NATALIA'S MUNDANE LIFE CONTINUED ON FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. her first shift at the boiler room would begin today, after school. she wasn't excited nor prepared at all. how was she supposed to take care of the boiler room all by herself? she also knew that the janitors would be around. the girl knew they wouldn't do anything to her, but with the rise of serial killers and sudden deaths, she didn't want to take her chances.
however, she was forced to write in a log about her time in the boiler room. the head janitor would make her sign it and turn it in to principal hartman. natalia thought she was going to get away with it, but not with the clipboard of logs clinging to the nearest wall of the boiler room. natalia took a peek at it during the lunch hour.
natalia had also managed to avoid anyone who knew her relatively. she didn't look up during history, much to mr. calloway's disappointment, and refused to linger in the hallways during lunch or in between classes. she even dodged matty whenever he was in the hallways. for being who he was, natalia was truly surprised how matty always made an effort to say hi to her. she just didn't have the energy to speak to him at the moment. especially with jennifer lurking.
the final bell rang, natalia looking up in disarray. she shoved her biology textbook into her bag, relieved it was the weekend. granted, she had to spend a couple of hours down in the boiler room. but the blonde looked forward to staying up light and writing, reading or doing anything that pertained to alone time. natalia enjoyed the weekends due to the peace and quiet nature.
slinging her bag over her shoulder, natalia pushed herself out of her desk. adjusting her jeans, the blonde managed to look presentable for the day. she wore a loosely fitted white turtleneck, a brown belt tied around her waist to hug her dark jeans, her favorite pair of black boots and a puffer jacket full of color and pops. as the days went on, the weather grew colder and colder. natalia's closet was perfectly fit for winter, but when the heater in the school turned off, she would sweat bullets. another negative to the boiler room.
shoving her hands in the pockets of her jacket, she hummed softly as she walked down the hall. soft tunes played in her ear as she went to collect her things from her locker for the weekend. her lips pursed, natalia continued to hum. she unlocked her locker, opening the door in one swift motion. to her surprise, another thin piece of paper seemed to have fallen from the skies. "not again,"
instead of wasting time analyzing the hallway, natalia crouched down and quickly picked up the note. she held the paper between her fingers, a soft crimson shade spreading across her cheeks.
i see the way you glance at the photo in the hallway. does it really turn you off that much? it seems as if you can't look away.
the girl's breath grew shallow. this note seemed more personal than the first one. what picture was this person talking about? glancing around the halls, she noticed that almost every single accomplishment that occurred at this school was plastered on the wall. figuring out who wrote this would take years off of her life.
the handwriting matched the first note, which revealed that the same person was writing her notes. how could she keep missing this person? natalia did nothing but go to her locker and go to class. was the drop off during class? that seemed to be the only possibility at this point. the blonde just wondered why this person was giving her these notes. of all lockers, why did she get the magic notes about someone's picture?
"natalia?"
a sudden flashback to jennifer hit natalia, causing her to jump out of her skin. she turned around, coming face to face with none other than matty. his eyes grew soft at the sight of the girl, a soft smile appearing on his lips. natalia glanced at his dimple, the blush on her face only increasing by the second. he stood close to her, making natalia's chest rise and fall in short paces. "matty, hi."
"hey," the boy smiled, running a hand through his hair. "i haven't seen you. been avoiding me?"
natalia's eyes went wide. the girl stuffed the note in her pocket before shaking her head at a rapid pace. "absolutely not, matty. i've just been...busy." her eyes scanned the halls, looking out for a trio of brunettes.
"right." the boy nodded. "anyways, are you still coming to the game tonight? i know you were kind of wishy washy about it but it would mean a lot to me if you came."
to be honest, natalia hadn't forgotten about the game. that had been one of the many reasons as to why she had been avoiding matty. he just happened to catch her off guard. natalia was starting to think her locker wasn't as safe of a space as she thought. "shit," she muttered. "i...i got stuck doing work in the boiler room for principal hartman."
matty nodded, his smile only growing wider. natalia couldn't take her eyes off of his dimples. "so i've heard. sorry about that by the way. jennifer can be a..."
"handful? bitch? spawn of the devil? the list could continue, matty."
matty rolled his eyes. "all of the above. why don't you stop by after your cleaning? i'm sure being out at a football game would clear your mind a little."
natalia had a hard time saying no to people she didn't care for. it was ten times harder to say no when it was someone she cared about. staring into matty's eyes, seeing the pain from losing his best friend and pleading for her to go. saying no would be a challenge. "i...okay."
matty's face lit up. "you'll come?"
natalia nodded. "yeah, i'll be there. don't expect me to stay for a long time, though." she pointed her finger at him before shutting her locker shut.
matty let out a chuckle, reaching out to grab natalia. he lifted her into the air, wrapping his arms around her. the blonde let out a squeak, giggles escaping her lips. "matty, put me down!"
the boy spun her around before placing her softly onto the ground. "my apologies. just so pumped you decided to come. you won't regret it, trust me."
natalia tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before nodding. "i believe you, matty."
matty's smile only grew wider. he felt a vibration against his jeans, lifting his varsity jacket to reveal his pager. he unclipped the device, brows furrowed as he read the message. "ah, shit. i gotta get to the field. we're starting drills already."
natalia looked over at the clock, noticing it was already half past three. she looked back at matty, a grin on her lips. "guess you gotta go then."
the blonde boy nodded, clenching his fist together and reaching it out to natalia. "i'll see you at the game, natty."
natalia returned the favor of the fist bump, causing matty's smile to brighten. he pulled away, jogging backwards as he left natalia. "good luck in the boiler room! and we should celebrate—" he paused to make a smoking motion. "after the game!"
"thanks, i'll need it!" she shouted, watching as he disappeared. she flashed him a thumbs up toward the gesture, a soft giggle echoing throughout the hallways.
the girl grabbed her things, shoving her headphones around her neck. the thought of listening to music right now scared her half to death since she was alone in the halls and had to go to the boiler room. her shift in the boiler room would begin at 4, so she still had a bit of time.
reaching into her pocket, natalia held out the note. she unfolded it, flattening out the creases. her eyes were fixated on the words, intrigued but freaked out all at the same time. the thought of someone watching her gave her the creeps, but why did she have an admirer? she never noticed anyone in the hallways whenever she was alone. then again, this is how most horror movies start when set in a high school.
adjusting her bangs, natalia placed the note back into her pocket. her eyes scanned the walls again, taking in every photograph. the dates of the photos went all the way back to the 60s, when the school was established. it was insane to think that all of the people on these walls had already graduated and lived half of their lives. the thought of them being old made natalia's skin crawl. she knew that would be her one day. however, the blonde wasn't scared of the phenomenon of aging. it was inevitable, similar to death.
that's when her eyes found wally clark's photo again. his smile radiated intense energy, enough to make natalia feel her heart race. she gulped, realizing that it had been exactly a year since wally clark passed away. the idea of going to the game tonight to support matty seemed fun, but knowing he would be playing for wally instead of himself hurt natalia a bit. there would most likely be a moment of silence for his death. probably some special ceremony during halftime. the possibility were endless. maybe they would name the field after him?
snapping out of her trance, natalia figured she would take herself down to the boiler room. if she failed to show up on time for her first day, the girl knew she would get reamed out by principal hartman. she couldn't afford a mishap like that. backing up slowly, natalia found it hard to look away from wally. he was a handsome guy, she knew that. everyone knew that. natalia would deny the stolen glances she got of him during the few classes they shared, though.
having been a year, natalia found it hard to remember his face completely. but based off the picture, he was exactly how she remembered him. bonus points for his tall frame. he towered over her, which made the girl blush whenever they brushed shoulders in the hallway. natalia didn't know anything about him, though. all she knew was that he was close to wally, which made him automatically friends with her favorite trio. wally was popular, always stuck out in a crowd and never failed to make people feel welcomed.
the idea of him being friends with jennifer just rubbed natalia the wrong way. how could a guy who seemed to be so genuine be friends with people like jennifer wilde and her two copycats? it boggled her brain.
blinking slowly, natalia forced herself to look away from the photo. it seemed to catch her eye more frequently, ever since matty pointed it out. pushing the thoughts of wally clark down, natalia stood tall and proud as she strutted toward the boiler room main door.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"here, you'll sign in and sign out. i will be checking in on you frequently to see if youre...actually doing work." the head janitor spoke slow and monotone.
natalia's back pressed against the wall as she tried to pay attention to all of the rules. all she could hear was "blah, blah, blah..." and the occasional "don't forget to clean this!" every once in a while. the punishment seemed easy, just not something natalia was interested in. at the end of the day, she was lucky enough to not have a suspension on her permanent record. her world would've imploded right then and there.
"any questions?"
natalia pursed her chapped lips together while shaking her head. "i think i got it. clean, clean, clean, oh and...clean."
"funny," the janitor said, no expression on his face.
natalia's eyebrows flexed in an awkward motion, grabbing the nearest broom. "shall i start?"
the janitor nodded. "don't forget to sign the board. i'll be back in a bit."
silence fell over room. natalia looked down at the stairs, biting down on her bottom lip. she knew she had to take herself down there. the idea of someone waiting down there and scaring her was a high possibility in her eyes. the eerie silence made it worse. turning back to the board, natalia grabbed the pen that was attached to the clipboard. she signed her name and the time she began her duties.
"it's just a couple hours," natalia reminded herself. "you can go to the game after. sadly, you don't want to go. but matty wants you to go." she sighed, clenching her fists around the broom. her knuckles went white as she stared at the bottom of the stairs. "quit talking to yourself and just go down."
it's not that she was terrified of the dark, or what was in it. the real fear stemmed from the fact that many deaths occurred in this school, all completely oblivious to what was to come. she didn't want to end up like one of them. natalia also feared never getting out of town, reaching her destination of new york city. the idea of being stuck at split river seemed like the end of the world, literally and figuratively.
natalia let out a shaky sigh, reaching her foot out. she stepped down slowly, the floorboard creaking. she gulped, looking down at her foot. wiggling the board, it continued to make a rusty noise. the blonde tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, her hand shaking a bit at the continuous creaking. she continued down the stairs, trying her best not to make any noise. at this point, it was pointless. if someone was waiting down there for her, she would've been dead already.
the girl was growing tired of her fears. she was only halfway down the stairs and she felt annoyed of her scary thoughts. however, she knew if she went at a normal pace, there could be someone at the bottom. staying quiet seemed more fitting for her and the room as a whole. glancing up, natalia took notice of the various cobwebs. a shiver ran down her spine, eyes boring into a web that occupied a daddy long-legs. "fucking hell."
gulping, natalia's eyes went back toward the bottom of the stairs. she needed to keep going in order to ignore the spiders that danced above her head. clutching onto the broom, the girl felt as if she could snap the wooden handle in half. she stuck the broom out, making sure she had an advantage if someone was there.
reaching the last step, natalia held her breath. the world seemed so quiet standing in the boiler room. her eyes drifted, taking note of any potential exits or places to hide. she knew any hiding spot could potentially contain spiders, but she would give up her arachnophobia to protect herself. hearing a soft creak, natalia's head whipped around.
she narrowed her eyes at the top of the stairs, making sure she didn't see any dark figures or some supernatural creature standing there. this place seemed haunted and natalia wanted nothing to do with the supernatural. turning back around, her eyes went wide at the sudden sound of taps against the concrete floor. crouching down, she held the broom in front of her using it as a shield.
her baby blues peered out, catching sight of what made the noise. she rolled her eyes, a tiny creature in the corner of the room. a brown mouse stood there, munching on what looked like a cracker. possibly some leftover crackers from lunch that were tossed out.
natalia composed herself, standing up slowly. she dusted off her pants and finally reached the bottom of the stairs. she stood silent, eyes shifting around the area. she noticed a door that led to the janitors offices. maybe she could start her adventure there. on the other hand, the door with the "exit" sign above it seemed more promising. but her moral compass reminded her that this was her punishment. she had to face the consequences.
peeking over at the mouse, natalia felt another wave of coldness hit her. goosebumps arose all over her pale body, making her fingertips shake slightly. the boiler room seemed like a whole other dimension due to the way her body was reacting. shaking the worries out of her head, natalia found herself tiptoeing over toward the janitors office. she waltzed down the hall, careful not to disturb the feeding mouse.
with a quick glimpse, natalia examined the room. her eyes darted fast around the room, taking in everything. desks filled the center of the room and along the walls, clutter all over each one. the mess made natalia want to vomit due to the smell of leftover food. each desk has a chair, capable of rolling around the room if so desired. tools lined the walls like no tomorrow, covering every inch. multiple sheds laid against the farthest wall, possibly containing the bigger equipment.
"god, this place is a shithole." she muttered to herself, letting the end of the broom hit the floor.
"isn't it? it's so dusty, too. i hate it."
natalia froze at the extra voice adding onto her conversation. adrenaline filled her veins, causing her to turn around on her heel and smack the mysterious person with her broom.
"ow! stop it, i'm an innocent man!" the boy begged but natalia continued to smack him. "this is making the dust ten times worse."
"get away, freak!" natalia screamed, hoping to draw some attention. she knew there was no hope considering the likelihood of the boiler room being sound proof was high. pulling the broom away, she closed her eyes. "please don't hurt me, i need to live!"
"hurt you?" natalia knew it was a man by the deepness of their voice. she also took a peek at their size 12 shoes. "why the hell would i hurt you?"
natalia's eyes shot open. they stood unblinking, growing dry as the seconds went on. her breath stopped, lips parted in a silence surprise. she felt her heart sink into her butt, dragging her down to the floor to melt in a puddle of goop. her head began to spin with thoughts, thinking herself as crazy for who was standing in front of her. her body went pale while a red shade appeared across her face, ears piping hot from the blushing.
standing at a full 6 foot 3, dark hair and light eyes. varsity jacket on, with a matching set of grey sweats and a tank top. number 57 stitched on the side of the jacket, making it seem too good to be true. a gold chain wrapped around the boy's neck, high top nike blazers pulling the outfit together. "hello?" the boy questioned, waving his hand in front of natalia's face.
wally clark stood before natalia. the boy who died a year ago was standing in front of her, a confused look plastered on his face. natalia reached down to her arm and pinched it, wincing at how much pain she conflicted on herself by accident.
"are you alright?" wally questioned, stepping closer to natalia.
the blonde took a step back, broom tightening in her hands. "you're not alive."
"no shit," he chuckled, showing off his toothy grin.
"how am i seeing you right now then?"
"huh?"
wally clark had no idea why natalia could see him. natalia warren had no idea why she could see a dead person. gulping, she knew this was going to take a while to figure out.
authors note.
wally my beloved!!! hope y'all are enjoying so far. i'm so excited for what's to come and i hope you guys are, too!
also, should i continue this story??? i don't get much feedback or anything so i'm not sure if anyone is enjoying this story :/ because i love writing it.
please leave comments and feedback on here, it helps me grow as an author and any criticism is good criticism!!