No Strings Attached (Sequel to Puppets)

Hazel

"Did I miss anything?" The dark haired girl asked, glancing around at the four girls, who burst out in laughter. "That's a yes, alright."

Rachel unstacked five chairs, setting them out in a circle. She took a seat, as did Hazel. The rest followed.

"Okay, so I don't know what happened to me back then," Rachel confessed, and Hazel listened with rapt attention. "But I'm almost all better, and I should be able to go back to school- not this one, a girl's school my dad wants me to go to- by March."

"That's awesome!" Hazel said fake-cheerfully.

"Oh, the whole girl's school thing reminded me. I left a journal here after I got taken away. It's red. Do you know where it might be?" Out of the corner of Hazel's eye, she saw Reyna tense when Rachel mentioned a red journal.

"No idea, sorry." Thalia answered, the rest of the girls shrugging along.

"Oh, that's fine, I'll search later. I just wanted to see if you forgive me, and I wanted to do some trust exercises I learned in the institution." Rachel smiled. "That's why I chose this room. Only one window that I already blocked, soundproof, and it's pretty dark when you turn out the lights. Okay, so what we're gonna do, is you four line up with your chairs in the dark, and I'm not going to know where you're positioned, so I have to guess who you are." She flicked off the lights and Hazel was plunged into darkness. She awkwardly shuffled her chair, trying to line up with the others. "Okay, let's go!"

Rachel had probably started at the other end of the line first. But she seemed to go quickly, because Hazel felt herself being tied up to the chair.

"What are you doing?" Piper demanded.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention, it's part of the game so you don't flail and slap me." Rachel said smoothly. Hazel heard her footsteps move to the other end of the line. She struggled against her bonds. Rachel was good.

After a moment, Hazel heard a scream. "I'm bleeding!" Reyna yelled out.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, that was my nail!" Rachel apologized, sounding sincere.

"Ow! Rachel! Fuck, what was that?" Piper said loudly.

"Sorry! My nails are just a awfully long." Rachel said sweetly. Hazel heard Thalia scream, and she grew even more nervous. "Oops, I'm so sorry!"

Thalia kicked Hazel's chair with her foot, practically telling her to run, but she couldn't go anywhere. She felt air whisking by around her head, then something sharp against her neck.

"That's not your nail," Hazel said, terrified. The object- a knife, probably- pierced her skin slightly, blood dripping down her throat and Hazel cried out in pain.

"Funny, my bad." Rachel commented sadistically. "Did you really think that I would ask for your forgiveness and want to do trust exercises?" She spat.

"What, you want to be popular at your institution now, so you're doing this?" Hazel challenged, and she felt the blade dig deeper. Her now-adjusting vision blurred, the pain worse than ever.

"I think I might just describe you all," Rachel said cheerily, the knife moving away from Hazel's throat. "Let's start with Piper, dearest. How does 'manipulator' sound? And Thalia, honey, what about bitch, for you? Oh, and Reyna, sweetie, let's go with slut." Hazel's blood ran cold as she heard their screams and moans of pain. "And now, my daring Hazel... what shall I do with you? How about... traitor?"

She pulled up Hazel's pant leg and etched the word into Hazel's calf with her knife. Hazel winced, her breathing laboured, trying not to scream and satisfy Rachel. Yeah, she was never wearing shorts again.

"Now, for the final punishment." Rachel said, flicking on the lights. Hazel looked in horror at the other girls. Thalia had a gash going from her upper lip to below her bottom, blood spilling out of it. Piper had a nasty cut that went from her shoulder area all the way to her wrist. Reyna had a deep stab wound rather than a cut, in her shoulder. There was a few bloodied cloths on the floor, probably to clean off the knife each time. "Let's have you three watch me kill Hazel."

"Bitch," Thalia spat out.

"That's what's branded on your leg." Rachel smirked, advancing towards Hazel. She pressed the knife against her throat again, same spot, and dug in ever harder. Hazel's vision was fading slowly as the blood poured like a waterfall down her neck.

There was a loud knock on the locked door and Rachel dropped the knife in a pool of Hazel's own blood with a sigh. Rachel poked her head out the door, telling the knocker she'd be right there. At the same time, with Rachel's back turned, Piper grabbed her phone and called 911. "Help, we're at Olympus Academy in the left building, first floor, audio room. We've all been stabbed or cut in some way." Piper whispered into it, Hazel hearing her words faintly. Piper slipped her phone into her pocket as Rachel walked back.

"Where were we?" Rachel grinned. "Oh, yes the killing bit."

"Was it you who killed Lacy then?" Hazel heard Thalia demanded as her vision spun in and out of focus.

"Lacy? Lacy Lovell? She's dead?" Rachel sounded surprised.

"Yeah, let me tell you the gory details." Reyna said to distract her, launching into the story.

At some point, Hazel heard police sirens. She wasn't sure though, as her head was pounding and her neck and leg were stinging and her shirt was becoming soaked with blood.

Rachel cussed quietly, opening the blocked window and sliding out. "Fuck you, Hazel Levesque." She spat out before running off. Almost immediately, the door was busted open and uniforms ran in.

"Paramedics!" One yelled into the hallway, and suddenly, they were all being loaded onto stretchers.

Hazel gazed up at the blurry figure of a person who was bringing her stretcher the ambulance. She tried to speak.

"R-Rachel, she... she went out the w-window of the..." Hazel tried, but the fuzzy person over her pressed a finger to their lips and shushed her.

Hazel succumbed to the darkness on the edges of her vision and fell into unconsciousness.

--

hOLY FRICK RACHEL WTH

okay question time!! LAST ONE IS MOST IMPORTANT

1. What did you think about what Rachel did?

2. Were you expecting Rachel to try for revenge?

3. Would you like to see more of Hazel?

4. What specific things would you want to see in TMG? (Don't just say 'deaths' or 'plot twists', get into detail!)

ilyyyyy