The Soul Thief

Chapter 11

I stayed in Nancy's room for the rest of the night. It wasn't that I was afraid to be alone, but why would I choose to be if I didn't have to?

It wasn't like I really slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the dead girl staring back at me. It wasn't the first time I had seen a dead body and I very much doubted it would be the last, but it was the first one I identified with and that shook me.

The other two bodies had been homeless strangers, much older than me. One who had frozen to death, and another who had overdosed. The frozen one had been unnerving. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought he were sleeping. Snowflakes caught on his lashes and his face tucked down into a scarf too flimsy to protect him from the elements. He was the first lesson I got on the real dangers of living on the streets.

The one who overdosed was a year or so later. I had seen him around for a few months before he passed. We never spoke, but that haunted look in his eyes had told me everything I needed to know, and I didn't begrudge how he chose to handle his time on the streets. It's easy to judge how someone chooses to escape until you're trapped in their shoes.

That was why this death got to me, maybe. She was my age, a little taller perhaps. We wore the same uniform, walked the same halls and took the same classes for all of a day. I didn't know her past, but it hurt to know she would never get a chance at a future. Did she have family waiting for word on how her first week went? A boyfriend or girlfriend she had made plans with?

I let my eyes fall closed and took in her terrified face which had imprinted itself on my brain. She had deserved better than she got and I hoped they found whatever took that away from her. When I finally saw the first hints of morning slipping through the curtains, I climbed out of the little nest I had built at the end of Nancy's bed and wrapped my duvet around my body.

Nancy was still asleep. Snoring softly, not that she would ever admit it. Her forehead was creased into a frown, as though she couldn't even escape her worries in her dreams. That was something I could understand.

I tiptoed to her door, careful not to wake her, and made my way quietly back to my room to get ready for the day. Even the hot showers couldn't bring me joy as the steaming water cascaded over me, washing away the last traces of dried blood that had coated my hair. My fingers touched the edge of the wounds, surprised to find them already mostly healed. Whatever was in that tonic was good stuff.

Wrapped in a towel. I made my way back to my room slowly. The quiet hallways were kind of peaceful and I had appreciated not having to wait in line for a shower, so there was that. Still it felt strange. Like walking through a dream where the lines of reality and my mind blurred.

Back in my room, I dressed quickly to avoid the cold and set to work, covering up the dark shadows under my eyes. They were more pronounced than they had been the previous day, which was understandable considering the events last night. I doubted I'd be the only one showing the effects, but still, I didn't want to show a sign of weakness if I could avoid it.

Brushing my hair back, I flinched as it caught the healing scabs. I wasn't weak and I'd find a way to defend myself so those witch bitches would never be able to get one over on me again.

The reflection looking back at me from the mirror was determined. Her uniform and hair were neat and she looked like she belonged. It was a lie of course, but fake it until you make it. Isn't that how the saying goes.

Kneeling on my bed I pulled back the curtains and looked down over the courtyard. It quiet, which was unsurprising given how early it was. What was surprising was the people that were there.

Mrs Kennedy and Professor O'Connor stood, looking out towards the gate that was just out of sight for me, around the corner of the building. I watched their tight smiles as they welcomed two cloaked figures who appeared to glide over to them. They looked like they had stepped out of some sort of video game.