Lost

Chapter 20

The harsh light of the moon peaked through the window, illuminating the cold stone room. An icy night, silence hanging in the empty air. Beatrice tossed and turned in her bed. It was around midnight and she had been chasing sleep for two hours but couldn't seem to find it. She laid on her back looking up at the ceiling. Everything that she had done to try to fall sleep failed and she was getting frustrated. Sleep was seemingly evading her. She sat up from her bed, pulling off her thin blanket off her body, and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. A hiss escaped her lips as her bare feet touched the ice cold ground. The hairs on her arm stood on end as a violent shiver ran over her skin. She gripped the sides of her bare arms and rubbed her hands up and down trying to warm herself up. Opening up the small wardrobe in her room, she pulled out a hoodie, the same color as her habit, and zipped it up over her torso before slipping on a warm pair of black crew socks. She turned the knob of her bedroom door, wincing as it opening, praying to God that is wouldn't make a sound as not to wake the others. It seemed God answered her small prayer as she was able to leave her room without making a sound. Beatrice took a few steps and stopped outside of Ava's door, hesitantly, she lifted her hand to knock but, paused, letting her hand softly rest on the wood, before walking away. Ava was undoubtedly asleep, she had gotten back from mission late, and though she was powerful as the Halo Bearer, she still needed rest. She walked down the empty halls of Cat's Cradle, trying to ignore the cold which was trying to wrap it's icy arms around her body. All the light her either off or dimmed, she saw the sisters who had been assigned night watch patrolling the halls with their guns in hand.

"Stop." A voice called out from the darkness in front of her, a dark shadow appeared in the dim light of the candle in between them. The figure relaxed her stance. "Oh, Sister Beatrice, I didn't realize it was you." The woman laughed nervously. Beatrice smiled and nodded.

"No worries Sister. In this life or the next."

"In this life or the next." The other woman said before continuing her path down the hallway. Beatrice was hoping that a brief walk would help her sleep but as she saw the soft glow of light coming out of the slightly open library doors, it looked like her walk was going to be a little less brief. Usually there was a Sister Warrior posted outside of all the communal rooms, but there was no one insight, Beatrice slowly pulled her knife out of the waist band of her black sweatpants and approached the door from the side, peaking her head around the corner of the door making sure there was no one in sight. She clutched the knife tightly in her fist as she entered the room cautiously. It seemed empty aside from the warm orange lights illuminating the front of the library. The Cat's Cradle library was enormous, The bookshelves ran in 10x4 rows and there was an upper level just to reach to books at the top of the shelves. But as Beatrice approached the shelves she felt slightly intimidated, at night it looked like a maze, and if there was anyone in the library   they could be in any of the long rows in between the shelves. She made her way through the row right in front of her looking for any illumination of light in between the pitch black rows of books. Beatrice made her way through the first two set of rows. But there was still nothing indicating that there was anyone in the library. Perhaps someone had just closed the door poorly and the Sister Warrior assigned to this location was called to investigate something else nearby. But, as she neared the end of the second row of bookshelves, looking down the main aisle between the second and third row, she heard the  soft scuffle of a footstep against the stone floor directly behind her. Without a second thought she swung around and brought the knife up so close that it's point was practically touching the invader's throat.

"Bea..." Beatrice's eyes widened as she was met with Ava's wide eyes staring back at her, a trace amount of fear in her eyes, the blade of the knife bobbed as she swallowed thickly. She dropped the knife from Ava's throat a small cut where the blade was, which healed almost instantaneously. She grabbed Ava by the arm and dragged her into the light of the candles at the front of the library. "Ava-Eh- What are you doing following me around at night? I could've killed you."