Scrape

19. The Great Escape

"So..." Clara paused, then continued, "are you going to go?"

I had told her that the Head had asked me to see a special trainer for my ability. That was all. Luckily, she hadn't found the letter he'd sent me when she'd come into my room. However, I didn't care about any of that anymore, and had gotten over the shock of waking up to dream injuries.

Now, I was fuming.

"No, I'm not Bloody going, okay?!" I shot back. "They can't decide what the fuck I do with my life!"

She looked at me, wide-eyed at my sudden angry outburst. I certainly had no explanation, apart from the darkness spilling into my lungs, sticking to them like tar and clogging up my throat. They formed words, which spilled out of my mouth, destroying Clara's already imperfect perception of me.

"Jesus, Alice...you-you have problems. You know that, right? And you still haven't explained to me why you're injured!"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Then help me to!"

I had little patience for anyone right now, but if anyone could come up with a solution to my problem, it would be her. And so; I let her in. I explained my dreams from the beginning in detail, up until today, when I physically couldn't wake up.

She sat patiently until I had finished.

"...It all makes so much sense now; why you sometimes talk to yourself and have these mood swings! I thought it was just because periods hit you hard... Oh, Alice. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"You wouldn't have believed me even if I'd tried." I muttered. "But none of that matters anymore. I can deal with it-"

Clara interrupted me.

"-But you can't, can you?! Stop being stubborn. What would have happened if I wasn't there?"

I shuddered, and the darkness seeped out of me slowly as I thought about the fact I may have died on that evening if not for Clara.

"I...I don't know."

"Exactly."

She took me by the hands, and swore to me right there and then that she would be there for me next time I had any serious problems. I did the same.

We both smiled, happy and secure in our careless promise.

I was so naïve.

***

We both left my room on that Saturday evening, heading down to the lunch hall to grab some chips.

"Shho," I enquired, stuffing my face with chips, "wheref the gym, anyway?"

Clara giggled.

"You are disgusting." She playfully nudged me. "And it's kind of ironic that you ask that, since you're the biggest couch potato I've ever met!"

I swallowed, and pretended I was offended.

"Just answer the question!"

In truth, I was honestly curious.

"Well, that's actually a complicated question. You see, there are two gyms - one for the students, one for the teachers - and I assume you were supposed to go to the student one, because the other one is in the teacher building and apparently really scary. Once, some guy snuck in there for a dare and was never seen again!"