Emma's POV
My mind became blank as I stared at the bloodied mess in front of me triggering images of what happened in Madeline High and I crumbled to the floor while my ears rang.
Earlier that day…
"Emma!"
Irritation pricked my skin as I tightened my grip on my bag pack's strap. "What?"
The quick pace of running feet finally skidded to a stop and my eyes looked at the little beaming imp in front of me. Flashing me a grin, she panted for a while and smiled. "Good morning Emma! It is a beautiful day isn't it?"
"Yep," I reply through clenched teeth. "It was a beautiful day until you came."
She pouted at my words but I didn't care and started walking away.
"Hah! I know you are lying to me. Why? Because it's so cold," she shivered and caught up with me. "I wish winter could end in January. Why does it have to extend till February?"
I give a sideways glance. "We can't control the weather can we?"
"Yeah, but I prefer summer to winter. The sun, the beach, the fact that we get to spend three months at home! It's awesome! What's your favorite season Emma?"
Silence was my answer as I grit my teeth even more until when she started talking about the various seasons people love and the personalities attached to them. The question caught me off guard so I took my time answering.
"Most people like summer but a few people like spring. I think the reason behind it must be the cherry blossoms blooming during that time or the fact that Mother Nature uses spring as an opportunity to make the plants grow. Or maybe it's because I like the sound of rain. Personally, I am not a fan of rain. It messes up my plans for trips, and parties and it is one of the main reasons why people get colds! I don't get colds during the winter because I was raised in cold weather but I sneeze at the sight and smell of rain. Does this mean I am allergic to it? That's silly. If I am allergic to rain then I am allergic to water and who on earth is allergic to water?"
'For the love of the people who raised you shut up!' I thought ruefully to myself but she just kept talking so I quickened my pace to avoid her.
"Hey wait up!" she called out.
However, I don't wait up and continue to trot until we reach the school grounds until we reach the school grounds where we go our separate ways.
"Good morning Emma," Itsuki chirped.
"F*ck off!" I snap entering the class.
"Wow! That was rude." I heard someone say as I took a seat at the back of the class. Everyone was too busy to notice me which was good because I needed a break from the torment I experienced this morning.
To be honest, I don't like Bae. I don't hate her but I don't like her. She is not an unpleasant person but she talks too much for her own good and has been sticking to me like glue from the first day I met her. All she does is talk about the Journalism club where she is the only member!
"Emma?"
"WHAT!" I snap looking up at Itsuki who jumped back in fright. The whole class went silent as he nervously showed me my school shoes.
"Y…you forgot to wear them again," he stammered.
'Great! Just great!' I snatch the items from him, change my shoes, and toss my home shoes to him. "You know what to do with them."
"Yes ma'am," he stuttered before running out of the class.
Everyone was whispering when I slumped back on my seat and words like 'rude', 'stuck-up-princess', and 'b*tch' filled the room.
"You know I can hear you right?" I snap making the whole room go silent. Soon the teacher arrived forcing everyone to go to their seats and start the lesson. After that was Biology class and everyone was instructed to head to the lab to experiment with plants. After wearing the necessary protection gear; lab coats and gloves, I walked into the lab and was hit with a sudden blast of cold breeze.
'What is our ancestors…'
"I am sorry class. I think the air conditioner is broken," the Biology teacher announced as we took our seats.
"Does this mean class is canceled?"
"No it doesn't Rinko." she snapped back at the students at the back and groaned. "We will continue to perform the experiment on 'Photosynthesis' and see the results in two weeks. Do it well and you might get high marks for this academic session."
Students shivered slightly as the teacher explained and performed the experiment before letting us pair ourselves in groups. Fortunately, I was paired with Aoki Ryugoku who was as serious as I was about it but always complained about it.
"Who the hell lets students perform an experiment in conditions like this?" he muttered as we planted the seedlings in a small flower pot. "I won't be surprised if the plants freeze to death."
'I wish you'd freeze to death,' I thought. Suddenly, the air conditioner stopped working and the temperature in the room started to rise which brought relief to most of the students. Placing the seedlings covered with a cardboard box on the top shelf, we made sure that the hole was directly next to the source of light, wrote our reports, and left the room.
Soon the bell rang for the lunch break. To avoid Bae, I followed the rest of the students to the school's roof to eat my bento in peace. Many students avoided me as usual and walked to the other end of the roof but I didn't mind for I was too busy eating my bland food to care.
"Ugh! Why is she here again?"
"How should I know?"
"Is it true she dated a psychopath?"
"Maybe."
"Of course it's true! Look at her!"
"I heard that she has Stockholm Syndrome because of him."
"Gross! I wonder what she was thinking when she decided to date him. I wouldn't even try it!"
"Me neither."
"Is it true she is the only survivor from the Murder House killings?"
"Yes! I heard she and her boyfriend were involved in it."
"Really?"
"It's just a rumor."
"Whatever it is, I hope she did not bring the curse of Murder House with her."
"Yeah. Who would want that right?"
'I need to find another place to eat from now on.' I thought to myself as I stood up from the bench.
"What's that?"
"Is that blood?"
The tone of the person's voice made me look at the few students surrounding something red. What followed was a scream and instinctively, I let my bento box fall to the ground before running towards the direction of the sound…
"Emma? Emma wake up."
I fluttered my eyes to see Jake smiling lovingly at me and for some reason, I smiled back and let him caress my face.
"Did you miss me? Because I did," he asked touching me again. "I always miss you."
My tensed muscles relaxed under his touch like a cat purring under its owner's touch. His hands traveled to my neck and his fingers tickled its sensitive parts until they became tighter. Before I voice out my discomfort, its grip tightened making me gasp for air while his face twisted to that of the deformed face I learned to dread during our relationship.
"Wake up," he whispered as his smile grew wider. "WAKE UP!"
My body jerked and I sat up in shock. Everywhere looked white and it took a moment to realize I was in the school's infirmary.
"Emma?" a familiar voice called out. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I am okay." I reply placing a hand on my temple.
"Did you take your medication?" she asks.
I nod. "But it doesn't stop the nightmares."
"I see. What caused you to pass out?"
"I saw a dead body on the school's roof." I sigh and place a hand on my face. "It was awful! There was blood everywhere and a weird sound…"
"It's okay. Let's stop there." She says. "Did your therapist prescribe sleeping pills for you?"
"Yeah, but I refused to take them."
"Why?"
"They trap me in my nightmares about him," I chuckle ruefully. "Sometimes the pills knock me down so bad that I can't move or wake up! So I stopped taking them."
"I see. So the sight of the dead body knocked you out and…"
Then the door opened revealing Magic and Bae who had a worried look on her face. The Guidance Counselor, Aisha Mishima stood up adjusting her glasses.
"Ms. Mishima, do you mind leaving the therapy session to the professionals please?" Magic asked.
"I'll have you know Magic Alexander that I have a degree in child psychology and…"
"And I will have you know that you are not licensed in clinical psychology. Therefore you can't play the role of a therapist for this student." then he moved out of the way and Bae finally entered the room. "So leave before you lose your job. This is my final warning."
Her dark eyes narrowed at that statement before she stood up to leave the room. Magic followed leaving me alone with Bae of all people who started talking.
"Bae please, don't talk to me about the scene," I beg.
"What scene?" she asked.
"The scene of the crime," I reply. "Don't talk about it please."
"Well, I didn't see the scene, fortunately." There was a tone of concern in her voice. "The thing is, you and some students were the first few people to see it up close but I won't talk about it."
"I see,"
Silence took over the room before she said, "They put the whole school on lockdown and counted the number of students. At first, they thought you were missing but when Itsuki told them you were in the infirmary this leaves one student probably the murder victim."
"Who is the student?" I ask and she surprises me by shrugging.
"No one knows. The school let the police take over the investigation but there are rumors…"
"What rumors?"
"Rumors that you did it."
I rolled my eyes and swung my feet out of the bed. "Do the police need my statement?"
"Not that I know of and the school is still on lockdown until they leave." She said.
"I see. When will they be gone?"
She shrugged and I lie back on the bed.
Storm clouds were brewing in the sky by the time we were allowed to leave and rain began to pour but I didn't mind. The dream I had earlier still haunted me but despite the pounding rain on the cold winter evening, I could hear a pattern of feet creeping up behind me and turn just in time to see a hooded figure standing before me with a smile on its face. Frowning, I turn to face the person who slowly took out a knife from their pockets but stops halfway as their facial expression turns to horror. Putting the knife away, the culprit turned round and ran away leaving me confused.
'Why did she run?'
A growl was my answer. I turned around to see I was surrounded by a small army of monsters. Their growls intensified as the rain pounded around me but I didn't flinch. I spread my arms wide and a pair of twin blades materialized in my hands.
They descended upon me with fury but ducked and dodged their attacks slicing and cutting them to pieces. I made sure to destroy the big ones first since they were the ones who summon the smaller ones leaving them confused and defenseless but they were proving hard to kill. I block one of their attacks with one of my twin swords before stabbing it with the other. Finally, they were banished into dark wisps leaving pools of purple sloshes behind for the rain to wash away. All it took was a huge downward swipe of my blade to kill the little ones until there was nothing left.
"It's a good thing I didn't see the giant ones," I say as the rain beats down on me. "But where are they coming from?"
"Emma?"
'Gosh! I am going to hate my name at this point.' I turn around and frown. "Oh, it's you."
"What are you doing out in the rain?" she asks.
By now the swords in my hand had disappeared so I had nothing to worry about except the purple sloshes but I ignored it.
"Nothing. I was going home." I reply.
"But it's 11 PM."
"I know,"
The rain continued to beat around us as we looked at each other. She took a step closer to look at me and her eyes increased with concern.
"You look tired. What happened?"
"Nothing," I sling my bag over my shoulder and turn my back to her. "Are you coming or not?"
"You want me to come?" she asked.
Every inch of me hated the idea but the good manners embedded in me along with the realization that she went out of her way to look for me under this strange weather made it impossible for me to turn her away.
"I hate to admit it but… I need some company tonight." I mutter loud enough for her to hear.
Bae squealed and skipped closer to me in her little pink rain boots. She tried sharing the umbrella with me but our height difference made it impossible. When we got to my apartment and as I fiddled with my keys, she shivered under the cold.
"I am sorry," I finally insert the right key into the door's knob and open it to a cozy apartment. "It's late. Do you want to stay the night?"
"Yes please," she looked around. "Wow! Your place looks nicer than mine."
"You don't say,"
"And your furniture looks nice! Is it new?"
"I guess," I mutter walking into the kitchen to make some tea. "I didn't furnish the place."
"Oh so someone bought it for you?" she asked.
I turn the kettle on. "Yes,"
"Ooh! What's this?"
I took a peek and saw she was touching something next to the television and sighed deeply. "It's a speaker."
"Ooh! I didn't know they were this small!" she cooed. "I downloaded some new anime. Do you want to watch it with me?"
"What about school?" I ask pouring the tea into the cups.
"There is no school for a week." She yelled back from the living room. "Sorry but where can I connect my phone to the TV? Is it here?"
"Hold on! I am coming!" I put the tea bags into the cup and walked to the living room to see her fiddling with the TV. Taking her phone, I turn on her Bluetooth and turn on the TV using the remote. A few minutes later, we were eating rice balls and watching a comedy anime. Later, on my insistence, Bae took a hot shower while I prepared a change of clothes and a futon for her to sleep in.
"Umm, Emma?"
"What?" I call from the bathroom.
"Do you have any clothes my size? These are pretty big for me."
Still having the towel wrapped around my hair, I look into the room and see her wearing one of my shirts which reached down to her knees. "You look okay to me."
"Okay. Come to think of it, it looks like a little nightgown. Do you think we should watch one more episode before we go to sleep?"
'Gosh, she doesn't stop talking does she?' I squeeze some facial cream onto my hands and freeze when I see something red on my palms. 'What the…'
Then I looked into the mirror and stared at my reflection which slowly started to change into something else…
"Emma? Are you coming?"
Bae's voice snapped me out of my trance and I continued my skincare routine. I pop two sleeping pills into my mouth, dress up into my pajamas, and lay on my futon.
"Good night Emma," Bae said.
"Good night," I reply and shut my eyes. The sleeping pills took effect after a few minutes and the nightmares commenced. This time, instead of Jake strangling me, it was the visions of the body I saw today. I was standing next to the body and watching as the creatures I fought earlier devoured it, their sickening munching sounds echoing in the air. One stared at me, roared, and continued their feast while I stood there frozen.
Suddenly, the vision slowly fizzled away and I found myself wrapped around a warm glow. I tried to fight it but the sense of comfort along with the sleeping pills made it impossible and what made things worse was the whispering I heard. I finally take a deep breath and let the warm glow surround me. This gave me a sense of comfort and made me sigh in satisfaction and I found myself burying myself in the comfort of my futon. Unfortunately, an obscure ringing tone snapped me out of it. Slowly opening my eyes, I turned to my right expecting to see his face but found a space and my heart sank.
The air was filled with a nice aroma of food and my muscles tensed. Slowly crawling out of bed, I grabbed a knife hidden near the door and snuck out the door. The sound of someone humming along accompanied by clashing utensils filled the air as I came closer to the kitchen and my grip on the knife tightened. Peeking around the corner, I see Bae cooking something in the frying pan and heaved a sigh of relief.
She must have heard me because she turned around. "Oh, good morning Emma."
"G…good morning." Guilt washed over me as I hid the knife.
"I am sorry if I woke you up," she quickly put off the flame. "And…I am sorry for the mess."
"Mess?" I step into the kitchen to finally see the pile of dirty plates and the messy counter covered with flour and eggshells. "Woah,"
"Sorry. I am not used to cooking inside." She quickly put the frying pan away and grabbed a tray full of steamed buns. "Would you like one?"
"What is it?"
"It's Bao! I saw the recipe online." She raised the tray to my face like it was an offering. "Would you try some?"
I stare at the food intensely before picking up one of the oversized buns and taking a bite. Instead of biting into a cloud of fluffiness, I bite into a cloud of uncooked flour and something oily. My eye twitched as my mouth was suddenly filled with saltiness and my stomach churned when something meaty and greasy hit it.
"You…you don't like it?" she asked. I shake my head and her face falls. "Awee."
A knock on the door interrupted us. I quickly rushed to get it and upon opening the door, I frowned.
"Ah, good morning Emma. How are you?"
I roll my eyes at the silver-haired idiot standing next to Magic and glare at them. "What do you want?"
Magic sniffed the air. "Is something burning?"
We hear a squeal and rush to the kitchen to see Bae trying in vain to put out a fire with a piece of rag. The flame got bigger so I grabbed her away just in time for a blast of white smoke to fill the air. Itsuki coughs as he puts down the fire extinguisher and Magic as stoic as ever, adjusts his glasses before tapping on his phone.
"For the last time, it was an accident," I say while we stand in the corridor.
Magic sighs and looks at Bae who looks away in shame. "Honestly Emma, I do encourage you to make friends but couldn't you pick a more competent person?"
"She isn't my friend," I folded my arms and glared at him. "But I enjoy her company."
Magic pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Honestly Emma,"
Then some men walk out of the apartment door with each wearing white clothing and masks. Magic stepped aside to talk to one of them in private leaving me with Itsuki who still wore that stupid look on his face.
"What?" I snapped.
"Umm…how do I put this gently? Our President is just looking out for your interest Emma. You shouldn't be so mean to him." He said bashfully.
I roll my eyes. "I pick the kind of people I want to hang out with you moron."
"I know but it seems like you picked her because…well…she has been bothering you a lot am I right?"
"Hey!" We turned to look at Bae who was glaring now. "That's not true!"
"Then why…"
"Look Itsuki, I did not ask for your opinion so leave me alone," I say firmly.
He flinched at the tone of my voice and gave a nervous smile. "I know, I know but don't you think…I mean…" then he sighed leaving us in silence for a few minutes. "Isn't she a clutz?"
"And what does that make you? A butt-kisser?" I ask.
Bae covered her ears while he turned red and looked away.
"Have you finally decided on which club you want to join Emma?" Magic asked finally approaching us.
I looked at him. "You are asking me that now?"
"What are you talking about?" Itsuki confirmed.
"Can it! I wasn't talking to you!" I look at Magic. "You want me to go back there after what happened?"
Magic groaned loudly.
"But the police are already on the case," Itsuki stated. "So we have nothing to worry about."
"You have got to be kidding me,"
"Oh! What did the police say?" Bae asked excitedly. "Anything new?"
"Shut up," Magic snapped at her and turned to me. "Don't tell me you intend to drop out of school because of this."
"Dang right I am."
"Emma!"
"Shut up Itsuki," I yell.
"Look, the police are already on the case so you have nothing to worry about alright?" he said.
"Y…yes. This isn't Ma…I mean the school you used to go to." Itsuki muttered despite me telling him to shut up. "It's safe and the police in this town are reliable. It may take a long time but I assure you that they will catch the person behind this."
I think deeply about his words and frown. "'It will take a long time?'"
"What the idiot is trying to say is, that the police are already on the case so you don't have to worry," Magic said. "It may take a long time but we have taken the necessary precautions to ensure that it doesn't happen again."
"Yes! We have changed the air conditioners, stopped giving access cards to the teachers on duty, and made sure everyone cuts their hair to a desired length to prevent further problems."
The cheerful tone in Itsuki's voice made me want to slap him.
"So they are treating this incident as an accident then?" Bae asked.
"No they are not, treating this as an accident," Magic said through clenched teeth as he gave a side glance to Itsuki who quickly looked away. "All we know is they are on the case and they will tell us what we need to know in the end. In the meantime, I want you in school at the end of the week."
"H…hey!" I called out but he had already turned around to leave with Itsuki trailing behind him.
"What a jackass," I muttered under my breath.