Rachael could hear screaming from somewhere. It was very faint, and she wondered if she'd imagined it before returning to her book. It was good, about two alien races warring over earth, and far more interesting than some barely audible screeching. She'd brought a selection of books with her in her suitcase. They were mainly sci-fi, with a few fantasies mixed in. Those were the more nostalgic ones, bringing her back to the days where she escaped the loneliness by imagining goring her classmates with a unicorn horn, or casting a spell that would kill them all. But that was stupid and childish. You could kill far more efficiently with a knife.
It was growing late, or at least in Rachael's time zone. She was scared that William would come in, but there was no way to prevent that, or at least not until she got evidence of her harassment. After a while more of reading, Rachael tucked it under the pillow, like always, then settled in herself. It still took a while for her to sleep. She didn't dream. She hadn't done for years.
