Author's Note:
Song for this Chapter: Warpaint by 88rising, NIKI
https://open.spotify.com/track/2QIvCZTFVnky13XShl1zWJ?si=7O8GSnzxQpS3XtMr8gS1IQ
This song is Dru's anthem! I love it!
Dru stood in shadows in her dorm room.
The candle on her dresser lent enough light to see her reflection in the mirror above, and she stared hard at herself, pulling back her shining, shoulder length hair. She was trying to convince herself that the fresh-faced, healthy, and completely not crazy girl in the mirror was really her.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she half-expected to see the old Dru—the one with pink hair and a nose ring. The girl with the bags under eyes from too much partying, and the heavy make-up that didn't hide the fear in her eyes. The girl who drank too much and thought she made things happen with her mind.
Or had she been the girl who made things happen with her mind, and then drank too much because it scared her shitless?
No, it had all stopped. It wasn't real. All those weird things she imagined faded away when she stopped partying and hanging out with crazy guys, and taking crazy risks.
Now, it was happening again. It had happened again last night, with the bonfire. But she wasn't that pink-haired crazy girl any longer. So what was going on?
Maybe last night had been a drunken flashback. Or maybe Hearne was messing with her head.
He'd said he had seen her student file. But what was actually in her file?
Her juvenile records were supposed to be closed, but she had written her college essay about her arrest, and how it had turned her life around. The essay was surely in her file, so Hearne would know about that. The essay was discussed in her interview so there might be notes of the things she said about her bad choices and bad boyfriends. But the other stuff—the hospital stay, the delusions, the things she had told her therapist—all of that was confidential. She had never told anyone at Sabit about that. But maybe the administration had found out somehow, and everything about her recovery was in her file.
Maybe Hearne was a sleaze-bag trying to gas-light her.
Yet, she'd known sleaze-bags, and she didn't get that vibe from Hearne. He was full of himself, but he didn't seem...evil. She wished she could be sure. How could she find out?
She needed the file. If she could rule out or confirm him knowing about her hospital stay, then she would be one step closer to figuring out what Hearne wanted with her.
So how could she get hold of her own student file?
Staring in the mirror, she saw an overlay of the old Dru—the one with calculating, make-upped eyes. The old Dru knew how to find out. It shouldn't even be that hard. Sabit was an old-fashioned place, stuck in the last century of technology. A lock and key kind of place, not a hi-tech security system kind of place.
She shook her head at herself. A stupid idea. A stupid risk. She was no longer a stupid girl. No, she wouldn't break into Hearne's office, and risk getting caught and ruining her college career. It didn't matter what her file said. It only mattered what choices she made now. As long as she stayed away from Hearne, and stayed away from Sean, and stayed away from all risky behaviors—especially ones that could get her arrested and expelled.
Just forget about what Hearne said, she told herself.
As she stood contemplating her reflection, the door behind her opened and shut quickly. Lana stole into the room like a thief, and jumped as she turned around to see Dru's face, dark and flickery, staring at her from the mirror. With the close of the door, the old Dru faded away. The true Dru stared in the mirror at her roommate.
"Holy shit, Dru! you scared the friggin' bejes—" Lana stopped mid curse and stared hard at Dru, and then all around her, like Dru was bigger than she actually was. She dumped her bag on the floor and crossed the room. The candle flickered between them.
"Something happened while I was gone." It was a statement, not a question.
Dru's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Lana muttered. "What happened?"
"You wouldn't believe me, if I told you," Dru replied.
"Did you sleep with him?"
"What? No! Wait...who?"
"Sean! You guys hung out today, right? Who did you think I was talking about?" Lana asked.
"I did NOT sleep with Sean. I swear."
"Did you sleep with somebody else?"
"NO!"
Dru giggled, and Lana joined her, and the tension broke.
"You have this look, like you were thinking about something naughty you did." Lana tucked a leg under her, and sat on the bed. "So are you gonna tell me, or keep your dirty little secret?"
I've done a lot of naughty things, Dru thought. Where to start?
"I guess you saw what happened at the bonfire last night," Dru sat on the floor and leaned against her bed. "I...well...I was drunk, and when I pulled Sean into the circle, I kind of..."
"Tried to kiss him? Yeah, I saw," Lana's expression was unreadable.
"And then, he tried to kiss me, today. But we didn't quite...connect. I swear, Lana, that was all that happened. Look, I'm not sure if I should be apologizing to you or not. Sean said no, but you're my friend, so..."
Lana's eyes went round. "You and Sean talked about it, today?"
"A little."
"What exactly did Sean say, about me and him?"
"He said you guys were not like that. He said you grew up together. He told me about his family."
Lana's face was a slate of shock. "He did? And, how do you feel about that?"
"About his parents getting divorced, and him living with his dad? It's not a big deal...my parents were divorced before I even remember them together."
Lana's face relaxed a little. "So...what did Sean tell you about his mom?"
"Nothing really. I guess, she's from Mystic Mountain, like your folks?"
"Yeah." She picked at her comforter. "She and Sean have zero relationship, though."
"That's sad."
"Yeah, but it happens," Lana said, still focused on the comforter. Finally she looked up, a glint in her eye. "So I want to hear more about this kiss..."
Dru shrugged. "It didn't happen. Nothing to tell." Except that I blew up the bonfire because I wanted to kiss him so bad but I can't, because I've sworn off guys to stay sane. Or maybe I imagined blowing up the bonfire because I'm actually crazy.
"Well, you guys can always try again," Lana teased.
Dru shook her head. "I think it's probably a bad idea. I'm not looking for a guy right now. And besides, we're kind of...I don't know what we are. He yelled at me, and even though he apologized, I was really rude to him after..."
Lana looked surprised. "Sean yelled at you? What the hell? I'll kick his ass! What did he yell at you for?"
"Well...you," Dru admitted. "He flipped out when I asked him if you guys were...you know...casually sleeping together."
All the color drained from Lana's face and then she burst out laughing. "Oh my god...Oh Dru..." she gasped, between outburst of giggling, "oh god...that is so funny! I wish I could have seen his face! Serves him right!" She collapsed on the bed, screaming into her pillow.
"Lana, he was really upset about it." Dru found Lana's enjoyment a little...disturbing. Why was Lana finding Sean's reaction so damn funny?
Lana turned onto her side, panting from her fit of laughter, waving a hand at Dru. "He'll get over it. He's just so flippin'...pure...I'm sure you asking him about his sex life embarrassed the crap out of him."
"It was more like, he was angry that people might think badly about you. He really cares about you, you know," Dru chided her gently.
Lana sat up, letting out a long breath. "I know that, Dru. And I love him to death. But he needs to get over this protector thing he has with me. I'm a big girl. Maybe if you guys got together, he wouldn't be breathing down my neck all the time. So feel free to jump him." Lana chewed on a fingernail, reflecting. "He's probably too damn decent to get right down to it, though...he probably thinks you guys should work up to sex..." She snorted, "I can see him wanting to court you...revealing conversations at Malone's, hikes in the mountains..."
Dru choked on her own saliva. Lana was fucking eerie, sometimes.
"What's the matter?" Lana scrunched her face, and then her eyes flew wide and she fell over on her bed, screeching laughter again. "Oh Jesus! He took you to Malone's and hiking, today ?!?! Dammit! You guys are in way too deep already. I take it back! I don't mind you guys screwing, but I'm not sure I'm ready for you two to date!"
"God, Lana! You are evil, do you know that? He was just trying to be nice. And it doesn't matter, anyway. I'm NOT planning on getting with anybody. Not Sean, not Hearne..." Her eyes flew open, and she covered her mouth. Shit! She didn't mean to say that outloud.
"Hearne? Hearne!" Lana slid to floor, crawled over, straddled Dru, and shook her by the shoulders. "Tell. Me. What. Happened. Right. The. Fuck. Now." she commanded.
The good thing about looking like a good girl, and acting like a good girl, Dru realized, is that people believe you were a good girl. So, even though Dru felt bad about it, it was easy to tweak the truth, emphasize the wrong details, leave out the commentary that would reveal her past, and her potential crazy, and let Lana see only what Dru wanted her see.
"Well, I ran into Hearne in Malone's...and he made me feel uncomfortable." Because either he is trying to make me think I am crazy, probably to get me to sleep with him, or...because he has real, supernatural power, and maybe...so do I. And because every time I tried to step away from him, I stepped towards him.
"What kind of uncomfortable? Creepy-uncomfortable or hot-for-teacher-uncomfortable?"
Dru considered. She might as well come down on the side closer to the truth. "Hot-for-teacher."
"Wow." Lana slid off Dru's lap and leaned against the bed. "Dru. You are blowing my mind. Two days ago you were a Puritan. Today you are lusting after Sean and Hearne."
Dru groaned and leaned her head back on the bed. "I'm in big trouble, Lana."
"Damn straight."
They sat like that in the dark for a long time, their heads upon Dru's mattress. Finally Lana spoke.
"Dru, I have to tell you something that may...freak you out. So don't freak out, okay?"
"Okay."
"The Ritual last night...it wasn't just a show. There was real energy being raised there."
Dru looked Lana thoughtfully. "You mean like...magical energy? You really think so?"
"Yeah," Lana said her eyes a little fearful. "I could see it. I can see things other people can't see. Energy and...auras" Lana waved her hand around Dru's form, but she looked a little afraid to touch Dru. "It's how I knew...something was up with you when I walked in just now. Your aura is...flashing, like you are excited and scared. I know it may sound crazy, but I swear it's true."
"It doesn't sound crazy," Dru admitted. "It sounds pretty accurate, actually."
"So, you believe me?" Lana asked timidly.
"Yeah," Dru said confidently, suddenly surprising herself. She did actually believe Lana. She needed to believe Lana.
"And," Lana was saying carefully, "I think Hearne is more than just...a professor. That's why I went home today...to ask around about him."
"You mean, to ask the pagans that you know?"
"Yeah," Lana said. "But nobody could tell me anymore about Hearne than what I already saw for myself last night. All I know for sure is...he's legit powerful. You should know that. He's not just some hot, older guy to mess around with."
"Believe me, Lana...just because I think Hearne is hot, doesn't mean I'm going to act on it. I worked too hard to be here. I'm, not getting sidetracked by an affair with a professor."
Lana smiled knowingly. "I don't kno, Dru...Hearne's more than hot. He's fucking sensational. And the way he was looking at you when he pulled you up to dance last night...I almost feel sorry for Sean."
"STOP!" Dru pulled a pillow from her bed and hid her face. When she had mastered the smile threatening to tug at her mouth, she lowered the pillow, and shot Lana a fake scowl. "I think you're the one interested in Hearne," her voice muffled by the pillow
"Oh, I'm very interested in Professor Hearne," she said darkly, and there was some meaning behind her tone that Lana didn't understand. "But I'll share him. You want him first...or together?" Lana raised her eyebrows and stuck out her tongue, looking positively wicked.
Dru bashed Lana with the pillow, and Lana grabbed another one, and ten minutes later the girls lay on the floor, panting from their pillow fight, and Dru was able to push her worries away for the night.
A/N: So Dru has a dark past, I guess you saw that one coming, right? The next chapter is not this heavy...it's flirtatious and fun! It will be up on Wednesday! In the meantime...it just takes a sec to vote!