Dorothy stood at the end of the school's second-floor hallway, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers. In the light, her claylike skin showed a strange texture.
"Here we are."
Harleen carried her backpack for her. "Classrooms on the left, dorms on the right, cafeteria upstairs. Don't worry, we've got plant lighting that Little Red improved. It's not scary."
Dorothy nodded, keeping her head down without a word.
"Sheriff Quizzle, leave her with me."
Barbara approached from the stairwell, her voice steady and gentle. She hadn't deliberately softened her footsteps or adopted that overly cautious tone people used around trauma survivors. She simply nodded naturally, as though welcoming any other transfer student.
"Dorothy, I'm Barbara. I handle some of the coordination here at the school. Your room is on the east side of the third floor. There's an elm outside the window. Raven said you might like somewhere quiet."
"Th... thank you."
Dorothy stretched her mouth into a smile that really wasn't very pretty. She followed Barbara toward the stairs, her footsteps light, as though she feared breaking something underfoot.
At the other end of the hallway, a girl in a black cloak stood watching her, her gaze filled with surprise.
For an instant, Dorothy instinctively wanted to hide. She knew that look all too well. First came surprise, then barely suppressed disgust, or deliberate pity. She lowered her head and stared at her rough, misshapen hands.
But Raven said nothing. She quietly approached, stopped in front of Dorothy, and took Dorothy's hand in her own palm.
"Thank you."
"Thank you?" Startled, Dorothy raised her head in bewilderment, disbelief spreading across her apelike face. "Wh... why..."
"...There are a lot of monsters inside you," Raven said softly.
Dorothy's shoulders instantly went rigid.
"But they aren't yours."
Raven released