The Promised School

The Lady With Dark Eyes

"Emma!"

"Wait, Emma!"

Norman and Ray were trying to catch up with Emma, who was running for the staircase down. Lessons were over, the time was 6:00 pm, and it was already turning dark. Most of the students were eating dinner in their rooms, and the ones who weren't were in the common room. 

"I can't... Do... This..." Norman spluttered, hands on his knees. "I...I...Can't go...ON!!"

"Don't be dramatic. İf we hurry, we can catch up with Emma. Don't be a baby."

"I'm...Not... A... Baby...I'm... Just... Tired... You... Go..." Norman collapsed to the floor. "ON WİTHOUT ME!" he gasped. 

"Oh my god, you are such a DRAMA Queen! What's WRONG with you! All you have to do is GET UP."

"Ray it's not funny."

"Oh you want me to play along huh? Oh well sure Norman, I'll play along. I'll leave you here to die. Bye bye."

Ray turned and walked away.

"Fine. I'm coming!" wined Norman. "But you know that I get out of breath faster than you, so wait up."

"Okay."

They carried on running down the hall, and finally found Emma, crouching on the stairs.

"Emma!"

"Are you okay?"

Emma looked up, and smiled weakly. "Mmmm. I am."

Norman walked over and sat next to her, and Ray only hesitaited a moment before following.

"Emma, this is hard for me, too. But am I making a fuss? Am I trying to make this more dramatic?"

Ray made a noise that sounded a lot like a snort.

"No. No, I'm not. " Norman glared at him. "And you know there's only one thing we can do. That's, uh... Go to sleep...uhm..."

"Go forward." growled Ray. "And not look back."

"Are you trying to sound reassuring?"

"No. Yes."

"Anyway, actually only look back on the good times, Ray."

"NO, we're not supposed to look back AT ALL."

"Uh... No, I mean our good times in this school, when we didn't know... Anything..."

"Just shut up, Norman."

"Yep." Norman nodded. "Yep. That's probably a good idea."

Emma stared at them, then slowly got to her feet. She was wearing old white socks and scruffy trainers, on which she had written various quotes like: 

Never give up!

To take your mind somewhere else

I live to add life to my days

and: 

Run  when you can, Walk when you must and crawl if you have to just never give up.

İt was all in colourful letters, and many stickers and names including Norman and Ray's were written all over the edge

Not one of them made sense to Norman, but he was still reminded of how strong Emma was. How strong she had always been. 

"Emma." he said,and stood up. Emma pulled Ray to his feet too. 

"Thank you, but I could have-"

Emma then turned back to Norman. "Yes?"

Norman put his arm around Ray, who rolled his eyes. He looked at Emma. 

"Emma, let's all play a game of tag, okay?"

Emma smiled. 

'Norman, you know I love playing tag with my family, but I've never played with demons. I know you mean that. İt's in your eyes. But I wonder what it will be like... I suppose we'll find out, right?'

'Rİght.'

"Sure." she said. 

And then Miss İsabella turned the corner, and stood at the top of the stairs, shadow reaching them. 

Emma, Norman and Ray looked up. Up the stairs,

 up into the face of the person

 who had looked after them but

 never cared for them,

 never loved them, 

but, 

never shown it,

and they had never 

known

they 

hated

her

for 

what 

they 

didn't know she would do and was 

doing, 

 they looked up, in to her eyes,

 still filled with hatred that

 had always been there but

 they had never noticed,

İnto her eyes,

and they finally noticed

they finally noticed

noticed

how

dark 

they

really 

were.