"It's me," Misty croaked, stepping into the classroom.
"Misty, dear god! I was worried sick, you were gone for –" Cordelia's breath caught in her throat as Misty came into the light. "Oh, Mist, what has she done to you?"
Misty was covered head to toe in bruises. It hurt even to breathe – she wouldn't be surprised if she had a broken rib or two. "I'm not goin' back to my room. I'm not talkin' to Madison ever again."
"Good," Cordelia said. "Let's stay here." She reached out for Misty and took her hands, helping the other girl sit down on the only chair in the room – an old armchair with the stuffing coming out of the arms.
After making sure Misty was at least somewhat comfortable, Cordelia buzzed around the room, making a makeshift bed out of old sacks. "We have to get outta here, Delia" Misty said with urgency. She knew that if she stayed a moment longer she would end up dead.
Cordelia pursed her lips, taking in her girlfriend's injuries. "We have to let you heal a bit first."
"No, I-"
Cordelia held up a finger. "Don't you dare protest. We'll be doing a lot of walking and I don't want you pushing yourself, not in this state."
Misty twirled a lock of Cordelia's hair around her finger. Cordelia snuggled closer, resting her head on Misty's shoulder. "All right," she agreed.
"I thought you'd argue a lot more."
"I considered it," she admitted, and Cordelia laughed, "but I know you're right."
"We'll leave soon," Cordelia promised. Misty kissed her on the cheek, pulling Cordelia as close as she could.
0o0o
"I told you!" Madison shouted. "I told you she was always sneaking off –"
"Shut up, Miss Montgomery!" Miss Venable snapped.
Misty and Cordelia blinked at the door, shellshocked at the interruption. They had been caught. They scrambled out of the bed they had made for themselves. Without thinking, Cordelia's hand found Misty's and she squeezed her girlfriend's hand for comfort. This was, apparently, the only confirmation Miss Venable needed.
She smiled unpleasantly. "I can't say I'm surprised."
Misty shot Madison a filthy look, and the girl had the decency to look, at least for a second, ashamed. But the guilt quickly disappeared, her usual smirk taking over her face, though it looked quite different with her split lip and black, swollen eye. Misty wondered if Madison had turned them in because she truly believed what they were doing was a sin – or if she was simply trying to thwart the attention from herself, trying to avoid any more physical punishment.
Misty decided she didn't care. Whatever she and Cordelia were about to face would surely be far worse than yesterday's punishment.
0o0o
Cordelia slouched down in her seat, trying to keep her eyes locked with the Headmistress's. Looking away would be an admission of fear, a sign of weakness, and she couldn't have that – she needed to keep some semblance of control while she still could.
She and Misty had been forced apart almost immediately. Miss Venable had dragged them both straight to Miss Robichaux, making Cordelia sit outside and listen – she had heard things she wished she could forget. She had heard Misty's yelps of pain, and then silence. The silence had, perhaps, been even worse. She had been conscious when Miss Venable escorted out of her room, but she had not looked at Cordelia.
And now it was Cordelia's turn. And so she sat, staring straight at the Headmistress and trying very hard not to tremble under the woman's cold gaze.
"Your parents have each been called," Miss Robichaux said, unnervingly calm. "Your mother wishes to speak with you."
Cordelia's heart dropped. If Fiona had been called… that wasn't good. She would much rather take her chances with the Headmistress. Miss Robichaux handed her the phone, and she took a deep breath before holding it up to her ear.
"M-mother?" Cordelia said nervously into the phone.
"Hello, Cordelia. I hear you've got yourself a girlfriend." Cordelia could hear the smirk in Fiona's voice.
She wasn't sure how to answer, so she stayed silent, twisting the phone cords around her hand. It was a bad sign that Fiona wasn't yelling – when she got cold like this, it meant she wasn't just mad – she was furious. And her fury brought terrible consequences. The last time Fiona had been furious, it had ended with Cordelia watching her father's coffin as it was lowered into the ground.
"You've really got to work on your timing, Cordelia, I'm not even in the country right now."
Cordelia's heart leapt at that. Perhaps there was still time to get away. She still had time to fix this. "Where are you?"
"Paris."
"Paris?" Cordelia asked, trying to calculate how long it would take Fiona to get back to America. Surely a week or two – Fiona had always hated flying, and would likely insist on travelling by boat instead. Cordelia hoped the boat would sink.
"Are you deaf?" Fiona snapped. "Yes, I'm in Paris. Business reasons."
Cordelia let out a bark of laughter – business reasons my ass. "Yeah, sure. I'm glad you think charming elderly aristocrats out of their money is a business, mother, you're truly the entrepreneur of the family."
"Mind your manners, Delia," Fiona hissed. "You're in no place to disrespect me right now."
Cordelia didn't say anything. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew her mother was right – if she and Misty didn't manage to escape by the time Fiona got back to the country, she would only be making things worse for herself, if that was even possible.
"I'm coming home. Should be there in a week – I have some things to attend to before I leave. I'll fly." Shit. Fiona must be mad if she planned to fly.
"And then what?" Cordelia asked, not knowing if she wanted the answer.
"I'm removing you from that school. Enough is enough, Cordelia, really."
Cordelia suddenly felt cold. "N-no. You can't do that." Now there was nothing else to do – she and Misty had to escape as soon as possible. She had no idea how they were supposed to get through the forests around the school with Misty's injuries and all their luggage, but they would have to find a way – there was simply no other option. They had to leave. Their time had run out.
"I can do whatever the fuck I want. I'm your mother."
She felt something snap inside her. Cold rage flooded through her veins – Cordelia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "You're a bitch is what you are. You're not my mother. You're nothing." For the first time, she meant it. Any last scraps of love she held for her mother had well and truly been stripped away. She had taken away Cordelia's father – taken away Mabel – and now she wanted to take away Misty as well. Cordelia wasn't going to let that happen.
"Whatever you say, Delia, really I've had enough of-"
Cordelia didn't care to listen to another word. She was done with Fiona. Distinctly aware of Miss Robichaux's eyes boring into the back of her head, she slammed the receiver down with a thud.
The Headmistress raised her eyebrows, looking at Cordelia with distaste. "I would have never talked to my mother like that."
"Really?" Cordelia said snidely. "Because when I was with her last night she said otherwise."
Miss Robichaux went bright red in the face, and Cordelia knew she'd done something very, very bad. Perhaps even worse, in the headmistress eyes', than having lesbian sex in her school.
Cordelia ducked under Miss Robichaux's swinging arm and darted out of the room, slamming the door closed behind her. Perhaps that would give her some time – but the headmistress was almost unnaturally quick. Cordelia hadn't even gotten two metres down the hallway before the headmistress was on her. She grabbed Cordelia's arm and twisted it so hard she saw stars. Cordelia cried out and tried to tug her arm away, but Miss Robichaux held tight, digging her fingernails into Cordelia's flesh.
She pulled Cordelia so close that she could smell the headmistress' coffee breath. "If I had my way, I would exterminate you now. And your horrible little girlfriend. You wouldn't be the first disobedient student I've had to take care of. But I don't really fancy going to the bother of covering it up, so count yourself lucky." Cordelia's legs began to shake, and she hated herself for being so deeply terrified of Miss Robichaux. The woman's eyes were wild, crazy, and she didn't look beyond murder. Cordelia realised for the first time how truly deranged the headmistress was. "If you or Miss Day ever disobey me again – if you ever disrespect the sacred walls of this school – it will be the end of you. Of both of you. Do you understand me?"
"Y-yes."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Miss Robichaux roared. Her voice echoed down the corridor. The whole school seemed to go silent – it wouldn't have surprised Cordelia if they had heard it all the way down on the hockey field.
"Yes, Miss Robichaux."
Miss Robichaux shoved Cordelia roughly away from her, causing her to stumble for a few paces before regaining her balance. The Headmistress sneered. "Get out of my sight. I will deal with you in the morning."
Cordelia didn't wait around for her to change her mind. She fled, a second time, out of the office, not entirely sure how she'd gotten away without being beaten to a pulp. She wasn't quite sure what to do – the world seemed to be spinning around, tipping her off balance and sending her mad. First things first. Find Misty. Zoe. Queenie. Someone. She knew that she and Misty couldn't remain here any longer, not even a single night – they would die… and Fiona was coming in a week. Cordelia knew that if Fiona got to her, she would never see Misty again.
She ran all the way back to the abandoned classroom – not that she expected Misty to be there. But it was the last place she had seen her girlfriend – it made sense to start there. When she got to the room, the door had been left open and the room was empty. Dust floated through the air and if it weren't for the single strand of curly blonde hair laying on the floor, Cordelia would have wondered if any of it was real.
She went to Misty's room next – there was no sign of her. Madison was sitting on the side of her bed brushing her hair, a vacant look in her eyes. "Where's Misty?" Cordelia asked, and her voice came out as a croak. She hadn't even noticed that her throat was dry.
Madison shrugged. "Don't know." Madison's face was bruised, and her lower lip was swollen. She realised that no-one, not even Madison, was immune to Miss Robichaux's rage.
Cordelia's stomach dropped. Where could they be keeping Misty? What had they done with her? "What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I mean I don't know, Cordelia, what the hell else do you want me to say?"
Cordelia looked around the room. Misty's bed had been stripped, and her pictures had been torn from the walls. One of her photos – one of Misty and her siblings – lay lonely on the floor, and Cordelia bent down to pick it up. "Where's all her stuff?"
Madison shrugged. "Venable and a couple other teachers came in before and took it all."
"Where'd they take it?" Cordelia asked. Perhaps, if she could find out where they had taken Misty's things, she could find Misty herself.
"What is this, twenty fucking questions? What part of 'I don't know' don't you understand?"
"Fuck you," Cordelia spat. She had never truly hated anyone before – not even her mother – but rage burned all the way down to her stomach. How dare she? How dare Madison threaten Misty and then turn her in? How dare she be so goddamn cruel?
"I think you've got Swamp Bitch to do that."
Cordelia clenched her fists. Lashing out at Madison would get her nowhere – no matter how much she might want to beat the ever-living shit out of her, she couldn't waste time. She needed to find Misty. She stalked out of the room, the photograph of Misty and her siblings clenched in her hand. She felt herself starting to hyperventilate, and leaned against the wall, trying not to let her mind jump to the worst conclusions. She felt so lost without Misty. But freaking out wasn't going to get her anywhere. Cordelia gave herself ten seconds to breathe, to pull herself together – and then she went to the only other place she could think of.
The library was empty this early in the morning – it couldn't have been later than 4 am – but Myrtle often stayed there all hours of the night, wandering through the darkened shelves, often with a candle and a lit joint. She had told them she enjoyed pretending to be a ghost. Sure enough, there was Myrtle – the woman who had become a mother figure of sorts to Cordelia. She was sitting on top of one of the tables, several books open around her. The sight of her brought a sense of relief to Cordelia, of comfort, and she immediately broke down in tears – she couldn't help it. The stress of the past couple of days – the terror of not being able to find Misty – it was all just too much.
"Oh, Delia," Myrtle said softly, and walked quickly across the library. She took Cordelia in her arms, and Cordelia breathed in her perfume – bergamot and geranium. "What's wrong, my little bird?"
"I can't find her," Cordelia sobbed. "I can't find Misty, and I don't know what they've done to her, and my mother's coming and I don't know where she'll take me and I –"
"Shhh," Myrtle said. She put one cold hand on Cordelia's cheek and brushed away a tear with her thumb. The gesture was so tender and loving that Cordelia broke into a fresh flood of tears. She had known Myrtle for only a few months and already the librarian had shown her more love than Fiona had in a lifetime. "Take a deep breath – and tell me everything."
Before she could stop to think, the whole story came pouring out. She told Myrtle how she had known Misty was her person the moment she saw her. How they'd fallen in love. How'd they'd snuck around the school to be with each other. How they had been planning to run away – and what had happened in the past couple of hours, which felt as though it had happened a lifetime ago.
When she was done, her tears had stopped. For a moment, Myrtle only stared at her, before bursting into tears herself. "M-myrtle?" Cordelia said, concerned.
"Oh, my poor darlings!" sobbed the librarian, putting her head in her hands. Her puffy red hair quivered like jelly as she cried. "A love story better than Romeo and Juliet – young lovers kept apart by society. My, my, my."
Cordelia couldn't say how much Myrtle's acceptance meant to her. "Myrtle –"
Myrtle sniffed and raised her head. "Not to worry, Delia dear. Your love story will not end the same way as Romeo and Juliet's."
"I sure hope not," Cordelia mumbled.
"Don't mumble, my darling, your words are important and need to be heard."
Cordelia didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to say.
"Alright," Myrtle said firmly. Cordelia got the impression she was speaking to herself rather than Cordelia. "I want you to go to your room, pack your things, and go to bed."
Cordelia wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn't that. She frowned. "Myrtle, I-"
Myrtle held up a hand. "Oh, hush, Cordelia. Trust me. I have an idea where Misty may be kept – fear not! The soulmates shall make their daring escape!"
It was ridiculous. Cordelia couldn't go to bed – she needed to find Misty! God only knew how much time they had left, and she didn't want to waste it sleeping, for fuck's sake. "Okay, but-"
"No ifs, no buts," Myrtle said, shaking her head. "Go to your room, and wait."
Bewildered, Cordelia stood up, and made to walk out of the room.
"Wait!" Myrtle cried. "Stay here."
"I thought you wanted me to…?"
"Yes, yes, but wait a moment. I want you to know that your mother – what was her name?"
"Fiona."
"Yes," Myrtle said, pulling a face. "Fiona. She is merely the woman who gave birth to you. She does not deserve to call you her daughter. Did I ever tell you why I wanted to work in a school?"
"No."
"I wanted to be a comfort to those who had none. A mother, a grandmother, an elder sister – whatever they needed me to be. I will be that person for you, Cordelia, if you'll have me. An aunt, perhaps?"
Cordelia looked at Myrtle, and wanted to cry. She couldn't remember an adult treating her with so much respect and kindness since her father's death. Auntie Myrtle – it just felt right. "Of course. Thank you, Auntie Myrtle, truly."
Myrtle embraced her. Cordelia wished she could stay in the hug forever – it felt safe. But Myrtle let go. "Leave now, my darling. Spread your wings. You are a butterfly in a world of… of slugs!"
Despite herself, despite the events of the day, Cordelia laughed. "Thank you. For everything."
0o0o
"Zoe," Cordelia said, pushing open the door. To her surprise, all of her friends were still crammed into the tiny room. Nan had her arm around Zoe's shoulder. Coco was still snoring. Mallory and Queenie were talking quietly. All of them looked up when she walked in.
"Oh, Cordelia, thank god!" Zoe slammed into Cordelia, throwing her arms around her. Cordelia was somewhat taken aback – she and Zoe rarely, if ever, hugged – but she returned the hug, wrapping her arms around her friend. "Misty?" Zoe asked hopefully.
For about the fifth time that day, Cordelia burst into tears. "I don't know where she is, I looked everywhere but I can't find her – Myrtle told me, she told me –"
Nan rubbed Cordelia's back. "Shh," she said comfortingly. "It will be OK."
"What did Myrtle say?" Mallory asked.
"She said – I don't really know. It was a bit strange. She said that our… our love story wouldn't end like Romeo and Juliet's. She told me to wait in here – and then she said I was a butterfly instead of a slug? I don't know. I think she may have been high."
"I think that's just her natural state," Zoe said thoughtfully.
"Anyway. I don't know. She told me to pack, so I'm going to do that?" Cordelia ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Maybe she knows where Misty is. I told her that we were going to run away, so I-"
"Do you need money?" Coco piped up. Cordelia hadn't even realised she was awake.
"I – I – I don't know. I stole some from my mother during break – Misty stole some from her parents, too, but I went to her room and everything is gone."
"Okay. Well, I'll be back," Coco said. With that, she stood up and strolled out of the room.
Cordelia knelt down and pulled the duffel bag out from under her bed. She pulled some clothes from the closet, realising as she did so that she was still in her crumpled school uniform from yesterday. It was creased from being slept in and Cordelia realised how uncomfortable she was. She knew she must reek – she hadn't showered since the day before yesterday. She'd forgotten about that – everything had happened so quickly. The other girls respectfully turned away so Cordelia could get changed. She pulled on a knee-length skirt, a pair of woollen stockings, and her favourite shirt – the long-sleeved one with purple and cream stripes. She also grabbed her coat out of the closet so she would remember to take it. "I – I don't, I don't know what to pack." She sat down in the middle of the clothing pile dejectedly. It was all just too much – she felt so unbelievably overwhelmed.
Zoe and Queenie grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. "You need to sleep, Cordelia," Zoe said, squeezing Cordelia's shoulder comfortingly.
"Yeah, girl, let us take care of the packing," Queenie said kindly. "You're dead on your feet."
Zoe pushed her over to her bed, and Cordelia realised just how exhausted she was – she didn't even have the energy to argue. She collapsed onto her bed on top of the cover without even bothering to get into her pyjamas. Queenie pulled a blanket over her and tucked her in, and Cordelia felt her eyes begin to close.
Chapter title from 'Alice' by Stevie Nicks.
Is anyone reading this? I don't know. Will I keep writing? You bet your cute little butt I will.