Nothing Personal

01. this isn't a movie

THERE WAS BLOOD.

Blood stained her slender hands. No matter how raw and shredded her skin became under ruthless scrubbing, crimson ghosts still danced in her fading vision.

She squinted her eyes at the dripping sink. Something was crawling out. Willow leaned in, brows furrowed, as she watched shadows slip out, pulsing flesh and scuttling chitin.

Willow's heart pounded as her gaze flickered to the glass, her pulse thudding in her ears. A gasp slipped from her mouth as she gaped at the figure staring back at her. It watched and laughed, its face peeling back in a grin too wide.

Willow sucked in a deep breath. It isn't real. When she opened her eyes again, the creature vanished.

Sighing, she poured the final drop of hydrogen peroxide into the basin and immersed her hands, allowing the liquid to clean her skin. She inhaled a steady breath and drained the sink, rinsing her hands with water.

Willow stepped back, drying her hands, her eyes lingering on her image in the bathroom mirror. She was ready—her hair was in a braid, her makeup was light, and her Ascot Academy uniform—a pleated skirt, a white button-down, and a jacket embroidered with the academy crest—had not a thread out of place. It was free from any imperfections. Willow grabbed her bag and exited her room, forcing the muscles on her face into an upward smile.

The sterile white corridors were empty at this hour, save for a few athletics students shambling to their training and bleary-eyed students shuffling to their morning classes. Willow looked down, her eyes catching a glance at her hands. The crimson stain was no longer there, but it seemed to linger on her hands in her mind despite her efforts to wash it away.

As Willow rounded the corner amidst a sea of uniforms, she spotted a jittery blonde girl down the hall, engaged in animated chatter with a group of girls. Her lips twitched imperceptibly at Nadia's golden hair. It was impossible to miss, even from a distance. Though she gave no outward reaction, Willow took comfort in the predictability of her friend's routines—routines providing structure in a world where chaos reigned.

"Wills!" Nadia exclaimed, bidding farewell to the girls she chatted with, and bounded over as she spotted Willow. "I know you like to go to your classes early, but do you have a minute to chat?"

Willow nodded, her eyes falling on her friend, who wore a bright beam. "Of course. What's up?"

The bubbly girl linked Willow's arms eagerly as they stepped, warming the dew-slicked flagstones underfoot. "Well, you'll never guess who I saw sneaking out of Alexander's dorm last night," she said conspiratorially, her shining eyes dancing with mischief.

A hint of a smile tugged at Willow's lips; the banter was as familiar as an old dance. "Why were you over the boys' dormitory?"

"I don't kiss and tell, but I went to see Josh." Nadia's grin broadened. "But guess who it was!"

"Sophie Keswick?" Willow offered, knowing full well that Nadia would refute it.

"No!" Nadia gasped in mock offense. "Lauren Anderson from my chemistry class. Can you believe it? I thought she hated Alex."

"There is a thin line between hate and love, Nadia," Willow chuckled.

Nadia's bubbly babbling about the latest gossip washed over her like a muffled noise from another room. The edges of her vision seemed to blur and distort, colors leaching into washed-out sepia tones. Only Nadia's golden hair remained a vibrant sunshade amidst the bleary surroundings of emerald lawns and Ascot's historic redbrick buildings.

Willow struggled to concentrate on making appropriate noises of amusement at the right cues in the conversation. Her responses felt automated and hollow. She fixed her gaze on Nadia's fluttering hands as they gesticulated excitedly. Willow followed the minute shifts and the flourishes of her friend's fingers. It helped anchor her back to the visible world.