It had been a week since Misty had returned to the swamp, but it didn't feel like home anymore. The cicadas had resumed their song,but she didn't enjoy it as much as she used to. Everything had a tinge of dullness without her...without her Miss Cordelia. Misty wanted to go back as soon as she left, but her feet kept going. That night kept playing in her mind in waking and sleeping.
Her hell started off in a middle school classroom. The teacher was forcing her to dissect a poor, harmless frog. Misty brought the frog back without a second thought. That's when the little shit told on her.
"If you won't dissect a dead frog,you'll dissect a live one," that horrible man would say handing her the scalple.
The scenerio went on and on in a loop until she made the mistake of crying out for Cordelia in her mind. She was suddenly back at the school, back at Miss Robechaux's. The other girls had come back and were talking about their personal hells. Queenie's hell was being treated like shit back at that chicken restaurant. Madison had been in some production of something called the Sound of Music as some girl named Liesle. It must not have been the starring role judging by the contempt in her voice. Misty started to rise up and say something about it, but she couldn't move. She couldn't even open her eyes to roll them.
"Kyle kept breaking up with me in a loop," Zoe said, her voice almost breaking.
"It's okay. I'm here," said Kyle softly.
Misty felt a twinge in her chest. Forget can't lose something you never had,she thought trying to shake the image of Cordelia's face from her mind. But it wasn't in her mind.
"Misty?! Misty, follow my voice!" Cordelia pleaded.
"Miss Cordelia, I'm here!" Misty wanted to shout. Her lips and her vocal cords were frozen.
Cordelia begged and begged Misty to wake,to come back to the land of the living. Misty fought and fought to get to her. She could feel Cordelia's arms and hear the urgency in her voice, but Misty was a statue.
"Time's up," said Myrtle solemnly.
Cordelia sobbed as Misty turned to dust in her arms. It was the most pain Misty had ever heard in a sob. Everything came into focus, the beautiful Miss Cordelia crying out with her eyelids squeezed shut despite not having eyes. Speaking of eyes...
"Wait! I can see! I can talk! Miss Cordelia, I'm alive!" Misty shouted.
Misty had somehow stepped outside her body. However, no one seemed to see or hear her. The more Delia cried, the most Misty's chest and stomach hurt.
"Misty?" said Cordelia.
Misty sat up suddenly and looked around. Everyone looked worried except for Madison, who rolled her eyes.
"The swamp rat is out of hibernation,"said Madison sounding bored.
"You were gone for a while. What did you see?" asked Zoe.
"I saw..."
Everyone was staring at her.
"So she's mute as well as illiterate, " said Madison.
"If only you were mute," said Zoe.
"Listen, bitch-"
"Girls,now is not the time," said Cordelia sternly, "Misty, what did you see?" Her voice softened when she addressed Misty.
Misty's eyes grew wide. Her chest was heaving almost as quickly as her heartbeat. Before she knew it,Misty had run down the stairs and onto the lawn. She took off for the one place she'd ever felt safe, her swamp.