I left her office alone and just kept walking. It was early morning and very few people were out and about. But I didn’t want to go back to my room. And the boys would be in the cafeteria.
So I went out the door to the lake.
My spot was empty for once, and it saddened me. I missed the slight smell of smoke, and the overwhelming presence of my stranger.
For a moment he made me think of the dragon.
My dragon.
I don’t know why I thought that.
They both had the same presence. The same strength.
So I began walking. I wanted to find his cave and there was a path through the woods. I began to follow. But nothing looked familiar in the daylight, which was ironic. Somehow the darkness was safer.
Cleaner.
More freeing.
Eventually I gave up and turned around, aware I had walked further than anticipated.
But as I walked, I heard voices up ahead.
Male voices.
Shit.
Speak of the devil and the devil appears, Beth used to say.
There, up ahead stretching as if they had just gone for a run, were Ollie, Rod and Vic.
They were laughing about something – I didn’t even care. But their auras swirled. Murky and unpleasant. These were not good people.
I had to get out of here.
“Whoa shit, lookie who it is?” Ollie whooped suddenly, running out to intercept me.
I tried to duck around him but he moved.
“Get out of my way.”
“No.”
“Please,” I seethed.
“Make me.” He sneered.
His friends laughed and started to surround me like I was prey.
“You know you aren’t as ugly as I first thought. I bet under all those baggy clothes there is a banging body,” Ollie said.
“Can we see it?”
Vic laughed.
“Yeah, show us,null,Show us just what we’re dealing with. It’s what you threatened right?”
“That’s right. You humiliated me in counselling. You thought you were so fucking fierce but you had Dev behind you. Whose with you nowNull?”Ollie jeered.
