ã€ŠThe Corpse of ICARUS (Twelve Monoliths Book II)ã€‹


 Part I â€“ Desire | 1 | The Infant and the Murder of Carleigh Heights | Side Life

    ¡°Is she breathing? Come on. Tell me you checked to see if she was still breathing,¡± a man¡¯s voice rang out against the stretches of light streaked across the hardwood floor by the lightning. Every light in the house sputtered to life. The crack of thunder outside drew out a groan from the man. The woman by his side was holding an infant in her arms, damp from the rain. She pressed two fingers to the baby¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s breathing, and sorry. All I could think of was to get her out of the rain. I didn¡¯t want her to be out there in the cold.¡±

    ¡°Did you see who dropped her off? You must¡¯ve seen someone.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone, Harold!¡± The woman snapped and her eyes burned at him. She turned back to the child in her arms, cradling it softly. ¡°I would¡¯ve mentioned if I did.¡± She sighed and in her arms the child breathed a sleepy sound, ¡°It¡¯s a miracle she¡¯s stayed asleep through all of it.¡±

    ¡°What she¡¯s experienced is no miracle,¡± Harold said and leaned against the low end of the staircase. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a cigarette¡ªinspected it quickly to see if it was dry¡ªand then stuck the tip between his lips after confirming it was. ¡°We can¡¯t keep her here you know.¡± He took out his lighter.

    ¡°Oh gosh,¡± the woman said in a very long and drawn out manner, ¡°I never said we should keep her.¡±

    ¡°You were going to.¡± He wasn¡¯t looking at her.

    The woman looked from him back to the child. She took in a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°She needs to stay the night at least, we can¡¯t just leave her where she was...Don¡¯t light that in here,¡± she said, staring at the cigarette and motioning the child away from him.

    ¡°Do you expect me to smoke outside?¡±

    ¡°Do you expect her to sleep outside?¡±

    This stumped Harold. He set the cigarette back in his pocket and looked back up to his wife. She was cradling the child close. It was obvious when the doorbell rang with nobody on the other end but a small, sleeping child that she¡¯d been abandoned. It was obvious, too, that the both of them had been trying for months for their own child, but something about the whole situation seemed...off. How could he explain that without insinuating the child be left alone?

    ¡°We could call the police. They¡¯ll know what to do with her.¡±

    ¡°You know as well as I do that the police will just ship her off to some foster home where she¡¯ll probably die of malnourishment.¡±

    ¡°Honey, I think you¡¯re being just a little dramatic.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a real thing!¡± Her voice was pleading, almost begging.

    Harold sighed. He couldn¡¯t put the words to it, but he wasn¡¯t feeling right. Even if they went through the whole process of adopting a child he would lose a bit of the connection he¡¯d been so eager to create. It wouldn¡¯t ever truly be his child¡ªtheir child. He¡¯d be a father, but he wouldn¡¯t be a father. Something inside told him that it shouldn¡¯t matter if he could be both or one or not...but he couldn¡¯t separate that feeling. It wouldn¡¯t ever sit right in his head and he couldn¡¯t force it to. He knew Miranda had been thinking of adopting a child for some time now. She¡¯d been slipping it into their everyday conversation and Harold had been either ignoring it or outright shooting it down. Their marriage became a taut rope that felt like an argument always waiting to happen and there of all times came an infant abandoned on their doorstep like the sharp pendulum ready to swing above that very rope until it was snapped. And boy was it ever close to snapping.

    ¡°She¡¯s got no-one,¡± Miranda said.

    Instantly Harold¡¯s face contorted in such a way that twisted his good features into nastiness.

    ¡°I knew it! I knew it that you couldn¡¯t just let it be.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t just let what be? Not help an abandoned child?!¡±

    ¡°A child you¡¯re dangerously close to waking up. Keep your voice down.¡± Harold hushed her. ¡°Look, maybe she was kidnapped and has loving parents out there. We cannot make this decision and we certainly cannot do it tonight.¡±

    As if he told her to kill the infant she looked at him with a sense of rage, loss, and hurt. ¡°Fine, call the police.¡± In the span of four words something dark surfaced inside his wife. He almost attributed it to a red-hate, but then all at once he realized it wasn¡¯t that quick. It had been slowly building for the past ten years. This baby didn¡¯t cut the cord; she just opened the both of their eyes to the fact that the two strands had been long dangling from their severed center for longer than they could notice. The pendulum above had been cutting nothing but air.

    That didn¡¯t do well to help his mind.

    There was a part of him that loved not knowing just how fragile the conversations with Miranda were¡ªto not be aware of how many eggshells the both of them had to step around. For now he was aware of one he was becoming aware of the many. And in that baby in her arms, no matter if she were like a pair of glasses...they were the worst pair of glasses he¡¯d ever worn. There would be no way he could adopt a child, much less this child. She had been horrible and she¡¯d carried the darkness that now infested his wife. Yes, that was it. Everything was fine before this child arrived on their doorstep. She brought with her like a virus the anger and hatred that lay behind Miranda¡¯s words. How she would sleep away from him tonight, how she would forget to wish him a good morning...all of it vanished in that split second.

    She carried darkness. It didn¡¯t take much for Harold to convince himself of this fact¡ªit was so simply put it should have been obvious. She had a darkness that must leave this house immediately.

    He was the one to make the phone call to the police. On the other line a young officer who couldn¡¯t have been older than his early twenties answered. He sent out a much older gentleman who arrived at the house about twenty minutes later. Officer Dawkins was his name, and he looked like he could have been Harold¡¯s father. They knew each other because they had gone to school together, but they weren¡¯t much anything but bully and bullied. Harold flinched when Officer Dawkins knocked on their door. He didn¡¯t seem to be recognized¡ªeither that or he took his job seriously enough not to let the little weirdo from Nasseu School District stop him from being anything but for the duty.

    The whole situation was as painless as Harold could have hoped for; Officer Dawkins took some statements from the both of them on the situation and he took the sleeping child in his arms.

    ¡°Thank you both for your civic duty,¡± Officer Dawkins said, and just like that he was on his way out. Social services would be contacted and the child would officially be thrown into The System<sup>TM</sup>, but to Harold their work had been done. The darkness would leave their home and the fog would return. Things would return to normal.

    Officer Dawkins¡¯s car pulled out of the driveway as the rain bounced off of the ground and spun in circles around the now spinning tires. In the course of an hour Miranda was left with what she entered the night with. They stood beside each other as the car left their driveway. She was clutching herself and couldn¡¯t stop staring at the car. The slightest of moments offered a chance of something new, but it was gone in an instant. Everything was gone in an instant she found; the happiness at the prospects of a child, the disappointment of handing her over, and the anger at Harold for being so¡­well, for being himself. All of it vanished like it was a shawl that she yanked off for being too soaked in the rain. It was a heavy weight no longer present.

    Up above them in the sky a burning sphere tumbled past the clouds. The fireball soared in an arc and just as easily as it had come. The tension between the two of them vanished. Miranda grabbed her husband¡¯s arm without a word; he rested his on top of hers and they stared up at the sky together. The cord between them would be ignored once more. It had been their silent vow.

    She carried darkness, Harold thought.

    ~...~

    Thirteen years later on the other side of town music erupted from a large house on a large hill. Nasseu has always been known for its obvious divide in class. It¡¯s much like larger towns, but the people don¡¯t hide the divides behind excuses. What you see is what you get. The old folk who established Nasseu as a resort town back in the late eighteen hundreds for the wealthy to spend and spend. Those with wealth flocked and those less fortunate fought for the rest of the space. It worked itself out eventually come another twenty years, but the lines never blurred and nobody sought to justify it. It was just how things were.

    The wealthy lived in the east and everyone else made their homes on the western side of town; split just up to The Divide, otherwise known as Prosperry Street. Whoever named it was illiterate as they meant to call it Prosperity Street. It stuck as a bit of a quirk for the town, but as time passed it grew to be a symbol for most of what was wrong with Nasseu; an obvious, unfixed mistake.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    The song playing was a radio top 40 hit called ¡°Don¡¯t Stop the Party¡± by a group called UnderGr4nd. They specialized in hypnotizing beats best suited for high school parties where complexity of rhythm and music theory took a back seat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop the¡ªdon¡¯t stop the par-tay. Don¡¯t stop the¡ªdon¡¯t stop the par-tay!¡± The synthesized vocal repeated the phrase into oblivion. The sounds echoed all the way toward the Honeyswourth¡¯s home down the hill and crossed the road. The human body contains about seven billion nerves total, and the music that was playing at the party up the road was shredding every single one of Robert Honeyswourth¡¯s. He despised the chorus''s inane loops and the heavy synth flying up and down like a novice pilot. And don¡¯t even get him started on that incessant kick drum...if that even was a drum anymore. It sounded like a mechanical hammer slamming against his frontal lobe.

    ¡°I tell you Martha,¡± Robert Honeyswourth began, ¡°Those children out there are getting on my last nerve. It¡¯s not even music...just slamming and noise!¡±

    ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± Martha called from the foyer. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll settle down before midnight? I was hoping to sleep in for little Georgie¡¯s piano recital tomorrow.¡±

    Robert stepped down from the oval staircase with the day¡¯s paper rolled up in one hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop the¡ªdon¡¯t stop the par-tay. Don¡¯t stop the¡ªdon¡¯t stop the par-tay!¡±

    ¡°Darling, that wretched noise keeps telling us that they¡¯re not going to be stopping anytime soon,¡± Robert said.

    ¡°Well, at least it isn¡¯t a West-ender.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop the¡ªdon¡¯t stop the par-tay. Don¡¯t stop the¡ªdon¡¯t stop the par-tay!¡±

    Robert sighed. ¡°I would bet my left foot that there are most certainly West-enders playing that garbage. It¡¯s most definitely coming from the Heights household. You know that girl of theirs is dating a West-ender.¡±

    ¡°Oh how dreadful. I almost forgot. He must have some dirt on her family or what. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what their yard looks like. It¡¯s probably already turned into a cannabis farm,¡± Martha tuttered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you stop the¡ªdon¡¯t you stop the¡ªDon¡¯t you stop the par-tay-tay-tay-tay-tay-t-t-t-ttttttttttttttttt¡ª EVERYBODY RAISE YOUR DRINKS!¡±

    Robert fumed red as his hand collided with the side frame of the staircase just as the lead synth kicked into its main melody. ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯m stopping this nightmare here and now. I am sick of them. I am sick of their noise, and I¡¯m sick of their poor morality.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Robert,¡± Martha called after him, placing a hand to her chest. ¡°What ever are you going to do?¡± In her mind Martha was on one of her soaps. She imagined the roses being tossed on stage as the curtain fell and enveloped her like a royal sash.

    ¡°I¡¯m calling the police and shutting them down. It¡¯s bad enough to live next to them.¡± Robert growled, grabbing his phone from his pocket and dialing the magic number.

    He held the phone up to his ear and heard some West-end punk pick up on the other end. You could always tell how they sounded. They drew out their speech and threw out hard R¡¯s as feverishly as they could like it were some sick game. Neanderthals, he thought. ¡°Yes, please put Officer Dawkins on the line, boy.¡± The man on the other end of the line sounded as if he were at least in his mid-thirties, but it didn¡¯t matter, he was still a boy to Robert. ¡°Yes, sir, you see, I¡¯m having a bit of a problem concerning a neighbor¡­¡±

    ~...~

    The drums pounded so loud in Carleigh¡¯s ears that it shook the entire world. Colors zoomed across the pool and the sun streaked across the sky. ¡°Woah!¡± She said as the sound filled her entire being. ¡°Come here Tyson, you have to try this! It¡¯s so crazy¡ªWooooo!¡± She threw her hands into the sky and yelled back with a cackling laugh. Tyson said something, but it was just buzz to her. She smiled and nodded, laughing again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop the¡ªdon¡¯t stop the par-tay. Don¡¯t stop the¡ªdon¡¯t stop the par-tay!¡±

    The sound of the gargantuan speakers drowned out any other noise. Carleigh placed her cup to the ground and clapped her hands above to the beat of the kick. It was just the right song to come on. She was a huge UnderGr4nd fan. She and Tyson went to their huge concert just in July. It was sold out but she managed to pull some strings¡ªher father was big in the music business.

    Tyson had a great time¡­and Carleigh loved that. He didn¡¯t get much experience at big events like that since his family wasn¡¯t as well off. It almost brought as big a smile to her heart as was currently on her face. The sun streaked an elaborate masterpiece in front of her eyes. The dancing bodies out in the pool began to change from bodies to formless moving shapes that almost looked gelatinous.

    ¡°C¡¯mere,¡± a voice whispered in her ear, to which she turned and felt the entire world spinning around like a kaleidoscope. She smiled even wider and nodded her head. ¡°Okay,¡± She giggled and looked at him. He looked almost formless too; like a clay figure that pretended to be human. He held out a blocky hand and she took it. This was unlike anything she¡¯s ever done.

    ¡°C¡¯mere, we¡¯re going to the bedroom,¡± the voice whispered in her ear again. It made her smile, she felt good when his voice reached her ear. She bit her lip and raised her head.

    ¡°Baby, you know how good that feels, but we¡¯re at a party...¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t mind.¡±

    They passed by two more formless blobs who Carleigh thought were making out. They looked like two doughboys from that old ghost hunting movie pushing their faces into one another. The room was large and the colors were all wrong, but it felt all right. They went up the stairs that seemed to take ten years to walk up. Carleigh stopped right in the middle of the staircase to wait for her mind to catch up to her body, but then she was quickly hurried along by the figure holding her arm.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯re almost there.¡± The bedroom door swung open fast. Carleigh didn¡¯t remember how she ended up there when she was just on the stairs thinking about the doughboys. The door shut and the sound muffled the music from downstairs. It was still just as loud to her; amplified, even. It got louder as the bed in the middle of the dull-painted room seems to grow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you stop the¡ªdon¡¯t you stop the¡ªDon¡¯t you stop the par-tay-tay-tay-tay-tay-t-t-t-ttttttttttttttttt¡ª EVERYBODY RAISE YOUR DRINKS!¡±

    A nap sounds wonderful right about now.

    Carleigh found her way to her bed and just before she was about to sit she was pushed from behind, falling forward onto the mattress. The surprise vanished quickly when she felt how soft the mattress was. This too vanished when she was flipped on her back and the world spun upright. In an instant the lull of the colors disappeared and suddenly the extreme joy she¡¯d been feeling turned on its head to something new...fear. The formless being in front of her now looked scarier, sharper. She was suddenly aware that she was no longer wearing her bottoms¡ªthey¡¯d been tossed aside off the bed.

    ¡°Tyson? This...this isn¡¯t funny any longer.¡±

    The figure didn¡¯t respond and came closer to her--the music outside blasted its loud synths. She felt it all at once as it sent a painful shock-wave through her lower half. Her mind screamed as the music outside blasted its loud synths. There was a sound that was almost like laughter, but it was distorted. There was warmth across her body starting from her neck and it seeped down. The figure shuffled about in a hurry and bolted out of the shape that was the door. She took a breath of relief and didn¡¯t realize it would be her last. Darkness came and sucked her into the void forevermore.

 2 | What I Want To Be... | Side Life

    Allison Fae

    September 22nd, 2022

    Mrs. Fowler

    ELA

    <u>When I Grow Up</u>

    Questions are like islands¡ªoften they form much larger pictures when placed in context of one another. Islands, too, paint a much larger planetary picture when viewed from an outside perspective. Although in the case of questions you don¡¯t need a fancy rocket-ship in order to get that outside view¡ªyou just need to be honest with yourself. Inhabitants of a single one of these metaphorical islands may come to believe that theirs is the only piece of land on the entirety of the globe without this outside view. Questions are also similar in this fashion to islands.

    Often I find myself asking questions about myself¡ªfocusing on the ones right in front of me¡ªthose most pertinent to my current situation or issues that I¡¯m facing¡ªwithout taking a look at the grander scale of how those questions relate to who I am. ¡®What do I want to be when I grow up?¡¯ was one of the first questions that I began to ask myself in this new way. Although it is on the surface a pretty easy question to answer¡ªI could simply give a clich¨¦ like princess or queen of the world, but I don¡¯t want to. I couldn¡¯t honestly give answers like that without sounding like I¡¯m ten years younger than I really am. I wasn¡¯t able to look at myself outside of the day I had thought of it, but now I think I¡¯m at a place in my life where I have the answer to that question.

    My name is Allison K. Fae and I am thirteen years old. I understand that thirteen isn¡¯t the typical age where one has their life figured out¡ªit isn¡¯t terribly old to do anything, really¡ªbut it¡¯s old enough to wake up in a cold sweat from a terrible nightmare. One so terrifying that you¡¯re running from a monster which is just so close to getting you until it doesn¡¯t. I believe that if I¡¯m old to have those kinds of dreams I¡¯m old enough to wonder about my life past where I am now.

    Especially if those kinds of dreams wake me up with sweat beading down my face and I realize that horror ringing through my bones like I¡¯m tuning some instrument ringing out in the distance. The feeling of dread that immediately passes as I wake up; the feeling I in that single moment can almost hold in my hands. It¡¯s not just fear: joy, anger, sadness, betrayal, and many more I could spend pages attempting to describe them fully.

    It was like some magical switch was flipped on inside my brain and everything I began to feel I felt more of. I felt the feeling of feeling. I wanted to tell people about it¡ªto share what it had felt like. I knew that if I tried to tell it to just anybody and everybody I¡¯d find some way to muddle the message. There had to be some way I could get my point across.

    When I grow up I want to be a writer. I want to give people all those same kinds of feelings that I feel, and I want to do it with my best friend, Jace. Okay, well, he¡¯s not real, just an idea of a person I get in my head, but the things I feel when I imagine all the adventures he could go on or the things he could teach people makes me feel like I really have a job to do in this world. Is that weird? It might be.

    Sometimes I wonder about all the questions in life, the ones that I find myself asking more and more each day. Where are you going to live after you¡¯re an adult? What kind of person are you going to be? Will you be married? All of these questions were so far away and so large¡­so dangerous. They don¡¯t have to be that way, just like any island; they can be tackled if one has a boat and the will to sail, no matter the size. Jace is my boat. The person who isn¡¯t really a person I travel to all the different questions with, explore, adventure.

    The topic of this paper was a single question, but I feel answering with a single answer was too...limiting. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to give the fullest answer that I could have. No single answer to a single question, yet with a stream of answers the answer to the original question becomes almost obvious. It¡¯s paradoxical but yet simple. It is a simple answer; I want to be a writer, but not just a writer. I want to inspire, I want to make people feel things, and I want to see where Jace goes in his journeys. I want to see what he wants to do when he grows up. I¡¯m sure in time he¡¯ll find his own voice to tell me.

    ~¡­~

    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re trying way too hard to sound smart.¡± Jace tossed it back on the desk and hopped off the desk and on his feet. He looked up toward Ally, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s what you want to hand in today? I¡¯m sure you could add some bits at the end about how I get to slay the dragon and get the girl in the end,¡± he gave off a sly grin. ¡°I mean¡­it is less depressing than your last one.¡±

    Ally was stuffing her backpack beside him. She took the paper in her hands and looked it over once more. Her eyes darted to Jace subconsciously then returned to the paper, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m all set. Besides, you¡¯re not that kind of hero. Slaying a dragon is thirty years past due.¡±

    ¡°Seems less dramatic if there¡¯s no dragon fight in the paper if you ask me.¡±

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t ask you. You just stumbled in and thought you¡¯d give your opinion.¡±

    ¡°Technically,¡± he chuckled and dropped his head so that his golden hair bounced in front of his eyes, ¡°...my opinions are your opinions. So they¡¯re always asked for.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly, and you know that.¡± She slid the paper into her folder and then the folder into the bag as well. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re going to get your adventures, just you wait. I just have to...¡± she looked out the window to the falling leaves and the rising sun, the beauty of it took the words from her. Jace snapped twice in front of her and brought her back. ¡°Oh¡ªwhat? I¡¯m sorry...I have to go through my own little adventure here called school.¡±

    ¡°You used that excuse last week,¡± Jace crossed his arms and blew his hair up. He shook his head, ¡°Just make sure it is heroic, okay?¡±

    Ally smiled softly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± This made him grin. She saw how the smile made his blue eyes glimmer. She¡¯d have to remember that detail for later.

    ¡°You should try to relax or something. If anything gets you down just fight your way out of it.¡± He grinned once more flashing his teeth and then he was gone in an instant. Ally knew he wasn¡¯t really ever there. He was just a character that she made up in her own head, but she couldn¡¯t help but let him come out when loneliness struck. She¡¯d spent almost eight years with him even before fully knowing his name. He told her in a dream once, Jace Starr. Originally Ally hated the last name having two ¡®r¡¯s in it, but he was pretty persuasive in his own right.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯d be a hero¡¯s name!¡± He strutted in an almost peacock fashion. ¡°You know it¡¯s just right for me.¡±

    Ally was left standing in her room holding her backpack. She couldn¡¯t get her mind off of it. Yeah...fight my way out of it. Only problem is I can¡¯t really fight my way out of my problems. Ally had been abandoned on the doorstep of a troubled married couple thirteen years ago. She bounced from foster home to foster home until just a few months before this current morning she was adopted by the Fae family. The couple had their own difficulties conceiving children on their own so it had been fate that Ally came into their lives.

    Jaclyn and George Fae were kind enough people and they were certainly understanding with her situation¡ªpatient and willing to help her adjust. Ally still felt off about the whole situation. It wasn¡¯t ever a feeling she could describe if asked. What she wasn¡¯t able to say Jace was more than willing to do for her.

    ¡°You¡¯re scared of getting attached,¡± he echoed. ¡°You don¡¯t want to get comfortable only for them to ship you off like every other foster home.¡±

    She supposed that sounded right. It hurt her heart thinking it. Plus, there were people who lived much less fortunate lives, so I have no reason to complain. Now she stood thirteen years old, blonde hair almost mirroring Jace¡¯s shade, but hers crawled down her back whereas Jace¡¯s grew out thicker than it did long. Grew...funny word for someone who didn¡¯t grow at all.

    Jace would always say that he wore the blond better. Of course, she made him think this so of course she agreed. She felt that everything looked better on him¡ªhe was in some ways modeled after her own image. Of course he was more warrior-like and the opposite gender, but he shared her blonde hair and blue eyes.

    She pulled herself out of her thoughts. Tricky things those thoughts could be...they were like arms veiled in black pits, grabbing at her legs that tried with all their might to drag her down into pain and misery. And then all at once she tripped and fell down into the depths of memories. This particular veiled arm was the smell of her coat¡ªit pulled back memories of her first day at her new school with the intensity of a branding iron. The coat was a gift from her current foster parents. George Fae had mentioned that autumn in Maine could be absolutely brutal.

    ¡°The wind is just killer on yer ¡®ands there,¡± he bellowed out. George was a better safe than sorry kind of guy that had been cranked up to eleven. He told Ally that safety and security were two of his big ¡®S¡¯s. Jaclyn joked that the third was his stomach.

    Ally wasn¡¯t laughing by the time she made it to Nasseu Middle School. Ally had learned early that kids that blended in the crowd were typically the safest from humiliation. Obviously humiliation could come and knock on anybody¡¯s door, but the most of it could be avoided by lying under the radar.

    Ally was not popular at any of the previous schools she had gone to, nor was she well liked. Most people believe that they are kind to all they meet, but the truth was that most people were unkind to at least someone. Ally tended to be that someone more often than not. She spent plenty of time seeing the same formulas repeat in each of the student bodies: The jocks looked similar, the nerds looked similar¡ªeverything looked similar. There was some cross-over every now and then like how Bangor Middle School had her grade filled with athletes were already competing to be their class¡¯s valedictorian. Even if the dots weren¡¯t dotted in the exact same places the lines were all the same.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°It¡¯s your fault you know. Lack of interest in your student life isn¡¯t much an excuse.¡± Jace remanded her. ¡°If you want to be liked you have to get a bit uncomfortable.¡±

    She ignored him...knowing right well that he was perfectly right. Well, he would be right if the game she had to play were fair in any sense of the word. No, the game was not fair. All the other kids had known that before they left their diapers. There were people that had to try harder¡ªdo more just to get back to even. There are people who had to try their very hardest just to get the bare minimum. Ally had almost perfected the art of not attracting attention. She blended in wonderfully.

    Now, all of this was wonderful until she factored in George Fae¡¯s wonderful sense of safety and security. She walked into Nasseu Middle School September 4<sup>th</sup> with a coat that was suited for helping soldiers through a Russian winter.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t wear the coat.¡± Jace said, ¡°I don¡¯t see why you had to in the first place,¡± Jace said.

    I couldn¡¯t say no...saying no meant you were disagreeing with someone and if you disagreed with them you could have a fight with them. If you fought with them they threw you out on the street. If that happens I live nowhere and die. I die, Jace.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to die.¡±

    ¡°Sure I will. Everyone does.¡±

    ¡°Even me?¡±

    ¡°Eventually. If I go, you go.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unsettling. What if I go but you don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s even possible.¡±

    No, I couldn¡¯t say no to the coat. It was too kind of them. I knew it was too hot outside; I¡¯m not dumb, just¡­sad. Nobody else was wearing anything remotely winter apparel by the time I walked in through those doors the first time. So by the first seconds of my new school I had stuck out like a sore thumb. Worse¡ªI was like a toothache during thanksgiving dinner.

    Ally had seen the looks that the other kids were giving her. Each person that passed turned to stare bent every fiber in my being choked up all at once and kept screaming. It wasn¡¯t Jace¡¯s voice. It was my own voice but louder. TAKE THE COAT OFF. JUST YANK IT OFF RIGHT NOW. I knew of every single person¡¯s eyes that turned around to me. I could tell you exactly what color each of them was in those few seconds as I passed them. Details like that stick out to me. I also remember exactly how sweaty I got inside the coat. I was nervous from each person that looked at me and then I got nervous from my voice shouting inside. Then I got nervous because I wasn¡¯t doing anything about either of them.

    Ally was deadlocked. Somehow, she managed to make it safe and sound to her assigned homeroom. Mr. Minch¡¯s room smelt so heavily of garlic it made her eyes water the first few seconds of going in, but they quickly got used to the scent. It surprised her how quickly one could get used to that smell.

    ¡°What¡¯s this here but a face I¡¯ve never seen?¡± Mr. Minch sang from behind his desk. His voice was so poppy it lit up the eyes behind his round specs. His goatee was cut thin and he wore a Hawaiian shirt, which unfortunately he couldn¡¯t have thought to wear an undershirt. He was balding near the top; the rest of what remained on the sides of his head was a dark brown.

    ¡°I...I¡¯m Ally,¡± she said.

    There wasn¡¯t anyone else in the room just yet, and Ally let loose the breath she¡¯d been holding from the hall. ¡°Yes,¡± he picked up a clipboard from his desk. She could see his eyes scanned the board feverishly, ¡°¡­Miss Fae, am I pronouncing that right?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Excellent.¡± He dropped the clipboard and it rattled on the desk. His hands clasped together and his lips pursed to a smile at the corners. ¡°You¡¯ll find that if you arrive on time to homeroom here you¡¯re really just arriving early.¡± He shook his shoulders, ¡°What can I say? Kids will be kids.¡±

    ¡°O¡­Oh¡­do you want me to leave and come back in?¡±

    Mr. Minch laughed a hearty sound. He¡¯d taken it as a joke, but she was serious.

    ¡°Looks like you and I will get along just fine, Miss Fae. I like a joke I think more than most around here. You can find a seat wherever you like. There¡¯s no assigned seating for homeroom.¡±

    Ally nodded. Quickly she moved her bag into a chair right beside her to try and play it off. She freed herself of the coat and felt like a vice had lifted off of her neck. Behind her the door opened again and people filled in; they looked at her as they entered, but nobody approached her. They sat closer to the front. Ally thanked them silently.

    Homeroom began and Mr. Minch gathered everyone¡¯s attention before the morning announcements and introduced Ally. She nodded and smiled awkwardly before turning red. The morning announcements cut them off and Ally sat down with her cheeks still red. Great¡­that was spectacular. It could have been so much worse¡­I have to keep telling herself that I¡¯m just imagining everything. Nobody really cares that a new kid is here. Nobody¡®s worrying as much as I am.

    She just had to hope that people didn¡¯t find out that she was an orphan. At least¡­until it became such a moot point that it didn¡¯t matter. She has been through it all before...but hoped that it would be some time before it cropped up. Back in Bangor she lasted a month before the news got out. It was a good month.

    The day started to be okay after homeroom. It was only a fifteen minute period before her first class¡ªwhich for Ally was English with Mrs. Fowler. The room wasn¡¯t too far from where she was already; just down the hall and a right at the fork. Second door on the left. She walked into an almost full room. It definitely took her by surprise considering how late everyone else was to homeroom. Mr. Minch was right about everybody not taking homeroom seriously.

    Mrs. Fowler seemed to be Mr. Minch¡¯s exact opposite. She was leaning on seventy against Mr. Minch¡¯s middle age. Her hair was doll-like, white and cut short. Her eyes were beady and needed glasses as thick as the books stacked on her desk in order to see anything.

    Inside the small poorly-lit room sat a boy in the far back of the room named Harrison Sellers; a turned hat kept his eyes out of view and his crossed arms suggested he was actually sleeping. Ally dared not call this bluff, she was sure he would bite her hand off if she tried anything. The hat turned down seemed definitely to be a stern no thank you.

    In front of his seat was Carlos Kinney¡ªa bit of a wild card, he was constantly getting into trouble. He was fluent in backtalk and sass. Next to Carlos were three people all in conversation with one another: Ashley Evans, Sidney Jameson, and Adam Everetts. Adam and Ashley were insufferably public about their love, but it was obvious even to Ally that Ashley seemed to wear the pants between the both of them. Adam was pretty dopey.

    ¡°Remind me never to make you act like that around a girl,¡± she thought to Jace.

    ¡°No problem. Hero¡¯s got to hero first and foremost, know what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    Sidney Jameson was Ashley¡¯s right hand. Anywhere Ashley went was where she was just like a lost dog. Sitting next to Sidney was Lillian Jones. She had reddish-brown hair tied up in a ponytail and more muscles than the two girls behind her combined. It was more than evidence that she was involved in some of the school¡¯s sporting clubs. It turned out that this was true¡ªvolleyball was her passion through and through.

    On the other side were twins, girls conjoined at the neck; each with dark brown hair pig-tailed-up with faces buried into a book on the table. They were Josephine and Rosemary Higgins. Even after attendance was taken Ally couldn¡¯t be sure who was who.

    Last at the front of the classroom were Aoi Landon and Derek Young. Aoi sat with black hair trimmed short and a warm smile on his face as Ally passed. He was the first kid to greet her without any strange looks on his face. Derek next to him had shaggy brown hair and a flawless face. The both of them together were dressed nicer than anyone else in the room; it was startling.

    Ally picked the only open seat in the class which was just behind Lilly and next to Ashley. The class wasn¡¯t much of anything. Ally knew that these first days were just transition days to get kids back used to being at school instead of enjoying the summer.

    ¡°Now I know that you¡¯re all expecting,¡± Mrs. Fowler began. ¡°You¡¯re thinking that you¡¯re going to float by this first month with no work. It may have been how you did things with your older teachers, but that is going to be different in my class.¡± She sat and waited for the class to groan or complain¡­no one did. Only blank stares responded. ¡°We¡­¡± she cleared her throat, ¡°are going to be starting up on a reading assignment. It¡¯s not going to be anything too long, just something to get your brains to start cranking again.¡±

    The groans filled the room now, but Ally still remained quiet. This was fine. The more people were focused on reading the less they could be on her. I just need to get through today so I can fix myself for tomorrow. Mrs. Fowler began passing around sheets of paper that were coated front-to-back with words. At the top she could see that it was one of Edgar Allan Poe¡¯s short stories¡ªone that she hadn¡¯t read, The Imp of the Perverse.

    ¡°Read this for the rest of the period. We¡¯ll discuss its finer points in class tomorrow.¡± She finished handing out the sheets, stopping for an extra second and bent down as she gave the twins their sheets.

    She whispered something and then stood back up. ¡°I need to leave to go speak with Principal Herondale quick. I trust you¡¯ll do your work.¡± She nodded, as if expecting them to answer back. ¡°I¡¯ll be back momentarily.¡± She made to head out of the room.

    ¡°Uh, Mrs. Fowler,¡± Sidney raised her hand. Mrs. Fowler stopped in her tracks as one hand held the door open. Her eyes darted back as if to respond. Sidney continued on, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what this word here means.¡± She pointed at the paper.

    Mrs. Fowler stood still for a moment longer then turned her head quick, ¡°Bring your questions tomorrow,¡± and walked out of the room, closing the door tight behind her.

    Sidney was holding the paper still and now felt like a fool. She let it fall to the desk. ¡°Well, fine then.¡± She grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder, standing up.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Aoi asked.

    She shrugged her shoulders, ¡°No teacher. No point. Might as well do something I like with the free period here.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ally found herself asking. It slipped out before she realized what she had said.

    Sidney¡¯s eyes lowered and her face snarled up, ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡± She turned back toward Ashley and Adam. ¡°Well, come on you two, are you coming?¡±

    Ashley shook her head, which was aimed down at the sheet on her desk. ¡°Can¡¯t. Promised my mom I¡¯d get better grades this year. Maybe when I¡¯ve secured them.¡±

    Adam shrugged after her.

    Sidney looked at them a second, relaxed, and then embarrassed sat back down. Her bag slid off her shoulder onto the ground and she too began to glance over the short story.

    The tension in the room disappeared, but Ally still felt on edge. She could see Ashley had some social pull over Sidney; maybe it was some inferiority complex that she had going on. She looked as if she could be real mean, though. I¡¯ll have to watch out around her. Ally turned to the sheet in front of her and started to read.

 3 | Imp of the Perverse | Side Life

    By Edgar Allan Poe

    In the consideration of the faculties and impulses¡ªof the prima mobilia [prime motivation] of the human soul, the phrenologists have failed to make room for a propensity which, although obviously existing as a radical, primitive, irreducible sentiment, has been equally overlooked by all the moralists who have preceded them. In the pure arrogance of the reason, we have all overlooked it. We have suffered its existence to escape our senses, solely through want of belief¡ªof faith;¡ªwhether it be faith in Revelation, or faith in the Kabbala. The idea of it has never occurred to us, simply because of its supererogation. We saw no need of the impulse¡ªfor the propensity.

    We could not perceive its necessity. We could not understand, that is to say, we could not have understood, had the notion of this primum mobile ever obtruded itself;¡ªwe could not have understood in what manner it might be made to further the objects of humanity, either temporal or eternal. It cannot be denied that phrenology, and in great measure, all meta-physicianism, have been concocted ¨¤ priori [based on theoretical deduction instead of empirical observation].

    The intellectual or logical man, rather than the understanding or observant man, set himself to imagine designs¡ªto dictate purposes to God. Having thus fathomed to his satisfaction, the intentions of Jehovah, out of these intentions he built his innumerable systems of mind. In the matter of phrenology, for example, we first determined, naturally enough, that it was the design of the Deity that man should eat. We then assigned to man an organ of alimentiveness, and this organ is the scourge with which the Deity compels man, will-I nill-I, into eating.

    Secondly, having settled it to be God''s will that man should continue his species, we discovered an organ of amativeness, forthwith. And so with combativeness, with ideality, with causality, with constructiveness,¡ªso, in short, with every organ, whether representing a propensity, a moral sentiment, or a faculty of the pure intellect. And in these arrangements of the principia of human action, the Spurzheimites [followers of Johann Kaspar Spurzheim], whether right or wrong, in part, or upon the whole, have but followed, in principle, the footsteps of their predecessors; deducing and establishing every thing from the preconceived destiny of man, and upon the ground of the objects of his Creator.

    It would have been wiser, it would have been safer to classify, (if classify we must,) upon the basis of what man usually or occasionally did, and was always occasionally doing, rather than upon the basis of what we took it for granted the Deity intended him to do. If we cannot comprehend God in his visible works, how then in his inconceivable thoughts, that call the works into being? If we cannot understand him in his objective creatures, how then in his substantive moods and phases of creation?

    Induction, ¨¤ posteriori [based on empirical observation rather than theoretical assumption], would have brought phrenology to admit, as an innate and primitive principle of human action, a paradoxical something, which we may call perverseness, for want of a more characteristic term. In the sense I intend, it is, in fact, a mobile without motive, a motive not motivirt. Through its promptings we act without comprehensible object; or, if this shall be understood as a contradiction in terms, we may so far modify the proposition as to say, that through its promptings we act, for the reason that we should not. In theory, no reason can be more unreasonable; but, in fact, there is none more strong. With certain minds, under certain conditions, it becomes absolutely irresistible. I am not more certain that I breathe, than that the assurance of the wrong or error of any action is often the one unconquerable force which impels us, and alone impels us to its prosecution. Nor will this overwhelming tendency to do wrong for the wrong''s sake, admit of analysis, or resolution into ulterior elements. It is a radical, a primitive impulse¡ªelementary. It will be said, I am aware, that when we persist in acts because we feel we should not persist in them, our conduct is but a modification of that which ordinarily springs from the combativeness of phrenology. But a glance will show the fallacy of this idea. The phrenological combativeness has for its essence, the necessity of self-defence. It is our safeguard against injury. Its principle regards our well-being; and thus the desire to be well, is excited simultaneously with its development. It follows, that the desire to be well must be excited simultaneously with any principle which shall be merely a modification of combativeness, but in the case of that something which I term perverseness, the desire to be well is not only not aroused, but a strongly antagonistical sentiment exists.

    An appeal to one''s own heart is, after all, the best reply to the sophistry just noticed. No one who trustingly consults and thoroughly questions his own soul, will be disposed to deny the entire radicalness of the propensity in question. It is not more incomprehensible than distinctive. There lives no man who at some period, has not been tormented, for example, by an earnest desire to tantalize a listener by circumlocution. The speaker is aware that he displeases; he has every intention to please; he is usually curt, precise, and clear; the most laconic and luminous language is struggling for utterance upon his tongue; it is only with difficulty that he restrains himself from giving it flow; he dreads and deprecates the anger of him whom he addresses; yet, the thought strikes him, that by certain involutions and parentheses, this anger may be engendered. That single thought is enough. The impulse increases to a wish, the wish to a desire, the desire to an uncontrollable longing, and the longing, (to the deep regret and mortification of the speaker, and in defiance of all consequences,) is indulged.

    We have a task before us which must be speedily performed. We know that it will be ruinous to make delay. The most important crisis of our life calls, trumpet-tongued, for immediate energy and action. We glow, we are consumed with eagerness to commence the work, with the anticipation of whose glorious result our whole souls are on fire. It must, it shall be undertaken to-day, and yet we put it off until to-morrow; and why? There is no answer, except that we feel perverse, using the word with no comprehension of the principle. To-morrow arrives, and with it a more impatient anxiety to do our duty, but with this very increase of anxiety arrives, also, a nameless, a positively fearful, because unfathomable craving for delay. This craving gathers strength as the moments fly. The last hour for action is at hand. We tremble with the violence of the conflict within us,¡ªof the definite with the indefinite¡ªof the substance with the shadow. But, if the contest have proceeded thus far, it is the shadow which prevails,¡ªwe struggle in vain. The clock strikes, and is the knell of our welfare. At the same time, it is the chanticleer-note to the ghost that has so long overawed us. It flies¡ªit disappears¡ªwe are free. The old energy returns. We will labor now. Alas, it is too late!

    We stand upon the brink of a precipice. We peer into the abyss¡ªwe grow sick and dizzy. Our first impulse is to shrink from the danger. Unaccountably we remain. By slow degrees our sickness, and dizziness, and horror, become merged in a cloud of unnameable feeling. By gradations, still more imperceptible, this cloud assumes shape, as did the vapor from the bottle out of which arose the genius in the Arabian Nights. But out of this our cloud upon the precipice''s edge, there grows into palpability, a shape, far more terrible than any genius, or any demon of a tale, and yet it is but a thought, although a fearful one, and one which chills the very marrow of our bones with the fierceness of the delight of its horror. It is merely the idea of what would be our sensations during the sweeping precipitancy of a fall from such a height. And this fall¡ªthis rushing annihilation¡ªfor the very reason that it involves that one most ghastly and loathsome of all the most ghastly and loathsome images of death and suffering which have ever presented themselves to our imagination¡ªfor this very cause do we now the most vividly desire it. And because our reason violently deters us from the brink, therefore, do we the more impetuously approach it. There is no passion in nature so demoniacally impatient, as that of him, who shuddering upon the edge of a precipice, thus meditates a plunge. To indulge for a moment, in any attempt at thought, is to be inevitably lost; for reflection but urges us to forbear, and therefore it is, I say, that we cannot. If there be no friendly arm to check us, or if we fail in a sudden effort to prostrate ourselves backward from the abyss, we plunge, and are destroyed.

    Examine these and similar actions as we will, we shall find them resulting solely from the spirit of the Perverse. We perpetrate them merely because we feel that we should not. Beyond or behind this, there is no intelligible principle: and we might, indeed, deem this perverseness a direct instigation of the arch-fiend, were it not occasionally known to operate in furtherance of good.

    I have said thus much, that in some measure I may answer your question¡ªthat I may explain to you why I am here¡ªthat I may assign to you something that shall have at least the faint aspect of a cause for my wearing these fetters, and for my tenanting this cell of the condemned. Had I not been thus prolix, you might either have misunderstood me altogether, or, with the rabble, have fancied me mad. As it is, you will easily perceive that I am one of the many uncounted victims of the Imp of the Perverse.

    It is impossible that any deed could have been wrought with a more thorough deliberation. For weeks, for months, I pondered upon the means of the murder. I rejected a thousand schemes, because their accomplishment involved a chance of detection. At length, in reading some French memoirs, I found an account of a nearly fatal illness that occurred to Madame Pilau, through the agency of a candle accidentally poisoned. The idea struck my fancy at once. I knew my victim''s habit of reading in bed. I knew, too, that his apartment was narrow and ill-ventilated. But I need not vex you with impertinent details. I need not describe the easy artifices by which I substituted, in his bed-room candle-stand, a wax-light of my own making, for the one which I there found. The next morning he was discovered dead in his bed, and the coroner''s verdict was,¡ª"Death by the visitation of God."

    Having inherited his estate, all went well with me for years. The idea of detection never once entered my brain. Of the remains of the fatal taper, I had myself carefully disposed. I had left no shadow of a clue by which it would be possible to convict, or even to suspect me of the crime. It is inconceivable how rich a sentiment of satisfaction arose in my bosom as I reflected upon my absolute security. For a very long period of time, I was accustomed to revel in this sentiment. It afforded me more real delight than all the mere worldly advantages accruing from my sin. But there arrived at length an epoch, from which the pleasurable feeling grew, by scarcely perceptible gradations, into a haunting and harassing thought. It harassed because it haunted. I could scarcely get rid of it for an instant. It is quite a common thing to be thus annoyed with the ringing in our ears, or rather in our memories, of the burthen of some ordinary song, or some unimpressive snatches from an opera. Nor will we be the less tormented if the song in itself be good, or the opera air meritorious. In this manner, at last, I would perpetually catch myself pondering upon my security, and repeating, in a low, under-tone, the phrase, "I am safe."

    One day, whilst sauntering along the streets, I arrested myself in the act of murmuring, half aloud, these customary syllables. In a fit of petulance, I re-modelled them thus:¡ª"I am safe¡ªI am safe¡ªyes¡ªif I be not fool enough to make open confession!"

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    No sooner had I spoken these words, than I felt an icy chill creep to my heart. I had had some experience in these fits of perversity, (whose nature I have been at some trouble to explain,) and I remembered well, that in no instance, I had successfully resisted their attacks. And now my own casual self-suggestion, that I might possibly be fool enough to confess the murder of which I had been guilty, confronted me, as if the very ghost of him whom I had murdered¡ªand beckoned me on to death.

    At first, I made an effort to shake off this nightmare of the soul. I walked vigorously¡ªfaster¡ªstill faster¡ªat length I ran. I felt a maddening desire to shriek aloud. Every succeeding wave of thought overwhelmed me with new terror, for, alas! I well, too well understood that, to think, in my situation, was to be lost. I still quickened my pace. I bounded like a madman through the crowded thoroughfares. At length, the populace took the alarm, and pursued me. I felt then the consummation of my fate. Could I have torn out my tongue, I would have done it¡ªbut a rough voice resounded in my ears¡ªa rougher grasp seized me by the shoulder. I turned¡ªI gasped for breath. For a moment, I experienced all the pangs of suffocation; I became blind, and deaf, and giddy; and then, some invisible fiend, I thought, struck me with his broad palm upon the back. The long-imprisoned secret burst forth from my soul.

    They say that I spoke with a distinct enunciation, but with marked emphasis and passionate hurry, as if in dread of interruption before concluding the brief but pregnant sentences that consigned me to the hangman and to hell.

    Having related all that was necessary for the fullest judicial conviction, I fell prostrate in a swoon.

    But why shall I say more? To-day I wear these chains, and am here! To-morrow I shall be fetterless!¡ªbut where?

    ~...~

    Ally finished reading and looked up at all the others who all had varying looks of strain and confusion on their faces. She looked back and saw that Harrison really was asleep now¡ªhis face was flat on the desk. It was a bit of a dry read, I admit. It¡¯s much different than the Poe I¡¯m familiar with¡­but I think I got the gist of it.

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Jace asked. He sat cross legged on her desk. ¡°Learn me something, teacher lady.¡±

    She closed her eyes, ¡°It¡¯s about us...how our minds work to do the thing that does us the most harm, even if we¡¯re fully aware of that it is harmful.¡±

    ¡°That seems pretty bogus,¡± Jace said. ¡°Or else you would be dangling from a noose right about now, am I right?¡±

    ¡°That¡­is not funny.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he grinned. ¡°I still don¡¯t buy it. It just sounds like he just got a bit loopy near the end there.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­I don¡¯t believe everyone has an actual imp that follows them around...Or maybe they do, I don¡¯t know. But in times of great stress or great safety the mind becomes bored by both ends of the spectrum and becomes a plaything for this metaphorical imp. When we stand at the precipice, we find no option but to jump,¡± Ally explained.

    ¡°I repeat¡­that sounds crazy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­but it would put to reason why people do all sorts of bad things. Don¡¯t you know how everyone always talks about people they knew that ended up being criminals? ¡®Oh he would never do that! That¡¯s not the ____ I know!¡¯ Maybe it is the person they know who just happened to fall victim to the imp?¡±

    ¡°Looks like I have my super villain rival now. Jace versus the Imp of¡­Perversion you said?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°Okay, send it back. I¡¯m not having a villain whose superpower is being perverse.¡±

    ¡°You know perversion isn¡¯t just sexual desire, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­of course I do.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡±

    Ally looked around the room. The heads were all down focused on their sheets aside for the twins who perked their heads up before her. Ally couldn¡¯t tell if it was because they were really good at understanding the passage or really bad at it. Soon more and more people raised their heads as they finished or gave up.

    The girl in front of Ally, Lillian, turned around. ¡°So, was your old school as bullshit as this?¡± The question caught her off guard. Lilly¡¯s narrowed eyes weren¡¯t harsh, but matter-of-fact. ¡°I mean, it had to have been at least a little better.¡±

    Ally shook her head, ¡°Not much changes, unfortunately. Just the names and faces.¡±

    Lilly smiled, her face softening, ¡°Heh, that reminds me of an old Bowling For Soup song.¡±

    ¡°Bowling for what?¡± Ally imagined the strangest of charity events.

    Lilly shook it off, ¡°You either know ¡®em or you don¡¯t. No sweat.¡± She looked down to Ally¡¯s coat then back up to her, an eyebrow raised, ¡°You know it¡¯s seventy outside, right?¡±

    Ally looked down to the floor, ¡°Yeah. I miscalculated how warm it was going to be.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯d you come from? Antarctica?¡±

    ¡°Nowhere that far¡­or cold. I went to Bangor Middle before this.¡±

    Lilly nodded, ¡°My¡­that is unfortunate phrasing.¡±

    Ally looked confused until she understood and shook her head quick, ¡°No, like Bang-ore,¡±

    She held up a hand, ¡°Okay, yeah. I know a few people from Bangor. Play them every few weeks in volleyball. Just messing with you.¡±

    ¡°You look like you¡¯d be very good at that¡­uh, playing volleyball I mean. Not uh¡­messing with me.¡±

    She shrugged, ¡°Can¡¯t complain. I¡¯d do better if the whole team was able to work together.¡± She said.

    Ally wasn¡¯t sure Lilly was speaking to her anymore.

    ¡°Come off it, Jones.¡± Ashley. ¡°You just can¡¯t stand that you¡¯re not the center of attention anymore.¡± She wasn¡¯t looking at Lilly, simply checking out her hands.

    Lilly rolled her eyes, ¡°Projecting much, are we?¡± She turned around to Ashley¡¯s desk now. ¡°You couldn¡¯t handle that I was captain so you spread that rumor about me taking shit.¡±

    ¡°I only tell the truth,¡± Ashley said, still not looking at Lilly. ¡°Like how everyone seems to get along but you.¡±

    Lilly clenched her fist and tapped on the desk, steadying her breathing. The bell rang and Mrs. Fowler was still nowhere in sight. Ashley, Sidney, and Adam all stood up together and side-eyed Lilly as they passed. The rest of the students got up at their own pace and filtered into the hall. Lilly, Ally, and the twins were the only ones still sitting.

    ¡°I fucking hate her,¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°You did start it this time,¡± one of the twins said.

    ¡°Come off it,¡± Lilly replied.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re sounding like her,¡± the same twin said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you,¡± the other twin said and then the both of them turned to face Lilly. ¡°You were right¡­she¡¯s just insecure.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just so bullshit.¡± Lilly said and then remembered Ally was still sitting behind her. She turned back, ¡°You saw how awful she was there? She can be ten times worse.¡±

    ¡°Not the best of friends?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather hang myself.¡± Lilly began. ¡°She¡¯s been like that forever. The only difference now is it¡¯s no longer just her. She¡¯s been increasingly annoying ever since she and Dumbo got together. Then since Sidney¡¯s attached herself at the hip it has only compounded.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re really quite dreadful,¡± the twin on the right said

    ¡°You¡¯re Ally, right?¡± The one on the left asked.

    She nodded curtly, ¡°Yeah. Today¡¯s my first day.¡±

    ¡°Quite a day to start off with,¡± Lilly sighed.

    ¡°I saw a bit of the email on Mrs. Fowler¡¯s computer,¡± the left twin said. ¡°¡ªit was about Tyson. I think that¡¯s what she was going to talk to Mr. Herondale about.¡±

    Lilly spun back around, ¡°No shit, really?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Tyson?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°What are you all still doing in here? Second period¡¯s starting,¡± came the crotchety voice of Mrs. Fowler. ¡°Go on! Get, all of you! I¡¯ve got free period and I don¡¯t intend to waste it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only been an hour into the first day,¡± Ally whispered.

    ¡°Yeah, she seems like she already could use the nap,¡± The left twin said.

    Ally chuckled and all four of them got up out of their seats and walked out of the classroom.

    ¡°Well, new girl,¡± Lilly began.

    ¡°Ally,¡± she corrected.

    Lilly stopped and nodded, ¡°You seem pretty cool. What do you have next?¡±

    ¡°Art with uh...¡± she opened her folder with her schedule taped to the inside, ¡°...Mr. Carro.¡±

    ¡°Oh, we have that next,¡± the twin on the right said. ¡°I¡¯m Rosie, I didn¡¯t mention it before, and I¡¯m sorry for that. My sister Josie¡¯s here,¡± she pointed, and then nodded.

    ¡°Well that sucks balls,¡± Lilly said, ¡°I¡¯ve got Science with Jericho. Kill me now,¡± she said.

    ¡°Would,¡± Josie replied, ¡°But I seem to be running low on murder weapons.¡± The three of them laughed and it dragged Ally in like a current. She didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be laughing on her first day¡ªmuch less genuinely enjoying it.

    ¡°We could show you the way,¡± Rosie said, settling down. ¡°We had art in that same classroom last year.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ally nodded, ¡°that sounds excellent, thank you.¡±

    Rosie smiled. It was like the warmth of the sun on her heart.

    ¡°You have first lunch, right?¡± Lilly asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Ally¡¯s brows furrowed.

    ¡°After fourth period is first lunch, second lunch is after fifth, and third is after sixth.¡±

    ¡°They seriously allow people to wait that long for lunch? And yes, thankfully mine is after fourth. I didn¡¯t know there were different times.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t do that at Bangor...that¡¯s where you¡¯re from, right?¡± Lilly asked.

    ¡°Yeah. And no, we have one large cafeteria and everyone¡¯s just thrown together like a big potato salad.¡±

    ¡°Huh, must be nice,¡± Josie said.

    ¡°I like potato salad,¡± Rosie rubbed her chin.

    ¡°No, not really. Makes finding a seat really tedious,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Well, consider that a worry no longer. Sit with us at lunch,¡± Lilly pointed at herself and the twins. ¡°I can even offer you a deal of a lifetime. One guaranteed seat for the price of two,¡± she winked.

    ¡°Seems like a pretty bad deal,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°That¡¯s what people who don¡¯t take risks would say. Come on, I promise we only bite a little.¡±

    ¡°And we just got back from the dentist last week, so you can be sure if we do it¡¯ll be hygienic,¡± Josie added.

    ¡°I¡¯m not too positive I believe that any sort of bite could be hygienic,¡± Ally chuckled.

    ¡°Maybe you just haven¡¯t been bitten by the right person,¡± Lilly said, with a wink.

    Ally blushed. ¡°Jace don¡¯t you say a freaking word.¡±

 4 | The Outcast Club |

    ¡°Listen, new girl,¡± Sidney stopped Ally and the twins in the hall after they separated from Lilly. ¡°You get a pass because you didn¡¯t know any better, but stay away from Jones.¡± She eyed the twins behind her and made an even more disgusted face, ¡°And the retards¡­¡±

    Something snapped in Ally at that word. She didn¡¯t have to look back to see how it cracked like a whip to the twins. She wasn¡¯t thinking of how she could avoid the situation now or how it would look.

    ¡°You think that word gives you power? That it all of a sudden makes you worth anything more?¡±

    ¡°Power? What the fuck are you talking¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Because it doesn¡¯t. You don¡¯t get to put people down like that. It¡¯s not cool or whatever you think you are.¡±

    Sidney looked genuinely surprised. ¡°I was just looking out for you, you little bitch. You want to lower yourself? Go right ahead. You don¡¯t know anything about me.¡±

    Her blood boiled. ¡°No, I quite think I do. You¡¯re not unique, Sidney. There are a million girls just like you all over the country. I¡¯ve known girls just like you. All hate. There¡¯s nothing about you that is different than any of the other spineless bullies at any other school. So quit trying to be such a terrible person!¡± She stormed past her and into the room, the twins catching up to her from behind. Inside she saw that Mr. Carro was nowhere to be seen¡ªjust a few other students that have already sat down in chairs around the big blocky tables that filled the room.

    ¡°Woah¡­where did that come from?¡± Rosie asked.

    ¡°That. Was. Insane¡­thank you for standing up for us,¡± Josie said.

    Ally slouched into the first available chair she could find, resting her hand on her head. The adrenaline faded out of her body. She felt like she was about to pass out. ¡°I¡­I just don¡¯t like bullies. Normally I try to stay away from them or ignore them, but I can¡¯t ignore it when it is against someone else. It makes it easier I guess to say something.¡±

    ¡°You do know that you can take that ugly thing off anytime, right?¡± Ashley strode into the room and stopped in front of their desk. ¡°I mean, it is still technically summer unless you were planning on hiking somewhere far away from here, which, I guess more power to you.¡± She had blonde hair like Ally, but it was bleached almost white, and it only draped to her shoulders. It looked like it was cut professionally.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Josie asked.

    Ashley, surprised, took longer to answer, ¡°O-Oh¡­you do speak.¡± She shook her head and looked back at Ally. ¡°Listen, I heard what happened and I just wanted to make sure you know how this place works, okay?¡± She then began to speak in a low, hushed voice. ¡°This is my shit, you got it? No toothpick is going to come here and think they¡¯re anything but a two-bit whore¨Cto¨Cbe. Don¡¯t talk to anyone but your grubby little friends and maybe you¡¯ll have an okay experience here. Who knows, maybe not? You¡¯ll get used to being unwanted. I mean, your parents already abandoned you so why would this be any different?¡±

    Ally¡¯s eyes went wide

    ¡°I know more about you than you think you know about anything in this world. People talk, you filthy little cunt. I know the lay of this town more than you know your own twat. Lay low, stay out of my business, or else your foster parents will be evicted from their home faster than I can blink.¡± She stood back up straight and walked out of the classroom, passing Mr. Carro who was jogging into the class. ¡°Ah, hello Ms. Evans. It is so nice to see you.¡± He smiled at her. She grinned and then turned to dead-eye Ally before stepping out for good. It was too much. She got up from her desk and made a mad dash out of the room. Mr. Carro tried to call after her, but he realized that he didn¡¯t know her name. Flustered, he gave up and continued back to his desk.

    She didn¡¯t know where she was going, but it had to be somewhere that wasn¡¯t where she was, and fast. She found a bathroom down the hall and slammed the door open. She frightened a girl who looked a few years older than her half to pieces before finding an empty stall and locking herself in. She sat on the toilet and pulled her legs up to her chest breathing steady to keep from crying.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tweak out on the first day,¡± Jace appeared next to her. ¡°Sorry about the invasion of privacy. I can¡¯t help it here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I think I¡¯m there at this point.¡±

    Second period passed by and Ally didn¡¯t move. When she knew that the bathroom was empty she began to cry. The tears soaked down her face. The door opened some time later. The twins and Lilly found her in the stall in the space between second and third period.

    ¡°Hey? Is that you?¡± Lilly knocked on the stall door.

    ¡°Go away.¡± Ally said.

    ¡°I heard what happened¡­Ashley¡¯s just a bitch.¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to hear what happened by the end of the week,¡± Ally cried more.

    ¡°So, your parents are like, dead?¡±

    ¡°Lilly,¡± Rosie scolded, ¡°it is not nice to ask that.¡±

    Lilly shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Sorry, I just wanted to like, make sure it wasn¡¯t Ashley making up lies or something like that.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still an easier way to ask¡­¡± Rosie pleaded.

    ¡°What does it matter¡­?¡± Ally unlocked the stall and pushed the door open. Her cheeks were stained. ¡°She was right. All I wanted was to blend in.¡±

    Lilly slammed her hand against the side of the stall and startled them all. ¡°It¡¯s like you said. It doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯re bullshit and everything that leaves their mouths is bullshit. I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t have parents. That¡¯s not who you are.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kind,¡± Josie stepped in, trying to soften the blow, ¡°Lilly¡¯s the only other person here who¡¯s stood up for us. Nobody cares to be nice to us...¡±

    ¡°People tell me all the time that I¡¯m a bitch because I¡¯m blunt,¡± Lilly said. ¡°We¡¯re the ones people turn their backs on.¡± She pounded her fist now. ¡°Don¡¯t let Ashley or anyone tell you that you¡¯re nothing. They¡¯re just scum¡ªflaunt their money just because they can.¡±

    Rosie looked to the floor, ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t stand up for you. I wanted to, but I was¡­we were scared.¡±

    Ally looked at each of them, feeling a warm feeling flood her heart. ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡±

    ¡°Listen, relax,¡± Lilly said, ¡°I know this school sucks. It doesn¡¯t get much better, but you don¡¯t need to worry so much about it anymore.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    Lilly smiled. It was a nice smile. ¡°I¡¯m formally extending an invitation to join our club of outcasts.¡±

    Ally wiped her face, ¡°This club¡­¡± she took in a breath. ¡°¡­are the other members as¡­blunt as you are?¡± She was smiling too.

    ¡°You totally were going to say beautiful,¡± Jace poked.

    She eyed him fiercely. ¡°Not. Now.¡± Ally came dangerously close to shushing him outside of her mind, thanking the lord mentally that she didn¡¯t.

    Jace¡¯s face contorted clown-like, ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll leave you to your thrilling life. I never was much for clubs myself.¡±

    He was gone in a flash.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just us,¡± she said, ¡°¡­if that doesn¡¯t scare you away.¡± She extended her hand.

    She looked from Lilly to the twins, both of them with nodding heads. ¡°We would like to be friends with you¡­¡± Rosie said.

    ¡°Yeah you¡¯re pretty much a badass in our books.¡± Josie said.

    Ally nodded and took her hand. ¡°I¡¯d love that.¡±

    ~¡­~

    The rest of the day faded like a blur. People moved and talked, but Ally didn¡¯t pay much of any attention to it. I¡­have friends. It didn¡¯t feel real, and certainly not how she thought the day was going to go.

    The next morning George dropped Ally off early for the morning breakfast program. She didn¡¯t eat at home because the nightmare she labored through stole away her appetite. The nightmare itself was a culmination of all the bad thoughts that dredged up in her mind¡ªthe dam had broken and they all came rushing through. Even though the day ended nice it didn¡¯t erase the stress she felt.

    She dreamt that she was being eaten by the shadow of Ashley Evans...like Ashley was some powerful witch who commanded the shadow-like beast. She tried to fight it with her new friends, but it didn¡¯t work. In the end she was swallowed and it tore her awake with a cold sweat.

    Dreams like that hadn¡¯t come to her in some time¡ªit must have been at least four months now at this point. She¡¯d think of her birth parents mostly. There weren¡¯t any memories associated with them, but she¡¯d think constantly of what kind of people they must have been to leave their only child. Ally was assuming here that she was an only child because she couldn¡¯t bear to think that there was another they chose to ditch¡ªor even worse, that she¡¯d been picked as the one to leave behind.

    It was selfish, but I deserve to be a little selfish.

    She tried to imagine that there was a good reason why things turned out the way they did. Maybe her mother was an addict and she knew full well that Ally would have had a better life if she wasn¡¯t. Maybe she was poor and wished Ally would grow up in a better home. They all came back to the mother¡­she couldn¡¯t help but blame her mother. It wasn¡¯t right, her father must have had at least as much say in the decision, that was how things went.

    But I was inside of my mother for nine months. She carried me, nurtured me that entire time, and then abandoned me. There might have been a reason, but no matter what that reason was it didn¡¯t help how she felt now. Her mind was just like that short story¡ªshe knew that thinking about her parents would only make her feel worse, but I just keep doing it. Maybe Ashley was right¡­I am just so unwanted. Maybe I am nothing¡­

    No.

    I am wanted. I am not nothing. I have worth.

    The thoughts settled down eventually. Her heart began to settle, but it would take some time for her stomach to fully comply. George had noticed she didn¡¯t look too well, and even offered that she take the day to rest.

    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s fine,¡± she waved it off. ¡°I want to go.¡±

    ¡°Okie dokie,¡± he said. ¡°Just make sure you grab something while you¡¯re there, okay?¡±

    Lilly called her over that morning as she entered the cafeteria. She looked wide awake¡ªmore than anyone at half past five in the morning should have been. ¡°Hey, there she is. Come on, we¡¯ve got a table over here.¡±

    Ally did. ¡°Hi,¡± The thoughts from the night were nothing more than a remnant now, but she noted her lack of energy.

    Jace yawned something fierce beside her. His head then fell and thwacked the table.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Rosie sat next to them both. They walked in just after Ally.

    ¡°Yeah relatively good morning,¡± Josie yawned.

    ¡°Josie calls the mornings as they are,¡± Lilly explained. So if she tells you good morning then you know it¡¯s really a good morning.¡±

    Ally chuckled. ¡°Well then, relatively good morning to you both as well.¡±

    ¡°Heh, go figure,¡± Lilly said, looking around. ¡°We¡¯re like the breakfast club or something.¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°We¡¯re not in detention, though.¡± Ally said.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to be honest I haven¡¯t seen it, I just assumed based on the title.¡±

    ¡°It is a classic,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Is that the one with Judd Nelson?¡± Josie asked.

    Ally shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know actor names. I only know it by writer. It¡¯s a Hughes film.¡±

    ¡°Hughes?¡± Rosie asked.

    ¡°Such a weird thing to remember movies by¡­¡± Lilly said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you a single writer of any of my favorites,¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°Writers are some of the most important parts,¡± Ally said. ¡°And Hughes as in John Hughes. You know, Home Alone? Beethoven? Sixteen Candles?¡±

    ¡°You watch some old movies,¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°Like I said, they¡¯re classics,¡± Ally shrugged.

    ¡°I did not realize they were all the same writer,¡± Josie said.

    ¡°I wonder,¡± Jace was awake and sitting in his own chair. ¡°¡­if anybody will remember that you¡¯re my writer thirty years from now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to think so. It¡¯s a bit different with books¡­that is, assuming I do figure out your story.¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it, no problem,¡± Jace smiled.

    ¡°So, how do you two know each other?¡± Ally asked, interrupting Jace. ¡°There¡¯s got to be a story there.¡±

    Lilly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been at this district since Kindergarten. I didn¡¯t have any friends. It isn¡¯t that noticeable when you¡¯re young like that, but I grew up. It became more obvious that people liked each other more than they liked me.¡±

    ¡°We¡­we were home-schooled until the sixth grade,¡± Josie said.

    ¡°Our parents weren¡¯t expecting twins,¡± Rosie added.

    ¡°There were some obvious complications so it cost a pretty penny with the surgeries and regular appointments. It was a necessity, the homeschooling, until we recovered financially. Then we were able to come to Nasseu. Lilly was the first person who didn¡¯t treat us like we were some lab experiment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I was shocked at first,¡± Lilly said. ¡°But we shared almost every class and we got to know each other quick. They started coming to my volleyball games,¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not in any extracurriculars so we had a lot of time to go visit. She also comes over to our house a lot, that¡¯s where we paint the most.¡±

    ¡°You two paint?¡± Ally asked.

    Rosie shook her head, ¡°I just mostly make a mess of things. It¡¯s not my favorite thing,¡±

    ¡°We are a team,¡± Josie stretched the sound out in a scolding fashion.

    ¡°They¡¯re very good,¡± Lilly said. ¡°You should see some of what they make. It¡¯s astounding.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to,¡± Ally said, nodding.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not that good.¡±

    ¡°Oh buzz off,¡± Lilly said, ¡°I tell you this every single time.¡±

    ¡°Well, we do share art together,¡± Ally said. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get to see some of your greatest hits there?¡±

    Josie grinned, ¡°That works.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lilly said, ¡°We spilled our beans. It¡¯s your turn.¡±

    ¡°I-If you¡¯re okay to,¡± Rosie said.

    ¡°Yeah yeah blah blah blah,¡± Lilly interrupted waving a hand. ¡°As captain outcast I¡¯m mandating that all beans be spilled at our breakfast table.¡±

    Ally looked at the three of them, nodded, and then took in a deep breath. ¡°I never knew my parents. I feel that¡¯d be the thing you had the most questions about.¡± They listened, and it warmed her heart that they didn¡¯t interject. ¡°I was bounced around different foster homes. A few months ago I was adopted by a couple who live here. They¡¯re really sweet.¡± She smiled.

    ¡°Are they the ones who got you that ridiculous coat?¡± Lilly asked.

    ¡°Yes. It was sweet,¡± Ally chuckled.

    ¡°You¡¯d be having a heat stroke if you wore it today.¡±

    Ally knew she was right, it was going to be even hotter today. She¡¯d be more thankful when it was weather appropriate, but she had to agree that for this morning the coat had to remain home.

    ¡°I read a lot. I haven¡¯t as much as of late because I need to find the library around here so I can start taking out some books. I also¡­¡± Jace was looking at her. ¡°I also want to write¡­I mean, I guess I do write, but nothing solid yet.¡±

    ¡°I guess that puts that peg in the hole,¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Why you care so much about writers of movies.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­yeah.¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s really cool,¡± Rosie said, cocking her head.

    ¡°Cool? It¡¯s badass. We could make a really cool comic series.¡± Lilly said, pounding her fist. ¡°You two do the art and Ally writes the kick-ass plot.¡±

    ¡°And what will you do?¡± Rosie asked.

    ¡°Direct, of course,¡± she flashed them a smile.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Ally repeated. She turned, ¡°I mean I would¡­it sounds fun, but I don¡¯t even have any of my own ideas¡ªjust a character with no story.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you have someone?¡± Josie asked.

    ¡°Go on, tell us all the details,¡± Lilly prodded. ¡°How handsome is he?¡±

    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a he?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°Very presumptuous of you.¡±

    Lilly grinned, ¡°Oh trust me. It¡¯s a he.¡±

    Ally looked at her suspiciously, ¡°He¡­is a he, but it isn¡¯t anything like that,¡± she waved it off. ¡°He¡¯s not my knight in shining armor or whatever.¡±

    ¡°Rude,¡± Jace said, crossing his arms.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any armor. Nor are you a knight.¡±

    ¡°Riiight,¡± Lilly said.

    Ally shook her head, ¡°No, he¡¯s more like¡­everything about me that I like and nothing I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Okay, now I¡¯m offended. I¡¯m more than just a lame self-insert.¡± Jace looked away in a tuss.

    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Rosie asked.

    ¡°Jace, same hair color as me cut a bit shorter.¡±

    ¡°Tall and handsome?¡± Josie asked.

    ¡°Well, I mean I feel like I answered that one already,¡± she started to blush.

    Jace clicked his tongue, ¡°Dear god I am a self-insert¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go crying on me now.¡±

    ¡°Oh hush. You¡¯re perfect,¡± Lilly said, waving a hand off to her. ¡°Well maybe Jace can be our kick-ass star of the show.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    ¡°I like her,¡± Jace elbowed Ally¡¯s side.

    ¡°Hush.¡±

    ¡°Oh come ooooooon. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re using him for anything else at the moment. You said it yourself that you¡¯re having trouble thinking of things for him to do.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­but¡­¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we help you out?¡± She looked up to the twins. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve never done anything like that before, I guess it could be fun,¡± Josie said.

    ¡°I think it would be. I¡¯d like to learn more about him,¡± Rosie said, smiling.

    Lilly turned back to Ally, ¡°Well, how about it? We could really make something cool.¡±

    Ally looked at the both of them, and then to Jace who was now next to Lilly. He nodded. ¡°Okay, yeah. Let¡¯s do it. My place after school tomorrow? I¡­don¡¯t have anything materials wise except for my notebook, so I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Speak not,¡± Lilly held her arms out. ¡°Mama Lilly has got you covered.¡± Lilly said, and then dropped the act. ¡°I¡¯ve got a shitload of paper at my house. We don¡¯t have to start working on it tomorrow¡ªwe could do some planning and then gather some supplies together.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got plenty of art stuff we could bring,¡± Josie said.

    ¡°I¡­you guys¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to show us the way the first few times,¡± Lilly said. ¡°I only really need to learn the first two or so times before I¡¯ve got it memorized. After that it¡¯ll be like walking to my own house. Sounds like a plan?¡±

    Ally nodded, ¡°Yeah that should be fine. Thank you both again.¡±

    ¡°Stop thanking us or we¡¯ll have to kick you out of the club,¡± Lilly said. ¡°You don¡¯t owe us anything.¡± The morning bell for homeroom began to ring throughout the school. They all looked up and then at one another. ¡°Time to go,¡± Lilly said. ¡°See you all in English.¡±

    ~...~

    After her second day of school under her belt¡ªquieter than the first¡ªAlly stepped out of the school building and saw George¡¯s beat up 98¡¯ Chevelle running right next to the sidewalk.

    George was a used car guy (this was something Ally learned very quickly). He loved projects and despised having the work all done and tidied up for him. The Chevelle was the epitome of this fact. The car seemed to wheeze every time it started up. ¡°It may be old,¡± George said, ¡°...but so am I, and I¡¯m pretty reliable. So is the Chevelle.¡±

    Today though the Chevelle looked like it desperately wanted the sick day to recover. It sputtered and shook, but never any more than that. George drove it slow¡ªAlly was more than fine with that. It gave her the chance to memorize the route from the school back to their house. First you take the left off the intersection then go all the way straight down Garrison Lane, past that is a Speedway which you¡¯ll take a left just before crossing over onto Huntington Drive. Take the first right and you¡¯re safe and sound onto Terry Ave. All in all it would be about...maybe a fifteen to twenty minute walk. That wasn¡¯t too bad to ask someone you¡¯d only just met...right?

    ¡°Hey...George,¡± Ally struck up as he¡¯d parked right behind Jaclyn¡¯s 2017 Honda Civic.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Well, I think I made some friends today, and I was wondering if they could come over tomorrow. We were thinking of hanging out.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s amayzin¡¯!¡± The way he kept the focus on the second syllable somewhat irked Ally, but she let it slide as he continued, ¡°Yes that¡¯s lovely. We¡¯d love to meet anybody you bring home¡ªprovided they¡¯re not dealing drugs or planning on¡ª¡±

    Ally shook her head, ¡°No, nothing like that. Not at all, we¡¯re just going to be in my room.¡±

    ¡°Ah, of course. Yes, that¡¯s a splendid idea. I¡¯ll bring it up to Jaclyn and we can make ¡®em a nice dinner tomorrow. Do you know if they like spaghetti? I could have her make that for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know if they do or not. I guess we can assume yes, pasta didn¡¯t really come up.¡±

    ¡°Right, right, okay. I¡¯ll get started on that,¡± he smiled and took the key out, moving out of his seat and stretching as he stood.

    Ally unbuckled her seat belt and as she went to go open her door he was bending over looking inside, ¡°Uh, so you did have a good day today, right?¡± He started. ¡°I uh, I didn¡¯t ask you and I should have.¡±

    Ally nodded, ¡°Yeah, it was a perfect day.¡± She lied, but it wasn¡¯t to hurt him or Jaclyn. That mattered, right? Besides, it wasn¡¯t a full lie, she did enjoy parts of the day, that¡¯s gotta cheapen the lie just a little bit.

    She opened the car door and the day began to fade to night. Dinner was served and she spent the night thinking about the day on an endless loop. Jace was nowhere to be seen¡ªmaybe he sensed that she wasn¡¯t really in the mood for any of his snide remarks. Sleep found her smally at first and then largely; dropping her into a world where a chunk of land rose off of the ground high above the clouds. Down below glowing lights formed a rainbow-like constellation. She smiled down below admiring the height of the world. All at once she was waking up, the night had passed and she felt like she barely slept a wink.

    ~...~

    When the last school bell began to ring Ally gathered her books in her bag and stood up from her seat in music. Ms. Continello waved them off for the day with a hearty smile that could warm the soul of the most deranged of people. She was probably Ally¡¯s favorite teacher of the ones she¡¯s been introduced to thus far. She was genuinely nice and took time out of the down time in class to help those in the class that looked the most bored.

    ¡°Most of you won¡¯t be employed as musicians later in life, I understand that. I don¡¯t want to waste your time, but I know that each and every one of us is going to be able to enjoy music¡ªhowever and whenever that may be. This class isn¡¯t going to be too much work if I¡¯m going to be honest with you kids¡ªMr. Herondale doesn¡¯t want me saying that, but it¡¯s true. It¡¯ll only be hard work for those who are looking to seriously study music theory at a higher level. For the rest of you, I¡¯m going to teach you how you can appreciate the music you hear every day. Who knows, maybe something you hear here will stick and down the road you¡¯ll think of me,¡± she smiled sweetly as she finished.

    Ally waved her back and stepped out of the room. She managed to find Lilly by the main office just down the hall.

    ¡°Rosie and Josie are on their way,¡± Lilly said. ¡°They¡¯ve got their advanced math upstairs.¡±

    ¡°Yikes,¡± Ally said. ¡°I can¡¯t stand math.¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± Lilly shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at it. I just don¡¯t care much for the extra work.¡±

    Ally chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s all extra work, though. It¡¯s not like English or History where you can just give the answer and move on with your day.¡±

    ¡°Fair point,¡± Lilly gave in.

    ¡°What¡¯s a fair point?¡± Rosie asked, scratching her ear on her side while Josie looked at her.

    ¡°We¡¯re just talking about how math is annoying,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Nuh-uh, I only said what you thought was fair. I¡¯m not picking sides,¡± Lilly laughed.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s pretty bull,¡± Josie said.

    Rosie smacked her side, ¡°You hush.¡±

    ¡°You know it¡¯s true!¡± Josie replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how you could know anything. You fell asleep like twice up there.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Lilly said, taking the both of their hands. ¡°We can talk while we walk, no? I don¡¯t wanna be here any longer than we¡¯re legally required to be.¡±

    Ally looked at them and smiled. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get moving. I¡¯m not that far from here so it won¡¯t be long of a walk.¡±

    ¡°Good enough to count it as my exercise for the day?¡± Josie asked.

    ¡°No, unfortunately not,¡± Rosie said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to work on that another time.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be something,¡± Ally said.

    They stepped outside to the sun shining bright onto the ground. Lines of buses crowded the parking lot.

    ¡°At least it¡¯s nice out,¡± Lilly stretched, ¡°Bet you¡¯re glad you didn¡¯t bring that coat.¡±

    ¡°Will you stop it with the coat already?¡± Ally laughed. ¡°One day, I wore it for one day.

    ¡°Are you going to wear it when winter comes around?¡±

    ¡°Probably?¡± Ally said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bother you about it then,¡± Lilly winked.

    ¡°Trust me,¡± Rosie began, ¡°I know just how that feels. Our Mom knits and she¡¯s always making us hats and scarves.¡±

    ¡°She practically guilts us into wearing them,¡± Josie said. ¡°Fine I guess in the winter, but she starts as soon as September drops and doesn¡¯t stop until June comes around.¡±

    ¡°June...that¡¯s crazy,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Yeah, thankfully my parents have always let me wear what I want to,¡± Lilly said, pointing to her own outfit. She wore a gray tank top with deep sides with shorts that ended halfway between her knees and her thighs.

    Ally tried her hardest to drag her eyes back up to Lilly¡¯s, nodding and then turning back in front of her. ¡°Yeah, you look good,¡± she said. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t seem to think anything more on the comment.

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± she laughed. ¡°Nah, I could go for some more capris, but we¡¯ve only got a few more weeks left of warm weather, so I¡¯m just going to wait it out I guess.¡±

    ¡°Your parents would probably still get them for you. They¡¯re wrapped around your finger,¡± Josie said.

    She laughed, ¡°Only if you knew how much.¡±

    ¡°My foster parents are nice enough,¡± Ally said. ¡°I probably could have come today without that coat, but I just felt bad is all.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s your prime problem there, girlie,¡± Lilly said. ¡°Once you feel bad that¡¯s when the hook is set and all it will ever be. You gotta be heartless¡ªfearless, a badass! A moving symbol of peace and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Josie said, ¡°Cut your shit,¡± and she chuckled.

    ¡°Hey, I think this is me up that road,¡± Ally said, pointing out.

    ¡°You think?¡± Rosie asked.

    Ally put her hands up, ¡°Hey, give me a break. I rode in and haven¡¯t walked home before. Just because it¡¯s a short way doesn¡¯t mean I immediately know it like the back of my hand.¡±

    ¡°Well, we put our lives in your able hands, navigator. You¡¯re the one to lead us to¡ªhey, wait a second,¡± Lilly said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make Jason a navigator for...for a secret treasure?¡±

    ¡°Jace,¡± Ally corrected.

    ¡°Oh, right, sorry,¡± Lilly bit her tongue.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I think it¡¯s got some merit. Come here, this is the street. I¡¯m up here on the left after this red one.¡± She was pointing now and all of them saw it. In a flash she felt a nervousness creep into her body. She realized that a lot of people in school had been of upper class¡ªLilly herself even looked to be. She felt self-conscious about her foster parents'' home being only middle class. It had two floors, sure, but she could see that there was some visual damage near the side of the house¡ªsomething that didn¡¯t have much an impact on those inside, but to her outside now it felt like she introduced them to a half-crumpled abode.

    ¡°Looks nice,¡± Lilly said, nodding.

    ¡°Yeah, really nice,¡± Rosie said.

    ¡°I¡¯d kill for a room a floor away from our parents,¡± Josie said.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t kill for a floor, hun. Maim at best,¡± Rosie laughed.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯d go for ten floors if that were the choice,¡± she chuckled back.

    ¡°Well, come on...oh, and I hope you guys like pasta,¡± Ally said. ¡°Jaclyn said she was going to be making her famous spaghetti tonight¡ªthat is, if you wanted to stay that long.¡±

    ¡°Free food? Are you kidding? How could I ever say no to that?¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°Oh...are you sure that¡¯s okay? I don¡¯t want to be a burden on them...¡± Rosie said.

    ¡°Yes we do,¡± Josie interrupted. ¡°Pasta¡¯s the only thing behind a good pot roast in my eyes. I¡¯m game.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Ally smiled, ¡°Okay, come on in.¡±

 5 | Turn a Blind Eye | Side Life

    Ally returned from the memories to the spot in her room as she held the coat in her hands. It had now been almost three weeks after she¡¯d first met Lilly and the twins. She trembled as she felt Jace tapping her shoulder.

    ¡°Hey kid, time to go,¡± Jace said, cocking his head over toward the clock. She hated it when he called her kid.

    ¡°You know I¡¯m older than you,¡± she said.

    ¡°You may have been here longer, but I¡¯m older,¡± he held his hand to his chest in a royal sort of pose. ¡°You made me eighteen, remember?¡±

    ¡°Just shut it.¡±

    Ally and her three friends have all worked together on their comic series at Ally¡¯s house a total of three times during September. It had taken them the entirety of all three times to finally settle on a name¡ªthey all had wildly different ideas of what to call it.

    ¡°I want Starry Nights.¡± Rosie said with stars of her own in her eyes.

    ¡°Lame, but maybe if this was a soft romantic book,¡± Josie said.

    ¡°Which it¡¯s not. If he¡¯s a badass he needs to be heroic,¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what he would have said,¡± Ally laughed. ¡°But making him a romantic doesn¡¯t necessarily mean he isn¡¯t heroic.¡±

    ¡°Come on, what?!¡± Jace called out. ¡°You totally backpedaled on that.¡±

    ¡°If I recall you were against the idea as well.¡±

    ¡°Hm, true,¡± Lilly said. ¡°But it shouldn¡¯t be a major focus. I don¡¯t want us to write someone lame just so he has someone to fuck.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s not write someone lame. If we¡¯re going to give him a love interest they have to be just as fleshed out as he is,¡± Ally explained. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of the name, to be honest. Maybe something like¡­she tapped her chin and then suddenly her eyes grew wide. I think I have it!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lilly asked. ¡°What¡¯s this fire I see in your eyes?¡± She stood, ¡°This fire that burneth so brightly,¡± she masked her hand in front of her face and stared dramatically toward the window.

    Ally stared at her and tried not to laugh. ¡°I think I know what kind of story this might be¡­and even have a name. So get this, he lives in this city that floats in the air. Like uh¡­giant floating city. His town protects this mystical gem¡ªsay based on wind because the city¡¯s in the air and stuff. Well on the planet below are a bunch of other gems based on other elements in different territories. Everything¡¯s all hunky-dory until one of the other places loses their gem, or maybe he has to collect them all. I was thinking¡­maybe it could be called The Artifacts of Merlyn.¡±

    ¡°Merlyn? Like King Arthur?¡± Lilly asked.

    ¡°Wow that sounds so cool!¡± Rosie said.

    ¡°Sure as hell beats Starry Nights,¡± Josie laughed.

    ¡°Rude,¡± Rosie said, sullen, but then she looked up, ¡°But it does sound better. Here, I think we¡¯ve got a base design down, you want to take a look?¡± She handed Ally the sketchpad she was holding.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ally said, taking it. She was surprised to see how well they captured Jace in painted form. After that day the initial sketch hung on her wall as a gift. Every day after she woke up seeing it on the wall, and she was sure that the real Jace was starting to get a little jealous himself.

    Ha, the ¡®real¡¯ Jace.

    She walked out of her room. It was the last stretch of September now. Ally made it to school without any trouble. She had got the path down easy enough thanks to her walking it alongside Lilly and the twins. She found her own little clique with Lilly, Rosie, and Josie. They ate breakfasts on mornings that Ally went (it wasn¡¯t all the time). They also met in English first period, and then convened together at lunch halfway through the day¡ªtheir table propped up nicely in the corner of the lunchroom. It became their de facto meeting place whenever they had free time outside of class.

    Other than that Ally shared second period Art with the twins and fourth period History with Lilly. Even though it wasn¡¯t as much as she would have liked it was helpful having familiar and friendly faces throughout her classes.

    She closed her locker shut after stuffing her bag inside. She found her rhythm for classes and saw it smart to only carry the books she needed for the first four periods before lunch and then grab the last half after. Since it was still early in the year and very few of her classes required any serious work sans English class she only held a blue binder and a copy of ¡°A Tale of Two Cities¡± tucked underneath her arm.

    Aoi passed her in the hall. He was one of the more popular kids around the school and she could see why. He looked quite toned for his age. He must put serious effort in at the gym. Aoi was really much sweeter than his reputation had him for. Ally liked him for it. They weren¡¯t quite friends, but she¡¯d definitely think of him as an acquaintance.

    ¡°Hey how are you doing today?¡± He smiled bright as he passed, stopped, and then stepped closer to her. ¡°I wanted to say thanks again for helping out with that paper. I never would have gotten it done,¡± He said, and behind his sunglasses she could see his green eyes were honest.

    She knew the stereotype of the popular kids going to the nerds to do their work for them, but Aoi wasn¡¯t like that. He didn¡¯t do his work because he was lazy¡ªfar from it. He simply had too many responsibilities, in fact. The guy volunteered for soup kitchens, worked part-time at the animal shelter, and even was a part of the swim team. Sure, his responsibilities are his own, Ally thought, but my work is usually finished early anyway, so helping out where I can isn¡¯t that big a deal to me. That was what she liked about him most; he was just a nice guy. He deserved the help.

    ¡°Yeah, no problem. See you in class?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded as he headed off, she saw him head over to Derek Young¡¯s locker. If Aoi wasn¡¯t the most popular guy in their class, then Derek was it for sure. He was rich, good looking, and like Aoi he never really made a habit of being unkind to other people. I don¡¯t know why the girls here didn¡¯t seem to get that memo.

    Aoi stood up on his toes to kiss Derek on the cheek. They¡¯d been close since sixth grade according to Lilly.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it just make you weep, two of the school¡¯s most attractive boys taken by each other?¡± Speak of the devil¡­Lilly appeared by her side, taking Ally by surprise. ¡°Aw look, you¡¯re blushing. It is a shame indeed,¡± she said, shaking her head.

    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What a shame, indeed. Now your only left with¡ª¡± Jace trailed off behind her and winked.

    ¡°Cut it out.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m acting as a physical manifestation of your courage?¡±

    ¡°Go home, lion.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you see Rosie and Josie? I was thinking we could maybe do some more planning at lunch,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°I saw them at breakfast, but I left early, haven¡¯t seen ¡®em since.¡± Lilly leaned against Ally¡¯s locker, her drawstring bag over the both of her shoulders. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll be in English.¡± She shrugged, letting the bag drop a bit from her shoulder. ¡°Probably just late...not like that¡¯ll help us much either way.¡±

    ¡°Right, well, let¡¯s just go and they can catch up.¡±

    Lilly nodded and the two of them walked toward Mrs. Fowler¡¯s room. Everyone settled in as Mrs. Fowler stood up to greet the class. Ally shifted in her seat, The twins¡¯s chair was empty.

    Her attention whipped back to the front of the room as the door opened. Ally expected to see the twins walk through, but a dark skinned boy wearing a black jacket stepped through instead, all eyes were on him as he entered. He stood there with obvious hesitation almost expecting someone else to take over for him. He looked uncomfortable and like he hadn¡¯t slept in quite some time.

    ¡°Mr. McAllister, you may take your seat, quietly, and without disturbing anyone, please.¡± Mrs. Fowler gawked from the front of the room, her demeanor subtly shifted and Ally could feel the tension building in the room.

    Everyone in the room had their eyes on the boy as he made his way through the room and took a seat in the back of the room behind Carlos, just two seats away from Ally.

    ¡°Woah, tough crowd,¡± Jace said, he was sitting on Carlos¡¯s desk dangling his feet off the side just beside her. ¡°Think this is that Tyson kid?¡±

    ¡°No doubt.¡±

    Ally leaned forward and passed a slip of paper with ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± to Lilly. Not ten seconds later she got the slip back and read the single word she¡¯d scratched on it.

    Murderer.

    The words caught in her throat and she folded the sheet in two in her hands, holding them so no one else saw. She had to keep from looking back.

    ¡°Now, Mr. McAllister is going to be rejoining us for the semester, I don¡¯t want to hear a single word about anything, do you hear me?¡± Mrs. Fowler called from the front of the room. Silent heads nodded up and down. ¡°Good. Now open your books and read for the class. I need to speak to Mr. Herondale.¡± She rushed out of the room just like the first day and the door shut quickly behind her.

    Instantly everyone turned to look at Tyson. He seemed to be aware of everyone looking at him, but he didn¡¯t move. He was looking down at his desk.

    ¡°So, any tips on avoiding prison?¡± Ashley asked.

    ¡°Easy, don¡¯t commit a crime.¡±

    ¡°Hm,¡± she replied, looking down to her hands. ¡°Interesting. But how¡¯d you do it?¡±

    ¡°Very funny.¡±

    It was like they were playing a game of chicken, whoever looked first lost. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, so I was let go.¡±

    ¡°Just back off,¡± Carlos swung his arm around. ¡°Mind your own beeswax and get back to reading.¡±

    ¡°Funny for the one person here who can¡¯t read.¡± Sidney barked.

    ¡°Oh low blow you-¡± Carlos winced at her comment and Ally swore he was just about to jump up from his seat until Tyson held his arm back down.

    ¡°Well of course you¡¯d defend him, you both are cut from the same disgusting rag,¡± Sidney said.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Adam said, and looked over to Ashley.

    ¡°C¡¯mon now,¡± Derek chimed in, breaking the silence from the front of the room. ¡°What¡¯s done is done and we¡¯re not the people in charge of what happens beyond that. Lay off, Ash.¡±

    If anyone else called her Ash she would have exploded and probably leapt from her own desk, but seeing that it was Derek she only looked at him. She sat back in her chair and turned to face the front of the room, saying nothing more.

    ¡°Sidney?¡± Derek coaxed.

    ¡°If you do anything I swear my dad will be down here faster than you can run away¡­¡± she snipped.

    ¡°Sidney¡­¡± Derek called again, and like a pup she reined herself in. ¡°Tyson, glad to see you¡¯re back,¡± Derek said. ¡°Good to hear they¡¯re not charging you. I always believed in you.¡±

    This brought the slightest smirk to Tyson¡¯s face, but he tried his hardest not to show any other emotion. The classroom was silent for a moment longer until a sound came from the wall behind them.

    Ally turned. There wasn¡¯t anything that could have made the sound¡ªonly things back there were a sink, some drawers, and a door to the supply closet.

    ¡°Is there a rat inside?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°Must have been a really big rat¡­¡± Aoi said. ¡°Although only thing I could think of making that sound was if it was throwing itself against the wall.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I think we would¡¯ve heard it earlier if it was doing that,¡± Derek added.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a rat I¡¯m leaving,¡± Sidney said.

    ¡°Oh get your shit together,¡± Ashley scolded. ¡°It¡¯s in the closet. It¡¯s not going to get you.¡±

    The sound rasped on the door again. It sounded heavier and this time there was a low growling sound¡ªalmost like a moan that accompanied it. Ashley now froze, gripping her seat tight.

    ¡°Who¡¯s scared of a rat now?¡± Sidney asked.

    ¡°That¡­didn¡¯t sound like a rat,¡± Derek said.

    Harrison stood up. The bag beside his desk fell to its side. ¡°If you¡¯re all so scared I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± He began to walk toward the closet, but then something stopped inside Ally.

    Something was wrong there in that second she knew it even if she couldn¡¯t describe it. ¡°It¡¯s the smell. Rats smell bad, but not that bad,¡± Jace reminded her. Something about the smell. It was something about the...

    When the realization hit her Harrison placed his hand on the door knob. Whiteness filled the faces of every single kid in the classroom. It was like a bolt of lightning struck just outside the classroom. Everything became saturated with light. Everyone in the room had to shield their eyes and there was a scream that grew louder through each of their heads. The sound of bells rang through each of their minds. They chimed.

    And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed. And chimed.

    The light faded slowly. Ally rubbed her eyes and groaned. The others were out of their seats, fallen and unconscious. She looked to see Lilly beside her with her head hung back in her chair.

    Ally screamed and fell out of her own chair. Harrison was lying on the ground in front of the closet door, still unopened. There was a constant sort of sound emanating from the closet now, a sort of...crying.

    ¡°Wh...what¡­.¡± Ally heard from the front of the room. She turned to see Aoi stirring. He rubbed his hand on his head and pulled himself up. ¡°Ally¡­¡± He looked around at all the others, ¡°What happened?¡± He looked toward the windows and his breath caught.

    Ally followed his gaze and saw that outside...well there was no outside. It was pitch black almost like if someone just turned out the lights.

    ¡°What...happened?¡± He asked again.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know...I think it has to do with whatever is in the closet.¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Jace, are you there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah this is some real crazy shit,¡± his arms were crossed and he tried looking out in the darkness. ¡°I¡¯d say check the bodies to make sure they¡¯re all still breathing.¡±

    ¡°How are you so calm?¡±

    ¡°You made me that way.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    She turned behind her and placed a finger on Lilly¡¯s neck, and then turned to Aoi, ¡°Check if everybody¡¯s okay.¡± He nodded, and began checking everyone out with her.

    Nobody was dead. Thankfully they were all still breathing. Whatever happened had struck them all at once. Ally looked back toward the closet, ¡°I¡¯m going to open it up and see what was in there.¡±

    ¡°You sure you want to? I can¡­¡±

    She was sure, because she knew he wasn''t. Kind to a fault, but brave you were not.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you open it,¡± Jace said, already by the door.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She walked over to the door. Aoi had moved Harrison¡¯s body aside when he was checking him over. The door knob was ice cold when she touched it. She backed away at once, but then steeled her resolve and grabbed hold of it. She pulled hard¡­it was locked.

    ¡°Dang¡­¡± Ally whispered.

    But then there was a voice.

    ¡°Allllllllllyy?¡± It was a droning sort of sound, despair filled it and hung heavy. It took her only a moment longer to place it.

    ¡°Rosie?¡± Ally called and placed her ear against the door. ¡°Rosie, is that you?¡±

    ¡°Allllyyyyyy,¡± the voice cried out again. It was interrupted by sobs.

    ¡°Hey, come on, we¡¯re going to get you out of here,¡± she looked to Aoi, ¡°...come here! Rosie and Josie are inside!¡±

    Aoi nodded and ran over. He tried opening the door himself.

    ¡°Locked.¡± He said, looking down at his hands and then nodding. ¡°One sec,¡± he went to the front of the room near Mrs. Fowler¡¯s desk. He pulled drawers open and then slammed them shut when they didn¡¯t have what he was looking for.

    Ally could hear Rosie from the closet. ¡°Allllyyyyyy, its Josie¡­.she¡¯s not moving.¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Ally said, ¡°We¡¯re going to get you out of there!¡±

    ¡°Allllyyyyyy there¡¯s¡­.there¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Agh, damn it!¡± She heard from the front of the room.

    Aoi was holding something small in his hands.

    ¡°What is it?¡± She called.

    ¡°Mrs. Fowler keeps a key to the closet in her desk, but it seems to be broken,¡± he held up the key with no end.

    ¡°What? Really? Of all the bad luck¡­¡± she says.

    ¡°Methinks bad luck had no part to play in this,¡± Jace tapped his fingers together.

    ¡°Now is not the time.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go and get someone, I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t get this door open,¡± Ally called to Aoi.

    He nodded once and tossed the key aside. After yanking the door open he was out of sight a moment later. Ally returned to the door and tried yanking on it, ¡°Rosie, you still in there?¡±

    ¡°...Yes,¡± she said, shuffling slightly, moaning.

    ¡°Are you able to unlock the door from your side? Our key on this end is busted.¡±

    ¡°I...I can¡¯t carry her...I can¡¯t get up¡­!¡±

    ¡°Is she unconscious?¡± Ally asked and pressed her ear to the door again.

    Rosie didn¡¯t answer. Behind her Ally heard another groaning sound. Adam began to stir from his seat. He rubbed his head and wheeled himself upright, a dazed look in his brown eyes. His eyes widened as he saw his classmates¡¯ bodies strewn about the classroom. ¡°Wh-What happened here?! Ashley?¡± He bounced up and ran over toward his dearly beloved.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, just unconscious like you were a few seconds ago...they all are.¡± Ally said.

    He turned back to her, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you where¡­¡± his eyes found Harrison. ¡°Oh god¡­¡±

    ¡°I told you, they¡¯re all okay. We all got dazed by that light and were like them. I woke up first and Aoi right after me.¡±

    Adam looked around the room, ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°He went to go get help. Rosie and Josie are locked in this closet here. The key in Mrs. Fowler¡¯s desk is busted.¡±

    ¡°Locked in there?¡± He mustered, ¡°Why can¡¯t she¡ª¡±

    ¡°Josie seems to be unconscious, she can¡¯t lift her up. Come here and see if you can get this stupid door open.¡±

    </a> He sat there a moment longer as if the words hadn¡¯t reached his ears.

    ¡°Adam¡­¡± Ally said.

    ¡°I...I gotta make sure Ashley¡¯s all right,¡± he said and took her wrist in his hand.

    Aoi came back through the door, heaving and huffing. He sent Adam lurching up like a cat in surprise. ¡°Th-They¡¯re all gone. There¡¯s...nobody out there.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°I went to the principal¡¯s office since that¡¯s where I thought Mrs. Fowler would be. Both of them weren¡¯t there. Nobody else was in the halls and nobody in any other classrooms. The whole school¡¯s emptier than¡­¡± he thought quickly, ¡°...well, it¡¯s empty.¡±

    ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± Adam asked.

    ¡°Oh, glad to see you¡¯re awake and well,¡± Aoi gave him a nervous smile.

    Adam didn¡¯t notice. He only clenched Ashley¡¯s hand tighter. ¡°Is this someone¡¯s idea of a stupid prank?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see¡­¡± Ally began.

    ¡°What?¡± Adam turned to her, ¡°I can¡¯t hear you! You need to speak up!¡±

    ¡°I...I said¡­¡± Ally regained herself, ¡°I said I don¡¯t see how or why anyone would do this as a prank. Where is the joke?¡±

    Lilly and Tyson began to stir at the same. The both of them noticed the blackness of the windows first and then their attention drew to the students around them. Ally told them what she¡¯d known, and then Carlos started moving just beside Tyson.

    ¡°How about...we wait for everyone else to get up so we don¡¯t have to explain this again and again?¡± Aoi suggested.

    Ally nodded. She let go of the door knob, ¡°I¡¯ve tried all I can with this thing, it isn¡¯t opening unless it is busted down.¡±

    Tyson stood up and cracked his knuckles. He sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll try to get it down.¡± He was then aware of the eyes on him. The others were scared. We all are.

    ¡°I think you should just stay in the corner and not touch a damn thing,¡± Adam said. ¡°You probably caused this mess.¡±

    Tyson stopped in place ¡°How could I have caused this?¡±

    ¡°What, we¡¯re supposed to believe that this isn¡¯t related in the slightest to you coming back today? Isn¡¯t that just the weirdest coincidence?¡± Adam asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that man,¡± Carlos began. ¡°You¡¯re just crazy enough to frame Ty twice for shit he didn¡¯t do.¡± Twice? ¡°It¡¯s equally as likely that someone found out he was comin¡¯ back today and set up some bullshit like flash to settle an agenda.¡±

    Ashley began to stir. Adam was so focused on Tyson now that he hadn¡¯t noticed her, ¡°We don¡¯t set up situations to get revenge,¡± Adam said. ¡°We let the law handle murderers and scum like you both just fine.¡±

    ¡°Hey now, Adam,¡± Aoi said, stepping in-between the both of them. ¡°This was over, we¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°The law,¡± Tyson began, ¡°...has decided I was free to walk.¡±

    ¡°Everybody makes mistakes¡­¡± The voice came from Ashley. She was sitting up now. All the passion had left Adam¡¯s face and had seemingly transferred to her. He was hugging her and muttering terms of endearment.

    ¡°Guys, can it,¡± Aoi said, stern. He looked at the both of them and took in a deep breath, ¡°We¡¯re currently in a tense situation. We don¡¯t need to make it any worse. We¡¯ve still got to get the closet door open, remember?¡±

    Tyson was staring at Ashley, deadlocked. ¡°I¡¯ll break it down, but I don¡¯t want anything out of any of you about what happened in the summer.¡±

    Ashley looked like she was going to say something back, but Aoi shook his head and so she stopped before she started. As Tyson gathered himself. Carlos whispered something to him and they nodded. Ally turned back to the group, Adam had gotten Ashley up and they were now coaxing Sydney awake. Aoi had been doing similar for Derek in the front of the room. Ally never felt more out of the loop with everyone else.

    ¡°There was obviously history here, stuff you had nothing to do with,¡± Jace said. His face was tinged with concern.

    ¡°Yeah, something big went down in the summer...a murder.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s messed...although, I do have to give you kudos for taking charge for a little while there. That was like something I¡¯d do,¡± he flashed her a smile.

    ¡°Only you would congratulate me in the same breath as learning a murder went down.¡±

    ¡°Coping¡¯s a hell of a thing,¡± he said and vanished.

    Ally then noticed how nobody had been checking on Harrison. He was still lying in the corner of the room where Ally had moved him from the closet door. She saw Lilly walk over toward her as she kneeled down beside him. He was a little bigger than the rest of the kids in the class, and now she felt awful that that was one of the only things she¡¯d known about him. She didn¡¯t know much about everybody, but there were a few things here and there she¡¯d picked up. Harrison was quiet, so he never spilled much about himself into the commonwealth.

    ¡°He breathing?¡± Lilly asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, taking her hand away from his neck. "He must be out still since he was closest to the door when that stuff happened.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t explain why Derek and Sydney are still out cold.¡±

    ¡°True...I guess that blows my theory out of the water.¡±

    Lilly gave his shoulder a shake. In that moment everyone had their own task they¡¯d given themselves; all unfocused on each other. There was palpable tension in the room as if someone had filled it with powder kegs and were only seconds away from lighting a match. There was a banging sound once, twice, three times as Tyson and Carlos took turns ramming the closet door. On the third time the wood splintered and Tyson burst through, tripping and falling inside. He pulled himself up and noticed he was wet...a sticky kind of wet and then all at once the smell hit him and he backed up as he coughed out; stumbling on his feet he fell on his rear out of the closet.

    ¡°Dude, what the¡ª¡± Carlos started before he saw. ¡°WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?¡±

    His outcry turned every single head toward the back of the room. Ally and Lilly looked at the two boys beside them and Ally felt her throat catch and she for a second had lost the ability to breathe as she saw the front of Tyson¡¯s shirt and all over his face was crimson. Blood dripped onto the carpet below.

    ¡°She¡¯s¡­.¡± Tyson said, his voice broken up by the confusion, ¡°...she¡¯s¡­¡±

    Ally stood up. No one else said anything. The twins were lying inside the closet like they had expected, but Josie wasn¡¯t unconscious¡ªat least not in the sense that Ally had expected. Blood poured from the top of her skull onto their body. The top of her head had caved in as if smashed by a hammer, Rosie didn¡¯t seem to have any injuries on her half, but she seemed to now have fainted.

    ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± Ally said.

    ¡°She¡¯s been murdered,¡± Carlos added. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone could just accidentally cave their own head in like that.¡±

    Instantly everything just...descended into chaos. Ally didn¡¯t know who started screaming what first, but only that everyone just started screaming, running for their lives as the same thought had come to them. Tyson had killed again. He was going to kill them all, not a single soul would be left alive.

    Everyone ran. Everyone except for Ally and Carlos.

    Ally didn¡¯t know what to think; she was frozen to the core and couldn¡¯t process what reality was. The way her head caved in...the blood as the light shined on it...how Rosie gasped for help. She wordlessly stepped inside the closet. Tyson and Carlos were still frozen where they remained, silently watching the new girl walk closer to the body, bend down, and slowly place her hand on Josie¡¯s neck, and then Rosie¡¯s. Josie was not breathing, but Rosie still was. She was still there.

    Ally looked back to Carlos and Tyson immediately, ¡°Rosie¡¯s still alive. Can you two help me get her onto one of these desks?¡± It took a second for the words to click in their minds. They were still each staring out. They nodded their heads and then looked at each other, then back to Ally.

    ¡°Come on, you two go from the side and I¡¯ll support her head.¡±

    They brought her out from the closet and rested her on Harrison¡¯s desk, Carlos shoved Tyson¡¯s desk next to it and supported her legs up.

    Ally looked at the two of them and nodded, but like the crack of a whip she felt woozy. Jace was in front of her now reaching out to her.

    ¡°-on¡¯t fall¡± his voice echoed, and then she realized she¡¯d missed something that Carlos had said. She tried to ask what it was but it was then she fainted. The smell of Josie¡¯s blood forever burnt into her brain.

 6 | Argument / Agreement |

    Ally woke up to the smell of copper. It took her a moment longer to realize that it was blood she¡¯d been smelling. Lilly was by her side, but turned away. Ally was sitting in the nurse¡¯s office on one of the stretched out cots. She moved to sit up but found her head pounding.

    Lilly turned as she heard her.

    ¡°Were you here the whole time?¡± Ally asked, rubbing her forehead. ¡°How long was I out?¡±

    ¡°Only about an hour or so. Can¡¯t leave you alone with a killer on the loose, can I?¡±

    The word rang hard in her head. Killer. ¡°Ow, come on, sit down, you¡¯re making my legs hurt just from looking at you,¡± she said, pointing to the cot directly next to her.

    Lilly nodded and sat down. ¡°Rosie¡¯s conscious again, and the remaining kids woke up too. Everyone¡¯s calmed down, they¡¯re all back in Mrs. Fowler¡¯s room.¡±

    Ally let out a breath that had kept her chest tightened like a vice. ¡°That¡¯s good. Are the police on their way?¡±

    Lilly¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Yeah about that¡­we can¡¯t exactly get out of here.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The school is just...it¡¯s hard to explain. You saw out the windows when you woke up, yeah?¡± Lilly asked.

    ¡°Yeah, it was all black outside. We must¡¯ve been out all day. I don¡¯t know why police haven¡¯t showed up or something like that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not night out there¡­¡± Lilly began, ¡°Whatever it is it¡¯s all around the school. We¡¯re been surrounded. Nobody can step outside.¡±

    Ally looked at her, confused, ¡°Is it like...tangible?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Touch. Can you touch it?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. They can¡¯t even open the front doors, and we don¡¯t think it¡¯s smart to break a window. If it¡¯s like space and there¡¯s no air we¡¯re all done for.¡±

    ¡°Hey, sleepy. Ask if there¡¯s anything more on the body,¡± Jace nudged her from the side. ¡°Someone is responsible, don¡¯t forget about that.¡±

    ¡°Josie¡¯s dead¡­¡± Ally said, looking up to Lilly. Her face turned down.

    ¡°Yeah, no cops means no official word, but it¡¯s pretty obvious the blow to the head killed her.¡±

    ¡°God¡­.¡± she turned and looked to her hands, she could see the stained blood on her fingertips. She was really dead. She let out a weak sound and bent over. She was shaking now.

    ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡±

    Ally shook her head, ¡°No¡­¡± she closed her eyes tight and balled her hands into fists, tight. ¡°Why...why did this happen? Who could have done this?¡±

    Lilly shook her head; her lips were pursed, but silent. She moved to the other cot and sat beside Ally, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing¡­¡±

    Ally looked to her, a tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it off and took in a deep breath. ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°I have to show you. I can¡¯t explain this one.¡±

    The other kids were all joined together in Mrs. Fowler¡¯s room. The chaos had died down to an eerie silence. They sat almost in full circle surrounding the body that lie on the center of the room. Rosie lay facing up toward the ceiling, but as Lilly and Ally entered she worked her way to a sitting up position, holding her sister¡¯s corpse up to keep balanced.

    What Ally hadn¡¯t expected to see was that behind them¡ªbehind them all in the black void were streaks of white light that seemed to pulse. They stole her focus and begged her forward. She had to shake her head and look down to the floor to avoid losing focus again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look directly at it,¡± Aoi said from the side of the room. ¡°It seems to be the same kind of light that got us the first time, just...staying there. Look at it too long and you get knocked out again.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s speaking from experience,¡± Derek said, not particularly looking at him. He looked worried.

    ¡°T-Thank you,¡± Ally nodded.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re all here, now what?¡± Carlos asked.

    ¡°Yeah, are we going to begin?¡± Tyson was next.

    ¡°Begin?¡± Ally asked. She looked back at Lilly who nodded subtly toward the center of the room. All at once she saw the white light from the outside began to vibrate. She could see the individual waves as they shook faster and within an instant it was sucked into the room and formed a singular ball of light no larger than a tennis ball. It was as if every strand were bound together. It hung in the center of the room that had been so quiet. The ball of light floated for a second longer before vines of light stretched out to Rosie¡¯s body. The light seeped inside through her pores and illuminating her insides as if it were some sort of mobile x-ray machine.

    ¡°What¡­¡± Ally started.

    To the others around it didn¡¯t seem like it was anything new.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Lilly whispered.

    The light entered Rosie, the blank stare that had been on her face seemed...gone. There had been something else there now, something behind her eyes Ally didn¡¯t know if she liked.

    ¡°Last to wake, first to rise.¡± Rosie said, but there was something behind her voice almost as if she were using some sort of modulator. ¡°Welcome, you¡¯ve made it. Now we can begin.¡±

    ¡°Begin what?¡± Ally asked, desperate now. ¡°What is all this?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for eighty-nine minutes and thirty two seconds. In that time the others have tried to escape the confines of this building with no success. In those eighty-nine minutes and thirty-two seconds they quickly turned on one another.¡± She said in her not-Rosie voice. Ally could see people make the effort to avoid eye contact with one another. ¡°It was quite unfortunate that such chaos erupted so flawlessly. I had to intervene or all of everything would have been for nothing. I revealed myself and they understood what it was they had to do...sooner or later. And now we are here, all gathered and ready to begin.¡±

    ¡°Begin what?!¡± Ally yelled. She realized it too late, but there it had been. Rosie looked at her confused, a genuine look of concern in her face, and then realization flashed in her hazel eyes.

    ¡°Oh, that is correct. You were asleep for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Eighty nine minutes and thirty two seconds, yes,¡± Ally said, making a motion with her hands to just hurry it up.

    Rosie looked at her, ¡°Hm, yes, well, you see that this girl¡¯s other half is no longer breathing. You were the one who confirmed there was no more beats to her heart, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­? Aren¡¯t you¡­¡±

    ¡°I currently inhabit this body to communicate with you,¡± Rosie said. ¡°You don¡¯t understand my normal speech and I don¡¯t yours¡ªunless I¡¯m borrowing one of your kind of course. In your language my name would most closely translate to Issachar.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask, I¡¯ll explain later,¡± Lilly whispered.

    Ally had a painted look of confusion on her face, it must¡¯ve been obvious. She nodded and moved on. Some sort of...what, alien was here using Rosie¡¯s body? This day¡­

    ¡°...could not get anymore strange.¡± Jace finished. ¡°Don¡¯t put me anywhere like this in my story, got it?¡± Jace sneered.

    ¡°Starting to think you¡¯re the thing that makes the most sense here.¡±

    ¡°You noticed my presence when the body of Josephine Higgins, thirteen, was about to be discovered.¡± Issachar said. ¡°You all faced some minor disorientation which should now be cleared up fully. Now, I¡¯ve seen you people kill each other for a very, very long time. I have always wondered...why do they do it? Why would you end the life of someone whose lifespan is already severely limited by physical handicap?¡±

    The room was silent. Everyone gave silent, judging looks to one another.

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided I¡¯m going to do something about it this time. I¡¯ve sat idly by enough. You are all currently residing inside a pocket dimension outside of the one you¡¯re familiar with. Think of it as a dark alleyway between two illustrious buildings. Nobody from the outside can interfere. Your police would surely try their hardest to muddle the case, but true justice wouldn¡¯t be served.¡±

    ¡°True justice?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°Locking people behind metal bars does not equal justice. Killing people does not equal justice. You people don¡¯t seem to understand that. So here¡ªmaybe for the first time¡ªyou shall experience true justice. You shall discover who killed this young girl.¡±

    Ally froze where she stood. ¡°How are we supposed to do that? We¡¯re just children¡­¡±

    ¡°I do recognize that as you mature you have access to higher forms of transportation and increased sex drives, but nothing about my research suggests you are any less wise for your age. The murder has taken place within the confines of the area I¡¯ve borrowed inside this pocket dimension, so you should have all available information needed to figure it out.¡±

    ¡°If you know who it is then why don¡¯t you just take all this out on them?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°What justice would there be if I were to deal it out? I am an outside force. Many of you may not believe who I would reveal. You may fire back at me instead of the one truly responsible. I also lack the motivation behind the murder. I do not know the context, so I must ask that you forgive my curiosity. That is why I grabbed all of you. I need as untainted results as I possibly can. I cannot have other unrelated parties interfering and obscuring the justice.¡±

    ¡°You want us to do the dirty work.¡±

    ¡°Very little of the work is actually dirty. The examination of the body maybe, yes, but it is logic and evidence based largely.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± Ally couldn¡¯t finish the thought. This was all ludicrous, ludicrous! This had to be an awful nightmare that she¡¯d wake up from. She¡¯d find that she¡¯d overslept and hadn¡¯t gotten her paper written for class and was probably going to get a poor grade on it. But if only her biggest concern was an unfinished paper. Ally looked to her left and then to her right, looking at all the faces around her and then to Rosie¡¯s¡ªIssachar¡¯s. ¡°So...that is how it is? There¡¯s no prank? This is all real...Josie¡¯s actually dead¡­¡±

    ¡°Josephine Higgins, aged thirteen is dead. And with that you are now officially caught up. I shall leave you to your own devices, you are free to do what you like here, but know that you will only be returned to your own dimension once true justice is served.¡±

    Ashley shifted uneasily from where she sat beside Adam and Sidney, ¡°Find the killer or we all stay here until we die.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I really don¡¯t understand why you people reiterate the obvious. It is quite concerning¡­¡± Issachar started, but changed pace on a dime, ¡°...now, if there aren¡¯t any questions I¡¯ll be taking my leave. I am very excited to see your results.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Ally called out, halting Rosie¡¯s body as she turned back to her. ¡°I have...one last question. Are...are you God?¡±

    Rosie¡¯s head went back in a cackle so loud it reverberated throughout the room.

    ¡°Silly girl, no, I am not God. He wouldn¡¯t be here for something as small as this; he¡¯s got a lot on his plate these days. This is purely a curiosity of mine,¡± and with that the light spilled out of Rosie¡¯s nostrils and mouth, fading into little more than dust and then into nothing. Rosie fell back as what little energy she had vanished. Ally could see she was still breathing, but she couldn¡¯t imagine it was easy. They were alone once more.

 7 | True Justice, a word by any other calling would be just as Oxymoronic |

    Harrison was the first to speak up. ¡°So we just play detective for a while and pretend we know what we¡¯re doing. That¡¯s the gist of what I¡¯ve heard. I mean, this isn¡¯t exactly what I had in mind of how today would go.¡±

    ¡°Do you think this is what I wanted?¡± Ashley said, making an ugly sort of scoffing sound. ¡°To be trapped here?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Ally began, ¡°technically we¡¯re only trapped if we don¡¯t solve the murder.¡±

    ¡°Technically we¡¯re only trapped,¡± Sidney mocked. ¡°Why would we even believe a word that thing said anyway? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be really dumb not to even consider that since it brought us here it¡¯s possible it killed Josie?¡±

    ¡°What choice do we really have?¡± Derek asked. ¡°I mean, if it did it¡¯ll just kill us in the end anyway, right? You saw how it knocked us all out before.¡±

    ¡°What a pessimistic view,¡± Lilly said.

    He shrugged, ¡°I consider it realistic. If something like that comes to us and says we¡¯ve got to jump I¡¯m not going to bother telling it to fuck off if I¡¯ve not got the slightest idea about anything about anything. If we were at a home advantage or if we had weapons...maybe.¡±

    Aoi nodded, ¡°Even if we had weapons I don¡¯t know if they¡¯d even work against a thing like that. And we can¡¯t bank on it making any mistakes...Our best bet is to play along for the time being, even if it was the one who killed her.¡±

    Ashley rolled her eyes, ¡°Well, I think if it wasn¡¯t that thing then we obviously know the culprit. Let¡¯s just tell that light guy it was Tyson and get this done with.¡± She rested a hand on her lap and tilted her head back.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill anybody,¡± Tyson said with perfect clarity. ¡°You heard what Issachar said about what happens if we get it wrong. Do you want to go through that?¡±

    ¡°Get it wrong?¡± Ally asked.

    Aoi nodded his head, ¡°He didn¡¯t mention it the second time...but the first time he mentioned earlier that justice had to be given to the correct parties...so more than just finding a person and pinning the blame we have to be sure we¡¯re actually finding the right person. He seems to know who actually killed Josie so it would go to reason that this true justice we¡¯re looking for should be based solely on evidence. That would rule out just blindly pointing the finger at anybody,¡± Aoi began. ¡°I do agree we should investigate if the murder really did happen here in the school.¡±

    Tyson nodded, ¡°Especially if this supposed justice is what gets us out of here. Blame the wrong dude and we¡¯re all stuck.¡± He stared at Ashley as he said it.

    She shook her head and looked to the side.

    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re really going to be doing this we need to start off by figuring out exactly how we¡¯re going to do this.¡± Lilly said. ¡°I propose that from this point on nobody goes anywhere alone.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, why would we listen to you?¡± Sidney asked.

    ¡°No, I agree with her,¡± Derek said, and crossed his arms firmly, ¡°If there¡¯s a killer on the loose, and I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s one of us¡ªmaybe there¡¯s someone else here hiding¡ªbut if so then we need to stay in groups.¡±

    ¡°And if the killer is one of us¡­?¡± Carlos asked. ¡°What then, huh?¡±

    ¡°Then,¡± Ally spoke up, her voice was much less authoritative than the rest of them, she noticed. It was small, quiet. She tried her best not to get distracted, ¡°We make sure nobody covers any tracks up. If what we need to solve this murder is all here then we need to be on the lookout for anybody trying to hide anything.¡±

    Ashley sighed from her corner of the room. Adam, his head in her lap looked up, ¡°It sounds like too much work. We just went through some serious stuff and need some time to process it all.¡± He shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have time to process once we¡¯re back home, Adam.¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°Come now,¡± Aoi said. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the bickering out of it, please. West, east, nerd, jock, all of it can wait until we¡¯re at least back in our own dimension. Doesn¡¯t that seem logical?¡±

    Lilly took a step back, looked at him, and then nodded. Adam¡¯s head turned to Aoi. ¡°You sure¡­? Derek?¡±

    Derek nodded, and in that instant it was as if his resolute nod was all that was needed to dispel the tension in the room. The elongated breath held was released, and Ally could even feel her own shoulders stop tensing by her side.

    ¡°Now, we don¡¯t know who is responsible,¡± Aoi began, stretching against the back wall.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± Harrison said.

    ¡°And we don¡¯t know if it was just one person or a group of people,¡± he continued.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe a group of people could be responsible much less one of us, but it is a possibility we cannot deny.¡±

    Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

    ¡°So, we should always be in groups when we¡¯re outside of this room¡ªwe can consider Mrs. Fowler¡¯s room our communal room.¡±

    ¡°I think¡­¡± Ally began, ¡°That we shouldn¡¯t pick our groups.¡±

    ¡°Good idea,¡± Aoi pointed to her, ¡°If there is more than one killer, obviously they could choose to be together and away from everybody else they could do whatever they wanted with anything they found.¡±

    ¡°So what, are we going to appoint a leader?¡± Tyson asked.

    Ally didn¡¯t notice it before, but there was a sort of serene quality to his voice, it was so smooth. She guessed it was because he wasn¡¯t directly being attacked by the others. It was hard to think of him as a murderer...she saw the note back in her mind that Lilly scribbled. Could it really be true? It was dangerous to believe such a thing without knowing a thing about the incident.

    ¡°That¡¯d put too much power with one person,¡± Sidney said.

    ¡°Also correct,¡± Derek said. ¡°I say we pull randomly from a pile of papers. It won¡¯t eliminate the problem entirely as it is totally possible things could work out in the possible villain¡¯s favor...but again, this is only a hypothetical. It¡¯s the most fair, I believe.¡±

    ¡°Okay, so we¡¯ll pull from a pool,¡± Ashley said. ¡°What if I get¡ªI mean¡­what if someone say gets paired with people they¡¯re not especially fond of?¡±

    Lilly took the chance, ¡°You deal with it, princess.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is all real,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Whole bunch of bullshit we gotta follow orders¡­¡±

    ¡°Well if we¡¯re in agreement then I say the first thing we should do is see if we can wake Rosie up,¡± Aoi suggested. ¡°We can ask her what she knows. Obviously we should be able to get most of our information right there.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, of course she would have seen something,¡± Adam said. ¡°Almost forgot they were...you know,¡± he brings his index fingers together.

    Lilly tensed behind Ally. She looked up toward the ceiling. ¡°Don¡¯t count on her seeing the attacker¡­¡±

    Ally turned back to her, ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±

    Before she could respond Rosie made a sound in the center of the room. Her eyes opened slowly and stared up at the ceiling as the events of the last few hours relapsed through her mind.

    Lilly walked closer toward her, ¡°Hey, I know everything is super confusing but you¡¯re okay,¡± Lilly started, walking toward the center of the room.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What...happened?¡± Rosie asked.

    Lilly placed a hand over her arm. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to figure out. Now, can you stay calm if I explain to you what we know?¡±

    Rosie nodded her head slow, but even Ally could see the mounting horror growing on her face as Lilly told her about the strange situation they¡¯d all been placed in. Strange situation was the understatement of a century, but them¡¯s the breaks.

    ¡°So let me get this straight, my sister is murdered, I¡¯m stuffed in a supply closet with half my body out of my control, we¡¯re transported to this strange dimension and you¡¯re all okay to do what this...light tells you to? You have absolutely no fight left in any of you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s...complicated,¡± Lilly says.

    ¡°Not much we could do that wouldn¡¯t waste time,¡± Derek began. ¡°Fight? It was a ball of light that took over your body. I¡¯m sure if we started punching and kicking you¡¯d be dead too. Besides it¡¯s not like we can call anyone,¡± he held up his cell phone, ¡°...I¡¯m not exactly picking up any service here.¡±

    ¡°No one in the halls?¡± Rosie asked.

    ¡°Not a soul except for who¡¯s here,¡± Aoi said, shaking his head.

    Rosie looked down at her hands, only able to move the right hand that had an awful tremor. ¡°I...I can¡¯t live without you,¡± she then started into an ugly sound that could have been called crying.

    ¡°Yes yes, we¡¯re down half a freak, we¡¯re all very...sad,¡± Ashley said, but even Ally could hear in her voice that she couldn¡¯t fully commit to the snap. She stood up; leaving Adam to near hit his head on the ground. He bounced up like a bobble head. ¡°But you must¡¯ve seen who killed her, no? Just tell us who it was so we can get out of here and go home¡­¡±

    ¡°Then we can get you to a hospital,¡± Ally said.

    Rosie grew quiet. She stared at the floor in front of her and only said a single thing, ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone.¡±

    ¡°What? How is that possible? You¡¯re connected at the neck!¡± Ashley asked, stepping forward. ¡°What are you hiding?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Well okay then, it¡¯s obvious you killed her, then. None of us did it,¡± Sidney jumped in.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Rosie looked like she was about to cry, and Lilly couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°Sydney, fuck off.¡± She turned to Ashley and stepped forward, ¡°She couldn¡¯t fucking see anything because she¡¯s blind, not because she did anything you dumb-¡±

    ¡°Woah woah,¡± Ally stepped in now, just in time to prevent the third world war. ¡°She¡¯s blind?!¡±

    Everyone around her lost their suspicious looks and adopted confused ones instead.

    Lilly too reeled herself in a little bit, now feeling ashamed she¡¯d revealed her best friend¡¯s secret.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m blind,¡± Rosie said, breaking the silence. ¡°I could not see anything because I could not, cannot, and will not see.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Why...didn¡¯t you tell anyone?¡± Aoi asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re conjoined twins. Ashley already has proven you think of us...me...as a freak. What more would it be to have one blind to roll up into the package!¡± Tears openly streamed from her eyes now.

    Ally saw that they had not been focused on one person in particular, but instead the directions of the voices. ¡°Imagine for one second how it feels¡­¡± her voice was shaking, the tears were red hot on her cheeks. ¡°...and now to be accused of killing your own sister...how does that even make sense?!¡± She was yelling now. ¡°I cannot move half of my body. Josie was everything to me. She was my sight. We worked together for everything so excuse me for calling you out for your...your¡­¡± and then she started crying again.

    Ashley backed off, and for the smallest of seconds she looked less brazen.

    ¡°So you see, it is just like I said. We won¡¯t be going home quite so quickly,¡± Lilly said, holding her arm and looking down sullen. She turned to Rosie and put her arm around her. ¡°I know you didn¡¯t do it. But you can help us figure out who did, you just need to tell us everything you and Josie did today, okay?¡±

    She nodded her head slowly, becoming more aware of the extra weight her body carried now that Josie wasn¡¯t there to carry it. She subconsciously tried to shift her body weight over, but there wasn¡¯t any luck. She looked down to the floor in glum realization, and then back up toward Lilly. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything I can¡­the day started like any other,¡± Rosie began. ¡°We woke up in the morning like normal...this was about 4:00am or so.¡±

    ¡°Why so early?¡± Aoi asked.

    Rosie¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Our parents qualify for the free breakfast program here, what with our dad working here and all.¡±

    This was true, Ally thought. She had at least known that about this fact. Their father was the head custodian. He brought them to school each morning as he went in himself. Apparently that was how Lilly met the both of them, she came to school early for breakfasts. And now here we were, not even a month into the new year and Josie¡¯s dead. I can¡¯t even begin to imagine what she must be feeling like.

    ¡°We got to school almost half an hour later. I¡¯m not able to look at the time myself so I¡¯m just going off of a rough estimate.¡±

    ¡°So 4:30,¡± Aoi said.

    ¡°Yes. We found Lilly at our table in the corner of the cafeteria like always.¡±

    Lilly nodded, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It was four-thirty then, I was browsing on my phone when they walked in. The cafeteria wasn¡¯t any less full than it normally is during breakfast.¡±

    ¡°How many people were there, would you say?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°Fifteen in all,¡± Tyson answered. They all looked toward him, his arms were crossed. He still stared at Ashley, ¡°I was here this morning. Opposite corner of the room. I was waiting on Mr. Herondale to arrive to talk about my expulsion being revoked. Fifteen students were in that cafeteria, only ones of us here that included were Lilly and the twins...and I think I might have seen you in there for a minute or so,¡± he said.

    Ashley gave off a confused look back to him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be caught dead here before first bell. You must be mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Not you, blondie,¡± Tyson said, nodding his head to Sidney. ¡°You poked your head into the cafeteria about 4:35.¡±

    Sidney gave him a look that could rot an apple, but she said nothing.

    Rosie continued, ¡°...Yes...it sounded like there could have been that many people. Not everyone was talking so I would have guessed about ten, myself. That¡¯s not wholly important though¡­¡±

    ¡°Anything and everything could be vital,¡± Ally reassured her.

    Rosie smiled smally, ¡°I remember almost directly after I got there Lilly got up. She had to...¡± she stopped for a moment, remembering, and then looking to Lilly.

    Lilly nodded, and then she looked back down, ¡°I¡¯m on my period.¡±

    ¡°Too much info,¡± Carlos shook his head.

    ¡°She¡¯s the one who said every bit of info is vital,¡± Harrison pointed a finger to Ally, who backed off nervously.

    ¡°She was in quite a rush, so I sat and talked with Josie for a bit longer. It was easiest when we were alone because I didn¡¯t have to adjust like I do when I¡¯m speaking to anyone else.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t know,¡± Ally said. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how hard it must be.¡±

    Ally saw a genuine smile on Rosie¡¯s face, and in that instant she didn¡¯t see the horrified look of a victim, but she saw a future where helping normal people understand those developmentally challenged was exactly where she fit. ¡°You didn¡¯t know because I didn¡¯t say. I was afraid of what you¡¯d think.¡± In that instant she realized that Rosie was full of so many experiences that none of them there would even begin to go through. When this is over and we find who did this I want to get to know you better, Rosie. I want to learn the things you have had to go through. I want to help you.

    Then as she flashed back she had the horrible thought...what if she doesn¡¯t survive this? She knew that most conjoined twins didn¡¯t make it past infancy, and if one died typically the other either absorbed the remains or died alongside it. Rosie and Josie were a miracle, they had gotten past what must have been a million to one odds of living as long as they had, and yet someone here had taken that chance away from them. Someone robbed them of their million to one.

    Rosie had taken back center stage and the rest of her explanation went uninterrupted, as for some it was surprising, others it had led to the end that they¡¯d expected, and for one...it seemed like something¡ªmany things, in fact, didn¡¯t feel right.

    ¡°I want to say about fifteen minutes later we were standing up. It felt like that long, but I¡¯m just guessing. Maybe we were headed to homeroom, I thought. Lilly didn¡¯t come back so I guess Josie was bored. We were just talking about the volleyball game that was going to be after school anyway, but all of a sudden I could feel that she was nervous. She was scared of something.¡±

    Her hand gripped the table underneath and she felt it tighten as she continued.

    ¡°I was confused then when we stopped, far from Mr. Thatcher¡¯s homeroom, mind you. If I had to guess I would have said we approached the opposite corner of the lunchroom...yes, where Tyson had said he had been sitting. You didn¡¯t speak, but you scared Josie, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Tyson didn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t even look at her.

    ¡°We were running, I remember now we were running and I didn¡¯t know why. The next thing I knew I heard screaming and then something heavy slammed into Josie¡¯s head and...and...¡± she started tearing up again. ¡°...and I woke up in the closet and everything was wrong. She...she wasn¡¯t moving and...¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Ashley broke her off, ¡°It¡¯s obvious then what happened. Tyson did it and we¡¯ve even got witness testimony.¡± Voices started to murmur but there was something growing deep in Ally¡¯s insides so big it couldn¡¯t wait and¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he did.¡± They all looked straight to her. Even Lilly was giving her a confused look. Ally hated having the attention all on her, she could even feel that Jace was somewhere now in the crowd looking at her. ¡°If it were that simple I don¡¯t think we would have been brought here, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± Sidney asked, but then she understood, ¡°Oh, wait a second. You¡¯re new. You haven¡¯t heard about him?¡±

    ¡°I. Didn¡¯t. Do. Anything.¡± Tyson repeated.

    ¡°Hey shut the fuck up,¡± Lilly said, ¡°You just shut the fuck up right now,¡± she stared him down.

    And moments later the chaos erupted again, insults were hurled like rocks and accusations flew like birds into hysteria.

    It was too much. Ally screamed. She did it once, but she did it loud. Everyone was looking at her again, concerned for the screaming orphan-child who was probably just too busy missing her parents again-somebody go change her diaper. She shook her head, kept shaking her head.

    ¡°No no no this is exactly why we were brought here, but none of you can see that!¡±

    ¡°Ally, wh-what¡¯s wrong?¡± Lilly asked, almost smacked out of her stupor.

    ¡°This is why we¡¯re here. This fighting and arguing is why Issachar brought us to this strange place. It¡¯s not because we have such an obvious murder on our hands, it¡¯s because this fighting is doing exactly what the murderer wants to happen, to get away with a murder by pinning it on the obvious suspect.¡± She was breathing heavier now, everyone¡¯s look had changed. They were listening now, she¡¯d said something plausible.

    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know what happened over the summer. I wasn¡¯t here for that, but for now we cannot think of that event unless we find some evidence showing that they are linked. Right now we¡¯re biased because of what we think we believe is relevant, but think about this for a second...why.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Aoi asked.

    ¡°If you were in Tyson¡¯s shoes, why? If you were just coming back to school from an expulsion that related to some big murder charge, a charge where you were cleared of, might I remind you, not counting how you feel on that ruling, but let¡¯s say this is all true. Why then would he immediately bring attention to himself like that? Why immediately kill, especially in a place such as a school, filled with people almost at all times?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Harrison raised a finger to argue, but then let it fall.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Tyson said, relieved someone else shared his viewpoint.

    ¡°He could have done it because people would think that way,¡± Ashley argued.

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not an argument at all, right?¡± Derek offered. ¡°It does make sense, you know.¡±

    ¡°Motivation or not he was still the last thing she saw,¡± Sidney said.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t see anything,¡± Lilly reminded.

    ¡°And...it was only guesswork that we ended up at his table, I didn¡¯t hear anybody speak the whole time. Only a scream and I think that was Josie¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Okay, so we¡¯re back to square one,¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing,¡± Ally said. ¡°This isn¡¯t something we¡¯re going to figure out here and now. It shouldn¡¯t be...I think. We were brought here because supposedly we can figure out who really did this, and that means we¡¯re going to have to do some legwork.¡± Ally clasped her hands together, ¡°And please let¡¯s just stop the fighting.¡±

    ¡°I say...¡± Aoi stood up with a bit of spring in his step, ¡°I agree with Ally. I admit I was caught up in the frenzy of what you saw Rosie, and I thought this might have been the end of the whole thing, but something this important doesn¡¯t end so easily. If there really is one of us here who is trying to pin the blame on Tyson, well, I say we investigate that possibility just as equally.¡±

    Derek stood up beside Aoi, grabbing his hand. ¡°We¡¯re all Wombats here and one of our own is behind it. We need to stand together now more than ever.¡±

    Carlos jumped to his feet, ¡°West end, East end, I can¡¯t even begin to say what I¡¯ll do to the punk who thinks they can pin shit on Tyson, but for those who help figure the whole mess out I¡¯ll Wom with the best of you.¡±

    Tyson stood up next to him, slowly, methodically. ¡°I¡¯d much love to know who¡¯s got a target on my back. Who knows, maybe it¡¯s a repeat offender.¡±

    Harrison wobbled up to his feet, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯re going to be getting out of this crazy place unless we do something to fix it. I¡¯m in.¡±

    Lilly was already standing beside her, ¡°I swear the weak little bitch that did this is going to pay in spades. Mark my words.¡±

    Rosie sat where she was, she tried to stand, but the weight of her dead sister was still too much...in all senses of the term. She nodded her head and wiped stray tears from her face.

    The only three left sitting sat on the western side of the room, coincidentally: Ashley, Sidney right next to her, and Adam back in Ashley¡¯s lap. Ally could see Adam was actually asleep, face first between her legs.

    ¡°Um, hello?¡± Lilly asked. ¡°Stand the hell up.¡±

    ¡°Stand? And then what? Play detective? Play lawyer? I¡¯m a volleyball player, and I¡¯m damn good at it, but what of you? Any of you? Are you trained in any sort of investigative science? Any kind of legal experience whatsoever? No, I doubt it,¡± Ashley said.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t try to find the truth,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Truth? What truth? Are you expecting to find it in some envelope hidden behind some bookshelves? Ooh maybe in a cookie jar behind the counter in the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°What do you suggest we do, sit here and die?¡± Tyson asked. Irritation flooded his voice.

    ¡°I say we give Issachar the only easy answer we have. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here, so we can right the wrong the justice system made by clearing you of Carleigh¡¯s murder. We¡¯ll go home and everything will be just fine without you.¡±

    ¡°And what if he isn¡¯t the killer?¡± Ally asked. It was a question not many others in this room had considered.

    Ashley shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Then I guess we tried our best with the knowledge we were given. What do you want from me? We¡¯re not some cop to solve everything.¡±

    ¡°Just ignore them, then.¡± Lilly said. ¡°If they want to sit here and do nothing let them. Just means we need to keep a watch on them in case it¡¯s one of them that killed her.¡±

    ¡°You think I killed the retard?!¡± Ashley cried out.

    The room was silent. Ashley regained her composure, she felt Adam stirring beside her.

    ¡°Of all the people who has shown visible hatred towards Tyson...you¡¯d be suspect number one,¡± Ally said.

    She groaned loudly, ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll investigate. We¡¯ll see I didn¡¯t have anything to do with all of this and we¡¯ll get your damn truth.¡±

    Adam sat up and wiped his eyes groggily, ¡°Huh...what¡¯s happened?¡±

    ¡°Get up Adam, we¡¯re going to investigate,¡± Derek said, scratching the back of his neck.

    ¡°Uh, okay,¡± he said, wiping some drool off of his lips and shaking himself off. The three of them stood finally.

    Aoi clasped his hands together. ¡°Okay, good, we¡¯re all in agreement...probably the weakest agreement I¡¯ve ever seen, but it¡¯ll have to do!¡±

    ¡°Better than nothing,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the game plan?¡± Derek asked, turning to Ally, who looked at him and then over to Lilly.

    ¡°Oh no, sister. You¡¯re the one who got the burst of courage. Consider yourself the de facto plan maker,¡± she said.

    ¡°De facto?¡±

    ¡°Come on, you¡¯re supposed to be the smart one,¡± Lilly elbowed her.

    Truth be told, she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d make it this far. Adrenaline poured through her body like a waterfall into a basin. The last of her reserves seem to have emptied and she crept behind the wall she normally stole peeks from. She was acutely aware of every single eye on her and every second that passed where she didn¡¯t say anything. She swallowed hard and dry until it finally came.

    ¡°I...think it should be time that we organize groups. So far we know that the cafeteria might hold some clues, but we shouldn¡¯t count on it as a top priority since it¡¯s most likely not where the...the crime happened.¡±

    Derek nodded, ¡°Establishing the murder scene should be the first thing we do.¡±

    ¡°Splitting up is a good idea,¡± Aoi nodded.

    ¡°As long as we¡¯re all keeping an eye on one another,¡± Tyson said.

    ¡°I agree.¡± Ally said. ¡°Now, does anyone have a notebook we can use?¡±

 8 | Evidence Is Everything to a Killer, but Nothing to a Lawyer |

    They drew names like it were some party game. Ally remembered the feeling well long after it had happened. She remembered exactly how terrible the blackness felt as it dropped to the pit of her stomach. Aoi was the one who had gathered up all the scraps from Carlos¡¯s notebook. Their plan had been simple; he¡¯d draw two names at a time and they would split off to different parts of the school to try to find anything that could help figure out what had happened. There were ten of them all in total not counting Rosie or Josie, so it split into five even teams. Rosie wasn¡¯t included in the list of names because she could barely move on her own. Josie had been her eyes for a very long time, and it would take much too long for her to relearn if she ever was able to rebalance the weight of two bodies in one. It was suggested she remain in the classroom and preserve whatever energy she had left until they could get her emergency medical attention.

    She agreed that it made the most sense, even though she really wanted to be a part of the search force. The shock of everything had been too much all at once, so she exhausted herself unconscious. Lilly made sure that she was still breathing and let her get some rest.

    The rest of them, however, had some jobs to do.

    1.) Locate the scene of the crime. It was an obvious first step that had to be established. Signs of a struggle or anything that looked out of the ordinary must be mentioned in any capacity.

    2.) Locate the murder weapon. This was also related to the scene of the crime, but it was probably unlikely that the killer would have left the weapon lying around. Issachar mentioned that all that we needed to solve the case was currently still in the school.

    3.) Figure out the motivation. This was probably going to be the hardest of the three. The class will all have to gather and hold their own trial to talk over every aspect of the case to draw out any possible motivations.

    Ally took a deep breath as she saw Aoi pull out the first name. Having it all organized in her head certainly made it easier for her to grasp the situation. This was crazy...it all was too crazy to believe. She couldn¡¯t back down, though. She couldn¡¯t let it lead her to do nothing. Every second they wasted was another second that the killer roams free...as terrible as that sounded.

    ¡°Huh, go figure, my name is the first one I pulled,¡± Aoi said, placing the sheet down next to him. He was currently sitting on top of Mrs. Fowler¡¯s desk with the pile of folded up scraps at his side. The rest of the class surrounded him as if he were the teacher.

    ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± Ally asked.

    Aoi read the next name on the list, ¡°Carlos.¡±

    He perked up from the back of the group, looked around confused, and then pointed at himself. ¡°Pretty boy wants to be with me? That¡¯s strange.¡±

    Aoi shrugged. ¡°I just pulled it out of the pile.¡±

    ¡°All right, could be much worse,¡± Carlos shrugged too.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go check out the Library. Next up,¡± he drew another slip of paper...Ashley,¡± Aoi read the third card, ¡°and next is Derek.¡± Aoi looked over to Derek and raised his eyebrows a little, moving back to the slips beside him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you all where to go¡ªthat will be for you all to decide. Just make sure it¡¯s not all in the same place so we don¡¯t waste time.¡±

    Derek looked over to Ashley and nodded. She smiled. It was weird¡ªit had been one of the first genuine smiles Ally had seen on her face. It made her brown eyes look almost...nice. She returned her focus back on Aoi as he pulled up another slip of paper.

    ¡°Lilly,¡± and then another, ¡°...Ally.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Sidney said. ¡°That¡¯s obviously rigged.¡±

    Aoi looked up, ¡°I¡¯m the fairest judge in all of the land, and I take offense to your remarks,¡± he said in a lighter tone. ¡°Besides, what do I gain from pairing them together?¡±

    Sidney looked to argue back, but then she saw that she was the only one, and stopped.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°What if we were the killers, you mean?¡± Lilly asked. ¡°That¡¯s what you wanted to say, right?¡±

    She flinched as it came out. ¡°Well, I mean it¡¯s possible.¡±

    Lilly shook her head. It had taken everything in her not to scream her head off at Sidney. ¡°I couldn¡¯t ever...¡±

    That seemed to settle it, as Aoi continued on with the papers. ¡°Tyson and Adam are the next two, leaving Sidney and Harrison for the final two.¡±

    And that was it for the papers. All had been unfolded and laid out before them. ¡°So, I think now we should organize where we¡¯re going to investigate so we don¡¯t cross paths.¡± Aoi said. ¡°Like I mentioned before, Carlos and I are going to check out the Library.¡±

    ¡°Ally and I can check out the gym,¡± Lilly said, raising her hand.

    ¡°Okay, great,¡± Aoi replied.

    ¡°We can scope out other classrooms,¡± Ashley said. ¡°Right Derek?¡± She looked toward him. It made Adam uncomfortable.

    ¡°Uh, what if we want to look at the classrooms with you?¡± He asked.

    Aoi shook his head, ¡°The whole point of splitting up was to cover more ground, not less. Sorry Adam.¡±

    He sighed, ¡°Okay, fine I guess. Uh...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s check out the cafeteria,¡± Tyson said.

    ¡°Hey, I was going to say the cafeteria!¡± Adam said, not in agreement...but more in offense that Tyson had said it first.

    ¡°Yeah, good idea,¡± Tyson said, backhanded.

    ¡°Okay, cafeteria, library, classrooms, gym.¡± Aoi repeated, turning to Sidney and Harrison, ¡°What about you two?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere with the weirdo,¡± Sidney crossed her arms.

    Harrison didn¡¯t much look offended. He took the words as they brushed aside him like a small wind. ¡°Eh.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re a little past that,¡± Aoi said. ¡°Administrative offices are some of the only spots left I can think of, maybe even some of the music and art rooms as well.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said you weren¡¯t going to be telling us where to go,¡± Sidney did not look eager to explore in the slightest.

    ¡°When a, b, c, and d are all eliminated,¡± Lilly began, ¡°don¡¯t act surprised when someone says you have to choose e.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your stupid comments,¡± she fired back.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re all getting things we didn¡¯t ask for today.¡±

    ¡°Ooookay, so we¡¯re all set in where we want to go,¡± Aoi said, and Ally knew it was to stop the ensuing argument. We needed to get going and fast before people started clawing each other¡¯s eyes out.

    ¡°I think we should get going immediately. The faster we find out the truth the faster we get to go home,¡± Ally said.

    Aoi looked at her and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. So, why don¡¯t we all take about...oh I dunno¡­an hour and a half each to look around? That way we can be thorough with our searches. You all have phones to keep the time?¡±

    Everyone nodded but Ally. ¡°I...uh...don¡¯t have one.¡± Everyone but Lilly looked at her like she had just admitted she had four legs and three toes per foot.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Lilly said, almost scolding the rest of them. ¡°I¡¯ve got mine,¡± she held it up.

    ¡°Now, we have to keep in mind that our phones are pretty much fancy clocks for the moment. Wherever we are has all of our service blocked. Thankfully,¡± he pointed up at the ceiling,¡± the lights here still work. I don¡¯t know why that is, but we must still be connected to power somehow. We can¡¯t assume it will stay like that, so let¡¯s be sparing just in case.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Derek said. ¡°I can¡¯t say I can get used to being frugal, though.¡±

    ¡°Oh you¡¯ll live.¡±

    Derek grinned at him.

    ¡°Okay, so if that¡¯s all I¡¯m good to go,¡± Tyson said. ¡°I want this over with. An hour and a half should be good to check everything out.¡±

    Aoi nodded, ¡°If anyone needs more time then still come back and let everyone know that more time is needed. We don¡¯t want anyone to go missing or worse here.¡±

    ¡°Sounds fair enough. We can meet and talk about the things we find, too,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Hopefully it will all be over soon,¡± Derek said.

    ¡°Okay, enough talking in circles.¡± Aoi said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here much longer.¡±

    That was when each of them split up into their small groups. Willing, unwilling, it didn¡¯t matter. Everyone funneled out of the room leaving Rosie lying on the table.

 9 | Those Who Cannot Do, Teach, Those Who Cannot Teach, Learn, and Those who cant, Write the News |

    Bucky Bennett woke to a strange energy that he wouldn¡¯t ever be able to describe. He lie in his queen sized bed alone as the drunken stupor from the night before began to slowly fade. His world seeped slowly to life. He wondered for a moment where his visitor had gone, and then realized his bedroom door was halfway open. Must¡¯ve just left a bit ago, damn.

    He stumbled out of bed and felt himself wide awake. The dizziness he expected hadn¡¯t come. Confused, he walked across the messy room and pulled open the armoire¡¯s doors and looked at himself in the mirror hanging on the side. Grizzled facial hair clung to his face like grease did to his sink when he let it sit for longer than he should.

    Behind him he saw a glowing sort of light that floated ghostly. He turned on a dime and was face to face with a wolfish shape that was entirely white. There was a pulsing sensation that he could feel just from standing near the¡­whatever it was. He saw that its eyes were burning brightly, and then in a flash it was gone. He swore the light glided over toward him, but it could have just been his eyes playing tricks.

    All at once a vivid light erupted in his mind and he saw flashes of Nasseu Middle School. At least¡­what should have been the school. The lot was engulfed by an orb of black almost like it were a solid material, but it shifted and swirled as if it were gaseous. Inside the darkness his mind¡¯s eye dived and he felt a sudden coldness it froze him to his core. Voices echoed as a small speck that grew to be the school approached.

    ¡°¡­she¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°¡­killed¡­murdered¡­¡±

    ¡°Whoever did this is going to pay¡­¡±

    Images of kids huddled in a circle in one of the classrooms flew by and after blinking he was back in his bedroom, a cold sweat running down the nape of his neck. He was staring at the figure again. It looked straight at him not as if it were about to pounce, but almost as if it were regarding him. The wolf brought its nose to the floor once and then vanished into streaks of light.

    Bucky Bennett stood there for a moment fearing what would happen if he moved even the slightest inch. He gave the dream enough time to clear and allow him to wake with the pounding headache he expected before.

    But no headache came. No waking up came. He wasn¡¯t dreaming. He had seen the wolf and the school, and something in the back of his mind forbade him from chalking it to an early insanity. Downstairs, he heard that his television had turned on. That couldn¡¯t be so, Bucky thought. I¡¯m the only one here. He walked through the half-open door and peered over the railing toward his living room¡ªthe television was indeed on, and it was broadcasting the same black sphere that he had seen before. People were running away from the mass, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was getting any larger. The headline below read ¡°Mysterious Blackness Covers Nasseu Middle School. Unknown How Many Students Trapped.¡±

    Without another second Bucky¡¯s feet were flying to his study¡ªit was where from he worked. He was the lead editor on the Independent Statesmen, the local newspaper. He began typing furiously. He was going to get this news out, immediately. Somehow, he knew exactly what to write. He didn¡¯t, however, realize just how much it would terrify him.

    <u>Mysterious Circumstances at Nasseu Middle School</u>

    Twelve students at Nasseu Middle School are in serious danger. The entire school has disappeared inside the black mass currently standing where it once did. Inside the mass eleven students still survive¡ªone of them has been murdered by another who still remains inside the building.

    The mass itself shall burn the bodies of any it makes contact with. Any non-living object that makes contact disintegrates immediately. Physical rescue is impossible. Do not try, for I know you will. Those unrelated to the murder have been evacuated from the site without any injury. Those students are currently remaining inside the building are to begin an investigation and trial for the murder of the victim, identity currently being withheld.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Once the trial is completed and the murderer is brought to True Justice the school¡ªand those trapped inside it¡ªshall be returned.

    Any of those who step up claiming to be the originator of this information is to be considered lying and publicly shunned for grasping for attention at the cost of an ongoing trial. The only information we shall receive on the subject shall be given out in this issue and this issue alone. Do not harass the author of this piece, for he is only the mouthpiece which I communicate. He knows nothing more than he has written here.

    Do not harass each other. Enough blood has been spilled on this day. Wait patiently, and trust in your spawn. Justice shall prevail.

    The news broke that day. There was no waiting until that Sunday¡ªthere wasn¡¯t even a wait for the nightly news. As soon as it was written down it just seemed to¡­spread. Bucky lost sight of the day as soon as he began typing. As soon as it had been done he passed out in his chair.

    ~¡­~

    George Fae slept on the morning the dark orb appeared. He was still out even after his wife and foster-daughter on that fateful day. This was normal on his days off from work¡ªas when he was on schedule he¡¯d be up at the bright hour of 3am. He worked at Texo Lumber that was only just down the street from Nasseu Middle School. Those that were stumbling their way into work on this day would have been the first to notice that the school was enveloped from the darkness.

    The window that hung low on the eastern wall of the ground floor gave a solid look at the school¡ªthis was where George¡¯s own station was setup. He didn¡¯t like it so much when he was first assigned because he always took to remembering his younger years when he had gone to that very school, but now that Allison was attending and he could have thought of her going through those very same times he smiled as he worked. Of course, now if he had been at work today he would have seen right as the orb of darkness overtook the school. He probably would have been working using the power saw to begin taking down yesterday¡¯s excess work like he did every morning before 9am hit.

    He might have even stared at the school with the saw blade open, possibly could have caused an accident. If he hadn¡¯t done that then he would have been the first out of the building and running toward the campus. George would have done everything he could to breach the surface of the sphere and secure his foster daughter¡¯s safety. If he had then he would have burned alive in a torturous death that would have only left his dental records left to identify what remained. Such was the fate of living matter that made contact with the orb.

    But today he slept with the pleasant thoughts of a rather nice dream where he was back at the Denborough Music Festival back in 1982. He thought of the day he met Jaclyn as they both danced to the Bee Gees and various Led Zeppelin songs. It was a weird mix, hell, it was a weird festival, but that was what made it so memorable. And he would never forget the smile they shared as they both turned as the breakdown to a song they both wouldn¡¯t be able to remember now came on. They weren¡¯t into the music, they were into each other. They partied like there wasn¡¯t any tomorrow¡ªlike that day back in 1982 was the only day that mattered. Days after did matter, and it was definitely a silly thought to be so careless. So then it was as if his mind had mentally prepared itself for the day that no other would truly match how much more this day mattered. He saw the news as he brewed his morning coffee and stared after taking his first sip when the morning news panned over to Nasseu Middle School. The black sphere encompassed everything in sight and in that moment he dropped his mug. It was a thick thing in his hands so it didn¡¯t smash, but the coffee went everywhere and splashed onto the inner of his legs. He yelped as it broke him from looking at the screen. He ran to the phone that hung up in the kitchen and found that it was already beginning to ring. He answered to Jaclyn, ¡°Hello? Yeah are you seeing this?¡±

    They met up outside the crowd that amassed on the grounds. It was a brisk morning altogether. The summers of early September had begun to fade into the autumn air. In any other situation Jaclyn would have scolded him for daring to go outside in what she called his skivvies, but now her mind was far from what he was wearing. From what they gathered by the other on-lookers seemed that it just appeared out of nowhere at about eight-thirty in the morning. That was when the majority of the students and teachers found themselves on the front lawn with the sphere behind them.

    ¡°It was just so¡­strange,¡± a woman who introduced herself as Mrs. Fowler mentioned. ¡°One second I was talking to the principal and the next I was out here¡­¡±

    George turned to Jaclyn and held her hands tight, ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know that,¡± she said, holding a tight breath inside her. She was scanning the sphere as if looking for any point of weakness. She couldn¡¯t get that good of a look due to the police barricades keeping the crowd at a safe distance. It was then an hour later when Bucky Bennett¡¯s paper began to circulate among the crowd.

    Some went home, some stayed. George and Jaclyn Fae remained stationed with the paper gripped in their hands.

 10 | We Happy Few |

    Ally and Lilly broke off from their own crowd and started walking toward the gym. ¡°This is some crazy shit,¡± Lilly said, looking to her as they pass classrooms on both sides. ¡°It¡¯s almost like it isn¡¯t even real.¡±

    Ally looked to her, ¡°Yeah¡­my stomach just doesn¡¯t sit well knowing that someone did this to her.¡±

    ¡°It makes my blood boil.¡±

    The doors of the gym were heavy to open, but Ally was able to push it and prop it stuck. Thankfully, it had not been locked.

    ¡°You could argue that if it were then it¡¯d just narrow down possible scenes of the crime,¡± Jace said.

    ¡°True, although I guess we¡¯re here to be more thorough than quick.¡±

    She and Lilly saw that the gym looked to be spotlessly cleaned like it was every night. ¡°If it happened here it wasn¡¯t in plain sight,¡± Ally said, looking out across the spacious room. Decorative blue and gold banners spread out across the walls that all said some variation of ¡°WOMBAT PRIDE!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to play in here ever again if it had,¡± Lilly said. ¡°They both always came to my games¡­¡±

    Ally walked closer and put a hand on her back, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s going to be okay¡­Rosie¡¯s still alive. She¡¯s going to be okay¡­this all is.¡±

    Lilly gave her a weak smile, nodded, and then turned to the set of bleachers furthest from the door they entered in. ¡°C¡¯mon and help me.¡± She moved to its side and began cranking the lever that extended the bleachers out.

    Ally nodded and stepped behind her, placing her hand on Lilly¡¯s and cranking it with her. In the short time Ally¡¯s known Lilly she knew that in a situation just like this Lilly would be the first person to take the obvious opportunity for innuendo and make some joke of it. It was one that even Jace would consider too on-the-nose.

    Now, though, Lilly wasn¡¯t in a joking mood. Neither was she, but it made her even less so to be aware of it.

    They fully extended the bleachers and let go of the lever.

    ¡°You know¡­¡± Lilly began, ¡°I used to be scared of these things when I was younger.¡±

    ¡°The bleachers?¡±

    ¡°Stupid, right?¡± She said, not looking at her. ¡°There was something about how open of a space there is under every seat¡­it was kind of like that feeling you get when you think there¡¯s a monster underneath your bed.¡±

    Ally cocked her head to look at the bleachers, ¡°Yeah, I guess I can see that. But it¡¯d be pretty hard to fall through there unless you were trying to.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard if you¡¯re trying to¡­¡±

    Ally looked at her. ¡°Have you tried to?¡±

    Lilly grinned, ¡°Yeah. Nothing cheesy like face my fears or whatever bullshit they put on TV.¡± She began, climbing up from the side and sliding her thin body through the space underneath the seat, landing on the other side. ¡°I used to get bullied a lot when I was younger because I didn¡¯t play well with others. Chicken or the egg situation, really. I guess I could be responsible if you went back far enough, but it still ended up being a lot of people versus myself. It wasn¡¯t anything more than teasing until sixth grade. That¡¯s when people like Ashley started becoming¡­well, they became little bitches. But they became aggressive because they realized how much they could get away with.¡±

    ¡°Are their parents really that powerful?¡± Ally asked.

    Lilly rolled her eyes, ¡°Ashley¡¯s parents are richer than any else in this town. Anything they don¡¯t own they know who does and has some sort of sway over them one way or another. Anyway, what it boiled down to was that Ashley and her little gang¡­there were two more girls that no longer go here that were with her at the time¡­they all beat me up I think a total of three times that year.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Ally stepped back, ¡°That¡¯s crazy. And they never got in trouble?¡±

    ¡°The two girls did, only accessories as far as Ashley cared. They got booted out to military school I believe. Ashley went unpunished. The fourth time that they tried to get at me I ran in here. The bleachers were just like this¡ªI think a class had just gotten through with. I had no other choice but to hide myself underneath the bleachers. And it was under there I found someone else had the same idea as me.¡±

    Ally¡¯s brow furrowed as she looked at her close.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t first meet the twins at breakfast,¡± she said, her eyes closed. ¡°I first got to know them there, yes, but that encounter under the bleachers is where we first saw each other. We didn¡¯t say a word. It was way too risky to. We huddled against the wall and prayed nobody started to wind those seats back up. We would have been found out definitely if so¡­these all would start to come back in to the wall and we¡¯d either have to make a sound or be crushed.¡±

    ¡°So nobody did end up winding it back in.¡±

    Lilly nodded. ¡°We weren¡¯t found, and we left just as we had come in. We went our separate ways and when I saw them that next morning in breakfast that¡¯s when I approached them.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Yeah, that was the last straw for me¡­that last time being chased. That¡¯s when I started training and joined the volleyball team. I wanted to show them that I wasn¡¯t some scared kid who hid from them.¡±

    ¡°But¡­you were¡­are.¡±

    Lilly looked at her with something she couldn¡¯t quite place. It wasn¡¯t anger, but it wasn¡¯t humor. ¡°Yeah, I guess I am still that person.¡± She backed away from the opening, looked around the ground underneath the bleachers for a little longer, and then slid out. ¡°I guess we¡¯re not really all that different than how we want to be.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry,¡± Ally said. ¡°You seem to be much braver than me, so I think you might be underestimating yourself.¡±

    She shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not brave. I¡¯m just a bitch. Useless, too. Couldn¡¯t protect my best friend and now I can¡¯t find any god damn evidence to find out who did,¡± she slammed her fist into the wall.

    ¡°Hey hey hey,¡± Ally pulled her away and clasped both of her hands around the fist that now sprouted blood. ¡°You aren¡¯t to blame for this. And we¡¯re both going to find whatever it is we need to, and if not then someone else will and we¡¯ll figure it out together.¡±

    ¡°Now enough of that poor-me attitude,¡± Jace said, as if speaking directly to her.

    ¡°Now enough of that attitude,¡± Ally repeated, lightening the blow. ¡°We¡¯re on an investigation.¡±

    Lilly looked up to her, ¡°You know, sometimes you can be tough yourself,¡± and grinned.

    ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯m supposed to be the emotional one and you¡¯re supposed to be the soulless one. Now come on, let¡¯s check the other sets of bleachers quick.¡±

    Lilly nodded, then held her fist in her hand and took in a sharp breath. ¡°Oooh the pain just set in.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t punch walls.¡±

    She flexed her fingers and was relieved to see that none of them were broken. ¡°Yeah, I realize that.¡±

    Ally walked over to the set of bleachers closer to the entrance and extended them out just the same. Just like before there wasn¡¯t anything there. The other half of the gym held just the same amount of interest.

    ¡°Dang, this place is cleaner than a whistle,¡± Ally said, climbing out from under the last of them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go check the locker rooms,¡± Ally said, ¡°I¡¯ll take girls and you take boys?¡±

    ¡°And have you killed by the murderer in hiding? Have you never watched a single horror movie in your life? Never split up while investigating.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Lilly said.

    They walked in the men¡¯s locker room first. Ally looked around with an obvious wonder. ¡°Even though it¡¯s exactly how I expected it to look it¡¯s still a bit weird seeing the inside of it for the first time.¡± The inside was just as clean as the gym outside had been. There weren¡¯t any clues.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never been?¡± Lilly asked.

    ¡°Why would I?¡±

    ¡°A fair point.¡±

    ¡°Why, have you?¡±

    ¡°There was a time back in seventh grade when our locker room had some sort of mold growing inside it that was so bad we couldn¡¯t use it for like a month. We had to alternate using this locker room with the boys.¡±

    ¡°A whole month? That¡¯s kind of crazy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, guys are a lot cleaner if they realize they might get judged for how messy they really are,¡± Lilly laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not that scandalous as I made it seem.¡±

    ¡°Scandalous?¡±

    ¡°I would have thought you would have asked if there were any complications with the boys and the girls using the same locker room.¡±

    ¡°I¡­I really didn¡¯t think much of it.¡±

    Lilly turned, ¡°I thought so,¡± And chuckled.

    ¡°What?¡± Ally asked.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Is there anything over there in any of those lockers?¡± She asked surreptitiously, opening one nearest to her.

    Jace beside her was chuckling as well, he was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing.

    ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±

    ¡°That you don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°What is there to get?¡±

    ¡°You know it. Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t know it. You just don¡¯t let yourself feel it.¡±

    She looked puzzled, but then she saw it on Lilly¡¯s face. She was blushing. She couldn¡¯t help but find warmness in her own face. ¡°What is¡­this is not the time!¡±

    ¡°Is there really a time?¡±

    ¡°This is the worst possible time to do anything but look for clues.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t going to stop you from looking back now, is it?¡±

    And as he said it she flashed back instantly to first meeting Lilly. ¡°Maybe you just haven¡¯t been bitten by the right person.¡± It was something she felt but that wasn¡¯t important. It wasn¡¯t important in anything but just something she felt once¡ªno not just once why was she just lying to herself to make it sound better from the outside none of this was going to help find who killed Josie and none of it at all was going to help if she couldn¡¯t stop just stop please stop thinking about¡ª

    Lilly was standing in front of her, holding her by each arm. She smelled like flowers like she always did. Ally looked back at her, shaking. No oh god no why is she looking at me like that I promise I wasn¡¯t thinking it again I tried so hard to keep focused it just wouldn¡¯t stop and to hear how hard you had it only made it worse I just wanted to¡ª

    ¡°Can I kiss you?¡±

    It broke through everything. Ally wasn¡¯t sure who asked it. She hoped to GOD it wasn¡¯t her. She didn¡¯t know what she would do now¡ªprobably just shrivel up and die herself¡­but then she realized that it wasn¡¯t her who asked.

    Lilly did.

    ¡°I¡­I¡­uh¡­.y-yes¡­¡± Ally stammered out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I¡­¡±

    And Lilly kissed her. Everything stopped, and then started back up slowly as she finished.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure why I didn¡¯t have the courage to ask that any time before this,¡± Lilly said, and she looked down, ¡°I um¡­am not brave. I know we¡¯re investigating Josie¡¯s murder, and I know it¡¯s so stupid to ask but I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it since I first met you.¡±

    Ally was speechless. Her mind was reeling, trying to recover.

    ¡°I¡­¡± she looked to the side, down, then back up to her, regaining her resolve. ¡°I told Rosie about what I felt that very first day and she told me to ask you. She pushed me to do it and I kept chickening out. I almost did it when I asked to go to your house¡­but I chickened out then too and invited them both.¡± She was talking faster, nervous. ¡°I need to focus to find out who did this to my best friend, and I couldn¡¯t before because I kept thinking about how scared I was. It invaded every thought like a poison and¡­¡±

    Ally kissed her back. ¡°I know,¡± and nodded. ¡°I¡­I know. Now, let¡¯s focus, together, okay?¡±

    Lilly nodded a smile bigger than any she¡¯d seen on her face.

    They checked the rest of the lockers, there was nothing else there aside for what they expected to be. All that was left was to check the girl¡¯s locker room.

    ~¡­~

    Aoi opened the doors to the library slowly. The smell of blood hit him heavy when he stepped through. Carlos was behind him and even he recoiled as he began to smell.

    ¡°Aughhk¡­¡± Carlos began, ¡°I think we found something big.¡±

    Aoi walked out past the librarian¡¯s desk and the computer stations to their left. The bookshelves were stacked in rows. Between the second and third bookshelves he could see the bloodstains in the carpet. It was a thick crimson sight that took him by surprise. ¡°Oh¡­god¡­¡±

    Carlos didn¡¯t enter the library, ¡°How bad?¡±

    ¡°Bad.¡±

    He stuck his head in, and then let go of the breath he¡¯d been holding when he saw. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± He walked closer toward it, looking down, ¡°Gosh, I thought there were guts or brain matter or something.¡±

    Aoi was definitely taken for a loop.

    ¡°I mean, it sucks that someone died, yeah. But I mean it¡¯s just blood.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­just blood.¡±

    ¡°Psh, you probably see this much if you break something.¡±

    Aoi took a deep breath. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t so much know. I¡¯ve never really broken anything.¡±

    ¡°Shit, really?¡±

    Aoi nodded, bending down in front of the blood. The smell made him woozy for a second, but he adapted quickly. ¡°Nah, closest I get is a pulled muscle when I¡¯m at it too long in the pool.¡±

    ¡°By it you mean¡­¡± Carlos began.

    ¡°Well having gloriously hot gay sex of course. To me that¡¯s just sex, though,¡± Aoi said.

    Carlos¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°No way¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m just joking. I may be good, but not that good. No, I swim when it¡¯s nice out and train when it¡¯s not. Other than that I¡¯m just taking it easy.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be taking much of anything easy after something like this,¡± he said. ¡°Wait a second¡­¡± he looked around the floor. ¡°If there¡¯s blood here, then where is the object that caused this?¡±

    Aoi began to think. He rested his head on his arm and tapped his forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t think a book could have done that kind of damage¡­but we can¡¯t rule it out until we have more to go off of. Are any of those there on the shelf off to you?¡± Aoi asked.

    Carlos turned to look at the books on the shelves. The only ones with any sort of blood on them are on the third bookshelf¡¯s lower side. Blood must have splattered onto some of the spines, but none of them concentrated enough to be a source.

    ¡°They¡¯re all off to me. I never come in here.¡±

    ¡°Neither do I.¡±

    Carlos laughed. ¡°Shit, why¡¯d you pick here to investigate, then?¡±

    ¡°I assumed it¡¯d be empty,¡± Aoi shrugged his shoulders.

    Carlos grinned and shook his head, ¡°No way, I don¡¯t buy it. You¡¯re one of them smarts that¡¯s at like the top of the class.¡±

    Aoi shrugged, ¡°I have a good memory. That¡¯s about all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°Huh, and here all this time I thought you were just trying to show off.¡±

    Aoi took a deep breath, ¡°No, no I don¡¯t care much for the attention. Well¡­unless it¡¯s concerning Derek. I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m a bit vain when we¡¯re acknowledged publicly. Took quite a bit of time for people to get used to it, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­uh, I know some of the others gave you shit about that at first.¡±

    Aoi didn¡¯t falter, he only gave his same old-goofy smile. ¡°I know a lot of those same others still give you trouble for being west-end.¡±

    ¡°Seems there¡¯s a common thread,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I expected much of anything positive to say to you.¡±

    Aoi grinned, ¡°Consider me a player for both teams. It seems to work for more ways than one.¡±

    Carlos shook his head and laughed, and then all of a sudden his eyes went wide. ¡°Wait a second¡­I think I see something here.¡± He walked closer to the blood and bent over, reaching his hand and picking out something from inside. It looked to be a small slip of paper¡ªjust like the ones that came out of fortune cookies. It was coated in blood, but Carlos could just barely read what was printed on it:

    I KNOW WHO KILLED CARLEIGH HEIGHTS.

    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Carlos said, letting go of the slip and taking a step back.

    Aoi looked up, ¡°Huh, thought you said it wasn¡¯t that¡ª¡± He looked at the slip as it fell to the ground. ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­The question is if this was the victim¡¯s or the killer¡¯s.¡± Carlos said.

    ¡°Whoever¡¯s it was means that this just got a whole lot more complicated¡­¡± Aoi said.

    ¡°I just thought of something.¡± Carlos said, shaking his head. ¡°The morning announcements back in homeroom said something about keys going missing? You remember that?¡±

    At first Aoi wondered what it had to do with the slip of paper or the murder, but then he remembered His eyes lit up, ¡°Oh yeah!¡± he was pointing now, ¡°Yeah the trophy case was broken into, right? Something like the master keys were stolen and the basketball, volleyball, and soccer trophies were all stolen.¡±

    ¡°What if one of them is our murder weapon?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility,¡± Aoi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll grab this,¡± he said, taking the slip of paper with him carefully. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go check out the trophy case and see if there¡¯s anything there we can find.¡±

    Carlos nodded and the two of them left the library.

    ~¡­~

    Tyson and Adam stood opposite of one another in the cafeteria¡ªstill yet unsearched. As soon as they entered a disagreement had erupted forth between the both of them.

    Tyson¡¯s brown eyes narrowed, ¡°What happened to you?¡± He asked. ¡°You used to be so motivated.¡±

    ¡°Motivated? Used to? Nothing¡¯s changed,¡± Adam shrugged.

    Tyson bit his lip. ¡°Yes, it has. Ever since you hooked up with Ashley you¡¯ve been drained of everything you used to be.¡±

    ¡°Y-You shut it,¡± Adam snarled, ¡°She hasn¡¯t done nothing.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Tyson sighed. ¡°Listen, do any of the times we had mean nothing to you?¡±

    ¡°Ask Carleigh that question.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill Carleigh. I had no reason.¡±

    ¡°You wanted her money,¡± Adam said.

    ¡°How does that even make sense?¡± Tyson asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s so obvious,¡± Adam retorted.

    ¡°No, it really isn¡¯t,¡± he crossed his arms.

    ¡°We gave you a chance, Tyson! And you blew it! West-enders can¡¯t ever be more than garbage.¡±

    Tyson looked at him stern, ¡°Do you even hear what you¡¯re saying? You¡¯re trying so hard to spout Ashley¡¯s talking points you¡¯re ten steps removed from the actual conversation.¡±

    He went to argue, but some sort of sense must have entered his head as he stopped and looked at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not, nor was I married to Carleigh. I¡¯m fourteen, far from the legal age of marriage.¡±

    ¡°S-So?¡± Adam argued.

    He was getting defensive.

    ¡°Any money she or her family has would not then go to me when she died. I had no reason to kill her for money.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s obvious that you didn¡¯t realize that until after you killed her, duh.¡± He crossed his arms.

    ¡°Really?¡± Adam cocked his head. ¡°Do you know who saved you from failing Biology last year?¡±

    ¡°¡­you,¡± Adam tried his hardest not to look at him.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. And Music Theory?¡±

    ¡°¡­you.¡±

    ¡°¡­And Algebra?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡±

    Tyson sighed again and placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d not know that? Seriously.¡±

    Adam looked aside, ¡°¡­no.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t kill her. I loved her.¡±

    Adam rolled his tongue in his mouth and was bobbing his head up and down.

    ¡°Come on, you have got to see that Ashley¡¯s just a prejudiced bitch who¡¯s filled you with her nonsense.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t do this!¡± He cried out.

    Tyson held up his hands, ¡°I didn¡¯t say she did. Although it is very suspicious that she¡¯s so intent on saying I did do it, and we cannot deny that she¡¯s got a prejudice against the twins, no?¡±

    Adam was now tapping his foot, faster, and then faster. He growled a sort of sound and then began pacing back and forth, shaking his head. ¡°No, nope. She¡¯d not do anything like that, she¡ª¡± and then he stopped in his tracks and looked straight at Tyson. ¡°They didn¡¯t charge you with a single thing?¡±

    Tyson shook his head.

    He nodded and then looked to the floor.

    ¡°Look, let¡¯s just look around, and we¡¯ll find what we find,¡± Tyson offered. ¡°But please keep baseless accusations at home; I¡¯ve been blamed enough for things.¡±

    With the smallest of nods Adam agreed. ¡°¡­.okay.¡±

 11 | www.SuicidePreventionLifeline.com |

    Sidney and Harrison trudged along through the hallway toward Principal Herondale¡¯s office. Neither of them said more than a word to each other, and neither of them found much of anything in either of the art or music classrooms. She was walking fast, trying to outrun him as much as possible, but he always seemed to match her pace, but he didn¡¯t seem much offended. That did bother her, because he didn¡¯t seem much of anything.

    Except¡­

    The door to Mr. Herondale¡¯s office was open, probably from when Mrs. Fowler had gone in to speak with him about Tyson. That low-life wannabe piece of garbage. She could only keep from exploding on Harrison right there and then just because he sat next to that disgusting excuse for a person. There was only one person more heinous than that douche bag¡­

    Inside Mr. Herondale¡¯s office everything looked as it should. Harrison peeked a head in and then shrugged. ¡°Nothin¡¯. We good to go?¡±

    Sidney shook her head. She walked inside and stepped around the desk, pulling out the luxury chair.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    She plugged something into the computer and pulled out her phone; pressed something on the face and then silently began typing on the computer.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you need a password for that?¡±

    She stopped typing; waited a second longer, and then he saw the smallest grin on her face. He sighed and walked behind her¡ªhe saw that she was on Mr. Herondale¡¯s desktop.

    ¡°You actually have it?¡±

    ¡°You missed what I plugged in,¡± she said, not turning to face him. She began clicking through folders, scanning the contents. She tapped on the side of the computer where Harrison saw the butt end of a flash drive. ¡°It runs a program on the computer even before it boots up¡ªit¡¯s a fatal flaw in this school¡¯s computer system.¡±

    ¡°How do you know this?¡±

    Sidney hesitated, ¡°I started learning things. You know, after¡­¡±

    He nodded, and that seemed to answer that.

    ¡°These computers constantly emit Bluetooth signals¡ªshort distance signals that most people don¡¯t notice unless it¡¯s to connect their phones to a speaker or something similar.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t those signals be useless considering where we are right now?¡±

    She grinned, ¡°If we were trying to send a signal out, then I¡¯d say yes. But since what I need is directly on this computer¡­¡± she closed out of the folder she was looking at and found another, looking at its insides, ¡°¡­I was able to use the signal and connect it to an app on my phone. It told the computer that it¡¯s safe to open up without the need of a password.¡± She held up her phone with a single hand now, ¡°It turns this bad boy into a skeleton key.¡±

    ¡°Hm, interesting. You could have just said that your phone opened the computer. I don¡¯t care much for that stuff.¡±

    Sidney side-eyed him, ¡°Yeah I know.¡±

    Hurt almost, he looked back. ¡°Rude¡­what are you doing here, anyway?¡±

    She opened a file and grinned even larger, ¡°I was looking for this¡­¡±

    Harrison took a closer look at the screen and began to read the words at the top. ¡°Psychosis Screening?¡± He turned back to her, confused. ¡°I don¡¯t see what this has to do with what we¡¯re supposed to be looking for.¡±

    ¡°It may or may not. I wasn¡¯t looking for it because it related¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    She ignored him and began to read:

    PSYCHOSIS SCREENING

    In the past month, have you had the following thoughts, feelings, or experiences? Check ¡°yes¡± or ¡°no¡± for each item. Do not include experiences that occur only while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medications that were not prescribed to you. If you answer ¡°YES¡± to an item, also indicate how distressing that experience has been for you.

    Do familiar surroundings sometimes seem strange, confusing, threatening or unreal to you?

    Yes

    No

    Have you heard unusual sounds like banging, clicking, hissing, clapping or ringing in your ears?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q2):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Do things that you see appear different from the way they usually do?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q3):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Have you had experiences with telepathy, psychic forces, or fortune telling?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q4):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Have you felt that you are not in control of your own ideas or thoughts?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q5):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Do you have difficulty getting your point across, because you ramble or go off the track a lot when you talk?

    Yes

    No

    Do you have strong feelings or beliefs about being unusually gifted or talented in some way?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q7):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Do you feel that other people are watching you or talking about you?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q8):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Do you sometimes get strange feelings on or just beneath your skin, like bugs crawling?

    Yes

    No

    Do you sometimes feel suddenly distracted by distant sounds that you are not normally aware of?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q10):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Have you had the sense that some person or force is around you, although you couldn¡¯t see anyone?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q11):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Do you worry at times that something may be wrong with your mind?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q12):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Have you ever felt that you don''t exist, the world does not exist, or that you are dead?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q13):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Have you been confused at times whether something you experienced was real or imaginary?

    Yes

    No

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q14):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Do you hold beliefs that other people would find unusual or bizarre?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q15):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Do you feel that parts of your body have changed in some way, or that parts of your body are working differently?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q16):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Are your thoughts sometimes so strong that you can almost hear them?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q17):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Do you find yourself feeling mistrustful or suspicious of other people?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q18):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Have you seen unusual things like flashes, flames, blinding light, or geometric figures?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q19):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Have you seen things that other people can''t see or don''t seem to see?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q20):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Do people sometimes find it hard to understand what you are saying?

    Yes

    No

    If YES: When this happens, I feel frightened, concerned, or it causes problems for me (Q21):

    Strongly disagree

    Disagree

    Neutral

    Agree

    Strongly Agree

    Before your results, please take a moment to answer the following questions.

    Name:

    Ashley N Evans

    Date of Screening:

    08/16/22

    State:

    Maine

    Zip/Postal Code:

    04401

    Gender:

    Female

    Race/Ethnicity:

    White (non-Hispanic)

    Age:

    11-17

    Which of the following populations describes you?

    Veteran or active duty military

    Caregiver of someone living with emotional / physical illness

    LGBTQ

    Student

    Trauma survivor

    New or expecting mother

    How can we help you?

    A phone number to get immediate support or guidance

    Additional information about mental health

    Referrals to local MHA affiliates or other organizations that can help

    Worksheets or coping skills to use at home

    An online or mobile program or app that can help you track or manage your symptoms

    Other

    Have you ever received treatment/support for a mental health problem?

    Yes

    No

    Do you currently have health insurance?

    Yes

    No

    Your results indicate that you are experiencing some signs of psychosis. Based on your answers, you may have been feeling like your eyes, ears, or brain has been playing tricks on you. These experiences may be causing difficulty in school, with relationships, in your family, and/or with everyday activities. The best thing to do is get information and reach out to someone and get help.

    Psychoses include changes in perception, sight, sounds, and thoughts that are different from others experience. When these changes occur during a young age and people recognize that they aren¡¯t supposed to have these experiences, this period can be the early signs of a developing illness (called a prodrome). When someone loses insight (they do not know the difference between what is real versus not real) this can be a sign of the onset of an illness, like Schizophrenia.

    These results do not mean that you have a mental illness. But, if you haven¡¯t already done so, now is great time to start a conversation with your support system: a parent, mentor, or someone you trust about how you are doing. Finding the right help and working with people who can support you can help you feel and do better again.

    This screen is not meant to be a diagnosis. Having the early warning signs of psychosis (prodrome) is different from having a diagnosable psychotic disorder. In addition, psychosis can be caused by other factors, like stress, lack of sleep, recent life changes (starting a new school or changing homes), trauma, recent loss in the family, drug use, health problems, changes in hormones, or a head injury. Only a trained professional, such as a doctor or a mental health provider, can help you and your family figure that out. It is highly recommended that since you scored At Risk on this screening, you should get assessed by a psychiatrist or mental health professional ¨C preferably using the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndrome (SIPS). Printing or emailing the results of this screening and showing them to someone you trust can help start the conversation.

    If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or others ¨C please call 911, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline</a> (1-800-273-8255) or go to the nearest hospital.

    <h2 align="justify">Your total score was: 72</h2>

    Screener¡¯s Note: Future-planned appointments to be canceled by request of parent of patient. Forms have been signed and clearance to be kept out of hands of any but qualified professionals. These results are CONFIDENTIAL and are not to be viewed unless given prior clearance by Screening Professional or Parent of patient.

    Sidney finished reading and grabbed the file and copied it onto the drive plugged into the computer. She took pictures on her phone and then closed out of the file and turned the computer off.

    ¡°Miss Perfect is a little less than perfect than originally believed,¡± Harrison said, scratching his neck. ¡°I thought you twose¡¯ were like, attached at the hip?¡±

    Sidney didn¡¯t say anything as she got up from the chair.

    Harrison¡¯s eyes grew wide with understanding, ¡°Oh, I see. So that¡¯s why¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut it. We¡¯re done here.¡±

    ~¡­~

    Rothbert Evans was tied up in meetings for the entirety of the morning on the 22<sup>nd</sup> of September when the sphere of darkness swallowed the school whole. He was participating in what was known in the business world as a hostile takeover. It may sound as if Rothbert¡ªRoth and his copious amount of lawyers were prepared to go in guns blazing to secure some unidentified location, but the truth of the term was much less exciting than that.

    A hostile takeover is when one company¡ªtypically larger and/or more powerful appeases the shareholders of another company¡ªtypically smaller/weaker to replace management and approve acquisition of the smaller company. In Roth¡¯s example here, he and his company Evans United were trying to acquire PopCop, a company known for its steel manufacturing.

    When the news broke out nothing much changed for Roth until his meeting had been completed. His phone rang unanswered and texts came in like a flurry, but he dare not even begin to think of looking at his phone until his job was complete. He successfully managed to convince the shareholders of PopCop to see things his way. As he walked out of the meeting he glanced at his phone as he took it out of his pocket and sighed a heavy sound.

    Roth was a heavier set man, his head cleanly shaven and the sharp black suit he was wearing helped disguise the gut that had started to form, but even with all this he couldn¡¯t help but feel ten thousand pounds heavier when he realized what the messages had been trying to say. What was this going to do to his image? Surely he could spin his missing daughter into some pity points as a company lead, pushing forward through hardship or whatever Bernie¡ªhis PR agent would say, but sooner or later this¡­this sphere situation was going to end, and how would that go? It was unpredictable, and unpredictability Could. Not. Stand.

    ¡°Sir, is something wrong?¡± Jeremiah Handson, his personal lawyer had said as they passed in the hallway.

    He handed his phone to Jeremiah, who looked at it a second and not one longer. ¡°Huh, sucks for them, right?¡±

    ¡°My daughter¡¯s in there,¡± Roth said, straight.

    Jeremiah handed him the phone back, ¡°Regret having kids now, huh?¡± He continued walking, only stopping once to look back, ¡°I¡¯ll send you my invoice.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah¡­¡± Roth said, looking back at his phone for another moment before putting it in his pocket. He walked outside as the sun lit brightly on his face, gleaming against the sweat that had casted on his forehead. He shielded his eyes with his arm and tried to steady his vision, when suddenly he saw a wolf in front of him. It wasn¡¯t just any wolf though, it had no fur. It was glowing as if it were made of the sun itself. He then saw it was what had temporarily blinded him.

    ¡°What the hell are you¡­¡±

    The wolf bent down and then leaped up at him and filled his vision completely with white and warmth. Inside of the warmth he heard a cold voice that cut through like a sword on glass.

    ¡°There is NOTHING wrong with her. I didn¡¯t pay good money just to have you come up with this cockamamie bullshit to swindle us out of more money?¡±

    ¡°No¡­sir, if you listen we really think that your daughter is showing¡ª¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s showing absolutely NOTHING. Come on, dear. I told you this was a dumb idea.¡±

    ¡°Daddy, I¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going!¡±

    ¡°Sir, we advise¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shove your advice up your ass and get out of my way.¡±

    It was his voice. He both recognized it¡­and didn¡¯t. It sounded like a monster¡¯s voice. Then he realized there was another voice there with him in the warmth.

    ¡°My my¡­I think I am getting the picture a little clearer.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Roth tried to yell out, but he had no mouth wherever he was. There was a soft bell chime looping in the distance.

    He could almost hear the other voice smile. ¡°You¡¯ve been naughty¡­I guess I¡¯ve made an error not including you in the trial. You¡¯re related if not by the smallest portion.¡±

    ¡°What¡­trial?¡±

    ¡°For someone who controls information as much as you do¡­you seem to not be in the know. Oh well. They¡¯ll figure it out without you. Time for me to chop up some loose ends.¡±

    The whiteness faded and Roth began to see normally again. However, his lungs didn¡¯t start back up. He choked and started hacking up blood. His chest compressed and he fell to the ground, alerting a woman who had been jogging across the street. As soon as his head hit the ground his vision went black and his mind went blank. He was dead.

    The wolf had sank into itself and vanished.

    ~...~

    In an abandoned town a decrepit old building sat. Long ago this town was filled with people with happy lives and children who grew up to do wondrous things, but now it sat like a child¡¯s plaything after its use had been explored fully. This town was filled with a lot of memories, to which now nobody remains to remember them. The memory of what happened to the people that lived had also faded into the dust. Now all that remained were the buildings of what once was.

    The wolf emerged from a puddle of light on the ground and looked up toward the second floor of the building. There was a window located on the left hand side that the wolf had been focused intently on, as if asking permission. After a short term of silence it looked back down and walked onto the front porch of the house.

    The door was blown wide open halfway on its hinges so it had no trouble stepping inside. The house was well furnished; it certainly looked lived-in.

    The wolf looked up, it had been called to by some force that was upstairs¡ªthe same force it had seemingly asked permission to enter. It was not a vocal command, but a mental one that seeped through the brain like a rake.

    ¡°Father¡­¡±

    Silence creeped through the house. The wolf nodded and took hesitant steps toward the staircase at the rear of the family room. It passed by portraits hung on the wall of a happy family¡ªmother, father, and son smiling all brightly.

    This was before the suicide, of course.

    There was a chill in the air and suddenly the wolf was upstairs. Spatially displaced and unaware for a moment, it sees the figure of its master lying on what looked to be the child¡¯s bed. His eyes were completely white¡ªthere weren¡¯t any pupils in them as he stared at the ceiling unflinching. Snow-white hair trailed underneath him, and a smile stained his face.

    ¡°Father¡­¡± The wolf repeated. ¡°I¡¯ve been having the dreams again. I¡¯ve been seeing it more often.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯m sorry, it won¡¯t happen again. The trial hasn¡¯t distracted me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t distract from the search.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you Father.¡± The wolf bowed his head and then suddenly was forced away. It was sent through the walls outside of the house and then was back staring at the second floor window. It dissolved into the puddle of light and vanished once more.

    ~...~

    There was another passage that Issachar, the wolf, had Bucky Bennett type up in the paper¡ªthis time with no memory of ever writing it. It wasn¡¯t anything directly relating to the trial or the children who were currently in the preliminary phases of such. It was instead a calling card to the others. They who had not yet made contact with this planet¡ªthey who shall in due time, but have no bearings on their whereabouts. The surmounting confusion¡ªthe initial fear.

    Issachar had felt that all too well. It was a primordial fear as if being reborn with no context on what life is. Fear turns quickly to outrage. If Issachar had been alone when it reawakened, then it might as well have gone on a thousand year rampage...it would be but a speck of time to it anyway. But it wasn¡¯t alone.

    <u>1990 Meteor Impact Remembrance</u>

    On this day we remember the terrible incident that occurred over 32 years ago in a small village on the western edge of Europe. We mourn the loss of a culture as a meteor shower turned deadly when Steinschild was made the impact site of a great force. It took scouting teams several days to brave the mountainous regions that surround Steinschild. The increasing tension over the meteor impacts has left civilians at odds with their governments. Several thousand protesters took to the streets against their own governments in some more populated German towns.

    There have been eyewitness reports by travelers who happened to be hiking at the time who said they spotted a golden-glowing wolf after the meteor fell. Reports of these claims have been taken by the public as false as wolves haven¡¯t been seen in the area for hundreds of years.

    </a> Officials decline to comment on this matter, but it shrank in importance as other travelers managed to find that not long after the impact site was hit United States officials were seen investigating the area. One Jefferson P. Dawson¡ªLt. Corporal of the United States Army was spotted in a previously German-sanctioned area near the impact site.

    Rumors began to fly wild as the public grew ever more impatient at the oddness of the whole situation. Something seemed to be different.

    Most don¡¯t know the significance of this increased caution surrounding the meteor, but for those that do...feel free to drop any information you have at the following address listed below. We¡¯d love to add it in as an extra editorial.

    This article wasn¡¯t meant to be a message for the humans. They¡¯d see it, sure, but its intended recipients understood before they left their home that communicating after the departure would be more than difficult. Maybe those it intended to see it will...maybe they wouldn¡¯t.

    It tried, and sooner or later they would get the message anyway. Maybe they¡¯re too busy dreaming. That was an interesting idea...maybe they did arrive before Issachar had. Maybe they were dormant somewhere seeing what it saw? Or was it different? Did they see different things? Different lives?

    Issachar supposed Sakonna might know the answer to that¡ªshe was awake for almost five hundred years longer than it had...but she disappeared thirty-two years ago...right as it had awoken in Steinschild.

    She and Father had begun their plan even before it landed, and when it had woken up Sakonna was given orders to go away for some time. Issachar didn¡¯t know what she was going to be doing, but it was invariably important. So, Issachar had been put in charge of taking care of Father. He¡¯d been so very weak since leaving home. He almost nearly died¡ªSakonna was the one who helped save him. As soon as he¡¯s healthier¡ªas soon as our plan is complete, he will save us.

    Father and Sakonna...they don¡¯t care much for humans, though. Father even hates them, it supposed. Issachar didn¡¯t hate them...it even took pity on some of their lives, and that was exactly what had happened today.

    Issachar knew that humans killed each other. They tortured one another, stole, lied, cheated. All of it. In thirty-two years it has seen more than enough of why Father hated them so very much.

    Issachar supposed that this time there was something different. Something about how terrible the whole thing was. How someone was able to do that...and for it all to not make sense. That was the part that bothered it the most. If a human killed another human there was a reason for it. If easily looked into a reason could be found. The pieces would come together all at once and while not excusable, it could understand.

    It wanted to understand

 12 | It Isnâ€™t Just a River |

    ¡°That¡¯s some heavy stuff,¡± Harrison said, placing his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He shook his head and looked down to the floor.

    She got up out of the seat and took the drive out of the computer.

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s next?¡± Harrison asked.

    She looked back at him, ¡°Well, this I¡¯m keeping. Consider it a trump card.¡±

    He nodded blankly, ¡°Yeah, but what next?¡± He took something out of his pocket¡ªhe¡¯d been playing with it. It was a small bag¡ªthe contents the both of them knew very well. She eyed him first then the bag.

    ¡°You crazy?¡±

    He shrugged, opened the bag and stuck his hand inside. He grabbed a tablet not bigger than his fingernail and scooped it out on the tip of his finger. ¡°You know...seeing as this place has gone to shit I don¡¯t see much purpose in charging. You want in?¡±

    Sidney stood there in silence as something deep rose inside her chest, and she found a powerful memory rising to the surface. It bubbled through her mind and screamed its way forward. Bubbled and burst as her lungs filled with water¡ªthe world was upside down. On the right side was Ashley Evans¡ªten years old standing over Sidney¡¯s body bent over the ladies room toilet. A mad look shone across her face as she clamped a fistful of Sidney¡¯s hair in her tiny hands, slamming them down into the bowl.

    Sidney¡¯s vision exploded into a fiery red as her forehead slammed against the bottom of the bowl. She had tried to hold her breath, but it came undone as she hit. It sucked the wind out of her lungs and filled them back up with the disgusting used toilet water.

    Ashley hadn¡¯t gone this far before. She had moments where she would seek me out after school and punch me once or twice then act like it never happened. Maybe she¡¯d spill my food or even steal one of my books, but they were always isolated incidents. Nobody would do anything. None of the other students knew...she was always smart to pick me off at the worst possible times.

    I really thought she was going to kill me.

    All of a sudden Ashley let go and she stared at Sidney with a dazed curiosity, confused. She pulled Sidney up by the shoulders and held her there as she spat out the water and coughed up the gunk inside her body.

    That day she ran out of school crying. She told her father everything¡ªhe was a cop; she believed now that something was really serious that there¡¯d be no way it¡¯d be ignored. There was no possible way with the blood dripping down her forehead and the chip in her tooth that Ashley could get away with it.

    No way.

    She did.

    Her father tried, she could give him credit for that, but no matter where she started with a complaint or how high up she went it always led back to Rothbert Evans, and he would not have anything tarnish his family name, much less his own daughter take the blame for a severe case of assault.

    Sidney was ultimately suspended for the fight. She spent those days wandering around Nasseu. Her parents worked endlessly and tirelessly to keep up on their house. Even back then Sidney knew that they probably should have sold their manor and moved somewhere more moderate¡ªthree stories seemed a bit too much if they had to work constantly to keep ahead.

    Whatever the situation could have been¡ªthe fact of the matter was that Sidney had a lot of time to herself. She met Harrison outside of the Jasmine¡ªthis was the movie theater propped up right on Prosperry Lane. Both west and east ends of Nasseu considered the theater a sort of cultural melting pot. That and the district¡¯s school were the only two real places that the two ever coincided.

    Harrison had been suspended that week too¡ªhe had a long string of complaints from various teachers for behavioral problems. It mainly dealt with taking orders¡ªHarrison wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of listening and following directions.

    That day he was kicking cans outside of the entrance to the Jasmine by himself. Sidney was going to pass him by and let that be that, but there was something in how he looked at her. His big brow furrowed and he put his arms to the side, slowly. ¡°Who the hell beat you to a pulp?¡±

    Sidney didn¡¯t have any energy in her to fight, or to run, or to do anything but talk. Her parents wouldn¡¯t listen; Mr. Herondale surely wouldn¡¯t have listened. Something inside her just wanted someone that would listen.

    I don¡¯t know why I thought that the kid that was out of school because he wouldn¡¯t listen would...but he did.

    He stood there and listened as she started to talk, kicking the can aside in a note of finality and gave her his full attention. She told him about all the times Ashley had done something awful to her, and just how much it all stacked up. He didn¡¯t offer any words of pity, any words of comfort, or any of sorrow. He just stood there¡ªhis winter coat almost making him seem larger than he really was.

    When she had finished she felt like she talked for an eternity. It had all broken loose like a dam destroyed. He scratched the back of his neck and didn¡¯t say anything for the longest time. When he did, it was only one word.

    ¡°Here.¡± He had reached into his pocket and grabbed something out; it was a small bag with little tablets inside. ¡°You can use one of these more than me right now.¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Make you feel better. Just put it under your tongue and let it dissolve.¡±

    ¡°Is it bad?¡±

    ¡°Would I have it if they were?¡±

    ¡°I mean...are they like...¡±

    ¡°Illegal. Yeah.¡± He nodded, looked to the bag, then back up. ¡°If you don¡¯t want it I¡¯ll just put it back.¡±

    ¡°Wait...¡± she said, not sure why she was continuing. ¡°How...good does it make you feel?¡±

    He stopped, ¡°You know that feeling of garbage that other people give you?¡±

    She had more than she could spare. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°It all vanishes.¡±

    ¡°No joke...you¡¯re not making stuff up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got better things to do than write a presentation on the pros and cons for you on it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± she said, ¡°Gimme one.¡±

    She took the tablet and that was how it started. One tablet turned to two. The day after turned to three. The rest of that year it was all she could think about. She chased a high that grasped her like the claws of the devil himself. She could feel herself melting away when she wasn¡¯t high and actively hated her life more and more each passing second. The desire grappled her brain louder and louder each day until one day she stopped. She lashed out at home and threw her room into pieces. It lasted for hours until her father got home and put an end to it.

    She told him everything out of desperation to make it all stop, and he got her into a rehabilitation program where she learned to get through the pain that slashed at her mind.

    She completed the program and was able to return to school without the news slipping to the public¡ªHarrison was the only one who knew that she had a problem in the first place. This was a perk of having a father on the force. A little too late.

    This was the time that Sidney started to befriend Ashley...befriend wasn¡¯t the right word. Sidney played herself up for the sole purpose of manipulating Ashley into liking her. She carried herself with a confidence that was backed only by the trauma of past pain...but for what she wanted it was absolutely perfect. Ashley would call her a savage. She started to pick on other kids as Ashley once picked on her¡ªshe latched onto that real nice. Two easy targets were the new twins that came into their grade. They were a couple of freaks who couldn¡¯t do anything by themselves. The other of course was Lillian Jones, a selfish stubborn bitch who couldn¡¯t leave well enough alone. That was bitch code for stood up for herself once, so she¡¯s dead meat for life. It didn¡¯t hit her until much later, but she saw a lot of herself in Lilly. In some other time maybe they would have been friends, but she knew that wouldn¡¯t be possible now. She had too much desire inside her, and if that didn¡¯t come from pulling everything into her plan to ruin Ashley it would be from the drug, and she couldn¡¯t have that happen again.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    She didn¡¯t want to be friends with Ashley. Ashley may have grown to consider her something of one over the years, but those feelings were never reciprocated, because inside Sidney a black hatred for her never stopped growing. Every single time that the slightest hint of doubt came up¡ªwhenever Ashley displayed traits of an actual compassionate human being¡ªshe instantly flashed back to how terrifying her face looked as she attempted to drown her in the bathroom. How, if for a few seconds longer, she could have done it.

    Have I become as mean as her? I think I¡¯ve become worse, but I never laid a hand on anybody. I need to surpass Ashley in order to completely destroy her. I want her groveling on the ground with blood and snot running down her face. I want her to think that she could die at any moment.

    I want her to fear me, and now...I finally have what I need to do that.

    She was back in the present looking at the bag that Harrison held out. Yes, I have what I need to fucking end her. Ashley had a shield around her for all of her life¡­this was the one thing that could smash that shield of hers to pieces...but if that was the strongest desire in my mind I¡¯d turn my back now and say good-bye without anything else.

    But she stared at the bag...and wanted.

    ~...~

    Derek and Ashley were the only two that remained in the hallway outside of Mrs. Fowler¡¯s classroom while the others had all left to investigate their designated areas of the school. Derek winked at Aoi as he and Carlos left off toward the Library, and he even waved off Lilly and Ally as they went to the gym. Sidney and Harrison he didn¡¯t so much acknowledge, but that was because he wasn¡¯t as familiar with them¡ªHarrison didn¡¯t seem to be familiar with anybody, and Sidney seemed much too mean. He was sure that there was someone deep down that could be pleasurable, but it wasn¡¯t his job to bring that person out.

    Ashley meanwhile couldn¡¯t keep her eyes off Derek. As soon as the others split up at the fork down at the end of the hallway Ashley grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall to an empty classroom. God, how thick they are.

    ¡°Wh-¡± was all Derek could make out before his mind caught up with his body. The door slammed behind them and she threw herself onto him, grappling his tongue with hers and sending him against the wall. He struggled and tried to push her off, but she caught him off guard by swinging her arm up and latching onto the front of his pants. His eyes widened in surprise and he pushed her off.

    Only, her grip was iron tight and only ended on her pulling tight on his penis. He called out as she yanked him down. ¡°No no.¡± She shook her head, desire burned in her eyes like a bonfire.

    Derek saw this, and froze.

    ¡°You cannot expect to sit there every single day in class, looking at me the way you do...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t look at you...I¡¯m...¡± he began.

    She flashed a grin, ¡°I don¡¯t care how you finish...unless it¡¯s inside me.¡± She slammed into him¡ªknocking him onto his back.

    ¡°Ashley, stop!¡± He yelled, reaching for the corner of the desk beside them both. She pulled his arm back and held it down.

    His heart was beating hard and he froze silent.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lay a hand on me unless I guide it there first,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare. This is my show and you¡¯re going to do exactly what I have you do.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t break her grip. There was an adrenaline rush surging through her body that was stronger than anything he could muster.

    She had desire.

    ~...~

    The group reconvened an hour and a half after they had left all in Mrs. Fowler¡¯s room. Ally and Lilly were the first back¡ªtheir investigation in the locker rooms hadn¡¯t turned up much. They¡¯d checked each and every single locker from top to bottom, and even the entirety of Coach Sam¡¯s office for clues just in case.

    ¡°We came up with less than shit,¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°Less than shit...huh, interesting image,¡± Jace laughed. ¡°Maybe you can help her out with that problem, eh?¡±

    ¡°Gross.¡±

    Adam and Tyson came back next. Ally noticed that the two of them seemed to have cleared whatever tension had been so obviously stuck between them, at least for the moment. They checked the cafeteria ¡°a fuckload times over,¡± Adam offered.

    ¡°Huh, do all of you guys measure in profanity?¡± Jace wondered, stroking his chin.

    ¡°We managed to find...something. I can¡¯t say for certain how useful it may be, however.¡± Tyson said, holding up an empty pill capsule between his fingers.

    ¡°That¡¯s all? What, did you go digging through the trash?¡± Lilly asked.

    He shook his head, ¡°No, it was underneath the table you and the twins sat at,¡± he said.

    Lilly looked to them instinctively, they were still unconscious on the tables in the center of the classroom. ¡°Do you think it was theirs?¡± He asked. ¡°Do they take anything like this?¡±

    Lilly shook her head, ¡°They don¡¯t take anything from pills,¡± she said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t work as well considering there¡¯s two of them, they get injections from the nurse when they need medicine.¡±

    ¡°Do you take anything?¡± Tyson asked.

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°You sit at the table, no?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure a bunch of people sit at that table daily, but no, I don¡¯t use anything.¡±

    He looked from her to Ally.

    ¡°M-Me neither,¡± she stammered.

    ¡°You sound nervous,¡± Adam said.

    ¡°I¡¯m always nervous,¡± she said.

    Adam nodded, ¡°Fair...¡± then looked away, turning and sighing. ¡°God, do you think Ashley¡¯s lost somewhere? She should¡¯ve been back by now.¡±

    The tone-shift was most jarring to Ally; she didn¡¯t get to reply as right when he had said it Aoi and Carlos walked through the door with two trophies in their hands.

    ¡°Guys, we¡¯ve got something big here.¡±

    They set both of the trophies down on Mrs. Fowler¡¯s desk. Ally could see etchings in the marble base that noted they were Soccer and Basketball trophies from Nasseu¡¯s own teams. Then she saw blood on the tip of the soccer trophy and her breath caught in her chest.

    ¡°Do you think this is what they used¡­?¡± Ally asked.

    Aoi nodded, ¡°We found these in the trophy case out in the main lobby. You remember the announcements this morning?¡±

    Ally thought back, realizing that she hadn¡¯t. She prodded her memory for a moment longer, and then it clicked.

    ¡°Good morning, before we deliver your morning announcements we have a warning for whoever has stolen Mr. Higgins¡¯s set of custodial keys. If you come forward now no consequences shall come your way. If we find you in possession¡ª¡±

    ¡°Right, I think I remember now,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Mr. Herondale tried to do that thing where he seemed scarier than he really was,¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°Yeah, well it seems that our thief and killer are one in the same person. The cabinet was unlocked and these two were sitting in there like this.¡±

    ¡°Volleyball trophy¡¯s nowhere to be found, though,¡± Carlos added. ¡°Which is weird considering you¡¯d think that they¡¯d rather take this one ¡®n all.¡± He pointed toward the soccer trophy.

    ¡°Curiouser and curiouser,¡± Tyson said.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think this might have been premediated,¡± Adam said.

    ¡°Pre-meditated,¡± Tyson corrected.

    He looked confused, ¡°That¡¯s the one that means thought out?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°Damn. Well, same thing.¡±

    ¡°So it looks like you¡¯re not the most suspicious anymore, congratulations,¡± Lilly said to Tyson, but there wasn¡¯t much celebration in her voice.

    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing,¡± Carlos said, ¡°I think you¡¯re going to want to see this ¡®specially, Ty.¡± He nodded toward Aoi. ¡°Show ¡®em.¡±

    Aoi took out the slip of paper stained by blood and saw as each of them flinched. ¡°I think we can consider this case related to¡­that one.¡±

    I KNOW WHO KILLED CARLEIGH HEIGHTS.

    Tyson clenched his fist and had an obviously distressed look on his face¡­but it didn¡¯t seem like one of surprise.

    ¡°Who¡­is Carleigh Heights?¡± Ally asked.

    Tyson looked up, pained. ¡°She was my girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Do¡­you know who wrote this?¡± Ally asked.

    She didn¡¯t get an answer to her question¡ªas soon as Tyson was about to answer a blood-chilling scream erupted throughout the school.

    They all turned toward the door and instantly all pretense of discussion was dropped. They all began running toward the source of the sound.

 13 | Hungry Like the Wolf; a Creature of the Night |

    The meteor landed thirty-two years ago. It crashed into the mountains above Steinschild; somewhere deep inside it was the wolf. It fell from space¡ªout past space from the darkness and as it coursed through the cosmos dust, rock, and ice all gathered to it like a magnet. It picked up speed as the shell formed and reformed and eventually over a period of a thousand years became the meteor that would hit Earth.

    Somewhere inside a facility that exists off the west coast there was a book that prophesized its landing on earth, The Eye of Timaeus. The book was translated into modern English by Wayne Banner, an employee of a company known as Arctic Systems, a subsidiary of the Genros Foundation headed by the wealthy Nagatomi family. The information inside the book however was provided by dozens of dozens of philosophers throughout the course of history¡ªall of whom got their information from Father while he spent his time here on Earth recovering from his wounds.

    Some early text as follows:

    TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTE | SIDE DEATH |

    The information inside this book is freely encouraged to be shared from the original context to as many different sources as humanly imaginable. If this is the original and remaining source of this information please protect it at all costs. It is meant to be shared. Do not let this information die with the original source.

    These works inside have been translated from texts older than any of us currently alive so any clerical errors must be taken specifically as such¡ªthe translation team is naught but a team, but a single individual. Humanity is meant to err. I have translated this work with my strongest convictions, but time may tell that obvious errors may have been overlooked, so keep in mind this is an of-the-time translation and meanings of words may shift as generations pass. Thankfully, we believe that the writings that follow are¡ªto our knowledge¡ªas accurate as we may possibly get. These writings have not to this point been published, translated, or much even so read outside of the ones who had written inside them. They have been long since lost to history from the annals of Timaeus, a philosopher largely forgotten by history who lived in the fourth century.

    I have worked tirelessly for these past five years translating this book in full. While there are several faces behind the work in this book, the brunt of the writing is the work of one, so you shall have no worry about the tone of the work¡ªTimaeus¡¯s ideas shall be kept as pure as can possibly be. I have studied Timaeus¡¯s work and compared it to other philosophers of the time£»their language, pacing, and even some of their slang that they attribute from their root language. What has resulted is an ultimate translation for the magnum opus of ¡®Heaven¡¯s Lost Angel¡¯ as some refer to the eponymous Timaeus. Before I introduce the text in full I wish to give some context in which The Eye came to be.

    Timaeus had been born to a time long before his work could be fully appreciated and analyzed. He was born of great wealth and fame¡ªthe line of his blood was highly praised for its service to royalty. He was born an only child, and by the time he was a young adult he had taken over his father¡¯s share of the work in their smithy¡ªpersonally servicing weapons for the king. Often Timaeus would find himself staring at the sky wondering what kind of worlds could exist among the stars. One day while the sun had been out for longer than it normally would have Timaeus had found an old beggar crawling the streets outside the smithy. The poor man looked like an animal asking to be put out of his misery. Instead of yelling the beggar away, he walked toward him with an odd curiosity. He had never seen the beggar before and while there certainly was their fair share of hooligans on the island that would try to steal. This old beggar didn¡¯t seem to be much for stealing.

    He offered the man food and a place to rest, of which the beggar had graciously accepted his offer. The beggar happily accepted the invitation and revealed himself to be an old monk from up top of the mountains who had lived alone for the most of his life¡ªhe had stepped down to share his infinite wisdom with the people below and Timaeus had been the first person to accept him into their home.

    On that same day he would follow the beggar back to his mountaintop home. Timaeus showed very little qualms about leaving the smithy behind. He left the smithy to his apprentice at the time that grew into his own as the new blacksmith for the king.

    What awaited him inside was a library filled completely with books of all sizes. The collective knowledge contained in these books is eventually what came to be known as ¦³¦Ï ¦Ì?¦Ó¦É ¦Ó¦Ï¦Ô ¦³¦É¦Ì?¦Ï¦Ô, or ¡°The Eye of Timaeus¡±. He had begun by staring incredulously at the large amount of books that lined the interior of the library. It seemed to extend for half a mile outward into what must have been the interior of the mountain. He walked and passed book after book...the each of them was thicker than any he had seen before. They looked alien with their bindings so perfectly laced. Each of them had bold words on the spine to denote their name. Timaeus made his way back toward the entrance to search up the name of the first book, ¦¦¦¸¦§, or more simply, ¡°Life¡±. His curiosity would not allow him to begin without first confirming the title of the final book in the line and as he ran down he had seen that it had been given the name of the Greek God of Death, ¦¨?¦Í¦Á¦Ó¦Ï?, ¡°Thanatos¡±.

    The only rule that he was given was that he had to read each book in order, there could be no skipping around. The end of each book would lead him to the next so he should not ever get lost. The reason for the rule had been that the books were laid out in a very specific order. The information would be too much out of context and it could very well kill him. Timaeus had agreed to the stipulation and he had begun reading at ¡°Life¡±. The beggar then left the library forever; Timaeus would not see him ever again and his mysterious connection to the great library would hang in Timaeus¡¯s mind before long.

    He then dedicated the next few years working his way through the books as quickly as he could. He cultivated a fascination with the information that he learned and realized before long there would be no conceivable way that he would be able to finish the books before he himself had passed. As he too had grown older Timaeus had realized that it would simply be impossible to fully understand all of the books that had been provided to him and manage to keep a surviving record of them.

    The month before his own passing Timaeus made his way down toward the people below him for the first time in years. His health had been deteriorating quicker than he had hoped. He still had so much to learn from the books¡ªof which he had only been able ever to make a small dent out of. He carried under his arm his manuscript¡ªThe Eye¡ªI shall refer to it from this point as. He needed to ensure that the information kept within The Eye would be safe and passed down to a future generation. If he had died inside the great library then he was sure that the knowledge would die with him. This could not happen. And just before his death he had managed to find someone who had the same visions of grandeur as he had. Someone who had wanted to learn the truth of the universe.

    Timaeus hadn¡¯t expected that the boy would finish the work that he started. He made that very clear to the boy when he took him inside. There were simply too many books to fit in a lifetime, maybe even two. If it was something he wished to do, it would be likely that he would have to take his place someday and add the knowledge that he receives from the books to The Eye and in turn pass it down to the next generation. These were words he shared often with the boy¡ªexpecting to be able to finish the job would only lead to stress and doubt. They became his untimely killers and he wonders if he could have made further progress without them.

    So it had been set. Beginning from that day began a cycle which would culminate into the book you carry now. The title of this book may be ¡°The Eye of Timaeus¡±, but really it ends up only being a half truth. Without the proper context it wouldn¡¯t have made much sense, so for that facsimile I apologize.

    The Eye is a culmination of generations of hermits and their collection of knowledge from the original beggar¡¯s library of vast and seemingly infinite universal knowledge and stories. Nobody knows the true origin of the books, their authors, or even who was able to construct the library without a single soul letting loose the information.

    To date, countless souls have written their fair share of excerpts from the Great Library in hopes that the baton would someday be passed for the final leg of the race, but unfortunately along the path at some point one soul had abandoned their post from the mountain top to sell The Eye for profit and thus began a long history of it changing hands for profit before eventually succumbing to legend. Fewer and fewer people believed in the original source of The Eye and fewer believed that the tales about the man were even true. As such, Timaeus was a name that would not go down in history as the world¡¯s recognized philosophers as Plato and Socrates. The text would remain hidden to history until 1886 where it had been uncovered by our excavation team in a small stone home off in a small village in Eastern Europe. The village had maybe less than ten people living in it, all a close knit community¡ªcloser than most that we know to this day.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    And now finally, to everyone in my life that I¡¯ve done wrong, that I¡¯ve gone against I am sorry. I had thought that knowledge about the world was the ultimate goal¡ªthat nothing else had mattered. I¡¯m afraid to say that I¡¯m at the end here¡ªafter this book I shall be no longer. There is a beauty to the curse that is infinite knowledge and it is for that reason that I have looked upon its pages and smiled at its face. The Eye of Timaeus shall never be a widespread book¡ªthat is not the purpose of this translation. Consider it a warning. I have done my part and with this the text may be started proper, but be warned that there is powerful knowledge in those that follow. Do not read for spite. Do not read for pity. Read to learn to pass on. Nobody knows what sorts of demons reside in knowledge of the infinite worlds.

    W.B. - 1981

    LIFE | SIDE DEATH |

    Life is the balance between Fact and Fiction. It lies between what is both true and untrue¡ªinside the empty space that the both of them do not and cannot occupy. Existence is made entirely upon the fiction that leeches off the back of the fact. They are joined by touch, sight, smell, taste, and a million other senses that utilize a very specific and unique fiction-maker to seem fact. That of course would be the MIND. Consciousness is exactly how the MIND perceives those millions of senses¡ªthe body reacts exactly how the signals in the brain tell it to react. It¡¯s hard to say that something really looks a certain way, as that way is visual information transcribed and sent to the brain to figure out what it thinks that thing looks like. It is a fiction that the MIND can¡¯t ever truly know what things truly look like, or smell like, or even feel like. Humans only have their own unique senses which color and shade the true experience. Life, too, is colored by the individual MIND.

    Life can end for any reason at all, and any who argue against it speak only to the sky for no one is listening. When life ends, that color of life is lost forever. The rainbow of expression and shades dim forever, and slowly it all fades to black and white¡ªFact and Fiction.

    This is not by accident, but instead by intelligent design of a creator who we may be able to point our blame and frustrations at. This fact alone is one that many will find difficulty with. It is paired alongside the fiction that our creator is one of humankind¡ªthat he is from the God in the image of Jesus Christ. That he is in the shape of a spirit of nature, that he is spoken from by the prophet Muhammad, or any other of the common-springing ideologies. The existence of a creator implies that our imperfections are intended that of imperfection itself, intended through negligence, or that we as imperfect creatures are meant to suffer unquestionably. This is okay. Their existence shall persist no matter what I write down here, and I have come to terms with that. Their existence shall persist whether it is difficult or not. Whether it is fair, just, or even welcomed. To such a creator we extend such complicated feelings because we ourselves are complicated. We experience joy, sorrow, love, heartbreak, life and death. We forever see these two juxtaposed throughout our life.

    You might exclaim to Olympus or heaven or hell or your choice denizen of deity that your prayers have been unheard or for your son to be well, but it shall be known as a first truth that these two activities would be just as well as tossing sand in the air and expecting it to rain fortunes from your roof.

    Our creator is a Creature of the Night. It is the fiction to our fact, the dark to our light, the death to our life. Our universe is only a half of itself. The creator is a craftsman in his own right, and as such he shall be called through the rest of these books. He has other names he goes by, and some of these include Holy Father, Z-One, The Zero, The One, and even just Creator.

    The Craftsman constructed our world inside his own¡ªa world of darkness where everything among everything originated. This was in a time before light¡ªbefore sound, before truth. He existed as a force of his own will and with very simple substances he began to create. Air, water, fire, earth, energy, ether, and space: these substances are all born from a weightless nothing floating in the darkness before there was light. They did not exist with physical bodies as with everything within the darkness, but with instead waves¡ªthat which rippled across the cosmos and yearned to make contact with one another.

    The Craftsman brought these four waves into the world with but a microsecond of imagining them. He had felt an immense and overbearing coldness in the darkness that existed outside of all time¡ªall space.

    This world of darkness in which The Craftsman worked in was known as Noctem. He wasn¡¯t the only one who lived there¡ªthere were in fact twelve others that lived among The Craftsman, but they were as formless as the fire he imagined. At this point they were only a fraction of consciousness¡­a remainder.

    The Craftsman saw these twelve as disciples, that once given form would be loyal to his cause. He was their creator, and as such he would take care of them as he expected they of him. They couldn¡¯t do that quite yet, though. They needed to be saved. They were remainders, after all¡ªnot whole.

    Using the elements he created he quickly began to craft the world we inhabit¡ªthe universe of light that was given name¡ªLuxmund. Finally the universe¡ªa manyverse in reality¡ªwas given truth. Fact lived alongside fiction.

    Life began to bloom inside Luxmund¡ªwith truth came sentience, and as life began to form, it also began to grow. It grew and grew and grew¡ªmuch larger than The Craftsman had initially planned. Light began to shine in the dark and he could feel the pain of the twelve that surrounded him. Something had to be done or else they would drown in the light¡ªdrown in the truth. He forced Luxmund away and sealed it off behind a magical barrier named the Darkbright¡ªit was the only substance the light could not pierce.

    Darkbright had saved the twelve from dying¡ªthe other Creatures of the Night. Luxmund kept growing on the other side of the barrier, and immediately The Craftsman began to worry. If the light kept growing and multiplying then even Darkbright wouldn¡¯t be able to hold it back. If that happened then the barrier would shatter and Noctem would drown for sure. If fiction drowned then the fact would have no balance¡ªeverything would collapse. Everything.

    To the creatures of the night once Luxmund came into creation they immediately perceived the threat of light. For as long as they knew existence there was peace in the fiction.

    The Craftsman moved to cross Darkbright. He had to figure out the source of the light¡¯s growth and put a halt to it. As he created Darkbright to be a barrier that not even light could cross he had to use most of his strength to be able to. It was truly a boulder so heavy that he could barely lift it. The light filled his skin the instant he crossed over, and he began to scream as it burned and seared. For the first time he experienced pain¡ªtruth, light, it all meant the same to him. It burned him with fires greater than the Earth¡¯s core. His screams echoed in the form of cosmic waves that shook the galaxies into motion, sending planets and asteroids that were previously sluggish into full motion in their orbits.

    One of these asteroids hurtled toward the Earth¡ªstill in its infancy. The collision was massive and had decimated a large portion of the life that had made its home on the planet, but it would not be enough to ensure the end of life. Far from it...life would truly start here for those that would consider this planet home. The Craftsman evaporated into the light as the last of his strength fell toward a planet that the Humans would eventually overtake and call home.

    The creatures of the night¡ªthose that The Craftsman had left behind in Noctem to combat Luxmund¡ªthey despised everything that our world had come to stand for. Their darkness was singular, stagnant. It had not expanded a micrometer since the creation of Luxmund¡ªit had never previously needed to, but in comparison to the light, which had been expanding effortlessly and continuously growing...it had become too much. Each universe created launched its own attack on the Darkbright¡ªthrough no fault of the inhabitants that existed within, but that didn¡¯t matter to the creatures of Noctem. Their home was being attacked. Again and again and again and again.

    Something had to be done. They had to save their Father.

    The creatures of the night banded together and broke through a weak point in Darkbright, allowing a spillage of both worlds into each other. Now that they were free to, the creatures of the night began to roam Luxmund. This is the last of the linear tale that the books seems to tell. I have done as my mentor has bid me and not spoiled myself the contents of the future books, but I cannot promise their contents. After Manyverse, the books seem to go into detail on the various creatures that exist within Noctem. The oddity is that it doesn¡¯t seem to tell of just our world¡¯s history¡ªit even gives light to our planet¡¯s future. To change subjects so quickly and without notice is jarring, but I must follow the order the books are given as, although I have specific instruction here in this library to skip this first book titled ¡°Sakonna¡±. It makes mention that this information is available elsewhere, so I move on next to the book of the curious Issachar.

    ISSACHAR

    Issachar was the second Creature of the Night that would make contact with the Earth. It would land by meteor just on the cusp of the 21<sup>st</sup> century. It takes the form of a wolf while in the land of the light¡ªLuxmund. As soon as it had woken up from its slumber it began to take a more passive approach than its sister¡ªSakonna. Where Sakonna viewed humanity as subjects for tests Issachar viewed more to learn. It viewed them as creatures with interesting habits and relationships that could be studied. It isn¡¯t until the year 2022 that¡­

    At this moment that is how the book ends, almost as if it were eager to continue on.

 14 | Death Drive |

    They found the source of the screams inside Mr. Herondale¡¯s office. Sidney was backed against the wall with her eyes bugging out of her head. Harrison was chuckling from the chair behind the desk.

    ¡°What happened, are you okay?¡± Aoi asked. He was the first to step in the room. Ally could see the beads of sweat on his face.

    Sidney burst out in a cackle that surprised them more than the scream.

    She looked to Harrison and offered another laugh, ¡°I¡­I¡­I told you they¡¯d find us,¡± she then turned to the others, ¡°W-w-w-we lost you trying to leave here so I said that we¡¯d find you guys if we screamed like we were in danger.¡±

    ¡°Lost?¡± Ally asked.

    Harrison couldn¡¯t contain his own cackles as he slammed his fist down repeatedly on the desk as they bellowed out. ¡°The door locked on us and said we couldn¡¯t go out.¡±

    Lilly turned to face the door, and then looked back at them. ¡°Are you mental? The door is unlocked¡­it¡¯s open right now.¡±

    Sidney looked at Harrison then back to them, noticing the door. ¡°It was unlocked the whole time!¡± She burst into tears laughing.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡­wrong with them?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°Couple-a whackos if you ask me.¡± Jace said.

    Aoi stepped in and grabbed the small bag sitting on the desk. Harrison noticed too late and made a delayed motion to grab for it.

    ¡°Hey¡­wait a second¡­¡±

    Aoi looked at them both, ¡°LSD? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Jesus Christ,¡± Lilly said, bringing a hand to her forehead.

    ¡°It¡¯s just to c-calm down,¡± Harrison said.

    ¡°Yeah, nice try.¡± Aoi said, and sighed.

    Sidney shot up, remembering something. ¡°That¡¯s right! I have to talk to Ashley!¡± She looked at each of them, intensely focusing on every single one. ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Not here,¡± Aoi said. ¡°We were going to go looking for her, but now we got to get you somewhere that you won¡¯t hurt yourself or anyone else.¡±

    She shook her head, the smile on her face vanished. ¡°No, I need to speak with Ashley. She¡¯s a danger to us all.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°I have never heard a more ridiculous lie,¡± Adam said.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you like, friends?¡± Carlos asked.

    ¡°Ashley isn¡¯t anything but just like us. In fact, she¡¯s the one in danger since we haven¡¯t met back up yet!¡±

    Sidney pulled what little of herself together as she could. The little of her inside herself felt the information in her brain slowly start to fade so she reached out for it and grabbed it as tight as possible. She almost lost everything and probably would have sat there forever in the drugged haze if it hadn¡¯t flashed back. ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know about¡­about Ashley,¡± she said, taking a deep breath and trying her hardest to stay level. ¡°She¡¯s at high risk for psychosis. I¡¯ve got information here that¡­¡± she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, ¡°that proves she¡¯s the most suspicious. Delusions, dissociations, it¡¯s only natural someone like that would be unstable.¡±

    ¡°Okay, well we can all figure that out when we¡¯re all here,¡± Aoi said. He knew Adam was going to throw an objection to what she was saying, and they simply didn¡¯t have time to bark back and forth right now. ¡°Let¡¯s split up and find them both, if what you¡¯re saying is true then that¡¯s the best course of action anyway.¡±

    Sidney nodded, and then turned to Harrison, ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know how¡­well he¡¯ll be able to go.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll come with me,¡± Aoi said, turning back to Ally. ¡°You mind if Sidney goes with you?¡±

    ¡°Say yes,¡± Jace said.

    ¡°No. That should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Jace rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Okay, good,¡± he nodded. ¡°Rest of you can split up among yourselves. I¡¯ve got classrooms. You take the library Ally,¡± he said, then doubled round, ¡°Mind uh¡­the bookshelves. That¡¯s where¡­¡±

    Ally understood, and nodded slowly.

    ¡°All right, come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Aoi said, beginning to funnel the rest of them out of the office. She could feel them all pushing to leave the office as if they were water spilling through a hole.

    Aoi and Harrison turned to the left and immediately headed toward the classroom on the farthest edge of the hall. Ally was looking at them until she found herself being pulled by her sleeve. Sidney was at her side and didn¡¯t look well at all. ¡°I don¡¯t like¡­you,¡± she blinked feverishly, ¡°¡­and I know you don¡¯t like me, but I don¡¯t like Ashley way more than I don¡¯t like you. I¡¯m serious about that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­kind of hard¡­¡± Ally began, ¡°¡­to think you¡¯re serious about anything at the moment¡­sorry.¡±

    Sidney looked like she was just about to argue with her, but then stopped, resigned, and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s just go. I want to find her already.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Ally said. ¡°Truce?¡±

    ¡°Looks to be that way.¡±

    Ally looked over toward Lilly who was turning to move toward the gym with Carlos. She caught her look before she did, and there was concern plastered over her face. Ally shook it off and split with Sidney. They made it to the door to the library and suddenly Ally felt a chill run down her spine as she touched the handle. It was frozen to the touch, but not because of any crazy September winter chill¡­but instead of the fear that had been mounting in her mind. Behind these doors was where Josie died¡­

    She pushed the door open and saw the library as it always was¡­always for the past month as far as she knew, anyway. She wasn¡¯t in here as much as she wanted to¡ªthere wasn¡¯t much of a chance yet to see what kind of books they had available. Now she didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d ever come in here¡­especially what she saw between the second and third bookshelf. On the carpet was the dark stain where Josie¡¯s blood had pooled. The floor level shelf had blood splattered across the edges of various books. In that instant Ally felt that her head was lighter, and as she took another two steps toward the bookshelf her legs shook with a noticeable tremor. She felt them turn to jelly and she hobbled forward, letting out a small sound that caught in her throat. She would have fallen over completely had Sidney not catch her by the arm.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fall here now,¡± she said. ¡°God¡­¡± she pulled Ally up and stepped in ahead of her. Ally could hear her breathing slow as she tried to focus. Ally was breathing that slow now, but it was to keep from vomiting over the scene.

    ¡°You in here?!¡± Sidney called out. ¡°You bitch are you in here?!¡± She walked in further and began scoping down the aisles. Ally shook her head and followed after.

    ¡°What¡­happened that made you hate her so much? Because you could have fooled me that you did.¡±

    Sidney looked back, but still walked on, checking between each bookcase. ¡°She bullied the fuck out of me. Worse than that¡­even. Tried to kill me more than once and I don¡¯t think she was even aware of it.¡± She patted her pocket, ¡°What I have here¡­is more of a reassurance of something I have known for a long time.¡±

    ¡°To¡­not even be aware of it?¡±

    ¡°One time I was getting drowned in the school bathroom. I¡¯m sure I was seconds away from losing consciousness until she just¡­stopped. It was like she just stumbled onto the scene of me there in the toilet, then she¡¯d pick on me for that. It was like she had some¡­desire that was so strong to inflict pain that the parts of her that don¡¯t tried to hide it. Like there¡¯s¡­¡±

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°An imp¡­¡± Ally said.

    Sidney stopped, looked at her, and then remembered. ¡°Yeah¡­kind of like that dumb ass story. Like a little piece of her coaxes her to do the worst possible thing then leaves the rest of her¡ªstill awful but not evil by comparison¡ªto clean up the mess.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why you think that she killed Josie.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    That meant that Ashley was the one with that slip of paper. She knew who killed Tyson¡¯s girlfriend. If what Aoi said was true, then she was responsible for what happened over the summer. It wasn¡¯t much of a secret that she hated Tyson. She was beginning to believe it now. They had to find her and Derek, fast.

    ~¡­~

    Carlos and Lilly opened the doors to the gym and sprinted inside.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s split up and check each of the locker rooms.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re speaking my language.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he nodded, ¡°Should be obvious which is who. Yell if you find them.¡± He jogged to the boys locker room.

    Lilly raised her arm, ¡°Wait¡ª¡± then dropped it as he was out of sight a moment later. She sighed and walked into the ladies¡¯s locker room.

    Carlos sprinted down the aisle checking between each row of lockers. There wasn¡¯t anybody inside just like when Ally and Lilly had checked it out the first time. He turned on a dime to head back out but ended up slamming into the trash bin beside the coach¡¯s office. The bin tumbled over and spilled its contents onto the floor. Carlos stood up and rubbed his aching side. He was surprised to see among the garbage there seemed to be something that shined in the light. He tossed aside a damp roll of paper towels and found the volleyball trophy that was supposed to be in the main lobby. He picked it up and held it in his hands, noticing there was a chip in the marble base.

    ¡°No way¡­¡±

    Lilly was in and out of the other locker room in less than a minute. There weren¡¯t many places one could hide if they chose to do so¡ªshe found herself lost in thought. Carlos came out holding the trophy and stared at her, ¡°I think I found the real murder weapon.¡±

    ~¡­~

    Adam and Tyson were combing through the art rooms before moving down toward the music hallway. They didn¡¯t say anything to one another as they scanned each passing room in hopes of finding them.

    Adam pulled Tyson just as he was about to enter the choir room and pointed toward the fork that led to the band room. On the ground just past the fork was a small trail of fresh blood. Tyson looked back at him with wide eyes and he nodded slowly, nervous.

    They followed the trail.

    ~...~

    Aoi and Harrison slowly made their way through each of the classrooms lining the wall outside of Mr. Herondale¡¯s office. Mrs. Fowler¡¯s was the farthest on the east side of the hall. They moved from there to Mr. Attenback¡¯s 6<sup>th</sup> grade English then to Ms. Daley¡¯s 7<sup>th</sup> grade English class.

    Harrison didn¡¯t move very fast normally, but he especially didn¡¯t move very fast when he was tripping out of his mind. Aoi had to lead him by the arm¡ªhe suspected Harrison might have come close to overdosing because of the events of the day. Aoi found a somber feeling crawl itself into his heart as he saw each empty classroom. These were once places he loved to go. He made so many friends here¡­and now he wasn¡¯t going to be able to look at them in the same way again.

    Next opening Mr. Kryker¡¯s 6<sup>th</sup> grade History classroom Aoi stopped short as he opened the door. There was an explosion of blood sprayed all across the room. He¡¯d never seen this much in his life. He looked up to the white board at the front of the room and saw a bloodied hand-print plastered on the wall. Underneath was a word finger-painted on as if by an infant¡ªFUCKED.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ~¡­~

    ¡°¡­shit¡­¡± Tyson said as he stepped into the band room. Adam was right behind him and his eyes filled with horror as soon as he saw.

    The body¡¯s head was slammed shut into the rear of the piano¡ªsupported only by the flagpole that impaled it. Blood flowered from the wound and pooled at the body¡¯s feet. Blonde hair peeked out from the piano. Ashley¡¯s body lay dead in the band room.

    Adam¡¯s screams pierced the air.

    ~...~

    They found Derek in the cafeteria. His face was frozen on the last look he ever took¡ªcrippling fear. He was stuck to the wall by a leg of a chair that had been broken off and stabbed through him and the wall. His body slumped over and dripped blood onto the floor below.

    Below there was a single word painted in his blood¡ªJUSTICE.

    Aoi couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. He fell to his knees and started to choke up. He didn¡¯t know how long it took for the others to arrive. They eventually did and saw him¡­

    ¡°She¡­she really did it,¡± Aoi said, slowly.

    ¡°Oh¡­oh my god¡­not him too,¡± Ally said, covering her mouth.

    ¡°What¡­? We thought¡­¡± Tyson began.

    ¡°Too?¡± Aoi asked, still shaking. ¡°What do you mean too?¡±

    Just then before them familiar trails of light seeped in from the wall. It took shape as a wolf made entirely of light. It took four steps forward and looked up to Ally and then flowed inside her. She felt a gust of wind inside her body and a fire in her eyes. To the others her eyes glowed a reddish-gold light. Instantly she felt warmth rising to her head and her vision cleared completely.

    ~¡­~

    A thirteen year old girl sat alone in her bedroom. Her bed was a mess and papers were sprawled out all around her. Her long black hair was brushed over to one side. The bedroom was very nice looking¡ªit definitely was much larger than Ally¡¯s back at the Fae residence.

    There was a knock at the girl¡¯s door. She looked up toward the sound; her blue eyes glowed in the lamplight. ¡°Come on in,¡±

    ~¡­~

    ¡°There has been an internal interruption in the investigation.¡± Issachar spoke through Ally¡¯s body. ¡°It seems that I may have overestimated the power of humans. I have made the assumption that you all were the same...all powerful, but it had come to my attention that not all of you are of the same strength. Thankfully, I have corrected the oversight. You are now able to see things as they are. It is quite a shame, though.¡±

    ¡°What¡­¡± Lilly began.

    ¡°The guilty party is very clever. Now, I mentioned I wasn¡¯t going to intervene in the investigation¡­but this changes everything. The game has been stacked against you from the very start, and I cannot have that. All must be fair if true justice is going to come out. The guilty party is much stronger than many of you and has been able to hide this body just like they¡¯ve been able to hide the truth. If left uninterrupted, then they would get away without being caught.¡± It raised Ally¡¯s arm and suddenly Derek¡¯s body began to fade away. The blood vanished too¡­the wall was spotless. ¡°This was how this wall looked to you ever since you¡¯ve arrived here, yes?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes¡­but what¡­¡± Aoi couldn¡¯t finish.

    Derek¡¯s body faded back like the static on an old television set.

    ¡°I apologize for my assumption. I thought all of you would be able to remove this mental block.¡±

    ¡°Since the¡­¡± Adam started.

    ¡°¡­beginning?!¡± Lilly finished.

    ¡°I wonder¡­is it maybe that only the killer is able to do this?¡± The light left Ally¡¯s eyes and she returned to her mind. Everyone around her was all staring with the same confused look.

    ¡°W¡­what¡¯d I miss?¡± She asked, increasingly concerned.

    Aoi scratched his head, tears streamed down his cheeks. He stopped shaking at the least. ¡°Issachar came back. Said¡­¡±

    ¡°He said,¡± Lilly began, taking a breath, ¡°that somehow Derek¡¯s been dead since we got here.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°The killer apparently did some¡­weird shit that made it look like the wall was normal the whole time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­not possible,¡± Ally said. ¡°Derek was with us. She turned, ¡°I mean¡­Ashley¡¯s¡­gone too. But everyone here saw him. Everyone.¡± She turned to Aoi, ¡°Do any of you believe that he could be both dead and alive at the same time? Issachar either didn¡¯t know what he was talking about or was lying.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Lilly posed, ¡°If he¡¯s lying about this then we can¡¯t trust anything he says. Is that how we¡¯re going to play this?¡±

    Ally scratched her head and sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡± she felt herself losing energy. ¡°I just want to end this and go home. We don¡¯t have any leads. Ashley¡¯s dead, and if we were wrong about her and somehow someway¡­Derek¡¯s dead too¡­so either one of us here killed them both, Rosie, and even Carleigh. Or maybe they only killed Rosie, or maybe Carleigh, or maybe even none of them!¡± She was screaming now.

    ¡°Hey, calm down Ally,¡± Lilly said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°No, fuck this! We don¡¯t know jack shit!¡± She rarely cursed, and instantly it left a poisonous taste in her mouth. ¡°It could be anyone. There¡¯s too much¡­too much¡­¡± Ally felt a different sort of warmth rise to her head, but this time it wasn¡¯t Issachar using her to speak, she was getting light-headed. She began to hyperventilate and lost consciousness immediately after. She didn¡¯t hear the others jump up to catch her. She didn¡¯t hear anything as the darkness enveloped. Even though Issachar wasn¡¯t entering her body, she did hear the slightest whisper.

    ¡°You seem to be paralyzed by over analysis. You¡¯ve lost your intuition¡­that won¡¯t do. Let me help. Forgive my second intervention¡­but I really do wish to see true justice achieved. Let me show you the other side. Let me show you memories that will help you, but be warned, Allison Fae, thirteen. You¡¯ll find truth and lies mingling together like a flame and gasoline. It is up to you to determine one from the other.¡±

 | Part II â€“ Mirror | 15 | The Infant and the Murder of Carleigh Heights | Side Death

    It was a stormy night in early May of 2009. The forecast for the day was a moderate chance of rain that started around noon and was expected to let up just before seven o¡¯ clock. The rain continued, and even intensified by the time it turned seven-thirty. The clouds over Nasseu grew and darkened as the crack of thunder echoed across the town. The speed that the rain fell was so much that hardly anybody was on the road. It had been coming down so hard that the roof of any car could be mistaken for gunfire.

    Out on I-95 the rain seemed to bounce off of the pavement and into the air only to fall back onto the ground. Any cars that would drive on the road as it was now were risking losing their ride to the water and crashing into one of the side railings. Fortunately, the general populace was smart enough to avoid the highways of Maine if at all possible normally, so when intense rains fell down it only made the choice that much easier.

    Not every car was off the highway on that night¡ªfar from it. A red car was barreling down I-95 all by its lonesome which was definitely more than rare for the season. The car was a one-of-a-kind ZX Hybrid that came built with a new set of wheels that fit to any groove and bump in the road¡ªensuring the smoothest of rides no matter what lay ahead. In the backseat of the Hybrid sat the sleeping infant that would¡ªin approximately an hour and a half arrive on the doorstep of the unfortunate couple who happened to live only a block and a half away from the family who would eventually adopt that very child.

    Right now, the child slumbered while the figure behind the wheel laid back in its seat and grasped the wheel with a four-toed paw. It wasn¡¯t really much of a hand that clasped the wheel tight¡­its scaly texture gripped tight against the wheel. It wasn¡¯t any lizard that was naturally born on Earth; it was a pure white form, and the bumpy rough texture of the skin was more of an approximation for what the shape should feel like. The figure was approximately human-sized and normally traveled through shadows. It was the superior method of travel compared to driving down a flood path, but this was the sacrifice that had to be made when it concerned the child. She was human, so she couldn¡¯t travel the same way that he could.

    Ormus had plenty of important things it could have been doing at that exact time. He didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d end up here transporting the child...part of him hoped that one of the others would have taken up the task. His beady eyes crossed the child once in the rear-view mirror. The child made a small sound as she exhaled. It was so strange to him how small she was. He had to force himself to look at the road again. He could have stared at her forever.

    The others didn¡¯t understand what made the child so special. He was sure Sakonna would have considered a single star in a sky full of a million of them. She wasn¡¯t much into specifics over large, sweeping ideas. Sakonna always looked at the bigger picture. In that way she was very much like Father.

    The only one that was like him was Issachar, but he feared that he might be too far onto that path. He always viewed Issachar like a younger brother. He was sure that he was viewed much the same by Sakonna, but things were different between brothers. He saw the best of himself in Issachar, but he also saw the worst of himself magnified. He cared too much about the people of this planet. He saw that in this child¡­but he couldn¡¯t allow himself to see it in anybody else. They came to this planet. If he wanted to care about these people he wouldn¡¯t have come. It was as simple as that. There was a time when even Father had cared for this place.

    He birthed the weapon that would harm him significantly¡ªalmost kill him. He had cared¡­but then he saw just how harmful that these people were underneath the flesh. He saw how poisonous their light was, and he nearly died for it. Only by hiding out on their planet was he able to recover and help us cross over. I came a few hundred years after Sakonna. The Eye would tell you differently, I¡¯m sure of it, but do you really believe that, anyway? People write falsehoods all the time.

    Father wrote the book through the Arctic Employee¡¯s hand. It¡¯s a special talent of ours. Sometimes we speak through others, and sometimes we walk through others. We cannot fit into human bodies for long, however. We don¡¯t have nearly enough energy to sustain them. That is why we have come to this planet¡­we need more energy.

    Sakonna is¡­difficult. She is almost comparable to a human politician. She¡¯s the oldest, so she¡¯s got the closest bond with Father. She shares his views the most, and most importantly she tends to his side most of the time. She hasn¡¯t gotten to experience much outside of Father¡¯s work. I don¡¯t even think she¡¯s been having the dreams. At least, if she does, she doesn¡¯t tell.

    When the ZX Hybrid finally made it to its destination he placed his odd toes over the gear shaft as a human would and set the car in park. Ormus slipped through the door and landed on his feet outside the driver side door. He stood tall¡ªabout seven feet tall total with long thin legs that branched at the ground like a shadow. He walked to the back door and opened it up, pulling out the sleeping child, shielding her head with his extended toes so that the rain didn¡¯t wake her.

    Behind him a flash of lightning screamed across the sky illuminating everything around him, and without a second thought he extended his arm out in the direction of the flash and the light dimmed immediately. He lowered his arm and let the light spill into the ground where it formed into a circle of pure white.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Ormus turned back toward the large house he had parked in front of and walked slowly toward the front steps. Thankfully, the area right outside had been shaded from the rain, so when he sat her down she was dry, still sleeping soundlessly. He clicked the doorbell and walks off of the front porch. As soon as one of his legs touches the white puddle he sinks deep inside. He reached out and touched the back of the ZX Hybrid with his right paw and it too began to get sucked into the puddle. In another moment they were both gone, and the front door to the house opened.

    ~¡­~

    Tyson woke up thirteen years later to the sound of his fan shorting out. It hadn¡¯t happened in quite some time so he assumed that the issue had been fixed, but obviously it didn¡¯t seem that was the case. He hated lying down without his fan going¡ªnot only to help suppress the hot August heat, but also because the sound helped him focus on falling asleep. He always had the hardest time falling asleep because his mind was always so active. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about school or Carleigh or any of it unless he had a constant source of quiet noise to carry his mind away from consciousness.

    He yawned once and slowly sat up, reaching his left arm behind his head and began to stretch it. On the desk opposite his bed his fan was stuck between two oscillating points and the blades were only slowly spinning as if trying for dear life to keep moving.

    He got up out of his bed and stood. He stretched and cracked his back, releasing the tension built up through the night and sighed a sound of relief. He took a few steps over to the fan and bent down to look at it. It was most likely Carlos¡¯s doing. They were playing video games a few weeks back in his room. Carlos isn¡¯t one to sit still. When they played he took all the energy in the room and transferred it to his legs. That guy couldn¡¯t sit calm if you paid him.

    They were playing a game Carlos brought over. It was a competitive multiplayer game because those were the only kinds of games Carlos owned. In it you fought king of the hill style on floating platforms. Winner was whoever could remain on the platforms and not get smashed off the side. Carlos may have been the game¡¯s owner, but his inability to sit still cost him a lot of focus, so it was Tyson who typically ended up the victor in the end.

    Sure enough, Tyson had won, he taunted Carlos just to rub salt in the wound, and set his controller down, laughing. Carlos dived for him with an attempt at saying ¡°Come on! No fair! That¡¯s bullshit!¡± It all came out at once and without any pause so it sounded like ¡°comonofaithasbulshit!¡±

    Tyson backed up out of the way and Carlos managed to slam into the desk which bumped the fan off of the top and it crashed to the ground. It still seemed to turn on so it was tossed back up without a care. Now he wished more than anything that he just replaced the damn thing already.

    He sighed, banging his hand against it once, twice, and then the third time it sputtered back to normal speed. It blew chilled air into his face, and he smiled. He looked over to his alarm clock and saw that it was 6:22 in the morning. Great, can¡¯t even go back to sleep, stupid thing goes off in eight minutes anyway.

    He stretched once more and walked over to his dresser, got himself dressed, and then stopped in his room a moment longer. He took in a deep breath and shook his head before walking over to his desk and pulling the bottom drawer open. There were some magazines stacked inside which he grabbed by the handful and placed them on the top of his desk. He then put both of his hands inside the empty drawer and removed the panel that had been hiding something underneath. Inside was an 8.5 inch pocket knife, tucked tidily away in a leather sheath. He stuck it in his back pocket and tucked it underneath his shirt.

    His phone vibrated on the night table beside his bed. He made his way over to it and swiped it open.

    Carleigh: Hey, I know it¡¯s early and I don¡¯t want to wake you, but I know I¡¯ll forget if I don¡¯t ask you now. Can you wear something like¡­nicer to my party today? My friends are going to be there and I don¡¯t want them thinking the wrong thing about you. Text me when you get up, I love you xoxo

    He looked at it with despondency stared at it for a moment longer. The fan behind him started to sputter again and he looked at it through the corner of his eyes.

    Tyson: Yeah. That¡¯s fine¡­

    He turned off the display and tossed the phone onto the bed. It vibrated again, but he didn¡¯t look at it. He turned slowly and sent his fist slamming hard into the fan and sent it into the wall where the whole thing moved for the last time. He shook his head and walked out of his room, closing the door and leaving his phone behind, still vibrating.

    Carleigh: Listen, I¡¯m sorry. I love you, you know that right? It¡¯s just¡­weird. Not for me, for them, and I just don¡¯t want things to be tense. You understand, right?

    Carleigh: Hello?

    Carleigh: Are you¡­mad at me?

    *Missed Call from Carleigh Heights*

    Carleigh: I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve told you I¡¯m sorry a thousand times that that won¡¯t happen again. Please just answer me.

    *Missed Call from Carleigh Heights*

    Carleigh: Tyson.

    Carleigh: Tyson¡­

    *Missed Call from Carleigh Heights*

    Carleigh: Answer your phone! God damn it. I¡¯m worried. Don¡¯t do anything dumb.

 16 | What I Want To Be... | Side Death

    Allison Fae

    September 22nd, 2022

    Mrs. Fowler

    ELA

    <u>When I grow up draft thing fuck</u>

    <u>(Recovered from C: Windows \Users\Allison\Documents\Schoolwork\Ditched Drafts)</u>

    Questions are things you can¡¯t even begin to answer if you don¡¯t know who is asking them like islands. Sometimes you end up on the wrong one it drags in your mind until it drags you back to the ocean¡­sometimes they just make you more afraid of being able to answer and you come to the realization that none of us really know what we are going to be in the next day, much less when we¡¯re older. Often they form much larger pictures when placed in context of one another.

    Sometimes I wonder what I¡¯ll be when I grow up. I wanted to take an honest look at myself for this paper¡­and since I¡¯m new I know I haven¡¯t been able to give you all an idea of what I am going to be. I¡­sometimes I think I¡¯m going to be dead when I¡¯m older. Not like an eventually I¡¯ll be dead, but¡­dead. Sometimes I wonder about what kind of people would want to adopt a fuck up like me¡­and I try not to think about that too much because it gets really sad. Something good happens like I get adopted by a happy go lucky couple who wants to fix me and then they find out that it¡¯s too much. It¡¯s always too much. They leave me behind and my life resets. It all goes back to zero and I¡¯m left with the pain to figure it out and have to try my best to smile for the next couple to come around.

    A new family has adopted me¡ªthis much is obvious since I¡¯m here at this new school, but they¡¯re nice¡ªGeorge and Jaclyn Fae. They¡¯re nice people. I said that already I¡¯m aware of that much, but I don¡¯t want it to be confused that I don¡¯t like them or anything like that. It¡¯s just that they¡¯re not the first nice people to adopt me, and sooner or later they¡¯ll regret their decision and leave me in the dust again. Things will go great until they don¡¯t and I¡¯ll be alone again.

    So, I¡¯ve made myself a pact¡­the first thing that I¡¯ve been able to do for myself and only myself. If that happens¡ªif they do leave me behind like everyone else I am going to kill myself. I want to believe that there is family that is out there for me, but I can¡¯t believe in it 100% anymore. It is much too dangerous. So I¡¯m going to try my best to make it work here, but this is my last chance. This is the final act; the denouement to my life.

    I¡¯m sorry if you find this shocking to read, which, let¡¯s be real here, nobody is ever going to read this piece of trash. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t enough. What do I want to be when I grow up?

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Wanted. My name is Allison Fae, and Fuck Everything.

    |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

    ~¡­~

    Ally slammed her head onto the keyboard. It was George¡¯s old computer he had lugged up to her room for any school work that she needed. She thanked him heavily for the kind gesture, but she meant what she had written.

    ¡°I guess this is where I come in to save the day?¡± Jace said. He was lying on her bed, looking at her. ¡°I¡¯m in your mind, it¡¯s not up to me to be here, that¡¯s all on you.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off. And don¡¯t you dare tell me to mind my language.¡± She raised her head up, clicked off of the word document and turned toward him and sighed. She scratched her neck. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do it.¡±

    ¡°Sure you can,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re gonna do as you¡¯ve done and pick yourself up. School¡¯s not as bad this time around, right? Made some friends, right?¡±

    She bit her lip and then thought of Lilly.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, and it isn¡¯t as bad as you think.¡±

    ¡°What isn¡¯t as bad? That I think she¡¯s the prettiest girl I¡¯ve ever fucking seen? That in addition to being an orphan I also get to be the gay kid?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s absolutely nothing wrong with¡ª¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding?!¡± She near-shouted. ¡°You¡¯ve never been to school a single day in your life. Never.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not real.¡±

    ¡°If you were¡­¡± she clutched her arm tight, ¡°You¡¯d know how they use that against you. What kind of taunts and torture they create based on that one fact. They¡¯re the most creative devils this planet has seen.¡±

    ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡±

    She was crying now and slammed her head against the desk. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I¡¯m definitely not telling anyone. That¡¯s not happening. I can¡¯t hand in this stupid paper because all I want to write about is nothing relating to the stupid topic. I only want to write about how much I hate myself.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­maybe write about me?¡±

    She gripped the end of the table, ¡°You self-centered¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be something they¡¯ll be interested in,¡± He posed, ¡°Who knows¡­ maybe even you¡¯ll catch her eye with it.¡±

    She picked her head up and thought about it for a moment. ¡°¡­I think that would work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m full of ideas, and you don¡¯t even listen to most of them,¡± He crossed his arms and gave her a cocky grin.

    ¡°That¡¯s because your ideas are fueled by my shitty brain,¡± she said, restarting the heading on the paper.

    ¡°Stop it.¡±

    It was so brief that she mistook his serious look for a joke¡­he was rarely actually serious with her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± her eyes returned to the screen.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. You aren¡¯t shitty. I don¡¯t want you to think like that anymore.¡± She didn¡¯t answer. She only continued to write the paper, and as she started she saw the flow of where she would take it. Soon enough she finished, and that was when she noticed that she¡¯d been up all night fighting with herself over this stupid paper.

 17 | Imp of the Perverse | Side Death

    The Death Drive is a modern take on what Edgar Allen Poe described as the Imp of the Perverse. Sometimes when humans find their life to be too comfortable¡ªwhether consciously or subconsciously¡ªa mysterious force begins to pull their emotions toward certain ends. The mind craves entropy and so it will do anything¡ªeven those detrimental to its own or others physical and mental well-being.

    The mind is a dangerous weapon, and humanity¡¯s strongest¡­for it is the mind that allows such trickery to happen to disguise a corpse for hours on end in plain sight. It is the mind that allows the belief of the fantastic and the utter denial of the real.

    The mind experiences reality. This is common knowledge, but what surprisingly isn¡¯t so common is a clarification on that very point that supposes that the mind discovers reality. It is an invaluable skill to learn when you are being fed falsehoods mixed with the truth, as that is their most potent hiding place. Otherwise¡­you might end up like the two unlucky souls impaled inside the halls of Nasseu Middle School. Or maybe even like the unlucky girl who had her throat slit open during a hectic summer party.

    ~¡­~

    August was when the bugs came out to irritate every other living creature on the face of the Earth. Swat as one may for every bug killed ten more seem to take their place. Fall in Nasseu doesn¡¯t share this problem as Maine gets extremely chilly and uninhabitable for all kinds of irritating life. It was a shame that killers didn¡¯t follow the same predictable trend.

    Carleigh was throwing an end-of-summer party for all of her friends. The bugs were definitely present on the hot day¡ªthankfully she planned to have most of it take place out back so that if anybody got too bothered they could simply hop into the pool to avoid both the bugs and the crawling summer heat.

    She planned the party for at least the last month as the perfect way to boost morale for the next school year. It was the perfect time because her parents were off in Spain negotiating a lucrative deal with the band whose music Carleigh loved to blast at parties like this. She was trying hard not to let the stress from earlier in the morning bring her down. She would apologize to Tyson when she saw him. It wasn¡¯t right of her to ask what she did of him¡­it was insensitive. She realized that, and she wanted to make it right. He wasn¡¯t answering, and she didn¡¯t really want to apologize over text¡­it wouldn¡¯t seem as genuine. And¡­there was more to apologize for¡­maybe more that he didn¡¯t know about. Maybe he did, she¡¯d find out today nonetheless.

    She had the place set up nice for the first guests who were set to arrive soon. The large foyer opened up to a parlor room where she had tables upon tables of all kinds of different foods laid out. Most of it was just usual party fare¡ªchips and dips of all kinds, but there were some dishes that she had made herself. Her mother taught her how to make a nice spinach quiche. It was the first thing that she had made that she believed was actually really good. Next to that was some lasagna that had just come out of the stove, and then there was some assortment of other finger foods next to the drinks. She adjusted everything until the very last minute when she heard the doorbell ring. She jumped out of herself and rushed to the door.

    As she opened, she expected to see Tyson there. He was definitely the person who was at her house the most often, so she thought that he¡¯d be the first to show up, but it turned out that Ashley Evans was the first to step through the door. She was holding Adam at her side. His eyes painted the clear picture that they were busy before stopping over¡ªglazed over was an understatement.

    Ashley looked the room over once before looking to Carleigh, ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem too¡­accommodating here for a party,¡± she began. ¡°It looks like¡­I don¡¯t know, normal.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, I thought we could mainly be out back by the pool. I¡¯ve got food and everything else here in the parlor if we want it.¡±

    She nodded slowly, looking back to Adam. ¡°Well¡­?¡±

    He was staring up at the chandelier and blinked hard shaking his head. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You need to pull yourself together,¡± she slapped his arm, ¡°you¡¯re not going to thank her for setting this up?¡±

    ¡°O-Oh, right.¡± He turned to Carleigh, ¡°Thank you.¡± He nodded his head rhythmically. ¡°Hey, where¡¯s the bathroom? I need to uh¡ª¡±

    Carleigh waved it off and shook her head, ¡°Head through the doors here and you¡¯ll keep going down the hallway to the very end. Through that door you¡¯ll see the backdoor to the pool¡ªtake a left right before that door and it¡¯ll be the second on the left in the new hallway.¡±

    He nodded and brushed past them both. He pushed open the door and it closed slowly behind him.

    ¡°I forgot he¡¯s never been here before,¡± Carleigh said, chuckling.

    Ashley gave into laughter as well. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s more of a homebody.¡±

    ¡°Boys¡­¡± she said, more to herself.

    ¡°Which reminds me¡­is Tyson coming?¡±

    ¡°He should be, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Should be?¡± Ashley shook her head and clicked her tongue, ¡°I guess it would be a far drive. Gas can be expensive.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Carleigh shook her head. ¡°It isn¡¯t like that.¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Hm, I see,¡± Ashley said, turning her attention from her to the door Adam had just gone through.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯ll be here.¡± She grabbed her arm and dug her fingernails in deep as she tried to remain calm. He¡¯ll be here.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go outside¡ªit¡¯s much too hot here.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Carleigh said and stepped aside. She was holding her fist tight against her side.

    Aoi and Derek showed up next, and behind them were a group of boys from the swim team. Carleigh only knew a few of their names, but none of them too well. Aoi and Carleigh usually had a lot of classes together¡ªthey both took a lot of AP classes in school.

    The house began to fill more steadily after that point. Carleigh hung around in the main hallway waiting for Tyson to show up, a smile bright on her face strung up by frayed ropes. As each person entered that wasn¡¯t him it broke just the slightest. Half an hour passed and the sound of the party grew behind her and steadied itself.

    She let her arms fall to her side. Her phone was as empty as it was half an hour ago¡ªthere wasn¡¯t any return to her messages or calls. She even tried to send him another message, but it wasn¡¯t even read. She took in a deep breath and tried to not let the insurmountable disappointment completely consume her. The door opened and her eyes darted up immediately.

    Standing in the doorway¡ªalmost too nervous that they may be noticed¡ªstood Lillian Jones.

    Time stopped as they stared at one another.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Carleigh asked.

    Lilly flinched as she felt how harsh her tone had been. ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t know if it was a good idea to come or not.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡± She turned and started to walk back to the rest of the party.

    ¡°Listen¡ª¡± Lilly dashed in after her, letting the front door shut behind her. ¡°Come on,¡± she reached for her shoulder and Carleigh turned on a dime.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡­You have to talk to me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, actually. I have nothing to say to you.¡± Lilly slumped her shoulders as Carleigh tore away from her. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned you ruined my¡­¡±

    ~¡­~

    Two months earlier

    ¡°¡­life. You are my life.¡±

    Carleigh and Lilly sat on top of a hill at the end of the path from Carleigh¡¯s house. A single tree stood overcasting the hill on sunny days. On starry nights like this, however, it acted like a friend to any who gazes at the brilliant lights above. They glistened down their purity on the faces of the two girls who lay sprawled out on a thick blanket beside the tree.

    ¡°S-Stop,¡± Carleigh said with a smile, and went in for a kiss, letting it stay, slow.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t go back to him,¡± she asked.

    Carleigh smiled, but less, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Shhhhh,¡± Lilly said, leaning back. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She held herself tight against Carleigh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Carleigh said. ¡°I love him. He treats me like there¡¯s nobody else in the world. He doesn¡¯t care about the worst parts about me¡­but,¡± she looked up to Lilly, ¡°¡­but he¡¯d care about this.¡±

    Lilly nodded, placing her head against Carleigh¡¯s, ¡°Listen, forget about him for now, okay? You¡¯re here¡­and if you do go back then you can worry about that then. Just enjoy tonight.¡± Lilly started to cry, but she was trying her hardest to hold it in. ¡°Hold it in for tonight¡­please. I need you.¡± She began to cry hard.

    Carleigh held her arms around Lilly. She rubbed her back and nestled Lilly¡¯s head against her shoulder. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t¡­I can¡¯t¡­I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡± She caressed Lilly¡¯s face, ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡± and then felt herself pulling closer and then kissing her back. I can¡¯t.

    But she did.

    They kissed fervently. Lilly was in her lap kissing upwards, cradling her neck. Carleigh pursed her lips and then let her tongue slip into Lilly¡¯s mouth, coaxing hers out and then letting them dance on each other like some twisted tango. Carleigh¡¯s hand rubbed her back and then crawled up to her neck.

    Tears crawled down Lilly¡¯s face as she now pressed into the kiss and her free hand now rubbed her thigh. I need you.

    The stars were silent observers to the events that played out underneath the tree. They watched as the fire grew brighter and the movement closer. They saw when the fire was at its brightest and the screams of pleasure echoed into the night. They also saw when the fire at last was snuffed out, when shame began to set in, and when the girl of tears was left to her own accord underneath the tree.

    Carleigh was running harder than she ever had before; believing that if she went fast enough then she could outrun the inevitability of the guilt she felt. We¡¯re on a break right now. There¡¯s nothing to feel guilty about.

    She looped it in her mind so that no other thought would dare enter. She threw open the doors of her home and the sound echoed through the empty home. Her parents were asleep, but they were three floors above her and wouldn¡¯t hear unless she started to scream. She wanted to. Really¡­really loudly.

    She shut the doors and locked them just in case Lilly had followed her. She hadn¡¯t, but it was the only other thing she would let herself think. Carleigh leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground, her hands splayed across her face as she began to hyperventilate.

    ¡°This¡­this can¡¯t be real¡­Tyson would never believe how¡­¡±

    ~¡­~

    ¡°¡­sorry I am,¡± Lilly said as she looked at Carleigh¡ªthe sounds of the party almost seemed muted compared to the deafening silence that she brought to the house. ¡°I¡­¡± She looked down, ¡°I know you were going through some things with Tyson, and I took advantage of that. ¡°

    ¡°You ruined me,¡± Carleigh said, and she stood straighter. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to go a day without thinking about that night.¡±

    Lilly looked to the floor, ¡°Yeah me too.¡±

    Carleigh shook her head, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean fondly. I¡¯m back with Tyson.¡±

    ¡°Where is he?¡± Lilly asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­none of your business,¡± she staggered. ¡°None at all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Lilly said. ¡°I just assumed¡ª¡±

    ¡°You just assumed you could come here and expect that night to happen again, right? It isn¡¯t. Now get the fuck out of here,¡± she said, turning away, but stopped as she knew Lilly was still standing there. Her fist was held tight. ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t, Lilly. It isn¡¯t your fault, it¡¯s mine. But I can¡¯t. Not again.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here for that.¡± She said, ¡°I mean¡­I do think about that night¡­like a lot, but I didn¡¯t come here to relive it. I just came to apologize. I wanted to be friends again.¡±

    She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡­you sure?¡± Lilly asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I need to talk to you about something, anyway. And¡­and I think I need a few drinks.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ~¡­~

    ¡°And I don¡¯t know what to do about it all,¡± Carleigh was sitting out in the sun with her legs dipped in the pool. The music around them was so loud that you had to be real close to be able to actually hear anything that anybody was saying. Lilly was sitting next to her, and she kicked her feet in the water as she listened to her troubles with Tyson.

    ¡°I feel so bad about making him feel like I thought he was less,¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s done nothing but care for me and never paid a single bit of attention toward the difference between us, and I feel that¡¯s all I¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you meant well. I can¡¯t imagine that he didn¡¯t have fun on the trips you took him. He¡¯ll come around, maybe it was just a dead phone keeping him from responding,¡± she shrugged.

    Carleigh shook her head, ¡°No, he¡¯s not that irresponsible. He¡¯s always got what he needs taken care of. If his phone died that boy would have it charged with a backup battery on person. I upset him and he doesn¡¯t want to yell, so he¡¯s taking a break to cool off. That¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happening.¡±

    She set her drink down behind her¡ªit was a tangy mango drink mixed with rum that went down just a tad too easy. It was her favorite flavor of course, so it only helped to alleviate her nerves. She looked out to the water and stared at her reflection as it rippled and swayed. Behind her she felt hands pressing on her shoulder fast¡ªshe turns to see Derek running by and bending down, ¡°Hey! There¡¯s the party planner!¡± He was in his swimsuit¡ªhe definitely looked good enough to be as confident as he was.

    ¡°Oh, jeez, hey Derek. You scared the crap out of me,¡± Carleigh said, sighing, then smiling.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Lilly waved.

    He nodded to her, then looked to Carleigh, ¡°Hah, sorry about that! Couldn¡¯t stop myself I was running too fast. Trying to dodge¡ª¡± He immediately turned then looked surprised, then dove into the water. As soon as he surfaced he shook his head and sprayed them both with water. Both Lilly and Carly held up their hands to try and keep from getting their dry clothes wet.

    ¡°What the¡ª¡± Lilly started, but then Aoi cropped up behind them. He was also in his swimsuit, but he still had his shirt on. He shook his head, ¡°Hey ladies, mind if I jump in? Kind of a serious game of tag.¡±

    Lilly scooted aside, ¡°Go for it.¡±

    He nodded and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside as he took a few steps forward and dove in like an arrow. Derek was laughing, but as soon as Aoi leaped into the water he began to panic and started to swim away.

    Carleigh chuckled and grabbed her drink, taking a sip. ¡°Wish I could just be like those two, you know?¡± She turned to Lilly.

    ¡°Wet, you mean?¡± Lilly said, giving her suggestive side-eye.

    She only laughed at it, ¡°No, I mean happy.¡± She took another sip. ¡°I just think sometimes I¡¯m not happy because¡­¡± she trailed off, looking at the water. She could feel the rum kicking in, her head began to float and each breath felt twice as long. She began to hyper-focus on the ripples of the water and began to smile.

    She blinked.

    Behind them the speakers were fading from a slower song to the new hit single by UnderGr4nd. The song started out slowly to match the tempo of the song before it. She began to hum the beat that would be coming in a minute or so, completely losing her train of thought. She turned to look beside her and suddenly heard the water from Aoi kicking the water as he tried to catch Derek. On the other side of the pool holding a cup that looked just like hers was Ashley, Adam, and Sidney. They were huddled around some of the boys from the swim team that she saw earlier come in with Aoi.

    Others crowded the drink table¡ªguzzling what was a crazy amount of alcohol. Cheers erupted as the song began to fade in more clearly¡ªit was popular for a reason. She turned finally to her right and saw Tyson sitting beside her. She smiled and raised the cup to her lips. He smiled back to her and she smiled even larger. She took a huge gulp and set the cup down beside her as the first verse started to fill out. The kick drum was now pounding so loud that she felt it shake her heart. She was now pumping her fist in the air to the beat of the drum.

    Colors exploded in her vision and the sun streaked an elaborate masterpiece in front of her eyes. The dancing bodies out in the pool began to change from bodies to formless moving shapes that almost looked gelatinous.

    ¡°C¡¯mere,¡± a voice whispered in her ear, to which she turned and felt the entire world spinning around like a kaleidoscope. She smiled even wider and nodded her head. ¡°Okay,¡± She giggled and looked at him. He looked almost formless too; like a clay figure that pretended to be human. He held out a blocky hand and she took it.

    The voice wasn¡¯t Tyson¡¯s. He never was next to her¡ªhe wasn¡¯t even at the party. Lilly stood next to her and whispered in her ear as Carleigh¡¯s mind grew to a psychedelic minefield¡ªexplosions of color at every new sight.

    ¡°C¡¯mere, we¡¯re going to the bedroom,¡± Lilly whispered in her ear again. She bit her lip and it made her smile. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that night under the tree¡ªshe felt like something had exploded inside her too. Nothing else seemed to make sense until that very moment, and she had to feel it again. I need you. Carleigh smiled and made a satisfied moan, she felt good when her voice danced across her ear. She bit her lip and raised her head. ¡°Baby, you know how good that feels, but we¡¯re at a party...¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t mind.¡±

    Lilly swung her bedroom door open as she made the way through the house. She let go of Carleigh¡¯s arm and turned to close the door¡ªthe music was now muffled as it got back to the chorus.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you stop the¡ªDon¡¯t you stop the¡ªDon¡¯t you stop the par-tay-tay-tay-tay-tay-t-t-t-ttttttttttttttttt¡ª EVERYBODY RAISE YOUR DRINKS!¡±

    Carleigh found her way to the bed¡ªstumbling around the room as if it were spinning on her. Just before she was about to turn and sit on the end Lilly stepped up from behind and pushed her down face-first. Lilly grunted and took her from the side and flipped her onto her back so that she stared up at the ceiling. Carleigh¡¯s tank top exposed her midriff much clearer. Lilly in an instant felt a surge of energy.

    ¡°Tyson? This...this isn¡¯t funny any longer.¡± Carleigh tried to call out. It wasn¡¯t so much clear English, it sounded more like ¡°Tyson? Thissn¡¯t funnyy longerrr.¡±

    Just then, there was a heavy sort of noise¡ªoutside someone was banging on the door. Lilly turned back to look¡ªshe could swear that her heart was smashing against her ribs. She ran to Carleigh¡¯s closet. Just a few months ago she was helping Carleigh pick out outfits she liked from this very closet back when they were just friends.

    She closed the door without a sound and tried her hardest to keep her breathing even. Her penis was throbbing and begging to return to the warmth it had been craving for so long. She grappled her hand down her pants to hold it tight, hoping it would help keep it from eliciting another sound. It didn¡¯t really help. All at once she cursed herself for what had happened.

    This isn¡¯t right.

    You¡¯re too far down that road to be thinking that.

    You made your bed, now lie in it.

    The bedroom door burst open and drunken steps made their way into the room. The body that carried them took two steps in then stopped, turned, then closed the door behind them. Lilly held herself back against the wall as the body turned back around, took another few steps, and then stood directly in front of Carleigh¡ªstill lying naked from the waist down.

    The body dropped their shorts and before Lilly could even mentally grasp the situation his shaft was already halfway through her body. It was a single thrust that lead into a second, third, even a fourth; each of them with the force of a wild bull. When it was finally over Carleigh was gasping for air, the pounding knocked some sense back into her brain. The drugs were wearing off.

    The body threw back a drunken laugh, and then too late Lilly saw in the body¡¯s hand was a glistening silver knife. Lilly couldn¡¯t dissociate the body any longer, she had to come to terms with what she was seeing, and pray to god that she wouldn¡¯t be noticed.

    Derek Young stood over the wheezing Carleigh Heights. His swimsuit was around his ankles; his dick was now hanging in front of Carleigh¡¯s body. He didn¡¯t finish inside her, because that would be ridiculously stupid to do before what was about to happen. He threw his arm out in a wicked arc and made a single cut across Carleigh¡¯s throat. It was clean, and the blood poured down her neck in spurts. Derek stepped back as it coated the bed with a crimson gush. He stood there for a second and stared at her bleeding out. He blinked once and turned to walk out of the room, closing the door behind him.

    Lilly was still grasping the back wall; her breathing was no longer steady. It played Derek slashing Carleigh¡¯s throat on repeat. It played Derek slashing Carleigh¡¯s throat on repeat. It played Derek slashing Carleigh¡¯s throat on repeat. She stood there a full minute longer with her heart caught up in her throat. When she stepped out she could see Carleigh was no longer alive. Too much blood had drained from her neck onto the bed.

    She ran out of the room immediately feeling light-headed. Bile was rising in her stomach and she had to find somewhere safe to¡ª

    The hallway outside of the bathroom was as safe as she was going to get. It came up in one lurch and blew chunks all over the white walls just outside Carleigh¡¯s room.

    ¡°Ugh, disgusting, can¡¯t you hold yourself together?¡± The voice of Ashley Evans was right above her. ¡°Doesn¡¯t surprise me the trash can¡¯t hold her alcohol.¡±

    ¡°F-Fuck...you,¡± Lilly called and hurled up a second round.

    ¡°Listen you little dyke,¡± she bent over, ¡°I¡¯m not dealing with you today. You are going to leave and never say a goddamn word about anything you¡¯ve seen.¡±

    ¡°Wh¡ª¡±

    ¡°Or else...¡± she pushed Lilly back against the wall and slammed her foot down straight between Lilly¡¯s legs, ¡°...you won¡¯t be able to do anything with your disgusting other half here, you freak.¡±

    ¡°Aghhh!¡± Lilly screamed out. She was still hard and the pressure only made it worse. It hurt immensely, but all her mind could drift to was Carleigh but Carleigh was just killed and¡ª

    Ashley stepped down harder and got a whimper out of Lilly. ¡°I said you are going to leave.¡± She stared at her intensely. ¡°I know you were in there, I¡¯ve been watching her the whole time. You just had to get in the way and make me improvise, now didn¡¯t you, you fucking whore? Say anything and your life is over.¡± She cocked her head, ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you to listen, because you hear my voice inside your head, don¡¯t you? You hear how strong it is and how I could snap your brain stem like it were a twig if I want. You already know how things go when people challenge my authority.¡±

    Lilly said nothing...she only grit her teeth. Her mind was still trying to piece it all together. Derek...and Ashley? But why? What could they possibly¡ªShe pressed down harder then, blood began to pool at her crotch now.

    ¡°Agree, or die.¡±

    ¡°...w-why?¡± Lilly got out in-between labored breaths.

    Ashley shook her head. ¡°No.¡± She dragged Lilly aside to the staircase¡ªshe was reeling from the pain that was now searing inside her stomach. Ashley set her down and in one motion kicked her down the stairs.

    Lilly didn¡¯t see it coming; she was rolling and felt her arm snap halfway down. Thankfully she landed right-side up when she hit the bottom¡ªavoiding any serious head trauma, but she didn¡¯t wait to assess her injuries. She got up and started to run as fast as she could. Behind her she could hear Ashley calling from the top of the steps.

    ¡°Oh no! Lilly! Watch out for those steps! I think you¡¯re going to fall!¡± She feigned concern and placed her hands over her mouth, grinning underneath.

    Lilly could only imagine what she could have been thinking. She made it outside, not stopping for anybody that might have tried to ask her what had happened. She wasn¡¯t totally sure if anybody had¡ªshe wasn¡¯t in the direct path of anybody since they were all concentrated out back. She ran home. The only thing she thought about was making it home.

    The police arrived five minutes later¡ªthe same unit doled out by Robert Honeyswourth over a noise complaint. Ashley Evans opened the door when they knocked. It was a generous offer to be the one to open the door to police officers at a party full of underage drinkers.

    ¡°Yes, hello, are you the owner of this home?¡± The officer asked with a bored tone that hung in his voice. It was by obligation rather than curiosity. He knew of course that any kid wouldn¡¯t be the legal owner of any of these houses, but these were the east-end kids. Their parents were out so often that they might as well have.

    Ashley greeted him with a small grin, ¡°Why, no, officer, but it is absolutely great that you showed up.¡±

    He looked at her for a minute fully silent, licked his lips to avoid the awkward silence, and she looked at him back equally quiet. It was like they were having a full mental game of chess...but it were one of the largest one-sided games of a mental war in history. Ashley knew that.

    Ever since she was young she was able to convince people to see things her way. It just...came naturally. It came at the cost of hearing voices and thinking everyone else was out to get you¡ªthose were the times that she wanted to convince someone to send a knife right through her own heart seven times over, but the strength needed of that feat was just too much.

    It all started out with small things. She got her father to agree to an extra cookie during dessert one day. The next week when she was six she convinced him to give her his dinner completely. He went hungry that day and didn¡¯t say one word on the subject.

    She was scared of her abilities then, because nobody else seemed to be able to do the same. Anytime she told her parents about it they had just said that she was naturally persuasive. She tried to believe that was the case, but she was able to make people do things they wouldn¡¯t do if they had their life on the line. She got her Dad to take her to a therapist.

    Her father wasn¡¯t one to believe in mental illness¡ªmuch less that it needed to be accepted. She was a little older when this came about, but it seemed she was still too weak to keep the hold on her Dad for long. He seemed to put up a mental block because he took her out just when she felt she was on the cusp of learning more¡ªshe felt she was this close to becoming stronger. If she couldn¡¯t erase it from her mind then she could certainly grow.

    The kids at school were scared of her¡ªthat much was obvious. She could make them scared of her. She could have anything she wanted, but she had to be smart about it. If she went crazy then other people would figure out was happening and they would probably kill her.

    Probably.

    Something was different as time went on, Lillian Jones seemed different to the rest of the dolls she went to school with. She was naturally resistant to her will. She felt that if she had enough time she could find a way to break her. Find a way to get her to be just like the rest...but that implication left her with one of her first fears¡ªof course after the fear of her own abilities. She feared that Lilly wasn¡¯t like the others in her class.

    She might...be just like me.

    This fear was fully crushed the day of that summer party. She held Lilly down both with her foot and her will. She tasted her horror and held a firm grip of it in her mental hands. She didn¡¯t just kick her body down the stairs, she tore her will in half¡ªleft her screaming out of the house for hours after. She felt good.

    ¡°Officer,¡± Ashley said with her head cocked at the slightest of angles. ¡°I think there¡¯s something upstairs here you should be checking out, no?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes,¡± he said nodding. ¡°I believe so.¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s killed my friend upstairs. Oh officer, you just have to please do something about it.¡±

    ¡°I have to catch that killer...¡± his eyes were glossed over. ¡°I have to...¡±

    She grinned, and thought of something devilish. ¡°Tyson McAllister, her boyfriend. He¡¯s the one you¡¯re looking for.¡±

    ¡°Tyson McAllister,¡± the officer repeated.

    And so it was done. Unfortunately, she was only able to keep his attention close to her grip while he was on the premises, but the name Tyson McAllister stuck out in his mind thereafter, and after the Nasseu Police Department had some gentle prodding by Rothbert Evans, Tyson McAllister was arrested not long after the party¡¯s conclusion.

    Since there wasn¡¯t any evidence on the scene that linked Tyson to the crime, he was let go pretty quickly. Ashley didn¡¯t like that, she had forgotten that she didn¡¯t have anything to keep that filthy rat locked up...not yet, anyway.

 18 | Turn a Blind Eye | Side Death

    The world had gone white. The flash of lightning had blinded every student inside Mrs. Fowler¡¯s class room, and they¡¯d woken up to the strange dimension inside the black sphere that covered the school. Rosie and Josie were discovered inside the supply closet¡ªand Josie¡¯s head was caved in by one of the students there that morning.

    After Ally had passed out from seeing the dead body, Lilly and Carlos helped carry her to the nurse¡¯s office.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got her,¡± Lilly said. ¡°You go check on the others, okay?¡±

    ¡°Ayuh,¡± Carlos nodded, ¡°You sure you got her?¡±

    Lilly stared at Carlos.

    ¡°Got it,¡± he nodded. ¡°And I¡¯ll tell Derek you¡¯re looking for him.¡±

    Lilly grinned.

    After Carlos left she looked down to Ally who lay unconscious on the cot in the almost-too-white room. It smelt of salve, but she kept down her stomach as she bent over and caressed a hand across Ally¡¯s cheek.

    She turned and walked out of the door and took a left down to the cafeteria. She asked Carlos to send Derek to the cafeteria¡ªhe almost caught on, but it must have just slipped past him. She didn¡¯t ask him out loud. She was instantly reminded of the party, and how she learned there was someone else out there that was like her.

    Ashley Evans of all people.

    When she was much younger she learned that she had influence over other people¡ªa very strong influence, too. Her parents were first, but she resolved to only use it if she really needed to. It was endlessly cruel to exert your force over another human being. She needed a reason, and it needed to be a good one. Ashley, however, didn¡¯t seem to need any particular reason. She tore through people¡¯s minds like a mental werewolf.

    That day at the party she felt the weight she held onto her¡ªshe supposed Derek didn¡¯t feel anything at all. Except how wet Carleigh was, of course.

    She was the first one in the cafeteria, but Derek wasn¡¯t far behind her. He opened the double doors and instantly stopped, his hands fell to his side.

    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± Lilly asked. They were the only two around¡ªshe was sure that the others were still back in Mrs. Fowler¡¯s room, save for Ally.

    ¡°Do¡­?¡± Derek asked, his expression didn¡¯t change.

    He began to walk across the room. ¡°You remember it.¡± Lilly said. ¡°I see it. You remember it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re¡ªnghh!¡± He straightened up tight and stood with his arms outstretched.

    Lilly looked him up and down.

    ¡°Wh-What¡­¡±

    ¡°You were under her influence when you killed Carleigh, that¡¯s why you don¡¯t remember it, but you remember raping her. That¡¯s because that was you. She may have given you the knife, but you still chose to steal her from me.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°August 15<sup>th</sup>, the infamous summer party where you slipped a roofie into Carleigh¡¯s drink when you approached from behind. You were a risky boy carrying that with Aoi chasing you around like that,¡± Lilly said, walking around to his front. ¡°And to think you almost got away without anyone noticing. I didn¡¯t want to at first, you know.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything,¡± he barked, regaining some of his composure, but none of his mobility. ¡°Not a goddamn thing.¡±

    ¡°You have been wanting to dump Aoi for half a year now, but know that he¡¯d find someone much better than you eventually and you¡¯d go crazy knowing that. But still you couldn¡¯t let it stop you, could it?¡±

    He gritted his teeth. ¡°You¡­you were the one in the closet. I thought I heard someone¡­¡±

    ¡°We all have our ways.¡± Lilly said.

    ¡°Well then that¡¯s bullshit! You took her up there and started to fuck her yourself! You have exactly zero moral high ground.¡±

    She shrugged, ¡°Maybe not, but I gotta do what I gotta do, you know? Ashley¡¯s got you under her finger, so I have to smash her fingers.¡±

    Derek began to show fear for the first time. ¡°Wh-what are you?¡±

    Lilly looked confused, ¡°I¡¯m not an alien if that¡¯s what you mean. Or a superhero, or a ghost, or a mutant¡­I¡¯m just me. And I don¡¯t really like when I can¡¯t get what I want. Ashley¡¯s the same way, you know. She¡¯s only more¡­hmm¡­impatient and fuck-it-all whenever the slightest challenge comes up. I try to take it easier, you know, if Carleigh doesn¡¯t want what I want then I stay by her side. I try, and if nothing still happens then, well then I¡¯ll take my turn.¡±

    Derek didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Is it unfair? Yeah, I won¡¯t argue with that. But for a split second think how it feels to be me. You haven¡¯t the slightest, and you won¡¯t, either. Sorry, Derek, but Ashley¡¯s fond of you¡ªmore than you know, and that means I have to do this.¡±

    ¡°Wh¡ªGHKK!¡± His back straightened out tighter.

    Lilly looked up to the corner of the room where the flag hung on its rod pointed upward. It began to slowly shift out of its handle and the rod was floating toward her, slowly. It took all of her concentration to keep it from falling to the ground.

    ¡°No, no please¡­PLEASE.¡± Derek began to scream, but was suddenly cut off. Lilly had to squeeze his lungs tight to keep him from screaming¡ªthe flagpole dropped a little, but she caught it. If she were found out now everything would be ruined. She heard the air escape his body in one whoosh.

    The flagpole now floated behind Derek, and she could see the pleading in his eyes. She wasn¡¯t backing down now¡ªno matter what happened she had to continue or else she¡¯d begin to think, and if she did that it was all over.

    She stepped out of the way as she drove the flagpole through his back and pierced his heart. The pole lifted his body up and she slammed it into the wall. His body slid against the wall where the pole pinned him and slouched over, blood began to drip down onto the ground below.

    Lilly looked at the mess she¡¯d made, but then shook her head. She took in a deep breath and widened her stance. She was imagining the wall in front of her as it had looked five minutes prior. There was a vibration that started in her core. She¡¯d practiced for this¡­only got it to work a few times, but now that she was here a fear stalked its way into her heart¡ªit wasn¡¯t going to work.

    It did.

    The body and blood vanished before her very eyes¡ªstill physically there, but to any who would pass they would only see what she makes them see.

    As soon as she finished she fell against the wall¡ªinto Derek¡¯s blood that wasn¡¯t but was there. She was breathing heavily, a terrible headache rang through her brain like someone was smashing it with a mallet. She never put out anything that big before, and she didn¡¯t know how long she¡¯d be able to hold it.

    Hopefully all day.

 | PART III â€“ True Justice | 19 | Return, Redo, Rethink |

    Ally ceased watching memories of the past. She was back in the cafeteria, but now watching Aoi on the ground sobbing, Lilly was looking at her with concern, Adam and Tyson watched off to the side, Carlos was in-between Tyson and Lilly, and Harrison was sitting in the back, his eyes still spinning in circles.

    ¡°Ally, are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°You have been returned to the exact moment that you left.¡± The voice inside her head quietly faded out, and she blinked twice.

    ¡°¡­okay?¡± Lilly finished, but all at once her look changed, and in an instant she understood.

    ¡°You saw¡­¡±

    Ally nodded, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good,¡± she was staring right at Lilly now. The whole room was silent¡ªAoi even quieted.

    ¡°I can explain¡ª¡± Lilly projected her voice into Ally¡¯s mind again, this time with an ever increasing focused look.

    ¡°Guys, I know who killed Derek,¡± Ally began,

    ¡°Please, hear me out. I beg you¡­¡±

    The others turned to her. She looked to Lilly, who looked like a wreck. She was trying her hardest to use her power¡ªAlly knew that much, but for whatever reason it wasn¡¯t working. Ally walked over to the table in the center of the room. ¡°Carlos¡­¡±

    His head perked up instantly and began to shake his head.

    ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t do¡ª¡±

    ¡°No no! I¡¯m sorry, I made that sound wrong. I was going to explain, but first I need you to go get those trophies from Mrs. Fowler¡¯s room, okay?¡±

    He let loose a deep breath, ¡°God damn, put the spotlight on me like that,¡± he said, relieved. ¡°Yeah, I can.¡±

    ¡°Can you check on Rosie, too?¡± She asked. ¡°I want to make sure she¡¯s still okay.¡± Lilly shuffled uneasily.

    ¡°While he¡¯s off doing that I want to share some things I just learned.¡±

    ¡°Ally, please.¡±

    ¡°Tyson didn¡¯t kill Carleigh over the summer,¡± Ally said, surprising most others there.

    ¡°Ally.¡±

    ¡°Derek did. He raped her and slit her throat, and got away with it because he didn¡¯t remember killing her. Ashley made him do it, and¡­¡± she looked back at Lilly, ¡°¡­and that day is directly linked to what happened here today.¡±

    Jace appeared by her side suddenly. ¡°Ally, don¡¯t do it.¡± He said.

    She eyed Lilly hard.

    Jace yelled out a terrible scream that echoed off of the walls¡ªnobody else could hear it, of course.

    ¡°Ally, don¡¯t make me do it.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t make her do it Ally,¡± Jace pleaded.

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± She struggled to think back, ¡°¡­he¡¯s just a character I created. He isn¡¯t real. You can¡¯t stop me from bringing the truth out to light."

    ¡°Derek was killed because his killer knew that he was responsible for Carleigh¡¯s death¡­¡±

    ¡°I can make him real.¡±

    ¡°¡­because the killer loved Carleigh¡­maybe love was too kind a word¡­¡± Ally continued.

    ¡°I can make him hurt, but I don¡¯t want to. Ally you have to believe me. I only do it when there¡¯s a good explanation¡ª¡±

    ¡°The killer was obsessed with Carleigh. Because you don¡¯t hurt someone that you love. Not for any reason, not for any justification. You can¡¯t love like that.¡±

    Jace started screaming louder.

    ¡°Because the killer was raping Carleigh first. She was interrupted and had to stop. That was when she witnessed the murder, and instead of notifying the proper authorities she took justice into her own hands. She created her own true justice¡­except that kind isn¡¯t true or just. It was revenge, and no matter how much you try to justify it, Lilly, all you have done is made sure the wheel of blood kept spinning.¡±

    Lilly was screaming now, Jace was vaporized from Ally¡¯s conscious, and everyone there was sent back by the shockwave of her outburst.

    She cradled herself, shaking. She was breathing heavy. Ally knew that she understood that the others had believed what she¡¯d said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how,¡± Lilly said, ¡°But you sent them what you saw, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Ally nodded, ¡°I don''t know either, but yes.¡±

    ¡°How¡­how could you?¡± Aoi started, and he turned to her slowly.

    Lilly didn¡¯t answer him.

    ¡°ANSWER ME!¡± He roared and dashed toward her. She wasn¡¯t moving away from him.

    Ally could see the fire burning in his eyes¡ªit was the same fire that burned in Lilly¡¯s before she killed Derek. He meant to kill her.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Ally threw out her fist and caught Aoi mid-dash. He was suspended in mid-air just above the ground, and turned around to face her. ¡°Wh-What happened?¡±

    Lilly looked up with a mix of concern and curiosity.

    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s happening¡ªhow and why will come later. For now, you cannot do what you were going to do to her,¡± Ally explained.

    ¡°She¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ally said. She thought to him how she used to think to Jace. ¡°You know what revenge does to a person. Look at her now, does she look like she¡¯s avenged anything? That will be you if you do that.¡±

    He looked over to her, and for the first time really took her in. She cradled herself tight, her fingers digging into her arms. He didn¡¯t have to see into her mind to realize that everything was tearing her up on the inside. She deserved it¡­but Carleigh didn¡¯t. Derek¡­he¡­he¡­he did that to that girl. He did it, and he probably deserved it too.

    He looked down at his hands which were still balled into fists. I was just about to do that to her.

    ¡°Can I set you down?¡± Ally asked, still in the same position as before.

    He took a deep breath and shook his head. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    She did, and he slumped to the ground¡ªthe adrenaline had left his body.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­pretty much anything that¡¯s going on,¡± Adam said.

    Ally let go of a breath herself, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Adam, but we can¡¯t keep playing catch-up. If you don¡¯t now you will when it¡¯s all over, okay?¡± Then she turned to Lilly.

    She looked up at Ally, broken, understanding. ¡°What¡­happens to me now? I don¡¯t have the strength to do anything to you¡ªI used most of it up hiding Derek and¡­¡±

    ¡°I want you to explain. Everything about what happened today, and why you brought Issachar here and us to this void.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll¡­¡± she started. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­bring him here.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll chalk it up to divine intervention, talk.¡±

    Lilly looked to the floor, ¡°Everything she said was correct¡­although in what she showed you there were some¡­there were some lies mixed in with the truth.¡±

    Ally sensed she was telling the truth, but she stopped her there, ¡°Tell us everything concerning Carleigh and Josie. Anything else I don¡¯t care about.¡±

    ¡°Everything you saw regarding Carleigh was correct,¡± she sighed. ¡°I had feelings for her, and when she broke up with Tyson back in the summer¡­I think for the fights you two got in¡­? Anyway, I befriended her because I liked her, and I liked helping her. I could tell that she at the very least was bi, she looked at me in those times and I remember loving it, it told me I wasn¡¯t crazy¡­that I hadn¡¯t been feeling what I felt for nothing.¡±

    Ally could feel Tyson tightening behind her. ¡°Stay calm,¡± she thought to him.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t look at me, at first, I mean.¡± Lilly said. ¡°I made her look, and she just got used to it. I guess I planted the seed there, and she let it grow. Then she found out¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it. ¡°She found out, and she got scared. She wasn¡¯t ready, and she ran. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it, about her. So when I came to the party that day I planned to try again¡ªto plant a bigger seed¡ªmore seeds. I wanted her to like me for me.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to make her like you,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Lilly nodded. ¡°I panicked when Derek came up, he slid the roofie into her drink and immediately I knew what he was trying to do. I tried not to believe it because¡­well, I thought he was such a good guy.¡± She turned to Aoi. ¡°I really did. I know how much you loved him, but he didn¡¯t feel that way about you.¡± She turned back to Ally, ¡°That was when I got selfish. I couldn¡¯t believe that anyone else wanted her¡ªand they¡¯d probably stand a chance. I led her upstairs and I raped her. I couldn¡¯t finish¡ªI would have, and probably would have been found out much sooner, but that wasn¡¯t in the cards.¡±

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    ¡°Derek must have seen you bring her upstairs, and Ashley must have been close behind.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she made him get the knife, or if he brought it as insurance in case anything went wrong. My mind says the latter, it wouldn¡¯t make much sense to control him, then let go, then control again.¡±

    ¡°He raped her too, and then slit her throat.¡±

    ¡°That was when I found out Ashley could do what I¡­¡± she stumbled a second, ¡°What we¡­can do.¡±

    ¡°Read how other people are feeling, light telekinesis, other mental distraction,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know where it comes from; I don¡¯t think Ashley did either. When she dug into my mind I was able to see inside hers. She seemed more confused and scared than I was¡ªI think some other mental illness she had compounded in her.¡±

    ¡°What about her?¡± Sidney asked, speaking up for the first time. ¡°Who killed her if Derek was already dead before we even began?¡±

    ¡°I did¡­¡± she said. ¡°The Derek you all saw after his death was the other half of why I¡¯m weak, now. Since I had to hide his body here obviously people would question if he was missing. So in addition to that I had to project him here that you could see.¡±

    ¡°So it was a fake,¡± Ally said.

    ¡°Of course, it had to be. Derek¡¯s been dead for hours. All of my strength went into hiding and projecting him. Folie ¨¤ plusieurs, you might know the name of a Fall Out Boy album of a similar name, Folie ¨¤ deux. The meaning of the first word is psychosis of many. It¡¯s a psychiatric syndrome where the people affected share hallucinations or different delusions. What we can do is induce people with that condition for however long we can keep a hold on them.¡±

    ¡°You force hallucinations,¡± Sidney said.

    ¡°Derek was one, yes. You could see him, hear him, even touch him, but he was not really there. You all shared the same delusion, and that is why it was so tiring. It is enough work to have control over a single person¡¯s senses, but to influence the many¡­the plusieurs, well, that pretty much used me up. It held strong for all but one circumstance.¡±

    ¡°Being?¡± Ally asked.

    ¡°When Ally and ¡®Derek¡¯ split up to investigate the classrooms they went missing, remember? Well, Ashley tried to rape Derek inside one of the rooms¡ªlocked the door and everything. She enforced her will on him and tried her very best. It was the first time since waking up here she exerted herself like that, and she broke the illusion. Quite literally he broke before her very eyes.¡±

    ¡°He just disappeared, and that¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t find him at least¡­¡± Tyson said.

    ¡°I put in a failsafe to the hallucination. If something like that happened then the psychosis of the one would increase. It¡¯d drive them to suicide, and that was exactly what happened. Ashley made her way to the band room as quickly as she could¡ªI couldn¡¯t tell you why on that. She chose what she chose and ended her life¡ªit was by coincidence she happened to use a flagpole as well. The piano was me¡­I couldn¡¯t let it stand that I don¡¯t get a little kick in¡­¡±

    ¡°Any one of us could have been driven to suicide because of your insanity,¡± Sidney said, and for once Ally agreed with her.

    ¡°No¡­not anyone. Only Ashley, only she was able to¡ª¡± And then she stopped.

    ¡°No, she¡¯s not the only one. Not anymore,¡± Ally said. ¡°I could have equally stumbled on that situation¡ªgod knows why I¡¯m now able to do this, but I am. You could have killed me.¡±

    ¡°I¡­I swear I didn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Your swears mean nothing to me right now,¡± Ally said. ¡°Josie. What happened with Josie? That¡¯s the last I care about, and then I¡¯m done with you.¡±

    Lilly nodded, slowly and sullen. ¡°I didn¡¯t call the police on Derek because I knew that Ashley would have some way to defend him. She got away with everything with her power. I didn¡¯t doubt murder would be one of them. So I planned to get revenge¡­something that would stick. Josie agreed to help out. I told her everything I knew through her mind¡ªRosie is much too sweet¡­she wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it.

    She took in a deep breath and was shaking again. ¡°I came up with an idea to fix all of my problems.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second¡­¡± Harrison called out from behind them all, surprising everyone in the room. ¡°That isn¡¯t why you¡­you came to me that morning.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lilly said. ¡°I bought some LSD off of you and mixed it with¡­well, I don¡¯t know fully what with. The intent was to make something that would kill when injested. The plan¡­¡± she sighed and rubbed her temples, ¡°¡­the plan was to poison Ashley and then get Derek to confess once she was down. It¡­spiraled.¡±

    Ally didn¡¯t say anything, she only looked at Lilly with a putrid look.

    ¡°Tyson was there that morning, and seeing him flared up something inside of me. I was thinking of Derek killing Carleigh all over again and it burnt through my mind like a fireball. The plan changed, I made the note that you found in the library, Aoi.¡±

    ¡°The one that said the killer knew who killed Carleigh,¡± Aoi said.

    ¡°I gave it to Josie, who had already had the poison pill at this point. I gave that to her because she had the earliest opportunity to slip the pill into something she¡¯d eat. She¡¯d have suspected something from me if I got even ten feet within her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s when Josie approached me,¡± Tyson said. He was aware of the eyes on him now, ¡°Yeah yeah, look all you want. I didn¡¯t say anything about it because where it ends up makes me look real suspicious,¡± Tyson said, unblinking. ¡°I followed her to the library to try and figure out what she knew.¡±

    ¡°That was the plan.¡± Lilly said. ¡°I was gone from the cafeteria at this point.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Ally began to think, ¡°You were out to the bathroom for your period.¡±

    ¡°In truth I was using the keys I convinced Josie to steal from her father to¡ª¡±

    The doors opened behind them, Carlos came back in with both trophies in his hands, and he set them down on the table. ¡°All righty, Rosie sends her best wishes¡ªshe¡¯s conscious again, but definitely in pain.¡± He turned to Ally, ¡°She told me to tell you that she wanted to thank you for taking care of her.¡± He looked back to the group. ¡°So, what¡¯d I miss?¡±

    ~¡­~

    After Carlos re-entered the room Ally helped catch him back up by sending him the same memories that she had seen herself. It was like a party-favor of the worst kind. A moment later he nodded his head¡ªshe was sure that he spent as much time as she had watching through them, but arriving back to when he ¡®left¡¯. He nodded his head and licked his now-dry lips.

    ¡°You used the keys from Josie¡¯s father to open the case in the main lobby,¡± Ally said. ¡°You took not one trophy, but two of them from the case¡ªthe Soccer and the Volleyball trophies.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lilly nodded. ¡°The volleyball trophy I took with me to the library. It was locked that early in the morning, so I opened it myself. I set up the volleyball trophy on top of the second bookshelf. I directed Josie to run to the library after showing the note to Tyson. I was running on a tight time frame.¡±

    ¡°Rosie¡¯s testimony,¡± Ally pondered, ¡°¡­she said she remembered walking up to Tyson, immediately felt frightened, do you remember that?¡±

    ¡°Lilly didn¡¯t come back so I guess Josie was bored. We were just talking about the volleyball game that was going to be after school anyway, but all of a sudden I could feel that she was nervous. She was scared of something. I was confused then when we stopped, far from Mr. Thatcher¡¯s homeroom, mind you. If I had to guess I would have said we approached the opposite corner of the lunchroom...yes, where Tyson had said he had been sitting. You didn¡¯t speak, but you scared Josie, didn¡¯t you? Then we were running. I remember now we were running and I didn¡¯t know why. The next thing I knew I heard screaming and then something heavy slammed into Josie¡¯s head and...and...and I woke up in the closet and everything was wrong. She...she wasn¡¯t moving and...¡±

    ¡°Rosie and Josie ran to the library¡ªJosie was nervous because¡­well, who wouldn''t be at a plan like this¡±

    Lilly flinched beside her.

    ¡°They made it to the library and something caused the trophy to fall on her head¡ªthat¡¯s why the volleyball trophy is dented here.¡± Ally walked to the table and grabbed the trophy up, showing the rest of them the chip in the marble base. She looked to Lilly, ¡°Sound accurate?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Tyson said, he now gripped his arm tight. ¡°I saw it.¡±

    And who would have believed that I didn¡¯t kill them if I brought it up? Ally heard him think.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± She started. ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t intend for her to get hit by it¡­¡±

    ¡°No, you only intended that she swallow the poison so that you¡¯d have nothing tracing you back to the crime. It was your insurance policy.¡± Lilly was about to argue, but Ally cut her off. ¡°Why¡¯d you take the Soccer trophy?¡±

    ¡°I¡­I swapped the trophies out. I know that¡¯s a thing that¡­¡±

    ¡°That killers do, take the murder weapon, right?¡± She hurt Lilly again, saw it visibly on her face. ¡°Then what? You dumped the volleyball trophy in the garbage can in the gym¡ªMaybe even got yourself a period alibi by wiping off the blood with your underwear?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    Ally knew it before she even said it; she felt that same hold that Ashley held over her at the party. In an instant she knew everything there was about Lillian Jones. And she had to try her hardest not to crush it. No, listen to your advice. Revenge isn¡¯t worth it. Revenge isn¡¯t worth¡ª

    ¡°Why did you make me fall for you?¡±

    Lilly was confused by the question, and then a sorrowful look faded onto her face. ¡°N-No¡­I couldn¡¯t have¡­you resist my¡­¡± and then realization. ¡°You really¡­¡±

    ¡°I really¡­¡± she didn¡¯t finish. ¡°And you threw that away long before I even knew you. You were too busy planning your revenge you threw away yourself. You can¡¯t love, only obsess what is right in front of you.¡±

    She looked up to the ceiling. ¡°Issachar! Where are you?! I have your guilty party right here. We¡¯re done with this trial.¡±

    ¡°A-Ally, p-please, I¡¯m¡ª¡± Lilly crawled forward two steps and bent down, crying now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    Ally looked at her on her knees before her. Nobody else in the room mattered at the moment more than the two of them there. ¡°You ruined me, Lilly. You turned someone I had hope in into a killer. You turned my last pillar into nothingness, and you turned me into a psycho-freak. You don¡¯t deserve to hear this except for in your own mind. Fuck you.¡±

    As she did, she stopped shaking. Despair had finally set in the place where her killing had previously been; where her ¡®goals¡¯ had previously been. Up above a small ball of light began to seep into their vision. It shot out five tendrils that latched into Lilly¡¯s spine and dragged itself into her body, sending her upright.

    Ally saw that her eyes glowed the reddish-gold light that had filled her vision before.

    ¡°There you are,¡± Ally said. ¡°So Lilly didn¡¯t summon you here, and Ashley¡¯s dead. So what happens now?¡±

    ¡°You have cured my curiosity, Allison Fae, thirteen. You are an interesting human¡­very interesting.¡± Issachar said through her body. ¡°What happens next is I return you to your dimension and you return to your normal lives¡­¡±

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Adam said, smiling large. ¡°Awesome¡­¡±

    He had a whole lot of mental trauma he was going to have to recover from¡­they all did. It was a good thing they were going to get out of this crazy darkness¡­but something didn¡¯t seem right.

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen with Lilly?¡± Ally asked.

    Lilly¡¯s head cocked to the side, ¡°Hm¡­what indeed. I didn¡¯t think you really would have minded anything less than execution.¡±

    ¡°You mentioned that wasn¡¯t your idea of true justice.¡± Ally said.

    ¡°This is correct.¡±

    ¡°So what is, then?¡±

    Issachar looked at Lilly¡¯s hands and closed them into tight-white fists. ¡°I¡¯m going to inhabit this body from now on. Thank you very much for helping me out. I am so glad I did not have to take someone who didn¡¯t deserve it.¡± He flashed a smile with her face and for the slightest of seconds a look of pure terror crossed over her face, and a voice louder than any other pierced Ally¡¯s mind. ¡°HELP ME PLEASE!¡±

    Issachar turned and drew a finger down in front of him as if peeling a part a layer of existence. A black and purple glowing rip appeared where he dragged, and it went all the way to the floor.

    ¡°It was nice meeting you all. I shall never forget you. This is where I take my leave. As soon as my portal disappears the school shall be returned to the way it was. I suggest getting some medical attention for Rosemary Higgins, thirteen.¡±

    He stepped through and it seemed to close up behind him. The others around were hugging each other and crying in celebration that the nightmare was finally over. They were going to go home!

    Ally stood still and looked out where Lilly¡¯s body was and then one second later wasn¡¯t. The voice that called out for help hung onto her like a vice, she was interrupted by Aoi hugging her from behind. Snot ran down his nose and he nearly knocked her over.

    ¡°Oh god It¡¯s over! It¡¯s over! Thank you so much! Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ally said, smiling, but not fully, ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡±

 20 | Haec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit | | (One Day, This Will be Pleasing to Remember) |

    The school was returned to normal as soon as the portal closed up. The dark sphere that had encased the entirety of the building faded out of existence like it had never been there. News crews of all Maine variants stormed their way into the building and found each of the remaining children¡ªas well as Ashley and Derek. Lilly¡¯s body wasn¡¯t found, and no official record has her location kept anywhere. The people of Nasseu never forgot the events of September the 22<sup>nd</sup>.

    How could they? There was no explanation, no killer present, and three dead bodies on campus. None of the students were given blame for the situation¡ªnothing linked any of them to the crime. It just didn¡¯t make sense to the police.

    Of course, the police were ignoring the stories they were told by the rescued children. What poppycock, they thought. Everything happens for a reason, and that reason had to be something logical at play, that was how things had to be or all cases gave way to the crazy. That¡¯s what the whole situation was like¡ªcrazy.

    Officially, the cases of the Nasseu Murders were left open and unsolved. Unofficially, though, the children of Nasseu kept the memory imprinted within them, and would most certainly keep for the rest of their lives.

    Aoi initially found it hard to recover from the events that happened, but anytime that he gave in to sadness or fear of the unknown he thought back to that one moment as he stared at Lilly. I won¡¯t ever be like that. I¡¯m going to be better than that. He kept it as a personal mantra that he said every hour. Eventually he would lighten it to every single day, and then every other day. There were days where he didn¡¯t even need to think about it at all. Those were good days.

    He returned to swimming shortly after school was brought back in session a few weeks after the terrible events and found great pride in the metaphorical weight off of his chest as he began to improve. Swimming became his method to return to normalcy.

    ~¡­~

    Rosie survived the incident. An ambulance was called immediately when she was found in Mrs. Fowler¡¯s class room and she was carried off to Nasseu Medical. Aoi had begged his parents to help cover the Higgins¡¯s medical bills. Rosie was going to need a very expensive separation surgery. Unfortunately, she did not survive the surgery and passed away on the operating table. The time it took for her to get into the operating room from when Josie died was the largest component to her death. The doctors at Nasseu Medical tried everything they could, but they¡¯d never seen anything like it.

    Mr. and Mrs. Higgins couldn¡¯t bear the thought of staying in Nasseu anytime longer after the passing of both their daughters. The day after her passing they weren¡¯t seen in town again. Rumor has it that they moved to Oregon to live a quiet life by themselves¡ªtaking nothing but what they carried on their backs.

    ~¡­~

    Adam recovered from most of the trauma faster than he believed. Tyson and Carlos were at his side like they had been before and he easily saw how toxic his relationship with Ashley really had been.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t even a relationship, dude. You were a total puppet.¡± Tyson said.

    Tyson still wasn¡¯t liked by the east-end folk who believed the initial reports of his murder of Carleigh Heights, but they were never going to change their minds anyway. They were snobby old people who were stuck up in their ways and could have been shown a live feed of exactly what was going on in Nasseu Middle School the day of the incident and still believe what they heard on the telly.

    Carlos calmed down a bit after the incident. His shenanigans and rabble-rousing were doused after that final confrontation. The whole experience had sobered him, and made him evaluate how lucky he was to be alive. The three of them grew closer as friends.

    ~¡­~

    Sidney Jameson spent a lot of time indoors and locked in her room following the incident. She had spent a significant portion of her life dedicated to completely and wholly ruining Ashley¡¯s life in revenge of how she herself had grown up, and in one day¡ªone single day¡ªall of that was up in smoke. Finally when she had gotten just what she needed to stick it to that fucking bitch it turns out she¡¯s dead¡ªand not even by her doing. Lillian fucking Jones of all people ends her. Lillian fucking Jones, who she can¡¯t even get revenge on because she¡¯s fucking gone! The last chance she had was Ashley¡¯s father and his bullshit grasp on their damn town, but it turns out he¡¯s dead too! Heart attack in the street on the same day Ashley bit the bullet. What a fucking joke.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    What a fucking joke.

    ~¡­~

    Ally didn¡¯t speak to anyone after the incident. As soon as the veil lift off the school anyone who said anything to her was met sternly with a blank face and a curious look. George and Jaclyn arrived on the scene full of tears and hugs that grew into concern as their foster daughter wouldn¡¯t speak to anybody.

    ¡°Nerves¡­uh, shock! That¡¯s it, shock! Therapist! She needs a therapist!¡± George scrambled out the words in his mind for the solution to the muteness.

    In the days following Ally was signed up with the local therapy hall¡ªspecifically with Dr. Coburgh, a professionally trained therapist. What followed after a usual therapy session looked like as follows:

    Dr. Coburgh: ¡°How are you doing today, Allison?¡±

    Allison: ¡­

    Dr. Coburgh: ¡°Anything particularly prevalent on your mind today? How was your school day today? Have any pesky homework?¡±

    Allison: ¡­

    Dr. Coburgh: ¡°Do you still think about what happened on the 22<sup>nd</sup>? Do you feel responsible for it in anyway?¡±

    Allison: ¡­

    Dr. Coburgh: ¡°If you knew who was behind it you¡¯d let me know, right? I don¡¯t have to tell anyone because of our patient confidentiality.¡±

    Allison: ...

    It was safe to say that therapy wasn¡¯t going well to how the Fae¡¯s intended. The doctor was especially annoying. He kept trying to pick at my mind, and how could he even begin to understand what was going on up there if I didn¡¯t?

    Ally kept lingering on the events of the incident¡­but not on the parts that everyone else may have been. She kept thinking on why some of the memories that Issachar had shown had been unrelated to the whole case¡ªtwo of them in particular with the draft of her English paper¡­and then the really troubling one.

    The first she¡¯d known all about¡ªshe remembered it of course. She wasn¡¯t keen on everyone else seeing just how bad of a fuck up Allison Fae really felt like. There wasn¡¯t a way to explain that off to any of them, and thankfully, nobody had asked her. Part of her¡­hoped¡­that one of them might have asked her. But it was only a small part, and only for a short time.

    The part that bugged her most was the sight of her as an infant being dropped off to Harold and Miranda. That she was brought there by a lizard-man named Ormus that was the same kind of¡­spirit? God? Angel? She didn¡¯t know, but he was the same as Issachar was.

    Ormus mentioned three names: Sakonna, Issachar, and a Father. There was more than just Issachar, and they had a leader¡ªa father. There were things she didn¡¯t understand about the memory¡­there was talk about a book¡­at least she thought he said book. The Eye? She had no clue on that front, or what Arctic Systems was. There was a lot that she didn¡¯t know, but she wanted to find out.

    We cannot fit into human bodies for long, however. We don¡¯t have nearly enough energy to sustain them. That is why we have come to this planet¡­we need more energy.

    Did this mean that soon Issachar would need a new body? What would he do with Lilly¡¯s body then? What was he doing with it now?

    Questions pooled one after another as more¡ªunimportant questions were lobbed at her by Dr. Coburgh. She cared not to answer a single one of them until she got the answers to the ones constantly floating in her head. I have to find the answers¡­

 21 | The Collapse |

    Issachar returned to his Father¡¯s side inside the body of the teenage killer. They still remained inside the rustic house that hung with an air of familiarity...in some other time a body hung from a noose in this very bedroom. ¡°I¡¯ve completed my task, Father. What do you need next of me?¡±

    ¡°BEGIN THE COLLAPSE.¡±

    ¡°A-Are you certain? There¡¯s still Ormus¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°DO YOU DOUBT ME?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°IF SHE IS IMPORTANT SHE WILL SURVIVE. IF NOT...¡±

    ¡°Yes Father, I understand.¡±

    ¡°ISSACHAR.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father?¡±

    ¡°ASK ORMUS TO COME AND SPEAK TO ME. I HAVE QUESTIONS ON THE GIRL.¡±

    Issachar nodded Lilly¡¯s head, and then bowed. ¡°Of course, Father.¡±

    Issachar left the seat of Father and immediately was standing on top of Mount Sinai. It was a beautiful Egyptian mountain that overlooked the vastness of the wild. Issachar stood with Lilly¡¯s arms at her side and looked out over the view.

    ¡°This world does have some gorgeous sights.¡± Its eyes scanned across the valleys below. ¡°I¡¯d like to remember this view¡­¡±

    Ormus behind it took a step out. ¡°You always were a sight seer.¡±

    Issachar looked back to the group of lights that made up Ormus. His specific string he could recognize anywhere.

    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful place.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re going to ask me if I miss it?¡± Ormus asked.

    ¡°No, not that. I want to know how much you remember.¡±

    ¡°I thought it would be something like that.¡±

    ¡°You always shrug it off.¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s to come with time. I only remember what I¡¯m supposed to remember.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Issachar nodded, looking back toward the sands below. ¡°Father is looking for you. He wants to talk about Allison Fae, thirteen.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to refer to their ages. Some people find it rude.¡±

    ¡°Oh...sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯m not offended. Just keep it in mind.¡± Ormus sighed. ¡°And...I¡¯ll go talk to him. What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Father told me to start the collapse.¡±

    ¡°I...see.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°If you want to see her then now would be the perfect time,¡± Issachar said. ¡°She¡¯s very smart.¡±

    ¡°No, I shouldn¡¯t...plus I¡¯ve got more than enough on my plate from Father. I¡¯m being sent to 423.¡±

    ¡°With Sakonna?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s finished up there now. I¡¯ve got someone I¡¯m scheduled to meet there.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Issachar said.

    ¡°Thank you...for keeping an eye out.¡±

    Issachar nodded, and then turned back toward the world. Ormus left. Issachar sat and dangled Lillian Jones¡¯ legs out across the edge, holding her hands against the cliff side. An hour passed and still Issachar held still. That was when its hands began to feel the warmth at the fingertips. Above it the sky was a massively indigo canvas with stars splattered all over.

    As its fingertips began to glow a bright white the stars themselves began to move the slightest bit, and then faster, and then faster. It started to look like a whirlpool of glowing white lights that moved in sync with the light on its fingers. Up above the universe sat a collection of several million different-but similar universes; lands of light¡ªLuxmund. Each of them encapsulated their entire growing half of the Manyverse¡ªwith Noctem just on the other end of the Darkbright. Luxmund and its many selves on that particular moment began shifting, seizing, vibrating, colliding.

    Collapsing.

    ~¡­~

    The tale of light as it grows to infinite is told by those who live within it.

    The tale is said to grow by the youth. The secret lies within the uncouth.

    When Night and Day form as one, magical abilities are the sum.

    Light and Dark two brothers eternal. One heroic, one infernal.

    When both are equal, both will prosper. To bring back those who lost her.

    This is the law of the land of Noctem. Father has told us this rhyme since the day of creation. It is ingrained in each of our beings as a part of our makeup. We were brought to Luxmund to collapse it back into one unified universe.

    Sakonna gathered the energy for us, thankfully it was enough. It was my job to unite the Night and the Day, and it was a total success.

    I pray for those humans that remain in the new world. They have been so used to having multiple universes to rely on¡ªif a human died in one it didn¡¯t really impact much since there were a million-million other versions of that very person present and happy in the other selves. I¡¯ll admit, I was a bit jealous of it before I came to Earth. Why should they get to live millions of lives while we only have one, Father? That is the most common question Father gets, I think.

    ¡°Humans didn¡¯t always get millions of chances,¡± was usually his reply. He never expanded on it further¡­it seemed kind of sad. I never really ever saw him sad except for that moment.

    I stopped thinking that whole thing though when I had come to see what humans really were like. Some of them were just so awful to each other¡­I got to wondering. What if one version of one human was so bad that another version of him or her was good in some other self? Vice versa, of course as well. And that¡¯s what led me to my experiment at Nasseu Middle School.

    Father wanted me to pick any old human¡ªSakonna wanted much of the same. She always wants what Father wants, nothing more and nothing less.

    I didn¡¯t want to take just any old human. I would be no better than the worst of them if I took a savior among a self. I decided I was going to choose someone young¡ªsomeone who had been broken and unable to do good. It had been good luck that I found just the perfect candidates in the students of Nasseu Middle School. Lillian Jones, thirteen, was the perfect human for what I desired¡­but also not. At least, the selves I originally saw when I came to Earth in 1990.

    I came in the same Luxmund that Sakonna had¡ªLuxmund-423. She always had a fascination for that number¡ªI couldn¡¯t tell you why. Anyway, I found her as Lillian Jones, seventeen down in New York. She had similar abilities as she did in Luxmund-66502¡­but there was something holding her back from her true potential. If I¡¯d taken her then she still would have some good in her. She was a tragic soul who was constantly making amoral decisions, but she typically found a way to make up for her mistakes.

    I couldn¡¯t take that away.

    It was actually Ormus who helped bring it all together. I found the perfect solution in Allison Fae, thirteen. She complemented Lillian Jones, thirteen, wonderfully, and helped bring out the exact scenario I wished for¡ªa Lillian Jones that would be so blinded by her desire for revenge that she loses all sight of hope; all desire to be forgiven. I needed an irredeemable soul. In a land of infinite Lillian Jones, who would miss the worst one of them all?

 ERROR | TDREEALMEORS |

    I can¡¯t let you go. Not again.

    I can¡¯t let you go. Not again.

    I can¡¯t let you go. Not again.

    It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. You lived through so much only to meet that end.

    I can¡¯t let you go. Never again.

    I can¡¯t let you go. Never again.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    I can¡¯t let you go. Never again.

    It shouldn¡¯t have to be like this. Everything is wrong.

    I won¡¯t let you go. Almost there.

    I won¡¯t let you go. Almost there.

    I won¡¯t let you go. Almost there.

    Until I see your smiling face once again. I¡¯ll put ICARUS back together and fix everything. Everyone will be happy.

    Everyone will be safe.