Crimson

Chapter 19: A Starry Weekend

"You look flustered," Theo remarked as you sat down. "Have some ravioli."

Eleanor peered up cautiously at your rather breathless self.

"Did you just run a marathon or something?" Simone asked, her blue eyes on her pasta.

"No- I just got back from the hospital." You whispered a bit too loudly. "I went to see the girl who got attacked."

This got everyone's attention.

"And?" pressed Eleanor.

"What did she say?" Theo asked.

"Well..." you muttered, "I might have passed out earlier, and I didn't get to see her. But get this- Sylabil and Cadere were talking about the attack."

The three listened intently as you told them about you supposedly fainting and what you'd overheard.

"It didn't look like an animal attack but I don't see how anything else could have done it," sighed Eleanor as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm just telling you what I heard." You said, finishing up your lunch.

"'Whoever is responsible...' What could that mean?" Simone pondered aloud.

"Maybe someone lured Sophia out into the woods or something, as a prank?" Suggested Theo with a dissatisfied shrug.

Sophia... so that was the girl's name.

"You knew her?" You asked Theo.

"Not really," he replied. "But she's in the day class, maybe a year younger. She kind of looks like you, y/n. Same hair."

For some reason this left a pit in the bottom of your stomach.

"Well maybe we can go and talk to this Sophia ourselves." You suggested. Simone eyed you through her glass of orange juice.

"I'd wait a bit," said Eleanor, pushing up his glasses. "They really drilled me after I found her... lying there."

"Who did, Cadere?" Asked the red-head.

"Yeah, him and Lady Petrikov." Eleanor replied.

"Lady who?" You asked.

"Lady Petrikov, the head of the day class?" Eleanor answered. "She introduced herself to us during the tour- oh wait, you were missing."

"I went to get Simone." You replied flatly.

"Well I was getting my neck patched up." She said, pointing at her bandage. "So it wasn't me you saw."

You shook your head, setting down your drink.

"There's no way it wasn't you." You replied.

Simone sighed.

"Y/n you need to lay off the late nights, you've been floating around all weekend." Theodore said with a grin.

"I'm glad the injury's healing," Eleanor said to Simone. "You can probably get rid of the gauze soon."

"No." Simone snapped.

Eleanor raised his hands defensively.
"Sorry!" He hummed. You figured Simone was just embarrassed at having fallen and injuring herself like that. You suspected Eleanor figured the same. Simone was very independent and proud.

"So who is this... this Lady Petrikov, you said?" You brought back the subject.

"Oh, she's the blonde lady with the glasses who came to our dorm the night of the 'accident.'" Theodore said nonchalantly. "If we can call it an accident after what you overheard.'