{Chapter Nine: Insomnia, Part 2}
Jean woke up to the creak of the window opening.
Rolling over with a rustle of sheets, he saw that it was Ghoul. The dark boy had just swung his legs over the edge of the sill, pulling one knee up to his chest. He rested his chin there, hugging himself as he gazed forlornly outside. The watery silver of the moonlight bathed his skin in an otherworldly glow, and made his hair and clothes seem darker, as if they were woven from shadows. He looked less out of place now, but still ill at ease.
Jean sat up. Ghoul's head snapped about to stare at him. Their eyes met, and neither spoke. Content that nothing was amiss, Ghoul turned his head back to stare out at the courtyard. Jean stood up and padded over to stand behind Ghoul.
A soft breeze was blowing. With it came the scent of grass and pine, with the threat of rain dwelling in it. As clouds drifted over the moon, mottling the silver disc black, dust motes became visible in the remaining beams of weak light. A few stars boldly shone from between the clouds. From the distance came a soft rumble.
"Sounds like a storm's coming." Jean murmured softly, trying to both fill the rather awkward silence and not wake their roommates. Ghoul nodded absently. "Is this what you did last night?"
"No."
Jean blinked, noticing how Ghoul's hand trembled.
Ghoul wasn't... scared of him, was he? The boy who gave Levi trouble in a simple practice-fight? Why would Ghoul be scared of him?
Instead of voicing these thoughts, Jean asked, "Whose locket was that?... Or... whose picture's in it?"
Ghoul didn't answer, blinking.
Jean sighed in exasperation. Here he was trying to be friendly and Ghoul was giving him the cold shoulder.
"... I think Theresa may possibly like you." Ghoul next to breathed, only the breeze flowing into the room allowing Jean to hear him.
"What on earth gives you that idea?" Jean demanded, a little louder than he wanted.
Ghoul waited until the groans and rustles around the room subsided to answer. "She's always sitting next to you, talking to you, looking at you... I don't think anyone else notices."
"... Have you considered the option of you being paranoid?" Jean asked.
"I probably just am. I'm a selfish asshole, paranoid fits right in with that description."
Jean was quiet. So was Ghoul.
Crickets chirped outside. Something that sounded like a frog did too. The wind made leaves rustle, and another soft rumble could be heard. The scent of rain definitely became stronger, more of a warning than a shadow of a threat. More clouds began covering the moon, so only a few wavering beams of light were left.
"Is that why you're being so cold? You think I'm going to take her away from you?" Jean murmured, breaking the peace between the two.
"No."
Jean sighed again.
"I don't sleep easily naturally. I'm an insomniac, meaning I habitually suffer from sleeplessness... But there's a lot of other factors coming into play that make me uncomfortable. Part of it is that I don't trust any of you."
"Ouch." Jean objected.
"If you were me, you'd understand."
Ghoul's eyes spoke more than his voice. Jean was able to identify hurt, sorrow, anger, fear, betrayal, and secretiveness there. The emotions swirling together, blending into a glittering secret from years ago that Ghoul obviously didn't plan on telling anyone. Jean couldn't help but shiver a little at the sight. It was eerie, and almost hurt to look at. Seeing something as strong as Ghoul with such an expression.
"What's another factor?" Jean asked, changing the subject.
Ghoul gagged, lurching forward as his hand was clapped to his mouth. Jean grabbed his shoulders to make sure the newcomer didn't topple out the window. Ghoul shuddered and gagged for a minute before recovering, nodding.
"Okay, another touchy subject... Is there anything I can get you to actually open up about?" Jean asked playfully.
"Cats."
"Huh?"
Ghoul shrugged, saying, "I like cats."
Jean chuckled, sitting next to the ravenette. "Didn't strike me as an animal-person."
"So I'm a people-person?"
"Hmm. Good point."
The two chuckled softly. Well, Jean chuckled while Ghoul smiled softly.
A loud creak sounded outside the door, making the two of them freeze. They waited for a furious superior to come in, tell them to shut the fuck up and get to bed, and wake everyone up.
But nobody did. Instead, another, softer creak sounded.
"It's an old place. They make noises at night— It's just getting settled down from expanding during the daytime." Ghoul murmured, lightning flashing behind him.
Jean jumped a little as the lightning struck. It threw everything into stark black and white, save Ghoul's left eye. The blue orb lit up, throwing the light back and turning his whole eye a bright sky blue. It made him look almost demonic.
But, at the same time, he looked better that way.
As thunder rumbled in the background, the demonic look faded away, replaced by the old, nervous Ghoul.
"... should probably close the window..." Ghoul murmured, standing up. Jean hastened to do the same, reaching outside to pull the window shut before Ghoul could. The newer cadet nodded vaguely.
"Yeah..." Jean moved back to his bed. Ghoul went back to his as well. The ravenette sat on his pillow, back to the wall and legs crossed. His hands rested on his knees, and he tilted his head back. "G'night."
Ghoul didn't respond, face void of any emotion. Jean rolled his eyes, pulling the sheets over himself and rolling back into sleep. Ghoul just wasn't a chatty person, like Annie had been.
Jean scowled, forcing Annie from his mind, determined to sleep.
Ghoul stayed awake, staring into space. He couldn't sleep. He was too scared.
The rasp of the door opening made him jump guiltily. Theresa smiled a little, beckoning to him. Ghoul looked around, then slid off his bed, tip-toeing over to her. He cocked his head curiously. Theresa beckoned again, and he moved into the hall after her, closing the door with a soft click.
The halls were dark. Candles and lanterns weren't just left out during the night, when no one was around, for fear of burning the place down. Any windows the two passed rattled with the now-howling wind and dripped raindrops like wax down a hot candle. No light came through them except for the occasional lightning-strike.
Ghoul stopped when he saw where Theresa was leading him.
The room she shared with the female cadets.
He frowned, shaking his head.
"C'mon! Who's gonna know?" Theresa whisper-yelled.
Looking around, Ghoul gave up and slipped into the room after her.