Page 18 of Darkened Wings
“They don’t know any better.” She dropped her gaze to the floor before saying anything else. “Or maybe they just want to hurt me.”
“They always behaved that way? Even when you were little?”
“Well, maybe not when I was really small, but Mom married my stepdad when I was about five, and he’s not mean or anything, but they have a whole lot of kids together. And of course all my half sibs are full raven. So even when they weren’t outright awful, I never felt like I totally fit in.”
“I’m sorry.” I’d never had that experience. “Are any of your brothers and sisters here?”
“No, not yet. They’re pretty sheltered, but I suppose they will be here eventually. Rick, my stepdad, is a trustee, and he convinced them to accept me despite my half, shameful parentage.”
“Don’t say that about yourself!” I was outraged. “There is nothing shameful about it. You said your mother has some pictures of herself with your father. And she still has them even though she’s remarried? I bet she loved him very much.” Backstory started to build in my mind. “They probably met somewhere and fell in love, but they had to keep it secret from her family and the rest of your conspiracy.”
Astra was staring at me. “That’s what you think, huh? Then where has he been all these years. I am his child. And he never showed up once to say hi, kid, happy birthday, nice to have you as my daughter.”
“It is what I think. And after they’d been driven apart, he always planned to come back to you but something happened and he wasn’t able to.”
“So he was what? Tragically killed?”
“Maybe, or falsely imprisoned or maybe blackmailed. Maybe he’s stayed away from you to keep you safe.”
Her smile held much sadness when she handed me the last of the cake. “Roomie, you have a big imagination. He has his way with my mother, impregnated her, and ran away as far and fast as he could. I’m really fine. And I’m very glad to have you for a friend.”
I set the plate down and threw my arms around her. “Me, too. I was so scared when I came here, and then I found out that I’d have a roommate and it was you.”
“You were very brave to just march up here and demand admission,” she said standing up. “I’d better go brush my teeth after all that sugar and then crawl into bed and study for a while. I can’t believe I already have homework.” She disappeared into the bathroom and I put my history and science books on the bed, preparatory to studying myself. After just a couple of minutes, she was back and I also went in to brush then returned to bed.
We turned on our reading lamps and settled in for a nice study session. Reading the texts and other materials was less scary than actually being in class, and I found myself wishing I could do all my studying from here. But that wasn’t going to happen, and I was just starting to get sleepy and was considering giving up for the night and letting sleep happen when there came a sharp rap on the door.
“What?” Astra jerked upright. She’d had her eyes half closed last time I noticed and was probably nearly asleep. “Did you hear that?”
“Yes.” I held still to listen better, but another knock didn’t come. “I thought someone was knocking on the door, but they seem to have stopped. Maybe it was another room?”
“Maybe.” She closed her books and piled them on the nightstand. “But I’m going to have a look anyway.”
“I’ll come with you.” Suddenly an air of menace overtook our cozy study session. “It’s kind of late, isn’t it? For visiting?”
“It is, yes.” She was edging close to the door as she spoke.
“Maybe it’s whoever checks to make sure we’re wearing the right nightwear?”
She blushed. “I think those kinds of checks are really more stories than reality. We don’t even have a dorm mother or anything like that. Nobody should be at the door at this time of night though.”
I stood up and joined her at the door. “The way I see it, we have two choices. Go to bed and pretend nobody knocked or that it was a mistake, or open it.”
“I’ll never be able to sleep if we don’t at least look.”
Closing my hand around the knob, I turned it. “I guess we need to try. It’s better than waiting to see if they come back and wake us up again.” I pulled the door open and there was nobody.
Astra tsked. “I hope whoever it is has retired for the night as well. Sleep?”
“Sure, I…” Something on the floor just outside the door caught my eye. “Is that…is it blood?”
Astra dropped to her knees and looked closer at the spot. “I don’t know. I don’t think it was there when we got here, although maybe we wouldn’t have noticed? It’s just one spot. One big, round drop of what must be something else.”
“But what?”
Chapter Eleven
Despite the plop of some dark-red liquid outside our door and the tricksters who kept knocking, the night was successful as far as sleep went. The people knocking must’ve gotten tired and called it a night.
