Chapter 2: Life at School

(North Ashfield Junior High...)

"Bye sweetheart! Love you!"

"Love you too Mum!"

I waved at my mother as she disappeared from view; on her way back to the Subway entrance we came from recently. The journey was just like any other, but this time it was a little different. I was still shaken by the horrifying visions I received of the creepy man in the blue coat and the female ghost with the long thick hair, so I remained silent for pretty much the whole way. Mum tried to make conversation by talking about all of the exciting plans she had for the weekend, I responded positively but like I stated before, I was quiet for a long time.

Alright, let's do this...

Shaking the thoughts away, I walked up to the front entrance and pressed the button which made the large glass doors open. Just as most secondary schools are, North Ashfield High was massive. Wide open spaces such as the canteen, library and outside, along small and medium sized spaces which happen to be all the classrooms and science labs in one huge building with five floors. As I walked into the main reception area and did my weekly job of delivering the register box to and fro my classroom, I noticed that I somehow arrived very early as I was the only one who was around.

But what if I get caught up in a nightmare from those visions?!

"Argh, stop being so paranoid, Megan." I told myself in annoyance as I turned to make my way to my classroom. "The others will be here soon, don't worry."

Suddenly, my fears became a reality.

Instead of the glass doors that stood in front of me, they were now rusted shut tight and covered in a mixture of dried and fresh blood, as were the walls and furniture all around me. "Oh no."

A cold laugh made me jump and turn round. The man in the blue coat was standing a few metres away, with a smirk that was enough to increase the creepiness scale up to 100. Seeing him there, reminded me of something on my local radio I heard a few weeks back. It was about... Round 2 or 3 with a murder case involving a dude named Walter Sullivan who killed himself in jail, a few years ago.

No. It can't be him, it would be impossible if it was! He's dead!

"Who the hell are you?!" I asked, backing away as he slowly advanced towards me in a threatening manner. I didn't get an answer, as his smirk only just got more menacing. "Stay back!"

Oh nononono! F*ck no!

I pulled my fists up in front of me, in an effort to defend myself. My breathing was becoming more heavy and quick as I realised that I was now pressed against the massive doors, just as he was about to close in on me. That was when my surroundings suddenly changed again. Everything was back to normal, the doors were no longer rusted and the walls weren't covered in blood anymore. Just then, something a little surprising and negative happened. The doors opened as I took a step back, making me lose my balance and fall to the ground, letting a frightened yelp escape from my mouth.

At least I didn't hit my head too hard...

I groaned in pain, struggling to get back on my feet and gingerly rubbing my head afterwards. To my great relief, some boys and girls had started appearing, making their way towards their classrooms. "Phew..."

Soon after gathering my things together and picking up the box again, I began the trek to my classroom. It was a bit of a long way there, which always seemed to get on my nerves but like they always say, sometimes it's nice to explore our surroundings and take them in. The sun's rays reflected the summery flowers and trees with it's warmth, brightening everyone's mood. One of the thoughts on my mind was how Dad was at work; I hoped that he was doing okay, since his job seemed pretty tough.

Another one was what it would be like to meet Sonic and the Herd. I mean, a set of characters from a video game franchise and a movie franchise together in the same room. How cool would that be?! I smiled as I imagined myself actually communicating with them; they would understand my condition like my parents did, and we would all just hang out and have a really great time. But unfortunately, that would never happen.

Well hey, we can always dream right?

After entering the school again from a different entrance, I stopped at the long staircase that stood a few metres away. My classroom was all the way up on the fifth floor, meaning that I had to do a long, long trek in order to get there.

"Ugh, here we go..." I sighed heavily, as I began to make my way up.

There was a peaceful silence and the only things I could hear were my footsteps and my quiet breathing. Normally, I would consider this alright but this time, I felt cautious. I didn't want the creepy man to show up again; nor I wanted to see any other supernatural activity. I heard rumours that it came from Silent Hill, but I refused to believe it as I always thought it was a nice and quiet town. I never actually went there but I liked the photos of the mountains at sunset, rays reflecting on the silvery-blue Toluca Lake, the buildings and major attractions.

Maybe someday, I can go myself and take some pictures to add to my photography book..

I eventually reached the fifth floor and soon, I was joined by a large of group of students from my class. They seemed to be absorbed in their conversation to notice that a teenager with autism was in their presence. One who thought of to be nice and kind, just a little anti-social. I waited a little while for them to acknowledge my presence, but they never did.

Shrugging, I opened the door and stepped into the corridor which lead to my destination.

Hopefully today's going to go well...