Nightshade by Brooke Radley

Author:Brooke Radley [Radley, Brooke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: NineStar Press
Published: 2015-11-21T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Despite her exhaustion, Eleanor couldn’t bring herself to go straight to bed. She needed to clean herself, and she had somehow ended up with Cassandra’s backpack. She could return that later, along with all of the other clothing she’d borrowed from Cassandra. But she couldn’t ignore all of the dirt and blood that coated her clothing and covered her hands and arms. In the dark, it’d been easy to ignore the grime, but in the bright morning light, it was all she could see.

Neither Emily nor Jack was awake, which meant Eleanor had the bathroom to herself. Not wanting to take a chance on ruining this perfect opportunity, she grabbed a change of clothes from her room, rushed to the bathroom, and shut the door behind her.

She didn’t remember much after that. She cleaned herself in a daze, feeling rather nauseous by the amount of caked-on blood she had under her fingernails. She’d somehow accrued cuts on her knees—from her fall, most likely—that stung as soap passed over them. Too tired to heal the wounds, she shut her eyes and leaned against the wall, letting the water pass over her. Only then did she allow herself to cry.

By the time she exited the bathroom, Emily and Jack were up and out in the living area. Both still wore their nightclothes, waiting for their turn in the bathroom. Eleanor greeted them briefly before heading into her bedroom.

She slept past breakfast and well into the afternoon. By the time she ventured upstairs, lunch was coming to an end. She grabbed some leftover fruit juice from that morning and then slid onto a chair next to Ryan.

Cassandra wasn’t there. Eleanor hadn’t expected her to be, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t disappointed. Emily set a warm sandwich in front of her, but Eleanor only picked at it. Her stomach gurgled hungrily, but the thought of eating made her nauseous. She sipped at her fruit juice instead. Ryan and Jack were involved in an animated discussion about Jack’s plans for the bank robbery, with Emily inputting her thoughts whenever there was a break in conversation. Eleanor listened halfheartedly.

Eventually, the others left the table. Jack had dish duty, so he stayed behind to clean while Emily and Ryan went their separate ways. Eleanor offered to help, but Jack waved her off. Eleanor hesitated for a moment, working up the courage to ask about Cassandra. She felt ridiculous being self-conscious about it; Cassandra was her teacher, and she had every right to ask after her whereabouts. Jack beat her to it. “Looking for someone?” he asked as he pulled out a sponge and soap.

“Cassandra,” Eleanor said.

Jack thought for a moment. “I haven’t seen her all day. Have you checked her room?” Eleanor shook her head. Jack grinned. “I’d check there, then.”

“You’re right, I suppose I should.” Eleanor stood up from her seat at the table, then realized she didn’t know where Cassandra’s room was. It hadn’t been included on her tour. She would have remembered. “Where might that be?” she asked.

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