Page 21 of Escaping Hallow Hill Academy
“Styx,” I say slowly, like I’m unsure.
But it sounds right.
Styx is a dog of legend in Sekar mythology. He helps our Holy Lady of Death guide spirits to the fixed plane. A black wolf the size of a horse, he is my Lady’s spirit animal and right-hand helper.
He was there when I needed him. He’s my comfort in this hellish place. He’s keeping me grounded, and I bet he doesn’t even know it.
“Very badass.” The girl giggles, and I, too, smile.
She should give our neighbor pointers on how to make friends with someone. Don’t be an asshole and don’t be a dick. It’s that simple.
“What’s your name?” I finally turn to her, and her eyes light up at my simple question.
Holy Lady of Death, she really does want a friend.
“Kira.” She nods. “And yours?”
“Emmera. You can call me Em.”
You can call me Em? Who the hell calls me Em? You don’t have cute nicknames given by friends. You don’t even have friends, Emmera.
I shake my head at myself.
But she’s still smiling through her bruised nose.
And I don’t even mind.
But I’m not writing four thousand words with her at three in the morning, no matter how adorable she makes friendship look.
“Night, Kira.” I flatly give her a look that wipes the happiness from her features. Oh. My face did something. I push the smile back in place, and she hesitantly returns the forced peaceful look. I flop my head back into the fluffy pillow and give up.
This kindness shit is going to take time to get used to, I guess.
* * *
Weeks slip by like that. Kills. Class. Crap.
All of it. Total shit.
Each kill just becomes worse than the last. I’m tired of it. Tired of tracking down supernaturals with depleted power, only to listen to them rambling about things I can’t make any sense of. There’s one name, though, that each of them repeats.
Dr. Hyde.
I wonder who that is, and I’m tempted to ask around, but I don’t. I’m safe here. I should take what I can get. Safety is a good thing. Even if it comes at a price.
Also, no one at the Academy owes me any loyalty, and I’m sure they’ll betray me the first chance they get to the headmistress. Instead, I keep that information to myself and wait until I come across it at some point.
Because I will. I know I will.
As the days blur together, I fall into a comforting routine. I never thought I’d be as brainwashed as the rest of the people here, that I’d enjoy being here in a comfortable bed with no one from the outside hunting me for my body parts. I get paid a nice allowance too. It just gets saved up but someday I’ll use it for something. I’ll build myself a beautiful life with that money.
Someday.
I can almost trick myself into believing that I want this metal attached to my spine, that it’s mostly a normal part of life. That nothing is wrong. I can trick myself into believing that this place is safe.
It’s safe and confusing.
Just like the man sitting at my side on the hard boulder in the middle of the night. Another killing night.
