A shake in the middle of the night forces me awake, and the shaker almost gets clocked right in the nose for the trouble. They barely manage to avoid my right hook. Blinking away the sleep, I realize the other person in the room is a teacher, and they look terrified, so they’re probably not here to hurt me. Oh, wait, it’s one of the professors from earlier! The one that talked to us but that I don’t know the name of. What the fuck is she doing in my room in the middle of the night??
“What the fuck are you doing in in my room in the middle of the night?”
Her fear dissipating, the professor lets loose a sigh, shaking her head, then plasters a smile to her face. “Sorry, dear, I didn’t mean to startle you. Calling your name didn’t work, so I had to shake you.”
“Okay, but you’re here because…?”
“Apologies!” she says, clapping her hands together. “I was sent to fetch you by Headmistress Onpertet. She insists you’re part of a, erm… impromptu meeting, of sorts. I believe she wants to discuss the day’s events?”
Scowling, I grip my bedsheets. “That couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”
The professor shrugs apologetically. “Apparently not.”
Rolling my eyes, I cast my covers aside and hop out of bed. The professor’s eyes go wide and she swivels around like a top. “You might want to cover your lower half…”
Oh yeah, I went to bed in just a long shirt, with no bottoms. Which is to say I just flashed a teacher. Eh, her fault for waking me up in the middle of the night. As I search for a pair of shorts to pull on, I say, “Hey, we’ve gotten intimate already and I don’t even know your name.”
The teacher’s body goes rigid, and I smirk. “I will just… wait outside, then,” she says, shuffling to the door, tossing it open, and stepping through. Before I can manage a snarky retort the door is closed and I’m left alone.
Snickering, I finally find some shorts, sniff them to confirm they’re not too old, and pull them on. We’re all adults at this school, but the professors are, at least in my experience, still very uncomfortable about students flirting with them. ‘Power imbalances’ or some bullshit like that. It’s not like I actually meant it, anyway, I just wanted to get under her skin — payback for this late night inconvenience. And also I’m not actually gay. It’d be cool if I was, women are hot and that professor is no exception, but unfortunately I was born straight, so…
Clothed enough, I exit my dorm, to find the professor a few steps away, not facing me. She glances back as I close the door, then starts walking, her big hips swaying in a way that I’m sure gay women find really attractive. “I am Professor Pom, by the way,” she says in a stage whisper, presumably because it is, again, the middle of the night. “And please don’t try to flirt with me again.” I barely stifle another snicker.
Our walk down the hall together is short, as apparently our destination is Kittpey’s room. Professor Pom knocks on the door — I wonder if she did the same on mine — and pretty quickly I hear shuffling coming from within. A few seconds later the door cracks open, Kittpey peeking out warily.
“Hello? Can I help—” Her eyes catch mine. “Ruem?”
“Yes, hello Ms. Slatterald. Headmistress Onpertet insists that you attend a meeting tonight,” says Professor Pom, her expression a wordless apology.
“At this time of night??” Kittpey says, eyes squinting.
I tug on Professor Pom’s sleeve, which prompts her to pull her arm away as though I just tried to attack her. Heh, my earlier flirting really set her on edge. “Can I talk to her for a moment? Alone?”
Relaxing, Professor Pom nods her head. “Of course. Just please don’t take too long.”
That settled, I push into a mildly surprised Kittpey’s room and shut the door behind me. I’ve never actually set foot in here, so I take it in for a moment, marveling at how clean she keeps it compared to me, and how many posters of men I don’t know she has plastered around the walls. Her desk is covered in a clearly-organized assortment of various makeup. And most startlingly, there is a person I don’t know fast asleep in one bed, because that’s how these dorms are supposed to work. I just got lucky with my own roommate situation.
“The knocking didn’t wake them up?” I whisper, pointing at the person in question.
Apparently I didn’t whisper quietly enough, because Kittpey makes a ‘shh’ing motion. “They’re a heavy sleeper. And so are you, last I checked… did the knocking wake you up?”
I shrug. “No idea if there was knocking. She had to shake me awake.”
Kittpey splays her hands in a ‘there you go’ fashion. She’s in her less-put-together state again, a tangled bush of golden hair held atop her head with a hair band, and absolutely no makeup on her face. It’s a testament to my friend’s hotness that even in this state she’s gorgeous…The sheer nightgown she has on might be playing a part in that evaluation too, admittedly. Cocking an eyebrow at me, she says, “So… what’s going on, Ruem?”
I look away from her body and wave a hand. “Headbitch is back and pissed about the new hole in the wall, I think? So she wants to talk to us.”
“Us and at least one teacher… I need to get ready, then,” Kittpey says, her voice trailing into a sort of annoyed mutter.
As she takes a step toward her makeup-covered desk, I cross my arms. “Get ready? Girl, it’s like 2am, you don’t need to worry about looking pretty.”
“That’s rich, coming from you,” she replies, sitting and starting her makeup routine without a glance in my direction.
Rude. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I say, a little too loudly. Fortunately, Kittpey’s roommate doesn’t stir.
Sighing, Kittpey mutters, “Gotta be quick, so just the basics.” As she begins applying eye shadow, she finally responds to me. “You’ve been critical of my appearance since we were kids, Ruem.”
Really? That doesn’t sound right… “What’re you talking about?”
Leveling me with a withering stare, Kittpey rolls her eyes and returns to applying eyeliner. Whispering in a voice clearly meant to be a mocking imitation of my own, she says, “Girl, you’re gonna go out with all that acne showing?” Oh. Well yeah, that could maybe be phrased better… “Girl, you’ve got bags under your eyes for days!” I mean, if she had bags under her eyes wouldn’t she wanna know? “Girl, your hair’s a mess, you couldn’t bother to straighten it?” …That one’s just mean, yeah.
Pouting, I say, “I don’t sound like that.”
“Those are all verbatim quotes from you, from over the years.”
Well it’s just that— the thing is— urgh, did I really say all that junk? “Look, Kitt, I’m sorry! Mom’s judgey ways must’ve rubbed off on me.”
She raises her eyebrows, though I’m not sure if it’s for makeup purposes or in reaction to what I said. “Oh, I know, she said those sorts of things to me too.” Dammit, Mom. “And neither of you said nearly as much as my own parents always have. But the difference between them, and her, and you, is that you are my friend. So it’s only your commentary that I remember well enough to quote.”
Worn out by the amount of emotional wounds I’m taking, I slump down onto Kittpey’s bed, head in my hands. “Damn… um… sorry. I didn’t realize, I guess… Didn’t think.”
“You never do,” Kittpey says, swiveling in her chair to face me. I glance at her and receive exactly the sort of glare I expected — but then it softens into a faint smile. “Until recently, anyway. You’ve gotten better.” She sticks out her tongue. “A little.”
Something about the way she’s looking at me makes my face hot, so I turn away. I’m not sure I deserve the smile anyway, not after years of being such a shitty friend. Her quoting me has opened the floodgates of my memory, and now I can’t help but remember every nasty thing I’ve ever said to her. Why in the world is she still friends with me?
“I need to do something about this hair,” I hear her mutter, apparently having finished her makeup, which is perfect, as it always is. Her hair looks cute, though, why does she need to do anything? Oh wait, that’s the sort of thing I should be saying out loud!
“Why change it? It looks cute that way.”
She cocks an eyebrow at me, frowning slightly. “It’s literally a big frizzy bun on top of my head. I can’t go talk to a bunch of teachers looking like this.”
I shrug. “Then put it in pigtails or something? But you don’t need to straighten it. I don’t think you have the time, either.”
Glancing at herself in the mirror, Kittpey sighs. “You’re right, I don’t.” Apparently taking my advice, she takes her hair tie off, then moves half of it to one side. Nodding at the mirror, she proceeds to tie her hair into two poofy pigtails, and wow, I actually wasn’t fully ready for what a cute look that is? Kittpey is adorable, how does she still not have a boyfriend? Getting up from her desk, she moves past me, and my eyes do not glance at her butt. Sliding the closet open, she reaches in and grabs a robe, and I do not feel disappointment as she proceeds to cover up her nightgown.
“It’s arguably better than what you have,” she whispers with a smirk, looking me up and down.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say with a pout.
She shrugs, still smirking. “I’m just surprised you even have shorts on.”
“Ooooh, yeah,” I say, nodding. Then I start giggling. “Actually I didn’t have them on. Professor Pom totally saw my puss—” Kittpey rudely interrupts me by pressing her hand into my face, pushing me backward onto her bed.
“You’re incorrigible.”
Springing to my feet, I grin wide and say, “Joke’s on you, I don’t even know what that means. So I win.”
“I don’t think advertising your own ignorance constitutes any sort of win at all, actually,” Kittpey says, still grinning as she walks toward the door.
All giggles, the two of us walk out into the hall together, where a mildly surprised Professor Pom stands. “You two seem to be in better spirits,” she says with a soft smile. “We’d best be off!”
Practically but not literally hand-in-hand, Kittpey and I follow after the Professor, through the dorm hallway and out into the cool night air. It’s quiet, almost eerily so, but there is a faint sound of insects to be heard. And the breeze is just cool enough, without actually making me shiver. I’ve snuck out on so many nights like this, from this very dorm, even. Though that was usually so I could visit… Radestro.
I can’t help but make a face just thinking of him. Fortunately neither of my traveling companions notice. Ugh but now he’s in my head again, that stupid smarmy face and that deep, alluring voice and the sweet things he used to say… Ugh, but it was all a lie, wasn’t it? He never actually cared about me at all. He played me for a fucking sap and I fell for it!! The one person I thought…
Fuck, oh no, I’m starting to tear up. This isn’t the time for that!! Okay girl, let’s switch gears, think of something else. Like earlier today, after the whole ‘taking my body back’ thing and after the teachers had finally gotten out of our hair. Umeso had been holding it in that whole time but when the three of us were finally alone in my room, they broke down. And I could hardly blame them, with all they’d been through… We still don’t fully understand what’s going on with their whole former identity and the other Umeso and all that. I don’t know if it ultimately matters, Umeso is Umeso as far as I’m concerned, but I get why they might not feel the same way. All I could really do was offer comfort and condolences, and I dunno how much it actually helped. I think the main thing they’re hung up on is the idea that they might’ve damaged their grandmother’s memories? But like, there’s no real proof of that, right? She’s old. Old people have memory problems sometimes. I dunno, whoever Umeso “used” to be, I just can’t imagine they could ever have been the sort of person that would do something like that.
We’d ended up talking some about Biat, too. I figure she’s wherever that dream girl of hers has been, but what could’ve kept her there, away from us? Nothing good, I imagine. Eeozi and that tall person she was with seemed to be on some sort of mission, like someone put them up to something, so maybe whoever did that? But really, it matters less who did it and more where they and Biat actually are. I’ve been trying to focus on that feeling inside off and on, the one that makes me sure she’s alive. And I feel like it grows and weakens just a little bit, depending on what direction I walk? So my theory is it grows stronger if I’m moving vaguely toward her. I don’t really have any proof, but then, I don’t have proof for any of this stuff. And what else do we have to go on? I think we should just head out and look for her, as soon as possible, but Kittpey’s not sure that’s a good idea. She says we should prepare, since we have no idea how far we’ll have to go or what we’ll be up against. And like, I get where she’s coming from, but—
“We’re here,” Professor Pom says, pushing open a door a few meters in front of me. Glancing around, I realize we’re in the Setzel center. Kittpey squeezes my arm and gestures forward. I nod, and we step through together.
Inside is a large group of teachers, approximately as many as had swarmed us earlier. Oh, and Umeso is here, in a purple onesie — full feet coverage and everything — that I struggle not to laugh at. Gotta be a good friend, gotta not tell my friend that their choice of sleepwear makes them look like an oversized child. As I start to shuffle toward them, a voice interrupts.
“Good, we’re all here, finally.” Standing on a raised platform on the other end of the room is Headmistress Onpertet, the only person in the room not wearing either pajamas or something clearly hurriedly thrown together. She’s in a suit, her makeup and hair are perfectly done, and she has also clearly not even considered sleeping yet this evening. “Zwick, make sure the door is locked.” A moment later a clicking sound rings out, and the Headmistress flicks her wrist, casting a spell that has no visible effect. “The room should be soundproofed now.”
Professor Spakle, standing near the front of the room, raises their hand. “Why are we here, Lillian?”
“It’s Headmistress Onpertet in front of the students, Regimund,” Lillian says, gesturing our way. Professor Spakle glances back at us, and does not appear surprised by our presence. In fact, they’re just shy of smirking, the sly old coot. “And we are here because I stepped away for one day and you all let everything go to shit. And this is the worst possible time for everything to go to shit, because I didn’t return to the school alone.”
Murmuring breaks out among the teachers surrounding me. I get the impression they have an idea of who it is that came with the Headmistress.
“Yes, yes, it’s exactly what you think. Velgis has sent one of his pawns here to ‘evaluate’ the school. They should be asleep by now, which is why it’s essential we get this situation under control right this second.” Pointing one sharp nail in my direction, she says, “Now you, Ruem.” Her tone indicates she doesn’t actually think that’s my name. “Tell me exactly what happened. And don’t leave a single detail out.”
And also I’m not actually gay. It’d be cool if I was, women are hot and that professor is no exception, but unfortunately I was born straight, so…
Girl. No you weren't. Bi, *maybe*, although given how you treated your boyfriend (and how you're thinking about him now) I have my doubts.
It’d be cool if I was, women are hot and that professor is no exception, but unfortunately I was born straight, so…
oh my God you idiot i love you