North End: The Black Forest

by Amanda Turner

  I didn’t bother drying my hair or putting on makeup. I went straight back to the room. It was empty. I grabbed my phone and called the guard again. No answer. I tried three more times before I gave up and decided to take matters into my own hands. I threw my damp hair in a bun and tossed on some random clothes, not even bothering to see if they matched. I grabbed my school bag and headed out the door.

  * * *

  I spent the hour before class walking and walking and walking. When it was time for Professor Rose’s class to begin I was on the opposite side of campus, so I skipped it completely, continuing my search instead. I covered at least half of the campus, but there was no sign of Lillian. I even asked random students if they had seen a petite redhead. No one had. Confused and answerless, I scuffled to class alone and sat in the back row so I wouldn’t draw attention to myself if I got a phone call or message and had to make an exit.

  Usually, I don’t bring my phone with me to classes. I hardly ever used it at all, but today I packed it in my bag and made sure I could hear it vibrate. Class had just started when I heard its buzz, alerting me to a text message. I scooped it out of my bag, hoping to see Lillian’s name on the screen, but it was from Miles. I opened it immediately, even though we weren’t supposed to text in class. I could not have cared less at the moment. “Come to the hospital wing ASAP. Lillian is here.” My heart jumped to my throat. Lillian is there? What did that mean? I typed back, “Is she okay?”

  The reply was so immediate I wasn’t sure how he even had time to type it. “Not sure. Just come.” The phone fell out of my hand and clattered on the floor. A few students in the next row up turned to look at me, but the professor didn’t seem to notice. He continued rambling. My brain was in a haze, but I knew I had to leave. I picked up my phone, shoved it in my bag, and thanked my lucky stars I had chosen to sit so close to the back of the room. I slipped my bag over my shoulder and tiptoed out. I didn’t stop to make sure the door closed gently, so the wind ended up slamming it closed with a huge bang. Oh well. I was already gone anyway, and my feet were not going to stop for anything.

  The hospital ward was a good five-minute walk from where I was, and before I knew it, I was running. I shoved bad thoughts out of my mind. I couldn’t think the worst. I couldn’t picture Lillian crumbling on the floor like Laura...No! No, that did not happen. She must just be sick with a virus or something. I would get there and she would laugh because I would be covered in sweat from running the whole way for no reason. She would be back in our room by nightfall.

  My emotions were all over the place and suddenly I was overcome with rage. Why would Miles be so vague in his text? It was just cruel. And how did he know where she was before me? Why am I out of the loop? Someone from the medical team should have gotten a hold of me first. I was her roommate and best friend, after all.

  I reached the door to the medical wing faster than I thought I would, but when I felt a bead of sweat drip from my forehead, I realized why I arrived so quickly. I was gasping trying to catch my breath. I wasn’t in the best shape, and the panic rising in my chest certainly didn’t make breathing any easier. I tried to catch my breath before opening the door, but as my breathing slowed the adrenaline wore off and my legs started to throb. Forget it, I thought. Who cares if they think I’m crazy? I shoved the door open and was greeted by a receptionist.

  “Good morning, dear. How may I help you?” She was an older lady with yellow, puffy hair. I remembered her from when I got the flu last year.

  “Hi, I’m looking for Lillian Bish-” I was interrupted by a familiar voice.

  “Josie! She’s back here!” Miles appeared out of the door that led to the hospital rooms. “This is her roommate, Josie, the one I said to look out for,” he addressed the lady at the front desk.

  “Oh, yes. Go on back, dear.” She looked at me with a tight, forced smile. Miles took my hand in his and led me through the door and down the hallway. The walls were white, and the lights were bright. Too bright. It was uncomfortable and I had to squint like I just stepped outside on the sunniest day of the year. It was so different from the rest of the castle. This couldn’t be a relaxing environment for sick people.

  “How is she? What happened?” I demanded as he dragged me down the hall, not quite sprinting, but definitely not walking. We stopped in front of the last room on the left. He turned to face me and put his hands on my arms, gently.

  “She’s in a coma, Josie. They’re not sure what happened, but she has severe injuries,” Miles said, cutting straight to the point. I appreciated his lack of sugar coating since there was obviously no time for that, but it made my head feel all swimmy. My knees started buckling beneath me, and Miles wrapped his arms around me before I collapsed on the floor. It occurred to me that my full weight was in his arms, but I couldn’t make myself stand on my own.

  He started whispering in my ear in an attempt to calm me down. “They think she’s going to come out of it. It seems like someone tried to cast a spell to harm her, but they must not have done it properly. They can heal her, Josie. They will heal her.” His reassurances helped. Where there was a spell to harm, there was usually a spell to heal. I could partially feel my legs again. Enough to stand on my own, but Miles kept his arms around me protectively just in case. I was furious again.

  “What do you mean magic? What happened? Who used magic on her?” My words spilled out uncontrollably. I tried to shove past Miles to get into the room where they were keeping her, but he stopped me.

  “Josie, look at me,” he whispered gently, pulling back to look me in the eyes. “It’s okay. She will be okay. Right now, it looks worse than what it is.”

  “Who did this?” I yelled, already fearing the worst. She was in a coma from a spell gone wrong. Someone obviously wanted to hurt her. Maybe even kill her. “Was it the same person who…” I couldn’t finish the sentence, but I didn’t have to. Miles knew what I was thinking. Because he was thinking the same thing.

  “We can’t be sure of that. The spell seems very similar, but the witch who did it this time doesn’t seem experienced or perhaps they were preoccupied. They messed up and it saved her life.” I put my hands over my face and broke free of his arms. I paced the hall with my eyes covered by my hands and started sobbing again. Just the thought of Lillian being gone, taken away from me, from the world was enough to send me into hysterics. That was nearly my reality. I ran back to Miles’ arms. “I need her,” I murmured, my voice cracking. I had never meant something so much in my life. I’ve already lost the most important member of my family. My mother. I couldn’t afford to lose another.

  “She’s going to be okay, Josie,” he reassured me again, clutching me to his chest. “Do you want to see her?” he asked when my tears slowed. I nodded. “Remember, it’s not as bad as it looks. They just have her hooked up to a lot of monitors to track her healing.” He cracked the door open for me, and I stepped into the room.

  Thankfully, this room was not as bright as the hallway. The lights were dimmed, but I could still see the damage. Lillian had bruises on her cheeks and collarbone. Her wrist was wrapped in a large, white bandage. Her eyes were closed, but she didn’t look peaceful. She was connected to machines. I didn’t bother to count how many. I knew one of them was tracking her heartbeat because I could hear the beeping, but I couldn’t tell what the others were for. Miles warned me it looked worse than what it really was, I reminded myself. But it looked bad. Really bad.

  Miles came up from behind me and hugged me from behind. He kissed me quickly, leaving a wet spot on my cheek. “I just saw her yesterday. She was fine. She could have died,” my voice shook on that last part.

  “She didn’t though. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but she got lucky,” Miles said with his arms still wrapped around me. I clung to them.

  “She’s my family,” I whispered. “I can’t lose her.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing you’re not going to!” he said cheerfully. He was really trying to make me feel better. Just
then a nurse peeped her head through the door.

  “Knock knock.” She walked in with a smile on her face, checked a couple of monitors, then turned to face us. She explained how Lillian was doing, using a lot of complicated terms I had never heard before. I didn’t ask questions. I just let her give her spiel. By the end of her speech I was confused, but slightly relieved. The nurse thought Lillian would recover, too. She was as optimistic as Miles.

  I skipped my last class of the day and stayed in Lillian’s room. There was a TV, so I watched old American game shows for a while. Eventually I got tired of hearing the audience laugh track and broke out my textbooks. Since I skipped my last class and left one early, I was due for some studying. Before I knew it, the clock by Lillian’s bed read 7 p.m. I had been here for six hours already. I looked over at Lillian. She still didn’t look peaceful, and I felt guilty knowing I had to leave. But the grumble of my stomach forced me out of my seat. The café closed in less than an hour, so I had to eat something before it was too late. I told Lillian I would be back later just in case she could hear me. I signed the “sign out” sheet quickly before darting to the café.

  I grabbed something to go before heading back to my room. By the time I finished my food, visiting hours at the medical ward were over. I spent the rest of the night watching old movies on Lillian’s laptop. I sent Miles a few messages, but he was busy with homework and I didn’t want to keep bugging him. I had a few other friends I could have hung out with to take my mind off everything, but I wasn’t in the mood. It felt wrong that I was here capable of hanging out with friends while Lillian was all alone in a hospital bed unable to even open her eyes. Eventually, I drifted to sleep, unsure of the time, wrapped in a blanket on Lillian’s bed with her laptop still playing old movies.

  * * *

  The laptop must have died at some point because I woke up in the middle of the night and the screen was black. An uneasy feeling washed over me until I looked over at the other beds to see my roommates, with the exception of Lillian of course, were asleep. I felt more at ease since they were here, and I wasn’t alone. I closed the laptop and scooted over to my bed, keeping the cover wrapped around me. I laid on my side and faced the door. A crevice of light from the hallway was peeking through the bottom of it. I pictured footsteps approaching the door and standing in front of the light. I pictured Lillian sneaking in late and crawling into bed. I started to drift off while I was imagining these images until they seemed real. Almost too real. I could have sworn I actually saw feet outside my door as my eyes slid close.

  Hallow’s Eve

  Iwoke up an hour before my alarm went off and knew I had fallen asleep early because I felt well-rested, despite the dreams of footsteps in the hall. I was thankful to feel re-energized because I wanted to see Lillian before my first class. I got ready quickly, rushing through the shower, and didn’t bother with any makeup. There was no one else in the café, so I quickly grabbed a piece of toast and some bacon before heading to the medical ward. I snatched Lillian’s favorite muffin, too, because if by some miracle she was awake, she would appreciate a blueberry muffin. It was probably silly to hope I would walk into her room and see her sitting up in bed smiling, but I had to think positively if I wanted to make it through this day without tears.

  My hopes were shoved back at me when I reached her room. It was dead silent. Only a few overnight nurses lingered in the halls. No one else was even visiting at this time. There were only three other patients in the ward, and it sounded like they were all sleeping. I plopped down in the same wooden chair beside the bed that I sat in yesterday. It creaked when I sat, and the sound seemed to echo in the noiseless room. The only sound for the next hour was my chewing and the nurses’ tennis shoes squeaking on the linoleum as they walked by the room.

  I checked the clock on the wall. I knew I needed to leave for class sooner than later, so I placed the blueberry muffin on a napkin on the nightstand and threw away my leftover food. When I passed the receptionist, she smiled at me warmly. She was obviously just starting her shift because she looked well-rested unlike the nurses who were finishing their shifts down the hall, running on fumes. I walked past the desk and she told me goodbye. When I looked down to say goodbye to her as well, my eyes were drawn to the sign-in sheet on her desk. I had forgotten to sign in that morning. Oops. I scribbled my name on the “sign-in” side of the paper, but when I went to write it down on the “sign out” section I noticed something peculiar. There were only two names following my signature from last night.

  Josie Parker

  Miles Preston

  Frances Barns

  Frances? I paused mid-motion to stare at the names. Who was Frances visiting last night? There were only three other patients besides Lillian, and I had never seen Frances with any of them. They definitely weren’t friends of hers. In fact, it would be odd if she even knew the other patients at all.

  “Are you alright, dear?” the woman at the desk asked. I realized I was still holding the pen in midair and had yet to sign my name.

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” I scribbled it down and quickly exited the room.

  “Have a good day,” she called as the door swung close. I didn’t respond. The further I walked, the more confused I became. Surely Frances wasn’t there to see Lillian. Was she? But then again, it didn’t make sense for her to visit any of the other patients. It had to be Lillian.

  The more I thought of Frances having the nerve to visit Lillian when all she had ever done was treat her like dirt for years, the angrier I became. She has no right to walk into that room. Lillian would have cursed her out if she was conscious! I thought, covering more ground with each stride. Luckily, I was on my way to the class I had with her. I would confront her as soon as I walked in the room. My anger was giving me courage.

  I was rounding the corner to the classroom, moving full steam ahead when a realization stopped me in my tracks. Miles was there before me yesterday, I thought. He left shortly after I arrived. Then, why is his name after mine on the sign out sheet? A girl who was walking too closely behind me slammed into my back, distracting me from my thoughts. I almost toppled over with her on top of me. We both steadied ourselves and she gave me a scowl, as she continued walking.

  “Sorry,” I said sarcastically. Her scowl only added fire to the flame burning in my chest. Now, I was uncontrollably furious. I half-ran, half-stomped to the classroom door. I barged inside, causing the door to fling open too hard and hit the wall. It made a loud bang and several students jerked their heads to the back of the room, searching for the cause of the sound. Their eyes landed on me. I didn’t care. I headed straight for Frances who was, of course, in the first row. Several sets of eyes followed me. I was glad. Good. Let’s give them a show, then. This was a long time coming.

  Frances saw me barreling towards her with my arms swinging wildly by my sides. Her expression changed from its usual smugness to confusion. “Who the hell were you visiting in the medical wing?” I demanded before I even made it all the way to her. Her eyes flickered to what I thought was worry, then went quickly back to stone.

  “What in the Underworld are you referring to?” Frances stood, delicately placed her hand on her chest and gave the people around her a confused look as she spoke, as if I was a mad woman. I was. They were all staring at me, but for once, I didn’t care.

  “I saw your name on the sign-in sheet, Frances. Right under mine from last night. So, who was it? Lillian.” It came out as more of a statement than a question.

  I could clearly see the anxiety in her face this time, but she fought hard to hide it. “I-I…” she stuttered. This was the first time I had ever seen Frances without a witty retort, so I took advantage.

  “So, it was her?” I had my answer. “How dare you? Why were you there? You hate her so there must be some diabolical reason for your visit.” My words were spilling out so quickly I wondered if she could even understand all of them.

  “Did you ever consider that I might be concerned for the
girl?” her voice was calm, sweet, and quiet while an innocent look was painted on her face.

  “That’s a load of bull--”

  “Ms. Parker,” a stern voice echoed through the room. I heard the heels hitting the floor and knew who it was before I dared to turn and look. Headmistress Craw had arrived to class. That explained the innocent look smeared on Frances’ face. I twisted my head over my shoulder to see Craw heading straight for me. When I glanced back at Frances, she wore her regular smug smile. She sat down before Craw made it to me. I whipped around to face her. “See me after class, please,” Craw whispered.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I responded as politely as I could muster. My blood was still boiling from the confrontation, and I hardly cared that Craw caught me. I took my seat a few rows back, waiting silently for class to begin. That was the first time I’d ever seen Frances falter since I met her. She looked worried, even if it was just for a moment. She even stuttered. I knew something was wrong with her visiting the medical ward and that conversation proved it. But I still didn’t have the answer I needed. Why?

  Headmistress Craw started class, but I couldn’t stay focused and gave up on trying to listen to the lesson. Since I had time to cool down, my mind wandered back to Miles. His name was right below Frances’. I still had no answers for that either. Had he forgotten to sign his name when he was there with me that night and just went back to sign it later? That didn’t seem like too far of a stretch, I guess. I myself had forgotten to sign the sheet this morning.

  I hated questioning Miles’ intentions so I settled on that explanation for now, knowing I could easily ask him later. I was overreacting because of the whole Frances thing. But as Headmistress Craw’s voice droned on around me a question did creep into my mind that I hadn’t thought of before. The panic of seeing Lillian in the hospital bed distracted me at the time. The nurses weren’t the ones to alert me that Lillian was in the medical ward. Miles was. How did he know Lillian was hurt in the first place? The nurses wouldn’t have called him. A wave of frigid air whooshed through me. This situation was an all-too-familiar ghost of the night Laura was murdered. Miles was the first to know that night, too.