Chapter 2 - Worst First Day of School

Here goes nothing, I thought to myself and opened the door lugging my stuff in behind me. I flipped on the light switch immediately to my right and a ceiling light attached to a fan tuned on allowing me to get a good look at my new room. The room itself was ivory (like everything else in this place!) with a window that overlooked a snow covered courtyard, the desk was small and pushed up against the wall with a closet, the bed was a twin shoved under the window, and the dresser was shoved against the wall with a door that led to the bathroom. I sighed because this room needed a lot of help, so I started moving furniture.
When I was done customizing/unpacking the bed was against the left wall with the bathroom, the dresser was in the right wall corner with the closet, and the desk was underneath the window. I had just finished making my bed and putting away my clothes when there was a knock at my door.
“Come in!” I shouted knowing who it was before he opened the door.
“Wow,” was all he said before he came up behind me and blindfolded me.
“Is this really necessary?” I asked trying to sound exasperated and conceal my excitement.
“Yes, the place we are going to is top secret and I can’t have you going around telling everyone its location,” he said double checking that I couldn’t see a thing. Then he took my shoulders and started leading me around.
When we arrived at this so called “top secret” location he took off the blindfold and I stood in shock, trying to take in the beauty of this place in one view.
“Well?” he asked and I could hear the nervousness in his voice.
“I-It’s amazing,” I said still in complete shock.
We were in the middle of the forest behind the school surrounded by snow covered trees and to our left was a small frozen lake. Smiling he said, “I thought you’d like it. In the summer you can swim in there,” he gestured to the lake. I was so overwhelmed with everything that had happened in the past twelve hours that I broke down crying. Josh came over and took me into his arms and I just stood there crying. I cried for my old typical 16 year-old girl life that I would never be able to go back to, I cried for this new life that I was just starting and was just so amazing, and I cried because I couldn’t tell if my feelings for Josh were out of a need for love in general or a need for Josh’s love. We stood there, me in his arms, not talking until I pulled away.
“I’m sorry it’s just a lot to take in,” I explained and left it at that very vague explanation. He smiled and I felt a pang of guilt.
“We should be getting back soon anyway,” he said and checked his watch, “crap it’s 10 already.” And so we walked hand in hand back towards the dorms.
Once I was back in my room I changed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow. The sound of footsteps woke me up and I flung the closest object, my cell phone, in the direction of the “intruder”.
“shoot! What was that for?!” called a familiar voice.
“Josh?! What the crap?! It’s like one in the morning!” I screamed at him. Returning my phone and taking a seat on the edge of my bed he let out a deep yawn.
“Actually it’s two. And I could ask you the same question. I woke up to you screaming your head off and I came in here to make sure you were alright,” he explained in a still half asleep voice.
My face warmed and I hoped he couldn’t see me blushing, “I’m so sorry it only happened when I sleep in new places. It hasn’t happened since I was little. You can go back to sleep I’m fine,” Now that my eyes were adjusted to the darkness I could see the concern on his eyes, “really I’m good.”
“How did you deal with it before?” his voice filled with concern again.
“My mom or a relative would sleep with me but that was when I was like five I’m fine now probably just a onetime deal,” even I didn’t believe my “onetime deal” bit. I knew I needed to ask him otherwise neither of us would get any sleep but luckily he put two and two together first.
“Move over I’m coming in,” he said and then thought better, “unless you don’t want me too.”
“Whatever do what you want,” I said trying to be nonchalant, “but you really don’t have to.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve known you for one day and I’m in bed with you already,” he yawned and I resisted punching him because he was already asleep.
When I woke up I thought that I had dreamed the whole thing last night and had myself half convinced until I saw the note on the dresser.
A
I’ll be locked in my room all day. Knock twice.
-J
Sighing I started getting ready to face the day. Not even bothering to shower yet I threw on a pair of jeans and a graphic tee, brushed my hair and teeth, and headed over. I scarcely even had knocked twice when Josh opened the door wearing only jeans (that were hanging really low on his waist) and toweling off his shaggy wet hair. Okay I’ll admit it, I did like what I saw, he had a very defined six pack and … and probably noticed that I was staring at him. He cleared his throat and said, “You gonna stand there all day?” and added a smile that brought out dimples that I hadn’t noticed before and I couldn’t help but return the smile and walk in. I did a quick survey of his room and saw that unlike mine, his fixtures were all in their original positions. Posters of motorcycles dotted the walls and a small TV had found its way onto the desk. Unsure of what to do I stood in the middle of the room awkwardly while he sat on the bed. He gestured for me to take a seat next to him and as I was sitting down he made an announcement that put a knot in my stomach and gave me butterflies all at the same time.
“A blizzard blew in and their not sending any more students until it’s cleared out. The kitchen staff, Headmaster, and some professors are here already but we’ve pretty much got free range of the school.” I tried to look impassive but I have a feeling that Josh sensed my nerves because I realized that Josh, me and an almost empty school for an undetermined amount of time could be a bad combination and he quickly added, “it gives you a chance to adjust to everything though so only I’d know about the whole screaming incident,” he tacked on a smile for my benefit.
“So when’s breakfast?” I asked trying to focus on my gnawing hunger rather than Josh’s announcement.
“Usually it’s served in the cafeteria between 8 and 10, why you hungry?” he asked.
“Starving,” I said enthusiastically.
As he led me back to the lobby and in the direction of the cafeteria Josh was babbling on about something or other and I was in my own world. Until I saw the thing. It was on Josh’s right and was going in the direction of the doors to the outside, it was almost completely opaque until it got to the door and passed through it, and then it shimmered just slightly. To the day that I die I will never forget the ugly creature it was almost as tall as Josh, maybe 5’ 10” and had on a royal ball gown that looked as if it was ivory and burgundy at one point with a cinched waist and lace coming from the end of the sleeves and the top of where the neckline ended. Everything about it was breathtaking until you got to looking at its neck; a large purple bruise lay straight across the middle of its neck and extending completely around. The bruise itself was as thick as a small novel but looked as if it could have killed a man within seconds. Moving up to the creature’s head was by far the most gruesome sight anyone would ever see, a skeletal head sat in place of a real one atop the creature’s neck. It appeared the flesh from the neck melded with the bone at about where the ears would have been. Where its eyes should have been sat great big empty holes, just vacant spots, there was not on bit of flesh from the base of the skull to the top of its head and it was painstakingly obvious. Right before the creature left the building it saw me staring at it and looked straight into my eyes, vacant holes boring into me and I swear it would have broken out into what would have been a disfigured smile.
“Josh?! Did you see it Josh?!” I could hear the panic in my voice.
“See what?” I heard panic make its way into his voice too.
“That thing!! It walked right past you…” I trailed off because I knew I sounded crazy.
“When was the last time you ate?” he asked all signs of panic were gone from his voice.
“Um, good question,” I joked forcing myself to look away from where the thing just disappeared.
“Well then let’s head down to the…” now it was Josh’s turn to trail off because just then a red flashing light and loud alarm started going off.
“Students please halt all activities and report to your dorms immediately. This is not a drill,” a computerized voice called over the din of the alarms.
Josh started dragging me back toward the dorm hallway and I was trying not to have a panic attack because it didn’t seem like the time nor place for my nerves to kick in. Half dragging, half pushing me, Josh seemed to be keeping a pretty cool head until you looked into his eyes. They were darting back and forth, like they were searching for something or someone. I had to force myself to stop looking at his eyes because Josh freaking out was not going to help me stop freaking out internally. Josh stopped at his door and shoved me inside then closed and locked it behind him. The warning lights, blaring siren, and voice were still going off in the hallway but luckily for the most part, we couldn’t hear it in his room.
I took the chance to question him, “Josh what is going on? And why are we locked in here?” I succeeded for the most part in keeping my voice even and panic free.
“There are only two reasons why the alarm would go off,” he said in between pulling metal sheets over the windows, “one a natural disaster is headed right for the school or two,” he paused as if considering whether or not to tell me.
“Two!” I commanded because this was not the time to be withholding information.
“Or someone has died,” he said finally finishing the sentence.
I guess everything that has happened in the last 24 hours caught up with me and combined with the lack of food was just too much for my body to handle because everything went dark after that.

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