Anomalous flashback(chapter 19.5)-The insanity of revenge
Barbara slowly approached Jonase. She held Charles' newest invention, an ice blade. The !@#$%^ was stalking an unsuspecting victim.
*It's time you paid for what you did to Ananda!*
Barbara pressed the blade against the back of his neck. Her voice was muffled through her mask. Her hair was carefully hidden in her hood.
She spoke gruffly, to mask her feminine identity.
"Your time is up Jonase. It's time you paid for all the innocence you've stolen!"
With a carefully placed mirror, she could see the fear in his eyes, as he saw the bloodthirsty smile emerge.
A piercing scream started to emerge from his throat. Barbara pressed the blade closer. "Ah ah ah, Jonase. Let your prey go. If I hear you start to scream again, I'll press this blade until it meets empty air." Jonase gulped. "What do you want?" He whispered, his fear of death apparent. "I'll give you anything!"
Barbara smiled.
"Anything?"
"ANYTHING!"
"Tomorrow's assembly, you'll call up every girl you stole innocence from, and apologize, or I'll find you, and I won't restrain myself."
Silence.
"Who are you?"
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?"
"Do you think I want to be expelled?"
"No, but I think you love life enough to do it."
"If I swear not to turn you in, will you tell me who you are?"
"I repeat, do you think I'm stupid?"
"How will you know when I've called every girl up?"
Another smile. A gloved hand holds up a black notebook.
"You left this under your mattress."
Glare. "YOU WERE IN MY ROOM"-loud whisper.
Smile. "Of course. I knew you kept a record, so I took the privilege of having a friend skip and look for it while I protected my identity."
"How long have you been planning this?"
"Since Ananda's daughter Crystal was confirmed comatose."
Wince. "I have a child?"
Sigh. "Actually, you have twelve. Remember Sally dropping out, Rose moving, Tina transferring to-"
Gulp. "I get the point."
Barbara winced. Her blade was melting. She'd planned on killing him, and leaving it behind in a puddle.
The gloved hand came up to his neck, and squeezed. He collapsed.
Barbara broke the knife into shards, and threw them into the bushes.
______________
Ananda was sitting in the assembly with her class. Barbara smiled. She whispered to her friend, "Ananda, I think you'll find this assembly satisfying."
Ananda's dull eyes turned. "After Crystal's confirmation, little satisfies me here."
Barbara turned red in anger. "Enjoy this!" She hissed, and slapped Ananda.
A monitor pointed to Barbara. Barbara placed her hands in her lap.
Ananda didn't rub her cheek. A red hand print appeared when the white disappeared.
"I'm sorry."
"I know."
"Will you forgive me?"
"Yes."
"I didn't mean it."
"I know."
"Will you go up when he asks?"
"What?"
"Please?"
Confused. "All right."
"Thank you."
Jonase asked Ananda up after the 20th girl came or stood up.
He looked deeply into her eyes. This used to have a hypnotic effect on her. Now it had lost all it's power.
"Will you forgive me for what I've done, Ananda?"
"I forgave you when I saw my daughters. When I was informed Crystal would not wake up from her coma without brain surgery, I withdrew my forgiveness."
Slap. Wince. "How dare you?"
Crystal stood, both cheeks burning, along with her temper. "You slap me, you steal my innocence, and now, I tell you, I've tried for two years to forgive you. I can't!"
Jonase gulped.
*This was going well! They were forgiving me! Why can't she?*
The principle recovered. She nodded to the school security man who had been brought by a mysterious phone tip. She was glad, and told him to escort Jonase to the office, where a meeting with his parents would be arranged.
She turned to the student body. "This was going to be an assembly for the new freshman, but that will be rescheduled. I think we should give a round of applause to the young women who have endured this for so long."
And the student body slowly stood, cheering and clapping. The girls on stage blushed. They had either been scorned when found out, or endured the pain in secret. Now they were being applauded. This felt great after the anonymity they'd endured.
"For our young women with or without children, I believe they should be awarded. If they wish, a party celebrating their strength will be held Friday, 8th period. They may skip class, and their children and parents are invited."
This was very tempting, even to Ananda. She smiled at her elder. "I don't think awarding us as solely enduring this is quite right. I believe God should receive credit." The principle smiled. "Of course, your gods helped you endure this. Your religion is tolerated. We'll have Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and any others you wish represented." Ananda's face hardened. "Then I must decline your party." Ananda returned to her seat, passing the stunned students.
Barbara rubbed her cheek. "Oh, you shouldn't have gone that far!" Ananda smiled. "I had to. It was worth it. That party should be giving Christ credit, not all religions!"
The assembly wasn't exactly smooth after Ananda's flat refusal to return to the stage, or attend the party. The girls called up were allowed out of school, after calls home, confirming or not their validity.
However, Mrs. Belle was there with Alyson. Ananda smiled at Barbara. "Today's their birthday. We're going to tie some balloons on Crystal's bed at the hospital. You want to come? Admit you put Jonase up to it, and I'm sure they'll let you come!" Barbara blushed, feigning innocence. "Oh, I barely had anything to do with it. I just helped-" Ananda smiled, and dragged her up to the stage. Charles came, too. He held a shattered piece of bloody ice. He'd been caught, and she would be within seconds.
Barbara bared it with grace. "With an ice knife, I put Jonase up to it. I planned on killing him, but inspiration dawned on me, and I thought this up."
Ananda stared in horror. "How could you?" She whispered.
So Jonase was died in an ambulance, and Charles and Barbara were expelled for plotting and killing a classmate. But Barbara blamed Ananda for their expulsion, and stole Crystal as punishment. She hated that child, as Barbara always saw Jonase's terrified eyes and Ananda's horrified ones.
The child resembled neither, but her eyes were ice blue, the color of the blade used to kill Jonase, and the red puckered face always reminded her of the blood.
So the two drop outs hated the child because of their own crimes, not to mention, the child's father, who could never be connected with this child.
Barbara slowly approached Jonase. She held Charles' newest invention, an ice blade. The !@#$%^ was stalking an unsuspecting victim.
*It's time you paid for what you did to Ananda!*
Barbara pressed the blade against the back of his neck. Her voice was muffled through her mask. Her hair was carefully hidden in her hood.
She spoke gruffly, to mask her feminine identity.
"Your time is up Jonase. It's time you paid for all the innocence you've stolen!"
With a carefully placed mirror, she could see the fear in his eyes, as he saw the bloodthirsty smile emerge.
A piercing scream started to emerge from his throat. Barbara pressed the blade closer. "Ah ah ah, Jonase. Let your prey go. If I hear you start to scream again, I'll press this blade until it meets empty air." Jonase gulped. "What do you want?" He whispered, his fear of death apparent. "I'll give you anything!"
Barbara smiled.
"Anything?"
"ANYTHING!"
"Tomorrow's assembly, you'll call up every girl you stole innocence from, and apologize, or I'll find you, and I won't restrain myself."
Silence.
"Who are you?"
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?"
"Do you think I want to be expelled?"
"No, but I think you love life enough to do it."
"If I swear not to turn you in, will you tell me who you are?"
"I repeat, do you think I'm stupid?"
"How will you know when I've called every girl up?"
Another smile. A gloved hand holds up a black notebook.
"You left this under your mattress."
Glare. "YOU WERE IN MY ROOM"-loud whisper.
Smile. "Of course. I knew you kept a record, so I took the privilege of having a friend skip and look for it while I protected my identity."
"How long have you been planning this?"
"Since Ananda's daughter Crystal was confirmed comatose."
Wince. "I have a child?"
Sigh. "Actually, you have twelve. Remember Sally dropping out, Rose moving, Tina transferring to-"
Gulp. "I get the point."
Barbara winced. Her blade was melting. She'd planned on killing him, and leaving it behind in a puddle.
The gloved hand came up to his neck, and squeezed. He collapsed.
Barbara broke the knife into shards, and threw them into the bushes.
______________
Ananda was sitting in the assembly with her class. Barbara smiled. She whispered to her friend, "Ananda, I think you'll find this assembly satisfying."
Ananda's dull eyes turned. "After Crystal's confirmation, little satisfies me here."
Barbara turned red in anger. "Enjoy this!" She hissed, and slapped Ananda.
A monitor pointed to Barbara. Barbara placed her hands in her lap.
Ananda didn't rub her cheek. A red hand print appeared when the white disappeared.
"I'm sorry."
"I know."
"Will you forgive me?"
"Yes."
"I didn't mean it."
"I know."
"Will you go up when he asks?"
"What?"
"Please?"
Confused. "All right."
"Thank you."
Jonase asked Ananda up after the 20th girl came or stood up.
He looked deeply into her eyes. This used to have a hypnotic effect on her. Now it had lost all it's power.
"Will you forgive me for what I've done, Ananda?"
"I forgave you when I saw my daughters. When I was informed Crystal would not wake up from her coma without brain surgery, I withdrew my forgiveness."
Slap. Wince. "How dare you?"
Crystal stood, both cheeks burning, along with her temper. "You slap me, you steal my innocence, and now, I tell you, I've tried for two years to forgive you. I can't!"
Jonase gulped.
*This was going well! They were forgiving me! Why can't she?*
The principle recovered. She nodded to the school security man who had been brought by a mysterious phone tip. She was glad, and told him to escort Jonase to the office, where a meeting with his parents would be arranged.
She turned to the student body. "This was going to be an assembly for the new freshman, but that will be rescheduled. I think we should give a round of applause to the young women who have endured this for so long."
And the student body slowly stood, cheering and clapping. The girls on stage blushed. They had either been scorned when found out, or endured the pain in secret. Now they were being applauded. This felt great after the anonymity they'd endured.
"For our young women with or without children, I believe they should be awarded. If they wish, a party celebrating their strength will be held Friday, 8th period. They may skip class, and their children and parents are invited."
This was very tempting, even to Ananda. She smiled at her elder. "I don't think awarding us as solely enduring this is quite right. I believe God should receive credit." The principle smiled. "Of course, your gods helped you endure this. Your religion is tolerated. We'll have Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and any others you wish represented." Ananda's face hardened. "Then I must decline your party." Ananda returned to her seat, passing the stunned students.
Barbara rubbed her cheek. "Oh, you shouldn't have gone that far!" Ananda smiled. "I had to. It was worth it. That party should be giving Christ credit, not all religions!"
The assembly wasn't exactly smooth after Ananda's flat refusal to return to the stage, or attend the party. The girls called up were allowed out of school, after calls home, confirming or not their validity.
However, Mrs. Belle was there with Alyson. Ananda smiled at Barbara. "Today's their birthday. We're going to tie some balloons on Crystal's bed at the hospital. You want to come? Admit you put Jonase up to it, and I'm sure they'll let you come!" Barbara blushed, feigning innocence. "Oh, I barely had anything to do with it. I just helped-" Ananda smiled, and dragged her up to the stage. Charles came, too. He held a shattered piece of bloody ice. He'd been caught, and she would be within seconds.
Barbara bared it with grace. "With an ice knife, I put Jonase up to it. I planned on killing him, but inspiration dawned on me, and I thought this up."
Ananda stared in horror. "How could you?" She whispered.
So Jonase was died in an ambulance, and Charles and Barbara were expelled for plotting and killing a classmate. But Barbara blamed Ananda for their expulsion, and stole Crystal as punishment. She hated that child, as Barbara always saw Jonase's terrified eyes and Ananda's horrified ones.
The child resembled neither, but her eyes were ice blue, the color of the blade used to kill Jonase, and the red puckered face always reminded her of the blood.
So the two drop outs hated the child because of their own crimes, not to mention, the child's father, who could never be connected with this child.