Enchanted High Book I

June was awoken early next morning at the sound of a bird chirping loudly nearby.

Everyone else was outside; she could smell the delicious aroma of the breakfast sizzling. Looks like they decided to go hunting, she thought as she stepped out of the tent. Indeed, Nicole, James and Dominic were outside roasting something over a fire.

‘Good morn – ’ Nicole stopped short and dropped the container that she was holding; the sound of the plastic hitting the rock below echoed in the distance, making it seem louder than it actually was. A flock of birds quickly evacuated from nearby trees.

‘What?’

′June!′ Nicole was the first to yell. ’Your hair! What did you do?′

‘N-Nothing ...’ June pulled a lock of hair to her eyes and gasped, frowning quizzically. The hair she saw wasn’t her own; the hair she saw now was red – bright, blooming red the color of a fresh rose. Her heart raced, looking up at the others. ‘What is this?’ she asked them, as if they would know the answer.

Nicole jerked her finger at James and Dominic. ‘Did you two do something?’

They shook their heads vigorously.

Nicole stormed into the tent. A few moments later she emerged with the walkie-talkie, speaking into it.

Charlie sounded concerned. ‘I – I don’t know what happened.’ He paused. ‘Did you eat a berry from one of the plants?’

‘No.’

Silence.

‘How do I change it back?’ June asked.

‘I – I don’t know, I really don’t.’

‘Can’t you look in the library for an antidote then?’ Nicole asked. ’There must be something there, a recipe or instructions maybe?

‘I’ll try, Cazoom might know what to do,’ Charlie said. ‘In the meantime, you all get moving. Keep following the stream – I mean river.’

‘Fine,’ Nicole said and switched the walkie-talkie off. She turned her attention to June.

June bit her lip uncomfortably. ‘Don’t stare.’

Nicole coughed and casually returned to the fire. James and Dominic did so too. June watched them, and then returned to the tent. She looked at herself in a small pocket mirror. It didn’t look that bad, she thought. It flowed around her shoulders, a beautiful red that was not natural for hair. Sighing, she tied her hair in a ponytail and covered it with a hat.

‘Hunger Helper ... Hairy Palm, Hairy Cheeks ...’ Charlie was reading out the list of diseases from a library book. ‘Aha! Hair Defects!’

James kicked a pebble aside inattentively whilst Nicole walked around a big bush with bright orange and black berries which looked poisonous. Dominic was at the front, carrying the backpack. June had walkie-talkie listening intently for a cure. The sky was covered in clouds; they were once again in a canyon of rocks, following the river that flowed through it.

‘So,’ Charlie began, ‘what symptoms did you go through the previous day?’

June thought. ‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘Nothing at all.’

‘Uh-huh ... okay,’ Charlie replied. ‘According to this, you are suffering from a change of hair color ...’

Nicole snorted and gasped sarcastically. ‘Oh really, we had no idea.’

Charlie ignored her sarcasm. ‘It says here that it will eventually wear off and return to your original color.’

June stared ahead; for as far as she could see, the river flowed. ‘How long will it take?’

‘Two or three days,’ Charlie said. ‘Depending on how close the color is to your original hair color.’

June thought about the red underneath her hat and frowned. It was nothing close to her original hair color, so she guessed that it would take a little longer to wear off.

‘Anyways,’ they heard Charlie snap the book shut. ‘Describe the surroundings for me.’

June looked around. ‘There are a lot of weird plants, I think we just passed a waterfall and, well, it looks like it’s going to rain.’

‘Rain? At a fire manipulators’ habitat?′ Charlie laughed. ‘Don’t be absurd! It never rains where they live –’

‘Hey,’ Dominic, who was leading, frowned deeply, pointing to the side. ‘Isn’t this the exact same cave we passed yesterday?’

They followed his gaze; Yes, June realized. It was the cave that Charlie had told them to skip the previous day.

‘The same cave?’ Charlie asked.

‘Yes, I’m positive it is.’

‘It can’t be!’ Charlie said. ‘Have you been travelling backwards?’

‘Come to think of it,’ James began. ‘Dominic hadn’t checked the direction when we left the campsite. For all I know, we probably did go back to where we came from.’ The look in his eyes was frightening. ’We just wasted a whole day because of you!′

‘Don’t shout at me,’ Dominic shot back angrily. ’Who says I have to check the direction every time?′

‘Because you always do.’

‘And what do you do, huh?’ Dominic said, gritting his teeth. ‘Scream every night whenever you have a bad dream! Or maybe you could visit the library and get possessed, so we could be dumped into this mess again!’ He swore.

Silence greeted his words. June and Nicole knew that Dominic had stepped over the line when he said that because James stood in a stiff and intense silence, his eyes flaring, his jaw set.

‘James, just calm –’ June began but James so suddenly banged his clenched fists into Dominic’s face, making him fall to the ground.

‘James!’ Nicole yelled.

Dominic’s back was against the rock wall, he wiped his bleeding lip. Then without warning, he stampeded towards James and knocked him to the floor. James pushed him off with yet another punch which resulted in a bleeding nose for Dominic.

Nicole shuffled her feet nervously. ‘Stop!’

Dominic had swung his fists at James’s head and punched him in the jaw. James now had a bleeding nose too and a bruised eye. Dominic began igniting flames on the palm of his hand and aiming to throw it at James. He threw the first one; James rolled over and escaped. Dominic threw another and it hit James’s shoe; he was forced to take it off and throw it into the river. Dominic threw a third fire ball, which hit James’s arm. He shrieked to the ground in pain, clutching his burnt arm.

‘STOP! BOTH OF YOU!’ June screamed this time. And to everyone’s surprise, they obeyed.

James licked his bloody lips. Dominic looked at James threateningly but did and said nothing. June walked over to Dominic, grabbing the first aid kit from the backpack.

‘No,’ he began. ‘I’ll do it myself –’

‘Sit.’ She said sternly. He obliged.

Nicole got the message and unfolded the tent.

Nicole and Dominic were seated outside while June was inside the tent with James, treating his wounds. He lay on his inflatable bed; she sat beside him, applying the Burn Relief on his foot and arm. She didn’t utter a single word; her lips were pursed, her fingers running across his hand none too gently.

‘Ow!’ James said; the tonic stung his arm.

But June continued, aggressively.

‘Ow!’

June ignored.

’I said Ow! Be gentle!′ He pulled his hand away.

June paused frowning. She watched him look at his arm, the spot that was burnt, and she tapped her feet impatiently. There was something about him – she didn’t know what – that couldn’t make her remain angry at him, something that only drew her closer. But she didn’t want to acknowledge it.

He looked at her. ‘I didn’t know I was so flammable.’ He paused, but June didn’t reply. ‘Are you going to do my nose too?’

His nose looked bad; bruised. But not in need of treatment. ‘No,’ she said.

‘But I think I need a plaster,’ he argued. ‘It’s bleeding – see.’

June frowned, there was no blood. But for the sake of his peace, she retrieved a plaster and handed it to him. ‘Put this.’

He took it from her hand, and attempted to open it, but with great difficulty. He looked at June, plead in his eyes. His burnt hand didn’t do much beside hurt. ‘Ow,’ he strained his arm.

June snatched the tape from his hand and sat beside him, applying the tape to the bridge of his nose. James lay quietly, watching as her fingertips brushed slightly over his skin. He watched her, her hair hidden behind the material of her hat, watched her every expression, every move that her eyes made. Then he could feel no more pain; his burnt hand and broken nose was forgotten – all he felt was elation, happiness and peacefulness. As long as he were near her, he was in well condition.

He wanted to say something, to make the moment less awkward for her. ‘I met a mermaid in the morning.’ He began softly.

June sighed. Her gaze briefly landed on him; his thin hair branching outwards untidily, but quickly she looked away; she knew he was good in Sorcery and he could be casting a spell on her at that very moment. She hastily stood and placed the medicines back into the first aid kit. As she did so, a strong wind swirled into the tent and blew her hat off her head right into James’s face.

He lay on the bed, his good arm reaching to remove the hat. She stood, her hair now uncovered, was the brightest thing in the tent. He wondered why she was hiding it; she looked like a flower – a precious ruby.

‘Wow,’ he breathed.

She bit her lip. She stormed towards James to retrieve her hat but as she reached to take it, he pulled it further away, slightly out of her reach.

She frowned. ‘What are doing?’

He savored the moment – every second with her was precious – before he could reply. ‘Don’t put the hat back on.’

She shook her head, ignoring him and reached for the hat again – and again James pulled it way to the other side, placing tension on his burnt arm. He groaned.

June gritted her teeth. ‘You’re in pain. Forget whatever games you’re playing and give my hat back.’

James grinned; he watched her eyebrows join in a frown, her lips pressed together. ‘Nope.’

She groaned irritably; taking deep breathes; what is he doing? She thought. She eyed the hat in his hand, and quickly, unexpectedly, she snatched it back. She held the hat above her head, smiling smugly.

James laughed childishly; it made June want to laugh too at how stupid they were behaving. He lifted his body to a stand and walked to her, limping slightly. June wasn’t sure what was wrong with his leg; he must have been faking it to get her sympathy.

‘Look there,’ he pointed at the roof. Instinctively, June looked at the direction he was pointing; but she regretted it – the trick. James snatched the hat back, laughing.

June stared at him blankly, getting angrier by the second. ‘Enough games, James!’ she said.

‘Hey – that rhymes; good one,’ he winked.

June glared at him. ‘Give it back.’

‘You’ll have to catch me ...’ He ran out of the tent, his limp gone miraculously, waving June’s hat in his good arm behind him.

She followed him out of the tent, refusing to chase him like he wanted her to do. She watched him jump over a small bend in the river, standing at the other side, making a mocking face.

‘What’s going on?’ Nicole looked at James, her eyebrows arched in surprise.

‘James is acting like a child,’ June told her. ‘He’s got my hat.’

Nicole and Dominic both broke into raucous laughter as James stuck out his tongue, waving the hat at her. June gritted her teeth, refusing to play along.

Dinner commenced silently between the four.

They were sitting outside in the cool night, having a late supper of fish that Dominic caught from the river, after deciding that they were bored with the sandwiches that Charlie sent them. James had June’s hat hidden somewhere and she was forced to keep her hair in a ponytail, blaring red. The others laughed as if it was a joke, James would even giggle a little, and June would shoot him an angry glare.

‘June,’ said Nicole. ‘Don’t be stubborn; come on have a little fun ...’

June didn’t reply. She completed her meal in silence and walked into the tent, disappearing behind the white. I’m not being stubborn, she told herself; I’m not. James was being an idiot.

Outside, James collected the last pieces of his meal and draining his cup of water. He reached into his back pocket, retrieving the soft woolen hat. ‘I think I should give this to her now,’ he told the others.

‘I think so too,’ Nicole agreed.

James entered the tent quietly, tip toeing into the darkness. He found June lying on her bed, facing the other way; she was probably still angry at him. He thought of giving it back to her in the morning, when she was awake; he didn’t want to snap her out of her dreams.

He was just about to leave when she flipped over, elevating herself on her elbows, watching James standing at the entrance unknowingly.

For moments they stared at each other through the dim light.

‘Look I’m sorry,’ James said. ‘I was just playing with you. Here,’ he tossed the hat to her. June caught it and put it on over her ponytail immediately. ‘But red hair suits you too you know,’ he continued as he exited the tent. ‘Goodnight.’ And he disappeared.

The roof was all gold and white and silver. But brighter amongst all the lights was June; walking towards him in a gleaming dress that seemed to shimmer, changing color as she took each graceful, elegant step. He stood at the bottom of the staircase, reaching out a hand which she took – her skin was soft, smooth.

They didn’t speak a word; she wrapped an arm around his elbow as he led her through the crowd that they hardly noticed. They reached a round table, below a chandelier that looked like it hung from heaven. They seated themselves opposite each other, a thin and tall glass filled with gems and a single rose stood at the center.

And June began laughing hysterically – it must have been something he said, or done, he didn’t know – but he laughed along anyway. She had reached for her glass of cold liquid, and unexpectedly – it was thrown into his face with a cold splash –

Something was trickling down his neck. For a moment he thought he was back in his nightmare, drowning. Then a bucket of ice cold water fell into his face, spreading all over his body, making him shiver and snap awake.

James woke with a start and looked up into a smug smiling face, her palms dripping lightly with water.

‘Good morning,’ said June, grinning. She looked down at her hand; the droplets vanished in between the lines of her palm.

James blinked, sitting upright. He wiped his wet face, shaking his head to dry the water from his hair. ‘What did you do that for?’

‘Oh, you know,’ she said, ‘just a little payback for taking my hat yesterday ... Nicole was right; I should have a little fun.’

He scowled. ‘But I gave you back the hat!’

June laughed. ‘What? Are you gonna chase me? Take my hat?’ she raised an eyebrow.

James ran a hand through his hair, sighing. ‘You know what, maybe that was funny... for you...’ he admitted, lifting himself to a stand. ‘But you better sleep with one eye open tonight.’

June grinned and followed him out of the tent. Outside, Nicole and Dominic were having breakfast; back to the sandwiches that they received from Charlie. As soon as they joined them, Dominic looked up at James’s wet body, and chuckled. James shook his head, glancing at June before he returned into the tent.

Tuesday morning found June, Nicole, James and Dominic walking on the rocky surface of Flaming Pearl hot springs. The weather was really cloudy; it felt as if it would rain any moment, despite Charlie’s constant declarations that it never rained there. Dominic led the way, closely followed by the others, holding the walkie-talkie in his hand.

They walked through the forest, past unrecognizable vegetation. It reminded June of Audrey’s herb garden back at home, for some reason. It grew right outside June’s bedroom window, so that every morning when she would wake up, the first thing she would smell were the herbs.

Lost in her thoughts, she slammed into Dominic’s back, but he was concentrated on something else, his eyes closed hopefully, his finger pointing to the side.

‘Please,’ he said, ‘tell me this is a different cave?’

‘No,’ June said thoughtfully. She peered into the familiar darkness, intrigued. ‘It’s the same cave we’ve passed twice before.’

James turned to Dominic. ‘Did you check the direction?’ he asked.

Dominic cast him a sideways glance. ‘Don’t start again, mate.’

June looked at the direction from where they came from. No; they hadn’t passed this way before – it must be a different cave. She was about to step inside, when Nicole grabbed her hand, holding her back.

‘Wait,’ she said. ‘Don’t you think we should check with Charlie first? Before we just step in like that?’

‘For what?’

Nicole breathed deeply, fidgeting with her fingers. ‘Maybe he can detect what’s in there,’ without further explanation, she snatched the walkie-talkie from Dominic and spoke into it. ‘Charlie?’

They waited moments until a reply came. ‘Yes?’

‘We are at an entrance,’ Nicole began. ‘It’s an opening; a cave – we think it’s the same one as before.’

‘Nonsense,’ said Charlie. ‘Forget the cave; continue walking through forest – my computer is picking up a powerful source somewhere near James.’

They all glanced at James, leaning against the rocks beside the entrance. He shrugged. ‘It’s the cave,’ he jerked his thumb sideways.

‘Maybe it’s a welcoming sign,’ said Dominic. He took several steps towards the cave, reaching his hand out. ‘It wants us to enter ...’ with a single step in, he was gone.

The others stared, breathes held, waiting for his reply. They heard footsteps; Dominic’s shoes crunching on stones, and then of splashing water; he sounded as if he was walking through a shallow pond or something.

‘Dominic?’ Nicole called, shining her torch at the dark; it didn’t make a difference. All anyone could see from the outside was black.

June walked slowly, closer to the entrance. It was silent. ‘Dominic –’ suddenly a hand grabbed her by the wrist, cutting her short and pulling her in seconds.

June stood, prepared to face anything. But she looked up at Dominic, grinning madly.

Although it was still dark, there was a small gap in the rocky roof that shed some light. There were cave paintings, drawn on the rocks with charcoal, mostly of people and mermaids at war. The floor was a little damp; rain must have leaked through the gap in the roof, and there were a few rat skulls here and there. It smelled old; of rotting flesh with a mixture of something oddly pleasant.

′Wow...′ she whispered. Dominic was staring at the caved roof; there were more paintings strewn across it.

‘June?’ It was Nicole’s voice from the other side.

The next moment, Nicole and James entered the cave and were staring all over.

Nicole shook her foot from a puddle of water.

‘Look at these paintings –’ Dominic clicked his fingers, his flame casting light on the rocks.

They were staring at an illustration of a woman, her face buried in her hands, crying. Two men held her comfortingly, looking further away, where a house stood, unsteadily, with soaring black flames around it.

‘Hey that’s –’ James traced his finger around the burning house. ‘It’s the Flaming Pearl legend.’

Yes, June agreed. It wasn’t a surprise either – someone painting the legend here. But why? Or rather who? Was it the people in the legend themselves? If it wasn’t – then who else visited the place before them, stumbling upon this cave?

‘Over here,’ Nicole’s voice echoed from the left. They all gathered around her, watching over her shoulder as she flipped pages of a delicate old book, even more ancient looking than most of the books they had in the Enchanted High library.

She gasped, her eyes racing over each word. It looked like someone’s handwriting, curvy and spidery. ‘This is an archeologists’ diary!′ she exclaimed. ‘Someone’s been here before us and he took notes ... look –’

She stopped flipping the pages and began reading.

′September 1813,′ she read. ′A huge storm has forced me to seek shelter when I found this cave. I had passed it many times before, completely ignoring it for I had no interest – I seek something else. But now that I am in here, I have made an amazing discovery ... a discovery I will be known for years, centuries, millennia, giving that I survive.′ She looked up, eyes wide.

‘Well, go on,’ June urged her.

She continued. ′I have heard of many stories about this place which may have encouraged my journey here. Although I never really thought any were true, giving that I lived in a place where no such things existed and it was difficult for me to fall for such stories, I do regret that now. For this cave holds a great to ...′ she trailed to a stop.

Nicole looked at them, her eyes sparkled. ‘That’s all there is.’ She held up the book; the other pages were blank; faded.

June frowned. Everything was just leading them to more riddles, more unnecessary events that took place years ago. She wondered if all this, the legend, this cave, this mysterious discovery, had anything to do with Xavier’s plans. It felt highly unlikely. She looked up; Nicole, James and Dominic were staring around, probably also thinking the same thing. ’What does this cave hold?′ she asked them.

Nicole shrugged. ‘How am I supposed to know? Everything is leading to everything. It’s like we’re climbing up a tree – the bigger stuff is just branching out into smaller details. We’re students, and we shouldn’t be doing this – this work meant for Treatonhaven’s spies! We should be studying and –’

‘Quit babbling, Nicole.’ Said Dominic.

Nicole glared at him, but her attention caught something else.

Dominic was staring rigid faced at a golden plaque on the wall. Nicole snorted angrily, but went up to him anyway. The others gathered around him now, all staring at the same thing. The plaque bared only a few words. A few words which instantly sent shivers down their spine.

‘Linasia Armordle,’ June was the bravest to say it out loud, ‘our love.’

Silence.

Junes mind raced. Linasia, Linasia, Linasia ... it rang in her head like a bell. What did she learn in History class the very first day? Her name was Linasia; she was not royalty ... that was Lincoln’s words. That was the woman that Xavier loved ... suddenly everything connected at once, like a plug.

James was frowning. ‘But that doesn’t make sense. Linasia is all the way there – and we’re all the way here, with this Flaming Pearl legend business. Its two completely different stories. It doesn’t make sense.’

‘Maybe it does.’

The other three frowned at June. ‘How?’ they chorused.

June inhaled deeply and began to explain her theory. ‘We all know Linasia refused to marry Xavier. And he got angry – frustrated – he refused to believe that he had been rejected. Right?’

They nodded.

‘We also know that Xavier vowed to take revenge – but maybe – just maybe – he did something to Linasia’s father ...’ she gave a meaningful look to them, ‘he cursed her father’s life into a pearl ...’

At first, they didn’t seem to get it, but suddenly, their intuition made the connection, and James sprang up excitedly. ‘So, Linasia is the girl with the red hair in the legend?’

June nodded. ‘At least; that’s what I think. Just remember; it’s only a theory.’

‘Right,’ said Nicole.

‘There’s another here,’ Dominic said. ‘Another plaque – come see.’ He walked across them and shone his flame over the plaque which read –

‘Wedlock Till, my last friend.’

That’s probably one of the men from the legend, June thought; the Flaming Pearl legend. She looked around, and for the first time since she entered, she observed the floor with interest. Scattered across the sides near the wall, just beneath the plaque, were thin, decayed objects – bones. Again, her mind clicked everything into place automatically.

‘There’s a third person,’ she said, suddenly realizing an eerie presence.

‘No, June,’ said Nicole, ‘there are four of us here actually.’

June looked at her; she looked worried, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

‘A third person?’ James asked. ‘Where?’

‘There,’ June pointed to the far end of the cave, away from them, where her eyes were all this time.

A skeleton lay there.

Nicole screamed, retreating several steps.

June continued. ‘Three people ... one of whom is woman and the two men that loved her; the last man buried Linasia and his friend, Wedlock Till, here, in this cave, when they died. And there was nobody to do that when this last person died, so that’s probably his remains.’

Dominic nodded and held his hand over another spot so that it was illuminated with his flame. ‘Wait there’s one more here ...’ He dusted off some sand and uncovered more words. ′The Flaming Pearl Legend,′ he read. ′A curse has been casted upon this cave to protect it from strangers, if two men and a woman are found nearby, irrespective of their age; the legend will repeat itself in the most disastrous ways.′

Everyone stood panic stricken, thinking the same horrible thought.

James whistled. ‘My first curse,’ he said. ‘never thought it would be like this.’

Nicole gulped. ‘So, that’s why your hair turned red –’ she clutched her face.

Dominic looked at James apologetically. ‘It also explains why I had the urge to burn you to ashes.’

James’s expression was nonplussed. ′My first curse.′

Dominic retrieved the walkie-talkie and spoke into it. ‘Charlie?’ He waited a few seconds before switching it off again; all they could here was static. ‘There’s no signal,’ he said. ‘I think we should get out of here.’

‘Then it means that the archeologist’s discovery was the tomb?’

Nicole, June, Dominic and James were explaining the scenario at the cave to Charlie from the comfort of their tent later that night. The night was hot and cloudless; stars shone in every direction. The walkie-talkie was being held firmly in Dominic’s hand.

’Yes, technically that could be it because the last two words were ‘T’ and ‘O’, and we found buried bodies there. So our best possible conclusion is a tomb,′ Dominic replied. ‘And now, because of that curse, June and Linasia share the same hair color.’

Silence. June looked at the others; Dominic looked sleepy, like he could fall right there and doze into a nap. Nicole still looked worried, tapping her fingers just to occupy herself. James looked tired too, but alert, like he thought that something would jump out of the darkness and attack them. June couldn’t blame him after that experience in the desert.

‘I think you should return home immediately,’ Charlie said. ‘I’ll make you some hot chocolate, I don’t want you four to stay there another night. And even if you continue, you’ll will just end up in the same place again. I think we’re running in circles there.’

There was no argument. Everyone wanted to return to their dorm rooms; personally, June wanted to eat a good meal. Dominic switched the walkie-talkie off. Nicole yawned.

‘I guess that’s it then,’ James said. ‘There’s no tree here.’

Everyone nodded. They all began folding the tent into its portable form, packing up everything inside and preparing to leave. They stood in a circle, glancing around, June rather reluctantly. She had high hopes for the place, for finding the tree there.

‘Ready?’ Dominic began.

‘Ready,’ the others nodded.

June thought of the office; the grey sofa, Charlie, the cool grey walls ... and she felt the familiar whizz in her body, light at front, darkness behind – and next moment she landed on something.

She opened her eyes and saw a large face, inches from her own.

‘Hello,’ said James.

June had fallen on top of him.

‘Oh sorry,’ she hastily got herself to her feet. Nicole and Dominic landed on either side, each toppling over to the ground.

Charlie laughed. ‘You need to work on your landing, can’t make an entrance like that. Here – as I promised.’ He gestured to the four mugs of steaming hot chocolate. The group each took one and sipped.

Charlie turned to June. ‘Let me see your hair now.’

June removed her hat and untied her ponytail. A stream of flaming red hair showered to her shoulders.

‘Whoa,’ Charlie gasped, rubbing his eyes. ‘It is bright.’

‘I told you,’ June said, wrapping it back into a pony. ‘But why hasn’t it worn off yet? We’re miles away from the hot springs.’

‘It’ll take time,’ Charlie said.

June looked at herself in the mirror. Her reflection warped and flickered – and then she found herself looking at a frightened woman, clutching a spherical bundle of cloth. Lightning flashed behind her. She looked exactly like June – red hair and all.

Tears were rolling down her eyes. ‘Help me.’

June blinked.

‘Why don’t you four go up to your dorms now, eh? It’s late.’ Charlie was saying. Before June knew it, she was ushered out the door.

I’ve only ever been to my boss’s room once before. She’s never allowed anyone there again. It’s very empty. The walls, the ceiling - everything is white. And there’s no furniture besides a single bed with white sheets, and an empty fishtank. Well, the fishtank is filled with water - she says fishes are not meant to be caged up, but she says she just likes the way the water is reflects the sun’s rays and lights up her room.

And then she’s also got the plant sprouting from the tank. On certain nights, I can see the glow of it from under the door.

--THUG.