Aidene
I laughed. I couldn't stop laughing, my chest hurt and I couldn't breathe but still. What happened? Nothing I was just really enjoying jumping on my bed. "Who sleeps at 8:00 pm? I don't! Do you Nat? I mean that's toooooooooo early"
"Stop jumping you still haven't unpacked because you were too busy finding everything in the room so interesting" somehow managing not to scream at my lack of discipline.
Wow! Natalie is really patient.
I finally stopped jumping and got myself focused enough to get to my suitcase. In case you were worried, yes it was a lot of hard work. Really, take my word for it.
Just kidding I spent another 18 minutes looking out the window towards the lake until Natalie asked me if I was ok. And then I unpacked my clothes.
They weren't much just 3 exact copies of the school uniform, gym clothes given by the school (Honestly they just looked like pajamas), one skinny tie, a bunch of colorful jeans and t-shirts for daily wear and a box of hair color, and a pair of earrings from my grandfather (rest in peace).I hadn't worn them today but I was planning to wear them every day from tomorrow. After all, they were lucky, I am saying that because they were ' three-leafed clover' shaped, diamonds for the leaves and gold for the stem.
"You know we're only supposed to be in our rooms by 8:00, right? Lights-out is actually by 10:30 and you can sleep off whenever you want."
I carefully shoved all my clothes into the wardrobe and shut it before it could fall on my head.
"What if we don't turn off the lights by 10:30?"
"The scouts"
"Who? Do they at least have cookies? Please tell me they have cookies." I said pure glee and hope filling my voice.
"They are like the police force of this school, the monitors, They take turns making patrols occasionally during the nights. The monitors: There are nine of them in each house. 7 regular ones and one girl leader and a male leader. The leaders are part of the student council. Which consists of a captain from each house and a head boy and head girl. And no, I seriously doubt they're giving out cookies. Sorry Aidene. "
"Why would we ever possibly need scouts? Especially me, being the well-behaved rule-abiding Angel that I am."
"I... don't know, Aidene"
I flipped through some of my books, most of them being about as interesting as listening to William Shakespeare act out his entire play by himself. Okay, now that I think of it that would be pretty funny. That Elizabethan guy playing out a whole play with that stupid hairdo and weird language.
"Okay then how did the principal hear what I whispered to Anne? I was taught that old people can only hear sounds up to 12 kHz and he has got to be at least a few millennials old and-"
I got very rudely interrupted by an ear-shattering bell that I guess was supposed
"Lights out in 30 minutes" Announced a voice from the hall.
"Well lights out we better go to sleep"
"Wait two more things, one where is number 3?"
"What? Oh, you mean our roommate? She called in sick at the last moment she won't be coming for the next few months"
"Number two, I want a bedtime story"
"What?"
"I want a bedtime story. Probably something about a ghost or an old legend or something. Not 'Hansel and Gretel' or 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. "
"Well, there is one about the school."
"Shoot then!"
"Okay, but none of these legends are true, it may have just been made up by a bunch of bored, imaginative students."
"Isn't that why it's called a legend?"
"Yeah, I guess... anyway. There was this man, William Greylight, no one knew much about him, besides the fact that he had inherited the grounds of this very school, a long time ago. However, he had no known living family, besides his wife and only daughter, both of whom he loved dearly, more than anything in the world."
"Wait! I'll go switch off the lights and get my torch, you know for effect."
"Fine. Come back fast, we need to go to bed in a few minutes. It's not even really a horror story."
I grabbed the torch, stuffed batteries in it and switched off the lights about as fast as humanly possible (in my opinion).
"Okay I'm back," I said putting my blanket over both of our heads and switching on the little Led torch that I bought from the train station at Deadwood before arriving here along with a swiss army knife that looks like a pen, which I honestly think is the only reason I still have it..
"A little too much don't you think?"
"Yeah I get that a lot. I have been told that I am overdramatic. Okay we can continue."
"Okay where was I again? Yeah, his family. The main school building was what he inherited. However, it wasn't a school building originally when he had inherited it. It was a home. He lived there with his very much beloved daughter and wife for no longer than an year, when all of his dreams and hopes for a peaceful future ended right here, when the only thing that mattered to him in life was burnt alive when the upper floor of his house caught fire without warning. He only found out when the town police send him a letter to the hotel he was staying at when he was out on a business trip to a city nearby."
My torch flickered right as she said the last part, kinda spooky.
"That's sad."
"Well, brace yourself, it doesn't have a happy ending either. They say he tried to consult witches for guidance out of sheer hopelessness, but I really don't know how much of that's true. The same goes for the rest of the story."
"Okay! Finish the story already." I said through a yawn.
"Yeah, it's almost over. Some of his neighbors said he started acting, 'oddly' . A doctor who offered to visit him on the insistence of a kind neighbor checked in on him. He reported that William Greylight was clearly not of sound mind anymore; He discarded anything that could possibly even catch fire, including most curtains and other fabric, almost freezing himself to death one particularly cold day, on account of his traumatic fear of anything linked to fire, very much including the fireplace, according to the accounts of the doctor. He had attached deadbolts and welded metal bars on every entrance of his house, discarded anything that could possibly even catch fire, include most curtains and draperies, including the windows, a clear case of paranoia, especially considering no one had come to visit the house within several months and he hadn't left the house either. He was also reportedly delusional, and ever since, the guy went by 'mad old cow' more often than his own name, of course owing to the exceptionally caring and considerate neighbors."
"And?"
"And ever since he has lived in isolation, grieving the loss of his only possession, of which he could not stop blaming himself for despite the doctor trying his very best to convince him it was never his fault. He made sure to check in on him regularly, once every other week or so probably, but despite his efforts, Greylight's condition only got worse and worse as time went on. It was a... cold day."
"How would you know that?"
"It's for effect Aidene, just listen to the story."
"Okay."
"Again, It was a cold day. A doctor was making his way down the once pristine roads that lead to the mansion. He entered the house with the spare keys he had made of the main door, bracing himself so as to not get hurt in case William wasn't doing as good as he hoped. After several hours, people realized he hadn't returned by noon as usual and someone had called authorities out of concern because of all the rumors about him being possessed by witches and all that. Well, turns out a few minutes before authorities could arrive, the doctor rushed out, wheezing, blood running down his clothes. By the time they rushed him to a nearby apothecary he had already bled to death. He held his notebook in which he supposedly stored notes for patients, including Greylights' but neighbors burnt it saying it was now anathematized, giving similar reasons for his death, "He should not have treated the rabid thing in the first place. Look at him facing the consequences." Legend has it that his money, his only and last possession, was never to be found, not even remnants, leading people to believe he buried his treasure somewhere safe, somewhere only he could know of."
"Okay, but what happened to Greylight?"
"People say that he burnt himself and his once magnificent manor to the ground. His story and death was drowned among the hundreds, maybe thousands of supposedly witchcraftery related deaths at the time. No one knows if he was ever even real. Now go to sleep!"
Natalie turned off the lights, leaving nothing but the moonlight to illuminate the room in a ghostly manner.
I of course couldn't sleep. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, I kept tossing and turning and my mind got distracted by every little thing. I even tried to count my heartbeat (I lost count after 20). I needed to run or do something that would tire me out, like talk!
I NEEDED TO TALK TO THE ONE AND ONLY ANNE GRAY AND I NEEDED TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW.
Zipping up a black hoodie over my pajamas I traveled to the window. I couldn't use the door for obvious reasons it was 11:00 pm. Way past my bedtime. I opened the huge window slowly and looked out. How was I supposed to get down?
Come on Rayners you have a brain for a reason! Use your noggin!
I definitely couldn't jump. I was three stories up I couldn't jump like Wonder Woman but I sure as hell could climb. My eyes caught a pine tree a few feet away from the window and a ledge, about half a foot thick. I looked back, and Nat was definitely asleep. I could hear her snoring. I could make it.
Climbing out the window, placing my feet on the ledge, and pushing my body against the building I carefully traveled towards the tree. Wow, the moon looks wonderful and OH MY GOD so many stars I can see Orion. Wait, concentrate on getting down, not the stars.
I roughly calculated the distance between the branch of the tree in my head and the ledge and made the jump. It wasn't that hard really. I could have brought my torch but that would gain me unwanted attention, so I relied on the moonlight to see the branches. Call me a show-off, but I've always been a good climber but the pine leaves were getting a little annoying and I was getting impatient. Again I wished I could jump like Wonder Woman, it would have made getting down so much easier.
My boots touched the damp soil when I jumped down from the last branch making a 'squish' sound. I breathed in the cold air which smelt of pine and several other wildflowers just to calm my overactive nerves. Anyways I needed to get to the Ignis dorm without being noticed which wouldn't be that hard seeing that I was in the forest behind the school. You know that type of forest where your parents tell you not to go but you still go and then get eaten up by a bear. Ok I am pretty sure that never happened so don't worry I will not be eaten by a bear.
I ran, feeling the cool breeze sting my face, giving me goosebumps on my arm despite the hoodie, which barely did anything to stop the wind. I stopped in front of the Ignis dorm. Which was Anne's room again? I racked my brains remembering seeing a card saying 404 in Anne's. All the dorms which had an even number faced the forest while the rest faced the school. So I was on the right side. The first number stood for the floor. So she was on the fourth story. The dorm numbers started from the left so...I counted as I passed each window. Dorm number 1 was facing the school... dorm 2 (I passed the window). Therefore the next window was obviously 4 and four stories up.
LUCKY ME! Her window was open just enough for one skinny kid who can climb without dying, and a tree stood in that exact spot no jumping required but climbing definitely was.