NINETEEN: SOLITARY

Lucian sat at the front seat and dropped his back on the desk, not even bothering to greet anyone. Didn't he have friends or his friends weren’t the type to be in detention.

I hear footsteps coming from the back and Marie passes me and heads towards the front seat, particularly towards Lucian.

She stops in front of him and plops down on his desk, pushing his bag aside, her uniform had ridden up and her fair thighs were showing.

I couldn’t really make out what she was saying but he was responding and there seemed to be a whole conversation.

She eventually nodded and left, walking back to her seat but she wasn’t smiling.

The rest of the detention went on quite boringly and the teacher never came back, making me wonder who’s homeroom teacher was.

I packed my things and my book of doodles which was all I was doing for the past three hours into my bag. Immediately after the time elapsed, Lucian walked out of the class and people began to leave one by one.

I walked out of the class and someone bumped into me, almost making me fall.

“Watch it” I snapped and the person turned to look at me with a scowl on her face.

“That's my line” Marie fired back.

I glared at her as she walked away and my eyes caught movement of something, though it may just be my imagination.

I looked in the same direction and noticed the movement again, making me pause.

I squinted my eyes and looked towards a classroom across from where I was, it was already evening and the only people around this side were the detention students and most of us had rushed back to our dorms.

I swallowed hard and made my way towards the class, sure enough I could see movement, behind the net of the door.

I should run,

I should know better by now, what if it was a plot to kill me, afterall that’s what the headmistress wants.

My hands reach for the handle and just as I am about to open it, the door swings open and I let out a little squeal and the person pushes past me, I turn around hoping to catch the face but he has his back towards me.

A tall figure with blonde hair, nice smelling cologne and if I’m not wrong there’s a tatoo on his neck, he doesn’t turn back once and I try to calm my racing heart

What was he doing in an empty class?

It’s none of your business Avery, I reminded myself and began to walk away when I heard sniffing.

I stop in my tracks and I hear the sound again, it’s coming from inside the class.

I walked quietly towards it and pushed the slightly ajar door open.

Ember is sitting on the floor sniffing.

“Ember” I called quietly and she raised her head to meet mine, there’s no creepy smile on her face and her eyes are filled with tears.

“Ember!” I rushed towards her and grabbed her hands. “What’s wrong, what happened?” I asked worriedly.

She winces and pulls her hands away from mine and that's when I noticed they are bruised.

“Ember what happened”

She stares up at me unable to speak, this is the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen her like.

She parted her lips as if to speak then she stopped herself and wiped the tears from her eyes.

As if remembering herself her creepy smile came back “Sorry about that Avery, I just got a little emotional” She said.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be,” she laughed weirdly

“Right” I stared at the odd dragon, I knew something was wrong,

“Let’s hurry or we would be late for dinner” She smiled getting up and pulled my hand with her, but I didn’t move.

“Ember, what is solitary confinement?" I asked.

“About your roommate isn’t it” She asked and I nodded.

“They rarely put people in there, unless you’ve broken a major rule, do you have any idea what she did?” She asked and I shook my head.

“What goes on there?” I asked

“I have never been there but I think it’s some form of torture, I’m not sure”

“Is there a way to go there?” I asked and as the words came out, I wanted to swallow it back.

“There is” She said

“But if you’re caught, I don’t know what would happen” Ember warned

“I just want to make sure Daphne is okay” I replied

Ember stared at me, her amber eyes piercing into mine and though I wanted to look away, I stared back.

“You’re quite odd Avery” She said, dropping her smile and she looks like a normal girl.

“There’s a way you can sneak there without getting caught” She narrates.

“But it is quite risky, do you still want to go?” She asked and I nodded.

“We have to make sure we’re back before dinner,” Ember warned.

“Of course” I replied and she pulled me along with her.

……

Ember and I came to a sudden stop, we were alone at this side of the school, still in the main building.

Ember comes to an abrupt stop and I wonder why.

“It’s here, the solitary confinement is here” She pointed to the ground and raised the rug a bit and I saw a door on the ground.

I swallowed hard.

“Do you still want to go?” She asked and I nodded. Her creepy smile returned and she pulled a golden key out of her pocket and placed it in the door and it clicked open.

“How do you have the key,” I asked in surprise.

“It’s enchanted, it opens any lock my mother gave me on my last birthday” She smiled creepily.

“That’s so cool” I smiled in awe.

Ember grabbed the two ends of the door and pulled it up, opening it.

“After you” she nodded down the dark pathway.

What if she just wanted to kill me, her creepy smile wasn’t helping.