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Panakeia shuffled along the dormitory hallway with the heavy couch and her sample case. Her room was, luckily enough, on the first floor. Unluckily, it was number 13. Ladders formed the doorframe and a wooden cutout of a black cat dangled from the knob. To complete the effect, someone had poured salt on the ground in front of the room. Panakeia was about to go back to the front desk to request a different room when she remembered that she wasn't a superstitious person. She felt in her pocket for the key, a long, spindly creation with large teeth, and put it in the lock. The door opened, squeaking loudly on rusty hinges.
The interior decorating wasn't any more encouraging; cobwebs hung from the ceiling in deep festoons and the mirror on the wall sported a crack from corner to corner. The curtains on the room's sole window, placed high on the wall and crisscrossed by iron bars, were black and dusty. Panakeia looked at the depressing atmosphere and almost missed the sunshine of Dol Gaurgauroth. She dragged the couch inside and found it too long to fit in the tiny room. With a sudden effort, she set it on end, disturbing the dark curtains. A weak ray of sunlight shone through the window, illuminating the room with a pallid glow. A black lump on one of the room's two beds stirred, raising a cloud of dust. Two dark eyes in a pasty face peered out from under the black blankets.
"What are you doing? Get that light out of here." The figure jumped out of the bed and hurried to close the curtains. "Who are you, anyway?"
"My name is Panakeia. I suppose I'm your roommate."
"Roommate? I don't want a roommate. I want to be alone." The eyes glared. Panakeia took a better look at the strange girl. She fit perfectly with the surroundings. Black clothes, hair dyed black, spiky metal jewelry. Panakeia even spotted black lipstick and nail polish, and she suspected the girl's pallor wasn't entirely natural either.
"I don't like it much myself. But it seems we're stuck with each other, at least for now." Panakeia displayed her room key. The roommate continued to glare. "Don't worry. I'll spend most of my time at class."
"Fine. Just remember, this is my space. And don't go changing anything."
"I wouldn't dare. I don't think I caught your name."
"And I don't think I gave it." Panakeia's roommate climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over her head. "Goodbye."
Panakeia stared in astonishment at her roommate's rude behavior. And a plan for mischief stirred in her head. She listened for objections from her conscience, but surprisingly, none came.
Hello, where are you? Still there?
A faint reply came back. Yes, I'm here. But things are changing. This might be the last time you hear from me. Don't worry, I'll still be with you. I'll always be with you now. But I'm going back where I belong. In your subconscious. It'll be harder for me to control what you do, but that's the way it should be. I won't let you get too far out of line, though. And there are always dreams. The gateway to the subconscious, as our friend Freud would say. The voice grew fainter. Yes, things are as they should be. We are truly going to be one again. Remember me! And the voice was gone.
Panakeia stood frozen for a moment, half rejoicing and half sadly missing the voice that had been her companion over the past few difficult days. Then, remembering that there was work to do and a course to attend, she shook herself and walked out of the room to find her class.
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