Where details are exaggerated for whatever purpose it serves the subject.

31 October 2015

Saturday

9:10 p.m

"The metallic scent filled the vacant bathroom and Zelda paused, her hand a millimeter away from the cubicle door. 'I-I ca-can't', she whispered, her voice wavering. 'She has to be alive', she cried, breaking down. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around her chest. 

'Someone could be on their period', Noah suggested. 

'Wrong timing dude', Evan muttered as Zelda shot him a dirty glare. Everyone has a coping mechanism and Noah's was to play everything off, even the most serious of things. Victoria, on the other hand, pushed the cubicle door open, her slender fingers trembled as she tried to regulate her breathing. 

'Goldie', she choked out, lady, I get you're hoping your kid isn't six feet under but the dead don't tell tales. She could make out the sound of her heart beating and felt the blood rush through her ears. She was horrified. 

She pressed her eyelids tightly together and pushed the door open after reciting a silent prayer to god, hoping her daughter would come barging through the bathroom and embrace her only to let out an ear-splitting cry. Her body slumped to the floor as she gripped her body in terror. 

The principal rushed forward only to throw up the contents of his stomach in the sink beside him. Zelda who watched the event unfold in front of her, slowly stood up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She glanced at the slouched Victoria and sick principal who sat beside her. She inched closer to the ajar cubicle door, she shut her eyes and gave the door one final push. The door flew open, a loud bang resonating through the room followed by a series of groans and sick moans. 

Zelda peeled her eyes open and cupped her mouth mortified. She couldn't feel herself, it wasn't real. She's still alive, she has to be. Her mind reasoned with her and her heart begged to differ for she knew the truth, even her stupid delusions and lies couldn't help her distort the truth. 

In front of her lay Marigolds mutated body. A rope circled her neck as she hung from the ceiling and her organs were painfully ripped out and laying on the toilet seat beside her. Her amber eyes were wide in terror and pain, bulged out as the rope choked her. 

Zelda lunged at her, her hands grasping for the rope around her neck, it looked so painful. So tight. 

But someone pulled her back. She threw her head back, glancing at her captor. Evan shook his head, silently begging her to stop. His orbs were glossy with tears and no amount of squirming, wiggling, and screaming caused Evan to loosen his grip. He only embraced her tighter until she finally sagged down against his body, wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest, and cried. Evan soothingly rubbed her head, as he shot Noah a glance only to find him preoccupied with staring down Marigold's watch. 

Noah's eyes drifted to the watch on her wrist. 

It read 2:39 p.m. 

The exact time she entered the bathroom. 

And if that's when she died, who walked back with them? "

"DUN DUN DUN~" Astrid chimed, clapping her hands, her eyes gleamed under the moonlight. "A solid 8", she rated. Clarence shook her head and motioned towards the trembling figure beside her. "With the way Rosé is quivering, it's a solid 9.5." 

Rosé playfully smacked the raven head on her arm, before childishly sticking her tongue out at them. "Jesus, leave me alone", she exclaimed, standing up and dusting off the non-existent dirt from her clothes. "I'm gonna go back." 

"As you wish", Elowen chuckled, her voice laced with teasing undertones. "Dimly lit stairways are ghost magnets." 

As abruptly as she stood, she slammed her quivering frame back down on the ground, exasperated. "Fine". She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"Chill, sis", Elowen urges. "There's absolutely no one in the dimly lit hallways of our school except...some...perhaps...dead people with unfulfilled wishes", she shifted her voice to that of a hoarse whisper, her voice blending in with the whiny cries of the chilly October wind.

Only now had it dawned upon Emilia that the football field no matter how creepy it was, was the perfect spot to catch a cold. 

After all, bad decisions lead to unimaginably bad outcomes. 

"Hey, Rosé", Emilia muttered standing up. "I think I'm gonna head back", and without another word or explanation, she gripped Rosé by the hand and they both trudged down the football field and to the dorm block eerily gleaming under the moonlight. 

Unaware of the dangers to follow. 

And once they were out of earshot, Astrid who had been unusually quiet spoke up. Her voice soft, unsure and curious. "El, Marigold's full name was Marigold Elowen Gustavo and your full name is Elowen Marigold Gustavo."

Elowen simply flashed her one of her most dazzling smiles and stood up. "You're not wrong. When that fashionless freshman told me that I shared a name with a dead girl- I had to tell you all, but in the subtlest way possible", she chuckled, her sultry voice penetrating through the air as she tossed her head back one more time before walking away. 

"Now, that's an intriguing origin."