A Shadowlander's Dream: Book Two - Policy of Love
By Kathryn K Williams
Part two - Good-by to Secrets
Chapter Twelve - Happy Birthday???
Jenn and Tanya crossed the academy grounds in silence. The cool wind brushed passed Jenn’s bear knees and she pulled her jacket around her shoulders and wished that she had chosen something warmer then the skirt and blouse, but did not wish to return to the dorm to change. She shoved her hands in her pockets and shivered against the cold.
“Are you alright?” Tanya fretted over the way her friend was acting.
“I’m fine!” Jenn snapped, “Will people stop asking me that.” She growled, irritated by being asked the same question over and over again. She saw Tanya’s face grew long and wished she could take back her words, “I’m sorry.” She apologized with a sigh of dismay, “I don’t know what is wrong with me. Maybe its my period.”
“Most be a killer.” Tanya remarked even more concerned at this news, “You’ve never snapped at people during your period before.”
“You remember what I was like during my period?” Jenn asked, intrigued and panicked that her friends would keep such a close eye on her mood.
Tanya blushed, “Well, we were roomies for several years after all.” She explained simply, hoping that would be the end of that subject. There was a lot of things she knew about Jenn that she did not wish to admit aloud.
“Years?” Jenn was startled by this information. “Wait... when did we move here? Yesterday you said that we were sort of out-patient at this school years ago.”
Tanya let out a sign, “You still don’t remember, huh?” She inquired. “I thought it was coming back to you in the woods?
“Things are still in pieces,” Jenn explained dismally, “The dates and places are still messed up for the most part.” She admitted sheepishly.
“It was not this school that we were out-patients at.” Tanya corrected, “It was another place. We all met there. May, you and Me. I don’t remember much about it other then it being a hellish place that parents sent their kids when they could not deal with their problems.”
“I never realized I had any problems until I woke up here.” Jenn remarked looking at her wrists.
“I think that school caused us most of our problems.” Tanya stated dryly, “I wish I knew were my parents were so I could thank them for messing my mind up.” She said angrily.
“So how did we end up here then?” Jenn asked looking up at the Academy as they walked around the massive structure, “You would think that we’d all be sent to some kind of insane asylum or something and not a private school like this.”
Tanya simply shrugged, “I do not know what we are doing here.“ She confessed, “But I’d rather be here then some asylum.” She noted with a shudder, “I find this place is more like an orphanage of sorts, but I never see any adults around. You came here a long time ago. I remember that you disappeared soon after your mother’s death and I thought I would never see you again until I was sent here a year later. I was happy to see you were living here as well and since we’d known each other for so long they allowed us to room together.” She explained in one breath. “May arrived much later and was rather upset to have missed so many years of your life.”
“So I have been here since I was eleven?” Jenn remarked aloud, “That would make me....?” She tried to add up the years in her mind.
“Seventeen.” Tanya answered, not even surprised that Jenn would be asking a question about her own age.
“Seventeen?!?” Jenn blinked and tried to figure out the math in her head, “How is that possible? Where did the passed year go. She was almost certain that she was younger then that, “Did I dream about being younger? I was remember my sixteenth birthday but not my seventeenth.”
“Time can get warped in a dream.” Tanya returned, “You have only been missing for a few months and yet I bet it feels like a lot longer.” She glanced at Jenn’s wrists, “Do you remember what happened yet?” She inquired nodding down.
Jenn shook her head knowing exactly what the girl was talking about, “I only remember a lot of blood and something to do with a library.” She explained softly.
“I still remember hearing about you cutting yourself. You walked out of the doctors office without Amy being aware before I could visit you.” Tanya commented in astonishment, “Everyone at the school was searching everywhere for you. How did you get stuck in a dream? Kris thinks you entered the woods. Do you think that is where we ended up yesterday?”
Again Jenn shook her head, “No idea.” however the woods suddenly seemed the most plausible answer to her whereabouts the past while. The other day they had only been in the woods a few hours and yet not even an hour had passed at the school. She milled this over as they approached the Eastern Dorms, “Well here we go.” Jenn stated with a deep breath and proceed to enter the building.
******
Cherilyn lay upon her bed with her hands behind her head as she stared at the ceiling. She felt as if her entire world had dissolved around her. She always thought her greatest fear was the Western Wing. With its vine covered brink walls and large dark windows that made the build look more like a dissolute haunted house then a school, the dorms were not much better. Since she first saw the building when she was only ten years of age she had nightmares of it swallowing her alive. Yet as she lay upon her bed she realized there was something she feared more then that building and it was losing Tanya.
When she was twelve when she met Tanya for the first time. At the time she was just another of her dorm mates and spent much of her time with Jenn. Back then Cherilyn did not have many friends. She spent much of her time alone and would eat her lunch on a bench out front of the school, being sure to stay on the Eastern side of the academy grounds. Never really talking to anyone much, not even her roommates. That is until Tanya approached her and asked if it was alright for herself, Kris and Jenn to join Cherilyn for lunch on the bench. Wether it was because there was no were else better to sit or because Tanya truly wanted to get to know Cherilyn, she will never know, however she quickly became friends with both girls and this encounter helped Cherilyn open up a lot more to the other kids in the dorm.
Cherilyn could not remember when she first noticed her heart being pulled towards Tanya. At first it was only a small crush but she knew that Tanya had a huge crush on Jenn. The fact that Jenn was deeply in love with Kris gave Cherilyn a slight comfort in knowing that she would not be losing her new friend to another so easily. She would sometimes watch Jenn and Kris curled up under a tree, giggling and laughing, and wished she could do the same with Tanya. However as Cherilyn’s feelings for the girl grew she could feel the Western Wing looming ever so much closer. This made her fear confessing to the girl, terrified that she would end up transferred to that infernal building. That is until the other day. Was it a mistake to confess her love to Tanya? To kiss her like that? Did Cherilyn doom herself the moment she gave in to her desires? What ever the reason, Tanya ran into the woods that night and for the first time Cherilyn realized that she could not live without the girl. She had no right blaming Tanya for her running off for it was her decision to go after her friend. She knew very well that by entering those woods she was testing fate and fate has told her that she is to stay at Tanya’s side. Even if it is in that accursed dorm.
Cherilyn sat up on her bed and looked upon the pile of empty boxes that had been left for her by the Eastern Dorm head before everyone ran off to school. A sudden determined strength filled Cherilyn’s heart and she crossed the room to pick up one of the boxes. If fate was telling her that she belonged with Tanya then maybe she should stop fighting it. She was beginning to fill the box with her text books and began to think of how she would apologize to Tanya for the nasty things she said.
“Need any help?” Someone asked from the door.
Cherilyn spun around to see Jenn standing at the door looking at the pile of boxes, “Jennifer?!?” She was startled to see the girl standing before her.
Jenn entered the room and picked up one of the boxes, “Tanya told me that you were upset over the move so I came to see if I could help out only to find you already packing.” Jenn stated with a bewildered look upon her face.
Cherilyn lowered her head and turning back to her packing, “How much did she tell you?” She inquired, fearful of the answer.
“Only that you think that we are perverted and disgusting vampires that are out to suck your soul.” Jenn remarked cooly setting the box on Cherilyn’s bed and glaring at the girl.
“I never said you were Vampires!” Cherilyn protested, staring at the girl in shock that Jenn would even believe that she would say such a thing..
“So you do think we are perverted and disgusting?” Jenn inquired still eyeing the girl.
Cherilyn dropped more the books the box and sighed, “I wish I never opened my mouth.” Cherilyn replied dismally, “You all probably hates me now. Tanya the most.”
“I’m used to being insulted. Tanya, however is hurt, that is for sure.” Jenn sat upon the bed and glanced around the room, “These rooms don’t look much different from ours in the Western Dorms. What is it you are so afraid of?” She inquired eager to help her friend get over her fear of the Western side of the grounds.
“You saw the woods.” Cherilyn replied shakily as she recalled the nightmares within, “I keep having nightmares that that side of the school is just like the woods. Filled with unknown creatures and nightmarish things. I’ve heard that ghosts live within the halls of the Western Dorms.” She opened a desk draw and began added the contents to the box.
“Not that I’ve seen.” Jenn thought for a moment and decided not to mention Kima. She eyed the girl’s packing, “So tell me, if you are so set on not going to the West Wing then why are you packing?”
Cherilyn stopped what she was doing and set a hand upon the corner of the box, “Because I can’t live without her.” Cherilyn remarked helplessly, “If she is determined to move to that place then I will follow. It will be fine as long as I’m with her.”
“That is good to hear.” Tanya announced from the door, “Because I got us a room together.” She stated with a weak smile.
Cherilyn turned to face her friend with a dumbfounded expression upon her face, “You what?” Cherilyn stared at Tanya in disbelief, “But why?” She asked, perplexed by what she was hearing.
“Because I knew you would not want to room with anyone else.” Tanya remarked gloomily, “and...because... I need you too.” She finally admitted.
Cherilyn staggered across the room, tears pooling up in her eyes, “Oh Tanya!!” She wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her tightly, “I thought I’d lost you for sure.” She stated with a sob, “I... I’ve loved you for so long... and just... just when I get up the strength to tell you... you ran off on me.” Cherilyn stammered, “Don’t ever leave me again.” She demanded.
“Never.” Tanya promised and returned the hug then pulled back, “Let’s get packed and go to our new home.”
Cherilyn nodded while wiping at her tears, “I’ll go anywhere with you.” She remarked with a smile.
Jenn grinned at the two girl as she watched them hug each other again before gathering up some boxes and started discussing what should be packed first. Maybe Natalie was wrong and there can happy endings at Whispering Hills.
“Are you going to just sit there smiling at us or are you going to help?” Tanya requested, tossing a box at her friend, who caught it.
“Where can I help?” Jenn requested spinning the box between her hands and joined in the packing.
*****
To be Continued . . .
*****
Note: The world of the shadowlands, Its stories, Characters and ideas are a copyright of Kathryn K Williams.
This story is based upon my manga of the same name. If you wish visit my site and see some of the art based on this series at http://www.KatAndNekoManga.ca
Also if you spot any typos or other errors please contact me at Kathryn@KatAndNekoManga.ca
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