Summary: Sometimes Laura wakes up and thinks she can hear footsteps just outside her room.
Warning: Character death. You know which character.
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The dorm room is dark; a single occupant sleeps alone in the room, her face buried in a yellow pillow. The bed across from her is empty. Hanging on the door is a graduation robe.
A floor board creaks.
Laura's eyes open sleepily. She looks across the room at the still empty bed. Her eyes fill with sadness. She sits up and looks around the darkened room. Her eyes are peeled for any movement and her ears straining to hear the slightest sound.
She is treated with silence.
Nothing moves in her room.
She turns her head to the door, lights spilling in under the door from the hallway. No shadows move along its edge.
Laura lies back down and closes her eyes.
Tomorrow is a big day and she needs her sleep. She can't spend the night looking for someone who won't come back.
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The bare bedroom is dark; a single occupant sleeps alone in the room, her face buried in a yellow pillow. Around the bed are several cardboard boxes all packed and sealed with tape. Beside the bed on the bedside table is a shiny new set of keys on a key ring.
There is a bump.
Laura's eyes open sleepily. She sits up and looks around the room.
The only sounds are the winds outside and the rustle of leaves and her father's breathing in the next room.
The only movement is the shadows of tree branches, the shadows move eerily around her room; like bony fingers reaching out.
She turns her head to look out the window. Outside a tree blows in the wind. Its branches coming close to the window as it sway.
Laura lies back down and closes her eyes.
Tomorrow is a big day and she needs her sleep. She can't spend the night looking for someone who won't be coming back.
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The bedroom is dark, two occupants sleep cuddled together in the bed, Laura's face buried in the crook of Danny's neck. Danny's hair is fanning out over a yellow pillow drowning it in a sea of red.
On the bookshelf against the far wall a book haphazardly balanced on top of a small pile of books falls from its perch.
Laura's eyes open and she sits up careful not to wake up Danny. Laura reaches over and turns on her bedside lamp turning her body so no light would fall on Danny's face. Laura peers around their room looking for the source of the disturbance.
Lying on the floor besides the bookshelf is The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. Laura's eyes fill with sadness as she stares at the book. The bed shakes slightly as Danny's legs jerk as if she's running. Laura smiles watching Danny's face scrunch up in concentration. Laura turns to her bedside table and eases the top draw open. She reaches into the back and pulls out a small velvet box. She turns to Danny's sleeping form but Danny remains asleep. Laura opens the box and a diamond ring sparkles in the light of Laura's bedside light. She closes the velvet box and puts it back into the draw.
She lies down and closes her eyes burying her face into Danny's shoulder.
Tomorrow is a big day and she needs her sleep. She can't spend the night looking for someone who isn't coming back.
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The bedroom is dark, a single occupant sleeps alone, her face buried in a pillow with a Summer Society T-shirt being used as a pillow case, the yellow pillow hanging vicariously on the edge of the bed. On the bedside table is picture of Danny and her angled to face Laura. Hanging on the bedroom door is an elegant white wedding dress.
The yellow pillow drops to the floor besides the bed with a flop.
Laura doesn't waken.
She lays there continuing to sleep because she has a big day tomorrow. She can't spend the night looking for someone who isn't coming back.
In the morning Laura wakes up, her eyes opening. The first thing she sees is the picture of Danny and her. Laura smiles and sits up giddy. She turns to the wedding dress hanging on the door and positively beams. She climbs out of bed, kicking the yellow pillow under the bed without realising.
She grabs the wedding dress and holds it to her body admiring herself in the mirror. She beams at her reflection and places the wedding dress back on its hook. She opens the door and strides out of her room in search of her Person of Honour Lafontaine and her bridesmaid Perry.
She doesn't notice a single black cat hair drifting down from her wedding dress on to the floor.
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Notes: this story is inspired by the final page of Carmilla by J. Sheridan La Fanu where Laura writes that at times she would be started from her reverie and would often wonder if she had heard Carmilla's light footsteps just outside the room.