Page 6 of Gothikana

Jade pressed her eyes with the heel of her palms and Corvina felt her heart ache at the pain rolling off her friend. She started to get up tocomfort her but sat back down, unsure of what she could do. The sweater in her hands twisted between her fingers.

Jade’s green eyes came to her. ‘I was in the gardens with Troy — the blond asshole from downstairs — and his group when I saw her on the roof. I hope they’ve locked it up now. We kept trying to call for her, to get her to listen. She didn’t even look down. No hesitation. No flinch. Just walked off the roof like she could walk on air.’

The setting sun cast an eerie glow in the room as Jade spoke. A shiver wracked Corvina as she listened to her friend talk.

Something shifted in her periphery. Her eyes suddenly went to a corner of the room where light flickered. Blinking, Corvina focused, trying to see if she’d seen something, but it looked like nothing.

Heart pounding, she stood up and walked to her cupboard to put everything in, focusing on the conversation.

‘Her body fell right in front of me; her head cracked open on the impact,’ Jade told her, her voice shaking. ‘I just couldn’t take it. So, I ran away.’

Corvina took in her words, her eyes going out the window, taking in the view. A grotesque gargoyle on the top right corner of the wall outside perched with its mouth wide open. She knew it was just a drainpipe, but it looked terrifying. She couldn’t even imagine how creepy it would look at night.

‘Didn’t they investigate?’ she asked her new roommate, pulling out a drawer for her underwear. Not that she liked wearing it. Bras and Corvina were not friends. Having grown up the way shehad, all alone with just her mother for company, bras had seemed necessary only once in a while. Panties she wore every day except when she just didn’t want to.

‘Nobody called the cops,’ Jade replied, bringing her attention back to the topic. ‘They said the school board would handle it since it was a clear case of suicide. They may have had to report it to the police. I don’t know.’

It was very bizarre though. Not at all what she’d been expecting on her first day in this new place. While she’d been slightly nervous about a new school and new people — both environments she’d never really tested herself in — she hadn’t imagined this. She didn’t actually know how to respond or react to the situation, so she opted to stay quiet and simply unpack her stuff.

‘Can I get a hug?’ The voice from behind her made her turn to see Jade standing there. They were almost the same height. ‘My foster family always told me to ask for hugs when I got sad.’

Corvina blinked, a little thrown off. Her last human contact had been years ago, her gripping her mother’s hand before it was let go. Swallowing, Corvina stepped forward and put her arms around the girl, blinking back the sudden tears in her eyes. Jade was sweet. She smelled of strawberries and happiness and something a bit dark as she embraced Corvina. They both let out a breath as though the weight of the world had been removed from their shoulders.

‘I can sense you’re sad, too,’ Jade told her. ‘But you’re good. And if the thing with Alissa taught me anything, it was to talk about shit if itwas hurting us. I just want you to know I’m here for you. Anything you want to talk about. No judgment.’

Corvina’s eyes burned. Her nose twitched as it always did when she got close to tears, and she nodded. ‘Thank you. I’m here for you, too.’

Jade pulled back and went to her suitcase, rummaging through a portion and throwing clothes out. ‘Anyway, I need a change of subject. Boys. Yes, let’s talk boys. You like boys, right? Totally cool if you don’t. I just want to know so I can dish out the right kind of info.’

Corvina chuckled, unpacking her suitcase. ‘I like boys. Very much. But I don’t really have much experience with them.’ Make thatanyexperience.

Jade grinned at her. ‘Oh, Verenmore is a great place to get experience. Just imagine, where else would you find a catalogue of the baddest, broodiest of boys, but with actual brains? Right here, that’s where. Most guys here are actually nice, not all of them mind you, but most. If you’re looking for sexual experiences though, I’d suggest avoiding the first-years. They’re more focused on settling in and their own pleasure than their partner’s, if you know what I mean. Wait, how old are you?’

Corvina was fascinated with Jade’s ability to talk in one breath. ‘Twenty-one. You?’ she answered, folding the last of her black skirts from her suitcase. She loved skirts, loved how feminine they made her feel, the sensation of air around her legs, everything about them. Long skirts were her staple.

‘Damn, you joined in late. I’m nineteen. Anyway, then I recommend the seniors. They’re usually twenty and above and have more experience,’ Jade continued, turning on the lights in the room. The muted yellow glow was pretty comforting. ‘Just not Troy, the asshole. I was hooking up with him last year and he’s pissed that I ran off. But we’ll work it out.’

Corvina admired her confidence. She hoped one day she’d be able to talk to a boy without feeling like her whole chest was caving in.

Something in the corner flickered again, and Corvina felt her eyes drawn to the spot.

‘Clean your space, Vivi.’

The masculine voice drifted into her mind.

She wasn’t surprised to hear him. It was a voice she’d heard all her life. It was a voice of comfort, something that left a sweet fragrance of sandalwood in her head. The first time she’d heard him, she’d called him Mo. Mo had always been with her, guiding her, and she knew better than to ignore his advice. The one and only time she had ignored it, he’d asked her to check on her mother and she hadn’t. The next morning, she’d found her mama staring into space. It had taken days to bring her back.

Taking a deep breath in, she closed her eyes and pushed her suitcase under her bed, bringing the smaller bag up and shaking its contents out.

‘You mind if I light some incense in the room?’ Corvina asked her roommate.

Jade’s eyes came to the stuff on her bed, an excited gleam in them as she eyed her cards. ‘Dude, you read tarot?’

Corvina hesitated, then nodded softly. ‘Yes.’

‘That issocool!’ Jade exclaimed. That was usually not the reaction when she told people. ‘Will you do a reading for me one day?’

Corvina smiled tentatively. ‘Sure. I’m good at it.’

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