The yearbook slaps down on the table, and the sound echoes through the quiet classroom. Charlotte feels her stomach lurch when she sees it. She wants to leave immediately, but guilt settles hard onto her. She can't imagine leaving her friends now, when she knows they'll need her help.

With everything laid out on the table, Leia begins arranging the supplies into neat piles. There's a flashlight for each member of the club, along with a few individually wrapped snacks she took out from her pantry. "Okay. There's a few things for everyone here, so just take a pile. Oh, and I think our best bet is to split up, at least for the first part of the night. It'll make it go a lot faster."

Lucas nods, grabbing his pile and shoving everything into his pockets. "Right. Once we leave the hallway, I'll start at the entry and work my way back."

"Guess I'll take the back entrance then, and meet you back here at the classroom." Ava pipes up, nearly dancing in anticipation. "Ugh, I know this is all really creepy and everything, but I can't help but be a little excited. It feels like living out a thriller movie or something."

Charlotte groans and shakes her head. "Ava, now's really not the time. You can't keep daydreaming and pretending you're some kind of special main character." Ava blushes, her smile fading from her face. She withdraws from the table, and her usual bubbly demeanor vanishes.

Leia gathers up her own things, and tries not to lash out at Charlotte. She knows Charlotte is stressed, but there's no need to bring down the mood of everyone else. "Well, this situation really couldn't get any less horrific, so I can't really blame Ava for comparing it to her movies and books. Anyway, I'm gonna head down the hallway. Guess I'll see you guys later." Leia walks briskly out of the classroom, and Lucas and Ava follow behind her.

Charlotte snatches up her things, her anxiety beginning to climb. It wasn't fair that Leia had taken Ava's side. Didn't everyone realize how dangerous this all was? Maybe Charlotte had been a little insensitive, but Ava had been concocting a fantasy in her head, and Charlotte wishes Ava would stay grounded in reality.

Storming off, hoping she went in the opposite direction of everyone else, Charlotte runs into the bathroom. It's pitch dark, with no lightsource available besides the light switch. She flips it once, twice, three times, but the light doesn't turn on. Sighing, she flicks on her flashlight. A chill creeps over Charlotte, and the light wobbles when she rubs her arms. Scanning the room, she doesn't see anything out of the norm.

"I don't know what I was expecting." Charlotte's laugh bounces off the blue-tiled walls. The light reflecting off the mirror catches her attention, so she takes a few hesitant steps towards it.

Charlotte notices what a strange sensation it is to look at her face in the dark. The flashlight creates an eerie glow across her face, making her eyes appear sunken in and bruised. She brushes stray hair out of her face, leaning in closer to the mirror. There's a dark red mark across her neck that she doesn't remember being there. When she reaches up to touch it, there's a sneering grimace painted across her face, but Charlotte can feel her brows and mouth knitting into a frown.

Her heart lurches in her chest, survival instincts kicking into full gear. She steps back away from the mirror, her feet tripping over one another. Her reflection cocks its head to the side, then lurches forward, a dirty, bony hand protruding from the mirror and clawing the air in front of Charlotte's face.

Charlotte's scream pierces the air, creating an ear-shattering reverberation. She stumbles back, losing her balance and slamming into a bathroom door. It flies open, and Charlotte feels her back collide with the toilet's rim. Agonizing pain blossoms in the center of her spine and radiates out. Her hands slap down on the cold tiled floor, and the air leaves her lungs.

Coughing, she manages to catch her breath and reorient herself. Her flashlight has skittered away out of her reach into the stall beside her, but it illuminates enough of the bathroom for Charlotte to make out the grotesque figure pulling itself out of the mirror.

A girl covered in filth and blood pulls the top half of her body out of the mirror, clutching claw-like hands firmly on the rim of the sink. It seems like it's slow going, but she will escape the mirror eventually. With the specter's hips nearly pulled out of the mirror, Charlotte knows it's now or never if she wants to escape.

Charging out of the bathroom, Charlotte only hesitates a moment to see if she's still being followed. Her back aches, and her heart beats erratically against her ribcage. After a few ragged breaths, she begins to feel safe, until the bathroom door bursts off its hinges and the crawling visage of Cynthia Davis scrabbles towards her.

Without a second thought, Charlotte bolts down the hallway. She has no direct destination in mind, but prays for some kind of escape. She can hear the slapping of the spirit's hands on the floor as it crawls along the floor behind her nearly faster than Charlotte can run.

The dark hallway feels like it's closing in on her, and Charlotte's steps feel altogether too sluggish. The fear she'll trip on something she can't see floods her mind,but her legs refuse to let her slow down. The hand-slapping sounds grow closer and closer, to the point that Charlotte can almost feel the mirror creature breathing down her neck.

A flickering light catches her attention, and she's blinded for a brief moment when the light lands on her. "Charlotte? What's happening?" Leia's nervous voice calls out to her.

"Run!" Charlotte screams with what breath she can spare inbetween strides. "Get out of here!" She waves her arms wildly, desperate to encourage Leia to run away.

Leia squints, peering around Charlotte's quickly approaching figure. She can just make out something behind her. Once Charlotte dashes past her, she gets a clear picture of Charlotte's pursuer.

A contorted and grisly version of Cynthia clammors down the hall, elongated and bony limbs propelling her forward on all fours. Leia screams, turning her feet down the hall to follow Charlotte. The slapping sound of hands stays close behind them. 

Lucas jiggles the door again, but gets the same result. "Yep. Locked. Just like every classroom I've tried so far." He steps away, tearing his fingers through his hair for the nth time this week. A bright light blinds him momentarily, and he throws his hands up to cover his eyes.

"Ah, jeez, sorry." Ava aims her flashlight down at the floor, letting Lucas recover from the temporary blinding. "Well...have you had any luck yet?"

Blinking through the spots on his vision, Lucas shakes his head. "Nah, they've all been locked. The other teachers must've known we'd be in here and didn't want us snooping around."

"Man, I hope whatever answers we're looking for aren't locked in any of the classrooms then." Ava folds her free arm around herself. "It's pretty cold in here too. I hope we find something soon."

Lucas rummages in his pocket and pops one of the treats Leia brought into his mouth. "Yeah, me too. Glad Leia grabbed this candy though. Gotta stay occupied somehow."

Ava laughs, mock punching him in his free arm. "Is the only thing you think about food?"

"Hmm, yeah, most of the time." He mumbles around the candy. "But there's other things too."

"Like what?" Ava turns to follow Lucas down the hall.

He thinks for a moment before answering. "Well, things like college, if my car is running okay and... What are you gonna do, once this is all over?"

"Woah, way to change the subject." She rocks over into him, making him stumble when her shoulder collides with him. "Hmm, but I guess I think about college alot too these days. I'm really happy with where I got in, especially with their creative arts program, but...I guess I'm still nervous. I'll be out in the real world and honestly, I have no idea what that'll be like."

Lucas opens up another candy. "Yeah, I get that. There's a whole world out there besides Washington Heights. I think I'm ready for it though. I'm ready for a change. And I can't wait to leave this nightmare behind."

Ava shivers, rubbing her arms to feel warmer. "Me too, honestly. I've never been in love with this school, but I really don't think I could hate it more than I do now."

Lucas stops in his tracks and turns to face Ava. "Yeah, this place really sucks." He shuffles, looking down at his feet, seeming like he wants to say more. Ava waits patiently, but her heart flutters in her chest for a moment. She really isn't sure why, but hopes whatever Lucas says next won't make it any worse.

"Look, A. I've been thinking. You know, if this really is a curse and all, we might not survive. And if anything happened to either of us before I... well, I'd feel really dumb if I didn't tell you how awesome you are." He manages to make eye contact and give her a weak smile, but soon his gaze flickers away.

"Aww, Luke, I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me." Ava tries to play it cool, but inside she feels over the moon. "You're pretty cool yourself."

"Ava, would you be serious just once? I'm trying to say that...that I like you. Like more than just a friend." He works up the courage to reach out and grab her hand, to keep her from walking off.

"Luke, I know that. I like you too. So...would you maybe like to get lunch sometime?" She bites her lip, looking up at him with her soft, brown eyes.

"Y-yeah. I'd like that." Lucas has to clear his throat to keep his voice from breaking and embarrassing him. "Well, with that settled, I guess we should keep looking, yeah?"

"Of course!" She bounces down the hall, her vibrant personality back intact. Lucas follows along behind her, the weight on his chest finally lifting.

Ava's forward progress stops suddenly when she spots a group of students at the end of the hallway. "Hey, you shouldn't be in here!" She calls out to them, then turns to face Lucas. "Mrs. Johnson said we'd be the only ones in here tonight."

Lucas flashes his flashlight across the faces of the students, and immediately regrets doing so. Their eyes are sunken in and look lifeless. They twitch erratically, and blood stains each of their mouths. Lucas lunges forward and grabs Ava, pulling her close to him.

"Look, I think we should go back and–shit!" Lucas fails to finish his sentence, and starts dragging Ava down the hall. The four students lurch towards them, quickly picking up speed and beginning to chase them.

"Who are they?" Ava asks between puffs of breath. It doesn't take her long to find her feet and start running alongside Lucas.

"I don't know, and I don't care to find out. They look like they mean business." He sneaks a quick look over his shoulder, and sees the garish ghouls reaching out to them, close on their tail.

"We should–we should try and warn the others!" Ava shouts, stumbling slightly. Lucas catches her, hardly missing a step. However, the slight slow is enough for the pursuing group to draw closer.

"Let's just focus on not getting caught for now." Lucas whips around the corner and peels off towards Mrs. Johnson's classroom. Somehow, they miss the bright light coming towards them.

Leia crashes bodily into Lucas, and if it weren't for his height, she would have sent him sprawling. Luckily, he catches her and manages to set her on her feet. "We don't have time!" Leia shouts, scrabbling for the classroom door. "We have to get into the classroom, she's coming!"

Lucas doesn't take more than a moment to think about what she's saying. A violent hiss echoes through the hall and a quick glance over Leia's shoulder tells him everything he needs to know. The crab-like Cynthia is scuttling towards them with a renewed sense of urgency.

The four throw themselves through the door, scrambling to their feet to slam it shut again. Just as they do, a massive thud crashes against the door, followed by the sound of many beating hands. They use their bodies to brace the door, desperate for a better option.

"What was that?" Lucas grunts, pressing his shoulder against the door. He can hear the moans and cries from the four students that were chasing him through the hallway on the other side.

"It was Cynthie–I think. I'm not really sure." Leia presses her hands and into the door as hard as she can, bracing it with her body held at an angle.

Charlotte has her back pressed firmly against the door, her back screaming against the strain. She looks up towards the windows, and feels the blood drain from her face. A faint reflection of Cynthie stares at her out of the inky black darkness.

"Oh no, she's here! How did she get in?" Charlotte's body shakes violently against her will.

"She's on the other side though, so as long as she doesn't break the glass–" Ava begins, adding her weight to the door when it starts to open.

"No, she can travel through reflections, we have to cover the windows!" Charlotte stands up sprinting towards the windows, and pulling down the blinds. She shuts the first two, closing her eyes every time Cynthie pops up in her reflection. After scrambling for the third window, she snatches the string and gives it a firm yank, but it snags in its tracks, and she has to fuss with it, unable to get the blinds to cascade down.

It's a moment too long, as Cynthie's pale dead-fish arm shoots out of the window unexpectedly and seizes Charlotte's arm. She screams, falling back and fiercely shaking off the bony fingers. The fingers leave red welts across her arm, and from the way they hurt, Charlotte is sure they'll bruise. Looking up, she sees Cynthie pulling herself through the window, the rest of her body appearing from nothing.

She scrambles back to face the others, who are still holding the door closed with their combined might. The four ghouls continue to pull, twist and shake the door, determined to not lose their quarry. Cynthie draws ever nearer, and soon only the table lies between her and the group.

Leia, fearing for Charlotte's safety, leaves the door and grabs the closest thing to her. The yearbook sails through the air, smacking Cynthie directly in her damaged and decaying face.

The Cynthie monster screeches, its unearthly voice ringing in their ears. It recoils back from the book, stumbling back over its own disproportionate limbs. The lights flicker, once, twice, three times, and with a final screech, it vanishes.

They all stare in stunned silence for a moment at the yearbook, now resting flipped open to the middle pages. The assault on the door ceases nearly the same moment that Cynthie vanishes. A stillness settles into the air, leaving the group to slump to the floor, exhausted.

Leia crawls towards the yearbook, picking it up gingerly and checking to see if it was damaged. It looks just the same as it always has, but she has a new appreciation for it. "What...just happened?"

Charlotte folds her arms around her knees and rocks back and forth. "That was too close. She almost had us."

"I'm more surprised that she didn't in all honesty." Leia wraps her arms around Charlotte and pulls her close. "The minute the yearbook touched her she just...vanished. It's like the curse can't curse itself or something." Leia chuckles, realizing how ridiculous it all sounds.

"Maybe that's exactly what happened." Ava sinks down to the floor and stretches out. She stares up at the ceiling, eyes going blank and her mouth falling into a straight, neutral line. "It definitely seemed to do something to her, whatever happened. I think she would have killed us otherwise."

"Well, let's keep that yearbook close, then. It seems like it can ward off Cynthie pretty effectively." Lucas takes it out of Leia's hands and puts it back on the table, giving it an affectionate pat. He's just as shaken as everyone else, but does his best to put on a brave face for Ava's sake. "One thing I do know is that we're not splitting up ever again."

Word Count: 2,835

Word Count (Total): 17,926