8
We were dismissed earlier that day, and everyone made a bolt for the buses in order to get home as quickly as possible. Those who left were probably waiting to get a bus to the Amity Cemetery, because they really wanted to attend Poindexter's funeral. Weird. I personally had had enough of dead people for a while now.
After the last one had gotten onto the bus left the school, I was completely alone, sitting on the front steps of the school, still crying, but hoping Johnny would turn up eventually and offer me a ride on his bike.
But he never came.
In fact, Johnny did not show up for another five days, even though I stayed at school even past the last buses at half past four. Mom and Dad did not ask why I kept coming home late every day, and I did not tell them that I was walking home all the time since Monday. I thought they did not even know about Johnny, so how were they supposed to understand my problems?
Finally, it came. The day I'd been dreading and looking forward at one time for nearly a week.
The night of the fall dance.
I had no one to go with, since my old date got suffocated to death, and Johnny was as far away from asking me out as possible. I sighed and looked out of my room's window.
It was Halloween today, and kids were running around everywhere. I could see a group of younger children, dressed as a witch, a black cat and a ghost. Some random hairy monster was running around behind them, and I thought that this had to be another weird costume of them.
When I put on the silver chocker my mother had handed me today morning, I could not help but wonder what the others would think and say about me. They'd probably just taunt me, as they'd done with Johnny, calling him a jinx… which was enough to make him break with me after only a few days because he accused himself of things he couldn't have done. He even called himself Thirteen now when a teacher was asking about him, I heard rumours going around.
The silver chocker was heavy and glistered in the yellowish lights of a streetlamp I could see through my window. I looked fantastic, I knew it, but I could not feel good because of it. I did not know what I did this for.
Not for Johnny, that was for sure.
But why then? I looked at me in the mirror of my wardrobe. The dress I put on was a hand-me-down from my grandmother as well as the choker. She wore this at her graduation from High School, and at almost every school ball she was invited to at the last two grades. It was almost creepy; as though this dress had seen things I would never get to see… Like I would never be able to see my own graduation, rubbish.
Yet I hoped I would be able to win back Johnny's heart some day.
My Dad stepped on the brake, and I was awakened from a ragged sleep I had slid into during the ride. The almost full moon shone into my eyes as I opened them, and I had to blink. "Are we there yet?"
Dad had gotten out of the car meanwhile, and held the door open for me. "We are, princess."
I wrinkled my nose. Princess- Dad had called me that when I was seven, at the most, and I did not think it fit me now, being a senior in High School." Dad, please." I took his hand and stepped out of the car carefully. The shoes I had borrowed from my mother for this special occasion were a real pain- I could just barely stand with them, let alone walk… or more like totter around. "Thanks."
"Have a nice evening, darling." Dad said. "I'll be here at eleven, so please don't be late." He squeezed my hand tightly, and I responded, without really knowing I did. "Bye, Dad. Take care of Pewter for me, will ya?"
Dad laughed as he pulled back, waving to me. I sighed as I looked around.
Everyone was holding a partner at their side. Except for me, they all had a date. I could feel another prick of pain in my stomach (that added to the fact I had eaten nothing today, and the bit I'd eaten ended up in the toilets).
Plastic bats were draped over the branches of the trees, nearly hidden from sight by the yellowing leaves, and a few jack-o-lanterns lit up the way to the school. Laughter and bits of talking came drifting out to me standing in the shadows of one of the trees. The lanterns cast their eerie shadows on the brick walls of the school, and I watched them for a moment, until I was sure everyone else had gone in already.
"Hey, Miss!"
I looked up to see two boys waving at me from over the street. Both had Halloween costumes on, one, the taller of the two wore a blanket that was a little too short for him, the other was wearing the obligatory Dracula-costume-a black cape, a red bow-tie and fake fangs.
"What?!" I snarled back, even though I had not reason to be angry with them at all.
The ghost boy shook his head and yelled: "Never mind." And he and his vampiric little friend quickly strode off.
A cold breeze swept by, and I suddenly longed to be inside, for I hoped it would be somehow warmer there.
The hallways were lined with happy couples, drinking some of the self-made stuff the cafeteria sold for the ball dance or sharing a cuddle. They all seemed like from another planet to me back then. I have been my imagination, but I saw them throwing disdainful looks at me that told me all too clear that hey didn't welcome me there. I wasn't par to f their world.
I did not even bring a boyfriend with me.
About one hour later, I was definitively bored to death. Sipping on a glass with the obnoxious stuff you could get from the Lunch Ladies, I tried to avoid looking all the happy people around me. I mean, I even saw some of the Librarians having a dance with someone, come on!
I stepped aside to avoid being trod on by Mr Evans, who danced a slow waltz with our school's nurse, Miss Brittany (Don't laugh, that's her actual name!). Mr Donelly, a bulky man who took sports and science for the sophomore and junior classes, danced with Spectra. I looked around searchingly, for I'd been sure Spectra would have a dance with her assistant, and finally found Bertrand, standing in a corner, a sandwich (also sold by the Lunch Ladies) in one hand, staring over to Spectra as though he wished to be dancing wit her.
The auditorium was used as a party room today; adorned festively, with small lamps shaped like skulls lining the walls and false maple leaves dangling from the ceiling to make it look more autumn-ish. On the far end of the room, our school's music band played popular songs so all the couples had something to dance to.
Upon watching all those people being happy and dancing, I suddenly wondered whether Johnny was here, too. Had he found someone to go with? And therefore, not thought of asking me out?
I quietly sneaked out of the ball dance room and strolled around in the hallways. The central heating was not switched on for the entire school building, and it was freezing cold in the hallways; I could have been going out as well. My feet started to hurt from walking in high heels all the time, and I wished I'd stayed home today.
There was no one in the hallway anymore; they all were in the auditorium, from where I could hear bits of music drifting out to me. I put my arm around a non-existent body, imagining I had someone to dance with and nobody had any reason to stare at me anymore. My steps echoed through the hallway, making it sound as though about five or six others were dancing along with me, too.
This is why I thought it to be an echo of my own steps, but as I looked around and the echoes ceased slowly, I could still hear quick steps running along a corridor quite close to the one I was in just then. A second later, I saw a motion, a shadowy thing squirming around just in front of me. The steps ceased, and I tried to keep up with them, my high heels clattering in the dull tiles that lined the floor. The other steps- the ones I could have been imagining, too- were nearly drowned, but every time I thought I lost them, I saw a fuzzy something appear in front of me again, as though someone wanted me to lead me to something.
Even though I knew it was ridiculous, I kept on running, eventually just to be kept busy with something. Everything was better than standing in this chilly corridor with nothing but bitter thoughts as company.
I ran, soon not even recognizing I did so.
Down another hallway.
Left.
Right.
Down an aisle, then-
I stood in front of a small, black door. I did not need to read the sign next to the door to know that his was the door leading down to the basement, a place students were usually forbidden to go to. And after what had happened a few weeks ago, no one ever thought of daring to go down, since it was believed to be haunted.
I leaned against the wall, panting, noticing that the door stood slightly ajar.
The teachers always closed the doors. Always.
Yet this door stood open wide enough for me to see the first few steps that led down there. A chill crept down my spine, and I gulped, knowing that what was down there was the answer to all my questions.
I extended one hand. The pawl was cool and did not feel though someone had touched it in quite a while. Was it possible that the person running away from me had found this door open as it was and just slipped into? Maybe he- or she- was already waiting down there… trapped, because this door was the only one leading to the basement, except for one small door, but this one was sealed with a huge metal chain and an old rusty lock. Not even the janitor had a key to it, I think.
"Kitty…"
I let go of the pawl as though I had burned by fingers.
"Kitty…."
I breathed in deeply, my breasts heaving up and down under the red lace of my dress heavily. Who the devil was down there?
I stepped down the first few steps, trying to see what was going on down without having to go down the stairs completely. But it did not help n the slightest; the stairs simply vanished into the darkness, and even though I could see a faint spark of light in the distance, I cold not be completely sure as long as I wasn't down there.
Maybe I should have been going up a-
BANG.
The slam of the door sent dust particles flying up into the air, making me sneeze, and I had to be careful not to fall down the staircase and risk breaking my neck right then.
"Kitty…"
I grasped around in the darkness, trying to find the banister to hold on. The sound of the voice so close to my ear nearly gave me a heart attack. And to make matters worse, I even thought I recognized the voice.
But he'd died weeks ago. That'd make no sense.
But my life wasn't sensible in the least ever since I moved over to Amity. If I was imagining things, who had slammed the door then, and who'd led me down there?
I breathed in a last time, carefully putting one foot in front of the other, my hand grasping for hold on the banister. I was half-blinded, and had to feel my way down rather than I could see anything. Down, I kept saying to myself, down, it isn't long anymore, you can do it…
And then, when I was down what I believed to be half the stairs, the thought struck my as lightning- out janitor had died down there, smashed to death. Was it possible that his ghost was lurking down there, waiting for me, so he could kill me the way he'd died?
No. There's no such thing as ghosts, I told myself sternly, tottering down the next few steps. You're talking rubbish.
In front of me, I could now see the faint outlines of another door, visible because of a feeble beam of light shining from under that door.
Someone was down there, waiting for me… the thought of ghosts quickly reappeared in my head, when I had just showed it aside as being impossible.
"Somebody down there?" I said feebly. Of course, someone who'd maybe be there wouldn't answer, I realized a moment later. But suddenly, the light under the door crack vanished, leaving me in total eclipse again. "Hello?" I searched for the pawl, groping around in darkness, when-
The door suddenly swung open, and I stared into light, blinding, dazzling and white.
"Who's there?"
--
A/N: There won't be too many uploads in the near future- I've still got school to attend, sorry, everyone. But be assured- I've already written the story till the start of Christmas Break, and I'll hopefully get to this very soon.
Until, then, Jamcub
