'some people die because others lie.
I love you ~j.k'

I frowned at the second weird text I got this week.
Aunt Layla decided to get me a phone and Tessa spent two frustrating hours teaching me how to use it, I got one text yesterday, saying 'those that die, die for love'.

At first I thought it was the kids playing games with me but then I found out it wasn't, then I thought it was Tessa but then it wasn't as well, I even went as far as thinking it was aunt Layla's snarky husband but then he gave me a look that had me stricken with fear.

It had been officially one week I'd spent in highschool, the days went by fast and uneventful, I still hadn't seen link and Diana at our table and Nickolas avoided me like I had a disease.
Jerry seemed to be busy so I was mostly alone, which gave me more time to realize that I still couldn't understand maths, physics and chemistry but I loved English and a bit of biology.
I still needed a tutor.

My mind was removed from my distracting thoughts as I walked into the kitchen to get an apple.

I heard Maya's shrill scream and my body jumped into action before my mind could think about it.
I ran past the dinning room, leaving my tempting apple in the kitchen.

I got closer, my heart hammering in my chest, my breathing coming out in short ragged puffs.

The annoyingly cute little bundle of joy had secured a soft spot with me and I was genuinely scared for her.

"May-.... "
I reached the living room and the sight I saw had me on a mix of different emotions, all coming with full force.

I first felt relief then searing jealousy then like a closed tap, all my emotions disappeared as I forced myself to not care.

I saw a squealing, happy Maya rolling on the ground, with Mr O'Brien blowing raspberries into her stomach.

My mind traveled back to my childhood before the asylum.

'You can't catch me, you big ogre '
I yelled at the tall giant in front of me as I ran under the table.

This was my favorite hiding place, under the small table in the corner of the living room.

His loud laughter boomed across the room, reverberating off the walls.

'I'm going to get you, you little minx'

He yelled, making loud oger like sounds as he tried to push his head through the table and I squealed and giggled, my little body racking with laughter.

He couldn't get in and I blew raspberries at him, laughing at his defeat.

He frowned and grumbled as if he was upset then a minute later, he pulled the table right off my head, catching me just before I could run away from his grasp.

He tickled me and whispered in my ear.
'Never run away from me, you're my princess'

My trip down Memory Lane was interrupted as I noticed Mr O'Brien straighten up and dust off his clothes.
He must have noticed me staring as he gave me a scowl and left a still giggling Maya on the floor.
She hurried out after him, her laughter echoing after her.

"You ready? "
Tessa asked as she made her way into the living room.

"Yeah sure"
I said, distracted by the events that just took place.

I had conditioned myself not to remember, not to have those memories exist.
But yet......

I walked out to the car, Tessa following me closely behind.

We got into the car and drove to school.
Throughout the day, my mind kept going back to the text I saw, it was getting disturbing and I couldn't shake off the feeling of something bad going to happen.

"You want more?"
Jerry said handing me my tray.

I shook my head at him, absentmindedly.

"Ok this is the third time this afternoon.
You've been all half answers and distracted nods. What's wrong with you?"
Kira asked, her elbows rested on the table, propping her up.

Suddenly, with her comment every eye on the table was fixated on me.

"I - um I'm fine"
I mumbled out.

"Are you sure? Cause if there's something wrong, we can alway-......."

"I said I'm fine"
I snapped, getting tired of how irritated I was feeling and how persistent she was.

I saw her face fall for a second before she regained her posture.

My hands  flew to my mouth as I realized what just happened.

"I didn't mean to yell, sorry "
I apologized.

"We don't need another Shelly around here"
Kira said sharply, before standing up and walking away.

I face palmed myself, realizing what just happened.

I looked up to see Nickolas looking at me with his brow raised.
Shelly's mouth was open with indignation at being used for a bad comparison.
Tessa looked at me with some sort of pity and Jerry just held my hand from under the table.

"She has quite a temper, she'll cool down eventually."
He reassured.

I nodded at him.

I was picking at my food, my mind still trying to piece the texts together, I didn't notice when a crowd had begun gathering behind me.
Only when somebody bumped into me did I notice the huge circle behind me.

Somebody was rambling something inside the circle and everyone had shock and fear on their faces.

"What's happening?"
I asked Nickolas as he seemed to be the  only one who wasn't caught in a trance.

"They found a body."
Nickolas said, his eyes fixed on mine as if awaiting my reaction.
I didn't give him the satisfaction of screaming or seeming scared like everybody else.

The whole hall was fixed on the scared junior as she told her story.

"I-i was walking around, looking for my science partner.
I'd been doing all the work on our project lately and I was tired of it, so I wanted to call it quits.
I think she knew and so she was hiding away from me.
I heard from somebody that they'd last seen her at the back of the school, around the back of the gym, where the fence is and so I went there, wanting to give her a piece of my mind but instead I lost a piece of my lunch because I did find her but she was strung up on the fence, already dead. "
The girl finished with a shuddered.
Some people screamed, others gasped and I think somebody fainted but when I looked back at Nickolas, he was as emotionless as a door surface, his eyes cold and calculative.

After a lot of persuasion, she finally decided to take us to where she found the dead girl.
The moment we reached the fence, three more people fainted, somebody shrieked and then pandemonium broke out.
Everybody started screaming and running as if the killer was there with us.
Some teachers were thrown to the ground because everybody was trying to escape from the small opening at once.

My mind couldn't get the picture out of my mind, dirty blonde hair like mine, bright green eyes which now looked dead, her head was lolling over to one side and her mouth was open, she was tied to the fence with her neck and hands.
She looked like my parents did....... Dead.

"Tessa"
I yelled, fear filling me as I couldn't find my cousin.
I felt a blow to my stomach, I doubled over, clutching the area and then someone ran into me and pushed me over.
More feet, hands and shins stepped on me, kicked me and hurt me.

I felt one more kick my eye,the hard heel of the person digging into my skull, the area above my eye.
I was finally on the floor and all I wanted was to close my eyes and loose consciousness then a hand grabbed me, harshly pulling me up, against the many falling, rolling and fighting bodies.

"Dammit Mitchie hold on"
He yelled.

That voice......that voice was enough to make me open my eyes.
In front of me, in all his angry glory was Nickolas, I finally realized that I would most probably end up in a hospital if I stayed on this ground anymore, so I let myself be pulled by him.

He grabbed me in his arms and shouted
"Hold on. "
I really tried but I couldn't and do my mind slipped into unconsciousness.

Nickolas:
I watched from my seat as the whole cafeteria followed the scared girl to the murder site, even the teachers followed.
I wondered why anybody would be as stupid as to want to see a fresh murder site that has not been seen by the police.
They could contaminate the evidence or worse what if the killer was still around?
Stupid people, the whole lot of them.

I didn't move from my seat.
If there really is a body there, then I'm not going to let myself be next.
Like the wise people I know they are, none of my friends move to follow the girl, Jerry because he too, like me must understand how stupid going there is, Tessa because she wouldn't want to know if it was her friend or not, Shelly probably because she was scared shitless.
I chuckled, I was sure that if Kira was here, she would've gone because she thinks cadavers are cool.

I'd forgotten about the blonde haired trouble maker, till I noticed the empty seat.

"Shit! Tessa where's your cousin?"
I said.

Tessa looked around, before her eyes widened with fear.

"Oh God no"
Tessa exclaimed, more scared than I thought she would be.

"We have to find her, we can't let her see that body."
Tessa said shooting out of her seat.

"No way am I leaving here to look for that girl, she's probably fine.
We're safe here nicky"
Shelly said, shaking her head in disapproval and rubbing my shoulder, trying to coax me into staying.

I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Fine then stay here and hide, nobody asked you to come"
I said, more angrily than I expected.

"Jer, Tess let's go"
I said to them and we ran out.

Jerry's face was mirroring mine with worry while Tessa's was scared.

"We can't let her see that body"
Tessa kept repeating.

I stopped her and pushed her against some kids locker.

"Why! What's so bad about her seeing that body? "
I yelled, getting frustrated with her continuous talking, without any progress.

"Look man we don't have time for this, we've gotta find Mitchie"
Jerry said, trying to pull me of her but I stood my ground.

"Why!"
I yelled again.

Tessa looked at me, her eyes not really focused and I wondered if she was high again.

"Her sister was found strung to a fence, dead"

I didn't need another word, I didn't need to process the information, my legs started moving on their own, each leg empowered by the fact that I had to get to her, each beat feeling too slow, each step seeming like I was a thousand miles away.

My lungs were hurting, I couldn't stop.
My heart was racing, I couldn't stop.
My legs were slowing, I couldn't stop.

As I ran towards the site, I heard screams and saw people running away, it seemed like the news had spread round the whole school.

Every sensible person was running away, I was running towards it.

I pushed, elbowed and punched people to make my way through.

"MITCHIE!"
I yelled, repeatedly.
Receiving no answer, I pushed deeper into the mass of people.

I pulled out two blondes but none had the vibrant green eyes I was looking for.

Then I heard it, loud and clear like a beacon calling out to me.
"Tessa"

I made my way towards the sound of her voice, like a mad man I pushed and crawled through the body mass, till I saw a mop of blonde hair fall to the ground.

I increased my pace, letting my eyes do all the work.

Just as she was about to go completely under, I grabbed her hand, relief flooding me when I saw the green of her eyes.

I pulled her up, willing her to not give up.
"Dammit Mitchie hold on "
I yelled, frustrated.
Her eyes snapped to me for a moment and she seemed to give her all into the final push.

Once I had her safely in my arms, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and clutched her closer to me.

"Hold on "
I yelled, dread filling me as her lifeless looking eyes closed shut in my arms.

I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reading ✌