TUNES

NINE: THE WOLVES.

I was still disturbed by everything that had happened, Clary and I having the same dream, and discovering that Nemus was trying to get back to the school. But I refused to believe it.

I walked absentmindedly through the hallway, counting every step I took. Then I stopped at my locker to grab my books for the next class.

I took out my math notebook and textbook, placed the test result in my bag, and closed my locker.

I was about to leave when I bumped into Jesse, falling to the ground and dropping my books.

He looked spaced out, like he was in a hurry to get to somewhere.

He glanced down at me on the floor; his face wasn’t as harsh as it used to be. It had softened a little.

"I'm sorry," he said, helping me up and picking up my books before handing them over.

I was surprised, seriously, did he just apologize? I was expecting him to sigh and walk away, but instead, he did the opposite.

It gave me a warm feeling inside.

As soon as I took the books from his hands, he dashed off without waiting for me to express my gratitude.

What’s up with him?

Was all I could think about at that moment. I shook my head, so as not to entertain any thoughts, and I turned to leave.

A few minutes into class, I had an uncomfortable ache in my head, so I asked for an excuse and left for the bathroom.

When I got there, I turned on the tap and let the water flow, cupping my hands together to splash the water on my face to calm down.

I did this several times, then stopped, panting.

Images flashed before my eyes, I couldn’t recognize them. I began hearing whispers and strange laughter. I could feel my eyes starting to close.

What is happening to me?

Suddenly, I stood still, my head tilted up. The black part of my eyes disappeared, and I saw myself running through the school hallway, being chased by an animal in human form. Then, all of a sudden, I snapped back to reality.

Panting, I turned the tap on again and splashed more water on my face. I must be going crazy.

Then, out of nowhere, I heard a sweet, angelic voice cut through the chaos in my mind, saying,

"Careful, you might hurt yourself."

I looked up to see who had spoken and saw Jennie in one corner of the bathroom, smoking.

She looked frustrated. The smell of smoke hit me, making me realize just how long she must have been standing there.

She stubbed out the cigarette after finishing it and threw it to the floor, then smiled at me.

"Is something wrong?"

"How long have you been there?" I blurted out.

"Long enough to tell you're going crazy," she said, walking over to turn off the running tap.

I wanted to ask if she knew what was happening to me, but I decided to leave it alone.

She returned to where she was standing, staring at the ceiling. I noticed something was bothering her, so I asked,

"What's going on up there?"

She looked at me, somewhat amazed, and let out a smirk.

"So you're suddenly interested in my business?"