The girl had been sitting alone in the old music room; it had been abandoned as a storage room for all the sheet music, broken instruments and those that weren't being currently used when the extension of the school had been built the year Vanessa had first come here and she'd been using it as a get away ever since. She'd dragged a soft beanbag chair into the room last week and was now lounging in it reading a large bool - titled The Historian actually. The lights were off, a soft reading light attached to the top of her book while she read by it itself of the harsh lights of the main room. Her phone(s), portable gaming systems, ipod, portable batteries and tablet were all plugged into the power bar beside her, charging while the girl skipped her third period class and avoided the teachers that prowled the hallways looking for a reason to give a student detention. Mr. Saika had given her a key several years ago, allowing her to come and go as she pleased; the young teacher was barely twenty four and had favored her since she'd first gone to his music class. 

Her reached up a hand to brush a lock of purple-black hair out of her face, thin fingers moving it expertly around the headphones that sat on her ears and blasted music from her ipod into her ears and kept her from hearing the students moving between classes and talking like they always had. Her eyes followed the lines of the page easily, soft, stormy grey framed by long, thick and curved lashes and high cheekbones that set off her angular and elegant features. She would normally have gotten quite a bit of attention from the male students of the school, if she had not always come across as unapproachable or uncaring when someone else spoke to her. So far the only one who had managed to stick around long enough to see the damaged girl without her usual sweater was Cecil and even then she hadn't told him her story either. Along the line of her sweater sleeve was a fresh bandage wrapped around her wrist as well, peering out just where the soft grey fabric wouldn't reach when she moved. If she got up of course she would have left her hands crammed into her pockets. 

Her knees were bent some, cradling the book in her lap while she flipped through the pages that rest between the hard covers with the spine settled between her thighs. The jeans she wore were a deep black, contrasting greatly with her alabaster skin, purple socks on her feet as they were pulled up onto the soft seat with her while she curled up in the chair. Her high tops lay discarded on the carpet floor not too far from her, easily within reach while she twirled a lock of straight hair between her fingers silently. The song softened slightly while she read; the lyrics to Save Me From Myself, by Blacklisted Me playing as she slid over to the following page. It was a song that made her feel as if there was someone else out there who understood how she felt on a level that not one person she had ever met would be able to comprehend. She sighed, soft lips parting for a moment to allow the warm air to pass between her lips as she closed the book and yawned quietly. It had been a while since she last slept peacefully through the night, often her sleep disrupted by terrible nightmares and constant waking dreams that permeated the air around her as well; soft purple spots under her eyes were barely concealed by the cover-up she'd put on them this morning, hiding how little she had slept the night before. If only she could nap here without the risk of waking up screaming. 

Tucked around the corner, between two high stacks of filing cabinets with the wall behind her she hadn't seen the power go out or the lights shut off; nor the eclipse that was happening outside right then with the curtains heavy and drawn closed to leave the room in total darkness apart from the small light that was still on in her lap, casting a shadow over her book and legs that looked as if to be shaped like a pair of eyes that watched from the shadows if one looked at it hard enough. The shiver that sudden ran up her spine was alarming for the paranoid girl though and as her muscles seized in her back she struggled to flick open the blade of the knife she kept in her pocket and touched it to the inside of her palm to calm her beating heat. She turned off her music and let the headphones fall down around her thin neck; her jugular was nearly visible through her partially translucent skin as well. She looked over at her devices and checked them all, none were charging but thankfully they had all reached full charge before the power had gone out. The power bar itself had turned off when the power did to avoid harming the electronic that were plugged into it from any real damage from the electrical surge that preceded the power outage. 

Slowly she unplugged each of them and tied up the cords before fitting everything neatly in her satchel and standing again where she had before originally sitting down. Turning off her book light she let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room and slipped her shoes on while sliding the strap of the satchel over her shoulder and touching a hand to the row of cabinets beside her. It wasn't the first time she had been locked inside of a dark room and it didn't frighten her nearly as much as it had when it had been her father keeping her there, tied to the bed so that she couldn't get away from him. One the plus side she had gotten very good at untying knots and finding her way around a dark space. Vanessa blinked once, just to be sure her eyes had adjusted as much as they would be and made her way to the door of the classroom. It took her a moment to find the lock though not long afterward she twisted the key and opened the door to an empty hallway though she could hear the panic of the students echoing through the corridors.

The girl turned toward the noise, her injured hands fingers grazing against the painted stone wall of the old hall and followed it until she came to a juncture between the old part of the school and the new part where the new auditorium and music rooms were. Her shoes were the only sound for a little while until she heard an familiar voice above the silence of the other students. It looked like the entire school was surrounding him, the glow of cell phones lighting up the area though she held back in the shadows to listen to them. She wasn't one for group work and never had been before, honestly with little initiative to share any information she may have, though she hadn't known it was much more than a power outage. When she heard someone mention teachers vanishing into thin air she looked around, hoping to see some sign of Mr. Saika though she didn't see any right away. She waited until most of the students had started moving and orders had been handed out before she had taken a step toward Jack Smith. 

That was when the screaming started. Her first reaction was the lift the headphones back up over her ears to dull some of the sound when the voice was joined by others, all of it seeming to be coming from outside the school walls. Lowering her head she pressed the muffling set of headphones against her ears but it didn't stop the vibrations from settling into her very bones and she doubled over as several cuts on her arms and torso tore open in response to the strain it was putting on her body just to withstand the agonizing sound that rumbled deeply inside her body. She heard a growl in response to her and knew it wasn't real; the sound was just in her head, calling to be let out though she couldn't with the hinged coming undone. She would have hurt someone if the screaming hadn't stopped right then, leavign most of the students drained of energy and hope.

Vanessa watched for a moment, her heart pounding as blood blossomed on the bandages beneath her her clothing and hidden from the view of the others around. Adrenaline pumping through her system, her pupils dilated and taking in all available light to help her see, the junior student stepped forward without certainty though she didn't make much noise as she stepped lightly through the shadows toward Jack. He was alone, with all the others moving on already and when she had stopped moving herself it was because she was standing a few feet away from the boy, still half hidden by the shadows cast by the retreating glow. 

[color=630460]"Jack."[/color]

She had only said his first name while she watched him, her headphones around her neck again and her hand inside of her pockets with the knife that had been since folded back in on itself to hide the sharp edge from the fragile flesh of humanity. Her eyes, dark and wide in the dark, framed by shadows cast upon her delicate features and following the lines of her graceful jawline and cheekbones. She linked, long lashes casting a soft undertone over her eyes, making the little colour in them shine more silver than their natural grey though she didn't seem to know the effect of the darkness on herself.