Published || The Secret of Larimore High School

◽️13.5◽️

Her soft shoes hit the rugged floorboards of the pristine Catholic Church, led only by the flashlight on her phone. A shiver cascaded down her spine in the dimly lit building. Clergy usually left their churches open, even at night. Rachel texted the first contact in her phone.

u up dear?

When she received no answer, she sent the message to that contact's social media as a direct message. Her elegant, fashioned nails made a soft click as she typed at the keys. Something about this place engrained fear in her bones, even though she never felt safe in a church anyways. The ring had to be here in the Baptismal Pool.

Yeah, you okay? You were supposed to come over to my house for movie night.

The reply arrived, finally, and she answered it.

oh jeez fey im so sorry i got caught up in the riddle bc i figured it out
now that im here tho its really scary can you come plz? 201 n Manchester

I'm grounded, no phone, already planning on sneaking out for the event. Can't. :< We can video chat from my PC?

k calling

Rachel clicked on the video calling option, and blinked nervously into the camera. As the phone rang, calling her girlfriend, her own face stared back at her in the darkened church. A sparkle caught her eye from behind her shoulders, making her look at the figure behind her on the screen. A red beaded necklace around a familiar figure gleamed in the dim light.

The pixie let out a shriek and dropped her phone as the figure violently shoved her from behind. Her phone crashed to the ground, shattering the screen under the force of her body and her attacker. The phone dropped the call when she rolled over to get a look at the person, and their boot destroyed the communication device with a twist of the heel.

"I knew either you or your girl toy would catch on to the location eventually. I also figured that when you got here, I'd put you back where you belong- at the bottom." The person hissed, their eyes gleaming in the dim lighting that barely allowed both people to see their surroundings. The woman shook, terrified of the possible outcomes in the situation.

Rachel didn't respond, she simply glared upward, desperately trying to study their face so that she could find out their identity. The dim light and the mask didn't exactly help her. Her heartbeat exploded in her ears, reminding her that this situation held more danger than anything she ever encountered in Larimore School.

Words began to fall from the attacker's lips, words that Rachel hadn't heard in a long time that tore at her heart and reminded her that horrible people still existed out in the world. Tears pricked at her eyes, sliding down her face in a shield of defense as she mentally assured herself that this person spoke false words. Quickly, she pushed herself to her feet so that she could fight back and take this person down, then use their phone to call the police. After all, emergency calls worked without a pass code.

The attacker let out a surprised yelp, for they definitely weren't expecting to be fought back against. They thought they could win this fight mentally by shredding their opponents' mind and then beating her physically. This way, the girl wouldn't be a threat. The shocking reality of the opposite seemed to slap them in the face, along with a rather strong punch from Rachel.

They yelled again, this time in pain, but wasted no time in recovering and diving for her throat. She clawed back as best she could with the restricted air, grabbing at the beast's neck in an attempt to get them off her. The necklace broke at the back, making it fall apart in her hand. Red beads clattered to the floor, but a strand of them remained clasped between her fingers.

"You bitch! I'm going to have to replace that!" A bark fumbled out of the assailant's throat, and their shoulders shook with anger. The necklace carried special qualities, then, Rachel surmised. She kept it gripped tightly in her hand.

She kicked upward at their shin, hoping to make the fiend topple over so she could get away. They fell backward, completely knocked off balance as if she dealt a critical hit. The barbarian fell into the side of a pew, letting out a quiet snap of pain. Rachel started to bolt for the door, but the person regained their balance instantaneously. They dove at Rachel, slamming her head directly into the corner of a church pew. The pixie passed out and crumbled on the floor as soon as her head made impact with the wooden fixture.

The aggressor let their breaths calm, hissing out a sigh of relief now that Rachel couldn't fight back. After making sure that the phone broke completely, the assailant proceeded to head to the front of the room and up the stairs to the Baptismal Pool. Sure enough, a pretty ring sat in a sealed container right next to it. The person assumed the clergy refused to put the item inside the pool for religious reasons. The brute swiped it up, and after that, headed out the door before police sirens could sound.