Fell On Black Days (A School for Good and Evil Fanfic)

A Little Bit of Madness

"Where to today, oh captain?" said Anadil, shouldering her book bag as the two walked down the street. Most days, they went to the Bloody Briar, but a few times they'd gone other places, like a nearby park or cafe, all places that, according to her, Anadil had never been despite living in Briar Glen for all of her life. Hester, meanwhile, had been exploring the area ever since they moved. It made Lisa think she liked the place, for one, which wasn't entirely untrue (mostly because of a certain someone), and because of this it got her off of Hester's back for several hours a night. Today, Hester had a different plan.

"I was wondering if you wanted to head to my place, maybe stay a bit later than usual," Hester said cautiously, looking over every few seconds to gauge Anadil's reaction. "I, um, wanted to show you something..."

"I don't know," she replied hesitantly. "I try not to get home too late. My mom set me a curfew for eight o'clock, but that was when I was ten, and she's not even there anyways."

"It's Friday night," Hester pointed out. "She can't be mad at a near adult for staying out late on a Friday night."

"I suppose you're right," Anadil agreed. "But your house? Why there?"

Hester shrugged. "It's close to where we're going later, and besides, I've got snacks. Lisa won't be there either, it's her 'girls night out' with her friends." Hester's stomach whirled with nerves as they approached the apartment building, though she wasn't entirely sure why. She pushed open the creaking door. "Home, sweet home."

Anadil forced a half smile. "It's great. Looks very sanitary."

"I know it's awful," Hester laughed. "No need to pretend it's not. I just wanted to show you something." Instinctively, Hester took Anadil's hand and led her into her room. She looked over, finding Anadil's face tomato red as she looked at their intertwined fingers. "Sorry," she murmured, letting go. She walked over to a box in the corner and opened it up, pulling out her most prized possession that she hadn't been able to bring herself to take out. It was her mother's old turntable, accompanied by stacks of records from the 60s and 70s. "I know vinyl is a bit out of style," Hester said. "But these old songs, they remind me of my mom." She pulled out her mother's favorite, a Beatles album. As a kid, she'd always found their songs so slow and a bit repetitive, but recently, upon her mother's passing, she'd learned to appreciate the band. Hester sat down on her bed, closing her eyes as the music filled the room. She felt a hand on her face and opened her eyes to see Anadil standing in front of her, gently wiping away her tears. She hadn't realized she'd been crying.

"Why are you telling me this?" Anadil said softly, sitting down next to her.

"I don't know," she sniffed. "I guess I just... You're the first person who's ever listened to me."

Anadil didn't respond, but hesitantly put an arm around Hester's shoulders. Subconsciously, Hester leaned into her, craving the warmth of someone beside her, someone who cared. Slowly, her tears dried, and they started to sing along with the songs, spinning around the room until they fell over from dizziness. Outside, the sun set, and night fell.

"So, where did you want to take me?" asked Anadil as they fell backward onto the bed in sync, smiling and breathless.

"Eh, a club I found down the street," Hester replied. "But we can stay here if you want." She looked at her watch. "Damn, 10 o'clock already?"

"Screw the club," said Anadil, standing and offering a hand to Hester. "Why don't we just explore the city together?"

Hester looked up into her eyes, the earnest excited air within them, and felt herself grin. She took Anadil's hand. "Let's do it."

***

Briar Glen wasn't the most dangerous city, but it also wasn't the safest. That being said, Hester and Anadil weren't at all afraid to run wild, looking into random, closed shops, looking over the edge of a nearby bridge, going into a gas station to buy the most colorful slushies either of them had ever seen. At some points, Hester didn't know what would come next, but was just glad it was with her, her white hair shining in the moonlight and her hand warm in Hester's as they ran down the middle of an empty street, yelling into the night.

"I should probably go," said Anadil finally, breaking the spell. Hester looked at her watch. 2:35. She could stay up with Anadil all night, but even she had to admit it was getting late.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" she asked.

Anadil smiled. "That would be lovely."

They walked toward the manor on the hill, this time comfortable in the silence. As they reached the window of Anadil's bedroom, she turned to Hester.

"Just wanted to let you know," she said softly. "This was the best night of my life." She leaned forward, her lips meeting Hester's cheek. "See you soon," she whispered before she turned away, climbing through the window. It wasn't until she was gone that Hester unfroze, so many emotions coursing through her body.

"You too."