The sparkling scissors slipped between her ribs sharply, prongs spreading beneath her flesh before twisting hatefully. There they remained, stationary within her, preventing her blood from fleeing her body. The world took on a dark haze that was not quite black, not quite red. She pulled in a shallow breath, shuddering from the pain, and her fingers scrabbled weakly at the backs of the hands trapping the steel in her torso. Paralyzed with shock and fear, she forced out, "What…" The reply was low and threaded with satisfaction.
"If I can't have you, no one can."
The scissors were suddenly ripped from her body, her blood gushing out of the hole like an unholy river, and a horrific giggle filled her ears. She heard, as from underwater, the voice casually say, "Bye, Jade." The agony screaming across her body slowly numbed as she quivered with one final breath before the world turned black.
The last image she saw was a small shadow slipping daintily out of the room, leaving her there to die.
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It was Tori who found the body.
Jade and Beck were both absent from the table at lunch, but the gang thought nothing of it, assuming that the two of them were off together doing what couples do. But when Tori walked into the history class that she shared with the pair, only Beck could be seen bent over a script on his desk. Dropping into the chair next to him, Tori asked with vague curiosity, "Hey Beck, where's Jade?" He glanced up half-heartedly and responded, "Not sure. I haven't seen her since Sikowitz's class. I spent lunch rehearsing for an upcoming audition. She probably just needed some 'Jade' time. She'll show up eventually." Tori shrugged and moved on easily, discussing Beck's audition until the teacher brought the class to order.
By the time the final bell rang, Jade still hadn't showed up for class. Beck was biting his lip and shifting his gaze uneasily between the clock and the door. After catching the inquiring look on Tori's face, he explained, "I'm worried about her. She promised me last year that she would stop cutting class unnecessarily, and only does it if she's pissed off or depressed. Will you help me look for her?" Tori sighed reluctantly but agreed, for Beck's sake, not for Jade. Beck took off for the roof and Tori stopped by each bathroom in the school. Coming up blank, she thought back to last time Jade pulled a disappearing act, when her play was turned down, and she set off confidently for the janitor's closet.
She arrived quickly and calmly opened the door. But when she flipped on the light, she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. She had indeed found Jade, but the girl was slumped limply against the wall, head turned away from the door, and she was covered in what Tori deduced was stage blood. "Jade, what are you doing? Beck's having a heart attack. And where did you get so much false blood?" She didn't respond, didn't even move. That's when Tori realized how still the goth was, with no small twitches or even the rise and fall of breathing. Tori took a few tentative steps into the closet, pausing at the edge of the maroon lake. She edged to the side so she could see Jade's face, and when she saw her, she went cold.
Jade's eyes were wide open and empty, devoid of anything but an iris. Tori's head swam, her ears roared, and she stumbled into the hall, shaking uncontrollably. Beck came around the corner just in time to catch her when her legs gave out. "Tori…?" he questioned, bewildered. She opened her mouth to answer, but her lunch came out instead. Beck leapt back from the vomit and Tori sank to the ground, stammering, "J-Jade…I…closet…blood…" Beck stared at her and noticed the gaping entry to the closet. Looking between the ghostly pale Latina and the door, he poked his head in tentatively.
He froze, taking in the sight of his girlfriend, lifeless on the floor of a dirty janitor's closet, soaked in blood. He lurched forward with a shout. "Jade!" His boots slipped in her blood as he reached desperately for the girl he loved. Just before he touched her face, two strong arms circled his waist and tugged him back out of the small room. "Beck, there's nothing to be done," Sikowitz murmured.
"NO!" he yelled. "Let me go! We have to help her, we can save her!"
He struggled vainly to get free but Sikowitz just tightened his grip. Beck continued to shout and kick and scratch as police officers swarmed the hall and roped off the closet. An EMT appeared in front of him and took his shoulders. "Sir, there's nothing you can do. I'm sorry. She's gone." Beck broke into sobs and turned into Sikowitz, supporting himself against the acting teacher's frame. Through his own tears, Sikowitz said, "I'm so sorry, Beck."
After a few minutes, the EMT drew him away with soft words and gentle hands, and guided the shaking boy through the halls to the guidance counselor's office. Beck saw Tori sitting in the corner with a blanket draped over her shoulders, clutching a cup of water. While she was still very pale, she wasn't freaking out like before. He sat next to her heavily and accepted a cup of water from the EMT silently. The man squeezed his shoulder and went to his bag on the other side of the room.
Beck set his cup on the floor and leaned his elbows on his knees, clenched hands supporting his head. He stared at the ground numbly before noticing that Jade's blood was soaked into the fabric of his boots. His face produced a twisted smile. Then he began to chuckle.
The chuckle turned into full-blown laughter, and he leaned back in his chair, head thrown back, laughing manically, with his arms wrapped around his stomach. Tori stared at him with confusion, and even fear. His laughter shifted and she saw tears pouring out of his eyes. She moved a hand carefully to his knee, but he swatted her away and fell off his chair, bringing his legs to his chest. He began tear at his hair and sank his nails into his left forearm. Tori looked around in panic and saw the forgotten EMT rushing towards them with a small syringe. The man crouched next to the weeping, laughing, Beck. Tugging Beck's arm out of the fetal position, the EMT shoved his sleeve up and cleanly administered the liquid in the syringe. Beck quieted quickly and his muscles relaxed.
"Sedative," he explained to Tori. "He'll sleep dreamlessly for a couple hours. Sometimes the shock of loosing a loved one can overwhelm the body, especially in violent deaths. Seeing the body makes it even worse." Tori nodded, tears falling down her face. The EMT picked up Beck's sleeping form and laid him gently on Lane's couch. Tori reached over and brushed his long hair away from his sweaty, tear-stained face.
A smartly dressed woman entered the room then, and introduced herself. "Hi Tori, I'm Detective Johnson. I would like to ask you a few questions if you feel up to it." Tori swallowed shakily and asked, "Are my parents here yet? Can I see them please?" The detective smiled softly and replied, "Yes, of course, forgive me. Your mother is on her way but your father is across the hall." Tori smiled painfully and dashed out of the room, searching for the safety of her dad's embrace.
Detective Johnson walked up to the couch and said, "We need to store those boots in evidence." The EMT nodded and returned to his station across the room. The woman bent to untie the shoes and placed them carefully in two large, clear, bags. She looked down at the sedated teen and sighed.
"A sixteen year old girl was gruesomely murdered in a janitor's closet at a prestigious performing arts high school. What the hell happened?" Not expecting a reply from the EMT, she strode out of the room.