Sacrifice for a Dream

Chapter 21

The door to the locker room was open. I walked in and locked the door behind me. I walked to my locker and pulled out my gym clothes and sneakers. I carefully took off the now stained dress, blue ballet flats that Stone had ordered for me online, and the beautiful wrap that Mrs. Acorn had made to complete the outfit and folded them as nicely as I could. I left the pile in front of Fala's locker, I would have put it in front of Mika's, but I didn't know which one was hers.

I walked into the shower stall and rinsed all the punch off my back. I tried to keep my hair from getting wet since it was chilly outside, and I didn't want to walk to the next town with cold wet hair.

Once done in the shower, I used one of the school's towels and dried off. I put on my gym shorts and t-shirt and my worn in sneakers. Thankfully during the last PE class, I had gotten cold and Saint had lent me his hoodie. After gym I had forgotten it in my locker, so I put that on over my gym clothes. Except for my bare legs, I was warm.

I snuck out the back door of the locker room, leaving the front door locked. I knew that both the janitor and Mr. Brigand had keys and if someone really needed to use it, they could always go around the back and use the other door. I just wish I had the cell phone Anne had given to me, so that I could call her. Unfortunately, it was back at the Lost Boys' house with all my other stuff. Maybe I could ask Fala to get it for me after the solstice.

I ducked my head down and started walking, when I got to the main road, I saw a small blue car coming towards me. As it got closer, I realized it was a female driver, and when the car pulled up beside me, I realized it was Ms. Merle.

"Hello, Wren, where are you off to tonight?" she spoke conversationally which was strange seeing as how I was walking down the road in the middle of a cold December night.

"I'm sorry Ms. Merle, I can't stay here anymore. I don't belong here. I want to go home."

"Somehow I don't think that's true. But if you really want to go home, hop in and I'll take you back to the school to call your foster mother to come get you."

I looked at the school, the Lost Boys would still be there. I couldn't imagine what I would say or do if I saw them right now. In my heart I believed they wouldn't betray me, but my head told another story. They had been stuck here for years, they wanted to live their lives, they wanted their freedom. I wasn't important enough to anyone to risk that.

"I'm sorry Ms. Merle, I can't go back to the school."

She sighed, a long heavy drawn out sigh, "Alright, then I'll take you to my home. I have a phone there. I'm sorry I don't carry a cell phone, or I'd let you borrow that. Also, it's rather cold here, I'd hate for you to get sick."

I thought about it. "Okay, but just until Anne gets here." I got in the car and put my seatbelt on.

We drove in silence until we reached her home. It wasn't at Hangman's Garden like the other faculty members and students that didn't live in the dormitory. On a beautiful cliff overlooking the ocean sat a small quaint cottage.

There was a white picket fence that surrounded the cottage and roses of all different colors grew in plots all around her house. The door was a dark oak and looked heavy, with metal brackets that held it in place. There were several windows on the front of the house, each window had nine panes of glass and had exterior oak shutters that were open. The roof was shingled and had a steep eave and on one side of the roof was a stone chimney. It was the most charming home I'd ever seen. I felt like I was entering the dwarves' cottage from Snow White.

I entered the cottage behind Ms. Merle, and we walked into the kitchen. She gestured towards the phone, and then walked over to fill a kettle with water from the faucet. After filling it she placed the kettle on the stove.