I was woken up the next day, as always, by my sister jumping on me, and forcing me out of my comfy area. I had no excuses for why my uniform was red and black, so instead, after I saw Bishop Marrs, I went to a big supermarket and bought a new shirt. The school tie was hard to get hold of, but I decided against visiting a Uniform shop, so I put deodorant on the tie and hoped the blood wouldn't show, or look like a weird stain.
I refused breakfast, and left the house early, so I could find Rosemary.
What did Marrs mean when he told me to not link things yesterday? I felt abysmally powerless. Why can't I do anything on my own? Looking back at yesterday, how could I be so foolish, so pathetic? I know nothing about that Girl, other than the fact that she knows how to stab to kill, and that she's stabbed to kill before. In fact, me helping her was the ultimate crime against my Justice. Ignoring her, and letting her not exist, would be a far better punishment than any Life Sentence could.
I'm pathetic. I'm weak. I'm stupid. I'm a fool.
And above all, I'm useless. Even now, I'm having someone else solve the problem of someone else on my behalf.
What if she really doesn't want to exist?
Am I holding her back?
Am I hurting her?
Should I hurt her?
The thoughts that clouded my head, accompanied me to school. They walked side by side with me. Blocking my view of my sides. Making me too scared to turn around. I'm just as scared as everyone, it's just that my fear is different. I had come back, by the time I arrived at the school gates.
Where does a lonely girl, go in school?
Library?
I ran to the third floor where a small and underfunded school library sits sandwiched between the art classrooms and a common room.
Empty.
The Playground benches?
I jumped down two sets of stairs to get to the bottom floor, when I reached the Football pitch, I saw my error in thought.
The phrase 'lonely girl' doesn't apply to Rosemary.
Where does a lonely girl, who can't be seen, go in school?
Our form classroom. I ran back indoors, having to go back up, all the way to the third floor. I pushed the class door too hard, probably scaring one or two classmates that were in there.
One of them said something to me, but I didn't hear her, since I saw my attempted Murderer.
Then I got pushed.
"Are you even paying attention, Oliver?"
She clearly wasn't scared of me, at a time where everyone was scared of everyone else. She's not scared.
I grabbed her arm and pointed at Rosemary,
"Do you think Rosemary is really hot?"
"Who…?"
Well I guess I was wrong. The girl who's barking at me is just as scared as everyone else. But her fear is different from mine. Rosemary looked disappointed too.
"Are you trying to annoy me? Please just don't barge in or I'll tell Isabelle."
Scary.
"What's your name anyways? How do you know me, and I don't know you?". The girl had dark skin. She had brown hair, and big glasses, with hazel eyes underneath. She was down to my neck, which is probably short, and she looked at me annoyed.
"Uh, I have to repeat myself? Amaya. My name is Amaya."
The way she said 'repeat' made it sound like we knew each other. But I had no recollection of her. Maybe she was in our class, I'm quite discriminate when it comes to who I give my attention to.
But before I turned my attention away, I noticed her left hand in her pocket, with an outline of a pen around it. A pen. Or a weapon. I really was wrong, she is just as scared.
"Whatever." I looked away and walked away. I don't give a damn what your name is, well maybe I'm too harsh. I'll say good morning to her one of these days. But today is a little bit different. I walked away. Towards her.
Her.
She looked to her feet, as if guilty.
"I'm sorry, for yesterday." The fact that she was apologising, made a little happy. But I'm not sure if a quick 'sorry' could make up for the pain under my chest.
"…"
"I really am." Fine, you win.
"…"
"Just feel bloody grateful, that I'm apologising. Asshole."
Asshole, huh?
What's up with her? Does she even know my name?
I thought about it. I seriously haven't told her my name. I probably did talk to Rosemary once or twice when were twelve or thirteen. Before I became the unsociable "delinquent" I am now. Before I met certain people, and before they left me.
"If you want to apologise, come with me afterschool. I want to help you. Oh, and the name is Oliver."
"Are you trying to act cool, Oliver?"
She stood up and left the class, I followed her.
As soon as we were outside, with no one around, she pushed me against a wall. She had a new knife with her this time, same as the last one.
Speaking of which, the other knife is in my bag, which lies on my hand.
She put the knife over the same position as the last time. She wouldn't stab me, in such a public place, but it certainly wasn't an empty threat either.
"I don't like people that want to be nice, Oliver. I hate people that try to be nice." Her voice was chalk crushing a blackboard. "I don't like when someone says they can help without a solution. That's like solving Algebra without knowing what numbers are. So, don't try and fix this."
"Listen, please. Just here me out" The fact that she was touching the wound hurt. "I know someone… he can help you. He's a bishop, and he knows a lot about the supernatural. He told me he'll help you." I prayed that she'd listen. If she didn't, there was a possibility that my organs would be on the line.
She put the knife away.
"Afterschool, which gate?" She reverted to a flat voice, bearing no emotions.
Our school has two gates, for the north and the south.
"South Entrance."
She walked back into the class, without looking back.
I stayed, stunned, that I survived two encounters with her.
I stayed, time stopped, until Isabelle arrived.
"Good morning, Oliver. Did everything work out yesterday?"
"Oh, I met a Scottish Bishop, he helped me and gave me a large debt. I'm going to the Church with Rosemary today, can you come?"
She hesitated, before replying that she had to do an errand today.
"Did you know…" She whispered. Well 'whispered' isn't the right term, since it was loud enough to hear from a space, but it was said in a manner as if it was secret. What do I know? "Apparently, yesterday a few members of the Music club, went to the girls' toilet and found a bloody stall. And there's a rumour that someone had been attacked."
"Wow seriously? It sounds insane, I wonder what happened!" I also nearly made a joke about a girl having a really bad period, but I kept it to myself.
"So, is Rosemary's problem serious?"
"I'm not too sure. It seems like Bishop Marrs will sort it out." As soon as I said 'Bishop Marrs', Isabelle looked like she realised something.
"You alright?"
She realised I noticed. "Oh it's fine, I've just heard of him. He charged you, right?"
"Right. Fifteen thousand."
She looked surprised. "Can you pay that?"
"He told me I would pay it back over my entire life."
"How is he so sure you will?"
"Who do you think I am!? And besides, he made me swear on a Bible. Does that mean much?"
"I don't know much, but I doubt it's ceremonial, or pointless."
"Do you think it works like bank credit?"
"What about it?"
"If I pay the full amount by the time I die, do you think my credit in the afterlife will go up a bit?"
"I doubt you'll make it to heaven, knowing you."
"Wait what!? Are you just being extra mean today?"
"A little. Teehee. I woke up later than usual, and my back hurts a little." She said so, while stretching.
"So, I'm stress relief!? Unbelievable!"
"I was thinking more like Anger relief." She put her index finger on below her mouth, looking cute. "Or maybe Pain relief…?"
"If you need pain relief, I'll let you know there's something called General Anaesthesia!"
"So, you want to put me to sleep?" She spoke in a quiet voice, and I just realised my blunder. I meant 'local', the one that only makes you numb.
"In a cartoon, or videogame, I'd totally blush, but since I'm incapable of blushing, you can know that I'm blushing in my heart!" I stated, with a sense of power.
She looked dumbfounded. "So why is your face red?"
What?
I touched my cheek, and truth be told, I was slightly warmer than usual. Me touching my cheek, looking confused probably gave way to Isabelle doing a "Teehee".
She suddenly looked at with intense eyes of Interest. "I've never asked you but is there a reason why your blood vessels are so buried into your-" She stopped when the bell went, signalling that we had to go to class.