Journey of a Girl

A Proper Education: Chapter Seven

The day went by in grave concern.

Adam remained absent at dinner, and gossip about his outburst—and fate—spread quickly. Those who hadn't been nearby were quietly informed, and they were adamant about hearing every last detail repeated.

Adam was a favored student, one who sat higher than the rest. What would school be like without him?

None of the domestics looked the least bit concerned, their sour faces betraying nothing in their minds, and the Headmaster hadn't returned to any lessons, but was mysteriously gone for the remainder of the day.

Credence couldn't help but make a connection between the disruption in the hall and what took place in the courtyard the previous night. She wanted to confide in her classmates but remained solitarily saddled with the suspicion out of fear that someone might tell the Headmaster what she said.

Had drinking too much medicine made Adam sick? What kind of sickness caused such extreme behavior?

In their sleeping quarters everyone became a little more comfortable in talking about what had happened, but they still kept hushed tones, afraid that speaking too loudly might invite some kind of bad luck. Everyone went to bed uneasy, and while some tried to comfort themselves by believing Adam would get better and rejoin them soon, others were quick to conclude that he had been doomed to something one could never come back from.

Adam was not seen for the next two days. The longer he was away, the more grim the students' concern became, and the memory of his raving through the hall twisted into a gross exaggeration. The latest popular retelling found Adam sprouting a tail and foaming at the mouth like a rabid wolf.

Some of the younger children became convinced they could hear him scratching inside the walls, and found themselves waking in the night with a gasp and sweat on their brow.

***

Credence was in bed, staring at the night sky through the window. It had been eight days since Adam was taken away, and she had counted each one with a heavy-growing heart. She remained burdened with the weight of being the only one who had seen something more, a piece that might prove significant in solving Adam's disappearance. She thought of going to the window to peek at the courtyard, wondering if she would see the Headmaster and Adam again, but decided against it, not wanting to risk being seen—or seeing something potentially dangerous.

Now she wasn't sure she wanted to know everything that was going on in the school. Perhaps the less she knew, the safer she was.

Or perhaps not.

She was finally on the precipice of sleep when a soft shuffling roused her back awake. A plague of nightmares had descended upon the younger students, and it was becoming obnoxiously common for them to leave their beds in search of reassurance. Credence sat up, ready to scold or comfort depending on her mood in the next few moments, and swung her feet to the floor with a disgruntled sigh.

Her blood went cold when her eyes landed on Adam.

His face was gaunt and there were dark circles under his eyes. He was pacing by a window, searching for something. Still wary of his unstable behavior, Credence was hesitant to call to him, but Adam, sensing that he was being watched, scanned the room and found her. His expression twisted into a cautious recognition, suggesting he knew her face but could not remember where from.

Credence tried to keep him calm.

"Adam," she called in a whisper. His eyes went wide at the utterance of his name and his posture straightened.

"Cr-Credence?"

"Yes, it's me. Are you feeling better?"

"I'm cold," he replied, his voice soft and emotionless.

"Did the Headmaster send you to bed?"

"I'm cold," Adam repeated.

"A blanket will warm you."

"I need my shirt. Where is my shirt?"

It was an odd thing to say, for Adam was dressed in his daytime clothes.

He must be a little shaken, Credence thought.

"I'm cold," he echoed a third time.

"You need to sleep."

"I can't sleep without my shirt."

"You're wearing your shirt."

Adam shook his head but looked at his body and realized she was right.

"Why am I so cold," he whimpered.

"You had...a bad fit," Credence said carefully. "A good night's sleep will help you."

"It might."

"Do you remember where your bed is?"

Adam hesitated before shaking his head.

"I can show you which one is yours."

She began to stand but Adam's voice stopped her.

"No."

"No?"

"I have to watch the room," Adam mumbled. His eyes rolled up to the ceiling.

"No one is out of bed," Credence assured him. "Everything is all right, but we were very worried about you."

"No."

"What do you mean?"

"I have to watch the room and I have to find my shirt."

"You'll feel better if you—"

"Go to sleep, Credence. I won't tell anyone. Go to sleep."

"All right. I will go to sleep. You should, too."

"I have to find my shirt."

Credence nodded grimly. He must have been jilted, still on the mend from his bizarre illness. Not wanting to disturb him further, Credence tucked herself back into bed.

"I'm very happy to see you, Adam," she called to him one last time. "Everyone will be so relieved. We thought you—"

A feeling passed over her. Something...wrong...was in the air. She was filled with the instinct to run or hide, but she couldn't put her finger on why. Credence did not fight it, but listened to her fear and turned in bed, facing away from Adam and pulling the blanket to her nose. She couldn't understand it, but something told her, begged her, not to look at him again.

She waited in dreadful suspense, closing her eyes as tightly as possible.

Gentle footsteps approached and the promise of danger grew.

A cold breath blew across her ear.

"Go to sleep," Adam whispered.

Everyone was dreaming, save the one witness whose eyelids were glued together in fear.

No one would see it, when the boy turned from her bed and made his way towards the door in a slow shuffle—

The back of his shirt was completely torn away, but there was no skin left to cover.

Sprouting from the remains of a human back were dozens of pointed branches, their bark still wet with blood.