I yanked my bag from the seat and sprinted out of the class into the ladies' room. I fastened the door and went to the glass.
"No, no, no! this can't be happening. What was I thinking? It's already happening." I buried my face into my palms, despair rumbling in my belly.
I hate myself. I tugged my hair hard, venting out my wrath. Tears pricked my eyes, but I didn't relent. The longer I stared at my reflection in the silver-coated mirror, the more the resentment gnawed at my soul, hammering away every last bit of sanity in me.
"Hey! Stop it, you're gonna hurt yourself. You not liking the red hair thingy doesn't stop another sane human from appreciating it." A feminine voice erupted from behind me.
"Where'd you pop out from?" I asked, pulling my gaze to the door. It was still locked, and I recall checking each stall. It was definitely vacant. "Hold on, you like this?" I held a chunk of my hair in my palms with a surprised look glued on my face.
"Heck, yes, I do! And if you do end up chopping it off, I'd love to be the first to buy it, that's if you don't mind. I'm short on cash, so I won't pay more than five dollars for a chunk," she said, raising her hand mid-air, counting what I assume to be cash. I could only gape at her odd sense of reasoning. She was practically the only insane person who liked this! despite her odd approach, there was an air of mystery around her. She appeared plain, but deep within me, I knew there was more to it that she was letting on.
"And you what, expect me to blindly fall for your act?" My arms knotted into each other as I took a step closer to her. Something raw flickered across her eyes before it disappeared like it was never there to begin with. The silence dragged on as the light sound of water dripping from the faucet into the basin deepened the atmosphere, feeding on my suspicion.
Her giggles pierced through the thick veil of tension around us, and I was once again drawn back by her actions.
Did she lose a screw?
"You're so hilarious, Aurora." A conspicuous glint lingered in her eyes. She cut the distance between us until her lips were almost in contact with my ear. "You... ha! It can't be. You actually forgot who you are." She drew back with a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. The kind way she spoke earlier turned cold and stiff. Each seconds that went by only made me hunger for the truth.
Why do I keep hearing that name—Aurora. Who is she, and what does she have to do with me?
My mind was in an unending sequel of questions. I was about to air out my thoughts until the jingle of the keys in its keyhole drew my attention back to her. She tilted the keys sideways and halted in her tracks the moment I spoke, "Who are you?! and how does Aurora relate to me?" My fists curled up, prepared to hurl a punch straight to her head if needed.
She swerved around and narrowed her gaze on me, her usual awful smirk returned, but this time more annoying than the last, "Old church cemetery, be there before dusk. Don't keep me waiting." She unlocked the door and pulled it open.
"H-how am I so sure you aren't bringing me there to slit my throat wide open." I shuddered at the thought.
She scoffed, "If I wanted to do that... trust me. I would have severed your head from your body a moment ago." The corner of her eyes drifted to my neck then to my eyes, and there it was—that sinister look that pranced about in her eyes. I flinched under her gaze, which seemed to be what she wanted to achieve. Before I could utter another word, she walked out, letting the door swing shut on its own.
I stood rooted on the ground dumbfounded. My brain was all messed up. What just happened? She didn't even answer any of my questions and of all places to meet up, she just had to pick that eerie old cemetery. This is so frustrating.
I slid down the tiles and relaxed my back against the wall, contemplating on my next course of action. I'd have to stay here till classes are over, plus my eyes still won't stop glowing, and my body was starting to feel strange.
I closed my eyes and buried my face in my palms. My hands started trembling, "Why can't I just live like every other normal human being? Why is all this happening to me." My heart ached, and a sharp piercing pain tugged at my chest, a burning sensation was slowly consuming me, draining the life out of me.
'No, stay calm, everything will be alright, just breathe.' I mimicked the words my aunt would say to comfort me every time I got riled up, and it always seemed to work, even now. My tensed body loosened up, and I could finally breathe again. I pushed my weight off the floor and stared at my reflection with will and determination oozing out of my body.
What will it be? Should I risk it by going to meet up with a suspicious stranger I just met who claimed to hold the truth about all this, or should I risk not finding out till this whole thing consumes me? I would rather take my chances and go for what seems right at the moment.
Just then, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out from my bag and saw an unread message hovering across the screen. I swiped across it, ignoring whatever it was... if only I knew how much I'd regret such subtle action many weeks later.
~*~*~*~*~
I stared at the screen of my phone as the digital clock hovering at the top part of my lock screen reached twelve noon. A bell reverberated through the corners of mind—it was time to sneak out before students clouded the hallway. I stood on my foot, cautiously tilting the door open, I popped my head out and took a mental note of my surroundings—three students at the further end of the hallway, one stepping out of a classroom with three hefty books in her arms, another student following after her and the coast was clear.
It's best to make a run for it while there are still few roaming about.
I stepped out and ambled down the hallway, throwing side glances at the students close by, but thankfully, they weren't paying any attention to me or my appearance. I was mentally rejoicing in my mind until an annoying voice I knew so well spoke from behind me.
Why did it have to be her.
"And where do you think you're sneaking off to Vivian, or should I say—Sister?" Ruby was at her usual frustrating self once again, and she just had to pick a wrong timing for that.
"Back off, bully!" I averred.
"Oh c'mon, I'm no bully," she giggled, rolling the tip of her auburn hair around her finger. "Samantha's the bully here, not me. So where're you off to? ditching school on your first day? I wonder what Michelle would say to that." The corner of her lips curved up into a wry smile.
My insides knotted in panic. I couldn't let Michelle or anyone find out about my meeting with the strange lady. I scrambled my mind for a perfect excuse and could only think of one way, which might go well or not so well. "Your threats mean nothing to me, Ruby. I'll be back before dinner," I said, moving my feet forward but paused halfway across the translucent glazed double doors. "If you know what's best for you, I'd suggest keeping your mouth shut." I shot a sharp glare at her before walking out, and I could almost bet I saw her gaze quiver.
~*~*~*~*~
I exhaled as I ambled into the deserted cemetery ground. I shivered internally at the sight of countless tombstones rooted in the soil. How unpredictable and cruel death can be. An unexpected weight clouded my heart, I gripped my chest and sucked in a huge amount of air. I didn't know what was happening to me, but one thing was certain—I had to leave this place now.
I turned around, and there she was—arms folded, her gaze piercing into me as if prying deep into my soul for some information. I raked my gaze all the way down to her heels and found her choice of clothing extremely offbeat. "You're dressed like you're paid to kill."
She wore a leather black V-neckline dress which had long sleeves with studded arm wraps, an attached hood fixed with a long skirt that had a high front slits, a matching black shorts underneath it coupled with a vinyl waist cincher that had a front hook closure which accentuated her hourglass shape, her thighs were draped with cross hatch pantyhose and a leg warmer shielding her from the chill of the night.
"I have a unique sense of fashion, and you look like you encountered a ghost."
"By unique, you mean freakish, bizarre, peculiar," I tilted my brows upward.
"Haha, how funny. Try to keep up," she rolled her eyes, swerved around and starting walking, no sprinting or whatever that was. I berated myself for going along with this decision. I stretched my arms and legs and took off, trying to catch up with her, but couldn't. She was already way ahead of me, and I found such speed highly inhuman.
I came to a halt as I noticed I could no longer catch a glimpse of her. Right when I was about moving onward, a shadow popped up from an alley. I shrieked, almost tumbling to the ground. "What was that for?!" I yelled. She scoffed and waved her hand in the air, signalling me to follow her into the alley—dark, eerie alley, I might add. Have you ever had those moments when your gut screams at you on a decision you're about to take, but you still keep on at it just to find out where it'll lead to? yeah this is one of those moments.
Any sane person would have backed out, but not me, I guess that makes me insane. "Follow closely," she said as she disappeared into what seemed to be an underground chamber, and another alarm ticked off in my head. I hopped in with her, and my lips couldn't help but part open. It was dim and spooky. A shiver crawled up my spine, I shaked it off and walked further inside, which led to a broad room filled with multiple pitch torches hanging at each corner of the room.
My eyes widened as it suddenly dawned on me why I was here. "Wh—" I turned around to face her, and before I could utter a word, the tip of her lips curved up into a smirk. A sharp pang vibrated through my head, and I was gradually being lured into the sea of limitless darkness.
I should've listened to my gut feeling.
~*~*~*~*~
Hi lovelies!
We'll find out what the message says in the later chapters.
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See all my lovely readers in the next chapter <33
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