Blackened Spirit

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I turned over in my bed.  I didn’t want to wake up.  I didn’t want to have to crawl out of the comfortable covers of my bed to face the dull reality that is my life.  I tried to ignore the ruckus going on just outside my doors.   There was laughter, there were screams and shouts and talking, and I knew that if I went out there I would just be out of place.  I’d be invisible.  But I had to get up, my roommate could show up, and I smelt horrible.  With a groan I kicked off my covers and groggily made my way to the small mirror hanging over the drawer.  My brown eyes were tired, barley staying open.  I had dark circles beneath them and my hair was a mess.

There was a sudden burst of laughter and with a sigh, I picked up my towel from off a chair and walked out the door.  The halls were jam packed with other students.  Everyone looked happy and excited.  While I looked like I was attacked by pack of wolves, everyone else was well dressed and clean and certainly not half asleep.

I tried to ignore the fun everyone was having and inched my way throuoh the crowd.  Some people actually muttered their disgust as I brushed passed them, though I doubt I smelled that bad. I finally made it to the girl’s bathroom at the end of the hallway.

It was empty, and as I closed the door behind me I felt like was in my own little sanctuary if only for a moment.  I undressed taking off my pyjama shorts and t shirt and tiptoed my way into the shower.  The water was warm against my cold skin.  I love warm water, but I especially enjoyed it after I became a vampire.  I hated when I touched my skin that I was only greeted by the coldness of a dead person.   So I enjoyed feeling warm, after waking up, or a hot shower, or even standing next to a furnace.  I towelled off myself, and then was horrified when I realized I didn’t carry any clothes with me to change into.  I groaned and contemplated the idea of putting back on my pyjamas.  I picked them up, but I took a whiff and realised that I did smell horrible.  There was no way I would be able to wear them and not need to take another shower.  Mustering up as much courage as I could I wrapped my towel tightly around me and pushed open the bathroom door and made way for my room. 

I didn’t get as many stares as I thought I would have gotten instead I was completely ignored.  Apparently a girl who was walking down the hall past a whole bunch of people in nothing but a towel wasn’t worth staring at. But since everyone in that dorm was a girl, I couldn’t really expect much different.

When I got into my room, I quickly changed into my favourite pair of jeans and graphics t-shirt.  I brushed my short black hair and pulled in into a little stub like ponytail.  And then I sat on my bed anxiously awaiting the arrival of my roommate.

Minutes turned to hours and as the noise outside began to die down from shouts of excitement to actual intelligent (and sometimes not) conversation.  I sat on the very edge of my bed twiddling my thumbs nervously and worried.  Was I getting a roommate?  I mean it wouldn’t be all that bad.  I enjoyed being alone, it was calming.  But people who are alone too much can lose their minds.  And I wasn’t planning on becoming a mindless blood sucking monster.  So I needed a roommate.

I got off the bed and opened the door looking down the halls.  No one besides a couple girls standing and talking in front their supposed dorm rooms were there.   I took a short trip to the stairs and looked down.  There were a couple other girls, but none were carrying their luggage and none seemed like they were in a hurry to rush to appease the mind of their worried roommate.  So figuring that I might sleep another night in a room by myself, I walked slowly back to my room.  I passed the two girls talking and gave them a small smile, and one of them smiled back while the other looked at me blankly.

I decided that I needed to get my mind off the absence of my roommate so I pulled a paranormal book from the book shelf I had arranged yesterday by putting everything in alphabetical order.  It was about werewolves; I used to love vampire novels but started hating them last year for obvious reasons.

 I was just about to finish up a chapter when there was a knock on the door.  I took one last look in the mirror to see if I looked presentable, (first impressions count) and then opened the door.  I was about to say, ‘hi, how are you? I’m Charlotte,’ but I couldn’t as the air was forced out of my chest as a fluorescent pink suitcase was dropped in my arms.  The colour was blinding.  My head literally began to spin and I struggled as I carried it further into the room and next to the other bed.  My arms screamed with relief when I put it down.  I brushed the wrinkles out of my shirt and turned to get a better look at the girl.  She wasn’t facing me and was apparently studying the layout of the room.  She was platinum blonde, it was like my eyes were being attacked by the sun’s rays (and we all know what the sun does to vampires).   And the clothes she wore looked really high fashion.  It made my shirt and pants look like something from a thrift store.  She was also thin, but with a good shape.  I figured if she looked that great from behind she had to be pretty.  I tried not to judge her personality though.  Most people would have thought immediately thought that she was stuck up and bossy.  I on the other hand was willing to try to get to know her first before sticking an invisible post it on her forehead saying, “I’m a shallow stupid blonde.”  Well that was what I was planning to do until I recognised her as she turned around. 

“Kathryn,” I muttered.  I tried not to cry at the revelation or scream in absolute horror.  Kathryn was Maria’s best friend.  And Maria happened to be the absolute worst person in the entire school.  Though I think that was an understatement.  She was worse than the jocks who tried to have sex with innocent girls.  Maria wasn’t just a whore and a slut, she defined those words.  If you looked it up in the dictionary you would see a picture of her.   And to top it all off she was a manipulative bitch.  She and her two best buddies, Kathryn and Darcy, would terrorize both the girls and the boys of the school.  And she would get away with it.  I don’t even know how it’s possible but these three skinny girls can do whatever they want to whoever they want.  And they never get in trouble.  Mainly because their parents are all really rich, so they just bribe the school with money and their girls get left alone.  And now I was stuck in the room with one of Maria’s closest friends.  I wanted to die.

She gave me a condescending look.  And then she strode passed me to her bed, her perfect hair flowing behind her, and sat down.

“Who are you?” she asked taking off her jacket.

“I’m Charlotte,” I muttered, “Charlotte Harrington”

She nodded thoughtfully.  “Are you new?”

“No, it’s my second year here,” I answered still muttering.  It was no surprise she had no idea who I was.  I after all wasn’t the type that was noticed or remembered.

There was an awkward silence as she glanced around the room.  So I tried to fill it in.

“Umm…I guess you already know, that the bed you’re on is yours and the one over here is mine. I left ample space on the desks and bookshelves for you to put whatever,” I said while pointing to the furniture in question.

There was another moment of awkward silence. 

“Look Charlotte, don’t try to pretend like we are on equal ground here ok.  It doesn’t matter to me where you put your stuff.  I do what I want how I want to.   So just stay out of my way and we’ll be fine.  We’re not going to be friends so don’t even bother.  Don’t ever talk to me outside this room, alright.  I don’t want people to think that we are like…”she shuddered “close buddies or anything.  Got that.”

“I’m not wild about this either,” I mumbled to myself. 

“What?” she questioned, raising her plucked eye brows.

“Ok I got what you said.  I’ll just step outside for a minute,” I said quickly and then I hastily turned and left the room.

I stood outside the door breathing heavily.  I was having a panic attack, again.  I turned my head to see I was getting weird looks from the two girls.  I ignored them and started counting to ten, which is somthing that usually helped to calm me.

‘1…2…3…4…”I began before I was interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice.