User: infinitywordlover

A moonlit breeze brushes by my face like a swish of silk, and I shiver slightly at the chill. Three more had died, and the grounds that had once been bubbling with laughter and people lies silent and heavy with emptiness. It was no longer a question about if we would die, but how long it would take.

The thought takes hold of my mind and suddenly my hollow footsteps don't sound quite so hollow. A pang of fear strikes through me as I realize why. Another set of footsteps mask themselves behind my own, a faint echo, barely half a beat behind, but definitely there.

A scream rises up in my throat hot and bitter, but I choke it down, forcing myself forwards with blind panic. Everywhere I look, a monster rises from the shadows. Trash cans turn into ghosts. Trees into murderers. The lightposts into glowing eyes of hatred. And then I'm running, my legs pulsing across the concrete driven by terror, no longer caring about their exhaustion, only knowing that I have to get somewhere safe.

I plow through the doors of the boy's dormitory carelessly and crash onto the carpet with relief. In my haste I had almost forgotten about my duffle bag and now it too crashes onto the ground beside me, its contents jangling and clanking loudly. I freeze at the noise, my ear pricked for any sign that someone had heard, but there's nothing but silence. I'm acutely aware that if I'm caught this late in the boy's dorm, I will be expelled. But then it doesn't really matter does it? The next time I leave those iron gates, I will be lying on a stretcher, lifeless and still.

But still my conscience orders me to slip off my shoes, and gingerly get to my feet, careful to not make a sound. Now, what was Leo's room number again? Oh that's right.

I tiptoe up the stairs, wincing at every squeak and end up in front of the large slab of wood that is his door. Bracing myself for the noise, I raise my hand and knock twice as quietly as I can. There's a creak of bedsprings behind the door and then footsteps. I bounce nervously on my toes, glancing around the hallway for any sign of movement, and at last the door swings open.

"Hey," I say unable to stop a smile from leaking across my face. His hair is mussed, and sticking up in all directions and I realize with a twinge of guilt that he was probably sleeping. "Sorry to wake you up, Leo."

A flash of confusion crosses his face, and he glances down at himself frowning.

"Your bed-head is a dead giveaway," I explain. He grimaces and nods.

"No problem, you're here for the...items, right?"

I stare at him confusedly. If he meant the police gear we had "borrowed" then yes. If not, then I have no idea what he's talking about.

"Um...yeah..."

"Come inside!" he sweeps his arms grandly, as if welcoming me to a mansion instead of a tiny dorm room, and I smile at the gesture. Somehow he manages to make even the worst situations funny. But I hesitate before stepping into his room. If I step into his room, my fate will be sealed. He seems to guess what I'm thinking because he says, "In for a penny, in for a pound. We've already broken a few rules. It's not like they don't have grounds to kick us out already." Slowly I realize he's right, and step forward.

"Besides we're leaving soon right?" he adds as he closes the door, and I nod. But I still can't quite push away the nagging feeling of guilt and anxiety in my stomach.

"Are you collecting all the weapons and vest from everybody?" he asks, and I glance up, grateful for the change of topic.

"Yeah, you're the last stop." I hold out the bag for him, waiting for his stuff, and he dashes around the room collecting everything, before returning and dunking it all into the bag. " Thanks. I'm going to the office for my interrogation after this," I say as I struggle with the zipper trying to get it over the huge lump of stuff.

He bends down to help me, and finally we manage to get the bag closed. "Interrogation?"

I glance at him surprised. "Arabella announced it over the intercom a few minutes before I came here. I guess you were asleep. Everyone has to go to the office for an 'interview' with the police." I snort derisively. "Maybe they think 'Trace' will turn him or herself in."

He shrugs. "Maybe we'll get lucky." I glare at him doubtfully.

"Sure..."

"Well, I got to go there anyways. Mind if I head over there with you?"

I grin happily. Of course!

We leave the room, chatting quietly and laughing, and vaguely I'm aware of the monsters fading away into the background. There's no better shield than human company.

"Do you want me to carry that?" Leo asks, pointing to the duffle bag. I shake my head.

"Nope, I got it."

"Are you sure."

"Yes."

"But I feel so guilty watching you carry that."

"Why? Because I'm a girl and can't carry heavy things?"

"No. Because I am a gentleman. And as such, I feel like I should be the one holding the bag."

I snort. "Wow, I didn't know those still existed."

"Well, we're going extinct, because no one ever takes our offers anymore," he says sighing dramatically, and glares pointedly at me.

"If it makes you happy, you can hold the door for me."

"I'll take what I can get."

We dump the stuff off in my room, and I arrange it haphazardly on the table hoping that the police won't notice any difference, then begin walking towards the main office.

Leo falls quiet and I glance up at him wondering if something's wrong, and indeed his face is twisted in a strange expression: half-thoughtful, half-something else that I can't quite put a finger on.

Suddenly he takes my hand, and my stomach leaps into the air. My heart begins to race as he slows to a stop, his face turning towards mine, and I can see his beautiful obsidian eyes glinting with gold under the lightpost, his black falling forwards as he leans towards me.

Instinctively my eyes close, and then his lips are on mine, soft and warm. My heart stutters to a stop as my soul seems to take to the air, soaring high into the clouds. A warmth seems to spread from my lips down to my toes, like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter's day, and it pushes the darkness away. The monsters screech in pain, shrinking back into the distance, and I wish that I could freeze time and stand forever in that flickering moment of happiness. But he's already leaning away, leaving my mind swirling, still in a daze.

Silence sits between us heavy with the words we need to say, but can't, and the emotions that swirl hotly around us. But it's not an awkward silence that's sharp with discomfort, but instead soft like candle light.

We stay like that even as we reach the main office, and soon he's called up.

"Ramirez, Leonidas".

"Sorry, I gotta go," he mutters. "See you later."

"See you," my voice is barely a squeak now as the reality of the situation finally catches up to me.

My foot taps anxiously on the cold, linoleum floor as my brain begins to sift through all the ways this could go wrong. They could find out that I stole the police gear! They could expel me for being in the boy's dorm after curfew! I could go to jail.

"Rane, Ariadne"

Numbly, I get up from my seat, my limbs beginning to shake like leaves in the wind. Anxiety pumps through my blood as my mind pictures everything that could go wrong. My legs lock awkwardly at the thought, and I crash to the floor as I trip spectacularly.

"Are you alright?"

A pair of concerned blue eyes stare down at me, and I nod hastily.

"Yeah, I'm just...clumsy."

"Understandable, now please take a seat."

I obey obligingly, scanning around the room. The owner of the blue eyes is a tall policewoman, her face heavily lined with stress and worry. Another policeman stands guard behind me, expressionless and still. And finally, Ms. Black stands off to the side, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. Dark purple bruises bloom from under her eyes as evidence for her lack of sleep, and her face is colorless and sickly. A pang of sympathy flashes through me as I try to imagine what it's like for her to watch her family's entire legacy crumbling into dust.

"Good evening Miss Rane," she says. I nod back to her, but can't help but give a correction.

"Good morning Ms. Black." I raise my watch so she can see that it now reads, 12:16.

"Miss Rane, do you know what this is?" the policewoman asks. She gestures towards a contraptions of straps and wires connecting to large computer. I shake my head.

"A popcorn machine?"

She ignores me. "It's a lie detector, so if you try to pull some bologna on us, we'll know. Trust me. Now, I'm going to ask you two questions. The first you must answer truthfully, and on the second you must lie. Got it? Good. First question: What is your birthday?"

"June 23rd"

She leans down to look at my papers, and after a moment nods confirming that I am indeed telling the truth. "Are you a moose?"

"Obviously. Can't you see the antlers?"

"Very good. Now we will get into the real questions. Where did you go the night Macbeth was caught?"

"I went with my friends to one of their dorms."

"Which friends?"

"Adam Black, Danielle Wilde, Leonidas Ramirez, Bryn Hafer."

"And who's dorm?"

My breath catches in my throat. I cannot lie, but if I don't, I risk expulsion. The policewoman's eyes are unreadable, giving me no hint to watch she's thinking, and I last I answer.

"Leo's." My voice is barely above a whisper.

"And how did you protect yourself?"

"We just barricaded the doors, and set up patrols of the hallway. You know, the usual stuff." It takes everything I have to keep my voice casual,and my body neutral, but apparently, it's not enough as she glances at the detector with a frown.

"You're lying."

"I-I..."

"You know I was wondering why we came in the next morning to your dorm room to find some pretty significant items missing." Her eyes are fixed on the screen waiting for a reaction, and she gets one.

"I'm so sorry! I remembered seeing the weapons there and I thought you weren't using them...and we needed protection...because we didn't want to die so I took them! It was survival! Please don't arrest me!" I cry desperately, closing my eyes bracing for the worst. And then...

"We won't."

"You won't?" It's almost too much to believe.

"We won't. Well at least not now. We have more important business to figure out at the moment."

"A murderer," I say flatly. She nods reluctantly, still slightly uncomfortable with the idea.

"Yes... a murderer. Now, what were you doing at the dance?"

"I was dancing." Duh.

"With who?"

"Adam and Leo," a blush rises in my cheeks, and she pauses.

"There's an intriguingly strong reaction to one of those names, although it's not registering as a lie, but perhaps you are hiding something.

"uh..."

"A crush maybe?"

"Yes..."

"Well. I won't pry. What did you do after the dance?"

"I got all the weapons from my friends and returned them to my room." And then I got my first kiss, I add silently in my head, and at the thought. The warmth fills me again. "Then I came here."

"Were you alone?"

"For the most part."

"Have you seen anything suspicious at all since you arrived on campus?"

I shake my head. "Nope."

"That's another lie," she accuses. Confusion knocks through me.

"What?"

"Come on, Ariadne. Think! What have you seen?"

And then a memory surfaces in my head during the very first week of school. I see the man, sliding through the shadows his long finger pressing against the dark red of the wall. I can feel the giant oaf of a man throwing me against the wall, and I can feel the blood dripping down the back of my neck.

"You already know there are tunnels under the school, am I right?"

She nods.

"Well, there's a secret society hiding in them. I met them during the first week of school and I completely forgot about them after the first murder."

Her eyes widen, and she turns to Ms. Black. "Did you know about this?"

Ms. Black shakes her head thoughtfully. "I've heard rumors, but I never thought that it could be true."

The policewoman's hand flies across the page as rivers of ink pour from the tip of her pen. "Ariadne, can you describe them for me?"

"I only saw one, and he was huge, but I can't remember much else."

She nods. "Truth. Well, do you have anything else you would like to say?"

"Please don't expel or arrest me!"

She smiles wryly. "Of course I won't. Besides, we might not even make it out of this whole thing alive. Now, you may go."