Crown of Shadows

Chapter 3

I was right. It was a very long night. Even after I finally finished all my studying for the tests, I just couldn't drift off to sleep. Laila and I usually chatted for a while every night before bed. I wasn't used to the silence; the cold, dark quiet of the night. My eyes were wide open, staring up at the bed over me. My thoughts whirled around in my head, simply unable to rest. I sighed. Eventually, I threw my legs over the bed, blinking. I grasped my flashlight in my hand, and turned it on, careful to point it at the ground. I had to go to the bathroom anyway, so I figured I might as well go for a little walk to help ease my restless mind.

I tip-toed out of the room, holding my hand over the flashlight in an attempt to dim it, but still be able to see. I silently shuffled through the halls, suddenly wishing they had given us a tour of the school, first. I didn't even know where the bathrooms were. Though, I figured I would find them eventually. It was a small, private school for only the best students, so I didn't expect it to be difficult to navigate.

I squinted, shining my flashlight forward. Then I heard voices. My stomach clenched, and my breathing hitched. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I could hold it a while longer. I spun on my heel, ready to head back to the dorms, but something about the voices stopped me in my tracks. I knew the way a voice trembled, or rose to a squeal. Somebody was panicked. I knew in my head that it wasn't my business, that I should have turned around and went back to the dorms. But my curiosity got the better of me. I slowly turned back around, toward the voices. They were muffled, but didn't sound too distant, so I assumed they were behind a door. I crept forward toward the voices, tip-toeing silently. I held my breath, hearing only my heartbeat thrumming rapidly.

I approached the door with the voices, my stomach doing flips, and leaned against it, listening.

"-We have to go faster. We're taking too much time that we don't have!" The Headmistress. Her voice sounded strained and frustrated, but I could hear the way her breath caught in her throat. She was scared, too.

"We did everything we could to stop that future from taking place," another voice argued, one I didn't recognize. "Chances are, it won't even happen. We prevented it."

"And what if we didn't?" the Headmistress protested. "You saw it with your own eyes! We can't let that happen. We need to train them, and fast." My eyes widened. They're talking about us. What future did they try to prevent? And why do they need us?

"Our teachers can't teach any faster, you know how dangerous that is!" The man, the other voice, sighed. "Besides, everything will be fine, you know that. There's no way that can happen, now. We took away all their machines. They can't get to us."

"We need to check the future," the Headmistress said. "See if its fixed."

"We can't do that! The more we see it, the more likely it is to come true," the man protested.

"We have to do something-" I lifted myself off the door, feeling my blood rushing through my veins. What were they talking about? Machines? The future? Us? I knew I didn't have much time to ponder before they opened that door and saw me. I darted down the hall, before I could be caught. I didn't even have to go to the bathroom anymore. I was too terrified. My blood ran cold because I knew, I knew from the Headmistress's voice that something was wrong.

I clicked off my flashlight as I entered our dorm, and I flew over to my bed, still feeling like my heart was trying to pound its way out of my chest. I took in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Slowly, my shoulders relaxed and my muscles grew less tense. I breathed in and out carefully, drawing each one shakily. It doesn't mean anything. I could be wrong. They might not be talking about what I thought they were. I could be wrong. I must be wrong.

My eyelids drooped as I blinked lethargically. I tucked my wings underneath me and pulled my blanket above my head. I was surprised how quickly my adrenaline was traded for exhaustion. I knew something had just happened, something strange- but another part of me knew I was being irrational, too. I was paranoid. It was late at night, and I had heard some things, and assumed that it was bad. From what they were saying, of course, it did sound bad. But I didn't know exactly what they were talking about. I couldn't jump to conclusions.

Just go to sleep. Tell Laila tomorrow. Everything will be fine, I assured myself. I yawned, closing my eyes and tucking my hands beneath my head. Everything will be fine...