Vangsvere Academy

Chapter 8: Crows

It was after dinner, after we ate and laughed and all headed to our dorms. It was after Jameson and I pondered the thought of being together. It was after Vlad kissed me goodnight when he walked me to my dorm and it was after I stepped out of the shower.

I walked out with a towel around my body and another drying up my hair.

A small creaking sound of a floor board echoed through the room and as I stepped into the room, I noticed the small bird perched on my desk chair. My stomach churning in its own curious fears. "Hello Annnnnne." It spoke freaking the life out of my entirety. It's not every day I hear a bird talk.

"Oh shut up." It stated clearly annoyed with me.

I steadied my heavy breathing and heart beat to walk closer to it. "Who are you?" I asked looking for strings or anything. It's got to be a puppet right?

He softly spoke but as he did, the voice was familiar, it was the voice from my head. "Ace." It said confirming the truth.

Walking toward it, I dropped the hair towel to the floor and reached up to touch it, "You can see me?" I asked softly while tightening the towel around my chest.

The bird eyed me "No, but I can speak to you through this. A witch of mine helped." He said laughing.

A witch? I figured they'd all died out.

"Are you the reason all these birds keep dying in my bathroom?" I asked suddenly ignoring the birds presence and going back to drying my body off.

The bird flew and perched itself on my bed post spooking up on me again, "Yes, took a while to finally get a bird that worked." He stated.

Wonderful. He's a psychopath.

"Who are you? I mean who's behind the voice?" I asked trying to sound like I wasn't totally creeped out by this unknown stalker thing.

The bird laughed "Too soon Ace, much too soon." God he's so annoying with his Ace crap.

Not too soon for him to barge into my thoughts like they're some free for all library or podcast.

Absolutely wonderful, "it was bad enough I couldn't ignore you in my mind, now I've got you keeping me up in my ears." I said brushing out my hair and tossing it into a bun on my head.

"Tell me about yourself Anne." He said through the bird, I wondered if I should reply with a sarcastic remark, but settled for attitude.

A small laugh slipped my lips "Why would I tell you about me when you won't tell me anything about you?" I asked wanting to drop the mic like I had owned him.

A laugh came from the crow before it flew to the bookshelf and sat up there staring down at me, "You've got a room all to yourself? How did you manage that?" He asked very softly, I wondered if he meant that to be unheard.

I thought he said he couldn't see me?

"I scared the last girl out. She ran the second she heard me talk to myself." I joked as I headed into the bathroom and pulled on a nightgown.

I changed in the bathroom not trusting the bird...or him.

Going to the bed, I sat down pulling the covers over me "Can I ask why me? Why are you talking to me? Why not bother someone else?" I asked.

The crow ducked its head before flying over to the post of the bed, "Because he wants you Annalise. Nobody else. You're his salvation." He spoke as if it was so obvious, "He who?" I was so tired of people half assing sentences.

I regretted it as he spoke the name "Israfel."

The crow fluttered it's wings and then stepped onto the bed. The name he just stated glued into my mind.