Cobweb Head

e l e v e n

I woke up to an empty dorm the next morning – Leo must've gotten caught up in the archives.

There was an instant feeling of freedom as I turned my head to see his bed empty, tousled blankets falling down the side, like warm honey replacing the blood in my chest.

I stood up and stretched, not bothering to wrestle a shirt on. There were books and papers scattered across the desk for the nearing test, and I tried not to grimace at it. The test was coming up this week – I'd study for it tomorrow.

I rubbed my face sluggishly, coming to a halt in front of the mirror. The shadows had thinned, only a slight weight below my eyes, and the dusting of pale brown freckles across my face had lightened as my skin gained colour. Ruffled sand-blond hair tickled my nose.

I had a quick shower, afterwards shrugging on a hooded jumper and shorts before snatching my football up and heading out the door. I was met with Effie on the other side, a fist raised in the air as if to knock.

She blew a thread of hair out of her face, but it fell back down, hugging her pale cheek and touching her small chin. She dropped her fist. "I didn't see you yesterday."

I glanced down the halls worriedly. "I'm not sure girls are allowed here."

"It's fine – they barely notice." Her expression was hard. "I didn't see you yesterday."

I stepped forward, closing the door behind me lightly. "Yeah, sorry, Leo wanted to show me around town."

"Leo? Your dorm mate Leo?" She cocked an eyebrow. "But – that night, I was sure you were avoiding him because of it."

We started walking down the halls, Effie's heeled boots ringing across the dark floorboards. I shrugged. "You were wrong. I already told you about what I saw."

She frowned softly, a strange line creasing her brows. Her eyes were pearly as she thought, and yellow sunlight dappled her skin as we turned a corner, casting long dark lines across her face as more hair fell from behind her ear.

"Look, I'm going out for footy practise, we can talk down at the oval if you want?" I grazed a finger along the stark walls.

She nodded. "Why do you still practice? There isn't a team here that plays it."

I lowered my gaze. I'd started to miss home a lot – my dad, my team, my old school, the barren oval fields. Even Trish, who hated me now. I thought back to the fire, and a dull pain clutched at my heart, as if a long-legged spider had curled up around it.

I remembered taking Trish's hand, whose palm had been hot and clammy, and rushing into the gym. Her lips had been etched into a pretty smile, but her mind had been so loud. Too loud.

I grimaced – the memory so easily rose to my mind like a dead fish in water.

"It reminds me of home." I responded dryly. "And I'm not going to be here forever – I'm practising for my team for when I get back."

"Do you think they'd still let you play after...?"

I didn't reply to that.

I wasn't sure if she noticed the grim expression that'd fallen across my face, paling my skin, but if she did, she didn't say anything.

When we reached the field, cold winds had chilled my bones. The sky was brindled with clouds, a pale blue colour, and the sun was dimmed beneath a layer of fog.

I'd just started practising when I saw the mottled figure standing just in front of the forest's edge. I dropped the ball absentmindedly – Effie was saying something, but I couldn't hear what.

It was a shadow, a dark patch amongst the green.

Fuck.

Every thought slipped my mind as easily as dead petals fell from roses. What did Effie want to talk to me about? I'd forgotten. What was I doing here again?

My pulse throbbed against my skull, and the rough pull at my chest urged me forward. Much harder than it'd been the last few times. My blood suddenly felt cold as I walked down the field.

I thought someone must've taken hold of my shoulder, but it felt as light as the landing of a butterfly. I shrugged it off.

I was in the forest now, and the shadow was moving in front of me, moving as if it'd just dug itself out of a grave. Desperate, hungry, like something undead.

I wanted to touch it, see if the smoke around it was hot, see if it had inky bones beneath the smog. I reached a hand out, staggering further, but the thing was constantly out of reach.

I stopped – the tug had come undone.

When I looked up from where the shadow had vanished, I saw where I'd been lead. There were ruins around me, loose bricks and scraggly vines, and the earth beneath them was deadened. Nothing green lived on the dusty brown ground.

Rosebud tower stood in front of me, a stale smell drifting out from the rocky cracks. I was dizzied.

"Will?" Effie. "What the hell are we doing here?"

I didn't turn around. "I..." Don't know. "Needed to get away for a bit. It's nice out here."

"Can we go back?" There was an nervous edge to her voice – like a trembling leaf in the wind.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the tower. There was the warmth – the nightmarish warmth I felt every night – itching the back of my neck. I felt sick.

I gulped. "Yeah, let's go."