Beguile

Chapter 55

But why are they burned?

"I thought I could paint their nails too because of this two." She pointed over two pair of limbs with red nail polish.

My mouth agape. I know who they belong to.

"El.." I started. I can tolerate murder and even all these circus act but not with El. She's supposed to be precious and clumsy and funny-weird, but I have to accept somehow... Somehow.  "Did you burn the cabin?"

Color wash down from her face as if its the question she least expected, and even then I already knew.

"I- I was just" she stuttered. She looks down on her feet in defeat. "It's not my fault. Have you seen their eyes?"

"What are you-"

"I thought Femi was with them!" Her tone got bigger, her eyes wide, her actions unstable letting me no time to digest her words. "From the start I saw them how they look at you! At first it was just curiosity but when everything started they spark into hatred. Blaming you for everything!! Its not my fault. When you were dragged out of my sight everyone was already a culprit. I came back to the cabin to look for you but they refused to let me in, dont you think thats suspicious enough? They must be hiding you. They must have done horrible things to you."

I step back, everything sounds so foreign. I swear she was speaking English but my brain's a mess.

"I dont understand." I tried to keep calm. Maybe El isnt just in her right mind. That must be it. Yes! It's all a misunderstanding, she's still the Elise I know.

"Yeah yeah. Keep trying to feign ignorance." Christine suddenly spoke, she has this grin on her face that Ive never seen her wear. " We were given a new life and was looking forward to graduate in peace, and then you came along and that's when everything gone downhill."

"Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP!" El tried to interrupt but my world has gone silent but the words that came out of her mouth.

There's this headache. A high pitch buzz going in and out of my eardrums like a heartbeat. Pain shot up to the scar above my heart, responding to everything that she uttered.

"When you came along they started handing us wristbands, following their every command to pretend like perfect little kids. Bullshit! We're not all wealthy and genuises who doesnt cuss, did you actually think that? Perfect Ha! No such thing. We were just a bunch of juveniles they brought from prison."

I force a laugh. "Me? Are you saying they did all this for me?! Do you expect me to believe that? Me?! Not like Im special."

"Yeah you tell us, Kennedy. What makes you special that they change every rules in the school just to cater your presence. Barring us from simple fun just to prevent you from getting exposed to nonsense, to keep you pure and nice."

"Do you expect me to believe all that?"

"Believe all you want. You should atleast know that the shop mirrors who we truly are, and yet you refuse to open it, didnt you? Maybe you've already known, you just cant accept it."

There's an inkling side of me screaming of its lies. I'll only believe in what I see.

"Then I'll open it now!" I announced yet my confidence is breaking. I opened the shop before and all I saw was a bunch of bandages. Nothing suspicious. Nothing evil.

I tap on my band and the screen only visible in my view splash out like an illusion. I scroll and scroll and scroll, but so far there are only for first aids.

Ha!

They are all wrong!

I might simply be a thief. That should be my only crime.

One last scroll and there's a dagger. That's it! A weapon a mere thief held.

But then there's a folder. No name. Just sitting there like a camouflage -almost afraid to be seen.

El slap my hand away. "Ken dont listen to her!"

"Did everything really change?" I ask, I couldn't come into terms with everything. Its all missing with my brain. "Was it really my fault?"

"Well, I." A pause. She's trying to find words. She's trying to not make things awful as it is. "They're just jealous."

"Pffft"

Our gaze both landed on the pale yet snickering Christine.

"Look at her!" El pointed. "She's just jealous. She was always trying to take the lead, acting like a goody two shoes for them. She must have thought you were stealing her limelight, but I know that's not it. You know that, right? She has this eyes... Whenever she looks at you it's just filled with hatred. She was always scolding us! She must've get satisfaction trying to prove that she's above all."

"So it is true." I fell into a disheveled heap. I curl myself into a ball as the coldness of guilt wrap me up. "It was all my fault."

"No, Ken." A genuine worry lace her tone but all's done for. "At least we get to meet each other, right? You dont know how glad I was. I swear I could reach the stars from jumping in so much joy. Others shouldn't be a care when we have each other. Right?......Ken?"

She said something but a bubble of tears blocked off my ears. Everythings a blur. A headache keeps pounding on my brain, and I press my temple to get this defect work.

"What is this." I grip my head tighter. "I shouldn't have come." Regret eats up my heart. "I wouldn't have to face a problem if I didn't let greed reach me."

I should have known that skin was meant to cut, bones to break, and life to end.

I should have known.

"So this is the real world."