Maxen : Girls Dormitories

At 11 PM on weekdays, that's when I often slip out of the dorms to roam the university grounds. Since the orientation night, I've stopped doing it out of fear of running into Annwyn.

It was a mistake, and my brain won't stop conjuring up a thousand scenarios of how and where she might kill me.

What worries me the most is that she hasn't tried to talk to me since I chocked her. She hasn't sent me a message, nor has she waited for me after class. I don't know what she's plotting, and I can only think of one thing: finding out.

Valen sneaked out of his building to hog the computer in my room. He's watching a live stream of the crab eater, while Maxen sits next to him, playing an online game on his phone.

From time to time, he glances at the computer screen and then returns to his game.

I'm lying on my bed, plotting my next move when Valen interrupts my thoughts.

"Jay is an angel, Zander is a demon. How can people believe that rumor?"

"Thanks for your support. You guys are awesome. Speaking of support... I have a friend who often wonders what he really wants to do in life. Honestly, I don't know what to tell him."

"Stop writing nonsense in the comments, do you think I can't see you?" says Keegan without lifting his eyes from his game.

"What, is it illegal?"

"Everything you do is illegal," I say, throwing a sock at his head.

Valen ignores my remark, and suddenly his eyes light up.

"What's the name of the new guy?"

"The one in the hallway this morning?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"For science."

I get up, go to the desk, and unplug the power cord, turning off the PC.

Valen looks at me, dumbfounded, and Keegan drops his screen, eyes fixed on the cord in my hands.

"We're leaving. You've had your quota of Jay for the day."

"But you exist just to mess with me!"

As Valen steps closer to grab the cable from my hands, a gradually stronger light appears under the door. I rush to turn off the fake lanterns.

Keegan pushes Valen into the wardrobe, and we jump into our beds as quickly and quietly as possible.

I pull the blanket over my head and pretend to snore as footsteps approach our room.

The supervisor moves his flashlight around, inspecting us carefully, then turns away and closes the door. We wait a few minutes, and then Valen bursts out of his hiding spot.

"Phew, that was close. I need to get back to Building Four, guys, or I'm dead for the rest of the year."

"I'll come with you," I say, getting up. "I need to do something."

My two friends look at me suspiciously.

"You, in the green sector? Do you have a fever?"

"Come on, let's go, or I'll call the guard."

Valen pushes me towards the door, grabbing his jacket.

"Because of you, I couldn't finish the live stream, and now you're taking me on some harebrained scheme? If I get blamed for anything because of you, I know nothing!"

"It's not like it's any different than usual," I say, glancing behind me. "You coming with us?"

Keegan puts pillows under our blankets, stuffs his phone in his pocket, and grabs his sports bag.

"Go ahead without me, I'm going to the gym."

I quietly close our room door as Valen attaches a flashlight to his head.

"We're going to get caught with that thing."

"He won't even see us. We'll slip out the window at the end of the hall and make a break for it"

Willowbrook Academy at night is another world. The buildings, majestic and impressive by day, become eerie and mysterious under the pale moonlight. Shadows stretch, and every corner seems to harbor a secret.

This isn't the first time we've snuck out of the dorms at night, but the atmosphere is always just as unsettling.

I know Valen doesn't feel comfortable either. Even though his face shows otherwise, his hands fidget so much that he stuffs them in his pockets to avoid appearing nervous.

I know Valen isn't comfortable either. Even though his face shows otherwise, his hands are fidgeting so much that he stuffs them into his pockets to hide his nervousness.

I wait for us to reach the fourth floor, far enough from the guard, to surprise Valen by patting him on the back.

He yells and jumps, then runs to hide behind a beam. I burst into laughter when suddenly, I hear footsteps approaching us.

Valen immediately turns off his flashlight and we dash through the first door on our right. In the moonlight, we see carefully arranged easels and ancient tapestries adorning the walls. This is the art room.

I pull my brother under the main desk and signal him to stay quiet. Valen hugs me tightly, trembling and muttering incoherent words.

"We're all going to die."

"Shut up, damn it, we're going to get caught."

The door bangs against the wall and heavy footsteps head towards us. Light shines in our direction, and I recognize the person standing in front of us.

Valen still has his eyes closed as I push him out of our hiding spot.

"Why are you yelling in the corridors? I thought the guard had caught you."

Keegan turns off his flash and switches on Valen's lamp again, who leans against the painting to catch his breath.

"Keegan, even the guard isn't as scary as you!" he says, hitting his hand to get out of the way.

We split up again and continue on our way. After slipping on the tiles, we finally reach the campus lawn.

Outside, the night air is cold and brisk. We exchange a glance, then start running, our feet pounding the dew-covered ground. No shadow, no sound makes us flinch, and we continue, driven by adrenaline and the thrill of the forbidden.

After we move away from the second building, we slow down to catch our breath.

"Did you break up?" Valen asks me.

"How did you know?"

"You're not sneaking out to see Line at night anymore."

"It wasn't serious anyway."

"Is that part of your plan?"

"What plan?!"

"I don't know, you never come at our home. You want to see... someone?"

I put my arm around his neck as if to put him in a wrestling hold.

"Stop jabbering and keep moving!"

The night envelops the school in a soothing darkness, only disturbed by the soft light of the street lamps along the paths.

The dormitories, usually noisy and lively during the day, now seem immersed in an almost supernatural silence. The shadows of the trees cast dancing shapes on the black brick walls, adding a mysterious ambiance to the surroundings.

In this apparent calm, our muffled footsteps barely echo on the gravel as we head towards the wall surrounding the girls' dormitories.

"No, no, no!" Valen says, pulling me by the sleeve.

"We're just going to take a look!"

"I'm not taking that risk, especially since I'm not even straight."

I push him by the shoulders back towards the dormitory.

"It's not that, it's Annwyn!"

"Annwyn?"

"We hooked up at Zander's party, and I admit I panicked a bit."

"Panic how?" Valen asks, smiling.

"Panic like... strangle."

He chokes on his saliva, and his movements make our shadows move between the trees.

"You're really crazy. Are you sure you're not on drugs?"

"And are you sure you don't have a death wish?" I ask, grabbing him by the collar.

Valen bursts into laughter, pointing to a window in the distance.

"That's it, Annwyn's room. But I think you're imagining things. She's not going to bite you over this, she's not a dog! If you ask me, the dog here is you!"

I push him against a tree trunk, then discreetly slide against the wall.

The air is cool, filled with the smell of fireworks mixed with cotton candy. The cold, rough bricks offer a good grip for our hands and feet.

Valen climbs slowly and cautiously, each move measured to avoid any noise that might alert the guards.

I follow closely until our heads reach the window level. Everything is dark, and I consider turning back when Valen shows me a nearby open window.

We slip inside, discovering a hallway plunged into darkness, lit only by the flickering beam of our flashlight.

I knock on the door while Valen keeps watch, alert to any sound.

"Maxen?"

Annwyn is in candy pink pajamas with a huge bowtie on her head. It's so rare to see her without her candy-shaped hair clips that I feel like I'm meeting someone else.

Valen gently pushes me into the dimly lit room and quickly closes the door with a sigh.

"That was close!"

I turn to her and notice several rolls of tape scattered on the floor.

"Are you collecting these?"

"I'm going to get rid of a few things tomorrow before the inspection next week. And what are you two doing here?"

I cough as Valen is about to burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, Annwyn, last time between us was a mistake. I shouldn't have reacted like that, but you have to understand I could never be with you, you know..."

"Is that all? You could have told me tomorrow during break," she says, yawning from fatigue.

I blush in embarrassment, knowing I don't even need to turn to my brother to see his expression.

"Don't you have any feelings? You're not going to act weird?"

"Weird? Like scaling the dorm and breaking into girls' rooms?"

Valen can't hold back anymore and wipes his tears as he laughs. Annwyn pushes us towards the exit, angry at being disturbed from her sleep.

"If I'm late for class tomorrow, I'm reporting you!"

"Blame Maxen, he's the one crazy about you, not me."

I take Valen by the arm and push him out of the room. As I'm about to close the door, I turn back to Annwyn, embarrassed.

"Sorry, Ann..."

She slams the door in my face, leaving me standing there, arms hanging.

"Are you sure that wasn't an excuse to see her? It's not your fault if you have a thing for Annwyn, it's understandable, she's pretty..."

"Shut up, Valen, just shut up for once!"