Nari
I'm sitting down, near the fireplace, waiting for Josh. They're has been no luck at finding Dan or Libby. They're stuff is here still that they had on them during class so I packed that for them, but themselves are nowhere ti be seen. Now that weird girl with the cat, Sherbet... I have a mixed opinions about her, but I think maybe I'm unfairly judging her?
But what if she did hurt Brax like she admitted? Although, what if that was really just delirium talking? I say weird stuff when I'm sick with a head cold. We have not seen Libby and Dan. What if she did something to them? What if she really is a crazed killer right under our noses? I have not heard Carter come back from looking after Shelby for a while...
He promised he'd tie her up, but what if this is all in my head and we are hurting an innocent girl? "Agh!" I scream out and clutch my hair. "This is all driving me crazy! What is or isn't the truth!"
"Nari!" I hear Josh call out. I look up from my lap while holding my hair clenched in my hands. Josh runs over to me and takes my hands gently out of my hair and gives me a hug.
"Nari!" He exclaims. I wrap my arms around him and lean in. "Josh?" I ask.
"Tell me what's wrong."
"Oh, Josh. It's just me being me. I get tired and cranky sometimes, I just want to leave. Everything that is going on here is totally crazy. I think I'm going crazy, maybe?"
"I don't think you're crazy. Maybe just tired though...."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Thanks." I say, letting go. I pull Josh to sit on my lap. He blushes a little and so am I. "You've always been there for me, Josh... Ummm..."
"Is this something more because I'm not good at this type of thing!"
"Neither am I." I respond, looking down. I feel Josh's fingers take my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Josh?" I manage to say before he leans in and gives me a gentle kiss on the forehead.
After a few seconds, he leans away and let's go off my chin. I feel the heat still in my cheeks. The sensation and tenderness on my forehead.
"I should tell you something..."
"What is it?" I ask. He reaches behind my back and shows me Solayo's artifact.
"I found it lying in one off the corridors."
"Oh, well, at-least we found it. You're a good soul. We should see if we can mail it back to Solayo or something, I'm in no rush to go home..."
"We'll see. Any luck on finding, Libby and Dan?"
"No, I had a look for them actually and packed they're stuff for them. Nothing."
"What if they don't show up?"
"Honestly? I would actually be worried. Listen about that girl, Shelby with the Cat, Declan... What do you think of her?" I ask.
Josh shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not sure. She seems kind and caring, but it's like something is amiss with her... Why is someone like her living this far away from civilization?"
"She doesn't like company, Josh, like me. Humans are just like that sometimes."
"What do we do if we can't find Dan and Libby?"
"I don't know, Josh. If we can't find them, I guess we just have to leave. The Eclipse is over. I have not seen Carter come back from looking after Shelby actually..."
"What do we do now?"
"You know what? Don't worry. Go pack what medical supplies and food are left. I'll go track down Carter, Libby, Dan and Shelby. Josh stands up. "When were done here, how about we just go hit an Ice-Cream parkour or something and take it easy?"
"Yeah?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Or the beach. Carter said there is a beach in the next city over and there is a fish and chip shop and others walking along the beach like with Slushy carts and Ice-cream carts!
"I'd like that." I say smiling. "Just... Don't get burnt again. I'll put the sunscreen on you next time!" I joke. He pulls a sour face at me. "I'll go pack the food and medical supplies. You go follow up with Carter."
Josh walks off, towards the kitchen. "Wait, Josh!" I call after him.
"Nari?"
"Be careful, take care!"
"You too!" He smiles back, leaving. I stand up, walking towards the room that belongs to Shelby and where Carter is looking after her. As I leave Josh to go back upstairs to check in with Carter, I turn the corner and I feel my head bump into someone else. I give my face a little rub before I look up.
"Nari...?" It's Shelby. I take a few step backs and pull out my tree-branch. "You don't want to do that, I'm fitter than you." I try to find the words to respond, but they just don't come. Shelby let's out a demonic laugh at me.
"Pathetic! You're no threat to me. Here's what I suggest, you and your boyfriend can leave my house now. Take my supplies if that is what you want. Just leave my house. You're lucky I am offering you a chance for you both to go free."
"What? No! The plan was..." I respond, but she doesn't let me finish.
"Oh, you have a plan? Why am I not surprised!"
"Please just hear me out." I beg.
"If you will drop your weapon." She responds and pulls out a shovel. "Because I can play this game too."
I lower my branch and she places her shovel away, but not completely before I put my tree-branch away. "So, what was *your* plan you said you had?"
"Well, it wasn't my plan. It was Carter's plan. He wanted us to leave."
"You have beyond stayed your welcome."
"I know, I know. Wait! You said we could stay...?"
"That was Shelby's stupid call because she listened to that dumb cat's reasoning..."
"Why are you talking about yourself in third person? And what does Declan have to do with this?"
"Haven't you figured it out, yet you doll? This place is my domain and this body is my mere puppet. She does what I want."
"You are nuts!" I speak. No one wonder, Carter wanted to take you to a..." Is all I can say before she cuts me off again.
"What? A hospital? You could do that, but I can just leave this body then and you will be having an innocent girl locked up for nothing. Well, it won't be for nothing. I've driven her insane anyway." She monologues.
"Do you understand how crazy you sound right now?! I'm so confused! Where's Josh?" I ask her.
"He's out of the way now. He won't be interfering now with my goals."
"Out of the way?" I ask her. She turns around and goes to her room. I see the back of her neck, before she leaves and there are some thin lines across it and on her wrist as well. They look like knife cuts... Is she? But I don't get a chance to finish as she comes back and what I see horrifies me next.
She is dragging Carter's body along by the foot. A trail of blood follows from where they come from on the floor. I feel myself start to shake.
"Four down. Four more to go."
"No!" I shout at her. "You actually have been picking us off, one by one, like flies! Don't you treasure our friendship? Doesn't it mean nothing to you?! Why are you doing this? We've done nothing to you!" I scream in horror at seeing Carter's lifeless body. I pull out my tree-branch again. Shelby let's out a bold laugh. "Someone's who's already semi-dead, cast from existence already can't be killed, you know? But go ahead. You will just kill her. I'll still be here, trapped into a repeating timeline and I can take another body. Maybe I'll take yours for next time, Nari.
Declan doesn't remember and I'm sick of you all, coming along again and again."
"What?!" I shout. "You're not making sense!" Then her expression softens and I see a tear slide from her eye down her cheek. Carter's foot drops from her hand. I take a long look at her and put away my branch again.
She is actually quite frail and thin, not to mention bruised and hurt.
"Shelby... What is going on here?"
"Nari... Help me!" Shelby croaks out. I reach my hand out to touch her shoulders, but her hands reach up and seize mine. "You just fell hook, line and sinker. You're not going anywhere, Nari. I was going to let you and Josh go, but you don't know when to stop do you? You think you're a hero, but you don't meet the requirements to be an Angel.
"What? Sherbet, talk to me, please!" I cry out.
"Shelby... This isn't me!" She says with another tear falling and her face is numb and softening again like it was. She let's go of my hands. "Let me pass, please. I have too... I'll bury him, okay? I'm sorry."
"Shelby, no! You expect me to cover up a murder...? Look what you did!"
"He did, not I. Please just leave with Josh and go. Because he will kill you both next. I can hold him off for a little, but not for long. Take Declan, please! I don't deserve him!" She cries out at me. I feel Shelby hit me in the side of the head all of a sudden and I black out.
---
I feel a soft pillow underneath my face. Where am I? I sit up slowly to see I'm on a bed in a room. Wait... There are towels on this bed with knots in them. Oh, according to the existence of the Core! This is Shelby's room. I jump up quickly, wanting to get out of this room as I'm not tied down.
I see a note on the bed side table. 'GET OUT! - Angel of Darkness.' It reads. I stuff it in my pocket and before I leave, I stop myself and take a peak into the ensuite as something feels off. The place smells strongly of bleach. This is was where you spent your final moments, Carter? I grab my chest as I feel a seizing pain.
I feel my throat tighten a bit. Now, is not the time to have a panic attack! Just then I see something small and pink in the bottom of the bin near a sink in the room, off the side. I use the end of my boot to move the blood-stained tissues that are above the object aside. A small comb is at the bottom. Shelby must hurt herself at the same time, she murdered Carter? A comb is not enough to kill someone with, but it's enough to cause cuts. She must have used her shovel. I leave the room as quickly as I can. Maybe I should just get Josh and leave? She obviously doesn't want help or us here. We can send the police here later.
This isn't my place... But she asked for my help? I'm walking to open the door that leads outside the mansion so I can prop the door open with a rock or something when I stop short and I turn around.
"Damn, guilt!"
I go wandering all over the mansion, looking for Shelby. After a short while, I hear a scraping sound and I see a book on a book shelf click back into place so I run up and pull it which causes the wall to open up.
"I don't know if this is brave or incredibly stupid, but I'm going in!" After a short time walking down a hall, I come into a big room filled that almost resembles Solayo's classroom...
What is this place? I hear a noise to the side and I see Shelby walk out of a room and place some small glass bottles on the table. "Now, that I've taken care of that... I can finally relax. I feel so dizzy and a little sick. Time for some water." I hear her say and she heads through a door. After a few seconds, I come out of my hiding place and approach the table with the objects. It's some bottles of nail polish. Wait... These are Libby's! I reach my hand out to pocket them when I hear a gasp. I retract my hand quickly and look up.
"Those are mine! Libby said they were for me!" Libby snaps. "I just wanted friends!" She looks mad. "How do you know what Libby would want?!" I ask.
"Because she told me!" She yells at me. I take a step back. "Shelby, you need to calm down! I say. Do you have any idea how crazy you're acting?"
"Just, shut up!" She yells, grabbing the nail polish and pocketing them. She falls to her knees and cries a bit. I bend down to touch her hands, but she stands up and I feel her hands clasp around my throat.
"I warned you, Nari! You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?!" She growls at me. "What are you going to do? I manage with the last of my air.
"The days are numbered, Nari."
"Shelby, I can't breathe!" I manage while feeling my voice fade. "I'll just put you somewhere till later. Maybe you will freeze to death in that time and you will make things better for me." She snaps. She let's go of my throat and I see her pull out a needle and I feel a sharp pinch in my neck before I black out.
----
I feel a cold breeze hit my skin and I let out a shiver. I fling myself forward and see I'm on a bed, but I can't move as my limbs are tied down with towels. "Oh, come on, really?!" I shout out. "I'm sorry, okay!"
I hear nothing, she must not be nearby. The room I'm in is very small. I lay my body back down as there is no where I can go. "The temperature is freezing in here!" I yell out when I feel a cold draft hit me. Great, I'm going go freeze to death. All because of that girl! If we hadn't come here- Ugh, what's the point?! Being angry will do nothing! I should just wait for death.
I close my eyes, feeling my body shake. I let out a short breath that turns into fog. I look up with my eyes to see a small glass window that shows the sky above.
I can see the night sky above me, it's dark again...? I guess this will be the last memory I have... Oh, Josh... I never got to the chance to be honest with him, it's quiet here. I don't want to admit the peacefulness of it, but it's nice. I hope Josh does not have to see my frozen body. She better not hurt him or I will come back and haunt her ass from the other side!
I feel my joints lock up and I can't move or pull my eyes away from the night sky. I see patches of white flicker in my vision, particles almost like flowers, floating around. Am I dying?
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