STOLEN MOMENTS

After having breakfast Markus took me away from Oliver and Elise. I know that Elise and Ollie will obviously spend time together with how close they were now.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked Markus smiling.

He smiled at me sweetly and then looked around if anyone was watching us and when he was sure we were safe he bent down to whisper into my ear.

"Just wait. We'll be there soon." he stopped and stood straight again then he continued,"This is the best time to show you my special place because everyone else is busy enjoying the free time and the teachers have probably let their guard down."

I continued to smile at him and let him lead me. He led me to the clinic and I started to wonder what was so special about the clinic that he considered it his special place. I am glad that I was wrong about where we were going because it would have been horrible to go to the clinic to spend time together after all the traumatic experiences I had there. I was led into the forest, or at least the start of it. It was much quieter and certainly more colorful compared to the grim school buildings. We did not go to far from the clinic and it was still very visible.

The ground was uneven and that made it a little hilly. Markus held my hand as we went up the successive hills and I started to worry that we would be spotted. I turned to look behind us and saw that the trees were really hiding us from anyone's sight. I looked at Markus and he gave me a thumbs up to tell me we were fine here.

"When did you find this place?" I asked out of curiosity.

Markus didn't strike me as someone who liked breaking rules so it was a little odd to me.

"I was brought here by Sr Drevin. She came to ask me about a broken pipe that she was sure had been vandalized by one of the students. It was a week after I became head boy."

"Where's the pipe now?" I asked looking around at the rocky ground.

"It's in the ground." he answered in a matter of fact way as he looked at me with questioning eye.

"I know it's in the ground, I mean where was it exactly, as in location." I responded and he smiled shyly before pointing to the left on much lower ground.

"There. That's why there are no trees all the way to that side." he said and I followed his arm over clear ground.

"It looks like a path."

"I heard it was back before the plumbing in the school was done and students had to fetch water from the lake and the little river over on the other side." he explained,"I'm happy I was born in the twenty first century. Life for the students back then must have been hard."

"Yeah. The ghosts were probably even more active too." I said smiling at him as he continued to lead me and this time we were going downhill.

We sat down on some rough rocks that were mighty uncomfortable.

"Try ignore the prickly feeling and enjoy the atmosphere." Markus said patting my thigh.

I felt Goosebumps rise on my skin because of the contact and even though he wasn't actually touching my bare thigh I could feel his warm hand on mine. I blushed when he smiled at me knowing what his touch was doing to me. We sat there for a while in silence then Marcus started telling me about his time in this school.

"The first person I met was Maria which is why we became friends in the first place. We were not in the same class but we always met after our classes and at meal times and it was better because we used to sit at the same table and also during prep. She was really talkative at first but after finding out that there was a possibility she was going to be the head girl she became quieter and more behaved. She's always had this thing of wanting to be someone important because of her family background, which I can't tell you. I hope you understand." he stopped to look at me and I nodded,"It didn't go as planned and a better candidate was chosen. She distanced herself from me because she used to feel inferior now that we weren't the same anymore and I didn't want to be a bother so I let her be."

"She must have felt terrible." I said.

"Yes. About a month later the girl who'd been chosen in Maria's place disappeared. She was just gone and no explanation was ever given for her disappearance. With her disappearance Maria was finally made head girl and it would be an understatement to say Maria was glad when that happened."

"Was the other girl troublesome at any time, when you had been with her?" I asked feeling uneasy suddenly.

There's no way a student would just disappear and nothing was done about, right?

"Yes actually. She liked to explore the forbidden areas of the school but she was good at covering her tracks. I guess that's why she was sent away." Markus said squinting his eyes like he was recalling a distant memory.

So she was a trouble maker and I know trouble makers here go there....

"I think she may have died." I said voicing my thoughts and Markus looked at me with slight intrigue.

"You mean....in the sewing room?" he asked me and I nodded my head,"That makes sense but don't those who die in the sewing room come back?"

Right. Like Jen and Elise and their punisher. But they died long ago so....

"I think they only come back after the people who knew them are gone." I said

Markus looked like he had just realized something then he nodded excitedly like he had just solved a mystery. I also nodded feeling like my IQ was now higher than infinity then I smiled. I have no idea why we are talking about the sewing room when we are supposed to be getting romantic but I feel like whenever we discuss our lives we will always end talking about this school and it's mysteries. My mom was here and now I'm here with Ollie so I guess....it's fate.

Markus and I returned to our respective classes and after supper we were all off to bed. I managed to kiss him goodnight and I finally realized that the four of us were the only ones moving about so late at night. The other students are probably concentrating on their studies.....man! I hope we don't fail. I don't remember ever actively studying at all during prep or even during lessons. I dreamt I was writing a math test and I couldn't even answer one question! It wasn't the nightmare I was anticipating but it had my heart skipping beats.

"Morning." I heard Markus whisper as he rushed passed me, seemingly returning from their dorm after bathing.

I whispered morning back even though I knew he couldn't hear me and I greeted him again when we were having breakfast. We didn't talk much because we had to sit apart in accordance with our seating arrangements. All day long I thought about, or tried to think about, school work, what I should have been thinking about this whole time instead of ghosts and hot curly haired head boys. When I returned to the dorm to wash my uniform I run into Sr Drevin.

"Afternoon Sr Drevin." I greeted her cautiously because she had snuck into my room that night.

"Afternoon Ms Rogers." she greeted with a serious and spaced out look in her eyes.

I smiled not knowing what else to say now that I had stopped her. She was wearing a long black gown with a veil on her head and it made her look round and older. She remained in her spot just standing and looking ahead of her with a calm yet strained face I bent down to wring my dress and my eyes fell on a long rosery hanging from the nun's rope like belt or something. The cross at the end had little key like patterns and from the size of it, it could fit into the keyhole I'd found on my bedroom floor. How was I going to get my hands on that?!

Sr Drevin started to walk away at last and I averted my eyes to avoid been caught staring at her. I hang the dress and forced myself not to follow the woman. I watched her disappear into the administration building and then I went up to my room. I stood by the window for a while before going to look at the keyhole on the floor. Sr Drevin's key will definitely fit and open this thing. I just have to get it.