One of the students screamed, while another stood up and walked to the white board. She grabbed a marker and pointed it at the unconscious teacher. "Uh oh, looks like someone had too much to drink." The girl mocked. Veda stood up, "she probably just overworked herself. I'll go get a teacher." Veda excused herself and slipped out of the half-shut door.
Before Veda knew it, Sarah was behind her. "Hey! Thought I'd come with, I'd rather avoid Cara if at all possible." She said. "Cool." Veda tried to sound intimidating. "So, what do you think happened?" Sarah pressed. "Over exhaustion. It's common with teachers in our district, they're given too large of classes for only one teacher. It leaves them tired and miserable, which reflects on "our behavior" as the superintendent says it." Veda concluded with a sigh.
"But what if it's more?" Sarah asked curiously. "Like what? Sleeping pills in her coffee?" Veda laughed. "No sarcasm bearer, you watch too much TV." Sarah nudged her. "What if, well..." She went silent. "What?" Veda asked. "Do you think it's some type of supernatural phenomenon?"
"No, of course not. I watch too much TV you say, I think you read too many horror novels." They shared a laugh as they reached the office. The secretary looked up at Veda. "Twice in one day. What is it now, Ms. Cartler? You've got one more strike before I make a call home." Veda started, "actually Miss, our teacher just fainted." "Oh, oh my! Let me make a quick call."
Veda and Sarah stood there for a moment before the secretary put down her phone. "All right, why don't you guys just head home for the day? That's probably for the best." She concluded. "Aren't we just going to get a sub?" Veda asked. "Um, no. There are no subs in the building, and two more teachers just collapsed. Emergency half day? Go enjoy the sun?" She suggested, as a question. "Sure?" Veda asked, her eyebrows showing off her confusion.
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Later in the day when Veda returned home she was greeted by a pleasant surprise. She was home alone, no pressure for conversation. She set her bag down on one of the chairs adjacent to the kitchen table, and walked upstairs. On her way, Veda heard a loud crash. The only pressing issue was that Veda had no idea where it had come from.
She stood still, surveying the bookshelves for a missing item until a loud knock caused her to jump. She turned around, and saw a figure at the door. "Can I help you?" Veda asked, trying to ignore the sudden chills going down her back. "Can I come in? Then I can tell you." The figure retorted. It was hard to determine, to Veda the voice sounded both feminine and masculine synchronously.
"Oh, I can hear you just fine. Can I help in any way?" Veda asked politely, crossing her hands on her thighs. "You can let me in, you see, your roommate called me. The cables' not working?" The figure asked, a bright smile now noticeable. Veda sighed and retorted, "no, thanks." She turned around but stopped when a figure appeared in front of her.
"What the hell!" Veda yelled, jumping back from the ominous shadow. She heard her mother's voice. "Excuse me, don't use that phrase! What the heck, what?" Her mother asked. "You didn't see that." Veda asked, nowhere near the tone of a question. "See what?" Her mother came closer. "Nothing, I must be sleep-deprived." She answered. "Oh, sure, because that makes sense. I swear all you do is sleep." Her mother retorted. "Then I better go get more!" Veda rushed up to her bedroom.
She climbed up to her bunk, and curled up in a ball. "You know, Oliver, she was a whole lot nicer when you were around. One of the things I miss the most." Veda sighed.
"Really? How about a hug?" Veda turned her head and saw him standing at the bottom of their-her bed. "No, get away from me." It moved closer. "Don't touch me. I don't know what you are, but you surely aren't Oliver. My brother's dead, so stop." The last sentence brought tears to her eyes. "Oliver" morphed into a small cat. "What are you?" Veda asked, wiping the tears from her cheek. "You'll find out soon enough, little apprentice." Then it was gone, and for a moment Veda was alone. Or she thought.
Everything was dark, but she could hear voices around her. Her eyes popped open, and Veda saw two people. A man and a woman, both seemed to be yelling at each other but all she could hear was a haunting "dum di di dum, di di dum, di di dum". She turned and saw a little girl, playing with a small blonde doll. Veda turned back to the fight, and saw the woman grab a bag off of the table. She heard her say, "then you take care of it!" The man responded, but Veda couldn't hear him. Again, all she could hear was the chilling "dum di di dum, di di dum, di di dum." She concluded that it was the voice of the small girl, simply playing in the corner. The voice of the cat clouded her head. "You know what's sad?" The voice said, "She thought everything was perfect, that little girl had no idea that there was a problem until she was separated from them. She had no idea, her life was perfect, and then she was crushed completely. Keep that in mind." Veda was confused, but the voice fell silent.
The now familiar time-lapse came back. Veda watched the girl grow up, but this time it seemed as everyone loathed her. She was alive, but in no way thriving. That was for sure. Veda felt the sudden chill in her back once again, and a familiar phrase echoed in her head. "What once was doesn't have to be what now is."
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The Next Day After School
School had just let out, and Veda was absolutely exhausted. She needed to go to tutoring, but that was a discussion for another time. She grabbed her bag out of her locker, threw it over one shoulder, and headed towards the door. Veda felt a thud both behind her and in front. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, and the guy in front of her turned around.
"Excuse me? What do you want, sweetie?" He asked mockingly, sizing himself up. Veda began to turn red as the surrounding arms got tighter. She turned just as she heard the voice of the person behind her. "Hey man, sorry. My bad." He said. She looked behind and saw that it was the boy from her math class, the one with the mean looks.
"Keep your girl in line." The boy in front remarked aggressively. "It's not the 19th century!" Veda retorted. The pressure around her torso melted away as he let go. Veda turned to face him, and he gave her a nasty look. Confused, she yelled, "you bumped into me! What's that look for?" He let out a small laugh and walked around her, out the front door. Veda sighed under her breath she spoke, "well that was weird." By the time she exited, the boy was gone.
She began to walk in the direction of the house when her phone started going off. It was her mother, texting her about the "amazing company" coming over tonight. "You have got to be kidding me." She groaned, and decided to take a detour. Veda wandered for a while, eventually finding a small forest. She slouched onto a tree and took in her surroundings. The forest was so dark, it was so refreshing from the sun, the constant pressure to please while she was in the light. Veda sat against the tree, enjoying the breeze coming down from the trees. This was her happy place, Veda decided. She admired the rejuvenating feeling of being alone, until she fell asleep.
Veda woke up to a crackling noise, making her jump. There was a squirrel standing on her stomach, packing its cheeks with the walnuts she had left in her bag from lunch. "Ahh! Off, off!" She stood up, startled as the squirrel scurried off. Veda reached down to pick up her bag, and was greeted by a 7-foot shadow peering above her. "Oh my god." She said quietly, it disappeared. But soon enough there was another, racing towards her. "Oh my god." She swiped her bag from the ground, and sprinted for her life.
When Veda finally reached the front of her house, she noticed a small white mustang parked in the driveway. "Company, right." She coughed. Opening the front door, she was greeted by her mother. "Veda, where have you been? I have been calling you non-stop! Why didn't you answer your phone?" Her mother asked. "It's dead, sorry, it died when I got out of school. "Then where were-...you know what, we have guests over. We can talk later." Her mother straightened her shirt and put on a fake smile. "Let me introduce you." She said, cocking her head to the side. "Sure mom, sure." Veda replied in a whisper. She was led to the dining room, where Veda spotted the guests. "You have got to be kidding me." She said under her breath. "What was that?" Her mother nudged her. "Nothing, nothing at all."