The Soul Thief

Chapter 6

I wasn't sure if it was the daylight slipping through the curtains or the hammering noise that woke me, but I groaned and pulled the duvet up over my head to escape both.

"Erica, get your ass up or you're not getting any breakfast before we have to go to class." Nancy yelled through the door.

"Ok, I'm getting up." I lied, as the idea of breakfast had bile rising in my throat.

"I'm serious. You don't want to be late on your first day." She shouted back.

I huffed and threw off the duvet, wincing at the light which filtered in as the curtains fluttered in the movement. Swinging my legs over the side, I realised I was still in the dress from last night and bits of the evening began to filter back to me.

"Meet you by the showers." Nancy called out again.

Who the hell was that peppy the morning after a night out? I groaned and reached for the caddy I had seen before I fell asleep, almost knocking over a large glass of water, which definitely hadn't been there last night.

That woke me up like nothing else and my eyes shot to the door, which remained shut and the lock was still engaged. A fresh pair of towels and a robe hung from the hook and I felt the panic build in me. Someone had been in my room. So much for safety.

I was usually such a light sleeper too. It was a miracle the intruder hadn't woken me.

Heart pounding in my chest, I reached out for the drink, dipping the tip of my finger in to confirm it was just water. Well, if last night's drink incident had taught me anything, I wasn't touching it until I knew what it was and where it came from.

I needed to speak to Nancy. Mind made up, I pulled on the robe, knotting it at my waist, scooped up the towels and shower caddy, and made my way down the corridor to the showers I had used yesterday.

There was already quite a queue and two people between me and Nancy. I gave her a little wave, and she rolled her eyes, encouraging the two between us to go in front of her so we could chat.

"How are you feeling today?" She asked with the hint of a smile already curling her lips.

I leaned back against the wall. "Like I've been run over by someone who is now trying to drill through my skull." I admitted.

She winced sympathetically. "Yeah, a hex shot will do that to a human."

"If she's even human." A voice nearby interjected.

I span to look at the pretty elfin girl behind us in the queue. Cropped mousy brown hair and pale blue eyes examined me with a fierceness I didn't quite know how to respond to.

"Mina." Nancy replied with an obviously forced smile.

My guard immediately went up. If Nancy didn't seem to like or trust her, neither did I.

"Nancy." Mina replied in an equally frosty tone before sticking her hand out to shake mine, "Nice to meet you, Erica? Isn't it?"

I took her outstretched hand hesitantly and immediately felt her grip tighten on my own. I tried to tug my hand back, but she wouldn't release me.

"Well well well." Mina muttered, her eyes going slightly unfocused, before she smiled and released me.

I rubbed my hand, sure that she must have broken something with her grip. "Well, what?" I asked, utterly lost.

"Mina is a seer. She has visions of the future triggered by touch." Nancy explained, wringing her own hands nervously.

I frowned. "Well, what did you see?"