me and walks away too.
As I rub my damp hair, Dorian’s scent surrounds me—expensive cologne and perspiration, with an underlying note of evil.
Pulling a face, I drop the offending item on the floor and limp away.
I expected Ravenhold to be difficult, but not a new, living nightmare.
Chapter Ten
The faculty aren’t cruel enough to send us unshowered to the next lesson, but I’ve less time to warm up and change thanks to my dalliance with Dorian.
I’m mid-shower when the siren sounds and the water instantly stops. I try the taps again as I shiver, and soap slicks my skin.
We have restricted shower time? Great. How many more small details have people not told me?
Someone hammers on the door and a male voice yells at me to move. I’m attempting to wipe the soap off with a towel and hastily throw my clothes on instead.
Damp-haired and flustered, I follow the instructions on the paper Angus gave me and head to my next class.
I’m relieved that the next lesson is with Francesca, since hers must be less body-breaking than the last.
I reach the room and hesitate as students file in, some glancing at me with bemusement. I’ve pulled my wet hair into a ponytail but my back is damp where the hair soaks my t-shirt. Will I ever be dry in the time I spend at Ravenhold?
The room’s beanbag population has grown, now in a circle around the edges of the room, with a large, black, circular bowl filled with water in the centre. A thick white pillar candle is positioned in the middle of the bowl.
Avoiding people’s eyes, I take my place on a blue beanbag beside Oriana, who’s chatting to a lanky girl on her right.
The beans crunch together as I shift into a more decorous and less starfish position. “I wish you’d waited for me,” I whisper.
She purses her lips and shakes a strand of blue hair from her scarred face. “Look, I’m all for friendship, but I can’t hang around in the room waiting for you. I don’t want a black mark against my name for being late to class.”
My cheeks heat. How stupid of me to expect my roommate to be an instant friend. “Oh.”
“You were the one pissing around outside with Dorian,” she whispers.
I turn my head to where she’s looking. Across the room, Dorian’s shuffled so far down in his beanbag he’s almost reclined. He holds a coin above his head, flicking it around between his fingers. A student attempts to step over his long legs obstructing the way, and at the last second Dorian moves his heavy boot and slyly kicks the passerby.
The guy growls something at Dorian, who ignores him, continuing his focus on his coin.
“I didn’t want to be with Dorian.”
“Good morning, all.” Francesca closes the door to her room and her long blue skirts sweep by as she stands at the edge of our circle. “And how are we all travelling today?”
She looks keenly from person to person. “Why do you ask that?” asks Dorian and flicks the coin in my direction. It lands in my lap and I brush it away as if the thing burned me. “We can’t travel anywhere.”
“It’s a turn of phrase, dick,” mutters Zeke without looking at him.
“I’m aware of that,” says Dorian coldly. “But her new age bullshit doesn’t fit Ravenhold. 'How are you evil fuckers today?’ would be a more appropriate greeting.”
I stare at their exchange as Francesca sighs and sits on the last vacant blue beanbag. She holds a stack of small cards in her hands and multicoloured pens in the other.
“Today I’d like to try some calming magic,” she says her voice light. “Channelling your anger and frustrations is key to your rehabilitation, as is learning how to deal with your innermost demons.”
Zeke scoffs and Francesca shoots him a look. I eye Dorian, who yawns at the ceiling.
The square cards are passed around the room, along with pens.
“I’d like you to write down something that has angered you recently and then fold the card in half. Then, we will burn the thought and recite the incantation we learned last week. The emotional pain will float away with the smoke.”
I blink. Is she serious?
“Just go along with her hippy shit,” murmurs Oriana. “At least we’re not running our arses off in the rain, right?”
“I guess.”
Can Francesca hear the snickering around her, or feel the boredom in the room? She gestures at us to begin before standing to turn on music and light oil burners.