Samara Shaw
I was exhausted.
I had spent hours plucking out red roses with the harsh sun beating against my skin. Sweat dripped off my face and strands of my hair got plastered to my face and neck. I saw beads of liquid fall on the ground and my uniform go damp. The heat went through my black leather shoes and throughout, I was walking on hot rocks. As every second passed it felt like my life was slowly slipping away. It could have been that I was only dramatic or that I had barely left with my life but either ways, that was the most work I ever had to do in my life. My heartbeats were fast and never stopped till the sun went down and the atmosphere got cool. By then, my legs were numb and the tips of my fingers had gone red and sensitive. It was six o'clock when Lady Esther announced we could get back to our dorms if we wished and I did not waste one more second before I dragged myself back into the building.
I had no idea when Accius decided to come but my health was my first and only priority at that moment. He did not come to my mind till I had successfully made it inside. Only my basket was submitted to Lady Esther when I left and he was not anywhere in my vision so I assumed he decided to spend more time working. The hallways were dark while I walked through, it was around the same time I passed out when I first got there so that was my first time seeing it so dark. If I had not seen the clock in the reception, I would not have known the time or think it was six o'clock. It was very dark inside, anyone would have guessed it to be nine. I could only see with the dimly lit candles hanging from the ceiling.
I kept walking till I was a few doors to the bridge leading to the female's dorm before I noticed it from afar, the glowing bright light. There were more candles on the way there, all ten on the chandelier on. I walked closer and on my way to a sharp turn, I heard hushed whispers. One was soft and feminine like it came from a woman and the other deep and masculine, from a man. I knew it was forbidden for any man to visit the female's dorm and for any female to visit the male's dorm. Therefore, whatever they both were talking about was not only wrong because the man was close to the female's dorm but also because they seemed to be talking about something secretive and did not want anyone hearing it.
I made sure to hit my shoes harder on the ground on my way there to make them aware of my presence but all my attempts were unfruitful as they both continued their conversation like they did not hear me. I proceeded to hit my palm on the wall thrice, harder each time I hit wall but still, they didn't hear the loud taps. Definitely, I could not stop walking or delay myself and risk dinner for their sake. They had to see me themselves if that's what it took and without any hesitation, I went ahead and took the turn.
They were just as I assumed, male and female, both standing at each wall, with a wide space in the middle. The girl had long beautiful hair, the roots ginger red like my hair and the tips the lightest shade of white. It was an odd combination but at the same time, very beautiful. The curls formed from the roots and edges down to her hips. Her eyes were the deepest shade of brown and her skin glowed under the candlelight. She had leather pants covering her legs and a half tattered black top on, exposing about three inches of her stomach. Parts of her body were covered in dust and her shoes in thick mud. Her arms were folded over her chest as she spoke to him, it was as if she was irritated with what he was saying to her.
The male was like the one I saw on Vince's dining room. His hair was long, it almost reached the ground and stayed in a high ponytail at the top of his head. He had a grey cloak on that covered his shoulders down to his ankles and boots covering his feet.
As I stood just a few feet away, they still didn't notice me. None of them turned their heads or even flinched. It was as if I was non existent to them and like they didn't see me at all. Their whispers showed they didn't want anyone hearing what they were saying and if they did, at least they would have spared me a glance.
"I know where you're coming from Astra, anything you say won't cover up the obvious truth" The man looked disappointed as he spoke to her, his whispers getting louder in annoyance while she looked indifferent and ignorant.
"Then I guess I have nothing to say to you"
"You have to choose just one_"
"And it's my decision, not yours so stay out of my business."
"One day you'll understand the consequence of this immature act and I hope when you do, it's not too late to fix it"
"I have my life to live and as the queen, I command you to leave at once"
He went quiet for a few seconds and seconds turned to minutes with both individuals standing in front of each other, glaring in anger "As you please"
He bowed his head in courtesy and immediately, the candles went dim again. My gaze went up to the chandelier and back down to the two but when I did, they were both gone. I looked down to the opening leading to the bridge which was the only way they could have passed but neither of them were there. I only looked up for a split second, it wasn't possible they both would've left so quickly. That was the first time seeing the two, I could not have made them up in my head and the voices were too real to be fake. Nothing could make me believe it didn't actually happen, I was certain I heard their conversation. Was it possible all I saw and heard were just fictions of my imagination?
Although I felt like all the energy in my body had the drained but I didn't waste a second there before I ran towards the bridge. For all I knew, they could have been ghosts and it could also be that I witnessed something paranormal right there. My mind was in different directions when I made it to the other side of the bridge. The light coming from the girl's dorm lit the sky bridge and brought me a form of calmness. I wasn't as frightened as I was when I was still in there, something about the cold wind and light made me feel a bit relieved.
When I got into the dorm, all the candles were on. It was unlike the hallways where just a few candles had fire burning on them. I didn't find problems reaching my room, I could remember the number so I sprinted all the way there and pushed open the door like a wild caveman. What I did caused enough noise to make Lucy's head snap towards me sharply. She was formerly laying down on the bed with her head facing the window and when I came in, was snapped out of her daydream.
Her eyes went around my body twice before saying "You look dead"
"I think I saw something"
"Did it kill you?"
"No"
"Did it harm you in any way?"
"No"
"Then I don't have to hear about it"
"No, you have to hear about this. I think there's something wrong with this school and everyone has to know about this"
"There's always been something wrong with the school, that's what makes us so unlucky"
"I understand the way you view life is different from everyone else but this is really important Lucy, my sanity is in question here"
"So is mine, you might just murder me with boredom"
"I was done with my punishment for today when I decided to come back to the dorm" I stopped to catch my breath, pacing around didn't help me in any way. My heart beats were fast and didn't seen to reduce as images from then kept flashing in my head. "And on my way, I saw these two people i've never seen before, a girl and a boy and they were_"
"Making out?"
"No Lucy, that's disgusting"
"I've seen it before"
"Well, good for you. As I was saying, they were talking about some you only have to choose one, something about a queen and oh, I think I remember now, her name was Astra"
Lucy was still in the same position when she sighed and said "I said it but no one ever listens to me"
"What are you talking about?"
"Hold on"
Sighing, she slowly carried herself off the bed then went over to her closet that was opposite to mine. She pulled it open and shuffled around through her clothes, as if searching for something.
"Do you need my help"
"No, don't ever go through my closet, don't even think of it"
It took a few seconds of me still pacing to calm myself and Lucy shuffling through her closet when she finally found what she was looking for. It was a book, that looked at least a hundred years old. The brown cover was rough and folded at the edges with the papers itself which I assumed was once white had turned light brown. She took the book along with her when she went ahead and sat at the edge of her bed.
In confusion, I went over to her and stood by her side. "What is this?"
She flipped the cover open and the first thing there was a picture. It was containing ten people, each looking different in the black and white photo but before I could look closer, she flipped the page over and on it was a picture of the woman I saw in the hallway. She was sitting on a chair, the one I recognized to be Vince's with her hands rested on her thighs. She looked more feminine in the picture with her hair up in a ponytail and blush on her cheeks. She was in a floral dress that flowed down to her knees and on her feet were brown sandals.
"This is the woman I saw"
"And let me guess" She flipped some other pages before she stopped at the picture of the man. He was also on one of the chairs in Vince's dining room. In fact, it was the one the boy with long hair was sitting on during lunch. His hands were also on his thighs like the woman and his hair was no longer in a ponytail but had been weaved in cornrows on his head. Something about his smile looked so sinister and manipulative. "This is the man you saw?"
"Yes, how do you know that?"
"I think you should be more bothered about the fact these two people died fifty two years ago"