The next day was forgotten, for lack of a better word. Your body was in a chair, in a desk, in Sylabil's English class, but your mind lived elsewhere. In a different time... in another life.

Vampires... you really must have been out of your mind.

Students scattered outside, talking, laughing; headed in every direction, as aimlessly as the leaves falling from the trees above your head. Autumn was beautiful. It all was beautiful.

Clutching your book bag, you followed the patterns of the other students. Something Sylabil said during one of last week's readings skipped a beat in your mind.

Coincidences are for those too afraid to confront the truth.

You didn't remember how the lesson ended. But you felt you'd be getting a reminder any day now.

After your last class of the day, your room became your sanctuary. All of your free time, except for a single trip to the library, was spent reading the mysterious almanac- among other books you'd found. But not once did Theodore bring up any mention of the almanac, or awareness it was gone.

To your dismay, there weren't many books on the subject of your interest - but you'd found a few. And it only increased your worries.

Did Eleanor know? Did Simone? Theodore? And the teachers- they must know. They'd have to.

Wouldn't they?

Meals were silent that day, and the next. Although, your friends chatted a bit; Eleanor noticing your fixation on your food and trying to engage in small talk. You appreciated his friendship, especially considering his recent silent treatment.

But the truth was, you felt you couldn't trust anyone. Not even Eleanor.

Before you could collect your thoughts, and tuck away any distractions, even your patrol that day was over. You didn't see Cadere, or any sign of Avery. But that didn't stop you from staying alert. You were wary of everyone.

And while the others sleepily walked back over the bridge with you that night, the gears in your head were fast at work.

After the others had fallen asleep, you went back to the common room, and continued taking notes on the night students where you were supposed to be writing literary devices. With a candle by your side, you read. And read. And read.

Until the light of the candle was outshone by the glaring brilliance of the sun.

"Were you here all night?" Simone asked.

You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes, before immediate panic rose in your chest. Your eyes darted towards the almanac.

Thank god it was there.

You hastily tucked it in your book bag, as Simone raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"What time is it?" You asked quickly.

Simone turned to the window.

"6:00am." She replied. "I hope you're not THAT behind on homework- it's still early in the semester."

"Yeah," you said, getting up. "I should probably get ready.

And with that, you carefully hid your findings under the bed- or matress, to be more precise.

The day progressed much as the last day had. Theodore was out with his other friends early on. Simone and Eleanor's attempts to talk to you mostly failed, but you lied and blamed it on sleep. It wasn't completely untrue- you were very tired.

"Maybe you should take the night off patrol tonight-" Eleanor suggested.

"No." You said without another word.

It did bother you knowing that Eleanor was probably wondering if he was doing something wrong, or if there was a reason you weren't talking to him as much.

But right now, you needed to focus.

And then, after all the coincidences were proven to be that and nothing else, everything would go back to normal.

And you'd be happy again.

But Eleanor wasn't willing to let go that easily. Over supper time, he wasn't afraid to ask questions.

"Hey, y/n," He began. "You shouldn't stay up all night."

"No, I shouldn't." You replied.

"You're not drinking your water." He noted, after a considerable pause. The boy pushed up his glasses.

You wanted to tell him. You were afraid he would brush you off or think you were crazy. So you didn't.

And maybe if you had, things would have been different.

"I'm just waiting for a letter from my aunt." You lied. "It's been a week. She lives alone, I get worried."

"Oh, I see." Said Eleanor. "I know what that's like. Maurice never wrote much to me, even when he was at school. I love him and all, but he was always travelling. It was hard."

"Yeah, I can imagine."

"You'll get to see your aunt in a week or two though, won't you?" He said, trying to cheer you up. "Fall break is coming up."

"We live too far." You told him honestly.

"Hey, you can always talk to any of your friends y/n." Eleanor grinned sympathetically. "Listen, I'm sorry if I've seemed a bit... off, lately. I guess I've had a lot of things on my mind too."

"It's okay." You told him.

"No, really." He replied. "After patrol, let's go to the underground lair, celebrate a successful first week of watching night kids."

You opened your mouth to protest but he continued.

"Now I know you don't think going out and being around people is something you want to do when things are on your mind, and I get that, believe me I do." He said. "But Theo convinced me, and now I'm convincing you. Sometimes, you just need a distraction."

"I've been doing a lot of reading." You admitted. "You do give good advice."

"So will you follow my advice this time?" He asked.

You could see the plea in his eyes, and hear it in his voice. You felt bad for not trying harder to talk to Eleanor these past few days. The entire week was rough on everyone.

So you agreed.

Because sometimes, you just need a distraction.

And when Eleanor smiled his crooked smile before walking away, you slipped something from the table into your book bag, and got ready for the night's patrol.

~
"Okay, so Theodore, you're going to be with Victor, Rianne, you're with Eleanor... and y/n-" Sylabil flipped through her clipboard, "You're with Simone."

Most of the group meandered inside- still eager to catch a glimpse of the night students. For some, the charm seemed to wear off. For others, apparently not.

Worry chipped away at your insides as you focused on the task at hand. You only hoped you would be wrong.

~
"Am I not right?" The girl asked the other night students.

"What?"

The girl with the blue hair didn't bother turning to Lucian.

"It's better without Avery." She repeated.

"I prefer knowing where he is, actually." Muttered Lucian. The girl rolled her eyes.

Waiting for Cadere was boring, but waiting for Sylabil wasn't much better. If anything she was more strict- and she had a reputation to precede her.

The petite woman walked in at last, most of the night students paying little attention to her. Sylabil's brown eyes trailed from student to student.

"Where's Belmont?"

~
Y/n did her best to pretend this was like any other patrol. But if anything, last night had only added questions to the list she was determined to answer herself.

Leaves rustled outside, as patrol began, and the girl was left alone while Simone quickly ran to ask Sylabil a question- despite y/n's protests.

And she nearly had a heat attack when a blonde haired night student emerged from the hallway next to her.

"Bel." She began with wide eyes. "Why aren't you in class-"

"I'm on my way." He said softly. "Cross my heart."

Y/n didn't say anything as he left in the direction of his class through the dimly lit hall.

He stopped, turning around to face her.

"And y/n?"

"Yes?"

A sad smile reflected in Belmont's green eyes.

"Don't think any less of me, okay?"

And before she could answer, he was gone.

Y/n never even got the chance to ponder his words before another surprise made the girl violently jump.

"Jesus y/n!" Cried Simone. "It's just me!"

Y/n stopped panting and shot daggers at her roommate.

"Sorry..." Simone apologized. She looked rather taken aback.

"Let's go patrol, we're off track as much as it is." Y/n said, taking the lantern from her friend.

The night dorms were becoming more familiar to y/n. Lucian telling her to stay away from the night class echoed throughout her core, but a glimmer of hope told her there was a chance it was all a mistake. That there was some other explanation.

She didn't want it to be true. And yet...

"Simone, where did you fall?"

Her blue eyes met y/n's through dark bangs.

"Hm?"

"Where did you fall? After the first night?" Y/n repeated.

Simone stared with wide eyes, her mouth agape.

"Or was it morning? You never said if you fell the night before or the morning of, but you weren't in your room when I woke up." Y/n said. "So my question is, where and when did you fall?"

Simone shook her head, utterly lost.

"I- I don't remember." She replied. "All I know is that I fell. It was two weeks ago, y/n."

"I remember injuries from years ago Simone." Her roommate pressed. "Do you really not remember?"

"You don't think I've been trying!?" Simone snapped.

Simone's black hair whipped around the doorway into the night as a cruel silence took over, y/n following at a distance.

"What happened to your roommate, Simone?" Y/n asked from the top of the steps.

The girl paused at the front of the dorm entry, her back to y/n.

"Just leave me alone." She called out.

"Why won't you tell me?" The girl asked.

"Because I don't know! Simone yelled. "No one does..."

Y/n watched as Simone brought her head to her hands, and choked on her very words.

Guilt expanded in y/n's insides as she descended the steps to comfort her crying friend. But at y/n's touch, Simone shrugged it away.

"I'm sorry." Y/n said softly.

"We should never have come here." Simone rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "And I don't want to talk to you, y/n."

"I didn't mean-"

"You think this place is all for you, like you can just do whatever you want and say whatever you want and no one else exists at this school."

"That's not true-"

"I can't remember half of last week, and you're here trying to solve some kind of mystery from a year ago-"

"What?" Exclaimed y/n. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Just- stop asking me questions, okay? I don't want to talk about this anymore... I'm sick of everything."

Simone's footsteps began to get drowned out by the crickets as she walked further and further away.

"Where are you going?" Y/n asked.

"To do my job." She replied coldly.

And with her final words, Simone began patrolling the exterior, without any indication of continuing the conversation further.

Y/n was hurt, but felt it best to stay where she was. Far enough from her roommate to give her space but close enough to make sure nothing bad ever happened to her again.

In y/n's heart, what she was planning to do would help her friends in one way or another. Because like Sylabil said, coincidences are for those too afraid to confront the truth.

And y/n was many things, but she was not afraid.

Not as the patrol ended and her friends made their way down the bridge together, believing she'd catch up. Not as she snuck back into the darkness of the night class after Sylabil left. Not even as she withdrew a steak knife from the confines of her book bag, and brought the cold iridescent blade against the surface of her skin.