Unbecoming Humans

Chapter 21

Nima stepped away from me, and I turned to face Justine squarely.

"I can see you two are 'studying' very hard." Justine said with menacing sarcasm. It was Sunday night, and we were supposed to be in our rooms, studying for class tomorrow. "What subject is this? Lesbian studies? I had better go report your hard work, so you receive gold stars. I'm sure your mother would be particularly interested in your progress. I'll see you ladies tomorrow...maybe." She turned and skipped away, back into the compound. No doubt, she was thrilled at the prospect of getting both of us killed, which was likely where her tattling would lead.

Nima and I just stood there, unable to get a word in edgewise as Justine rambled on, and unsure of what to say now that she had left.

"We need to go in," I said at last.

"Right," Nima gave a quick nod in agreement. We started to make our way back to our rooms.

"You don't think they'll kill us, do you?" Nima asked timidly. I didn't want to entertain those kinds of questions. They would only serve to drive me mad.

"I don't know," I said shortly. Nima dropped her head into her hands.

"I'm so sorry, Aria. This is all my fault." Her voice was muffled by her hands, but she sounded on the verge of tears. I placed my hand on her shoulder and stopped our quick walk. She looked up at me, and I looked back at her with a soft, consoling expression.

"This is not your fault, Nima. Whatever happens, you have nothing to be sorry for. We're in this together, alright?"

"Ok," she nodded, still looking worried and unsure. We continued quickly and silently to the residence hallway. As we entered, Kate was sitting at the attendant's station. She greeted us cheerily with no indication that anything was out of the ordinary. Nima and I went to our separate rooms without another word.

I picked up one of the books I had brought back from the library and pretended to read it. I couldn't focus enough to process a single word on the pages. I wasn't even sure which book I was holding. I strained my ears for any unusual noises. I tensed every time a I heard something from the other end of the hallway.

I was waiting for them to come lock me up and take Nima away, like they had with Róisín. I didn't sleep a wink that night. I continued to listen and stay vigilant. I was ready for a fight at the slightest hint of anything unusual. They would come prepared, but I wasn't the small, 14-year-old I had been when they came for Róisín. They would have to kill me to get to Nima.

But, no one ever came. The hallway stayed silent all night. As dawn broke, I felt exhausted and crazed. I pulled Nima from her room, and took her out into the yard. I refused to leave her unguarded, but I had to get out and away from the madhouse. Nima had dark circles under her eyes that told me she hadn't slept either. We walked, rather than ran, being mindful of Nima's injured ankle.

"Did you get any sleep?" I asked conversationally. She shook her head no.

"Would you like to get a nap?" I offered. "There's a nice spot under that tree over there." I pointed to the large tree that stood behind the compound. "It's big enough that no one can see you if you lay behind it."

"That sounds nice," Nima replied, rubbing her eyes. We wandered over behind the tree. I sat down with my back against the tree. Nima laid down between my outstretched legs and rested her head against my chest. I felt the tension leave my body at the contact. My breathing and my heart rate slowed to a relaxed pace. I stroked Nima's dark, sleek hair until I heard her breathing become shallow, indicating that she was asleep.

At some point, I must have drifted off, too, because I started when the bell rang for breakfast.

"Hmm, what time is it?" Nima asked blearily. I chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ear.