the moment the girl left.
"What is it?" Diamandis asked, her voice stern now.
Elaine swallowed. "I… I want to leave. I want to quit school here."
Silence filled the room like smoke, suffocating. The principal's sharp eyes locked with Elaine's, making her throat dry.
"And why is that?"
"I just… can't cope," Elaine managed. "The syllabus is too much. And… I don't really like it here." The words tumbled out quickly, half-truths covering the real fear gnawing inside her.
"If that is your choice, I will not force you to stay," Diamandis replied calmly.
Relief began to bloom in Elaine's chest—until the next words froze her blood.
"But you cannot leave in the middle of the term. You'll have to wait until it ends."
Elaine's eyes widened. "What? But… that's three months away!"
"Yes," the principal said firmly. "You'll have to cope until then. You cannot leave now."
The dismissal was final. The principal waved her away, and Elaine stepped outside, numb and pale. Three more months? She could hardly last three more days.
The dim hallway swallowed her as she walked mindlessly past the flickering lights, the ancient portraits still adorned both the walls. She gave a laugh filled with disbelief, though no one was there to hear it.
"Hi, Elaine."
The sudden voice made her jerk as it came out of nowhere, she turned sharply and saw it was her new roommate .
"I'm Dana Matthews," the girl introduced herself politely, smiling. "I waited for you so we could head back together."
"That was nice of you," Elaine replied, forcing herself to match the politeness.
"Thank you."
"Hopefully the principal's office wasn't too much of a hassle to find?" Elaine asked, speaking out of experience her voice calm as they started walking together toward the dorm.
"It wasn't, one just has to avoid the shadows," Dana added softly.
Elaine frowned. "Shadows?"
"Yes, the swirling shadows are on the right, so i took the left."
Elaine's unease grew, but she let silence settle between them. Ever since yesterday, when she discovered that not everyone here was human, she had been studying every person she came across, every corner of this school. She couldn't trust anything or anyone.
"The school is beautiful, isn't it?" Dana said lightly.
But Elaine barely heard her. Her eyes had caught someone ahead Allan.
Her heart lurched.
"Why was he here?" she asked in her head. Already tired with the game of hide and seek. Currently it had began feeling to her that he was purposely coming in sight, as if to scare her.
She was grateful the path was wide, giving her enough space to avoid crossing into his line of sight. She focused on adjusting her steps, every fiber of her being intent on staying unnoticed.
So focused, in fact, that she didn't notice Dana shift deliberately, until she bumped straight into him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Dana said sweetly, her tone polite and innocent, but her eyes showing opposite emotions from what her face held.
But Allan's eyes only narrowed, dark and menacing, locking onto her with a glare that made the air feel dangerous.