Cobweb Head

t w e n t y

Turned out Leo already knew half the stuff I told him – he'd lied to me, told me about the cave beneath Rosebud Tower, and assured me that the Frights were already on the lookout for the nightmare people.

I couldn't say much against him. I was lying to him about what I could do, too.

Decades ago there had been a scheme to attach nightmares to people instead of jewels, orchestrated by none other than the headmaster's sister. I was dizzied while listening to him explain, about the cave beneath the tower which acted as a storage space for the Frights' nightmares, and how the nightmare walkers wanted it.

That's what he'd called them, nightmare walkers. And they also wanted me for an unexplained reason – not that I'd tell him that. Things had started to click into place.

I decided not to attend classes later on, instead sleeping even as daylight struck the floorboards. Leo lay out three different cups of tea, to which I had said was overkill and he had responded with a hurt look of betrayal.

I rubbed my face as I sat up in bed, reaching over to take the first cup. The sweet steam warmed my cheeks as I lifted it to my lips.

I thought long and hard about what this meant – should I have told Leo about my vague involvement with the nightmare walkers? Maybe. Why wasn't I freaking out? I should've been freaking out.

This tea was brilliant.

I sat silently, with heavy eyelids closed as I took another warm gulp of the brew. The quiet was short lived as a knock rang across the dorm's door.

I stood up and walked lazily to the threshold, opening the door with hair tousled over my eyes. I had to bite down the urge to spit out my mouthful of tea when I saw Mae standing a pace away from me. The she-devil.

She rolled her eyes at my shock. "Why aren't you in class?"

I glowered at her. "What are you? My mum?"

She pushed passed me with a pouting glare, stepping into the room. "I need to talk to you about Leo."

"Of course you do..." I mumbled into the mug.

"What's this?" She pointed to the two other cups laid out across the desk. "Don't tell me he's making you tea, now."

"He said you hated it."

"I do, but that's not the point." She traced a finger along the wooden surface; the sunlight cast shadows across her face. "You two really seem to be getting close."

"Just get to the point, Mae."

She looked up from where she'd been staring down at Leo's books, looking as if she'd just tasted something foul and was trying very hard not to let me see it. "You're awful, that's the point. Awful at being a genuinely charming or likeable person."

I curled my lip at her. "You're not exactly the life of the party, either."

"You're not even trying!" She took a step forward. "All you did at the diner was grouch, need I remind you—"

"I know, you'll tell the Frights about what I know. It's not like I've forgotten." I released an exhausted sigh. "It doesn't come easy for me, the whole manipulation thing, but I suppose you wouldn't understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, Mae. Nothing at all." I looked up at her, blowing away the stray thread of hair tickling the edge of my nose with an irritated smile. "What do you want me to do, then?"

"There's a party in the woods in three days, there'll be many opportunities there. Tell him I invited you." The corners of her lips curled. "And try this time."

She left the room, turning around briefly to say something, but I'd already slammed the door behind her, hoping it had hit her on the way out. One could only dream. 

I gulped.

|||

I stepped into the dining hall for lunch, my face a pale shade of grey. I planned on apologising to Effie, and my insides had turned to harsh knots at the thought of confronting her.

I took my food and made my way to our table, only to find it empty. I frowned and searched the room briefly, a narrowed stare falling across a table near the centre of the room, where I saw her sitting next to Oliver. My frown hardened.

I walked over to the table, where every seat was taken and Effie's face was pasty beneath the soft lighting. She looked like a skeleton; her cheeks had hollowed out. My chest ached bitterly as I watched her her fists clench at her sides and her nails dig deep into her skin.

I cleared my throat after a moment, and both Oliver and Effie's stare fell on me, awkwardly standing at the end of the table. I shifted my weight onto my other foot. "So, uh," I started. "I wanted to talk to you."

Her eyes looked back up at me, hard rimmed and impossibly big, as if they'd turned to marble stone. Her thin lips pinched into a pale line.

Oliver smiled sourly. "Moore, how are you?"

I didn't look at him. "I'm not talking to you, Oliver."

Effie looked away, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and nodding subtly.

"In private, please?" I asked quietly.

She was fiddling with the sleeve of her lacy shirt, hands placed over her lap, where she wore a familiar plaid red skirt. "No." She said simply.

I nodded softly, taken slightly aback. Did I really hurt her feelings that much? And what was she doing with Oliver of all people?

"Well," I continued, swallowing back my apprehension. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry, I was an ass. It's just hard for me to talk to people sometimes – I'm happy you felt comfortable enough to tell me what you did."

I shifted anxiously, and Effie remained silent for a few moments longer. She looked down at her thin, pale hands, clasped together. "It's fine."

I frowned. "It's fine?"

She smiled faintly, but it failed to meet her eyes. "Yeah – I'm fine."

I nodded slowly. "So, you wanna come sit with me?"

When she responded next, her eyes fell on Oliver and then me, taking her lip between her teeth. "Maybe later."

"Oh, alright." My throat tightened bitterly, and I looked away. "Well, uh, there's a party in the woods in a few nights. I don't know too much about it yet, but it sounds fun. We could go together?"

"Maybe." Her hand, holding her elbow as she shifted, turned to a fist.

I waved stiffly, taking an anxious step back. "See you later, then."

Walking away with tensed shoulders, I pulled at the hemmed sleeves of my sweater, chewing against the inside of my cheek as my heart shuddered against my chest. Something was definitely wrong.