She woke up a short while later. Her friends were murmuring quietly, Nan and Zoe both pressing their faces against the window. "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up straight in bed.

"Nothing," Zoe said quickly, but there was something in her voice that made Cordelia get up.

She strode over to the window and looked out – three figures were walking up to the school, the darkness making it difficult to see their faces. But even from that distance, Cordelia knew that the one in the middle was Misty. The other two – she assumed one of them was Myrtle – seemed to be helping her walk. Cordelia felt a rush of anger – what exactly had Miss Robichaux done to Misty, to injure her so badly she could barely walk without help?

As they got closer, she managed to work out who the third figure was – Ms Nicks, who Misty idolised. Cordelia was convinced that Misty had a crush on her, and to be honest she didn't blame her – something about their music teacher's voice, her laugh, the way she moved, was entrancing. There was something inherently genuine and trustworthy about her. She had known that Ms Nicks was someone she could trust, and was glad to have another ally in the staff. It was good to know that not everyone in the world was out to get them.

They eventually walked out of her sight, and Cordelia took a deep breath. She felt much better now that she had seen Misty. She wondered how they were supposed to escape, what with Misty's injuries – but she would find a way, and even if it meant she had to somehow carry her through that forest, she would do it.

Cordelia exhaled, a long, shaky breath of relief. "Okay, okay, okay. It's okay. She's okay." She was speaking more to herself than anyone else, but they didn't seem to notice.

Her friends exchanged worried glances. "She didn't look okay," Nan said, frowning.

Queenie elbowed her. "Nan!"

"Oh," said Nan, looking at Cordelia guiltily. "I'm sorry, Cordelia, I didn't mean –"

Cordelia reached across and patted Nan's arm in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "No," Cordelia said, "it's okay. She's not okay." But at least she was alive. Cordelia wasn't sure exactly what her injuries were there, but they would figure it out. They didn't have any other choice.

"What happened, exactly?" Coco asked. Cordelia hadn't noticed her coming back – she must have gotten there shortly after Cordelia fell asleep. "We've all been wondering."

"She didn't tell me much, because she was exhausted." And in pain, Cordelia thought, but she left that part out, not wanting to remember the look of agony on her girlfriend's face. She would do anything – she would sell her soul, so that Misty never felt pain again. "But from what she told me, she spoke back to Robichaux. After the incident in the dining hall."

"Shit," Zoe said, growing pale. They all knew what that meant. Even if her friends hadn't all experienced the wrath of Miss Robichaux first hand, they had heard all the horror stories, seen the bruises and the blood. No-one challenged Miss Robichaux and got away unscathed.

"Bet she wasn't thrilled with that," Mallory said, grimacing.

Cordelia smiled sadly, and shook her head. "No. Not at all. You should have seen what she did – " Cordelia looked down at the floor, and sat heavily on the side of Zoe's bed. "Her back. It didn't even look like skin anymore – it was covered in bruises, and welts, and blood –" Cordelia felt her eyes fill with tears as she remembered. "She must be in so much pain." She couldn't even begin to imagine what Misty had gone through – and of course Miss Robichaux had beat her a second time, so it was probably even worse now. She hadn't even been able to walk on her own.

Queenie sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder, and Cordelia leaned her head onto her friend's shoulder. "Misty's one of the toughest people I've ever met. She'll be okay."

Zoe sat down too, and squeezed Cordelia's hand. "Queenie's right. Misty is amazing."

The others murmured the agreements, and Cordelia looked up, smiling at them all tearfully. "You're right. She is."

"Shh!" Mallory said suddenly, raising a finger to her lips. They all fell silent immediately, and watched her. She crept towards the door – what had she heard? Was it Miss Venable's cane, clicking down the hallway towards them? Was it Miss Robichaux? Matron? Her friends would be punished if they were found out of their dorm-rooms in the middle of the night.

Cordelia wasn't sure she could handle seeing any more of her loved ones hurt today. "Hide!" she hissed, but it was too late. The door swung open, and they all watched and waited with bated breaths –

And there was Misty.

Cordelia jumped to her feet and crossed the room so quickly it was like she had teleported. She threw her arms around Misty, and burst into a fresh wave of tears. Misty hissed in pain, and she immediately let go, feeling terrible that she had forgotten about Misty's poor back. "I'm sorry –"

Misty smiled. "It's okay," she croaked, and cupped Cordelia's face tenderly in her hands. "I'm okay."

"You're okay," Cordelia repeated. She rested her forehead on Misty's, and breathed shakily.

Misty pulled her closer, and Cordelia melted into her, burying her head into Misty's shoulder. Misty hugged her tight, tangling her hands in Cordelia's hair. Everything else seemed to melt away – the room, their friends, the worries Cordelia had been carrying for the last five hours. None of that mattered now that she was in Misty's arms.

"Are you packed, Cordelia?" Stevie's warm voice brought Cordelia back to reality. She hadn't even noticed that Myrtle and Stevie were standing in the doorway – she had only had eyes for Misty.

Cordelia stepped back, feeling her cheeks grow pink as she realised that now everyone in the room knew that she and Misty weren't just friends. "Y-yes, I'm all ready."

"Good," Myrtle said.

"I'll drive you into town," Stevie said.

"Oh, no, you don't have to drive us –" Misty began, but Stevie shushed her.

"Be quiet, Misty, I'm not letting you walk through the forest in this state."

"And it really is important that the two of you get out of this hellhole as soon as possible," Myrtle agreed. "The longer you stay here, the more danger you're in."

"What, is Robichaux gonna murder us or somethin'?" Misty said, laughing weakly, and then wincing and clutching her side. "Ow, fuck."

Stevie and Myrtle looked at each other. "It's not… it's not safe here," Stevie said hesitantly.

Misty frowned. "But she wouldn't…" Cordelia squeezed Misty's hand. She would tell her about the conversation she'd had with Robichaux later.

"Misty, darling, she beat you to within an inch of your life. And she would have done the same to Cordelia if it weren't for her mother. Do you really doubt the Headmistress' capacity for cruelty?"

Realisation grew in Misty's face. "No," she said, "I guess not."

"Then let's go," Stevie said. "Cordelia, is this your suitcase? Let me take it."

"But where are all of Misty's things?" Cordelia asked, passing the suitcase to Stevie and putting a hand around Misty's waist, careful not to brush up against her back. Misty leaned gratefully into her.

"Already in my car."

"Okay then," Cordelia said. She realised that she might not ever see her friends again. At least not for a year or so – it likely wouldn't be safe until then. Tears pricked in her eyes and she turned around, where her friends were still all huddled into their little dorm-room.

Misty sniffled, and Queenie grinned at her. "The great Misty Day, crying? I never thought I'd see it."

"Oh, shut up," Misty said, laughing through her tears, and the two of them embraced.

"Hey," Coco said. She pressed a fat purple purse into Cordelia's hands. "Take this."

Cordelia gaped at her. The purse had to be completely stuffed full of money – it could barely stay closed, bursting at the seams. "I can't – I can't accept this, Coco. It's too much."

Coco rolled her eyes. "Shut the fuck up. You think I need it? I don't. More importantly, I want you to have it."

"But-"

Coco squeezed Cordelia's cheeks, squishing up her face so that she couldn't talk. Despite herself, Cordelia laughed. Coco smiled. "No buts. If I can contribute, even a little bit, to your safety, then I will. This is purely selfish."

Seeing there was no point arguing, Cordelia embraced her friend. "Thank you, Coco."

Cordelia said her goodbyes to their friends, the girls who had quickly become her family. The girls who had been unfailingly kind though they had no reason to. She fought down the tears threatening to escape and was doing an excellent job until she got to Zoe. Staring into the sweet, earnest face of her roommate and best friend, Cordelia burst into tears. "Don't cry, Cordelia," Zoe said, patting Cordelia's hair. "You don't need to. You'll see us again."

"Even if it's years," Coco added.

The others all nodded. "We'll be here," said Mallory. "We'll always be here." Cordelia knew that here didn't mean the school. Eventually, their friends would escape it as well.

"Send us a letter once a month," Zoe said. "We won't reply. But we'll know you're safe."

"No!" Mallory, and they all turned to look at her, confused. "It's too dangerous to write directly to the school. Venable checks the mail, didn't you know? They know every single letter that comes in and out of the school. You should go through someone."

"Write to me," Stevie said immediately. "I usually live on campus, but when I don't I live in a little cottage in town. I'll give you the address, and I can get the letters to your friends."

"Okay," said Cordelia. "We'll do that."

"You promise?" asked Nan. She blew her nose into a flower-patterned handkerchief. "I'll miss you both."

"We promise." Misty said, pulling Nan in for another hug. "And when it's safe, we'll let you know, and you can write us back. Hell, you can even visit us, wherever we end up. Right, Cordelia?"

Cordelia smiled. She was warmed to the thought that she and Misty would live together, just the two of them – no Fiona, no Miss Robichaux, no abusive authority figures at all. Just the two of them, safe and happy. She couldn't wait. "Right. We'll have a little house, and some pets, and a garden with lots of flowers. And there'll be plenty of room for guests."

"That sounds lovely," Nan said, smiling.

Misty kissed Nan's cheek. "You can visit us all the time."

"Girls, I really am sorry, but it's important we get you out of here by morning," Stevie said, looking anxiously at her watch. Cordelia felt a pang in her chest as she realised these were her last few moments with her friends – she had so much more she wanted to say to them – but Stevie was right. Once it was light, and people started waking up, they had absolutely no chance of getting out unnoticed.

"Alright," Misty said. She squeezed Cordelia's hand, and Cordelia smiled at her. "Ready?"

Cordelia had never been more ready for anything in her life. She couldn't wait to start this new chapter with Misty. She smiled. "Ready."

Chapter title from 'Whole Lotta Love' by Stevie Nicks.

Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been back at school and UDSYGFUGHHHHHHHHFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF I hate it.

Anyway, on the bright side, I've written the next few chapters and outlined the rest, so I should be able to have a more consistent updating schedule. No promises though because I'm garbage