Academy

Forsee .

Sleep.
My sleep is not a constant, it is not reliable.
But, god, is it intense.
I'm ejected from my nightmare like a stunt man from a rocket.
I'm sweating through my shirt and there's somebody knocking at my door.
I tie my hair back in my face and stand to answer.
My jeans are nowhere to be found so I decide that Forsee James in her underwear is something somebody's just going to have to deal with.
"Who is it?" I call, leaning against the door.
You don't just open doors in Claire Stantz, not if you don't know whats behind it.
"Forsee..." says a voice I know well.
"No, Carmen." I say, pressing my face against the door.
"Open up, Forsee."
Carmen doesn't speak to me in her normal voice, oh no.
Not at night, Carmen uses her veiled voice, the type that cuts through your facades, that convinces you to step off the bridge or to put the gun to your head and pull the trigger.
She's not allowed to use that voice on me and she knows it.
"Carmen, don't use tone."
I hear a sigh, and her voice drops.
When she speaks again the veil is gone from her words and she sounds too vulnerable for me to close the door on her.
So I open it.
She's in her long coat and her red hair's tied up high.
She's got that sad look in her eyes that she never has when she's with anyone but me.
I look over her for a second, my eyebrow raised, then I stand aside and she takes her cue.
I close the door behind her.
"You look good" Carmen says.
I roll my eyes.
"Well I bet you would say that."
She smiles a fox's smile.
"I'm not just saying that because you have no pants on."
I don't have the energy to laugh so I just hop back into bed.
She stands. Dark eyes, burning with intensity.
"Are you coming?" patting the empty space beside me.
Shaking her head, she takes off her coat.
I put my hands to her sides as she sits on me.
"We aren't allowed to keep doing this." I say.
But my voice is muffed, because her lips are already on mine and i'm already forgetting what I'm saying.
I wake up to knocking on the door again. Carmen stands up to answer it and i'm about to fall asleep when I hear Kyle's voice.
"What do you have to eat here?"
Carmen laughs.
I manage to shake my self out of bed.
Carmen turns a protesting Kyle around while I look around the messy, book laden room, for something to put on.
I settle for a long blue black sundress that Kuzuyu got me a year ago.
The amoeba patterns on it are enchanted to swirl like cells at night.
During the day they just look like fancy fungi.
I slip on a pair of thick soled leather boots, they don't scuff, or fade courtesy of the tiny luminous
symbol on the edge of each of their heels.
"Is everything sorted, Kyle?" I ask, I've never been one for small talk and flling up the gaps in
silence with bullshit to stave off the awkwardness.
Kyle's face immediately drops all it's usual uncaring cheer, behind it, his true face; the war torn, battle hardened face of a solider comes to
surface.
"Everything's good." He says walking out the door.
Carmen wraps her red scarf around my neck and raise an eyebrow at her.
Her eyes fash with a mystery that's native only to her.
"I'll see you around, Forsee."Carmen seems to purr, all she's missing is latex and claws.
I let a smile slip.
"See ya, Carmen"
My eyes trace her as she walks through the threshold. Blood red hair, vampire pale skin, legs that stretch across Valhalla.
She's dazzling.
And dangerous, very dangerous.
She pays me one last glance, her dark, dark eyes slightly humorous, then she's gone.
I pick up my room keys from my bedside drawer and take my phone which I realise I now don't have pockets for.
I'll have to hold it.
I lock my door behind me, not even bothering to look to the left of me for Carmen.
She moves like a shade.
And not the nice ones either.
Kyle's far ahead of me in the long oaken passage so I have to move quicker then I like to to get to
him.
"I thought you were done with the red headed vixen."
"The red headed vixen has a name" I comment.
"Cara?" he guesses.
I shake my head.
"Not even close."
When I glance over my shoulder getting down the steps he looks discouraged.
I've noticed he's sad nowadays.
He's just as mad, but not as happy.
"I heard the screams last night"
He laughs.
"You also haven't laughed in 3 months." I say, nodding as he opens the door for me, the light is soft like the sun hasn't decided to grace us fully with it's presence yet.
"When did Kuzuyu arrive?"
He stops and I turn to face him.
"Yesterday evening. She's not okay."
Kuzuyu is an enforcer. An Elemental by birth, alcoholic by choice, packing a hell of a right hook.
She's one of the unfortunate kids who've been picked to look after this place.
She's beautiful, disrespectful and has killed her last two boyfriends in a row.
We're waiting for her now.
"Can she cope with it?"
Kyle raises an eyebrow and shrugs.
"Can who cope with what?", a voice from behind me says.
"Can you deal with Orientation?" I ask Kuzuyu.
She's in a very short black top, the most ripped jeans i've ever seen and big brown combat combat boots that I once saw her kick somebody's front
teeth out with.
Kuzuyu laughs, fipping her long hair out her face.
"I'm fine."
Her confidence is deceptive, and if I hadn't known her so long I would believe her.
But I reserve my comment.
"Ya'll done with procrastinating? " Kyle says, walking away.
"We have kids to ruin."
I nod and turn to Kuzuyu who's staring at me with an amused look in her eye.
"You're wearing the dress I got you."
She says, her head tilted to the side.
I nod.
"How was the funeral, Kuzuyu?"
Some kids pass by us and they greet, we nod at them too.
She lights herself a cigarette and lowers her gaze till I can't see her expression anymore.
"Don't worry about me Forsee."
I glance at her, and follow Kyle.