Trembling with the phone in my hands, my eyes began to flicker in fear. As I held back my tears from attracting attention from the other students, I heard a loud bang on the door.

"Isn't that Clara, the murders' suspect?" Sighing, she glared at me from her locker door to avoid making me catch her. But I could hear them fair and square. It wasn't that I wasn't fed up with his threats and now I've become the centre of gossip here. "She was acquitted from the charges with the help of a police officer. Rumors say she bribed him!"

"Did you also hear? She's double dating too." The other girl added staring at her friend. The crevices of her eyebrows raised hearing her confession. Gosh. She's something. I also heard she keeps on defending someone who hurt her during practice. It's no wonder people say she might have killed her mom-"

  "-speaking of that, I heard her mother was like prison guard to her. Do you think she killed her to gain her freedom?" That was the last straw. I couldn't take their horrible insinuations anymore. Banging her locker door in her face, I grabbed her hand angrily.

  "Hey! What's with you? Let my friend go," she yelled trying to intercede but I took a tight grasp on her hand instead and threw the other against the wall. "Keep this in mind. Don't spread gossip you're not sure of. You might end up in jail or lose that sluggish tongue of yours!"

Turning around angrily, I pushed the other one too and stepped out of the locker room. "Ouch," they winced while looking at me walk out with angry looks. I unlocked my phone and checked the message for information. Trying to dial the number, it went straight to voicemail.

As I gritted my teeth, I looked up to keep my tears back. Almost breaking down with the unbearable events, I stared at the message over and over, unable to decide on what to do next with this threat. "Clara Dickson, get to my office now!" After turning to the speakers over the walls, I let out a sigh.

We needed to talk any way. I wasn't going to sit by as she kills more students and pin the blame on me. I can get some information on Ian's whereabouts too. I'm not going to let Janessa's death slide like that. They were going to pay!

  Holding my head up high, I dropped my phone in my bag and walked to her office. After a brief knock, she told me to come in. As I took in a deep breath, I moved the door awake and stepped in with a bow. She lowered her fingers over a report and turned to me with a serious look.

  "This is your academic report for the last examinations. If this repeats, I'll have to-"

  "-you can go ahead. I'm moving back to the States next semester," I retorted. Her eyes widened in shock after I challenged her openly. "Miss Dickson-"

  "I know everything. You and Ian aren't going to have the last laugh. If you have a bit conscience, tell me where he is." Staring blankly at me, the document fell off her hands on to her desk. "I know he's threatening you too. I don't know what items he's talking about. If you help me, we can defeat him together."

Dragging a notebook on her table, I took out a fountain pen from my pocket and wrote a number at the bottom. "Here's my number. You can contact me when you've made a decision." With that, I got up abruptly and marched out towards my class.

As I walked along the hallway, my phone beeped again. After reading over the message, I looked up inti the air and sighed. "Meet me at the burial service plot today," from the police officer.

  "Clara!" a sudden voice run through my ears. After hearing a familiar voice, I turned around to check who was calling me. Watching Jess march towards me, three girls started to exchange curious gazes. From the looks on their faces, I could tell it was because the principal called for me again.

"Are you okay? I heard the principal called for you," Jess asked stopping beside me. I turned to the girls but they started walking quickly when they saw me looking at them. "I'm fine." Patting my shoulder, she pulled my hand to drag me out of the hallway. "Let's go."

I was late again so everyone was staring at me as I found my way in between the desks to my seat. "So class, who will come forward to answer this question?" she asked.

The room became as quiet as cemetery after her statement. Sighing, she dropped a pen drive on the table and looked at each student critically. "No one?" she asked again still looking. I quickly put my bag over the chair and a pen to start jotting down the lectures.

With no volunteer, she traced her eyes around but all the students pointed to me. "I think she can!" Patrick explained smiling at the teacher.  to me, Smiling, she quickly turned her attention to me, "You were late, Miss Dickson. Assist us." Gritting my teeth, I was way behind the class. How would I solve this question at all?

Unable to face the wrath of these classmates, I lowered my head to have a quick glance of my notebook. But the minute I read through the first line, she placed her hand on the book I was about to refer to.

"Here," she added extending out a marker to me. I swallowed a gulp as everyone was waiting for me to stand up.  I picked up the marker walked to the front. Standing by the white board, I closed my eyes. I took a deep breath then started writing anything that came to mind.

  When I turned to face the class, they were staring at me with a mixture of emotions, neither hooting nor applauding. Mrs. Susan glared at the board for a long time, then everyone started clapping.

Mrs Susan was included as she told me to sit. The students were whispering amongst themselves. "You're awesome," Jess muttered pointing to the board.

  "Yeah, you solved the most difficult question worldwide without a calculator too. What are you?" Tricia added resting her chin in her palms.

I turned to look back on the board and realized that I had fully solved the question filling the whole board. My heart sank and my jaw dropped glaring at the calculations which filled the whole board.

 "Your contribution is well appreciated, congratulations," Mrs. Susan assented calling me to her. Following her eyes, I couldn't help but hesitate at each step. Contribution to what? I had to follow her nevertheless to the principal's office.

The press had occupied the hall by the time we stepped out. After throwing my surprised eyes around, a set of microphones were placed in front of me, bombarding me with questions. "So how do you feel after doing the impossible?" one reporter asked stretching out the microphone to me.

  "Pertaining the shoot out at the City Mall restaurant, what do you think? Do you have something to do with her death?" Everyone was waiting for my response, but I was at sea. "We also heard your mom died a year ago. How ow did you pull it off without financial report? Is it true she committed suicide?" another reporter asked.

Crowded in the middle, the lights blinded me as I covered my eyes with my palm. Impatient, Mrs. Susan pulled me out of the crowd pushing them out of our way. "She can't answer that. Please vacate the premises. It's illegal." She closed the door calling the security guards to take them.

With each passing minute, I couldn't hold myself back anymore. Listening to their numerous questions made my head ache so bad. I quickly pushed the crowd aside and rushed back to the hall. Breathing heavily, I turned around after running. When I turned around again, my body crashed with someone by the entrance.

As my books fell and scattered over the floor, I raised my head and found myself in front of Catherine. "You... nevermind," I stammered getting down on my knees to pick the books from the floor. After packing them in the bag, I stood up but one of them fell out again. She turned around with the thud and widened her eyes. "Where did you get that?" she demanded. Turning to her eye direction, my eyes fell on a picture of my sister.

Confused with her look, I raised my head looking at her unanimously. "Tell me. Why do you have my picture?" I furrowed my eyebrows staring at the picture in my hands. As I shook my head, I walked up to her with a worried look.

"Y-You're the same girl here?" I asked. She snatched the picture from me glancing at it again in curiosity. Lifting her head, she didn't reply me. But I could tell from the look in her eyes. "H-How did you get it?" she demanded.

I took the picture from her and dropped it in my bag. "Ian adopted you right?" I asked. She raised her eyebrows nodding. Staring at me with flickering eyes, she retorted, "How do you know him too?"

When I saw the press running after me from the hall, I gulped and shook my head, surprised to find this out. Staring into her eyes, everything was clear. Catherine was my sister. That's why she had his surname too.

"I'll explain later. Please trust me," I alluded before dashing to the exit. "Where are you going, Clara?!" she yelled but I didn't turn back. I rushed outside looking around. "Clara!" Adrian yelled running to me.

Running from the press, I refused to look back, not even for a second. I lowered my eyes lazily and walked away from him. He grabbed my hand at the exit and turned me to him, forcing me to talk to him as well.

  "It's important. We need to talk!" Shoving his hand away, I continued walking without minding his calls.

He followed me from behind even as I crossed the street to pick a bus. "Wait. Listen!" he warned but I continued running.

I didn't notice the clouds becoming darker and windy as I crossed the zebra crossing. After hearing a loud thunder strike, my head jerked up in surprise. I could still hear his voice but another voice barged in, followed by a laughter. "Clara. Where are you?" Adrian called out.

As the rain poured down at once, I quickly covered my hair with my hand in order to run through the fog. While running along the streets, I heard him running after me in the rain. Other passerbys opened their umbrellas and walked in the rain. "Gosh. What a horrible day!" I sighed. As the rain wet my hair, I felt the taps over my eyelids when I got to the bus stop.

Looking up, I suddenly felt under a shield from the rain. My eyes started to flicker seeing a hoodied man standing by me covering me with his umbrella. "Ian?" I mumbled stepping back in surprise. Adrian rushed over too, but he stopped midway seeing Ian by me.

  "Holding a gun at my lower abdomen, my heart began thumping heavily in my chest. "Clara!" He suddenly turned hearing Adrian's voice. Smiling, he pulled me back and said in a low tone.

  "I have other guys around. With one word. He's gone too. All you have to do is tell me where the items are." Soaking in the rain, I looked towards his direction and saw two hoodied man like him behind him.

"Don't you dare -"

  "-Oh I can. Why are you making this difficult? Just tell me!" Threatened by his voice, I trembled and closed my eyes. I didn't feel anything  but I slowly opened my eyes slowly to find Adrian in front of me falling down. Tracing a gun shot on his chest, a silent scream escaped my lips. Pushing Ian aside with all my might, Adrian collapsed on the floor staring inti my eyes.

"Adrian!" I screamed shaking him up. He had gone unconscious after being struck. "What did you do to him?! Someone help!" I yelled crying uncontrollably beside him.

He kept on laughing wickedly before looking at me with contempt. "My men shot him in the vital chest part of vampires. He's not going to make it without you," he confessed, crossing his arms.

  "I didn't think I'll say this. You can save him as a witch you are. But once you activate yourself, you'll need practice to stay alive. That's when the items come in the picture. I'll be waiting for the show."

  Tapping my shoulder, he walked out as the ambulance rushed over with their sirens. A witch? Did he just say that I'm a witch?

        Comment 🌺 Vote 🌺 Share