The hallway of the west dormitory, i.e., the female side, was unusually silent, the kind of heavy quiet that follows a storm. Normally it would be filled with the white noise of idle chatter, laughter and the footsteps of students coming and going to and from their rooms.
But now, as Elie stood in front of her room door, the space around her felt uncomfortably small and empty.
She hovered her knuckles over the wood once again and took another deep breath as her chest tightened with guilt and deep regret at how she had dismissed her best friend on that rainy evening.
Finally, her knuckles t the door. It wasn’t the usual "secret knock" that Amy made up just for the two of them in case the door was locked. It was three dull, hesitant thuds.
"Amy." Elie spoke softly as she leaned her head against the cool surface of the door. "I know you’re in there. I can see the faint light coming from below. May I co inside?"
Nothing.
There was no movent. No sound of a chair dragging across the floor or a bedspring creaking under the weight of another person. She noticed through the small crack of the handle that the door was unlocked, but she didn’t want to open it and potentially make matters worse by invading her space. She wanted Amy to open it herself or to at least respond to her.
Knock Knock
"Amy, please open the door. I ca here to apologise and I want to say it in your presence. Not from out here."
Elie waited, staring down at the scuffed tips of her shoes. A stray draft drifted through the hallway, chilling the back of her neck. The door remained closed like a physical boundary marking the distance that had grown between them since yesterday’s blowout.
However, she didn’t walk away but nor did she knock again. She just stood there in the gloom of suffocating silence.
....
A few minutes had passed when she decided to try again. But right as she was about to knock, she heard the ever so discreet sound of sothing rustling and shifting inside.
Slow, heavy footsteps approached the door, and a shadow appeared and stopped from beneath it.
Beep
The door handle clicked as it was gently being pulled down. Then finally, it opened inch by inch until it revealed Amy’s tired silhouette.
She wore a thick grey sweater and matching pants. Her hair was an untangled pink ss, and her dead eyes showed signs of dried-up tears. To Elie, she looked hollow and lifeless.
For a mont, neither of them spoke. Elie tried to reach her hand out but imdiately pulled it back, rembering how she had swatted it away when she tried doing so before. Amy, seeing her hesitation, simply dropped her head down as her hair swooped down most of her face and new tears started to form.
"Amy, I’m sor–" But before Elie could finish her sentence, Amy took a step forward and hugged her while crying softly on her shoulder.
"I.. *sniff* I didn’t think you’d co back here at all *sob*. I was so an to you..."
"Amy..."
"I didn’t even give you a chance to explain and *sob* I accused you of such horrible things. I’m such *sob* I’m such an ugly person!"
Elie quickly wrapped her arms around Amy’s arms and pulled her in for a tight hug.
"Shhh, it’s okay. Please don’t self-deprecate and bla yourself. I’m also the one who’s in the wrong. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. I should’ve properly explained myself, but I just brushed you aside like you don’t matter. You’re my best friend and one of the kindest souls I’ve ever co across. I’ll always love you, Amy. Never forget that."
"Emmyyy... I-I’m sorry!" Amy squeezed the back of Elie’s jacket and fell to her knees. So as to continue holding her, Elie also went down on her knees with her and waited until she was finished crying.
...
"Wow. This room looks and slls like death." Elie noted as she opened the curtains and windows. "And why is my bed so... neat. Like, uncannily so. I don’t rember leaving it like that."
"Ahaha... When I ca back to the room that evening, I sorta kinda maybe thrashed your bed in frustration. Once all the steam was out of my system, the guilt hit hard and I started crying while cleaning the ss I made..." Amy twiddled her thumbs after putting on her round glasses and tying her in a loose ponytail.
’Oh Amy, you innocent soul.’
"Well, in any case," Elie sat next to her. "Let just clear the air on a few things so that there are no misunderstandings between us. Kurt and I are not secret lovers who are doing despicable things while lying to everyone.
Also, I don’t really talk to anyone about anything in class, let alone my private life. Gary was lying to you. Why? Probably because he has sothing against . Why? Who cares. I sure don’t.
Lastly, the reason why I’m staying at the sa hotel as Kurt is because, and I’m only telling you this because you’re my best friend and I trust you won’t blab to anyone about this. It’s because we are deeply involved in investigating the cult."
"T-The zealots?! W-What do you have to do with them?"
"It’s best you don’t know, but what I can tell you is that we’re working with the prefects and are about to crack a case that you’ll probably read about in the newspapers soon. So look forward to that. Of course, my and Kurt’s nas will be redacted but you’ll know the truth."
"I-I see... This is much more serious than the silly things I thought it was, haha..."
"It’s not silly, Amy. You’re young. This was a new feeling for you and so you beca overwheld with emotion. In a way it’s sort of better it ended this way. Imagine you confessed to Kurt and he rejected you? I can already picture how awkward the air would be around you two every ti you talked to each other."
"Haha, yeah. I guess you’re right. Also, you call young but aren’t you only one year older than ?" Amy raised her one eyebrow in suspicion.
"H-Hey! Don’t you start too. Kurt already calls a grandma because of it." Elie tried to deflect the topic about her age and maturity.
"What?! How could he? But your skin is so pretty! You have no wrinkles and sll super nice! No old grandma odor whatsoever!" Amy pouted.
"Ahaha! It’s only a joke. No need to puff your cheeks like that."
"Hmph! Good! ... So Kurt is a no go, huh?"
"Yeah. As you now know, he and Principal Valentine are already together. I’d go so far as to say they’re infatuated with each other. Like, seriously, you don’t want to be there when they are together in the sa room. Trust , you’ll feel second-hand embarrassnt."
"Sounds nice... But I’m happy for them. Haaaa, what a ride." Amy plopped her back on the bed. "My first love ends in heartbreak."
"Don’t get too down. I’m sure that there’s soone just for you out there."
"What about you? Is there sobody you like?"
"... N-No." Elie blushed and looked away.
"..... Oh. My. Goodness! Emy, look at you! Your ears are so red! *Gasp* Is it soone I know?! Wooow, you actually have soone you’re interested in! Who is it? Who is it?!"
"BY THE WAY! I have a favor to ask you! I could really use your help with sothing that’ll benefit our investigation with the cult."
"Hmmm... Fine. But I want to hear about who this person is when you have ti. Deal?"
"D-Deal."
"Yay! Ok, what do you need my help with?"
Elie reached into the pockets of her jacket and took out the pouch with all the tags needed inside.
"I need you to use your magic skills and forge temporary tags."
"F-Forgery? But when I showed you what my skill could do, you said that I should not use my magic that way. That I could get into deep trouble with the law and very bad people."
"I know what I said, but this is really important. Your skill will help save a lot of people, so it’s okay to use it this ti. Besides, you’re not just doing this for anybody. This is who’s asking."
"..... O-Ok. I’ll do it. But it’ll take a few hours to finish. That’s a lot of tags you just gave ."
"That’s fine. I’ll be here with you. This is a good chance for to catch up on so ditation and strengthen myself. I’ll grab you so food since I’m guessing you haven’t eaten yet?"
"Now that you ntion it. *Growl*... I guess I haven’t." Amy rubbed her stomach at the growl.
"Perfect, I’ll grab a little extra since I too haven’t eaten yet." Elie stood up from the bed and walked to the front door.
"Emy!"
"Hmm?" She turned back.
"T-Thank you for not being angry with . I’m glad that incident didn’t ruin our friendship."
Elie, choosing not to say anything in return, let her actions speak for her as she smiled and nodded back at her before leaving the room to go grab so food.
.
..
...
"Who the hell are you, one eye?" A stern looking woman wearing sunglasses and a black suit stood in the way of Kurt entering the orphanage.
"A lone man with an eyepatch and is ard with weaponry? Yeah. You’re suspicious as fuck." A burly bald man wearing similar clothing and smoking a cigar, stepped forward from beside her and entered Kurt’s personal space. "I’m gonna have to kindly ask you to leave, buddy."
’It’s just one thing after another, isn’t it?’ Kurt’s smile twitched as he was confronted by these two strangers.
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