[b][i]September 10th, 12:37am[/i][/b]

Laying awake in her bed, Aislin tossed and turned in her freezing sheets. She was cold, uncomfortable. The dorm was too empty. Even Alex's night light would have been comforting, but she hadn't seen the moon girl that entire evening. Maybe Alex hated her. That's why she wasn't here. Not that Aislin would blame her. She was a failure. Walking along with Mark before just showed her how helpless their damn situation was. The killer, the killer... 

He was impossible to find. Even her own memories of his single silhouette seemed to haze and blur; it worried her. She was ready to continue her investigation all night, but it was Mark who finally convinced her they were going in circles. Poor kid, he really should have spoken up sooner. Aislin half-considered inviting him up to her room as she feared being alone in a locked down school, but several reasons held her back. One, that would have been inappropriate. Two, he never divulged what he'd been up to before he walked to the hospital with those mysterious injuries. Vera's death, she heard it was a gruesome one. If there had been a struggle, it would make sense someone would sustain minor wounds from the scuffle. Now, she wasn't labeling Mark or anything, but she had to keep her options open. The students were on trial, maybe even the teachers. They had a killer on the loose, and everyone was a suspect. 

Growling in frustration, Aislin rolled over in her sheets, tossing her pillow to the wall. She'd have to speak with Mark again, see exactly what he was up to before they met. Hopefully his story absolved her suspicion; he seemed like a nice kid. She was grasping for straws here, one answer and it wasn't even really helpful. Vera was deceased. She didn't know the girl, but from what other students said she was a superb person. It... It didn't make any sense.

[i]Damn, here I thought the killer had a sense of justice.[/i] Aislin thought, sitting naked in bed with her arms wrapped around her knees.

When the killer saved her life in the depths of the caves, it had been quick, painless, efficient if not loud. The devil was silenced before he could rip her own throat out, and the killer left her alone. It seemed like an almost different person went after Vera, butchering the girl. Vera was innocent, the devil was not. He got the quick, easy death while Vera bled out on the floor like some twisted horror movie. It didn't make sense, and Aislin found herself questioning the killer's motives once again. Were there two? Or was he/she experimenting? And how did the blue lady tie into all of this?

The questions kept Aislin up all night. As dawn finally peeked through her window Aislin sighed, grudgingly peeling herself off her mattress. She was even more exhausted than she was yesterday, and yesterday had been hellish. She looked at herself in the mirror, poking at the dark, heavy circles under her blue eyes. She seemed disheveled, bony and tired. The child within was terrorized and destroyed; all that remained was a tired, scared soul seeking some kind of respite. Her life at this school, especially yesterday, it all seemed so surreal. She wished she could just shut it out, pretend it never happened. It'd be the easy way out, the path of least resistance.

[i]No, no way.[/i] Aislin shook her head, stepping into the shower. Hot water washed the chill out of her system, bringing the warmth back into her cheeks. [i]I'm in this too deep. I've gotta see it through.[/i] 

[b][i]September 10th, 4:08pm[/i][/b]

Holding a purple tinted thermos, Aislin sipped on her sixth cup of black coffee that day. Not only were the bags under her eyes still prominent, the coffee made her eyes dry and blood-shot. But it served it's purpose. She could function without falling asleep at her desk, though the coffee left her jittery. She found the purple thermos complimentary to her feathery cashmere sweater and black skinnies. Today she dressed for comfort, and feeling the cool beige fabric at the edge of her palms steadied her nerves. It was for good reason too; The Headmaster was to make a formal statement in front of all the students soon, and she was slowly making her way to the Auditorium with the rush of every other meta student. There were still seats available, but Aislin was looking to sit with someone in particular. She needed an information broker, and there was only one person she knew who qualified for the position. 

As the Auditorium filled up, Aislin sat in the other seat beside Deborah, taking another long swig of wakeful coffee. She gave Shannon and Debs a tired smile. [b]"Hey ladies, it's lovely to see you again."[/b] She dropped her voice a tone lower, talking to Debs specifically. [b]"I need to speak with you after this. It's... important."[/b]