Dark Woods Academy

Chapter 2

When I came to in the morning, I found myself in the medical unit on a bed with a series of bandages on my arms and ankles from various cuts from running through the woods.

I bolted off the bed wincing at sore muscles. Damn I felt like crap. The room was empty and I was the only patient in the room evident by the empty beds around me. Where were James, Ashton and Arianne?

Shit, the dead body, the memories came rushing back to me and a feeling of nausea that made me rush to the washroom on the side and throw up in the face basin.

Acid burned my throat and I rinsed my mouth to get rid of the nasty taste.

"Ace Morgan?" I heard my name being called and peered through the glass of the door that was slightly ajar at a man in a suit speaking to the nurse.

"She's in here," the nurse said and entered my room.

"There's someone here to take a statement," the nurse said.

I nodded in response as she laid down a change of clothing that had been retrieved from my dorm and some toiletries on the bed.

I didn't bother asking how she even got into my dorm room but gratefully grabbed my stuff and headed to the shower taking my time not to wet the bandages on my hands and ankles.

When I reappeared outside I found Mr. Blaze standing there.

"Where are my friends?" I asked him.

A moment of silence followed as I tried to read his expression my heart pounding louder. His startling bright blue eyes ringed by a green gave away nothing. His facial expression was blank as he stood there his arms folded but I could see the tension in the way his jaw was clenched.

"How are you feeling?" he asked instead, and I shook my head fiercely.

"No, tell me where my friends are," I demanded my chest feeling tight.

"Ace," he began and from that tone of voice I knew something had to be wrong.

"We didn't find anyone in the woods," he said. "Ashton, Arianne and James have been declared as missing as of this morning," he dropped the news...

"What do you mean missing?" I asked trying to rationalize to myself that they had to be okay, feelings of denial overpowering me.

"They were with me in the woods, we had separated for two minutes," I said meeting his eyes.

He moved towards me slowly as if approaching a rabid animal.

"Two minutes!" I repeated my voice raising. "How could they go missing in two minutes?" I demanded as if he had the answer.

"There's a detective here, he will take your statement. We have a team combing the woods as we speak," he said.

"Ace," he said reaching out a hand to lay on my shoulder.

"I need you to stay calm, we need to hear everything that happened in those woods last night. It can help find them, you can help find them," he said giving my shoulder a squeeze his eyes meeting mine and I could see genuine concern there.

I took a breath in through my nose and let it out steadying myself.

I had to be calm for them, it could help them find my friends.

Sensing that I wasn't about to have an anxiety attack, he let his hand fall from my shoulder releasing me as he beckoned at the man in the suit outside the door.

"Ace Morgan?" the man asked and I nodded in response. He was tall and dark in complexion with a caterpillar mustache and a serious but kind expression.

"Detective Holden," he said sticking out his hand which I took out of politeness.

"Would you please follow me to the nurse's office," he said and led the way.

He pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit as he took his place behind the desk.

"I understand that you were the one that alerted Mr. Blaze that your friends had been missing?" he asked.

"Uh yeah," I responded my eyes trailing over the medical charts on the walls of the office.

"Can you tell me what happened, leaving nothing out," he said.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself to tell him what had happened and mostly about the body...

When I was finished I couldn't look at him as I tried to take a few deep breaths.

"We're almost finished," he assured me sensing my distress at talking about the dead boy.

"Was the boy recognizable?" he asked and I shook my head no.

"You'll need to speak up," he said and I cleared my throat licking my lips out of nervousness.

"No, I didn't know him," I said.

"How long had it been when you returned to your friends on the trail after fleeing the scene with the body?" he asked.

"It took about three minutes for the most," I responded.

"What time had you and the group of friends entered the woods?" he asked.

"Maybe about eleven, eleven fifteen," I responded.

"And you were under the influence of alcohol?" he asked.

"I wasn't drinking, I told you," I said annoyed that he was being repetitive.

"What time did you decide to leave the site of the fire with your friends?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said impatiently.

"We spent about two hours there, so maybe like one or two," I responded.

His eyebrows shot up and I paused frowning.

"What is it?" I asked meeting his eyes.

"You found Mr. Blaze at four in the morning," he said.

"Four? That's impossible," I stated shaking my head. "No, we were there for about two hours for the most, I'm sure of it," I said my voice raised slightly.

"I think that will be all Miss Morgan," he said gathering his notes and folder and opening the door for me.

I shot him a pissed off look and stormed out of the office heading for the exit.

"Ace?" I heard Blaze's voice calling to me but I didn't turn back. No, there was one place I was heading and that was to the woods to help find my friends.