Chapter 16 Taken
I spent more time with him than I planned, and by the time I returned to school, the sun had already slipped behind the hills. The air was dusky, faintly gold and blue, the kind of light that felt like a secret.
“See you tomorrow, then,” I said, pulling my hand away from his.
He turned to face me, that beautiful, effortless smile resting on his lips, though behind it, I could see something else. Secrets. Shadows. Lies maybe.
“Hope you had a good day with me?” he asked softly.
I nodded once, lowering my gaze. Before I could say anything, I felt his lips brush my forehead, gentle, almost reverent. My breath caught.
“Goodnight,” he whispered.
I forced a smile and watched him leave, his figure fading into the twilight.
Why is he being so kind all of a sudden? So attached. So different. I still find that suspicious.
When I reached my dorm, the hall was unusually quiet, too quiet. The air was cold and still. No laughter. No chatter. Not even the buzzing of flies that usually hovered near the old lights.
Is it that late already?
The silence felt wrong.
Then I saw her.
Sally.
Her skin was pale… too pale, almost white like porcelain. Her eyes were hollow, empty of light, as if she hadn’t slept for days. Her movements were slow, deliberate, like she was counting each step. Her gaze was locked forward, unblinking.
And this wasn’t even her dormitory. I knew that. Sally’s room wasn’t in Isolde Hall.
“Sally?” I called softly, stepping forward. “What are you doing here?”
She didn’t answer, didn’t even flinch. Just kept walking.
“Did you come to see Kaitlyn?” I asked again, but she walked past me like I didn’t exist.
That’s when I heard a faint whisper, though her lips never moved.
“…Ravens are better than people. Ravens are better than people.”
She kept repeating it. Over and over.
Was she sleepwalking?
I stepped in front of her and gently grabbed her shoulders. “Sally. Wake up.”
Her head jerked up, her hollow eyes finally met mine.
Then she laughed.
It wasn’t a normal laugh, it was broken, manic, yet heavy with sadness.
“I… I can’t take it anymore…” she breathed, her voice trembling, panic threading through every word. “The whispers… they want me dead. They want to kill me. I can’t take it anymore!”
She shoved my hand off and stumbled back.
Doors began opening down the hall, other students peeking out, their faces pale under the dim corridor lights.
Sally’s voice echoed down the hallway.
“Sally!” Kaitlyn’s voice came sharp from behind me. She ran forward, grabbing her sister by the arm and pulling her into her chest, holding her tight.
Then she turned to me, eyes blazing. “What did you do to her?” she snapped.
I shook my head quickly. “Nothing! I just saw her sleepwalking…”
Kaitlyn pulled Sally behind her like a shield. “What is she even doing here? You brought her here, didn’t you?” Her voice cracked with fury. “I’ve been watching you stalking Sally since the day she came back!”
“No, I wasn’t!” I argued, my voice rising. “Didn’t you notice…”
“Notice what?” she snapped back, stepping forward. “I don’t want you anywhere near her! We’re not a charity case like you…”
A scream ripped through the hallway, cutting her words in half.
Every head turned.
We ran toward the sound. A girl stood frozen at the balcony, hand covering her mouth in horror.
My stomach twisted. Sally wasn’t with us anymore.
We followed the girl’s gaze, and there she was.
Sally was standing on the balcony ledge.
Three ravens perched on her, two on her shoulders, one at her feet. Their feathers shimmered black under the light, their eyes glinting red.
“Sally!” Kaitlyn screamed, tears already welling. “Sally, don’t do this! Please!”
Then Ms. Connor, the dormitory mistress, burst in with two security guards.
“What’s going on? Stay back,” she ordered sharply. The guards spread their arms, holding us away from the balcony while Ms. Connor stepped forward slowly.
“Sally…” Her voice trembled but stayed gentle. “Please step down from there.”
The air grew cold. The ravens croaked lowly.
“Sally!” Kaitlyn cried again, her voice breaking.
Sally laughed, a haunting, broken sound, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. “It’s the only way to be free…”
Before anyone could move, she tilted backward… and fell.
Kaitlyn screamed, shoving past the guards, reaching out, but it was too late.
Her fingers brushed only empty air.
Sally was gone.