From the Other Side

COS November

I could hear movement around me, but I didn’t speak. I didn’t open my eyes. I lay in bed, listening to Camille getting ready and the other girls in my dorm too.

“But she didn’t talk at all last night?” one girl I recognized as Kessie ask. She had short red hair, and bright, sparkling blue eyes. She was really short, and quite plump.

“No” said Camille bluntly.

“She’s a bit weird, don’t you think?” another asked. It was Amora Perryslit. She was simply the opposite of Kessie; dry black hair that didn’t have a place on her head, dull brown eyes, very slim and boney, and abnormally tall. “Why don’t you start bothering with us?”

“No” Camille said again.

“Why? What’s your deal with her?”

“I like her”

I tried not to smile when Camille was saying this. I don’t know why, but I always had the impression she didn’t really like me when she wasn’t actually with me consciously. This made me have a whole new perspective for her.

“You…like her?” a whiney voice added, which was obviously Myora. She had brown hair and brown eyes. Relatively boring, but all the boys seemed to love talking to her.

“Like her?” Camille seemed to consider this. “No.” My heart stopped. Anger started to build up in the pit of my stomach. “She is my best friend. I’m not gunna just like her am I? I love her, you know? And if your best friend was asleep, in the very room you were standing in, and your so called friends were asking these questions, what would you do? This is an insult. Brooke is amazing, and I’m surprized half the school isn’t scared of the writing on the wall. I know I am; I’m just not showing it. If you’re not scared, you’re just silly aren’t you? And I’m just going to support her no matter what.”

And once again, I tried not to smile. It was true; I was petrified of what was written on that wall last night? Who was the Heir? What was the Chamber of Secrets? Was I an enemy?

“Then you’re just as weird as her!” Amora spat, and as they walked out of the room, I heard Camille go ‘Woo’.

I didn’t want to ‘wake’ straight away, because that would make the whole eavesdropping thing obvious, but by the time I decided to open my eyes, Camille had already gone.

It was Saturday. The light could have blinded me, and yesterday it was Halloween. It was a pretty awesome day, right up until there was a message on the wall, that made me shrivel up inside and lock myself up in bed, when everyone else carried on downstairs playing Dares in the common room.

I was so scared. What was the Chamber of Secrets?

And before I knew it…it happened again.

A feeling overcome me, and I didn’t know what was happening, but I once again didn’t want to face the world. I wanted to stay in bed all day, and not move. Not talk. Not hear. Not feel.

It was only when my stomach roared with hunger that I got up. It had been an hour and a half since I last looked at the clock, which made it twenty past twelve.

I scraped my hair back into a high pony tail, and put jeans and a t-shirt on, and slumped lazily down the stone stairs, to the common room. It was completely empty, but that wasn’t surprising, due to the fact that this November day was pretty warm, and everyone seemed to be having leaf wars. For the split second I looked out the window, I saw no one I knew.

I walked over to the portrait, and hesitated before going through. If no one I knew was outside, then they would be in the hall, and I didn’t want to be with anyone right now. They would think I’m a freak. I stretched out an arm to open the door, but someone spoke.