The Originals

Chapter Four: Orchid Gray

She let the hot water rain down, closing her eyes. All classes have been cancelled and Orchid took advantage of the extra alone time by taking a super long shower. Silverleaf's water bills, not mine.

She sunk to the floor of the shower, her wet black hair covering her face. She tucked her hair behind her ears and tried to focus on something else. Another exposé. No, but she didn't have a place to write in peace, Professor Green's class was her safe haven.

Professor Green's death changed everything.

No time to sulk, though. Orchid got to her feet, turned off the shower, and got ready. She slipped on her school uniform and blow-dried her hair, slicking it back into a low ponytail.

Bailey went to Robert's dorm to debrief Professor Green's suicide earlier ever since word got out. Suicide. The word didn't work well with Orchid. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw a letter slipped under the door.

Thank God that Bailey isn't here, she thought, grabbing the letter and unfolding it. It was from Saira Levine in her neat and swoopy cursive.

This is insane, we need to meet up. It's raining like cats and dogs outside, so we can't meet at the roof again or for a while. 9 assume you're thinking the same thing—you'll be in the media. We'll discuss it later.

Meet up at the girls' washroom at 1: 15, one near Professor Asher's classroom. If it's not empty, go into a stall until it is. Don't forget to burn this letter with your box of matches.

Love, G. G.

G. G. Gossip Girl—Saira was clever to not use her real initials, S. L. Orchid went to the slit of her mattress, rummaging around until she found the box of matches that Saira and Stoll had to burn their letters as well.

Orchid lit a match and watched Saira's letter burn away in a puff of smoke. She wasn't worried about the smoke alarm, she had disarmed them when Saira first got the idea of exchanging letters and burning them.

She ventured outside of Room #204 and downstairs. She passed by the Event Board, a sheet of paper written with a typewriter posted on the board. She paused,

EVENTS:Silverleaf Newspaper Club (REGISTRATION ENDED)Silverleaf Gothic Literature Club (REGISTRATION OPEN UNTIL FEBRUARY 29TH)Science & Biology Team (REGISTRATION OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 10TH)Student Body Council of Silverleaf (REGISTRATION ENDED) Cooking Team (REGISTRATION OPEN UNTIL END OF SCHOOL YEAR)

There's going to be no Silverleaf Newspaper Club if Professor Green's dead, she thought miserably. Why didn't she join when the professor was still alive and well? Now, she definitely didn't want to join if Green was going to be replaced by another teacher. Oh God, Green's going to be replaced.

She was going to dread the rest of the school year for sure.

On the way, she caught a glimpse of Professor Green's classroom, closed off. There was a crowd of students, mumbling and sobbing. "He's been hung," a student cried out.

"How tragic," another commented.

"The professor killed himself on campus? Unprofessional."

Unprofessional, Orchid mimicked angrily in her mind. She seethed with grief and rage. She went to the Dining Hall and lined up for breakfast. The lunch lady gave her a comforting look and gave her some extra sourdough bread. Orchid realized she knew that she was the one who discovered the professor's body, and everyone also seemed to know.

She sat alone, but a girl slid into the seat next to her. The girl was Lizzy Connors. Orchid felt uncomfortable to be next to the girl she wrote about in the exposé, but she was surprised that she wasn't punished.