The sun rose reluctantly, bleeding pale light through the mists that clung to the land like mourning shrouds. A new day had begun, but it carried no warmth, only the heavy silence and the ash-like snow.
Jinn had already changed into his uniform early in the morning. It was not that he woke up prior to his usual time; he just never slept. The whole day he was going through the contents of the book, and at night, he was putting them into practice.
Turning his attention away from the window, he took in the view of his room.
Everyone else was still in their beds, still somewhat sleepy. Even Sally was still deep in her sleep; one of her legs was out of the blanket and the other hidden inside. Kyle was no longer with her and was tucked in his own bed.
Disgusted by the drooling mess on her face, Jinn immediately looked away and walked out of the room.
Stepping out of the building, he walked through the circular garden on a curved stone path, leaving marks of his footsteps in the snow behind him. His destination was the central building, the school.
"Why are you out so early?"
But all along the way Jinn did not see a single soul, only hearing the menacing voice that always accompanied him; like the disease, he started to doubt he had it.
There was really no one around; even as he walked out of the small garden, he only saw the two guards coming out of the very building he had planned to enter. From the corner of his eyes, he could still see the blood stains on the spot where Torus died.
'Why are they here?' Jinn found it odd seeing the guards here instead of at their posts.
If it were any other time, he would have dismissed their presence, but the serious yet slightly panicked look on their faces made him pause.
The guards eventually stepped in front of Jinn and stopped. "kid, you should return to your dorm right now. There are no classes today, either."
"Did something happen?" Jinn realized something was wrong with the way they acted.
One of the guards shook his head; his face was covered in sweat, and he seemed a little shaken. "We cannot tell you the details, but the matron asked us to keep all children inside their rooms."
"Is it alright if I go and talk to the matron?"
When he insisted, the guards looked at each other before shaking their heads. "She cannot currently meet anyone. You should return to your room as well, Jinn."
"I see."
The guards accompanied Jinn back to the dormitory.
After they saw him climb the stairs, they stood guard at the front gates, making sure no student left the room.
But neither of them realized that… Jinn never entered the dormitory.
The person they escorted was just an illusion he created with his powers to distract them.
Inside the central building, Jinn's figure materialized out of nowhere.
The whole building felt eerily abandoned; Jinn's footsteps echoed in the hall, each step a hollow clap against the polished stone floor.
The air was thick with dust that he could see in the slanted rays of light coming from the arched windows high up above the entrance.
The silence stretched, as if the building was holding its breath. Jinn somehow felt that the place looked bigger and wider than it really was.
He climbed to the second floor, his hand trailing lightly along the cold iron railing.
The faint hum of distant voices reached his ears once he arrived on the upper floor.
He did not need to look around to realize that the voices were coming from the floor above.
So he continued climbing. With each step, the voice grew louder and clearer. It seemed like a very serious discussion was going on.
"…when… this…"
"Not…"
Arriving on the third floor, Jinn looked around before walking towards the classroom he could hear the voices coming from.
Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe not, but the place those voices came from was his classroom.
"What do you think is happening here?"
The door of the classroom was wide open, and Jinn could see shadows moving around from the gap.
With light steps he got closer until he could see the inside of the room.
Inside the room, four people were talking: the matron, who had her back towards Jinn, stood beside Mrs. Walker and Mr. Huggins, both of whom were looking at the fourth person in the room with serious expressions.
"What else could have happened?"
His eyes finally landed on the last man, who was currently speaking: Captain Hunt.
"This is no small matter; once is a suicide, but twice is a—"
Jinn followed the man's gaze to the side, where he noticed another shadow in the corner. Curious, he leaned forward. But his actions might have been a mistake in more than one way.
The Captain turned his head midway when he noticed the boy peeking through the gate. "What are you doing here, boy?"
His shout made the other three turn their heads.
But Jinn…
He did not respond.
He remained motionless in his position. His eyes loomed over the figure hovering in the air, not by choice. He was a very old man, with white hair and a balding scalp, more so than Mr. Huggins.
The old man's body hung motionless, a thick rope tied tightly around his neck, which was attached to a newly hammered hook groaning under the weight of the body.
The dead man swayed slightly, clad in faded overalls, stained and threadbare, one boot dangling with untied laces, the sole crusted with ash.
The most striking thing about the dead man was his face. It was twisted in a frozen mask of horror, eyes bulging wide, mouth agape in a silent scream.
Jinn's breath was caught in his lungs as he continued to stare at the body. The distant words of the matron and the two teachers echoed from the past.
"It seems the Janitor has disappeared on us."
"We have to continue with the awakening ceremony, so I needed the main hall cleaned, but Mr. Hector here cannot find him anywhere."
And now here he was… hanging from the ceiling— The Janitor!