Ever since Veronica returned from the club, she has been unable to sleep. It's early in the morning, and she's sitting in front of the mirror, with a horrified look at her neck, which bears the marks of suffocation.
How could she trust a demon all her life? She had allowed herself to be manipulated by a being who had tormented her family for generations, bringing them pain and suffering.
How could she believe every word of the nightmare, mindlessly bringing her brother into conflict?
It's solely her fault that Eric doesn't see her as an older sister he could always count on for support.
— Not even for a moment, did you sleep a wink? — He hears his friend's sleepy voice.
— I wasn't able to, Nicki. All the time I was thinking about my life and the curse of my family. There must be a solution to make the demon go away forever. My mother did not defeat it, but only silenced it. Like her, Eric is mentally weak and unable to cope, so I'm going to take matters into my hands. — He turns to face his friend. — I have already decided that I will protect him with my breast. I will take on all the pain he has endured for sixteen years.
The blonde looks worried.
— Do you even know where you should start?
— Yes. — She is silent for a moment. He bites his lip, then says in a calm voice. — From the place where the demon is strongest.
Nicki rises from the mattress and crinkles her eyebrows.
— The place where he is strongest? — she repeats.
— I mean the room that drove my mother to psychosis, the room Eric entered the first night at Horace Mann. The demon wants me to visit that place, too, at any cost.
— What if it's a trap?
— I realize it's a trap, but I'm sure there's a solution in this trap. I will find it, Nicki, I will sacrifice myself.
— You are a mega brave girl, and that's what worries me the most.
Veronica smiles pale.
— Lucas is right when he says I should talk to my parents about it, but I would rather not worry them. I think I'd rather take things into my hands.
— The redheaded, sexy heroine of the book, who delights everyone with her charisma and also drives everyone crazy with her stupidity....
— You sound like Henry. — These words are enough to shut the blonde's mouth. — It is said that a person takes an example from the person he secretly loves.
Nicki's thrown pillow bounces against the redhead's face.
— Never say that moron's name in front of me again! — she reacts with anger.
— Why? Does your heart start beating harder then? Do you feel butterflies in your stomach? — For a moment, the girls forget about the unpleasant situation from the night, teasing each other in a friendly way. — It's love, my dear. You are in love up to your ears.
The blonde squints her eyes angrily.
— Yes? Do you know this from yourself? Do you feel it every time you are with Kevin?
The smile on Veronica's face dims.
— It's strange, but I felt this way before I decided to be in a relationship with him. How should I explain it?
— It sounds like an infatuation... Maybe you were just fascinated by the handsome guy chasing you, and when you started being in a relationship with him, it slowly started to fade?
— I don't know how to explain it, Nicki. To some extent, you're right. I was excited when he was hitting on me, I felt butterflies every time I got close, and now that I'm with him, it's all gone.... Possibly, it's something wrong with me? — Her gaze is sorrowful. — What if I actually wasn't ready for a relationship, and I only used him to fight the demon?
— You can't hurt him. Not now. You just started being together, he's our friend's brother. He really cares about you, you can see the sparkle in his eyes every time he looks at you....
— I know, Nicki, I know this. I'm not going to cross it off at the very beginning. I want to give this relationship a chance, I'll do anything to fall in love with Kevin.
She runs her fingers through her hair and sighs loudly.
— It will be fine. Everything will work out, Vera. — Nicki gets up from the bed and walks over to her friend. She puts her hands on her shoulders and smiles slightly. — I will always stand by your side, regardless of the situation.
The redhead places her hand on the blonde's palm.
— I will get through this. I will send the demon back to the devil and fix my life.
The blonde looks around the room anxiously.
— I don't think she's hiding anywhere and overhearing what we're talking about?
— I don't know, maybe... He's getting worse by the day.
*
That morning in the cafeteria, Miranda's school life changes. The 16-year-old sits dimly at the table, burying her spoon in oatmeal. She wants to cry when she sees the mocking stares of students all around her. They mock her, teasing her that for a brief moment, she managed to fool the entire Horace Mann.
The word "Pauper" echoes in her ears. Everyone already knows the truth, which Eric posted on the school's main page early that morning. He confessed that she was a pauper who was trying to pretend to be a newly rich people. He ridiculed her in front of the entire Horace Mann, called her a traced-out dolt who takes advantage of the principal's kindness.
And all this because, so far, she is the only scholarship recipient since the school was founded.
— With her beauty, she tried to fool everyone. A poor wench longed to taste the life of the rich. I wonder how she seduced the principal....
— The pretty ones have it easier in life. She probably gave him an ass....
Miranda closes her eyelids, from under which tears flow. She can hardly stand the degrading gossip, but each new word, makes her heart hurt more and more.
She would be finished if it came out that her sister is a whore who has been earning her family's living this way for several years.
— But the worst part is that since she came to Horace Mann, she has been exalting herself, seducing all the boys. Eric wrote that he is heartbroken that he was so cruelly cheated. He fell into her trap and now feels disgusted with himself.
The pretty girl can't stand it and bursts out crying. She covers her face with her hands, feeling like collapsing to the ground.
She thought she could hide the truth until she graduated from high school, but Eric somehow discovered this and cruelly used it against her.
— Come on, Miranda, you wouldn't be able to handle being his errand puppet any longer — she whispers to herself, pulling her nose. — You did the right thing. This will soon pass...
There's a commotion in the cafeteria when Lucas comes out of the kitchen with a bucket of fish waste and dumps it in the middle of the table where the worst gossipers are sitting. The cook runs out after him, shouting that he is frivolous. A stench spreads that the girls can't stand. They plug their noses and run away from the table, rushing.
The blond man wipes his hands on his pants, then walks over to his crying friend. He sits down next to her, watching as the scions almost vomit from the unpleasant smell.
— What are you doing? — Miranda asks him when the stench from the neighboring bench reaches her. — It stinks worse than a sewage treatment plant.
— I thought you would like to spend some time in peace, so I drove the cattle out. You don't have to thank me.
— For the stench I have to inhale? I won't thank you — she replies in a hoarse voice.
One of the cooks approaches Lucas, clearly agitated by his behavior.
— You will explain to the director!
— Me? — the sixteen-year-old puts his hand to his chest, looking at her with puzzled eyes. — And not you? Just now I saw in what state the kitchen is in. How can we eat food prepared by such sloppy women? This is an elite school, not a prison.
The woman swallows her saliva nervously.
— What happens in the kitchen is my business. You kid take care of your studies.
— Your business? — repeats with disbelief in his voice, the boy. — But I'm the one who has to eat the food prepared by the lady, and my parents pay for it.
— Today's children are terrible — mutters the cook under her breath, then turns on her heel and walks away.
Miranda forces a sad smile.
— You meant well, but I feel like I'm going to throw up in a minute.
— So let's go from here. — He grabs her hand and leads her to the exit. — Today I will accompany you.
— People hate me, Lucas. Even though we are classmates, now we come from different worlds. You are the popular student, I am the scapegoat.
The sixteen-year-old stops in the hallway. Looking into her sad eyes, she smiles cheerfully.
— Eric is my buddy. I've known him since I was a kid, but after what he put down today I'm not going to take his side, but yours. I'm a man who isn't concerned about his family's possessions, but his character. — The pretty girl nods slightly. — You may have played the otter from the beginning, but you did it solely to adapt to the people here. Today you showed your true character. You are not strong and all it takes is a senseless teasing of you, and you burst like a soap bubble, so never again pretend to be someone you are not. Just be yourself, Miranda. — The boy makes his peer smile slightly. — And don't hide your true self under a mask of exaggerated makeup. You are much prettier when you don't feel like painting yourself. Despite your swollen eyes, you look great today. — He lifts his thumb, once again smiling radiantly at her. — Should we head to class?
The teenager nods and, stepping at the side of the tall boy, for a moment forgets about the unpleasant situation that happened to her.
There is a slight smile on her face, albeit a sincere one, as she looks at her classmate with adoration in her eyes.
After all, most girls have their crush in high school.
Her thoughts about Lucas pass when she spots Eric in front of the classroom. The brunet is leaning against the windowsill, with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at a single point on the wall.
Miranda stays behind, Lucas approaches him to talk to him about his immature behavior, since he didn't return to his room for the night.
— Are you proud of yourself, woodpecker? — he begins, but is entirely ignored. Scott doesn't even blink his eyelids, he is so caught up in one point.
Lucas looks over his shoulder, but sees nothing there except a white wall.
— What about him? — asks Miranda uncertainly, taking a few steps forward.
— I have no idea — replies the blond, waving his hand in front of his peer's face.
Eric doesn't notice anything happening next to him. Listening to a melody that sounds like a lullaby, he can't shake himself out of his amok. He loses his senses every time his ears are filled with this dark sound.
He bypasses his peers and follows the melody that leads him to the stairs.
— Is this some kind of play on his part? — Miranda looks confused.
— I don't think so. — Lucas takes his cell phone out of his pants pocket and, in a quick dial, presses the 1, under which is the name of his best friend. — I'm afraid something bad is happening to him now.
— You mean what Veronica told us about last night? — The sixteen-year-old's face pales. — About the fact that their family is cursed, that they are under the influence of a demon?
— Eric is under the greatest influence of a demon, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if he wasn't the one who sent the message to the school's main page. From Veronica's words, it appears that this entity wants to drive everyone away from her family, ruin their lives, deprive them of all happiness, bring them suffering. — A shiver of fear runs down her spine. It's terrifying and sounds unreal, but it must be true if Lucas is so serious about it. He wouldn't lie about friends he's known since childhood. — I know you hate him, but please keep an eye on him for a while. I'll show up as soon as I find Veronica.
She is only doing this because of his request.
The girl tightens her lips and unexpectedly breaks from her seat, running towards the stairs. Lucas looks at her with wide-open eyes, worrying when Veronica still doesn't answer.
— Come on, Vera. Don't make me look all over the building — he whispers, impatiently moving a leg.
*
Miranda hates this boy with all her heart for all the insulting words he has said to her since they met, but from home she has learned to help every person, even the biggest enemy.
Before the girl's mother died, she always told her that she would be rewarded for any kindness, so she is sticking to that. She hopes that luck will eventually smile on her.
Passing by people, Miranda hears them still gossiping about her, some even call her trash, but she tries to ignore it, following Lucas' words.
In a few days, they get bored and find another object of derision.
When she finds herself in the boarding section, she notices Eric walking down the corridor where the girls' rooms are located. At this hour, not many people are still in their rooms. Students are in the cafeteria or preparing for classes.
The 16-year-old crinkles her eyebrows when the boy stops in front of the door of the cursed room, which the students avoid by a wide margin. She walks closer and puckers her lips as she notices the door open on its own, inviting Eric inside.
Her heart beats harder with fear as she manages to run into the room at the last minute, following her unbearable colleague.
She has to stay with him until Lucas gets here with Veronica.
The room is dark and gloomy. The musty smell until it chokes her throat making her start coughing. She pulls out her cell phone from her skirt pocket and turns on the flashlight in it.
— Eric? — She asks in a terrified voice. — Where are you, you bastard? — She shines it around himself, but there is no trace of the boy. — I know your hobby is to tease me and turn my life into hell, but you kicked my ass hard enough this morning, so now you don't have to.
The harrowing darkness in the room, which even the bright flashlight on her phone can't illuminate, leads her to shiver all the way through. It's frighteningly cold, and she feels as if she's stuck in a pantry.
— You are an uninvited guest, you have no connection to this place, so what are you doing here? — She hears Eric's voice over her ear, which sounds different from usual. It's more, how shall we say, chilling?
— I'm not worried about you at all. I should even kill you for the message you inserted on the site. You destroyed my school life.
He puts frighteningly cold hands on her shoulders.
— I like the expression "kill you."
The teenager begins to shake and doesn't know whether more from fear or cold. She wants to call Lucas and tell him where they are, but she is so paralyzed that she can't.
— Why are you so cruel?
— Not cruel, but thirsty for revenge, pretty. — He bites her ear with his teeth, which makes her panic. Just at that moment, the ringtone on her cell phone sounds, and she jumps forward out of fear. She falls over something hard and collapses on a burr. Her chest hurts so much that she can't move and only twists onto her back. She looks around her, searching for the phone she dropped. Eric is quicker, as he finds it and takes it in his hand. — Lucas? — he reads aloud as her colleague calls her once again.
— They are worried about you.
— Are they worried? I hate it when someone is worried! — His frantic voice makes her cry. — No one is entitled to worry about Eric and Veronica! These children were born of a curse, they will suffer more than their ancestors!
— You are talking about yourself, Eric. — Her voice trembles.
The bright light from the cell phone, which falls on the boy's face, shows his dark smile.
— Eric? No, not Eric. Call me Steven. — The 16-year-old is so terrified that she can't even scream, as her voice is trapped in her throat. — I am Steven, just today is the 100th anniversary of my death, and you are lying exactly where I died.
Only these words release the scream trapped in her throat, which echoes against the walls of Horace Mann.