The dining hall bustled with low chatter, forks clinking softly against trays. June, as usual, had taken control of the table conversation.
"Ahh, can't we just skip sanitation today?" she sighed dramatically.
"Skip if you can," Gwen replied flatly, not even looking up from her plate.
June groaned and turned to Dana. "Why don't we just fake an illness and hide in the infirmary?"
Dana laughed lightly. "I'm not in for all that stress."
"I don't think it's that bad. Sanitation is actually fun," Dana added with a shrug.
Jun burst into loud laughter. "Elaine! Did you hear what your roommate just said?" she asked, leaning forward with a grin. But Elaine didn't respond. Her eyes seemed unfocused, her spoon frozen in midair.
"Elaine?" Jun called again.
Dana waved a hand in front of her face. "Elaine, are you listening?"
She snapped out of her daze with a start, almost snarling. "I—I, um…"
"What's wrong with you?" Gwen frowned at her.
"Sorry. I just… zoned out."
Jun narrowed her eyes. "You also haven't touched your food."
Elaine quickly pushed her tray away. "Oh, I'm not hungry."
---
Later that morning, as usual, they were assigned to their various portions of work, June and Dana we're part of those cleaning the play room. c. The wide chamber was filled with old vases, hand mirrors, wall mirrors, and antique chests.
"I just have to say," June muttered while dusting, "Elaine is never lucky."
"Why do you say that?" Dana asked, scrubbing beside her.
"She always gets stuck with fieldwork. That's the most stressful duty of all."
"Rather than complaining so much, why don't you just focus on cleaning?" Vanessa said sharply, her tone harsh.
Jun snapped her head around. "And why don't you mind your business?"
"so you can actually speak up for yourself " Vanessa mocked
"Vanessa," June called as though she was reprimanding a spoilt little child, "I don't know what's gotten into you, but drop it now."
The tension in the air grew heavy as Vanessa walked closer towards June, her pupils dilating unnaturally.
"You sh-"
Before she could complete her words, a harsh banging came from the door.
"Cleaning time is over," Gwen announced from the doorway.
Vanessa stepped back instantly, masking her face with a twisted smile.
"You just got lucky," Vanessa muttered under her breath as they filed out.
But Gwen paused at the doorway, her sharp eyes catching something. Dana was still standing in the far corner of the room, unmoving.
"You can go ahead. I'll catch up later," Gwen told June before stepping back inside.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Dana slowly turned from where she was standing, her expression too calm, and in sequence, a vase she had earlier locked eyes with shattered into dust without her lifting a finger.
"I was just admiring the vase," she said softly, eyes holding an almost childlike innocence.
"Then why did it shatter like that?" Gwen asked, fiercely stepping closer.
Dana tilted her head. "How am I supposed to know?"
"Who are you?" Gwen demanded, her tone cold.
"What kind of question is that—"
Before she could finish, Gwen grabbed her throat in a lightning movement, slamming her against the tall mirror behind them. The glass cracked and broke, shards cutting into Dana's back as she winced in pain.
"Don't you think you're too quick to attack people?", Dana's voice spat through gritted teeth.
"It's like you think I'm joking with you," Gwen shot back, her grip tightening, as she reached out to another shard of glass, aiming directly for her eyes, In a flash, Dana's hand shot up, stopping Gwen from piercing her eyes. And like that, her human appearance changed as her skin becamed dark, almost like a transparent veil, her eyes hollow with darkness in them and wrinkle around them, her hair losing all it's color and luster. She manoeuvred them hitting Gwen hard on the ground picking up a shard of glass from the floor. With startling speed, she stabbed it toward Gwen's face. Gwen twisted, but the shard grazed her cheek before plunging into her shoulder. Pain burned, but Gwen didn't falter.
Her own hand shot forward, slamming Dana's head to the ground. Dana clawed upward, nails elongating like talons, raking across Gwen's neck in a desperate attempt to dig deeper.
But Gwen's raw strength was unmatched. With a furious grunt, she grabbed Dana by the hair and smashed her head against the floor over and over again. Blood smeared across the wood as Dana cried out, her strength flickering.
Still, Dana's hand darted up again, stabbing another shard of glass into Gwen's palm. Gwen hissed as blood trickled down her wrist.
Her eyes suddenly burned turquoise green. Fire erupted from her wound, engulfing Dana's hand in hungry flames. Dana screamed and thrashed, the fire licking at her skin but before Gwen could press harder, Dana's body blurred, melting into the shadows of the shattered mirrors.
The room fell silent except for Gwen's harsh breathing, the turquoise light in her eyes dimming as she looked at the blood on her hand.