Cass was right- by the time the sun set, i could hear girls running through the halls. I hid under my blankets, watching my hands shake in the dark. I didn’t dare turn the lights on, for fear I might have become a monster.
Cass was unfazed.
“I wasn’t expecting them to have everyone by tonight.” she announced, barging in and slamming the door. “I made a couple of friends. I think you’d like them.”
I threw the blankets off myself and sat up. “You shouldn’t be in here.”
She snorted. “Why? Because the door was locked?” she flopped down on the carpet again. “Yeah. took me about twenty seconds to fix that.”
“No, i mean-”
“Yeah yeah, i know what you mean, Zappy. And in case you’re worried, Mean Girl isn’t hurt. You just singged her eyebrows is all.”
“...Mean girl?”
“Yeah… Eva or something.”
“Edda.”
“Oh yeah, her.”
I smiled a little bit. Cass seemed cool.
“If I come out, I could hurt someone, though.”
Cass sat up. “In all fairness, your friend Gieneve said this blast was a lot bigger than the last, so I think it might be safer outside your room.” she stood up and started rummaging through my closet. “I mean, I know you’ve been here a couple weeks, but i can’t imagine you wouldn’t like the fresh air.”
I stood up, then. “Actually,” I said slowly. “There’s somewhere i would rather go.”
***
“The library?” Cass groaned. “Really? Come onnnn. Where’s the adventure?”
I pointed to a book. “Here. In every one of these pages.”
“okay, don’t give me your philosophical crap, cuz I don’t wanna hear it.”
I offered a light laugh. “What are they like? … the other girls, I mean.”
“Nosy, for one.” Cass said, glaring at a bookshelf. Two high-pitched squeaks came from behind it, and three girls piled out.
The first was extremely pale- her skin, her hair, even her eyes held only a wisp of blue tint. Her pale peach dress accented it in a way that was really quite pretty.
Behind her was a much taller, tanned girl. Her wavy, sand- blonde hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and her grey eyes sparkled with mischief. Her evergreen dress was simple, a thin skirt, like she was planning on hitching it up to go running.
The last girl was Gwen. she gave a sheepish wave.
The pale girl grinned and extended a hand. “Hi! I’m Rune Swire. You probably already noticed, from the way your jaw dropped, but i’m an albino.” the taller girl spoke up then. “And I’m Valentina Goose (she pronounced it go- see)”
They turned to Gwen waiting for her to introduce herself.
Gwen grinned. “You know who I am.”
Rune turned back to me. “We heard you were magical.”
I flinched.
Cass decided to step in- and thank the god's for Cass and her boldness.
“Actually, she just got angry during a storm- now there’s a rumor that she was the cause of it.” cass announced.
Valentina frowned. “I don’t remember a storm-”
“If you really want gossip, you should see the prince.” cass stage-whispered.
My face flushed. Part of me wanted them to get close to Marcus. The rational part, i think. If someone else would marry him, if he would just fall in love with some other girl…
But I didn’t want that to happen. Not really.
The other girls seemed undaunted by my mental struggle. In fact, they took that moment to make a radical decision.
“We were thinking of holding a seance, actually.” Rune announced.
I choked.
“I heard from my older sister that this place has several ghosts, and all we need is a single one to show up and give us a laugh!” Rune insisted. Valentina perked up. “That girl we met, Lavinia, I bet she’d do it!”
Cass grinned. “Allright, we’re in!” I felt my face burn. “We are?”
“Oh, come on. We need some fun!”
***
I shouldn’t have let them do it in the library.
All twenty-one girls agreed to join in, and we decided uniformity was the best policy. All of us had emerald green frocks- five of them stacked in our closets to serve as nightwear- so we each wore ours. We piled into the library at the stroke of eleven.
I stood in the doorway nervously. It looked rather satanic, i’ll admit- a quality Cass and Kayla seemed to enjoy. I quickly twisted my brown hair into a loose ponytail, then joined the others in a circle on the floor.
“First, we should get familiar with each other.” Rune said, acting as “spirit master.” “so let’s go around and say our names, and a bit about ourselves- something you wouldn’t guess at first glance. I’m Rune Swire, and i-” she giggled a bit, “I’m Irish, actually. I love the bagpipes.”
Next to her was a girl with red hair, blue eyes, and freckles plastered all over her face and body “i’m Selene Celeste Stars- and yeah, i know how silly it sounds, but it’s my real name. I… hmm..” she thought a minute, then said, “I absolutely hate chocolate.”
“Really?” I burst out. Selene grinned sheepishly. “I know, I know! It’s stupid, i just can’t stand the taste- not since i was five, ayway.”
The girl next to her drummed her nails on the floor. “My turn.” her __ hair fell in her eyes, and she brushed it away quickly. “My name is Thalia Ryan. i.. Uhh… i’m transgender.”
“You’re what now?” Cass asked bluntly.
“I… was born a boy, but I had an operation and became a girl.”
A girl across the circle brightened up. “Can they do that? Really? Oh, that’s so cool!” she added when Thalia nodded. Selene raised her hand. “So.. was your name Thalia when you were a boy?”
Thalia seemed a little more relaxed now. “No, my name was Theodore.”
Next to her, was a girl with __and ___ spoke up. “My name is Velma Porter. I’m a child of god.”
Kayla snorted. “Which one?”
Velma glared at her. “No, god. The only one that’s real.”
“Yay, Christian propaganda.” Marcus Laughed, plopping down next to me. His curly brown hair no longer held the weight of a crown, and he wore a simple shirt and pants the same color as our nightgowns. I was glad for the darkness, so the other girls wouldn’t see me blushing.
Rune grinned. “Glad you could join us, your highness. Now, moving on…” she gestured to a girl next to Velma, with short red-brown hair and a smattering of freckles.
“Rachel Dire. i’ve spoken to ghosts before.”
Rune blinked. “Uhh, is that your one cool fact?”
“Yes.”
Gwen was next. “I’m Guinevere Koliath, from the mountain village. I get into trouble a lot, because i disobay the matchmaking laws.”
I barked a laugh. Oh, the stories I could tell.
Beside her was Valentina.
“I’m Valentina Goose, and i am a champion acrobat.” she smirked. “I’ve backflipped off buildings without breaking anything.”
“I think that’s called defying the laws of physics, not acrobatics.” Kayla said.
“Moving right along,” said the next girl. “I’m Lavinia Hayfields. I’ve been admitted into an asylum before.”
The hushed chatter came to a screeching halt.
“It was only for a week!” she protested.
“Okayyyyy…” Cass said. “I’m Harriet Smith, but everyone calls me Cassandra. Or Cass.”
“Why Cassandra?” asked Rachel.
“It’s my middle name.”
Next came the girl who was excited to learn about Thalia’s operations. “My name is Acosta Garret,” she said, playing with her white hijab. “I’m actually skitzofrenic- which gets in the way of science- but I take medication for it.”
I caught Marcus looking at me. “What?” I hissed.
“What does that mean?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“I’m Grace Hampton.” said the next girl, playing with her poofy brown hair. “I have seven cats.”
“I’m Undine Blackthorne,” undine squeaked. “My favorite color is pink!”
“It’s supposed to be something we’d never guess” Kaya said, pointing to the pink ribbon keeping Undine’s hair in a bun. Undine grinned and shrugged.nn
“Anyway, I’m Kayla Guiness. I like girls.”
“That’s because boys are stupid.” cass said. Marcus pretended to be offended.
“No, i mean i like girls. “ kayla emphasized. “Like, i fall in love with girls.”
Another uncomfortable silence.
“What is it with these people over-sharing?” Cass stage-whispered.
I shifted a little closer to Marcus.
“Uhh, okay.” Said the Latina girl next to Kayla. “I’m going to.. just, y’know. Change the subject. I’m Theresa Aboll. I brought a crap ton of books with me, if anyone wants to borrow any. I have ones that wouldn’t be in this library.”
Rune wrinkled her nose. “That… isn’t really about you, but I’ll let it slide.”
“I’m Jamie Parr.” said the next girl, playing with her stringy black hair. “I um.. I play a lot of sports?”
“I’m Olivia Oscar.” said a cute little asian girl beside her. “I’m really into fashion. And I’m really good at it, too.”
“I’m Charity Anne Driver.” said the next girl. She had poofy hair pulled into a messy bun, with two strands framing her dark face and full lips. “I could say i’m from Africa, but i think it’s too obvious so.. I once argued a man to suicide.”
“What the hell.” cass whispered.
“How is that even a thing?!” Acosta asked.
“That’s badass.” Valentina said calmly.
“Thank you.” Charity smirked.
“Edda Fallon. I don’t have to tell you anything about myself.”
“I think that statement speaks for itself.” kayla said.
Agatha flinched.
“Uh.. i’m Agatha… and i, well.. I can hide really well?”
“ yeah, because we play hide and seek so often.” Edda sneered.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be a snob, Edda,”
She opened her mouth to snap back, but then seemed to remember i was a ticking time bomb.
“I’m Danielle Turkin. I can bake almost anything.”
Then it was my turn.
I twirled a strand of my hair on my index finger.
“ i’m... “ i straightened my back a little. So many eyes…
“I’m Liliad Stoneheart and… well there’s a million things i could say, so…”
I could say that my mother died.
I could say that i go supernova when i get mad.
I could say that i had magic.
What did i have to lose?
“I can create lightning.”
“Really? This i gotta see.” Acosta said.
I blushed. “Well, it.. It doesn’t really happen on command…”
Rune waved her hand. “Guys, guys. We’re moving on.”
Marcus shifted himself. “Okay. well… i’m Marcus thorne. Please, just call me Marcus. If i’m going to marry one of you, we should be on a first-name basis.” i rolled my eyes. “Lovely topic of conversation.”
“I think we should get started now,” Rune announced. Everyone snapped to attention as she stood and retrieved her spirit board. Lavinia leapt up then, too, to grab a bag. She pulled out bundles of black candles, jars of flowers and herbs, and a leather-bound book.
“You just happened to pack all that, right?” kayla said slowly.
“Nah, I found all the herbs and stuff in the gardens.” Lavinia answered offhandedly. “The candles and incense are mine, though. They help me sleep.”
I didn’t see how black candles were supposed to help anyone sleep.
“Okay.” Rune said, plopping down the ground. her eyes glinted in the candlelight. "it's time to begin."
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