The room isn't very big, nor nearly as spectacular as the building surrounding it. Never the less, it looks better than just about anything I had seen in years. There are two beds, and a window set in between the two showing the forest beyond the building allowing a cool ocean breeze to fill my lungs. The walls are powder blue again, cracked and chipped like the office. The floor is old wood, creaking with every step I take. There's a mound of blankets and clothing folded at the foot of one of the beds, which I can only imagine is ment for me.
"Welcome home." Elda hums, opening her arms to the room.
I don't hesitate to throw myself down on the bed, the mattress cushioning me like nothing I had ever felt. My body feels like it melts into the mattress, to the point of no return.
"Don't get too cozy," Elda teases. "You gotta change and shower before you can touch any of the clothing looking like... well- like...hmm."
I had never been close with another girl my age, Or anyone my age for that matter. It was no secret back home what my Mother had done, and having a murderous mother was not great for a social life. I could only wonder if any of the people around me would become friends' in this place.
I sit up from the mound of pillows peering at Elda again.
She holds herself in such a deadly manner it makes my spine tingle. Her poise isn't unlike Keefie, except instead of rigid she was relaxed. She looked causal about the fact she knew how to snap your neck in three different ways.
"Is that the bathroom?" I ask looking to the wooden door on the left side of the room where Elda sits perched on the side of her bed.
She nods her head.
"I beg of you, just clean your hair out of the drain. The Last roommate didn't, and I don't think i'll ever recover from the memory's of cleaning it."
I laugh, cringing at the feeling in my ribs. "Will do."
I let the water run between my fingers, the heat comforting against the bruises lining my skin. My body's skinnier than when I last saw it, I think sickly might be more the word. Paler as well. My ribs are still purple where I hit the floor, my arms bruised from where I had received the IV. Dirt washes away down the drain and from under my nails from my run to the forest. There's a tsk tsk noice from where the shower head is loosing pressure.
I let the conditioner sit in my hair. It was rare that I ever needed very much, I kept my hair just above my shoulders, short enough that there wasn't much to manage on a typical day. Today it was matted into one clump. I slowly break it apart pice by piece working the conditioner to every strand.
I had been in the shower too long, steam rising around my legs. I know I should get out when the water begins to have a chill too it. And still, it was my first sign of any relative normalcy in days. It was the first moment in which I could even compare my surroundings to home.
I brush the last bit of conditioner out of my hair, turning off the water with a click.
I wrap the soft pillowy towel around my shoulders, letting my bare skin bristle against the comfort. The warmth seeps into my skin, a familial comfort bristling around me.
I shrug on a plain navy blue, knit sweater over my shoulders. It was thick, the stitches simple. Still I bask in its comfort.
For days I had been confined to a white, sterile, cold hospital room wallowing in pain and panic. I was still panicked, except now I was comfortable. I was warm, I am, or so I'm being told, safe.
I don't bother with one of the nice pairs of pants provided. I dig to the bottom finding a pair of over sized pajama pants. I had no Intentions of leaving this room for dinner. I had seen a few snacks tucked in a pile for me, and I was sure they would be plenty for tonight. Hell, I wasn't even sure if I was invited to dinner tonight,
I drag a hairbrush through my tangles, cringing at the sound it makes. I had tried a comb, but that simply snapped the bristles in the thickness of my hair. Finally, with a final stroke, I can drag my fingers through my hair without snagging on a new knot.
"Much better." Elda smiles, looking up from a book perched at the foot of her bed.
I shut the door with a click behind me.
"And I cleaned the drain out." I affirm, wrapping my arms around the thick sweater enveloping me. The air outside is a chill against my skin, the distant hum of a heater pricking my ears.
"Even better." Elda adds, folding her book neatly before standing up.
"And I'm sorry we didn't meet on the right foot." She apologizes, offering me something in her hand. I look to her palm, where a small golden wring sits, nestled snugly in her grip.
"Students receive them," She explains. "They're so we know who students are. Technically your not an official student, but I was able to snag one and thought you might appreciate it."
I pick it up, cradling the cold metal In my hand. I slide it over my wring finger, feeling something engraved on the inside. I take a mental note to read it later. The ring is a little big, but nothing that should fall off. While I wasn't typically keen on jewelry, or gifts for that matter, it felt rude to turn down Elda.
"Thank you," I say looking to her with a smile. "And we didn't meet on the wrong foot, my brain just panicked. It wasn't anything you did."
"Good." She smiles back. I wasn't sure if she was beaming with happiness or if it was just her general complexion. "I've gathered you some books," she hums, her voice following a melodic tune. "Some school, some just good reads." She shows, pulling the box out from under my bed filled with hard covers bruised and dented from the various previous readers. "These shoes should fit you." She squints at a pair of leather boots holding them up to me.
"Can you tell my shoe size from my face?" I laugh, trying to discern what she's doing.
"Style." She affirms placing them next to my bed.
"Which currently, you don't seem to have."
I purse my lips. "Between murders, terrorist attacks, and kidnappings I haven't had much time to consider how my sweater looks."
She waves her hand. "No rush, we'll find you something."
"I do have a style." I groan, rolling my neck. "It just so happens that I don't seem to have any of my clothing, or time too bother to care about it."
"Sure, sure." Elda saids, raising her eyebrow at my choice of clothing.
"Pajamas." I groan, not feeling up to a fashion critique at the moment.
Despite Eldas playful teasing I can see the crease in her brow, the way her hands twist at a strand of hair. She seems nearly as nervous as me to meet each other.
"Well, if you have nothing better to do I can give you your schedule?" She suggests, pacing over to one of the two tall dressers facing the beds.
I shrug my shoulders. "Apparently I'm not leaving anytime soon, might as well."
Her shoulders tense at my mention of not leaving.
"Did Keefie tell you-" she starts nervously, reaching up to her neck to a small chain.
I hold my hand up, stopping her words from piling out of her mouth. "Yes, I heard. It's not your fault."
Her shoulders slightly drop, her hand dropping away from the chain. "I barely know what happened." She approaches softly, trying to mask her eager curiosity.
"Me either." I laugh. "I was hoping you might be able to clear it up."
She shakes her head. "No can do. All I know is you need protection, and there's a lot of people trying to get to you."
I nod in agreement. "That about sums it up. The most I can tell you is somehow my Mom was involved here before she went to jail for murdering Kaz, who just so happens to actually be alive."
She tilts her head. "That's unique."
"Tell me about it." I groan, falling backwards into a mound of pillows. If there was anyone who knew the uniqueness of this situation to its fullest existent, it was me.
"Well, here's you schedule." Elda pats the foot of my bed where she's now placed a piece of paper.
"Thanks." I groan into the mound of pillows. The last thing I had the mental capacity for was even considering to go back to school. Especially whatever this school was like.
"I've gotta run and Finnish a test," Elda broches. "But that means I gotta lock the door."
I nod my head into the dark pillowy abyss of nothingness. "I know."
"But..."
This perks me up.
"There's a paper clip." Elda breaths. "Top right corner of my drawers, only for emergency's. If you don't need it don't use it."
I feel a sigh of relief break from my chest.
"The locks are detrimentally easy to pick." She tells, unlocking the door with her own key from around her neck. "And I've seen the video, you don't have any problem picking locks."
My cheeks flush. "I think destroying locks may be more the word."
She laughs.
"See you later Pennie,"
I nod my head back. "Later."
YOU ARE READING
Space Egg
حركة (أكشن)When she would walk down the street in the dead of night Elfy would look to the sky, and stare at the stars. It would ease the boredom. She would count the stars, one by one, one by one, one by one. Until she would trip on a rock and scrape her knee...
