"Hypnosis huh," Gwen said as she walked me home.
I nod. "That is what the person suggested in the book."
She hummed in thought.
"The person said whoever is hypnotized would have lifeless eyes but if I could recall, Mrs. Britany's eyes looked crazy especially when Andrew called the police."
Gwen said nothing, her face still twisted in thought. "How about you come to the school tonight to find out more about the author of the book."
"You mean Adrien?"
She nods. "There is a high chance that he might be a student in that school."
I think about it. "What about Alice? I don't want her to know that I lied to her."
She chuckled. "Does she scare you?"
I shrug, "A bit."
"It's okay, I am here. So we will meet in the school by seven?"
"Yeah."
She looks at me and laughs. "You don't have to worry about a thing. I am right here."
"Yeah, but what if something bad should happen to you?"
Gwen took one look at me and blushed. "No...no one has ever said that before."
I find myself blushing as well. "Well, we are friends, and friends are supposed to look out for each other."
Her blush went deeper and she touched her cheek. "Okay. Than...thank you."
I grin. "Don't worry. I am in the Martial Arts club. So I know a thing or two about defending myself."
She gave a heartfelt laugh and that made me laugh as too. Once I am in the kitchen, I pick up the largest knife.
'I don't know why I'm drawn to this weapon.' I examine it. 'But this will do until I get a real weapon.'
Slipping the knife into my bag, I head to my room to take a nap and wake up at exactly 6:30 PM. After packing some items like the book, a flashlight, a notebook, and a pen, I zip up my bag and get ready to leave the apartment.
"I am telling ya she is a hot shot!" I stop in my tracks. "Look, you will make a lot of money from her."
"Isn't she underage?" a strange voice said.
"Yeah but she looks like an adult so you don't have to worry about lying to your customers. Besides, guys like young chicks."
'What the...they are talking about me!' Cautious, I sneak down the stairs and take a peek into the living room. There, my Uncle was talking to three people wearing black with one of them sitting on an armchair.
"Well you know time means money so I want her now." the man sitting on the armchair said.
"Well her aunt is not here and she is asleep so you can take her." My 'Uncle' chuckled. "So does this mean my debt to you guys is paid?"
"Not yet. Let's take a look at her first. She will determine if your debt is paid or not."
'Uh oh!' I tiptoe back to my room and proceed to escape through the window. I was just outside the building when I hear the door open followed by footsteps.
"Well, where is she?" a gruff voice asked.
"I...I don't know! She was here just now!" 'Uncle' replied.
"You search the room. The rest of you beat him up."
Grunting sounds were heard followed by someone crying in pain as I climb down the building. Landing on my feet, I run in the direction of my school and don't stop until was safe on the school grounds.
'Phew! That was a close one.' I thought while catching my breath but hear some noise inside the building. Using a flashlight to light my way, I run inside and run into an ongoing fight between Gwen and Alice.
"Why you little..." Alice yelled swinging her baseball bat at Gwen who blocked it with a machete. "I did tell you if we should meet again I will smash your skull."
Gwen grunted and pushed her away. "I did agree to that. Let's see who will get out of here unscathed!"
I watched the two fight not knowing what to do. It was obvious whose side I was on but things ended up being on Alice's side. Taking out my knife, I made to join the fight but someone held my hand.
"How about you sit this one out?" it was Caroline and she had a serious look on her face.
"But..." I begin.
"You are not skilled in this kind of combat. Besides they were at odds with each other before you came in," she said.
I had no choice but to look on. The battle was getting intense with every passing second but it came to an end with Gwen swiping her machete at Alice's face and knocking the wind out of her.
"That is enough." She said kicking the baseball bat out of her reach and pointing the machete at her face.
Alice slapped the machete from her face and glared at her. Grabbing her baseball bat, she walked away in defeat.
I smiled as she left. 'It serves her right for picking a fight.' Then I hear a sucking sound behind me and turn to see Jane sucking on what looked like a piece of licorice with a creepy expression on her face.
"Why didn't you cut off her right hand Gwen?" she asked as a smile played on her face. "I would have kept it!"
I shudder and take a step back while Caroline walked over to her.
"I think you and I need to have a little chat." She said dragging the girl away.
Gwen on the other hand was panting like a fish out of water. I produce a bottle of water from my bag and give it to her.
"I am sorry I did not help you," I say.
She shrugged and took a huge gulp of water. "It's okay. This wasn't the first time we fought."
My eyes widen at that. "Really? You two have been fighting each other?"
"It's just a little squabble between girls. No problem." She wiped her mouth.
I cock an eyebrow. 'A little squabble? You two tried to kill each other!'
"But enough talk. Let's go to the Principal's office to see what we can find."
I watched her walk in front of me. "The...the Principal's office?"
"Yeah. He has the files of every student in this school." She replied.
We walk there in silence which was odd because the last time I came ghosts were trying to kill me. Luckily, we didn't use the school's roof. When we got to his office, I tried to open the door but it was locked.
"Leave it to me. I will pick the lock." I said taking out a hairpin from my bag.
"You know how to pick locks, Emma?" Gwen asked in surprise.
I nod and get to it. "Why does Alice act like this?"
She sighed. "I don't know! All I do know is she seeks out stray students at night but her methods are a bit extreme."
"Extreme?"
"She hits anyone she sees with her baseball bat." The door clicked and once I open it, I freeze on the spot.
"Emma?" Gwen asks. "Are you alright?"
I point towards the figure crawling on the roof but she looks at it and gives me a frown.
"What is it?" she asks.
Shaking my head and taking two steps backward, it came closer and closer. Suddenly, it screeched and pounced on me. Moving out of the way, I break into a run but it crawled after me with speed.
"Emma!" Gwen screamed running after me.
The creature jumped right in front of me and as I turn in the other direction, it crawled onto the wall and pinned me down. Beating it off was impossible because I could not touch her.
"No!" I scream as it barred its teeth at me. Suddenly someone dragged it away from me and disappeared.
My heart was beating fast and I was gasping for air. 'What just happened?'
With my torch nowhere to be found, I use my phone to navigate my surroundings. "I'm in the Music Room."
"Emma?" Gwen startled me by opening the door. "Are you alright?"
I could only nod in response. After helping me to my feet, we go back to the Principal's room despite the fear in my heart.
"Ha...have you met the Principal before?" I ask heading to the drawers.
Gwen shakes her head. "Not really. I met his secretary."
I open the drawers and start searching the files. 'Shoot there is nothing in the 'A column' and I don't know his surname.'
"What are you doing here?" a voice boomed. I turn and see a young man wearing a suit staring at us.
I stammer. "Umm...we were..."
"Emma, what is wrong?" Gwen asked
He took a look at Gwen's machete and grinned. "It is okay. I am dead anyway."
I shudder. 'He is a ghost! No wonder she can't see him!'
The man took a step back. "The person you are looking for is in the 'S' column." Then he turned and walked out through the door.
I freeze for a minute before shaking my head. 'What just happened?'
"Emma are you schizophrenic?" Gwen asked again.
"What? No!" I say looking at her.
She tilts her head. "It seems like it."
I sigh knowing she won't believe me if I explained it to her but I do take the ghost's advice and after searching the 'S' column, I find his file. "Adrien Stevens."
"He was seventeen years old. Therefore he was an upperclassman." Gwen said staring at the picture. "I have to say he is quite handsome."
I stare at the picture of the blond-haired boy with blue eyes and continue to read.
"Mother's name: Kathleen Stevens. (Deceased)
Father's name: Jack Stevens (Deceased).
Date of birth: June 2001
Method of death: Stabbed to death in July 2017 by a student."
I was shocked. "What kind of person writes about how a student dies and keeps it in his office?"
Gwen stands up and looks around. "I don't know."
Then I had an idea. Looking through the other student's files, I see the same thing; records of how they died. Those who were alive did not have the 'Method of death' in their columns. We take the information and give it to Caroline who thankfully was alone in the room.
"What is this?" she asks in s solemn tone.
"I read the book and found out that the author was once a student in this school by the name Adrien Stevens," I said.
She takes the file and reads it. "And..."
"He said something about students being hypnotized to kill each other." I continue. "He also observed that a student would disappear for 24 hours before they come back to school."
She hums in thought. "I don't know much about that student but I promise to get more information for you."
"But what do you know now?" Gwen asks.
"Nothing," Caroline says shrugging.
We sigh and walk out of the room into the main building.
"Well it is best we break up here," Gwen said.
"Wait a minute!" I hold grab my hand. "C...can you escort me home? I...I am a little scared."
"Aww," she cooed. "Okay, I will walk you home. Or..."
She grabbed my hand. "How about I take you somewhere awesome? You are going to love it."
I felt a blush come up but agreed to that suggestion. Taking me by the hand, she led me to a building and instructed me to climb up the ladder.
"Isn't this illegal?" I ask.
She shushed me. "It is only illegal if we get caught. Besides, we are only going to the roof."
I was still scared we might get caught but pushed it to the back of my mind. Getting there first, she helped me up to the roof and began to point at the stars.
"See." She pointed at the sky. "That's Perseus Cassiopeia. Then Camelopardalis Lynx. Then Ursa Minor and Ursa Major."
I was in awe. "I...I didn't know stars had names."
She chuckled. "No. It's the consolations that have names, not the stars." Then she brought me closer to her. "Look closely at one. It looks like a Swan doesn't it?"
I squint my eyes until a smile appeared on my face. "Yeah! It does!"
She smiled. "I learned in kindergarten that sailors use the stars to navigate their way and that was way before navigation technology was invented."
"Wow! I didn't know that." I smiled at her. "Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me."
She smiled back. "You're welcome. I normally come here to sleep."
"What? Why?"
She shrugged.
"The streets aren't safe you know and..."
"I reckon it's okay as long as no one knows I am here." She replied sitting down on the edge. "You can stay here if you want."
I looked at her then at the stars. 'I would feel nice to stay here but...what about school tomorrow?'
I decided to decline her offer. "I am sorry."
A wave of sadness appeared on her face. "I understand. Still not comfortable sleeping out in the open right?"
I nod. "Thank you for understanding."
"It's no problem." She stood up. "Well, let's get you home."
The next day...
'Tick tock tick tock,' was the clock's anthem as Mr. Indigo droned on and on about Electromagnetism but I wasn't paying attention to it. What was I thinking about? The adventure Gwen and I had last night.
'Ursan Major, Ursan Minor, Perseus Cassio...Ugh! What did she say the name of that consolation was?'
"Ms. Cross-wood!" Mr. Indigo yelled dropping his book on my desk with a large thud. "Would you mind telling me what I had just said?"
I stand up. "You were telling us about Coulomb's law which states that the force between two point charges is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them."
He was flabbergasted for a while but grinned. "That was not the definition I gave Ms. Cross-wood but you got it nonetheless. Please pay attention in class."
I nod and sit back. Class ended soon after and I dove into my bag to get the lunch Gwen gave me on my way to school but it wasn't there.
'That is odd.' I empty the contents of my bag. 'I could have sworn I put it in my bag.' then I sighed. 'At least I brought some money with me.'
I go to the vending machine and buy some chips but as I make my way to the roof something catches my eye.
'What is Bert doing there? He looks like he is talking to someone on the phone.' I go over to him.
"Look I understand that you are an impatient man but I promise my mom will give you the money....No she is not playing hard to get...She has a heart problem and if you continue to call her she gets stressed and...No, no, we don't want trouble please! She will give you the money ...Next Friday? She can't give it to you on...Please give her more time! Oh...okay I...I will tell her."
He hangs up and leans on the railing sobbing. I watch him for a while and panic when he leans too far.
"No!" I rush and grab him. "No don't do it!"
He looks back in shock as I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him away from the railing. "Emma, what are you doing?"
I let go of him and take a step back. "I...I thought you were going to climb over the railing and throw yourself off the roof."
He shakes his head and grabs his arm. "No...no I wasn't going to do that...I mean was thinking of doing that but..."
I watch him hang his head in shame and felt a wave of pity flow through me. "I heard everything, Bert."
"You...What did you hear?" he asks.
'Oh, how I'm I going to put this delicately?' I bite my lips for a while. "I heard you talking on the phone with someone. Something about your mom not paying someone money?"
"Oh," he sighed. "I...You were not supposed to hear that."
"Look I may not be able to help but I can listen to your problem. After all, a problem shared is half solved right?"
He mutters something under his breath and looks at me.
"I promise I won't tell anyone," I add.
He sighed. "All right. You see, when my father died he left me and mom in debt to a Loan Shark. We did not know until three weeks after we buried him. The Lone Shark told us if we don't pay our father's debt he was going to sell everything we had including our house! I had to transfer from my former school to here because it was cheaper but its reputation and work have made my mother so stressed she developed a heart problem. The doctors told her that she will die if she does not rest soon but how can she?"
He burst into tears and I felt sorry for him. 'For someone who has a cheerful attitude he is good at hiding his problems.'
"I understand." I hold his hand. "I don't know how to help you but I have some money saved up."
"No you can't do that!" he yanked his hand away from my grip. "I don't want to be in debt to you too..."
"It is okay," I say smiling. "I am not asking for a favor in return. I am trying to help you. It is not much but it will help you at least."
He sniffed and gave a grim nod.
"So I will meet you here tomorrow then?"
He nods again. Smiling, I give him a hug which was awkward because he was a little on the short side. The bell rings and I bid him goodbye and leave for class.
'Gosh. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten those chips without buying something first.' I thought gulping down my saliva. After enduring for another minute, I raise my hand to take permission to leave the class and go straight to the nearest water fountain and take a sip.
'Ah, that felt good.' I wipe the water off my mouth but see a shadow behind me. Turning back in a nick of time, I dodge the knife blow aimed at me.
"What the..." I scream and move out of the way my attacker tried again. Staggering backward, I take a good look at my attacker; it was Mr. Green the Math teacher.
"Mr. Green?" I call out while taking a few steps backward. "Mr. Green snap out of it!"
He staggered for a moment and I notice a tint of life in his lifeless eyes.
'He is hypnotized! This is what Adrien was talking about!' I walk back at a slow pace. 'But he seems to be fighting or something.'
"Mr. Green?" I call out to ask again but he shot me a look and lunged for me. I jump back and break into a sprint but he was high at my tail.
"Emma!" someone yelled but I ignored it and continued to run nearly tripping on my own feet as he chased me.
'Maybe if I go to a crowded area someone will help me.' So I head to the hall where another class was having a gym. They all stared at me when once I open the door and just as the teacher was going to tell me off for disturbing the class, Mr. Green charged in with the knife in his hand. Everyone screamed and ran out through the other door. I follow them but someone locked the door.
'Great! Now what?' I turn around and see him shutting the door behind him.
'I will run past him, get through the door and lock him in until the police arrive.' I brace myself. 'Yeah, that can work.'
We stare at each other for a minute until he lunged at me. I dodge quickly, do a forward roll, and sprint towards the door but he caught me by the collar of my uniform and threw me towards the fuse box by the right. I dodge his oncoming attack which caused the knife to be wedged inside the fuse box. Before he could pull it out, something clicked causing high volts of electricity to electrocute him. He screamed and the fuse box sparked making the lights in the hall blink rapidly. With one final spark, he stopped moving and dropped to the floor. Smoke was coming out of him and the smell of roasted flesh filled the room.
Covering my nose, I walk towards his body and looked at his eyes. His pupils and iris were gone indicating the life in his eyes was gone.
'But the look on his face when he attacked me...' I take a step back. 'Was this what Adrien was trying to describe?'
Then someone put a hand on my shoulder making me jump back.
"Easy there it is just me." Detective Walsh said then he looked over at the body. "Looks like I won't be taking you in handcuffs this time."204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2oyfdb10i
