Sacrifice for a Dream

Chapter 14

"Gather the stuff you'll need for a few days; you're going to stay with us. It'll be easier for you to come with us, then it will be for all of us to stay here." Phoenix spoke harshly as he stomped to my closet and took out my large duffel bag. He started gathering my uniforms and handing them off to Saint who calmly took them.

Luck and Legend walked over to my small dresser. They opened the drawers and removed all my clothes.

"Excuse me? Stop! I can't stay in your dorm room. It's against the school rules." Instead of listening to me they just continued to pack my stuff.

"Make sure to get her blanket, she can't sleep without it," Saint told Stone who grabbed it. It wasn't all the way folded and part of it hit the floor.

"No, stop!" I screamed. I ran over to it and gathered it up in my arms. I collapsed into a heap on my bed. I pulled my legs underneath me. With the blanket clutched in my arms, I rocked back and forth. The movement in the room stopped and I was able to take a deep breath.

I heard someone talking to me, but I couldn't concentrate on the voices, it was just too noisy. Finally, the noises quieted, and my rocking slowed. I still clutched my blanket tightly.

"I'm sorry, pet. I forgot how overwhelming we can be," Stone said, his words gruff.

"You shouldn't touch my stuff without asking and you shouldn't let my blanket touch the ground. It will get dirty and then it won't smell right." I stopped to take a breath, but then I thought about how my bad my blanket would smell if it had been on the floor.

"There are other people I have to share a washer and dryer with. I won't have enough time to wash it before bed and then I'll be up all night."

"You're right. We're sorry. We should have asked you, and let you take the time you needed to prepare. We're trying to keep you safe though. Can you pack a bag for a few days?" Stone asked me, placing the bag at my feet.

"It's against the rules though. I was given a sheet of rules, and going into the boy's dormitory is not allowed," I told Stone. Although it was getting easier to look at the Lost Boys, I was completely overwhelmed so I kept my eyes on my fingers as they rubbed the edge of the blanket.

"Okay," he mulled over my words. "I can understand how following the rules is important to you, but you won't be breaking the rules, because we don't actually live in the dormitory. After the curse, our families knew we could never come home. They left us money, quite a bit of money for the time. And since we didn't have a lot to spend it on, we were able to invest it. Our families set up an executor who handles our finances in the outside world. We decided to have a home built on the school property. Some of the other cursed have done the same. The dormitories are still used but not as much as they once were. I'm surprised you haven't heard of the Hangman's Garden."

I cringed, what a horrible name! "What is the Hangman's Garden?"

Stone gave a bark of laughter at seeing my facial expression. "It's our neighborhood. I can't even remember why we call it that anymore but it's the area where most of the cursed who don't live in the dormitories live. It's not far."

"I would like to see it," I sighed looking around my room. I really liked my room even though it was small.

"Since we don't get many visitors, we'd love if you would come stay with us. Please let me know what I can do to help. The rest of the boys will wait outside," Stone stood and ran a fingertip down my cheek. My own hand caressed the spot that he had just touched and that's when I realized my cheek was wet. I hadn't even realized I had been crying.

I stood, and carefully folded my blanket and placed it at the bottom of my duffel bag. I then put a few changes of clothes, a few books and my toiletry bag in. My uniforms were already on hangers and Saint had them in the hallway. My backpack was also already packed with my schoolwork and laptop. The last think I needed to do was pack up my menagerie of animals that Saint had made me. I walked over to my desk and started folding the animals as flat as possible. I had a manila envelope that I had some old paperwork that needed to be turned into the office and I started placing them carefully into its confines. When they were all packed up I placed the manila envelope into my backpack. I zipped up the duffle and then tried to swing it over my shoulder, before remembering my back. I cried out in pain, and instantly saw my door swing open and the Lost Boys, spill into my room.