Page 55 of Gothikana

Corvina swallowed. ‘I don’t know. I was just taking a shower when the lights went out.’

‘Maybe it was Alissa,’ the girl with Roy joked.

‘Shut it.’ Roy glared at her, turning back to an ashen Corvina. ‘Grab your stuff. We’ll wait here.’

That was nice of her to do, really nice.

Securing her towel tighter around herself, she went back to grab her basket from the stall and joined them again, walking out the bathrooms with them. She headed to her room, her mind messed up over the entire incident, and felt Roy accompany her on her way to the stairs.

‘Roy,’ Corvina began, biting her lip as the other girl paused. ‘What did she mean about Alissa?’

Roy rolled her eyes. ‘You know the rumour mill. Give a bunch of kids a castle and a death, and they like to think everything is haunted.’

‘Dude,’ the other girl retorted. ‘This tower is totally haunted. I swear I’ve felt someone behind me so many times, I have a permanent crick in my neck from looking over my shoulder.’

Roy shook her head. ‘Whatever. Are you feeling okay now?’ She turned to Corvina.

‘Thanks.’ Corvina appreciated her intervention more than she could say.

Roy and her friend gave her a nod as they stopped at her door.

‘Is there any news about Troy?’ she asked the girls, turning her doorknob.

‘Nothing yet,’ Roy informed her. ‘It’s truly a tragedy. He was a good guy.’

Yes, he had been.

‘Never thought he was suicidal though,’ her friend mentioned. ‘He was always so chill.’

Roy looked toward the stairs. ‘We can never really tell, can we? Everyone deals with their pain in different ways. He could’ve been in a lot of pain, and no one could have known.’

‘Poor Jade though,’ the other girl muttered. ‘Gotta be so hard on her.’

Roy looked to Corvina. ‘Keep an eye on her, just to be safe.’

Corvina nodded, already having planned to do so. Roy turned to leave and suddenly a thought struck her.

‘Roy?’ Corvina called as the girls were almost to the stairs. ‘Is there anywhere on the campus I can get a phone? For an urgent call?’

Roy exchanged a look with her friend, before turning to her. ‘I mean, lots of kids keep cell phones here, but the signal is dead nine times out of ten. There is a landline in the admin wing they use for official purposes, but students aren’t allowed to use it without permission from the Board or the faculty.’

Corvina thanked her for the information, wondering once again why there was such a deliberate seclusion to the place.

‘Just be careful around here, freaky eyes,’ Roy told her quietly. ‘This castle is… I don’t believe it’s haunted but it’s something.’

Corvina nodded and stepped into her room to find Jade sitting on the window ledge, her white hair hanging limply on her head as she looked out, lost in her thoughts.

‘Hey,’ Corvina greeted her and she jumped, her green eyes flying to her.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,’ Corvina apologised, going to her cupboard to find clothes. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I don’t know,’ Jade replied, her voice despondent. ‘It just feels surreal.’

Corvina understood that. ‘I’m here if you need to talk, okay?’

‘Not right now.’ Jade spoke to the window, watching the rainfall on the glass, the gargoyle on the wall outside spewing the water out. Sad to see her usually bubbly friend so dull, Corvina stayed quiet as she rummaged through her cupboard, intent on getting dressed after the incident in the bathroom.

All her woollen skirts lay in the dirty pile, and Corvina sighed. Laundry day had been yesterday, and with everything going on, it seemed so mundane. Exhaling, she browsed and browsed, realising her only option was the one plaid red and black skirt that she’d bought on a whim once upon a time. It was short for winter. Shit. She started rummaging inside for stockings to keep her legs warm.

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