Golden orange rays slid through the door’s gaps as the front clock strikes 4:00 pm. I tossed a flimsy notebook underneath the desk and threw my backpack over my shoulder. Passing the whiteboard, one could notice the sharp waft of rubbing alcohol that gives a discomforting tickle to the acute senses. My forehead pressed on a metal locker, disturbed by a stark bright screen. “Another message for the eighth time?” I resented, clicking off the phone and then strode along the postered walls, refusing any form of eye contact. Although, my vision was eventually confronted with several shadows resembling human figures that trailed over the endless rows of tiles. Before I knew anything, my attention was locked on the opposite end of the corridor. Oddly enough, I wasn’t surprised. In fact, it became quite predictable.

A familiar girl among the group of other students caught my presence. She shot a glare at my stiffened frame before returning her attention to them with an artificially bright expression. Reflections of gleaming smiles and words passed among each other. My breath tightened. I averted from the horrifically vivid scene and faced the staircase. Ah— the typical hostility of an amateur actress or, more precisely, one of my former friends.

The sun tracked its final minute as the sky graduates to a twilight’s indigo, which is then followed by the glaring city lights hues. Away from the metropolis were a few rows of red lanterns illuminated in discordance that hung from rustic beams, and some of the windows were partially obscured with blinds. Out there was nothing but an exit on the other side of the passage, where little footsteps treaded away from a slide. Over there was a park where a few benches stood, with the other side being a playground, although the ladder’s lower part went missing along with some snatched ropes that had gone limp on the grass surface. It seems that my old friend and I used to meet at the park every week or so, chasing each other only to later drift apart. The sound of children teasing in rows of trees transformed into a desperate yet lonely wail- doesn’t leave me alone. Before I realized anything, my fingers ran over the ladder’s rail only for its screech to cause a jumpscare.

Above me were flowerless branches spreading out from an elder oak, with only a few rust-red leaves grasping onto them. Upon a closer look, the leaves disclosed their veiny details, brittle yet elegant like a ruin’s ornaments. “Wait. I’m already here?” I strolled to the sprinkler and filled up a cup. Before I could tighten its handle, a beam of water diverted towards me. Half-lidded, I wrung my shirt and then kneeled next to the oak, following the trunk’s patterns that guided me to its hollow before pouring the cup. If I remember correctly, she comes here alone on the weekends since grade one, which was quite frequent. Although, it was left uninhabited for the past few years. She isn’t the same anymore though, frequently leaving me out but piling threatening letters in my locker as if we must stay “friends.” A stinging sensation punctured my skin, causing me to release my grip. I scanned over it to feel a cool liquid trickling on my left wrist. I scanned my surroundings to spot a trap recently set on the grassy surface oddly enough, then peeked at the injured site. This might need more than a bandage… 

My fingers sealed the bandage again as I flipped through the textbook pages scribbled with equations and random doodles, accompanied by an increasing amount of daily notes. By the time I reached the end of it, I found myself confronted with various plans on a to-do list on a crisp white page, some of them scribbled out until they were practically illegible except for the bottom row. I squinted at the minuscule text only to be distracted by a brassy voice that became audible in the depths of a bookshelves maze. I peeked through the gaps between rows of scientific journals and there, that cruel figure with an iron in her hand who was passed a note. My breath froze at the sight of her wickedly defined lips before returning to the list. At the end of each row appear to have dates but they already passed. Only if I could remove something to end these never-ending thoughts— That could lead to trouble though.

…

But what if I had to? If not, I’m next for that steaming equipment…

* * *

I won’t hesitate to donate a broken nose to that self-proclaimed professional—  Seriously. How does someone’s randomly impaled arm relate to my so-called behavior? I slammed the office door and then strode away, never setting another foot near that counseling room. The hallway went empty as figures dispersed into their classrooms. Entering that blanched hellscape once again, a slim yet deadly firm male interrupted with a rasping cough and then pointed to the front seat beside the half-blinded window, its penetrating radiation frying my eyes in the process. Restraining myself from frustration, I shoved my backpack under the oddly neat desk, although my attention that grabbed by its smooth surface unlike my previous one stuffed with horrendous piles of notes. The questions, find the solution to two x square plus… What? My breath was interrupted by an unforgiving tap on my desk. The instructor’s eyes glared in disappointment and pointed to the board. “I’m solving this question?” He frowned and then passed me a marker. A hiss passed amongst the seats and a few derisive giggles. Get me away from that disgusting board, and— that stare? The class’s loner grinned at me, her sinister fingertips were revealed from a dark sleeve. My head tilted, “Wait, it’s-”. She placed an index finger on her lips. I paused and then wrote the number in the empty box. My shoulders dropped as I return to my desk, exhaling in relief once the pointy tick mark was drawn. 

I felt a sudden vibration on my arm, triggering my posture uptight only to discover the sound came from that same girl who previously signaled me the answer. She slicked back her jet-black ponytail before signaling to the exit. “Meet outside?” Her fingers tapped on a silver watch worn on her left wrist. “4 pm?” I asked. She nodded and turned her head to the metal-framed window. Once the rooms became barren, I leaned over the window sill and nodded back. She flicked her bangs and smirked, “I must admit, it’s quite a pretty sight.” She glanced at both ends of the corridor and then walked towards me. “Here’s a deal,” she whispered and then came closer to my ear. “There? Fine by me,” I replied.

I scanned the abandoned settlements as she reached the end of the passage obscured from natural light. In here, there wasn’t a single indication of life, various extinguished lanterns were barely held to the ceiling, preparing to smash my head at any unlucky moment. Straight ahead was the hidden playground that I passed by a few days ago. Before I thought of anything, both of my wrists were grabbed and then locked to a jagged ladder, and not long after, I was confronted with lifeless orbs. 

“Your injury is not my business you—” “Explain this.” She shoved a freshly printed photo: a girl like her who was beaten to bits on the grass, her throat pressed by a familiar figure. A flood of bewilderment washed off my thoughts. That can’t be me, right? 

“Whoever’s taken the picture must be framing-” She tugged my shirt towards her with overwhelming violence. “Enough of your lies!” Her expression faltered, “I know what’s you up to.” Her nails clawed underneath my chin, puncturing through delicate layers of flesh. My hands cupped pints full of a metallic pool gushing down my neck and to my collar, dying it to fresh blood orange. A stream of tears followed by the throbbing pain of exposed cuts each by one tainting my defenseless skin. I clenched her armed hand but without success. With her heartless stare, she wiped all traces of hope. “Stop, you—” She bashed my head into a tree trunk, tightening my throat even with futile effort, leaving me no choice but to surrender my final words to her.

“Geez, I already stopped,” she snickered as she sealed acidic cyan gloves in a ziplock bag. Tightening the loose ends of her face mask, she inspected the limp body once more before disguising it with the ragged settlements of an ever-darkening pathway. Glad to know the ‘evidence’ worked.

If the other option is to end up with her iron, I won’t take that.