Laura felt her chest fill with oxygen. Where was she? She opened her eyes to see feet standing around her, the side of her face was wet where it lay on the grass. She slowly sat up, her memories flooding back. These weren't the feet of the living. She remembered the mission that was before her, was she too late? Despite the repulse she felt towards the dead, it wasn't half as terrifying as it was before. These poor people need to go back. Looking around her, it seemed like she hadn't been passed out long. She guessed it had all just become too much for her, she had seen what it had done to Aaina. She got up and brushed herself off, ignoring the shooting pain she felt in her entire body.

"I'm sorry," she announced to the dead around her, "let's go." All she could hear was the sound of the dawn chorus beginning.

She began walking towards the graveyard again, the dead following in her wake. The sun was starting to lick upon the clouds above, she picked up the pace. Once they were inside the graveyard, that's where the real problem began. She was already exhausted and injured, she was frightened this last spell was going to kill her. She knelt down on the ground, and held out Aaina's sacrificial knife. She wiped the blood on it onto her pants, this spell was going to need a sacrifice. She held out her palm, and sliced across it. Blood poured out instantly, Laura let out a scream in pain. She let the blood seep into the earth, and began to chant. It was a pretty basic spell, one that you're taught in your first year at Greenstern, a reversal spell. Normally the spell on its own is enough to reverse whatever you've messed up. It doesn't alter what's happened, it only breaks the spell and resets it. But considering the severity of the situation, a sacrifice was needed. Sacrifices are dark magic, it calls in the spirits that would not normally help you. Without a price that is. The ground began to hum and rumble, the dead started to crumble around Laura. Their souls are returning to the afterlife, leaving behind their decaying bodies. Laura stopped chanting, the ground became still once again. Everything turned black as Laura felt her head hit the ground.

*

A dripping sound was the first thing Laura heard when she came back into consciousness. Her mouth was so dry and her stomach felt as if it had licked itself clean. Everything in her body hurt, but her palm stung the worst. She must have cut it deeper than she meant to. She began to hear voices, familiar ones.

"When did Nurse Lake say she will wake up?" asked Maggie.

"She didn't," Violet responded, "maybe we should go and get some things from her room for her, like, blankets and stuff."

Laura opened her eyes slowly, the white lights of the infirmary stung after being awake all night. Her mouth felt so dry. Maggie sat with her bandaged hand, looking worse for wear, with a IV drip attached to her arm. Violet had dried blood on her clothes, presumably Maggie's. They both jump up once they realise that Laura had woken up and hugged her. Violet immediately burst into tears.

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"Thank god you're okay" Violet spluttered, wiping away her tears "we were so worried."

"You saved the school," Maggie chimed in, "you both saved me."

Now Maggie was crying too. Unable to hold back anymore, Laura felt herself well up. She was so grateful that they were there when she woke up after putting on a brave face for the whole night.

"What's happened? Is everyone okay? What's happened to Aaina?" Laura asked through a blur of tears.

"Everyone is okay, although a bit traumatised. Aaina is in a coma and hasn't woken up yet, she's being monitored by Nurse Lake, and Government Authority Officials. When she wakes up they will assess what to do, as she obviously is mentally unstable and needs help." Maggie nods in agreement to Violet.

"I'll let Nurse Lake know you're awake." says Maggie as she gets up, wheeling her squeaky IV drip with her.

Violet takes Laura's hand, they look at each other and know that what has happened here at Greenstern last night has changed them forever. After everything they've been through, sometimes the only thing you can do is sit in silence. The squeaky wheels of Maggie's IV drip return, and along with her Nurse Lake. After having a full check over, she tells Laura she'll need to rest in the infirmary for a few days to heal but otherwise should be physically fine. Violet tells Laura that she handed in her phone with the footage as proof, but it was so dark most of it was unusable. But it wasn't like they needed much convincing as Maggie had told them everything.

That night as Laura stare's up at the ceiling trying to sleep, something kept nagging at her brain. Just as she felt her eyelids become heavy, she saw a face of a girl she didn't know.

*

Violet helped Laura collect her things to take back up to the dorm, the school term was coming to an end and Laura could finally leave the infirmary. All the students in the school are rushing around trying to get their assignments done on time for the winter break. People walk past carrying jars of ingredients for spells, massive plants they've grown for their Botany mid-terms and some carrying notebooks filled with their work. Despite what had happened here over the past few days, everything had seemingly gone back to normal. Violet saw the expression of confusion on Laura's face.

"I know, it's so weird. But no one else really went through what we did. Maggie, you and I have been excused from classes for the rest of the term for the sake of our sanity. We'll just be given a passing grade so we don't fail, kinda sucks all our work we've been doing ended up being for nothing. That night has been something people have been talking about, sure, everyone's a little rattled. Everyone was frozen in their beds, some even slept through it all. No one really saw what happened that night apart from us."

"What are they planning to do? I guess they think Maggie's not at fault?"

"She's convinced them that Aaina manipulated her, she told me Aaina pushed her away from her friends. I believe her, she's smiling through it all but I can tell she's hurting." Laura thought about how Maggie must be feeling, Laura knows all too well what it feels like to be manipulated by Aaina.

"Why don't you and Maggie come over to my dorm room tonight, I have a tone of sweets I need to eat before I leave for the holidays."

"Sounds good, I'll let Maggie know." Violet smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. Laura knew what she meant about Maggie, because Violet was hurting too. Laura stopped and pulled Violet into her arms, only the three of them had to go through that last night and they all needed someone to rely on. Violet squeezed Laura back, and for the first time in what seemed like ages, Laura felt okay.