Candor And Curiosity (A Slenderman Romance)

Chapter 15

Heyo guys. Here's another update for you  (I just haven't been able to stay away from this book lately!) Before I start the chapter I just want to say a huge, huge thank you to beautifullyxinsane for the totally, amazing, absolutely breathtaking drawing she sent of Elizabeth Black. Drawing is on top (or to the side depending on your device!)

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August 15, 1976

Musical sounds of laughter and joy echoed through the air as happy little children danced and played in the schoolyard playground. 

They chased each other around, tiny feet blazing through the freshly cut green grass, sometimes tripping and stumbling. They danced around trees, panting in between ecstatic giggles, and swung on monkey bars, their little arms never tiring.

Some just laid on the grass and stared up at the blazing sun of the hot August morning, drowning out their parents warnings about the dangers of UV rays, skin cancer, and all the other stuff they didn't understand.

Yes, ignorance was bliss indeed.

And childhood, that sweet state of not having a care in the world, was the sweetest bliss of all.

The familiar sound of the end-of-recess bell echoed across the yard, inciting the feelings of disappointment and sadness that it did everyday at exactly 12:30 pm.

It was time for the children to return to class now, leaving their land of blissful play and painful sunburn behind.

The children flitted towards the classroom with sweaty foreheads and flushed cheeks, their energies not yet completely burned away. The teacher, a tall fair woman, stood by the doorway of the classroom, ushering them inside.

The children took their seats, some faster than others. Heat permeated through the room, and the children (ever eager for something to complain about) began to fidget and squirm in their seats.

"Now, now, children." The kind teacher tried to quiet them. "I've told you before, the more you complain, the hotter it gets."

The children groaned and pouted, and a simple "We want to go back outside!" from a child in the back of the room  sparked a widespread protest that was punctuated by incessantly chanting, "Outside! Outside! Outside!"

The now irritated teacher called for them to settle down and, seeing that their beloved Mrs. Bermingham was upset, they complied.

"Alright, children. Take out your notebooks please." She requested, before picking up a stick of blackboard chalk.

The children did as had she asked, still a bit upset that their chanting hadn't gotten them what they had really wanted.

But, they would get over it.

After all, they went through this same routine everyday.

The teacher began to write a short list of vocabulary words on the whiteboard, taking time to carefully form each letter. The children watched in silence, waiting for her to finish.

When she did, she turned around with her usual "get ready to learn" smile on her face. She scanned the classroom of students, as she always did, to make sure that all eyes were on her. She had expected to see all of her students in their proper places, but what she got... was quite the opposite.

Not again, she thought with a sigh. 

This had made possible the millionth time this year that this particular student had gone missing after recess, and she was getting tired of having to go and fetch her everyday.