The Soul Thief

Chapter 9

Avoiding Enzo's concern after class, I hurried to the bathroom and promised to meet him and the others in the common room space. He looked concerned as I hurried off, but how could I explain what I was feeling to him when I didn't even understand it fully myself?

The girls' bathrooms were empty. So empty that the sound of my footsteps tapping across the tiled floor as I entered bounced and echoed around the space. The sharp scent of pine cleaner gave it a recently cleaned vibe I was still struggling to get used to.

Over my shoulder, I saw the door close behind me and watched as Enzo hesitated through the frosted glass of the door before moving off. Who put glass, even frosted glass, on the door to a bathroom? Even if there were cubicles, it still didn't seem right.

As if the school could sense my disapproval, the pipes in the walls gurgled loudly, and a smile curved my lips. The familiar noise reminded me oddly of home.

As I made my way to the furthest toilet from the door, I allowed my mind to reflect on everything I had learnt. I wasn't sure how much of the class I had taken in, but it felt like my brain was full and I just needed a minute to process it alone.

There was a sense of rightness I got from learning about it all, but that didn't stop it from being overwhelming.

Locking the cubicle door behind me, I sat on the closed toilet lid with my eyes shut for a minute. After breathing deeply for a couple of minutes, I felt myself calm and gradually find my centre again. The knowledge I had learnt still sat in my brain, but it no longer consumed me and I was grateful for that.

Part of me was beginning to understand why people kept diaries to record their feelings and emotions. A pen and paper had been a luxury the streets could not afford me, but here? Perhaps I could start one?

The door to the bathroom opened, startling me out of my calm.

"She came in here?" I heard Ariana's nasally voice ask someone.

"Yeah, we saw her." A girl replied quickly, sounding anxious.

I heard a cubicle door a little way up from me slam open as though someone had kicked it in. What was this? Some TV school drama. If it was, Ariana was winning an Oscar for biggest bitch and no one could convince me otherwise.

I snorted as I stood and heard a second door slam before quietly unlocking mine. My shoulder leaning on the frame, I looked at Ariana and her cronies as they blasted a third door open with a wave of what looked like blue fire. In the doorway, a nervous, mousy girl looked at me with wide eyes.

There was guilt there, too. I shook my head slightly, as if to reassure her. I didn't know what had led them to doing this, but I did know that I wasn't the person to judge someone for doing what they had to do to survive.

Returning my attention to the three blondes, I allowed a small chuckle to escape me. "What are you hoping to achieve?" I asked, my eyebrow raising along with my question.

Perhaps I should have been scared. They clearly had magic they could control and I... had nothing more than a strange buzzing in my ears and potentially something inside me. But with no control or training I was pretty out classed and very aware of the danger.

That didn't stop me from at least talking the talk, if I couldn't walk the walk.

Three faces turned on me and I was struck by the slightly unhinged look in Ariana's eyes. Fantastic. Why did the crazy witch bitch have her eye on me? I tried to recall our brief encounter this morning, but nothing stood out as particularly triggering for her.

Ignoring them all, I strolled casually over to the sinks and washed my hands. I kept my back to them to show how completely unconcerned I was.

The mirror above the sink allowed me to watch their stunned expressions for a satisfying moment before they recovered and stalked over to me.