Chapter 6: The Invisible Girl in Room Thirteen by Stephen Simpson
A police officer started taping crime scene tape around the
door to the bathroom and flashes of light erupted from the interior every now
and again as someone was taking photos of what was left of Shannon.
Oliver held his arm around my waist as he steered me back to
the hall where all the lights were switched on, turning the once mystical,
romantic atmosphere in a stark, austere reality of polished wood floors and
white walls.
Everyone in the room was standing in groups talking in
hushed, panicked voices. Police officers were standing by the doors to make
sure no-one left until everyone was questioned.
Oliver led me to the table where Evelyn and Colin sat with
Violet and Evan.
When we reached them, Evan jumped up and asked with a hint
of fear in his voice, “They say she was gutted?”
I flinched.
Oliver said, “Thanks, Evan.”
Evelyn wiped tears from her cheeks. “Who could have done
such an awful thing?”
Colin draped his arm across her shoulders to comfort her.
“They say it couldn’t have been a girl who’d done it.”
Evan added, “Yeah, I heard Shannon was completely hollowed
out. It takes a man to do something like that.” He looked at Oliver. “Hey,
didn’t you used to date Shannon?”
I took a step away from Oliver, as he said, “I wouldn’t say
we dated.”
Colin chuckled.
Evelyn asked, “Did you tell the police you dated?”
Oliver looked at her offended. “Are you suggesting I’m the
one who killed her? Alison was with me the whole time.”
Just then a voice boomed in the hall, “Girls. Go straight to
your rooms. Boys, to the bus. No loitering.”
Oliver turned to face me. “Are we still meeting at the
library tomorrow?”
I nodded my head.
“Ten?” He asked.
“Yeah,” I said as I pushed past him. I could not stop
wondering why Constable Fraser looked at me with recognition in his eyes, and
then the strange way he looked at me after he learned my dad was Roger Locke.
Principal Jackson walked up behind me and pulled me into her
scrawny frame. She was very tall and very skinny, sometimes she reminded me of
a crow. Her usually neatly set black hair was dishevelled and her dark suit
looked crumpled. “Are you okay, Alison?” She asked. “Such a horrible thing to
happen. Don’t worry, the police will find who did it. You don’t have to be
afraid. The police will be here all night and we got some extra security, so
whoever did it won’t be able to harm you or any of the girls tonight.”
I felt uncomfortable standing so close to her, so I squirmed
out of her embrace. “I’m okay. Really.”
“I’ve called Dr Smithers. He’ll be here any minute.”
I assured her, “I am really okay, though.”
How could I tell her or anyone there was a part of me that
believed Shannon deserved to die? Although I did not see it with my own eyes, I
knew she was trying to get Oliver’s attention since we walked into the hall
together.
“Do you want me to get one of the girls to walk with you to
your room?” She asked as her eyes scanned the room.
I just wanted to be alone. “It’s okay. Thank you, Ms
Jackson.”
She gave me a worried look as I moved away from her.
I walked through the hall and through the corridors back to
the boarding house. When I stepped to the top of the stairs and turned the
corner with room thirteen right beside me, I could have sworn I saw a light
from beneath the door. It was there for just a second, just from the corner of
my eye, easily imagined. An eerie feeling almost overwhelmed me, but then
Rachel called my name and I turned to look at her.
“Are you okay?” Rachel asked from the stairs, her foot
resting on the first step which would take her up to the second floor.
I nodded my head and gave her a grim smile. Without saying a
word, I turned away from her and continued walking down the passage to my own
room.
The eerie feeling followed me even after I closed my room
door and looked around the small space. Everything looked the same as when I
left earlier tonight to go to the Valentine’s dance.
The light in the room dimmed suddenly, but the room did not
go dark. There was a strange scratching sound coming from under my bed.
Slowly, I stepped closer to the single bed pushed against
the wall and knelt next to it, pulling at a corner of the duvet to lift it.
With my head almost touching the ground I peered in under
the bed but there was nothing besides darkness.
“What are you doing?”
I twisted around fast and looked up at Sinéad standing by my
room door.
She was looking down at me with a deep frown. “Are you
okay?”
Pushing myself up off the floor, I wiped my hands on my
knees. “Yeah,” I said, distracted.
“You’re acting different since you went into room thirteen
last night,” she said as she walked into my room and sat down on the edge of my
bed, not waiting for an invitation.
“I just have a lot on my mind, that’s all,” I apologised as
I leaned against my desk. Absent-mindedly I traced my fingers over the bevelled
letters of the Ouija board I had left there last night.
She watched my fingers for a while. “Did anything strange
happen in that room?”
I picked up the planchette and held it in my hands as I
looked back at her, making eye contact. “No. Nothing.”
“I’m worried about you and I don’t think you should be alone
after finding Shannon’s body.”
“It’s funny, seeing her cut open like that from her throat
all the way down to her navel. It doesn’t feel real. It feels like something
from a movie or I just imagined it.” Placing the planchette on the board, I
crossed the small space between the desk and the bed to sit down next to her.
“Do you know anything at all about the girl in room thirteen? Do you know
anything about Lily?”
She shook her head.
I looked at her. “You remember what you told me last night?”
She looked at me confused.
“That thing about electro-something energy. The energy we’re
supposed to leave behind when we die.”
Understanding dawned on her face. “I believe it’s true.
We’re all made of energy, aren’t we? So, when we die, that energy needs to go
somewhere.”
I pondered her words for a while, looking at the Ouija board
on my desk. “I guess you’re right.”
Sinéad started to stand up. “So, if you’re sure you’re okay,
I better get going. I have a new roommate now. Amber. You should come around to
my room sometime and meet her. She’s nice.” She shrugged her shoulders. “So
far, that is.”
“Thanks for coming to check if I’m okay,” I said as I walked
with her to the door.
“No worries.” She smiled. “If you’re scared or anything, you
know where I am.”
I watched her walk away until she rounded the corner at the
end of the long corridor with its shiny floor and dull lighting.
In my room behind me, something made a scratching noise.
I quickly looked over my shoulder and the sound stopped
immediately.
Stepping into my room, my eyes darted to the Ouija board
first and I saw the planchette had moved. It was now pointing at ‘Hello’.
I felt disconnected from finding Shannon dead and gutted in
the toilet. Everybody kept asking if I was okay, but I was perfectly fine. Not
a bother. I probably should be suffering from shock.
Determined, I closed my bedroom door and went to bed.
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