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away from me. I lowered my hand and opened my eyes. Someone was blocking my view, a tall man with brown hair. "Spencer," I breathed, relieved.
     
     

Chapter 5 - That School
     
    I didn't realize I had hugged him until I heard him clear his throat. I was clutching him tightly. He was probably feeling pain from where my arms wrapped around his ribs. I hurriedly took my hands off him, embarrassed. "Sorry," I muttered under my breath, stealing a glance in front of him and seeing that everyone had left. Someone had the decency to bring the corpse with them, thank God.
    "Are you okay?" Spencer asked, his voice sounding concerned. "I thought you were with me. Why didn't you follow me?" He turned to me, checking if I had any bruise.
    He was asking a torrent of questions, but I couldn't bring myself to answer them. The look on the dead man's face was just so horrible; I could feel bile rising up my mouth. "Who would do such a thing," I asked, though I knew Spencer didn't know the answer. He probably didn't see the corpse.
    "Shh," he patted my head, forcing me against his chest. I didn't have the strength to decline his offer and I found myself crashing against him, my full weight supported by only his two feet. He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back as I sobbed, trying to erase the image that was still clear in my mind.
    I clung to him tightly, as though he had the ability to clear my mind, to make the image go away. But unfortunately, even he couldn't do that. All he could offer me was comfort and his own strength. For now, that was enough.
    "What happened?" I heard a familiar female voice ask, also concerned. Spencer didn't answer, but Kyle gasped anyway. "Let's go back in, quick," she said, sounding panicked this time.
    "Where's Evan?" I couldn't see, as Spencer had led me out of the alley through a different direction and we were walking in front.
    Somewhere behind us, Evan spoke. "I'm right here." Even didn't sound enthusiastic. I must have ruined their trip.
    "Sorry guys," I apologized, fighting back the urge to break down. I wasn't usually this soft. Did I really just cry a few moments ago? That has never happened before. But I have never seen a murdered corpse before either.
    It took ages for us to reach the castle, and when we did, all I wanted was to get inside my room and hole up there for the rest of the day. I shouldn't have gone out. I shouldn't have broken the law. That's what I deserved, I guess.
    "Kayleigh?" Spencer was talking to me, though I had no idea what he was saying. We were sitting on the stairs leading to the girls' rooms.
    "I'm okay," I reassured them, though I knew they didn't buy it. "I think I'll just rest for now." I stood up, waving a weak goodbye.
    "I'll walk with you," Spencer offered. I was too weak to tell him not to bother.
    It seemed like I was walking alone. He wasn't speaking. I couldn't even hear him breathe. If not for the shadow he was casting beside me, I would have thought he had left me alone. It's okay, I wasn't in the mood to talk anyway.
    "I'm sorry about earlier," he said when we had finally reached my door and I was looking for my key.
    "Why? It wasn't your fault that man was dead," I reassured him.
    He stiffened at the mention of the word dead, but he didn't say anything about it. "It's my fault you were alone."
    "I didn't follow you, I thought you wanted to be by yourself," I explained, realizing he had asked me this earlier.
    "Don't do that again," he scolded.
    I smiled, realizing that there was the prospect of a second time. I just hoped that when that second time came, there won't be anything bad happening again. "Someone said something earlier."
    What is it?" Spencer asked, his attention trained on me.
    I leaned on the doorway for support. "They accused me…of killing that man. Of being cursed. They said I was from that school…"
    "Oh," Spencer's face looked pained, but he regained composure easily. "Those people, they have weird beliefs," he explained. The bottom