What Lies In Me

Chapter 2

Sadie was heading towards the library, but she's stopped to talk with some friends. I can hear them laughing, but even that sound is muted. Closing my eyes, I bury my face in my hands, struggling to clear my mind. I don't understand how I could have-

My thoughts are interrupted by someone tapping me on the shoulder.

"Hey."

I know without looking that this short, abrupt greeting comes from my roommate, Tony. I can easily recognize his voice anywhere.

"Oh h-hey," I mumble, turning to face him. I'd rather him not see how disoriented I am, but my attempt to hide it fails.

Tony's response to my baffled expression is a grin of satisfaction. He must be misinterpreting it as a reaction to his sudden appearance. We've known each other for a long time, and by now it has become very difficult for us to surprise each other. So we try our best to do just that, all of the time. Tony is also a student at this school. He begged his parents to enroll him because of the reputable science program. As soon as he got his hands on his first lab coat, it became a part of his normal attire. That coat, along with his glasses, unkempt black hair, and scruffy beard, really place him firmly in the 'nerd' category.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asks, looking around on the bench.

"Sitting."

"Really? You look like you're on the very urge of panic." Perceptive. I make a show of rolling my eyes, assuaging my own fears.

"It's nothing. Hey, isn't Jackson supposed to be spending the day with you?" I ask. "Where's he at?"

Without a word, Tony gestures to my left. I know what I'm going to see even before I look. My cousin, Jackson, greets me with a lazy grin.

"'Sup?" Jackson utters his traditional greeting. He stands in stark contrast against Tony. He's very tall, moderately built, and yet he doesn't have a threatening aura at all. He's usually the very definition of a gentle giant. He's also younger than both of us, at sixteen, and recently got his license. That, along with his height, short hair, and sloppy attire, clearly makes him the odd one out between the three of us. Here we are, boarding school students in the city, and he's driving here to see us in a loud pickup truck. He insists that he's not a redneck, and we let that argument stand. He may not be the stereotypical bumpkin, but he still stands out at times.

"Aw, come on, Jackson," I say, standing up and stretching. "I expect weird, sneaky shenanigans out of Tony, but do you really have to go along with them?"

"Well, you know..." Jackson began.

"Psh, Jackson will do whatever I tell him to," Tony says.

"Yeah, pretty much." Jackson casually allows the statement to pass. He's the kind of guy that will stand up and fight when assaulted, but anything less results in a shrug and a smile. Perhaps that's why he and Tony get along together so well.

"So, what are you guys up to today?" I ask.

"Well, we woke up at the early hour of an hour earlier than now, and we're headed out to live life to the fullest!" Tony says.

"Yeah, and weren't you planning to come with us?" Jackson asks.

"Where are you going?"

"To lunch," Tony says. "Specifically, Asian lunch. More specifically, Japanese lunch! The best kind of lunch."

"Are you still coming with us?" Jackson asks again.

"I was planning on it... I think. Sorry, what time is it?" I ask hesitantly. Though my two friends have done a great job of distracting me, helping me to relax, I can't shake a physical feeling that something is wrong. Something other than my location.

"Um, lunchtime. Around one, I guess. Why?" Tony asks, confused.

"It doesn't feel like it." I look up in the sky, and the sun taunts me from directly overhead. Yet, I can't feel its warmth. "Guys..." I say. "It's summer. Does it feel cold to you?"

"Huh," Jackson says. "Yeah, it does. That's weird, I was sweating five minutes ago."

"What the heck?" Tony muttered, already looking at his phone. "The temperature is dropping like a rock."

The temperature, as if poking fun at us for noticing the change, almost immediately drops below freezing. There is no wind, no sound, just a sudden, sharp freeze. My breath catches as the cold quickly seeps into my clothes and skin. I hear a few gasps from the girls over by the library. Jackson shivers, and Tony is speechless for once. Before I can recover, screams erupt from the other side of the library.

I immediately take off, running towards the screams. Tony yells something as he and Jackson follow. Before I can take twelve steps, I stop. My heart jumps into my throat. I'm petrified, every limb is dead. This can't be real. It isn't real.

Yet, there it is. It scrapes across the ground, destroying benches and perfectly designed cobblestone sidewalks. Coils crack and splinter as it wraps its five-hundred-foot length around the library, lifting its head above the roof. A hiss silences every voice, and in the stillness, I accept what I see as reality.

An enormous serpent, made entirely of ice, haswrapped its body around the school library. That serpent is looking right atme.