The next day at school, as early as 9 a.m, everyone was buzzing with discussion about The-girl-with-the-black-wave's predicament.
"She just came inside and fainted right after she sat down," the student to my right said.
"No, she was shaking, real bad and Jasmin said her temperature was hot as a piece of iron left in the fire for a long time,"
"I wonder what happened,"
"She's probably involved in drugs," We all turned to the source of the smooth, suave voice. It was Alexander, apparently the most popular and notorious boy in school.
.....
He was dangerous and a prick in the skin of the school authorities, they couldn't catch him in the act of doing anything bad and they couldn't expell him either as they weren't allowed to expell any student unless a physical evidence of their breaking of rules was presented to the national school board.
He smoked alot, sometimes on school's grounds, flunked classes, got into fights which he always won K.O.T(knocking off teeth).
One time he put a kid in coma and made him move out of the country.
Alexander had a habit of double locking his locker, we all took this for a case of OCD. But when one of the school's vandals broke into it one night, the next morning, he'd walked into an ongoing class, and in the presence of the history teacher dragged a bewildered Oliver out of his desk and asked him a single question.
"Where were you last night?"
"Hey! What the **** Alex...." He couldn't finish his sentence as a strong punch pummeled his lips.
Those present said that Oliver was beaten to the brink of death, with his face and body full of swells and bruising, a few of the more attentive students said they, saw some claw marks on his body.
Nonetheless, we all never saw Oliver again after that incident.
The students said he moved out of the country.
What was most intriguing to us at the time was how he was able beat up another student in the presence of a teacher. Infact the authorities did nothing in reference to his actions. It was chaos one-day and the next day all calm again.
They did later found out from the security footage that Oliver had indeed broken into his locker, it really couldn't be called breaking into as Oliver had bashed it up a little then given up and went away. No one knew, anyway, how he'd known, it was bizarre.
He wasn't 'detentioned' neither was he suspended.
Nonetheless he was popular among all students after all was head of the hockey team, head of the book club, and was somehow voted valedictorian of our class.
He had a tall attractive stature and a face that would make both girls' and boys' hearts palpitate with a mesmeric face and hypnotic eyes with that bad boy charm and could make even the most loyal girls pledge infidelity to their boyfriends.
But when talking to him and just standing close to him, although most would be entranced by his charms, there was always a creeping fear.
The fear that came with the knowledge of being a prey, that was being watched by a predator, it felt like waiting for the storm in the calm, like waiting for a wolf to tear away its sheep cloth and gobble you up, a fear akin to what was felt from The-girl-with-the-black-wave.
....
He was respected and feared by a great deal of students so we all listened to him.
"How would you know? Nobody even knows her name," Ella, Oliver's ex-girlfriend asked with a frown.
Alexander bit the unlit cigarette between his lips and said, "The road she takes everyday is also a street that has a drug store."
So that was it.
"Definitely an overdose of opium,
"Now scatter duckies and I don't wanna hear anything about that girl anymore," He said with a dark voice and a cold air. He walked away, saying that.
The group scattered and everyone walked away, talking and gossiping, it seemed to make sense, after all, she'd always looked sickly and pale.
••••
The teacher was rambling on and on, few of the students were taking notes when the door suddenly opened.
The girl entered and turned to the teacher's desk.
"Sorry, I'm late." Then walked to a seat.
The teacher obviously disarrayed by her presence struggled for a few seconds before slipping back into a controlled state.
Everyone was surprised, after her ordeal yesterday, we'd all assumed that she would be absent from school for a few days at least.
And in addition to that fact, she, her aura was different from the dark, repelling one she commonly casted.
Even her face and neck was a bit rosier and showed her race.
We all didn't know what happened to but she seemed to be a lot approachable now.
She was then approached by the girl whom carried her, she then asked her if she was okay.
She replied that she was.
The remaining days of the school week was normal, The girl was looking much more normal and was slowly starting to converse with society.
We learnt her name was Elliam.
Strangely also during that period, Alexander was absent in school.
•••••
Soon enough it was Friday.
On Saturday there was a heavy snow storm .Snow storms were common in this part of the world, yes but I'd never experienced one as heavy as this.
I looked through my window at the rapidly falling snow and wild winds, watching the drops of snow making light padded sounds on the window glass and pane, then back at my desk at the book on it.
In the background was the noise coming from the TV.
".....Weather strangely this year has a stronger snow storm than normal, citizens of Honevill, T.C.N, we hope you're safely tucked in bed nice and warm with a hot cup of coco within your reach,"
The newscaster reported with a smile.
"Reports from the streets of Honevill is that there has been a few sightings of a tall monstrous creature lurking in the Main Forest of Honevill, citizens..."
"Some people will do anything for publicity." My Ma said with a sneer.
She'd always been a little tech phobic.
"But what if it's not..."
"It is! Its fake down to the bone, pah! Sightings of a monstrous creature indeed. You kiddies better head to your rooms and go to sleep,"
...
The next day Sunday was even worse, a couple of hailstones fell too. We could hear them bashing against the roof of our house.
Monday, the snowstorm stopped but school was cancelled as a result of the harsh snowy downpour.
There was no need to plough away the snow, the 'street warmers' would melt the snow.
On Tuesday, all was back to normal and I headed early to school. When I arrived, there was a strange hush fallen upon it.
Elliam was absent in school, but Alexander was not, somehow to us, it didn't feel like a coincidence.
Soon classes were over and walked to the cafe I worked in before entering the hot air-conditoner bus home.
When I entered, my youngest sister was in the living room, so was my Ma and Pa. They all had their eyes on the TV.
I turned my attention there too.
".....Monday, there has been a shocking total of five citizens reported missing, all within 5 hours away from each other, it makes me remember 20XX when there were almost similar reports such as this but anyway...."
"..So residents of Honevill, always be safe, keep your G.P.S. on, tell your family and friends about where you might be going and don't travel alone or at night, goodnight."
My Ma then turned to me after putting on the Disney channel, "Where have you been?"
"In the cafe," I answered scratching my head.
"We don't want you working late anymore, not until this is settled."
I didn't argue, that was good enough for me.
As I climbed the stairs, I thought about Elliam and wondered if she too could have possibly have gone missing.
The next day, Elliam still didn't show up, and so on for the rest of the week.
Jamil, the girl whom had carried her seemed worried, and when we discussed about her, she said Elliam was a little suicidal which was the reason for her worries.
And to top it up, she didn't know her home.
The next week, we all received shocking news.
In a sub urban area, called Ford street the neighbour of a bungalow had reported that the house next to theirs emitted a putrid smell.
When asked whom owned the house, the neighbour said it belonged to an old couple with a young adopted daughter.
Calling the house's phone line, no one had answered, the police was forced to break in.
The house seemed abandoned and in the girl's room upstairs, she was found dead cold, her upper body on the desk and her lower on the chair.
She was unconscious and the table was wet with the blood that had pooled over it.