Sit Down, Girl

 

 

Outside, the night air was crisp and cool. Lights were on throughout the main house. I came around the house and entered through the front door as if I had just gotten home. The idea of going straight up to my room and attempting to ignore the fact that I had been questioned by the police was pretty inviting, but in the end, I decided it was better to face Mrs. Shadowford and get the whole thing over with.

 

I walked to the door to her suite of rooms feeling like it was a walk to my own execution. How long would it take Mrs. Meeks to arrange a spot for me at the juvenile detention center? A day? An hour?

 

I knocked on the thick wooden door and waited.

 

“Yes?” Mrs. Shadowford's voice was muffled.

 

I leaned close to the door. “It's Harper.”

 

“Come in,” she said. She didn't sound excited to have me back, and for the first time, I realized it was strange that no one from Shadowford had come to the police station to support me. Shouldn't someone have come for me? After all, these people were my guardians.

 

A sickening dread entered my heart as I opened the door and crossed over the threshold over her office. I hadn't been in that room since my first day at Shadowford. It seemed darker in here than any of the other rooms in the house. And colder.

 

Mrs. Shadowford sat behind her desk. She looked up as I entered, her face stern, lips pursed.

 

“I didn't hear a car drive up,” she said. “Who brought you home?”

 

“Officer Ellis dropped me off.” I didn't explain further.

 

She eyed me curiously. “The Mayor called me. She told me about what you had to go through today, and I'm terribly sorry they put you through all that for nothing. I told her it's obvious you weren't involved in the death of that poor girl. But I do wonder how she got hold of that necklace of yours.” I stood and stared at her, unsure how I was expected to respond. I certainly had no idea how Tori got my necklace.

 

“Sit down, girl. Don't stand there staring at me like no one ever taught you any manners.” I sat across from her in a burgundy leather chair. Its seat was cracked and worn, and the springs inside squeaked as I sat down. “Are you going to kick me out of Shadowford?” I asked.

 

“Did you do something wrong?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

 

“No. But I thought-” “If you didn't break any rules, then I don't see a need to let you go,” she said. “Calm down, girl, and have some water. You look like you're about to pass out.”

 

She had an ivory teacup on the desk in front of her and filled it with water from an open water bottle in her desk. She pushed the cup toward me and nodded expectantly. With trembling hands, I took the cup and raised it to my lips. The water tasted sweet and smelled faintly like rose-petals. I took only a slight sip, then set the cup down.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Fine, fine,” she said. “I'm sure you're exhausted after such a tough day. Why don't you go on upstairs and get ready for bed. We can talk about this in the morning. It's possible the authorities will want to talk to you again, but I feel confident that they have ruled you out as a suspect.” Her words weren't comforting. There was an impersonal edge to her voice that made me feel uneasy.

 

I managed to avoid the other girls on the way up to my room. As soon as I was closed inside, I wedged my shoe under the door and went into the bathroom to wash my face. I let the water run in the sink until it was hot and steam poured into the room. I was so tired all of a sudden. My legs felt like jelly and the light was brighter than I remembered it. Shaking it off as best I could, I leaned down to splash water on my face. When I came up, the world went fuzzy.

 

I steadied myself against the sink and closed my eyes. I was just tired, that was all. It had been a long day. An emotional day. I just needed some sleep. But when I opened my eyes again, my vision was worse. I could barely make out my own image in the mirror. I reached over and rubbed at it with my hand, wiping away the steam, but I lost my balance and stumbled backward against the wall.

 

Panic seized me as my legs gave out. I fell to the floor. My face smacked against the cold, hard tile. My eyelids were so heavy. I fought it as hard as I could, but the darkness won out, pulling me into its arms and dragging me under.