A Girl in the Shadows

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The balding officer led us down the hallway to the left. I was carefully watching Tristan as he carried the metal chair in his arms, spots of someone else's blood covering the bottoms of his costume.

"Are you doing alright after seeing all that, Tristan?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Lovely. Let's carry on, shall we?" I asked.

The officer went to the very last door and took out the loop of keys. It read: Confinement Area. Authorized Personnel Only.

"What is this place?" Tristan asked.

"We only use it in rare circumstances, mainly if a student is immediate harm to themselves or others," the officer said. "Mental breakdowns, high on something strong, etcetera."

"Solitary confinement. That's an excellent thing to have," I said before turning to Kai. "Watch him when we go in. I want your eyes on the rest of the hallway as well."

"Whatever you say, boss!" she said.

I let the man unlock the door. No sense in showing off any other abilities at a time like this. I placed my knife back in my pocket. Tristan and I nodded at each other. He put the chair down. The officer held the door open.

We were met with a bright room, the walls and floor covered with pads. Little Molly was laying on the puffy floor, bundled up in a straitjacket. Her beautiful, black wavy hair was a tangled mess, much like mine most of the time. She was face down on the floor and gnawing at one of the pads. You created a monster. Congratulations. I hope this makes you feel as good as can be.

Molly turned herself over when we stepped closer. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was wide. She moaned and bared her fangs. I turned and found the light switch, then darkened the room. Her eyes squinted, then opened.

"Hey, Widow's Peak!" I called to the officer. He peeked his head in. "Where are her glasses?"

"I...I don't know. Probably still in her room with the rest of her things," he said.

"You're no help. Beat it," I said.

He tucked away, and the door closed. I knelt down in front of Molly. Her eyes were wild. Her mouth was chomping at me, but her face changed when she squinted at her brother. She was coming back.

"Do you remember me, Molly?" I asked.

"You...you...bitch!" she said.

"Yes, the reaction I expected. Listen, Molly, I tried to help you yesterday. You could've safely departed this campus with me and now look at you. You're rolling around on the floor of some secret room in the campus safety office in a straitjacket, starved for blood and in desperate need of help. You're lucky I'm here."

"Lucky? Look at me! Screw you!" She looked past me. "Tristan? What are you doing here? Why are you dressed like half of Batman?"

"It's uh...a long story." He came closer and got down to her level. "What happened to you?" He looked from her to me and back to her. "Did you really attack your roommate?"

"I don't know...I just got really hungry all of a sudden and—"

"And you were just turned. You have no control over your urges, like I told you," I said.

"Taliah, can we have a minute?" he asked.

"Absolutely. I'll stay quiet."