"Okay, let's take a quick break here." The dead had long surpassed the two girls as they had slowly trundled towards the school, Laura gently help's Maggie sit down on the dew covered grass.

"Let's see that hand" she says as she rips up a strip of her shirt like she's seen people in movies do. As carefully as she can, Laura wraps it around the deep gash putting her energy into healing thoughts. Healing thoughts generally only work on things like paper cuts, but Laura tries anyway. Putting the sodden bandage on the ground, Laura feels guilty for leaving it but this isn't the time to be worried about this.

"I'm sorry" Maggie suddenly says, Laura looks up into her big brown eyes, "I... I don't know why I helped her. She's the only friend I've got here, I never thought she'd actually go through with it." Laura tries to hide her surprised expression, she doubts that Aaina can be her only friend, Maggie has always been popular.

"Well she did." Laura says unsympathetically. Maggie's lips begin to quiver, "I just mean, if someone says they're going to do something bad, it's best to believe them" she says, softening her tone a little.

"She would tell me stories about her family, and how her plan was going to prove to them who she really is." Maggie lets out a ragged sob, "but I didn't think she was going to attack the school! This is my home, this is everything I've got." the tears are falling freely now, her voice swallowed by regret. A tall oak tree nearby begins to creak as the wind picks up around them, and a small cloud covers some of the moon light shining brightly down on them. Laura firmly grabs Maggie's good hand, and looks into her eyes.

"We are going to fix this, you know Aaina's plan better than anyone else, we can stop her before anyone else gets hurt."

"Really? You'll help me?" Maggie says hopefully, and with a firm nod, Laura pulls Maggie back up to her feet.

"Let's go".

*

It had taken a while for Maggie to begin telling Laura what Aaina had planned, she was getting dazed by the loss of blood. She started by telling her that they had started becoming friends at the end of last year, they had been put together for Math class. A few weeks went by and suddenly all of her friends had stopped talking to her, and she became closer to Aaina as she didn't have anyone else to talk to.

"It was so strange, none of them seemed to have any reason to stop talking to me... maybe they never liked me in the first place." Maggie says defeated.

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"Maggie, after what we've seen tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if Aaina had something to do with it."

"What? Do you really think so? Like, a spell or something? That's... so cruel."

"Sometimes, when people feel alone, they justify the things they do because they think nobody could truly understand them for who they are. I'm not saying what she did was right, and I'm not saying you should forgive her, but just don't blame yourself for something that wasn't in your control." Maggie slowly nods her head.

"Anyway," Maggie continues disheartened, "her parents told her at the start of this year, that she wasn't to go home for the holidays, and to stay here at school. It crushed her, she hardly saw them as it was, well we all know what that's like." Laura felt herself nodding, one of Greensterns few faults is the intense distance from family and friends outside the school. She would always get an ache in her stomach when she thought about her home.

"That's when she started to talk about showing them how strong she is, she talked of building an army, and hitting them where it hurts. Whatever that means. I honestly thought she meant just giving the school a bit of a scare, I didn't like it but... I just followed along. When she told me the spell was going to be done in the graveyard, I got this feeling in my stomach and something told me to listen to it but instead I pushed it down, I ignored it. She was the only person who understood what it was like to be pushed away. She said there needed to be a small blood sacrifice by 'the one who aids', which was me, so I had to say yes because she couldn't do it herself." Maggie looks down at her bleeding hand, "So stupid".

"What is she planning to do now?" Laura asks.

"Well we're heading to the right place, she's going to overthrow the school, she's going to the dorms."

*

It seemed everywhere Violet turned they were always not far behind, she couldn't stop for breath. The corridors that were once filled with warmth and laughter were now taunting and terrifying. She had somehow found herself trapped on the third floor, the stairs now all impossible to use, and somewhere on the second floor she had dropped her charm that Laura had made her and the twist in her stomach told her that her life really was in danger now. Violet looked around in dismay, what could she use now to protect herself? Surely there was something useful around. Up ahead was the Chemistry and Potions lab. As quietly as she could runs towards the door, behind her she heard the dragging sound of the dead. She ran harder, risking a glance over her shoulder, they were on her tail. They ran at Violet with disregard to the fact that most of their limbs had long since started to decay. Violet reaches the door and slamming it shut behind her, and grabs a nearby chair to help keep it shut like they do in the movies, knowing it won't stop them for long. She frantically starts searching the room for something, rummaging through the jars and bottles of chemicals. The door starts to shake, they've caught up. That's when it catches her eye, the wisteria growing outside the walls. Just like what Laura planted outside her window to sneak out at night. The door slams open, the dead have made their way in. Violet runs to the window, scrambling to open the lock, and finally pulls the window open and climbs through posting her feet into gaps of the wisteria. They're running at her, she slams the window shut and they smack into it, clawing at the glass. Violet quickly begins to climb down, her heart is racing a million miles an hour.