I'm really sorry for the delay in updating. I've been up to so many things, that I haven't had time to get this chapter beta-read. Hope someone's still waiting for updates… :P
Anyway, there is it. Hey Dario, thanks for your help with this chapter!
This chapter contains some violent situations, not really hard, but somehow weird.
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Chapter IX: Nightmares and difficulties
"Someone please help me!"
I was hanging over a precipice, from a rope threatening to break. My voice echoed loudly through the cliff, enough for someone to hear me.
"Please help me! I don't want to die! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!"
I was just about ready to give up when suddenly my hopes were revived. A small female figure showed up on the edge of the cliff.
"Hey, whoever you are, please help me! Please!" I cried.
The hazy light began to disappear and suddenly I was able to see the person clearly. It was Lizzie McGuire.
"Lizzie, I'm so glad you are here! Please save me! Don't let me die!" I screamed.
It was Lizzie all right, but there was something weird about her. The expression on her face made me remember the image I used to see everyday when I looked myself in the mirror. She then spoke out to me.
"What's up, Kate? How did you get there?" Lizzie asked in a mocking tone with a cold look in her eyes and a strange smile on her lips.
"How did I end up here? I don't know!" I thought.
"Lizzie, please help me! I can't hold on much longer!"
"Why should I?" Lizzie asked
"Lizzie, Please! I'm begging you! Can't you see the rope is starting to break? I'm going to die if you don't help me!"
"Is that my problem?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was this person really Lizzie McGuire? She seemed so different. The Lizzie McGuire I knew would never think twice about helping someone.
"Lizzie, please stop asking stupid questions and help me out of here!"
"Stupid?" Lizzie asked with a quizzical expression on her face.
The rope began to creak and soon I began to lose grip of the rope.
"Stupid? I think my questions make a lot of sense. But, actually, I guess I've been very stupid a lot of times." Lizzie went on. "All the times I've helped you. The thing goes like this: I help you, you throw me off. Seems like the action and reaction law. The compassionate Lizzie McGuire always cares about everyone, but nobody cares about her."
"Lizzie, you've lost your mind. Snap out of it and help me!" I begged.
Lizzie squatted down onto her knees and stared at me.
"Revenge is so sweet, don't you think?" Lizzie smiled with an evil grin on her face.
I started to tremble. "What do you mean?" I asked.
"Since I got expelled from school, my life has been hell. Miranda and Gordo forgot about me. In my new school everyone was always making me feel like a worm. Andie replaced you in that place and she was vicious, even worst than you. She got me into bigger trouble. Miranda and Gordo really thought that I was capable of doing horrible things and they dumped me. You have no idea of how much I have suffered."
The rope creaked again. This time I could clearly feel myself slipping down the rope.
"Oh god, I'm falling! Lizzie, Please! Please help me…!" I said crying, tears burning my cheeks.
"So," Lizzie continued, ignoring me as if I didn't say anything. "I promised myself not to care about anyone anymore. Since the goddamn day you kissed Gordo in front of me. But don't worry, I won't be selfish. I'll take you out of your suffering."
"Oh, Lizzie, thanks you so much!" I said smiling, beginning to regain hope.
Lizzie reached for something in her pocket.
"But, wait!" Lizzie yelled abruptly. "I always wanted to find out who's responsible for my misery… Let's see… a person who hates me for no reason, a person that always enjoyed bugging me… I remember… she's tall, blonde, popular…"
Lizzie looked at me.
"He-he! I know who it is! It's you, Kate Sanders!" She said, opening her eyes widely and grinning horribly.
Lizzie had gone insane. Suddenly I felt sorry for all the things I had done to Lizzie.
"Well, like I said, it's time to take you out of your misery." Lizzie said, as she pulled out a jackknife from her pocket. "Don't worry, in a few seconds you won't be suffering anymore."
"Lizzie, wait, what are you doing?"
"Don't you see? I'm cutting the rope. Bon voyage!"
"No, Lizzie, please forgive me, I'm so sorry for all the horrible things I've done to you, but please don't do it."
"Overdue apology. Sorry."
"Lizzie, no, Lizzie... LIZZIE! AHHHHH!"
She cut the rope and the next thing I knew was I was falling, shrieking. I was falling so fast that I couldn't see the bottom of the precipice until I hit it.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Kate wake up, crying, her body wet with cold sweat.
"Calm down, Kate. Calm down."
She got up and went to the kitchen to drink some water. "It was just a nightmare."
"A nightmare. A nightmare! That was all."
Unconsciously, she knew the reason for that dream. The guilt she was feeling for what she had done to Lizzie had put her into that situation.
She drank two glasses of water, and returned to her bedroom.
"Now, sleep quietly. Forget about everything." She put a New Age CD into her CD-player, and lay down again on the bed, listening to the music, trying to relax. But it wasn't the last bad dream she was going to have that night.
-s-
Larry, Gordo and Miranda had just jumped over the fence. Walking as quietly as they could, the trio approached to the store rooms behind the gym.
"Hold on a sec." Larry said, as he tried to open the padlock with the picklock.
"Are you sure there are no guards by here right now?" Miranda asked Larry.
"The only guards in duty at this hour are Mr. Melville and Mr. Miller, they must at the labs building now. We must hurry, because the rest of the guards will arrive later."
"So, there's no problem by now," Gordo said. "Mr. Melville is a little deaf. And Mr. Miller, a little blind."
Miranda chuckled.
"Got it!" Larry whispered. He withdrew the picklock and opened the door. As they had thought, those storerooms were darker than dark.
"I can't see anything." Gordo said.
"Do we have to go through there? I mean, I don't like the dark…" Miranda said, with a hint of fear in her voice.
"No. You do. But don't worry as long as we have this." Gordo replied, turning on the flashlight. "After me." He commanded.
The three entered the big room. Larry closed the door behind them.
"Hey!" Miranda said. "Don't close the door! How are we supposed to exit?"
"Miranda, please, take it easy!" Larry responded. "The door opens from inside! Why are you so nervous?"
"I'm not nervous!" Miranda shot back. "I'm just a little tense…" She pointed, quivering.
"Shhhh! Do you want us to get caught?" Gordo asked. "What if the guards come here unexpectedly and hear you talking?"
"Sorry…" Miranda whispered.
They continued walking. A mouse crossed in front of them, squeaking.
"Ahhhhh---" Miranda yelled, and his scream was cut by Larry, when he put his hand in her mouth.
"Miranda!" the two boys whispered, starting to get angry.
"Sorry…" Miranda mumbled… "I promise it won't happen again…."
"Darkness, mice… cobwebs!" she thought, looking at the old boxes. "Can you believe the things I have to do for you, McGuire…?" she thought to herself.
-s-
"Give me your money and your jewelry!" A thief demanded me.
"No! Go away! Police!" I shouted.
I started running, and that disgusting man was running after me. He seemed to be determined to do more than just stealing my money and my jewels. I turned a corner, looking behind me. When I saw in front of me, I was at a dead end. I stopped and that man hurled over me.
"No! Get off of me!" I shouted. "Don't hurt me!" I said, struggling against the criminal.
"You're mine!" He said, ripping my shirt.
"No! No!" I screeched.
"Get off of her!" someone shouted, hitting the burglar with a pipe in the back. It was Gordo who had attacked him. Lizzie was behind him, with her hands on her face, scared.
"You rat!" the burglar exclaimed, pushing Gordo against a trash container. Gordo fell over the ground, and the thief tried to attack him while he was down, but with a fast move, Gordo dodged the attack, rolling over the ground and getting up again.
But the thief was also fast. He managed to get up, and Gordo didn't have time to dodge the new attack. The man hit him in the face, leaving him knocked out.
"Now, what were we doing before this?" he said, approaching to me.
"Go away!" I shouted.
He pulled a gun off from his belt and pointed it to me. "Give me money and your jewelry! Don't make me ask you again!" I was paralyzed.
"Now!" he yelled, preparing the gun to fire it.
"Don't hurt her!" Lizzie demanded, appearing behind him, trying to take off the gun off from his hand. I curled up in the corner.
Lizzie thought she could take the gun, but she was wrong. The man was a killer. He didn't have any doubt at pulling from the trigger. A gunshot sounded. Lizzie fell, the man swore and ran away.
I was frozen. Lizzie was lying there in the floor, bleeding.
"Lizzie!" I cried, approaching to her. "Lizzie, why did you do that?"
"Kate…" she whispered, softly. "I had to… that man was going to hurt you…"
"Lizzie… you didn't have to do it… look at you... please help!" I cried to the sky.
"Kate, I had to…" she repeated. "What are friends supposed to do?"
"Friends?" I asked, crying more desperately "But I've been a royal bitch to you…"
"We were friends… and… and…"
"Help!" I shouted again.
"There's no spite… Kate. Just… get some help, cause I'm dy…."
Lizzie closed her eyes.
"Lizzie…. Lizzie… LIZZIE! No…"
Lizzie's lifeless body relaxed. Her face didn't show pain, or fear… She seemed to be happy… happy of saving me…
I didn't do anything but cry.
Kate woke up again, but this time, she was unable to say a word, unable to moan, her tears streaming down on her cheeks. The New Age music was still playing.
"Why am I having these horrible nightmares?"
She sat on the edge of the bed, covering her face with her hands. Between her fingers, she saw a drawer of her night table slightly opened. Attracted by some unknown force, she opened it and took a photo album. Walking towards her window, she opened the album. At seeing the photograph that was in that page, her pain became more intense, and made her let out a mournful sob. In the picture, with one arm, a six-year old Lizzie and a seven-year old Kate were holding their respective toy animals, Mr. Snuggles and Mr. Wugglesby. With the other arm, they were hugging, with big smiles on her faces.
-s-
Larry, Miranda and Gordo made their way through the dark store rooms. Larry was looking for the controls of the power for the security cameras.
"Too bad, or rather, too good they haven't installed security cameras here." Larry commented.
"What do you mean?" Miranda asked.
"He means," Gordo said, "anyone could enter the school the way we've entered. Anyone could enter stealthy and stole the supplies stored here, and there wouldn't be something to help to find that people. But it's good for us, otherwise we couldn't be here. We'd easily get busted."
"Oh…" Miranda whispered. "I understand. Basically, we're like thieves right now…"
"Kind of." Gordo affirmed, smiling.
"Guys, look!" Larry said, pointing to a wall. "The power controls!"
"Great." Gordo said. "Disconnect the power of the cameras."
Larry took a paper from his pocket and read his notes.
"Let's see. According to what I've found out, this, this, this, this…. This! This is the switch!" Larry shut down the power of the cameras. "Well, surveillance is down. Let's go."
When they found the door that connected that room with the corridors they had to use the picklock again to open the door.
"Well guys, we have to be careful. Those corridors are more illuminated. We're next to the boy's lockers. Let's head to the security room. Turn off the flashlight, Gordo, weren't going to need it here."
"Fine." Gordo confirmed.
Very quietly, the trio walked towards the security room.
They had just passed the corner when Larry turned back and saw a shadow moving in the corner of the corridor.
"Hurry up!" he whispered.
"What's the matter?" Miranda asked.
"Someone's coming that way!" he informed.
They hid behind the next corner. From that place they saw Mr. Melville walking slowly, looking in all directions.
"Didn't you say there wouldn't be guards right now?" Miranda protested.
"He's not supposed to be here!" Larry answered, confused.
"Maybe they changed the schedule… or maybe they heard Miranda shrieking…" Gordo suggested.
Miranda lowered her head, feeling guilty. Gordo noticed that immediately and apologized. "I'm sorry, Miranda, I didn't mean it was because of you---"
"Don't worry, Gordo." she interrupted. "I know. But maybe you're right---"
"Whatever", Larry interrupted. "We've got to be even more careful. The security room is two corridors away. It seems like Mr. Melville is already gone. Come on."
They arrived to the security room. The door was opened.
"Weird…" Miranda said. "Why the door is opened?"
Gordo opened widely his eyes, as he understood everything.
"We got to hurry!" he exclaimed. "Mr. Melville has realized that the power of the cameras has been shut down! Let's make the copy of the tape and let's get the hell out of here!"
A terrified expression came to Miranda's and Larry's face.
"That means… he's heading towards…" Larry started…
"The power controls!" Miranda completed. "How will we return to the store rooms if he's on the way to there, and more, with the cameras on? Damn it! What are we going to do?"
"I'm gonna distract him while you two make the copies… I'll figure out a way to do it… and make it good… just wish me some luck…" Larry said.
"It's too risky…" Gordo pointed out.
"I know, but there's not another way… I'm on it… I'll talk to you with the walkie-talkie." Larry answered, starting to walk.
"Larry, wait…" Miranda whispered.
"What?" he asked.
"I just wanted to say… good luck…"
Miranda approached Larry and gave him a short kiss on the cheek.
Gordo rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be a killjoy, but we have to hurry!"
Larry felt confused but happy for a few seconds, as Miranda blushed.
"Get going…" she said.
"Good…" he responded, and left. Gordo and Miranda rushed into the security room.
-s-
Kate hadn't stopped crying.
"What have I done? What have I done?"
The memories were coming to her mind as fast as meteors. She remembered a lot of things. She remembered when she was paired with Lizzie to make a Social Studies project about the food of Latvia, and realized how stupid was the way she stopped being friend with Lizzie. When that all started? Oh, yeah, the cheerleader's camp. She met there the most conceited and cruel girls, girls that had dumped their friends in order to step forward in the social ladder. And, she did the same to Lizzie and Miranda. Maybe because she missed to learn how to be a good friend… she always missed something that Lizzie and Miranda had.
She remembered when Lizzie took the guilt for destroying the statue of the first principal of school, taking the blame. Lizzie didn't even touch the statue, but Kate had said: "If we were going to get busted by now we would have". Later she knew that everyone knew Lizzie didn't destroy the statue, and that's why nobody had gone to the Spring Fling Dance. Everyone had gone to Lizzie's house instead. Very deep inside her, she knew she deserved that. The most popular girl of school, alone, humiliated.
She saw the photo again. "I'm such a waste." Kate thought. She saw the moon through the window, memories still racking through her head.
Kate remembered when she was rejected from the cheerleading team; Lizzie trained her so she could enter again. Once she learned to do those complicated jumps with only an arm, she reluctantly thanked Lizzie, and left Lizzie's house, not without remarking that that didn't mean anything, that she wouldn't be friend with Lizzie again.
Kate remembered when Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda were the only ones from school who went to her 14th birthday (well, 15th birthday) and Lizzie helped to make all the annoying Amy's friends go to make a mess anywhere but there by calling her mother.
In few words, Lizzie was always nice to her, and she always was harsh, cruel, and mean to her. Lizzie was one of the few persons, maybe the only one that truly cared for her.
"Why? Why am I such an evil person?" she said out loud. She realized her plans had gone farther than she expected, the principal had been hurt. She regretted everything now.
What about Gordo? It hurt so much seeing him everyday, knowing that he didn't love her, that he loved Lizzie. If Gordo should know what she had done, he'd hate her.
"He already hates me." She thought to herself.
She couldn't believe her feelings for Gordo had leaded her to do those bad things, getting Lizzie expelled and kissing Gordo in front of Lizzie. She knew a long time ago that Gordo loved Lizzie. And since two months ago she knew Lizzie felt the same way for him.
Feelings… no, those weren't feelings. What she had in her mind was just an obsession. Each time she saw Lizzie and Gordo together she could see true love in their eyes. Those times, she felt like she was dying, feeling that jealousy burned her soul, wanting so bad to separate them. But now, she saw herself as a disgusting person… as a person without a heart. How had she dared to mess up everything between Lizzie and Gordo?
She realized about all the damage she had done. How could she fix things up?
She guessed she should. And for the first time in her life, it seemed like she was going to do the right thing. Suddenly, the phone rang, distracting her.
"Who can it be now?"
Kate picked the receiver up and answered in a low voice, trying to don't make obvious the fact she was crying:
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kate. It's Andie. We got to talk."
Kate didn't expect Andie to call. Anyway, she intended to talk to her the next day.
"Sure. We need to talk" the blonde said, breathing deep.
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