Eating Souls, Act One: The Beginning

2: Two new students: Rivin, what did you do?

Rivin sat straight up with a gasp. She panted, glancing wildly around the dark room. Red swirls glowed and spun in the light swallowing black around her. She could hear them. Laughing. Laughing at her. Her heart beat frantically. Her head was light but the rest of her was heavy - too heavy. She couldn't move. Couldn't run. She was—

Leila snorted in her sleep and rolled over. Rivin could see her through the open doors. Her arm hung off the small bed. Her heart slowed. She was able to take a deep breath and began calming down. "Just a dream."

Her voice shook. She took a moment to use her soul to check her bodily functions. Her heart seemed to be beating a bit faster than normal, but that was to be expected; the rest of her was fine, no new strange scars. No corpses with faces twisted by fear or shock or betrayal. She was, however, crying. It was that damn dream again. Needles. Rivin wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"I've been pretty okay, so there won't be any," she mumbled to herself, "And it's six thirty... I should get Leila up so she can see Dr. Stabby. She likes him..."

Before she could think too much about him, Rivin hauled herself out of bed and turned the corner into the bathroom. To the left of the door was a sliding door with a full length mirror. She opened it. Inside were the weird machines that made a lot of noise. Leila said that one got clothes clean, like when people take showers, and the other was basically a giant hair dryer.

She frowned to one side of her mouth, closing the door again. Leila would probably be happy that they were here, even though she wouldn't be happy if Rivin played with them again. Once Leila had told her that the dryer was really warm, Rivin had decided to test it. Apparently people weren't supposed to go in clothes dryers.

Across the closet was a set of four small cupboards. Directly across from the door were two towel racks. To the left was the counter and sink and toilet. To the right was the shower and tub. Rivin experimented with the knob, then with the shower head. It wasn't a fancy one, unfortunately, but it would do to wash her hair. Luckily someone had supplied them with some cheap shampoo and conditioner.

With the towel wrapped around her head, she sat on her fellow weapon, "Leila, is time to be awake. You have about twenty minutes until you get to see Stitch-y Doctor Man."

Leila smiled, still mostly asleep. "Mmmmmm...Stitch-y man... pretty... Professor... TWENTY MINUTES!" She sat up quickly, causing Rivin to fall onto the floor. She rushed, showering, drying, re-braiding her hair, and getting dressed again in about 10 minutes. She checked herself in the mirror and went to put on her combat boots. "Come on, or we'll be late!"

"Hmmm..." Rivin put the black bows in her floor-length pigtails and pulled them tight before following the rushed Leila out of the room and down the block. Leila walked into class without a second glance, but Rivin just had to stop and stare down at the pink haired, black robed kid drawing circles on the floor in front of the door.

"You smell funny." Rivin informed him. Something was wrong... Just slightly off.

He looked up at her with black eyes, "Maka is sick," he whispered sadly, "I don't know how to deal with people when Maka is sick."

Rivin sighed, "Well, I'm Rivin. You can sit with Leila and I. We're new here." There are two souls inside him.

"but.... You're a girl..."

"Yup." Rivin tried to smile. Why does the second soul look like....?

He put his head back down on his knees and mumbled, "I don't know how to deal with girls."

"Hey, you." A rough voice behind her growled, "Leave Crona alone."

Rivin grinned over her shoulder at Soul, "Don't worry, he smells funny. Not at all like your Meister."