St. Văduva's School for Prestigious Girls

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞-𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓

The day ran slow after the assembly, like the water droplets that collected on the windowsill that sat outside her dorm room. Another rainy day, and another day where her contact with Constance was cut off. The weather was not even responsible for the lack of contact this time around. When she needed a pick-me-up from her favorite person, her phone had not turned up from the night prior. Neither had her books nor her painting gift.

Sure enough, no one knew of Dmitri's disappearance or death. She peered out the windows as she made her way to the gymnasium, noting with dread the parking lot that was suddenly short one vehicle. 

The assembly was unusual, to say the least. Temperance followed the instructions from the intercom that blasted to life at 6:00 AM once more and headed to the gymnasium. She followed along with the crowd of cranky, groggy people who wanted nothing more than to curl up and fall back asleep. Temperance could not relate. She had been up all night worrying and thinking. If Ji-Yeong was murdered by someone else, why was she bathed in blood? And what about Dmitri? Was she responsible for him, too? If not... why was she at all these crime scenes?

Inside the gymnasium, Ottilie stood beside Daughtry, a few other teachers unfamiliar to her, and Mircea. He stared out into the populace, not focusing on one person for too long. His icy gaze met hers, lingered for a moment with a flicker of acknowledgment, and then moved on as though nothing had happened last night. Maybe nothing did. Maybe it was all a cruel, masochistic dream, and maybe Dmitri is alive and driving around SUVs to gather supplies for the Halloween party committee. But wishful thinking leads to nowhere, especially with Temperance's luck.

Ottilie brought a microphone to her mouth and smiled with her immaculate lipstick, not a hair out of place. "Good morning, students. I understand that it is rather early, but please bear with us. We will ask you to line up in five equal lines in front of the staff members, here."

Temperance, perplexed, followed behind her fellow students as they branched off in front of the staff members, each standing an equal distance from the other until they spread across the width of the room. She stood at the very end of the line for Mircea, watching as the line wound around the gym, and led like a vein to the heart. Mircea exchanged brief words with each person, followed by prolonged eye contact, and sent them on their way, his face full of shadows and edges. It continued like this until the gym emptied, leaving Temperance as one of the only students left.

She stood before the mountain of a man, watching as the hardened edges of his face melted into a tender, welcoming face.

"You look exhausted," he remarked.

She couldn't help the breathless chuckle that escaped her lips. "I am. Had a... rough night, to say the least."

"I'll bet."

And then her eyes gravitated to his naturally, as if she had fallen into an icy grip that was strangely warm, like being stuck in a blizzard while the ice melted beneath your feet. That same warmth she felt penetrated her brain, curling and tickling at her brain and caressing the backs of her eyeballs. It pleasantly radiated down her neck, flooded through her body, and then hit that wall where it could not trespass any further.

"What is that?" she muttered absently. "That feeling. What is that?"

His mouth quirked into a grin. "In all my years, it astounds me that you..." he trailed off, but the smile remained. "Never mind. What do you remember from last night?"

She furrowed her brow. "I was heading to find Dmitri, and then I was in the SUV—"

"That's enough," he murmured gently, cutting her off. "That's all I needed to confirm. How about you go get some rest? Go to the nurse's; tell her I sent you to get some sleep."

Temperance nodded hesitantly and turned to leave, confused about the entire conversation as she contemplated actually following instructions or just going to class. As her limbs turned to concrete, she knew that the nurse's was probably the best possible option.

She diverged from the pack and headed toward the first flight of stairs, taking her time down each step as her eyes drooped.

Months ago, she was picking out coffins for herself. How did it get to be where she was witnessing others' deaths? And what were their loved ones thinking and feeling? If the school was just cleaning these deaths up like they were nothing but a stain on the rug, then did anyone know that their daughter or their son was mangled and brutalized?

Dmitri's bulging eyes and Ji-Yeong's snapped spine absolutely haunted her, and she nearly slipped on the last step as she thought of their bodies.

She entered Nurse Sophia's office and signed herself in.

"What can I help you with, love?" the older woman asked.

She was dressed in a lovely yellow blazar that matched her pencil skirt. She was as bright as a canary, in both clothing and in mood. Her silver hair was neatly permed and had an amount of volume that Temperance recognized as being from a comb and hairspray. And her cheeks were rosy and sweet, not entirely due to makeup. Overall, she had a resemblance to her own grandmother. She could not quite place it, but there was an air about her that made Temperance smile.

"Ah," she started, tongue heavy with her exhaustion, "Mircea — ah, Mr. Vladimir — told me to come here to sleep."

Sophia smiled, eyes crinkling. "Of course. Take a spot anywhere. Would you like me to dim the lights?"

Temperance nodded and thanked her, choosing the bay by the window so she could watch the water drip down the glass to lull her to rest. Not that she likely needed it — she was dead asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

☽☼☾

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," a voice grated in her ear.

Temperance groaned and dug her face deeper into the pillow, groaning and squeezing her eyes shut.

"You either get up or I'm pouring water on you," the voice taunted. "Ice water, Temperance."

Temperance rolled away from the voice, grabbing the pillow and throwing it over her ear to block out the voice.

"Suit yourself."

She was just starting to succumb back into the warm tendrils of slumber when an iciness spilled over her neck and shoulders. She bolted up with a resounding gasp, scrambling in the sickbed and frantically searching for the source.

Kanani stood there smugly, the bottle of cold water in her hand. "Morning, sunshine."

Temperance stared at her for a moment, brain taking a moment to reboot. "God, you're a fucking bitch."

Kanani shrugged, grin growing. "Been called worse. Now get up. I have a lead on a suspect."