Truth Out Of Darkness
Chapter 25
Belle was worried. She was taking her US history final but it wasn't the test that was bothering her. It was her friend Chloe. Belle looked over at her again.
Chloe hadn't moved since the test began. She was looking in front of her, staring blankly, her hands gripping her desk. Her knuckles were white and she seemed to be upset about something.
Belle decided to try to snap her out of it.
"Chloe!" she hissed.
No reaction.
"Chloe!" she hissed again as loud as she could without drawing attention from Mr. Woods.
Belle gently nudged her elbows.
With a start Chloe came back to herself. She began breathing rapidly and shaking, drawing stares from the other students in the class.
"Chloe, are you okay?" Mr Woods asked.
She looked up at him, a confused expression on her face. She looked at the clock on the wall. Her eyes widened and her features crumpled as she began to cry. Belle and Shawn rushed over to her. Belle wrapped her arms around her to comfort her. She knew Chloe must have had another episode. "Mr Woods, I think Chloe needs to go to the restroom." He gave Belle the hall pass and she helped Chloe out of the classroom.
Belle led Chloe into the nearest ladies' room. Chloe was crying still and shaking uncontrollably. She sank down onto the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. Belle wrapped her arms around her as if to give her strength and comfort.
"Chloe, what is it? What's wrong? Did you have another episode?" Belle wanted to cry. It killed her to see her best friend like this.
Chloe continued crying. "It's...it's happening again! Why God? Why? It's happening again!" She managed to say through halting sobs.
"What's happening again?"
"I'm losing time. Dark hidden memories taking me back - Don't go to sleep." Belle was at a loss. Chloe wasn't making any sense.
"Lost time, dark dreams, bad men. Falling, falling, falling into nothing." Chloe whispered. She eventually stopped crying. Belle continued to hold Chloe and rocked her back and forth. {I wish Mom was here. She'd know what to do.}
Chloe looked up at Belle and then at her surroundings. "Belle? How did we get here in the restroom?"
"You don't remember? We were taking the US history final and you had another one of your episodes. You started crying, and I brought you here. Are you okay? You were pretty out of it just now."
"Yeah, I'm fine- just tired. I was out of it?" Chloe asked.
"You were saying some things I didn't understand. Something about losing time and dark memories. Does that make any sense to you?"
"No.." Chloe paused trying to pull herself together. "This is probably nothing. I'm sleep deprived and add in all the stress I've endured lately. It's just taking its toll, that's all."
"I have an idea! Why don't you sleep over tonight? We'll have fun and it will keep your mind off of things. I mean, if you're not going to sleep anyway you might as well stay up with me!" Belle enthused. {Plus, if she has another episode, Mom will be able to help her.}
"OK, sounds like fun." Chloe said, glad to get off the topic. "Nancy and Craig will be happy to get some sleep." she added with a small smile.
"We should probably get back to class." Belle said. They were halfway down the hall when the bell rang. "Too late!" she laughed. Shawn met them on the way carrying their books and purses they had left behind.
"What are we going to do about our history final?" Chloe asked.
"Mr. Woods said he would not count the final as part of you grade given everything you've been through. And Belle, he's going to let you take it today after school." Shawn said.
Relief washed over their faces. They walked to Chloe's locker and Shawn and Belle talked while Chloe put her books away.
"Man, I'm glad we've got lunch now. I need a break." Shawn said.
"How do you think you did?" Belle asked.
"OK, but it's hard telling. I could just as easily have failed it. It didn't help that I was so worried about the two of you that I couldn't concentrate!" he teased.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Chloe's trauma inconvenienced you. Next time we'll work around your schedule. Won't we, Chloe?" Belle asked. She looked at Chloe. "Chloe?"
She was staring into her locker. Shawn noticed that she had dropped her books on the floor. "Chloe, what's wrong....OH My God." he said as he looked at her locker.
Belle looked too and froze.
The inside of Chloe's locker was filled with photographs of Chloe, taken when she was unaware. There were pictures of her and Belle at Salem Place, pictures taken outside of school and even some taken from outside Chloe's bedroom window. Blood dripped down the walls and there were typed notes taped up everywhere promising Chloe the most horrific forms of torture.
Centerstage in her locker was a collage of obscene pictures that had been downloaded from the Operagirl.net site. And a note that read
I'M GOING TO F*CK YOU UNTIL YOU DIE
Chloe just stood there, numb. This was too much. Just one more thing to deal with. In her mind she saw a line of dominoes. The first one fell, striking each of the others behind it. Belle and Shawn were horrified. Shawn got Mr. Woods' attention while Belle tried to turn Chloe away from her locker. Suddenly, Chloe's cell phone rang. She answered it, still in shock. Dominoes falling.
"hello" her voice sounded unreal.
"Hello, Chloe." A familiar male voice said. Chloe couldn't even feel fear or shock anymore. She was tapped out.
"I see you noticed my redecorating. I hope you like it." Dominoes falling, coming to the end of the line.
Chloe threw her cell phone into the wall. The last domino fell.
Chloe's eyes rolled back into her head and she dropped like a lead weight. Shawn swiftly caught her in his arms.
"Chloe! Chloe!" he called. But she didn't hear him. She was falling into nothing.
Chapter 25
Belle was worried. She was taking her US history final but it wasn't the test that was bothering her. It was her friend Chloe. Belle looked over at her again.
Chloe hadn't moved since the test began. She was looking in front of her, staring blankly, her hands gripping her desk. Her knuckles were white and she seemed to be upset about something.
Belle decided to try to snap her out of it.
"Chloe!" she hissed.
No reaction.
"Chloe!" she hissed again as loud as she could without drawing attention from Mr. Woods.
Belle gently nudged her elbows.
With a start Chloe came back to herself. She began breathing rapidly and shaking, drawing stares from the other students in the class.
"Chloe, are you okay?" Mr Woods asked.
She looked up at him, a confused expression on her face. She looked at the clock on the wall. Her eyes widened and her features crumpled as she began to cry. Belle and Shawn rushed over to her. Belle wrapped her arms around her to comfort her. She knew Chloe must have had another episode. "Mr Woods, I think Chloe needs to go to the restroom." He gave Belle the hall pass and she helped Chloe out of the classroom.
Belle led Chloe into the nearest ladies' room. Chloe was crying still and shaking uncontrollably. She sank down onto the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. Belle wrapped her arms around her as if to give her strength and comfort.
"Chloe, what is it? What's wrong? Did you have another episode?" Belle wanted to cry. It killed her to see her best friend like this.
Chloe continued crying. "It's...it's happening again! Why God? Why? It's happening again!" She managed to say through halting sobs.
"What's happening again?"
"I'm losing time. Dark hidden memories taking me back - Don't go to sleep." Belle was at a loss. Chloe wasn't making any sense.
"Lost time, dark dreams, bad men. Falling, falling, falling into nothing." Chloe whispered. She eventually stopped crying. Belle continued to hold Chloe and rocked her back and forth. {I wish Mom was here. She'd know what to do.}
Chloe looked up at Belle and then at her surroundings. "Belle? How did we get here in the restroom?"
"You don't remember? We were taking the US history final and you had another one of your episodes. You started crying, and I brought you here. Are you okay? You were pretty out of it just now."
"Yeah, I'm fine- just tired. I was out of it?" Chloe asked.
"You were saying some things I didn't understand. Something about losing time and dark memories. Does that make any sense to you?"
"No.." Chloe paused trying to pull herself together. "This is probably nothing. I'm sleep deprived and add in all the stress I've endured lately. It's just taking its toll, that's all."
"I have an idea! Why don't you sleep over tonight? We'll have fun and it will keep your mind off of things. I mean, if you're not going to sleep anyway you might as well stay up with me!" Belle enthused. {Plus, if she has another episode, Mom will be able to help her.}
"OK, sounds like fun." Chloe said, glad to get off the topic. "Nancy and Craig will be happy to get some sleep." she added with a small smile.
"We should probably get back to class." Belle said. They were halfway down the hall when the bell rang. "Too late!" she laughed. Shawn met them on the way carrying their books and purses they had left behind.
"What are we going to do about our history final?" Chloe asked.
"Mr. Woods said he would not count the final as part of you grade given everything you've been through. And Belle, he's going to let you take it today after school." Shawn said.
Relief washed over their faces. They walked to Chloe's locker and Shawn and Belle talked while Chloe put her books away.
"Man, I'm glad we've got lunch now. I need a break." Shawn said.
"How do you think you did?" Belle asked.
"OK, but it's hard telling. I could just as easily have failed it. It didn't help that I was so worried about the two of you that I couldn't concentrate!" he teased.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Chloe's trauma inconvenienced you. Next time we'll work around your schedule. Won't we, Chloe?" Belle asked. She looked at Chloe. "Chloe?"
She was staring into her locker. Shawn noticed that she had dropped her books on the floor. "Chloe, what's wrong....OH My God." he said as he looked at her locker.
Belle looked too and froze.
The inside of Chloe's locker was filled with photographs of Chloe, taken when she was unaware. There were pictures of her and Belle at Salem Place, pictures taken outside of school and even some taken from outside Chloe's bedroom window. Blood dripped down the walls and there were typed notes taped up everywhere promising Chloe the most horrific forms of torture.
Centerstage in her locker was a collage of obscene pictures that had been downloaded from the Operagirl.net site. And a note that read
I'M GOING TO F*CK YOU UNTIL YOU DIE
Chloe just stood there, numb. This was too much. Just one more thing to deal with. In her mind she saw a line of dominoes. The first one fell, striking each of the others behind it. Belle and Shawn were horrified. Shawn got Mr. Woods' attention while Belle tried to turn Chloe away from her locker. Suddenly, Chloe's cell phone rang. She answered it, still in shock. Dominoes falling.
"hello" her voice sounded unreal.
"Hello, Chloe." A familiar male voice said. Chloe couldn't even feel fear or shock anymore. She was tapped out.
"I see you noticed my redecorating. I hope you like it." Dominoes falling, coming to the end of the line.
Chloe threw her cell phone into the wall. The last domino fell.
Chloe's eyes rolled back into her head and she dropped like a lead weight. Shawn swiftly caught her in his arms.
"Chloe! Chloe!" he called. But she didn't hear him. She was falling into nothing.