And the Soul Moved on.

Chapter 7

The rest of the week churned by in graying colors and cloud filled skies. The old TV in the living room blared warnings of a severe thunderstorm over the weekend as Lora's mother poured powdered hot chocolate into her favorite mug, fishing out the stale marshmallows with a spoon.

Lora had tried her best to shut her morbid thoughts down each time they came, yet they continued to sprout up like weeds. It was already the end of the week, yet the days had blurred thanks to her mind acting like a broken record, replaying each hallucination and bloodstain and tear. It had taken all of her energy to clamp down on each one, shake it until the thought was no longer coherent-- no longer harmful. She took a sip of her tea in the few minutes she had before leaving for school, eyes glaring out into the gloomy weather as she breathed deeply.

"Do you have any plans this weekend, honey?" Her mother asked, and again Lora's mind pounced. She wasn't sure if she could even have friends anymore. What would she do if one of them got a measly papercut and she went all cannibalistic? How does one explain a desire for blood at a sleepover?

Lora shook her head, eyes still glued to the window.

"Ok, well the rain is supposed to start tonight, so I want you home right after school. They're saying this'll be the worst storm of the season, so be careful please." Her mother worked in her home office on Fridays, meaning her infamous slipper and pajama pants combo had made an appearance.

She shuffled over to give a kiss on Lora's head before retreating through the entryway to the living room, a moment passing before the news station flipped to old reruns of a crime show. Ever since Ms. Elmwood had come to their doorstep with the warning, Lora's mother had become obsessed with the cheesy oversaturated detective shows. It worried Lora a bit, to see her mother so afraid and on edge. But was she not the one to cause it?

Lora took another deep breath, held it. Exhaled as she stood. Another day. She could do this.

~~~

As soon as Lora stepped onto school property, a car honked loudly to her left, and her head whipped as she prepared to glare at whatever egocentric teen boy was hoping to cause distress-- only to see Natalie, a sparkly nailed hand waving at her out the window of her little green Mistbubishi.

Lora rolled her eyes even as she smiled, stopping on the sidewalk to wait for Natalie to grab her things.

Ever since they were old enough to drive, Natalie had pestered Lora about carpooling to school together. Lora had always insisted she enjoyed an early morning walk; moreover she'd just rather not chance it with Natalie's spectacular driving skills. The thought of her last moments being in a little green deathtrap at seven in the morning wasn't the most comforting image.

Natalie's breath puffed past her as she bounded up to Lora, her ever-present dazzling smile in place.

"Today's the big day!" she began, and Lora scoffed.

"Today's also the day we have that exam in second hour. I think your priorities may be out of order."

She pouted. "No, I don't think so." she said as her finger raised to tap her chin, eyes lifted to the sky.

"Let's see. Mysterious new people and possibly a hot guy, first-- obviously. All other schoolwork and responsibilities, last? No, I think that's right."

Lora giggled. "You are so deprived."

They laughed as they made their way up the steps of the school, rows and rows of red brick rising to meet them.

As they passed through the darkened oak doors Lora could see Natalie's friend group, hanging around near the staircase sweeping up the center of the building. Katie was talking with her back to Lora, hair bouncing with her excitement, yet the others were quiet. Marie, with her straight brown hair and green sweater, was watching Katie with her lips twisted in disapproval as she picked at a loose thread.