The beast in the picture✔️

Episode 3

Dedicated to Mauyonskee
kodex6
Pius_1916
KingJhay1

Episode 3.

PRESENT

Joanna and I were taken back to our hostel in a police van the following morning. I felt like a bloody criminal. The stares I got from people. Oh, the judgemental look. It was the same look we got when we were going there. They looked at us like we had committed a serious offense. I was too tired to pay anyone any attention. Soothingly, I rubbed Joanna's shoulder as she lay her head on my lap. Her temperature was still rising.

By the time we arrived at the hostel, we were escorted by the officers to the room.
We met other officers and medical personnel there. They were about to clear up. The other girls stood at a distance giving us pitiful and disdainful looks. One even had the shameless audacity to ask me, "but what really happened?"
It took a lot from me to control my temper and not break her ugly face.

Joanna was leaning on me, I supported her weight by throwing her arm over my shoulder. She whispered in my ear.
"Look at the room one more time before they clear everything up. I can't bear to look at Dawn again. I might pass out. I fit die. Just look at everything, look at Dawn and give me one good reason why Dawn would kill herself."

Joanna's eyes were drooping. She was falling from my grasp. I held onto her tight until we were allowed into the room. I put her on my bed, the lower bunk bed by the left side of the room.
She curled up in a ball and tears flowed freely from her bloodshot eyes.

Discreetly I brought out my phone and turned it on, it's been switched off since yesterday. I took pictures of Dawn. Took pictures of the suicide note too. I stood by the door and took two pictures of the whole room. And I sat down on the floor and watched them with blurry eyes, move Dawn's lifeless body out of the room. With the dagger too.

My phone rang. It was my boyfriend, Nelson.
"Hello," My voice was still as raspy as ever.
I heard him release a sigh of relief, "Oh thank goodness. Tems, I've been trying to reach you since forever. I heard what happened. Are you okay? Should I come over?" He said in a rush.

"Yes please..." I croaked out. "...please come in your car. We have to take Joanna to the hospital. She's burning up."

"Okay, Tems. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Nelson," I hung up.

I got up and went to crouch beside Joanna. Just one touch and I flinched. Joanna's burning up pretty quickly. There was nothing I could do but hope that Nelson would arrive as soon as possible.

***

Joanna has been admitted and I had called her parents. They haven't left their daughter's side for a second since they arrived. I didn't want to leave too. Joanna's immune system isn't strong enough. She could catch a cold and you'd think she has cancer.
They called her customer in the school's hospital.

"You should go home," Joanna's mom told me.

I shook my head in denial, "Nah, I wanna stay," I replied.

"You really should go home, you've been through a whole lot within the past 24 hours. It's getting dark. Your friend committed suicide, that's a lot to take in. You need to rest. Go home and rest, my child."

Before I could say anything, she hugged me for a few seconds before releasing me, "call me if you need anything."

Nodding in agreement, I requested, "call me when Joanna wakes up."

She assured me she will.

***
I couldn't go back to the hostel, I would be alone. I can't even bear to stay in the room where Dawn had died.

So here I was waiting in Nelson's car with a cigarette in between my lips.
Whining down the window, I puffed out the stale clouds of fumes. Resting my right hand on the window, I looked at the cigarette in between my index finger and middle finger for a while before bringing it to my lips.

"Tems," the disappointment in Nelson's voice is evident.
I turn to face him. He puts the shopping bags in the backseat. The smell of the food overcomes the monoxide essence.

I watch him as he hops into the driver's seat, he looks at me for a few seconds before speaking.

"Tems, you swore that you quit smoking," He reminds me.

I turn away from him before answering, "I did."

We stayed silent for a while before I spoke again, "you know? The first time I smoked, I was 14. I did it out of sheer curiosity. And I wanted to do it again and again. It was when I was taking a jamb lesson that a friend of mine conducted research on me and found out that I was born an addict. My father is a chain smoker. I tried to stop. It was almost impossible.

"It wasn't until I had this nasty experience where I almost died because I was high that I put in more effort to stop."
I made to drag in a lungful of smoke again but Nelson was quick to collect it from me and throw it out of the window.

I stared at him, "right now, I'm smoking because it's the only thing that can keep me from falling into darkness or from exploding."

Nelson kissed my forehead, "I'll keep you from falling into any darkness whatsoever and from exploding.

"We'll be going to my house on the island. You can't stay with me in the boy's hostel."
I nodded.

Nelson started the car and began driving, looking at me from time to time. He placed a hand on my knee and squeezed it in encouragement.
If anything, I was grateful that I had someone like Nelson.