Unforgettable (OLD COPY DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 8

I try to ignore the fact that Tessa and Astrid spend the night in my dorm room to keep an eye on me and instead tell myself that they're here because they want to be. It's probably partially true, but it doesn't help that they follow me and wait outside of my classrooms for the entirety of the next day.

"So what's your roommate like?" Tessa asks and for a moment, I think that it's directed to me as I open my mouth to remind her that I don't have any dorm mates this year, courtesy of a waiver from Mrs. Nox so I would be exempt from the rule.

"She's okay, a little strange since she's an English major," Astrid interrupts and Tessa laughs.

"An engineering major and an English major are dorm mates, that sounds like the start of a joke," she points out and I can't help but smile along with her.

"Not the first time that someone's said that, we get along for the most part, what about you?" Astrid counters.

"I got someone who's going for psychology too," she admits proudly.

"At least they got something right at your college, my roommate doesn't understand why I'll still be up at two a.m. taking notes," Astrid says as she rolls her eyes.

We start to walk past a set of restrooms and I get an idea as I gesture for them to stop.

"I'm going to use the bathroom, I'll catch up with you guys later," I tell them since I've completed my last class for the day and we would be heading to dinner soon.

"Are you sure? We can wait for you," Tessa says as she exchanges a quick look with Astrid.

"Yeah, we can meet up in the dining hall," I plan for her as I turn away and shove open the door for the bathroom.

"Okay," Tessa's muffled reply trails after me as the door swings shut and blocks her from view.

I breathe out a quick sigh of relief to be away from them for once as I survey the bathroom and quietly draw a locking sigil on the door. Three stalls with white doors sit empty, a window being perched toward the top of the outside wall as I walk over to it. I have doubts that Tessa and Astrid will walk away from the door anytime soon and if I'm going to initiate my plan, I have to get out of here fast and hope that they leave and not linger.

I begin a simple levitation spell, my feet drifting away from the tiles as I manage to float upwards and sit on the edge of the sill. I press my palm against the glass as I cast a spell, the lock for the window unlatching with a metallic pop as I keep an eye trained on the sidewalk below. No other students walk by as I quickly open the window, the hinges creaking as a few cobwebs flutter in the cool breeze outside.

I shiver but press onwards as I swing my legs over the sill and slowly hover down to the ground where my heels touch down softly on the concrete. After checking my surroundings once more, I sprint in the direction of the taxi station that is on the far side of the stables.

It's up to you to figure all of this out, you're on your own, I remind myself as I feel a surge of guilt for leaving them, but I know that I have to do this by myself.

****

The buzz from the door being unlocked sounds like an angry wasp as the noise burrows deep into my head and I suppress the urge to run far away from here. I haven't visited the juvenile detention center where Luke has been locked up for obvious reasons and I can't help but cringe as the barred door slides open.

You're here for answers.

The interior of the large room on the other side looks much like a regular, high-school cafeteria, what with its white cinderblock walls. The only difference being that there are doors lining the walls and the people sitting at the tables are in jumpsuits. Other than that, the same feeling of anxiety and hopelessness pressing down on me remains the same.