Two hours before dawn, Sister Olivia was at last lowered to the floor. Her body was etched with cuts from head to toe and she was wallowing in a puddle of blood and semen. Her glasses were broken, her eyes blank. Xavier stood over her, tired and satisfied. He put his foot on her head, pushing down as if to crush her skull. “How does it feel to be broken? To be powerless? I’m going to make sure you never forget it.”
Sister Olivia bolted up in bed, sobbing and drenched in sweat. She looked around wildly, expecting to see the church. She was in her bedroom, still wearing the same underwear and nightgown she had worn to bed, and there wasn’t a single cut on her body. She grasped her crucifix on her bedside table and began feverishly praying, asking God to protect her from whatever evil had evoked the worst nightmare of her life.
For the rest of the day, Sister Olivia was unable to face her class, but it was Xavier she was the most terrified of. She knew it had just been a bad dream, but it had scared her to the point where she couldn’t look at other students, even classes that Xavier wasn’t in. But in truth, what had happened to her had been real, and just as he had done to Sophie time and time again, he had simply removed all traces of her torture. The only difference was that he hadn’t erased her memories of the night, leaving her with no choice but believe that everything had just been a terrible nightmare.
Chapter 7
The panel broke free of the ceiling and struck a student, the corner cutting him from his temple to the middle of his forehead and sending blood pouring onto the floor. Everyone in the hallway was either left petrified or frantic, hearing the crash and the cry of pain. Thane was there, still taking pictures of the school and now finding something to photograph. This was no coincidence. In the crowd, Daphne licked her lips in sadistic ecstasy. She had dreamed of having power like this since she was a little girl, the power to cause havoc and inflict harm. She could feel it bubbling within her, the Antichrist’s energy, like a fetus developing in her womb. Down the hall, Thane raised his camera above his head and snapped a picture, and once it was developed, he would see a dark figure amongst the students, unidentifiable but unmistakable.
This was the second accident today, but the only that the school would pay attention to. It was time to move on, and she knew exactly who to victimize.
Screaming and clutching her hand, Helena fell off her stool with the whole class watching. She was in Chemistry, doing a group experiment with the other students at the table, when the glass beaker atop the hotplate had suddenly shattered and sprayed her hand with boiling water. With her skin molting into stinging blisters, Helena tried to look through her tears as the teacher rushed to her aid. While all the students in class were whispering amongst themselves, Daphne sat in the back of the room, trying to hold in her laugh as black sparks crackled around her fingertips.
Nearly delirious from the pain of her burns and trying not to cry, Helena staggered into the infirmary with the help of the teacher. Seeing the state of the student, the school nurse bolted up from her desk.
“Sister Ellie, Ms. O’Connor has been badly burned!” the teacher exclaimed.
The nurse hurriedly began applying burn ointment to Helena’s hand, making her gasp in relief. Just the feel of the cool cream sent shivers up her spine from the decimation of her agony, but the pain was still intense. As the nun began wrapping her in bandages, she looked around at the row of beds in the student ward next door. There was only one other student there, currently asleep on a cot, but her sleeping face hit Helena like a punch to the gut.
“Sophie!”
Pulling herself away from the nun, she ran through the small auditorium to her unconscious roommate, leaving beyond a trail of ointment-soaked bandages. She grasped Sophie’s hand with both of hers, wincing from the agitation of her burns. “Sophie! Sophie! Are you ok? Wake up!”
Sophie stirred slightly but didn’t open her eyes.
Sister Ellie strode over and gently pulled her away. “She just fainted, she’ll be fine. We’re going to have her sleep here tonight so we can keep an eye on her. Come on, we need to finish bandaging your hand.”
Helena reluctantly let go of Sophie and returned to the office so that her hand could be wrapped up. As the end of the cotton line was taped, the entrance to the infirmary opened and Xavier limped in. Seeing him, Helena’s hair nearly stood on end from her rage. Had he done this? Had he done this to her and Sophie?!
“Excuse me, nurse? I slipped down the stairs and I think I sprained my ankle.”
“Oh Lord, I got students dropping like flies. Both of you pick a bed and get some rest. Lad, I’ll bring you an icepack and something to dull the pain until you can move.”
Shooting him a dirty look, Helena strode past Xavier and lied down on the bed next to Sophie’s, cradling her burned hand. Xavier picked a cot on the other side of the room, and the nurse brought him an icepack and some pills. As soon as she returned to her office, Xavier snapped his fingers. A metaphysical black curtain sealed off the room, separating the nurse’s office from the auditorium, then vanished. Xavier had just soundproofed the room, and to anyone looking in, nothing would look out of the ordinary. His movements hidden from the nurse, he climbed out of bed and walked over to Helena, discarding the limp he had used earlier.
“Let me see your injuries.”
“Fuck off, I don’t want you admiring your handiwork.”
Since she had already cursed Sister Olivia, she saw no point in keeping a civil tongue around Xavier. Besides, God would forgive her.
Sighing in annoyance, he sat on the edge of Sophie’s bed. “You idiot, why do you think I’m here? I sensed you were hurt and wanted to make sure you were ok.”
This was the last thing Helena had expected Xavier to say. This concern, this kindness… Before, he always seemed to be in control of every situation, but now he seemed like he had been completely blindsided. The look on his face and his gentle tone made her blush, regardless of her feelings.
“Well… what about Sophie? Did you do that as well?”
“Yeah, but relax. It’s just slight case of anemia. She’ll be right as rain tomorrow. Now let me see your hand.”
Normally, Xavier’s confession would leave her struggling to contain her rage, but it was the fact he had been so bluntly honest that left her fury unable to ignite. Plus, if it was really nothing more than anemia, there wasn’t much of a point of getting mad. There were plenty of other ways he could have knocked her out. It seemed he just needed her out of the way, rather than hurt. She slowly sat up and held out her hand, letting him gently unravel the bandages that the nurse had just put on her.
“So what exactly happened? Judging by the way it’s wrapped and the ointment applied, I’m guessing that you were burned somehow.”
“I was in Chemistry and hot beaker broke. Considering all the things you put me through, I’m surprised you’d care about something like this.”