My heart jackhammered in my chest as Dorian's voice sliced through the dim hallway. "Didn't you hear me?" he roared, and before I could vanish into the shadows, my clumsy foot snagged the carpet, sending me stumbling into the light pouring from the Special Room's open door.
"You!" Dorian's shout hit like a thunderclap, his eyes blazing with anger as they pinned me in place.
He stormed forward. Behind him, his friend lingered in the doorway, his face taut but calm, with a silent plea in his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here, Wintle?" Dorian screamed, cracking with every syllable. "Answer me!"
"I…I…" My words tripped over themselves, a pathetic stammer that made my cheeks burn. God, Riya, say something! My hands clutched my notebook, slick with sweat, as if it could shield me from his wrath.
"And why aren't you in class?" he barked, stepping closer, his tall frame looming like a guillotine. "You think you can just wander wherever you please? Sneaking around my special room?"
"I got lost, sir!" I cried, the words bursting out in a sob that echoed off the mirrored walls. "I swear, I wasn't… I didn't mean to hear anything!"
"Lost? That's your excuse? You always piss me off with those tears! What, does every damn thing make you cry? Your father, your failures, a wrong turn?" He flung a hand toward the door, his rage venomous. "Pathetic!"
"Sorry, sir!" I yelled in raw desperation. I swiped at my face, but the tears kept coming, each one a nail in my coffin.
"Dorian, enough," his friend cut in. "She's a kid. Rein it in."
Dorian didn't even look at him. "Enough of you for today," he snapped. "Get to your room. Now."
"S-sir," I stammered, my lips trembling so hard I could barely form words. "By 3... the p-punishment, you said…"
"What's happening by 3?" he growled, furrowing his brows like I'd spoken nonsense. His friend shot him a look, but Dorian's glare didn't waver. "What are you babbling about?"
"The extra duties, sir!" I forced out. "You punished me…"
"You know what?" he interrupted, waving a hand like he was swatting away a fly. "Just get lost. Before I make it worse."
I bolted from Dorian's fury, his "get lost" ringing in my ears like a gunshot. My sneakers skidded on the polished floor, the mirrored hallways twisting around me, reflecting a raw image of my own panicked face as I ran.
Room 7, where was it? I was lost, my chest heaving, tears streaming, blurring the endless corridors. I rounded a corner and crashed into a lady, the same one who had walked me to the classroom.
Our foreheads collided, her grease-stained apron flapping as a stack of kitchen towels spilled to the floor. Her gray eyes snapped to my wet cheeks, narrowing. "What's got you crying, girl?" she barked, snatching up the towels. "You look like you've been slapped again."
"Dorian… Mr. Steele… he caught me…"
"Caught you doing what? Calm down, Riya, calm down and speak to me."
"He caught me near his Special Room. I wasn't spying, I swear! I got lost, and he… he screamed; he said I'm pathetic, and that I cry too much." My hands shook, swiping at my face, useless against the tears.
She dropped the towels gently on a table by the hallway and laughed, tossing her head. "Dorian hates tears. I told you before, didn't I? Stand tall, or he'll chew you up."
"I'm trying!" I shouted. "Everything's falling apart. I don't know the person I am anymore, and I'm certain Dorian's gonna make my life hell."
"Hell? No, no, he wouldn't do that. I'll take you to your room; room 7's that way. Move it, move it." She grabbed the towel.
I followed her down another hall lined with doors that now looked familiar. I made sure to look around carefully so as not to make a mistake again.
But Dorian's words still lingered, He called me pathetic, and somehow, it hurt worse because part of me believed him.
She stopped exactly at my room door. "Here we are," she said softly. "Take a shower and wash away the day before it swallows you."
"Thank you, thank you so much, sister," I said quietly as I slipped inside. I removed my uniform and bathed, exhaling as the cold water touched my skin.
When I stepped out, the long pink towel wrapped around me as I applied oil to my skin. I heard the handle of the door creak open and looked to the door.
It was her again. "Put this on," she said, thrusting a beautiful sky-blue dress at me. "You need to feel alive."
I backed up, shaking my head. "No way. Dorian said uniforms only. If he finds out…"
She laughed. "Finds out? You're in your room, girl. He won't know. Try it on."
I stared at the dress, my fingers brushing the fabric, soft as a whisper. "I haven't worn anything like this since…" I faltered. "Since my dad was alive. We would have family dinners. He always called me his princess."
"Swallow those tears, Riya. Don't let them fall here. You're tougher than that." She shoved the dress into my hands. "I'm getting food for you from the kitchen. You'll eat, sleep, and start over alive tomorrow."
She vanished, clicking the door shut without waiting for me to respond. I slipped on the dress; the fabric was cool, clinging like a second skin, and my reflection? It was too much like the girl I'd lost.
In five minutes, she was back with a tray: crusty bread, steaming stew, and a chipped mug of water. She placed it on the vanity. "Rest," she said, then left, shutting the door loudly behind her.
After she left, I ate slowly, every bite sinking into the hollow ache in my stomach. Then I lay back, staring at the ceiling. The world blurred, the food half-finished on the tray beside me as sleep came fast.
When I opened my eyes again, it was already night. The air was thick and my throat burned before my brain even caught up to the smoke. It wasn't a dream; it was everywhere.
The air burned. Flames licked the curtains of the door, swallowing them whole. I stumbled from the bed, the hem of the pink dress brushing against my legs.
"Help! Help! Somebody help me!" I screamed, banging on the already heated walls, but my voice vanished into the chaos.
"Riya is still in there, sir," I heard someone say. I rushed to the window and looked down. All I could see were red-hot flames and choking smoke.