IF LOOK COULD KILL
x. Nosebleed

scream vi,
chapter ten

✸

          Starr was beginning to believe she was a bad person or maybe a crazy person...maybe even both. She goes to sleep at night, sometimes wishing she hadn't brutally murdered her own best friend. She wishes Amber had never revealed to be behind the Ghostface mask.

She wishes she could still see Amber as the light of hope and peace, but every time she looked in the mirror and saw the ever-lasting scar on her face, she remembers the terrors Amber caused to her and her friends.

Starr Kimens is a killer.

She killed Amber.

She killed Ophelia.

And Starr felt as if there was only a matter of time before she was forced to kill again.

Even the thought of it makes Starr want to hurl. Is this truly who she's become? Or has she always buried the truth just like she buried the memories of what she did to Ophelia Burns?

"You okay?" Arden walks into their shared bedroom, her eyes on Starr as she sat on her bed, crossing her legs.

She must have seen the tension on Starr's face.

Starr nods, "Yeah—yeah, how was not having me around?" Starr teases, "The entire dorm room all to yourself."

Arden chuckles, "It was great actually, didn't miss you one bit." She lies.

Starr smiles, and a familiar spark returned to her heart. Starr looks down at the bracelet designed with tiny colorful rocks.

Her smile drops as she hassled up out of the bed and to the closet.

Arden frowns at this, sighing, "Starr, come on."

Starr acts confused, "What?"

"You keep doing that...thing." Arden couldn't find a word to describe it.

Starr drops her pajama pants and an old t-shirt on her bed. "I'm not doing a thing."

"I've been trying to get close to you because you're my boyfriend's sister as well as my roommate," Arden admits, "but every time I think we're taking a step forward, it's like we all of a sudden take ten steps back."

No. Starr thinks. Don't let her manipulate you. Don't let her make you feel guilty.

"Or maybe," Starr raises her brows, becoming mildly defensive, "our personalities just aren't that compatible."

"I don't believe that." Arden shakes her head.

"Well, maybe you should." Starr replies, "Just because you're dating my brother doesn't mean we have to be BFFs."

"It also doesn't mean we have to be total strangers," Arden stays calm, "you have to admit that there's a chance you see me as your friend."

"We are not friends, Arden!" Starr suddenly snaps, causing Arden to raise her head higher, eyes squinted.

"So all those nights you woke up screaming and I calmed you down, that was just a stranger comforting another?"

"That's..." Starr shakes her head, "Don't do that—don't throw that in my face."

Arden's face softened, "I just—"

Arden heard her phone ring.

Arden picks it up, seeing Arlo's name in the ID call. She answers. "Hey—"

Starr watches as Arden's face shifts into a look of concern.

"Yeah, she's right here, why?" Arden quickly replies.

"Oh my god, I forgot to call." Starr hisses, searching for her phone.

"Wait—what are you talking about?" Arden stands up, "calm down, Arlo."

"Just get over here, now! The both of you!" Starr hears him saying over the phone before a beep followed.

Arden's wide eyes connect with Starr. "He's saying, they're back...is he talking about what I think he's talking about?"

Starr swears she felt the entire world go silent.

She snaps back into reality, trying her hardest not to get caught up in her head. "We have to go, do you have your car keys?"

"Yeah, where are we going?" Arden grabs her keys from her nightstand before following Starr to the door.

Starr continues out the door while saying, "Sam's place."

✸

When Starr and Arden got to Sam's apartment, Arlo was quick to run to the both of them. "Why didn't you call, you said you would call." Arlo wraps his arms around his sister, hugging her.

Everyone sat on the couch. Anika cuddles up beside Mindy, Quinn Bailey leaning on the arm of the couch. Tara stared blankly at the tv. Ethan Landry had his elbows on his knees, fists in front of his face. Sam stood beside Danny, a neighbor of there's.

"I got sidetracked—but is it true, are they back?" Starr felt her heart speed up.

Arden looks at Arlo, "There were police cars outside campus, what the hell was that about?"

Arlo just turns his eyes to the tv screen everyone has their eyes glued to.

Starr examines the screen. Reading the words:

' Victims Jason Carvey and Greg Bruckner were found brutally stabbed to death on the campus of Blackmore University. '

"They were killed?"

Tara slowly removed her eyes from the screen and let them slowly trial over to her sister, who was already ten steps ahead.

"Pack a bag, we're getting out of the city." Sam turned to head to the back of the apartment.

Tara was quick to follow her, calling her name, "Sam."

"Okay," Chad pushes on Danny's chest, "thank you so much suspicious new guy, but uh—we'll take it from here, you have a great night." He closes and locks the door.

Starr felt her chest tighten and it didn't help when she looks down at her hands to see the scars left from pulling in razor wire.

Arlo was quick to pull his sister to the couch, his hand on her shoulder.

Sam comes back with a fresh kitchen knife. 

"This might not have anything to do with us." Tara felt her lips part.

Sam turns around, her face covered in shock by the fact Tara would even say that "Tara, no, this ain't a coincidence, you knew him!"

Tara looks to Mindy, Chad, Arlo, and Starr, "Back me up here!"

Chad looks to his feet, nodding, "It is a little bit—"

Mindy finishes his sentence, "Close to home."

"We can't take any chances," Arlo's leg bounces up and down, "we should go."

"You're agreeing with her?" Tara's eyes softened, "Do you?" She looks to Starr.

Starr shakes her head, "I just don't want anyone getting hurt, Tara." She simply confesses.

Tara huffs, "Quinn, your dads a cop, right? Can you call him and find out what's going on?" She turns back to her older sister, "Before you make the unilateral decision to abandon by college education and flee the fucking state."

Quinn coughs, "I'm calling him now." She moves her strawberry blonde hair out of her face.

"Thank you."

Sam's phone rings.

Everyone looks at it. Not moving a muscle.

Sam steps forward, placing the knife on the table before picking it up.

"Who was it?" Tara asks.

Ethan frowns, "why did everyone just freak out when her phone rang?"

Arlo stares at him blankly, "are you serious?"

Starr hides her smirk, rolling her eyes.

Anika rolls her eyes as well, "you gotta keep up, my dude."

"Sam, my dad wants to talk to you." Quinn hands her the phone.

Arlo runs his hands over his face, "I'm already sick of this shit."

✸

          Detective Bailey had called Sam down to the police station, making her leave the apartment with Tara not far behind her. The remaining group was left in the house with a terrifying cloud of terror ready to strike lightning.

Ghostface was back or something of the sort.

More killings.

More blood.

Blood, blood, bl—"Starr, your nose is bleeding."Arden realizes.

The group's eyes fall over to Starr, who had her head resting against the couch cushion, facing towards the ceiling.

Starr opens her eyes quickly and reaches for her nose, feeling a warm liquid trailing towards her lips.

"One second." Starr stands up and walks towards the bathroom, slowing the door behind her.

She takes a tissue and packs it in her nose.

The sight of Ophelia standing behind her in the mirror caused her to flinch.

"I'm surprised you haven't completely fallen apart, Starr." Ophelia crosses her arms, "I would."

Starr closes her eyes shut, "shut up."

"Are you standing here trying to hide behind your group of friends and judge someone in a mask when you've been doing the same thing?" Ophelia laughs, "You're pathetic, Starr Kimens."

Starr felt her eyes sting. Tears. "I didn't mean to do that to you, I didn't mean it."

Ophelia was now crying, "Sorry? You're sorry?! I'm dead because of you, Starr! It's too late to apologize."

Starr felt her head begin to throb, she sits down on the bathroom floor, bringing her knees to her chest, "You're not real, you're not real."

"Are you sure?" Ophelia's tone changed from clear to a hushed whisper.

The change in tone made Starr look up at her. She gasps when she sees the blue dress now covered in dirt, her hair ruffled and knotted. A red splosh covered the back of her head, along with more tiny drips of blood that came down her forehead and out of her nose.

"Look at that." Ophelia smiles, mouth red as she points to Starr's bloody nose, "We're both bleeding."

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word count: 1562

SIREDNOTES !—
Last scene is creepy ash.