Karma is always gonna chase them for their lies
Chapter 9
Outrunning Karma
Labels. That had been the first thing she saw the moment she opened the door and took a step inside the bedroom she's only ever glanced at before this moment. Labels… everywhere she looks there's just… labels! There's labels on each and every wall that reads 'wall', each and every piece of furniture has one that reads specifically what the furniture is: Bed's labeled 'bed', desk's labeled 'desk' and so on and so on. Though as much as the labels did put her off, there was something else in the room that really made her feel uneasy. So much that Mel wondered if her brother might have some kind of disorder aside from OCD… or some kind of brain damage. Is it bad to think that about your kid bro?
"I don't know… maybe?" Amanda's voice sounds from the other side of the line. "It depends, I would guess. How bad is it?"
"Huh?" Mel shakes her head. She had been so caught off guard over the discovery of her brother's bedroom that she completely forgot that she had called Amanda whilst being bored.
The crazy girls that had "confronted" her about stalking their boyfriends apparently decided that they really didn't like her and have apparently started a rumor about her attacking another student, and then said rumor had reached the principle and now she's been suspended for two weeks for her "behavior"; hence why she's home alone and able to access Edd's room without the risk of being caught. Not that she planned on sneaking in there whilst he's gone, no – she just got bored and decided to vacuum the entire house. That's all. Why would you even think otherwise?
A whistling sounds from Amanda's side of the line. "That bad, huh?"
"Be quiet."
"But you forgot about me… that means it has to be bad, right?" She says before faking a sad voice. "That is *sniff* unless I should *sniff* take that as a hint…?"
"If I say 'yes', will you stop?"
"Heh, as if."
"Whatever. Just… say what you think about this." Mel moves the phone from her ear to press the button to turn on video chat and then aims the camera around the room so that Amanda can see some of it for herself. "I mean, look at it!" She says and aims the phone up to the ceiling. "There's even a label in the ceiling reading 'ceiling'!"
"Honestly though, that's kind of adorable." Amanda says after cooing some. "I really don't think you should jump to conclusions so soon based on literal labels."
"Nonono – the labels are fine! I get that! It's part of his OCD thing I think." Mel says.
"You 'think'?"
"Yeah, there's a book downstairs that's about different kinds of disorders and what they mean and yadda yadda. The pages that mention OCD are labeled as well, so I assume that's what's going on with him normally, since it seems like they're pages that he frequently returns to."
"O…kay…?"
"The one thing that doesn't fit the whole OCD thing however is this- this one thing." Mel says and takes Amanda to Edd's desk before picking something up from it and holds it in front of the phone for her to see.
A silent moment passes before Amanda says something. "Is that a skull?"
"Yes."
"Why does your bro have a skull?"
"I don't know." Mel says, sounding just as worried and freaked out as she is. "I really, really don't know why he has a skull, how he got it or why he would need it!"
"Yeah that's weird."
"The labels I get – I can understand that! What I don't understand is the skull, just – just why?! Why does he have it!? What does he use it for?!" At this point Mel is storming around the room, trying to make sense of anything.
"Well… is it real?" Amanda asks. "Could it be made out of plastic or something?"
"I hope so. God, I hope so!"
"Pfft! Sounding a little dramatic over there!"
"What else am I supposed to do?! Had it been the labels alone it would've been fine! I totally understand that with the whole OCD thing, so that's not the problem! The problem is the fact that there are labels and a skull! The skull alone would've been bad too, but combined with the labels it just- it's just- I don't know!" Mel cries out. "All I know is that my sweet little brother has a skull, a human skull on his desk – in his bedroom! He has a human skull in his bedroom!"
"Mel-"
"What if it's real and he found it somewhere?! It could literally be evidence for a murder and if it comes out that he has it he might become a suspect!"
"Mel-!"
"Or what if it's actually fake and someday he'll grow tired of having a fake skull in his bedroom and he decides to go and get him a real one?!"
"MEL!"
"WHAT?!"
"I think you've been playing too many horror games lately."
Mel freezes mid-step. She replays the statement Amanda gave her over and over again in her head, slowly but surely taking in the words and what they mean. Yes. It is true that she has been playing an awful amount of horror games these past few days – what with streams during the weekends (some with Amanda) and just practically every day now that she's suspended. This in mind she lets out a deep breath she didn't even know she has sucked in before her lungs started aching. She's played far too many horror games. That's it. That's all.
"Maybe…" She carefully replies.
"Well I'm sure of it." Amanda says. "So, why don't you go and take a little break from vacuuming – it's hard enough to hear you as it is even if you put it on silent – and go outside, lie on the ground aaannd… watch the grass?"
Mel furrows her brows. "Watch the grass?"
"…Yeah!" Amanda confirms. "Lie on the ground and watch the grass for an hour or two – clear your mind from everything that's going on right now and just… chillax."
"Okay…"
"And then when your bro finally gets home you can ask him about the skull, how he got it and why he has it."
"Yeah… yeah… you're right…" Mel says, taking a deep breath of much needed air as she starts her way downstairs to go outside. "I will do that… ask him I mean."
"Good! Now, I gotta go. Dad's going into school to talk to my teachers about my grades and I kinda don't want to be home after that."
Mel laughs. "Oh boy! Are they gonna talk about your grades?"
"Oh really, as if yours are any better."
"Not really." She answers truthfully. "Though I think they're gonna improve now that I get tutored by Edd." She pauses right at the door, the thought hitting her without mercy. "That is… if I live…?"
"Urgh…" Amanda sighs. "Just go out in your backyard and take some deep breaths. And no video games!"
Holding the phone out before her, Mel watches the screen for a moment before pocketing it. Amanda hung up right after giving her orders to ensure that she wouldn't be able to come with any complaints – she knows her to well!
With the shake of her head she opens the door to the back yard and decides to do what Amanda told her to do: to lie down on the ground and watch the grass. Clouds, grass; they're practically the same thing, right? Yeah. Not that it really matters anyway – the moment she lays on the grass she closes her eyes and just enjoys the sun on her skin. It's the last days of warm summer sun, after all, before autumn completely envelops them all – the leaves on some trees has already turned a lovely fire orange.
She's not sure how long she's out in the sun like that, lying on her back in the middle of their yard, but she guesses it must've been quite some time when she feels someone slightly poke her leg, opens her eyes and sees a very curious Edd looking at her. They stare at each other for a while, not doing or saying anything, just looking at each other wondering what the other is doing. Mel takes the opportunity to search his skin (the little she can see) for any hints of a recent attack – bruises, scratches… anything. She sighs through the nose when she doesn't see any, because she knows that doesn't necessarily mean that there are none. His brows furrow slightly at her sigh and she knows that he's going to ask her what she's doing, if she's alright. She decides to stop him before he can even start.
"Why is there a skull in your bedroom?" She asks, not moving from her spot, just looking up at him from it. He seems a bit confused and surprised at her question.
"Pardon?" Such manners. Adorable.
"I got bored and decided to vacuum the entire house… found a skull on your desk when I started on your bedroom." She explains. "…why do you have it…?"
He grows pale from her statement "Y-you where in m-my room…?" He asks, looking like he's just seen a ghost. Now it's Mel's turn to be confused.
"Yeah?" She says/asks. "Is that bad?"
"Oh dear…!" Is all he says before turning on his heel and running back in, leaving one confused Mel behind him. She's quick to return to her feet and dash after him, finding him in his bedroom muttering to himself. "Filthy, filthy, filthy."
"Are my vacuuming skills that bad, or is there some kind of ritual I don't know of when it comes to cleaning your room?"
"Good lord!" Edd gasps as he jumps. He turns around to find Mel leaning against the doorframe to his room, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, awaiting the answer to her question. "N-no…no no!" He says quickly, doing what he can not to anger her. He did not notice her following him in here…! "I-it's just- my room always has to be sanitary!" Mel looks at him, nodding slowly but still wearing the same expression on her face as if she already knew that bit. "B-but, it's more than just vacuuming! You see – every surface has to be spotless! Not even a little piece of dust is allowed! No dust, no dirt and don't even get me started on bacteria!"
"I getcha." She says, recognizing the thing for cleanness as a sign that the OCD might be speaking right now. Her gaze eventually finds the skull on the desk again. "But… you never answered my question."
He pauses his ranting and looks at her. "Question?" He asks, receiving a nod. "About… what?"
"The skull." She says, pointedly nodding behind him.
He follows her gaze and he soon spots the skull on his desk. It's clear as day to him that it has been moved about, though he's surprisingly not surprised to see this – though now that he thinks about it, Mel did literally say that she was in his room and found it, so it shouldn't really be surprising to him at all. "Oh. It was a gift from my mother." He says after a moment of silence. Reaching out to pick it up, his back against Mel, missing the chocked expression on her face… he turns back towards her with the skull in his hands and with a small smile on his lips as he looks down at it. "I-I've always wanted to be a doctor… ever since I was little." He says, holding the skull tenderly. "I don't know why or how it started, but I've always found anatomy interesting… how so many little pieces put together, combined, can create a whole functioning body – a person. A-and how said body can be opened in a naturally lethal way, though in a controlled environment and with the right training, it will be the complete opposite of lethal."
Mel looks at him for a moment. She can't remember the last time Edd's mother came up in a discussion… actually; this is the first time she's ever been in one since their parents married. That's kind of… that's kind of sad. Unless she hasn't been mentioned because she's similar to what Mel's dad is like – in that case it's not sad at all!
Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, she returns to here and now. "So…" She says. "You want to become a doctor in the future?"
Edd nods immediately. "Yes." He says, a smile growing on his face. "Yes, I would really like to become one!"
"So the skull is like a token… a reminder of your goal."
"I… guess you could say that…?"
"You're not gonna be upset later on about it being fake and then try and get yourself a real one?"
"Good lord no!" Edd gasps. "No! I would never try to get a real piece of a skeleton! Not only because of the inhumanity of such an act, but think of all the bacteria! And the smell!" He shudders at the mere mention of it. "As soon as a living being dies it begins to rot! There would be so many different treatments and procedures that I would have to conduct and perform – that I don't have neither the knowledge nor right to do – to prevent it from moldering and decaying! Absolutely not! No! I would never allow a dead body – or even a piece of a dead carcass – to be brought within these walls! Never!" He breathes heavily after his outburst; all the while Mel remains silent and just stares at him with big eyes. "Why, whatever caused you to ask such a – revolting – question?!"
She doesn't answer him, just stares at him… until- "OH THANK GOD!" Throwing her arms out, she ignores the small yelp that escapes him when she picks him up and spins around in his room. She puts him down on the floor just as abruptly as she had picked him up before giving his forehead a big strong kiss. Needless to say; Edd is confused. "Oh, God – Edd!" She laughs as she speaks. "You have no idea how worried I was! Oh man!" He blinks while looking at her shocked yet happy face. "Oh man! I gotta call Amanda – she's not gonna believe this!"
Blinking rapidly, Edd watches Mel leave his room and head out into the hallway just outside. It takes him a moment to fully process what just occurred, and even once he has done that he's not sure of what just happened. He doesn't have much time to dwell on it either before she pops into his room again with a smile on her face.
"By the way!" She says, chuckling when he jumps from her sudden appearance again. "Sorry. However, you're gonna have that meeting with the teachers and the good students tomorrow after school, right?"
"W-well… yes actually. How did you kno-?"
"Great! I'll come pick you up after. You're gonna miss the bus after all, and I don't like the idea of you walking home alone."
"Actually I…" And with that she's gone – gone back into her room. Blinking a few times again, Edd stares at the door almost as if he's waiting for her to pop up again out of nowhere. "And… she's gone." He quietly hums to himself when she doesn't.
Night comes; night goes… hello morning glory. Tell me; what's your story?
Mel is getting herself ready to go and meet Edd at school – her leather jacket is on as it decided to be somewhat cold today, blue shirt and black jeans, all neatly put together with a pair of black boots. Autumn is her favorite season (mine too) honestly – she's so happy it's nearly there.
Stepping outside and locking the door after her, she begins the journey of walking to school to pick up her kid bro. Yes, she knows that there is another bus that he could've gotten a ride with, as this meeting should end at the same time as the High School lets out. However – she highly doubts that Edd would want to ride in the same buss as all of the High Schoolers, especially since some of them are targeting and bullying him… that being presumed that they take the bus to and from school, which she technically can't really prove since she doesn't really have any evidence about who they actually are… HOWEVER! She is a big sister now, and her guts are screaming at her that "letting" or "forcing" him to take the bus home today is a bad idea – a bad one! So she's not gonna do it! No-oh! No way no how! Nodding to herself in determination, she lifts her head high and increases her walking speed to get there faster. As fast as possible.
She makes her way over to the school yard, seeing the bus leaving to take all of the high school students home – the ones that rides the bus, that is. The cold wind envelops her the moment she steps into the school yard, causing her to shiver. A sign? She shakes her head 'no', though she does get a bad feeling in her guts when she doesn't see Edd standing at the entrance to the Junior High… could the meeting have dragged on longer than planned? Possibly… I guess.
With a frown plastered on her face, she sits down on a bench that's nearby the entrance, waiting impatiently for her brother to show up. It doesn't take her very long before she gets annoyed, or rather, worried sick. Counting to ten a couple of times, she stands up from the bench and begins to wander around and about. Glancing into the windows around her, she doesn't see anything that would suggest that there's anyone around at all – every light is turned off. She bites her bottom lip, hard. Something bad is happening, she just knows it – it's the feeling in her guts! She turns around to actively search the yard to the Junior High School, not finding anything that would suggest that Edd is anywhere around here… but she knows that he would wait for her if the meeting ended earlier – so if he's not here… Jaw clenched and furrowed brows; she makes a b-line towards the entrance to the High School.
She doesn't even manage to reach around the corner before she hears laughter… cruel, menacing laughter. It makes her feel ill. Soon after the laughter appears a group of jocks, walking away from where the High School's entrance is. They don't see her, their backs turned away from her – but oh she knows who they are all right – she'd recognize the backs of those heads anywhere! She's been following them for weeks after all!
Rounding the corner finally, she searches for no more than half a second before she spots him, hunched over by the wall. Gosh, he looks so small and broken like that. Her blood boils. Turning around to look back at those bastards who did this – who's done this for such a long time without being caught until now! She swallows, her dry throat protesting strongly but she ignores it. Her feet feel like they're made out of lead as she starts walking up to the broken form of her brother. As much as it pains her to see him like this, she's happy that she's finally gotten her answer to the torturing question. She swallows again, but this time it's not her throat that appears to be making a protest – but rather the rusty hinges of a very old door. Her gaze lift just in time to see the four girls that framed her, banned her from school, banned her from probably preventing this one attack… allowing her to finally see who caused them.
"Ops! Sorry, I almost didn't see ya!" The leader girl says as she nearly trips over Edd's small form on purpose. The other girls are laughing and giggling at his expense… until one of them spots her and gasps. Confusion makes a home on the leader girl's face as she looks at her "friend" annoyingly. "Britney, what's wrong with you?" She asks.
"S-Sophie…" The other girl – Britney – says without letting Mel go with her gaze.
Sophie raises an eyebrow before facing forward, stopping mid-step as Mel is now directly in front of them. Her eyes are big, but not because of the way she painted them, no. "M-Mel…?" She asks. "Wha-what are you doing here? You're not allowed to be here!"
Mel smiles. "Hello Sophie. Oh, how sweet it is to finally know your name. Now I can address you properly. Isn't that nice?" She chuckles, enjoying the fear in her eyes at the fact that she knows their leader's name. "As for your question; I do believe I am allowed to be here as a matter of fact. It is just the building that I am not allowed to tread anymore for, what was it, two weeks?" She asks whilst "pretending" to not really remember. "Yes, I do believe it was something like that. Two weeks of being suspended, due to a poorly made up rumor that you spread about me." She smiles through her chuckles at them.
Sophie immediately begins to stutter, trying to come up with a defense of some kind. Honestly though, Mel isn't really paying attention to them. Not at all – for you see; a small form on the ground has just started to move slightly, the movement catching her attention, and now she's staring at a tiny little injured and still unconscious Edd that appears to have been thrown to the wolves and back again for God knows how many times. And if she's to be honest again; hearing Sophie's voice in the back of her mind isn't really something she enjoys right now – not that she ever enjoys the sound of her voice.
Raising her hand to shut Sophie up once and for all, she gives the girl a glance that tells her just how fed up she is with them at this very moment. "Okay, look. I'm just gonna tell you this once, and if you ever intend to try and frame me by some false rumor ever again, then you need to shut up and listen close. See this as a small lesson in how to frame me in a believable way if you will, for you see, I couldn't help but notice something being left out of your little rumor that just made the whole thing so bland and unbelievable to begin with. Are you ready? I hope so, cuz like I said; I'll only say this once." She says with a normal informational tone before sharpening her eyes into each and one of them and leans in closer.
"I always draw blood."
Song: Outrunning Karma – Alec Benjamin
In all honesty; the thing about the skull on Edd's desk wasn't meant to become such a big deal as it ended up becoming, but then, the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't stop wondering; why does he have a skull on his desk? Did I miss an episode in the show where that was explained? Is it just like a "sign" that he is a freaking genius or something?
I am thinking about getting p.a.t.r.e.o.n. still… though I'm not sure if I like the idea of putting a prize on my stories… but I really do want to make a living out of it. I really, really do.
Also, I might be getting myself a little… how to say… water over the head when it comes to work. I'm currently signed on a contract for 12.5 hours/week though I've been asked to work a lot more in October, and my boss is going to talk with the higher ups if they can change my contracted hours… THEN I get a phone call from another place and they talked to me about maybe filling in some hours for them as well – hours that may land on 5-30 hours/week… o.O I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! They did have other people to talk to about said hours as well and they're gonna contact me Tuesday next week to tell me their decision!