Celeste POV
I open my eyes and find myself sitting in the hidden room under the library. I look down to see Rory's journal on my lap. I glance at my watch to see the time. Its 20:30. I missed dinner. The events of today come flooding back to me. Rory's memorial. Finding her journal in her backpack, and falling asleep here. I rub my eyes and gather all my things. I slowly stand up and organize the room, turning off the lamp and folding the blanket. I let my mind run while I think about everything that has happened. It's almost too much to comprehend. It's like I am watching everything that has happened replay like a movie. I pack everything into Rory's backpack and throw it over my shoulder. I walk out of the room and down the tunnel. I climb out of the corridor and emerge from the fireplace. I push the book back into place and the wood slides back to its original position.
I walk through the ashes, looking down at my worn combat boots, now dusted with the white ash and dust from the library. I shiver and rub my arms inside my jacket. I shiver not because of the cold, but because of the recent events that will forever haunt me. I close my eyes and try to block out the thoughts and visions that come flashing back to me as I walk through the rubble.
"I'm so sorry Rory..." I whisper to the ashes. She will never know how much responsibility I feel for what happened. She will never know how hard I tried to save her. I pause where I am and look around. I swallow a lump in my throat and look around. The majority of what was the library is gone, disintegrated to ash. A few stray books and shelves are straggled here and there. All that remains is the underground floor of the library.
My mind reaches back to Rory's entries. There was so much I didn't know about her, that I never cared to ask about. I feel guilt overwhelm me as I remember what she said about wanting to be like me, to understand what I felt like to be confident. The problem is, I never felt confident about myself in the first place. At least, not the majority of the time. And what she felt for Seth...
All I hear in response is the wind, howling through the ruins of the library. I turn and start walking back to the dorms. I know curfew is 21:00, so I have plenty of time to get back on time. I walk quickly, dusk falling and darkness beginning to encompass the grounds of Briar. I cut through the woods, hearing the quiet rustling of leaves under my thick soled combat boots. I run through the old paths, taking any shortcuts that I can think of. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I dismiss my paranoia as the fear of the fire being too fresh.
I finally emerge from the thin line trees at the back of the dorms. I walk around the front of the building and head up the stairs. I walk down the corridor and head into our room. I hear a loud shuffling sound and a BANG as I quietly swing the door open. I look to see Kate leaning awkwardly against the closet door, when I notice Seth's familiar beanie sitting on my bed.
"Celeste! Where have you been?" Kate says, swinging open the door to the closet, where an uncomfortable looking Seth comes tumbling out with a loud grunt.
I respond with silence and avoid the question. "Why is Seth in a closet?" I ask dryly. Seth lets out an awkward laugh while he runs his fingers through his hair.
"Well, we thought you were a teacher, and the closet was the only place to hide someone of his stature, so I kinda just... crammed him in there." Kate says, shrugging.
"Well, don't worry... I'm not a teacher." I say with a weak laugh. I walk over to my bed and toss Seth his beanie.
The rules of BPA obviously state that boys aren't allowed in girls dorms and vice versa, but ever since freshman year, we've been smuggling Seth into our dorm to get some time to hang out together without being surrounded by people. Besides, if any of the teachers found out about it, how we've been doing it, and for how long we've been doing it, I would argue that they would say we deserve extra credit in Cove Ops, not demerits.
"Why are you here anyways? It's past curfew." I say, glancing at Seth. I flop down on my bed with a big sigh. My eyes feel droopy.
"I wanted to stop by to see if you guys were okay. You know, since... what happened." Seth responds, shuffling his feet. I immediately tense up at his words and sit back up.
"We're fine. It's just... hard to get over." Kate says, casting an unsure, sideways glance at me. I make eye contact with her from across the room and nod my head, once. Seth gazes at us, unsure. He looks at Kate and seems to silently communicate with her. Kate shakes her head and looks down at her hands.
"Well, I uh, need to get back to my dorm now." Seth says. Kate nods and heads into the bathroom, and yells goodnight over her shoulder, leaving us standing in our dorm room together.
"Hey Celeste...I'm here for you, you know." He says simply, looking deep into my eyes.
"Thanks Seth, but it's not something you would understand. You just... had to be there, I guess." I tell him, wanting him to understand what happened.
He nods in reply. I furrow my eyebrows as I see his downcast eyes. For a split second, it looks as if he is hurt. "Well, goodnight Celeste." He says.
"Goodnight Seth." With that he awkwardly leaves the room, as if he didn't really want to go, or as if he left something unfinished.
Kate emerges from the bathroom with her PJ's on, ready to go to bed. She lies down on her bed and opens one of her textbooks, getting a head start on next week's homework. I slip into the bathroom, brush my teeth and change for bed. When I come out, Kate is already asleep under her covers with her textbook sliding out of her hands. I smile and look at her. I then quietly take the textbook and bend the corner of the page that she was reading, laying it quietly on her bedside table.
I climb into my bed and lay there staring at the ceiling for what seems like hours. I glance at my watch. I got in bed at 21:00 and my watch says it is now 00:34. Looks like I'm not falling asleep tonight. I throw off my covers and sneak into the closet. I pull on a pair of jeans and my combat boots. I throw on a simple t-shirt and a Briar Preparatory Academy hoodie. I glance down at the owl tattooed on my arm, the image of the powerful and wise animal that represented our school. My mind wandered to think about our motto. Courage is mandatory.
I pulled on the black hoodie and quietly walked out of our dorm and into the eerie cold halls. They are deadly quiet, filled with only the sound of my combat boots on the old wooden floors. When I go out after curfew, I always remain in the dorm building, never leaving it. But this time, wandering the old familiar halls brings back memories of Rory. I need to get away. I need to get somewhere that I can really think. I let out a sigh, now decided on my destination. I quietly unlock the door and slip out into the cold night.
I take in a deep breath of familiar cold air, and I am instantly awake. My senses are heightened and my mind is calm. This is the first time I have been outside after curfew. I walk down the path towards the dining hall, and walk past it. I'm heading towards the main hall, which is near the front of the campus. It lies right behind our gates, and it is the most that many people get to see of our school, so that no one finds out what secrets we really hide.
I walk up the front steps, knowing full well that the doors are locked, and sit down on the steps. I glance around me, the gates in front of me, and the rest of the campus behind me. I'm on the brink of the world I know, and the real world and where the two meet. I look off into the darkness of the woods to my right and see something move. Now I don't know about normal people, but spies are trained to get closer and see what it is. I walk down the stairs and am in the middle of the driveway when the lights to a car turn on as it pulls to a stop next to me. I look in the window, expecting to see the disappointed face of Headmaster Lockharte or possibly one of the school guards who are usually on night duty. Instead, I am met by the familiar, smirking face of Colleen.
"Surprise to see you out this late, darling." She says with a snarl.
I open my mouth to throw an insult back at her, but am cut short when a black bag is pulled over my head. I start to apply everything I have ever learned in physical defense class to try to disable the attacker behind me while still keeping my bearing of where Colleen is in front of me. I kick and thrash until I realize that the attacker was ready for me; they knew I was trained. They par my every move and counter with their own. I can tell that whoever has a hold on me is stronger and younger than Colleen, maybe around my age based on how fast he moves. I hear Colleen step out of the car and feel something long and sharp penetrate the skin in my shoulder. I feel all the strength drain from my muscles and my knees buckle, but whoever has a hold on me refuses to let go, as if I'll try to run anyways. The bag they pulled over my head had a strong scent to it, as if it were drugged as well.
"Nice work, Joe."
"Thank you Colleen." The person holding me responds. He is definitely around my age, with his voice sounding as young as it does. His grip on my waist is incredibly tight, like iron. Just judging from that, this boy definitely overpowers me.
"Carl! Get the girl in the car. Joe, you drive, and do not stop. I don't care how tired you are. You need to meet with Jasper as soon as possible." Colleen instructs. Joe mutters something under his breath, but I can't hear it. I feel myself losing consciousness.
I feel my body being picked up by the person behind me, they then set my limp body up in the seat and zip tie my hands together and to the driver's seat in front of me. Needless to say, I'm not going anywhere. I feel them shove my body in the car and slam the door shut. I hear doors open and close until the car starts. Everything is dark and hazy. I take one final breath to call out as black dots dance in my vision. But nothing comes.