Disclaimer: Me no own Ib... -tries not to cry- but I do own any poems or songs unless stated otherwise. I also once got points taken off for something, and teacher says it's because I have to cite it. So, I'm like, "But I wrote it." He gave me a flabbergasted look, but then got the drift. So, I own my words!
Note: There are some REALLY MINOR OCs, 'cause the Ib cast is very small.
The beginning is the most important part of the work.
-Plato
Chapter Six
Cold, frozen, cracks... There were cracks in the foundation of a once perfect structure. It stood tall and brooding, but there. It had once been a beacon, a light in a storm, but not today. The storms had been too much, the pressure far too great. The water below the citadel rose like a tidal wave, but as it died away, the lurid horrors remain for another day. Worn and jaded, cast astray, the citadel could not anticipate the last attack that broke it in half. The clouds would stay another day, casting shame upon the cracks.
The onlookers watched with horror and restraint. Even the toughest facade could be crushed, crumbled, and broken if pushed enough. The only words remaining were the sadness the act entailed. The hackneyed words of those unaffected, of those who were only onlookers, not the eyes to the storm.
Ib couldn't think. All she saw was through someone else's eyes, not her own. She didn't watch as Lumi fought tears, didn't see Luno hug his sister, and didn't want to hear what she just had. There had to be some mistake. Kate, the girl who had helped her such a great deal just the day before, could not have gone missing in that short amount of time. It had to be a fluke, a mistake! Something like this just couldn't happen, right?
Not sure what she should do, Ib remained standing. What should one do in such a situation? A simple "are you okay?" seemed ugly and useless when it was obvious that things were anything but ok. Ib hadn't known Kate long, but the girl was someone that had been helpful, friendly, and a lot like a potential friend, if it could be called that.
An unfamiliar girl hesitantly approached the table, her hands fiddling with her tie. "Umm...E-excuse me." Ib turned to her. The others also slightly turned, but did not cease their own small conversations in softer tones. The girl looked at Ib, more importantly her eyes which caused her own to widen and snap back to the ground. A normal reaction, Ib thought to herself almost sadly, but didn't have the time for self-pity. It was a tiring feeling anyway.
"Well, umm, I was asked to i-inform e-everyone that..that..." She continued stumbling before Soaru sighed, "You were told to tell all the students you could about going to the office, correct?
The girl blushed, but nodded. "Umm...Well, yes...So, please report there." She turned and left in a hurry, not looking back as she left the cafeteria. Soaru sighed, mumbling to himself before standing, "No doubt the guidance counselor is checking in on everyone. You should go, Lumi." The fair blonde stiffened, her unsettling gaze meeting the Japanese boy's in a silent protest. The other only sighed, "Lumi, don't start this again."
The girl untangled herself from her brother and calmly stepped away from Amelia, pointedly not looking at them all. "I'm not starting anything, Sato." Her tone was icy and clipped. Ib glanced at Amelia, the girl looked at her and shrugged, indicating that they shouldn't get involved. "Lumi..." Soaru started, but Luno cast him a dark look. "If my sister doesn't want to visit your stupid shrink then she doesn't have to." "It's required that all students visit in times like these. I know she doesn't want to, but school policy-" "I'm leaving." Lumi stated as she picked up her tray. Ib silently watched the other girl walk away, leaving the cafeteria and an exasperated Japanese teen behind. Once out of earshot, Soaru sunk into his chair with his head in his hands, sighing. Amelia patted him on the back, "You knew it was going to happen before you said it."
"I know, but you would think she would have gotten over the fear already." Soaru replied before looking around the table, "Did I cross the line?"
Luno merely sighed while Dmitri looked at his conflicted friend. "You scooted around the main problem, but you knew how she was going to react. You should have left it alone."
Ib and Garry merely watched, unsure as to what just happened, but knew that they shouldn't ask. Whatever had happened Ib knew that she shouldn't pry into the affair, it seemed personal and like the elephant in the room. In a way, it felt like yesterdays closeness was smoke and mirrors, finally showing that there was a gap between herself and the group. She did not know yet if this gap could be crossed.
And that's what scared her.
Quiet. Be silent. It was whispered smoothly along the corridors, findings its way into the nooks and crannies. All that heard ceased their movements, waiting for what was to happen next. The taste of temptation still lingered, the knowledge of what had happened making them anticipate the next show. The next taste.
Watch. Watch. It whispered, and so they did, looking with hollow eyes that had long sunk and gone blind. The happening was enough to draw the attention, but what of the sight? The theatrics were grand, but the miraculous light of vision was only a rumour. Silently, they wished to do more than watch the display. Yes, they would take an active part. They too would no longer be the backdrop of a play gone wrong. They would become the shining stars, the prima ballerina, the star of the show. Yet all they were missing was the script, one made up by the puppeteer. Yet, how do you know who is pulling the strings when the strings are invisible to the eye?
Simple.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
You don't.
Ib stared at her drawing silently, unsure of what she was even doing or what she had been trying to draw. It was strange, she normally didn't black out like that. Zone, yes, but black out and not remember anything? Never. She just got a little too focused at times, but this was different. It was comparable to coming out of a nap and looking at the clock only to find that it's 12, only you can't remember which twelve it is, morning or noon? Does it even matter? You want to turn over and go back to sleep, but the panic of not knowing keeps you up. How long has it been? Hours? Days? Mere minutes?
Ib rubbed her eyes as she tried to process what she had been trying to draw. A memory of her teacher saying something about a showcase slowly crawled back. They were supposed to be starting on a piece that may be entered into the next showcase. That brought back another memory of just the other day, "Designs that pass are featured in showcases or at fashion shows we throw at festivals or at the cafe. We even do charity benefits, or auction off outfits. You'll be assigned to a group that will be debuting their design and wear it for them." But who had told her? An image appeared in her mind, but it became foggy and warped, ebbing away from her grasp.
Within a matter of seconds Ib lost the image altogether and a dull ache in the back of her head followed with a vengeance. She winced, unsure of herself but something in the pit of her stomach was churning, which usually meant that something was wrong or her mother was attempting to cook eggs. Don't judge, her mother could bake cookies and casseroles, but give her eggs and you'll regret the fact that you have a stomach.
The teacher called for everyone's attention and dismissed them, calling out reminders about this and that as the students packed up. Ib slowly stood and packed her things, feeling dizzy and unsure as she made her way to lunch. The morning had really flown by.
"Hey, IB!" Amelia called, waving the girl over to the table excitedly. Ib sluggishly made her way over and sat down beside the hyper girl. "You'll never guess what happened earlier!" And with that Ib stopped paying attention. She really hadn't meant to, but something else was calling her attention, though she wasn't sure exactly what. It was like a whisper, a soft one that belonged to a sickly spirit that would probably turn out to be evil. Ib inwardly sighed at her own imagination. She should have stopped watching ghost movies with her mother sooner. They were corrupting her brain.
"-Are you listening? Hello?" Ib blinked at the hand in her face and turned to the culprit sheepishly, "Yes. No...I'm sorry." Amelia only shrugged it off, "You look wiped out! Did a teacher yell at you too?"
"No, Zhirnyy, it's just you. Don't assume that everyone shares your stupidity." Dmitri teased, sitting opposite of them. Amelia glared over at him, huffing before she shoved her sandwich into her mouth, muttering a few things here and there. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to chew with your mouth closed?" At that Amelia paused, staring down at the food in her hand, her jaw going slack. It was only for a second, but Ib knew she saw something flash across Amelia's face, but it happened too fast for her to properly put a name to it.
Dmitri, realizing he had said something wrong was about to apologize, but Amelia snapped back and threw the rest of her sandwich at him, making sure to spit on it first. She laughed obnoxiously when it hit him in the face, nearly tipping her chair backwards. Dmitri sputtered, whipping the offending food off his forehead.
As the two bickered Ib could feel something was wrong. There was a small pain in her stomach, which could be comparable to a small hole. It was an all over uncomfortable feeling, a sick feeling, and the dull aching of her head was not helping. Something was missing here, something she was forgetting, but what was it? Why did it hurt so much to think? What was she forgetting...Should she even want to remember? The others seemed fine, and wouldn't they notify her if something was wrong?
They were strangers. Yet, they had adopted her just the other day. Should she be so dependant on them? From this morning it's obvious that she barely knew them, but wasn't that normal? Being friends meant that you don't know a lot about each other at first, right? What were friends really? Why are people friends? Ib understood simple bonds, such as family bonds and professional ones, but why did friendship bonds exist? There were acquaintances, table friends, friends, best friends, not-friends-but-we'll-still-hang-with-you-friends, and there were probably more, but what was the point? How does one tell an acquaintance from a potential friend?
Ib shuddered. Potential friend. Why was that familiar? Who had she thought that about? An image swam shallowly into the front of her eyes, but like earlier it faded before she could see it clearly, falling back into the dark sea, hiding itself far back into her mind's crannies. Unknowing, but feeling that she should was sickening and worrisome. Ib wasn't one to easily forget something that felt this important, but on the other hand she just wanted to curl into a ball and let it go. Whatever it was.
Ib blinked, coming out of her internal thoughts by a hand on her forehead. She glanced up, finding that this hand belonged to a lavender haired boy with a worried pair of eyes. It took a few more seconds for her to realize that those eyes were directed at her. It was only then that she realized that during her inward monologue of rhetorical questions that her head had ended up in her hands, her fingers gripping strands of her hair. Her ears picked up that the earlier bickering was gone, and Luno and Soaru had appeared at the table at some point. Garry retracted his hand with a frown, "You're burning up."
Amelia jumped up, "We should take her to the infirmary!"
Garry only locked eyes with Ib, "I'll take her."
Amelia was about to protest when the others threw her a pointed look. "Fine, but I better not hear that you guys were-" Before she could finish that thought Dmitri threw some fries at her. The effect was still the same, Garry blushed while Ib was having trouble connecting the dots. So, while in a hurry to avoid any further comments Garry carefully helped Ib to her feet and fast walked away.
Once in the hall Garry slowed his pace, staying close to Ib in case she fainted or needed assistance. Of course when he asked Ib had said she didn't need help, but it didn't take a psychologist to realize that she was exhausted. Garry cast her a worried glance. That morning she had been shocked, but fine altogether. Well, that had been a few hours ago, and illness can suddenly strike at any time, but Garry just had a feeling that Ib wasn't the type to suddenly become ill.
He rubbed the back of his head, wondering why he thought that. He had only met the brunette about three days ago and already he felt like he'd known her longer. He gently touched his other pocket, feeling the item inside. It was one thing to take guesses, but another thing entirely to feel like you knew a person. It was a strange feeling, one he never recalled having, not even with his parents or siblings. He inwardly sighed, remembering that conversation from yesterday. Talking with his eldest sister could get a little intimidating since she usually yelled a lot. He shook his head, trying not to dwell on that or else he would start to think about everything else, and he really didn't want to.
Due to not paying attention he walked straight into Ib when she paused-when had she gotten in front of him anyway?-resulting in a collision. He was about to retort when he blanked. Ib was nearly bent over, breathing heavily while holding her head, her hands grasping her shirt where her chest was. "Ib." He reached for her shoulder, only for his hand to grasp air.
"Garry. What is it?" Ib asked from up ahead, turning back slightly to look at him in confusion. Garry looked back at his hand in bewilderment. Nothing was there. "Nothing. Sorry, thought I saw something."
They resumed walking, but Garry was cautious. The other day when he had recommended that they come back and look he had but hadn't meant it. On one hand the painting and the things that happened that night couldn't be coincidence, and, if he was being honest, interesting, strange and, in a way, scary. Yet on the other hand as much as it was scary it was scary. Not that scary movie thriller type, but the real deal, the true stories that scar, and that most don't live through. It was the scary that plagued nightmares. It was horrifying. He didn't want to involve himself in that type of thing. He had seen Ib disappear and reappear from a puddle! If that didn't scare someone, then something was wrong with that person! This situation wasn't something to take lightly, it wasn't something to just run head first into. Maybe Ib had noticed, Garry wouldn't be surprised if she had, that he had mixed feelings. That something like this... wasn't normal.
Yet there was a feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was wrong and, though he would more than likely be reluctant, it would all lead back to then. There was a reason that Ib and him saw what they did. Garry believed in some coincidences, but not most. This was another exception. Something was wrong, he was missing something important. Something vital.
"Welcome back! My, I hope this really isn't becoming routine." The nurse, Charlotte, stated upon their entry. "What seems to be the problem?"
Garry looked at Ib who was looking at him, and he sighed inwardly before beginning to explain Ib's symptoms. Once finished Ib added a few things while throwing him a thankful look. He smiled back, showing her he wasn't bothered in the slightest by talking for her this once. She had, in a way, saved his butt back on the first day when that older lady had freaked him out.
The nurse went about taking Ib's temperature, taking her blood pressure, and a few other things while speaking with her. Ib replied in one syllable answers. The nurse finally left her alone, thinking for a moment before concluding her diagnosis. "Just a small bug, probably from stress and the new environment. You'll be fine by tomorrow, no doubt. I'm afraid I can't send you back to the dorms today for obvious reasons, so you'll have to rest here. You can head back at six."
The two nodded, Ib was unsure of the 'obvious' reasons, but went along with it anyway. "Someone should go with you though, just in case." "I'll do it." The two females looked over at Garry. "You don't have to." Ib replied softly, not wanting to be any more of a bother, but Garry digressed, promising to be back at six. There was no more resistance since he left, having to attend his classes that would start soon.
Ib rested on one of the cots, not bothering to draw the sterile sheets over her body. The room was warm and there was a slight breeze coming through the window that was both cold and warm at the same time. She faintly sighed, closing her eyes only to reopen them a few seconds later. Everytime she closed her eyes she saw the blurry image, only for it to disappear as she opened her eyes. No matter how much she tried to focus, Ib couldn't clear the image, couldn't scrape away the rust and stop it from slipping away.
As her eyes slowly became heavy and she was nearing that abyss known as sleep, she faintly saw, in the corner of the room,a shadowed figure dressed in red.
O..e da..
I ...ell ...eep
a... ...ever ...ke ...
O..e da..
I ...ell ...eep
a... ...ever ...ke ...
O..e da..
I ...ell ...eep
a... ...ever ...ke ...
The words repeated and repeated, becoming raspier and raspier each time.
"I'm Ka..e Gr..dl...gs, welcome to our fashion class."
"I'm Ka...Gr..dl..., welcome to our fashion class."
"I'm ..., welcome to our fashion class."
It grew fainter and softer, disappearing, but as it neared the voice became desperate to be heard.
"I'm ..., welcome to our fashion class!"
It still was barely heard no matter how much it was screamed, the voice sobbing and crying. A ring flashed into view briefly before disappearing. What felt like minutes later another image appeared. A hand with the same ring that was holding thread and a needle, moving to pin and tuck material. Slowly the image moved up to reveal a girl with light, long brown hair and grey eyes. She smiled slowly, still moving the needle methodically, but as the image stilled to a stop it suddenly flashed, and the girls flawless face was covered in blood.
Her once grey eyes were empty, pools of blood flowing down her rose tinted cheeks that had paled, looking nearly blue. Her rose coloured lips tinted vermillion, her teeth stained as she flashed them, letting out a scream. Her hands were bloody, her fingernails torn off, but something in her hands glinted. It was a needle. As she silently screamed the needle was raised, pulled back, and launched forwards on a clear path to the onlookers own eyes. As it neared, the onlooker screamed, watching as the needle came right for her.
Ib awoke with a start, a scream caught in her throat. She latched onto anything that she could find safety in, even if it were her own knees, but her knees shouldn't be this warm. As she looked up to find the heat source she was currently hugging she locked eyes with Garry who was staring back at her in surprise. Ib instantly let go and looked down, still in her own took a few deep breaths as Garry rubbed her back for her. It was silent, both feeling a bit awkward. Finally Ib calmed herself, feeling abashed and ashamed that she had acted like a baby, latching onto the first heat source she could find. It was unbecoming of her, and as a child there were only a small handful of times she had done anything like that.
"Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?" She looked up at his worried tone. After a slight hesitation she nodded. "I see...You poor thing. I can't say I'm surprised...Being exposed to such frightful sights and Kate suddenly disappearing, you know?" Ib nodded, feeling better. Garry didn't know the half of it, but even if he couldn't see her dreams, he had seen what had happened a few days ago. It felt reassuring..."What did you just say?" Garry blinked. "About the frightful sights?" "No. The thing after." "The 'you know'?" "No. Before it. You said someone's name." Ib blinked, blurry images swimming around her head. "No I didn't...Didn't I?" Ib just stared at him. "Something's wrong."
Ib stood, "Nurse." The woman appeared a few seconds later looking weary and tired. "What did you mean earlier by "obvious reasons"?" The woman looked at her quizzically, "Why, I can't remember if I did or not. Didn't your stomach hurt too much for you to walk back on your own?"
Ib looked at Garry, his eyes narrowed in questioning. Ib turned back to the nurse, "Thank you." Then she left, a sudden urge pulling her towards the door. She heard the nurse and Garry call out to her, but she didn't stop, couldn't stop. Her legs were walking on their own accord and seemed to be leading her, hopefully, to the answer. While walking a small memory came back to her. She had had pencil smudges on her this morning, which meant she had been drawing at some point during the night, which wasn't usually odd, though spaced out, but her legs seemed to think otherwise. Something was leading her to the dorms, something was telling her that the answer, no matter good or bad, was there. It was a strange feeling, one that terrified her but enthralled her at the same time. It must be how a detective felt when nearing the verdict of the case, that sink or swim moment that decides all, the anticipation, the adrenaline.
It was there in her own dorm room that her feet slowed, allowing her to chose the course they would take. As she focused Ib left the door open, not remembering to close it as she peered around the room. Her instincts were screaming for her to find the odd thing out. What, in her room, was not in its proper place, what didn't belong. Ib searched, looking at her table and chair, on her bed, in the closet, and through her bag, but nothing stuck out, but then she looked at the curtain which was awry just a bit. It was perfect for letting moonlight in.
Ib moved over to the window to fix the curtain when her foot came into contact with an object that should not be on the floor. She carefully bent down on her knees and picked it up, her eyes widening as she looked at the drawing. It was decorated in thick, black shading, but in the center was a smaller figure, giving the picture a sense of distance, was a girl being heavily obscured by the shading, but more importantly was the ring that was larger and in front, giving off the image that it had fallen from the girl's hand while she was being dragged off into the dark.
As she continued to stare Ib felt a shooting pain in the back of her head. It was white hot and long, broadcasting images of a girl with light, long brown hair was was in a cascading waterfall braid, grey eyes that looked at her as an equal, and a ring on her finger.
"You're a helper, right? Well, helpers are a bit different than the regular students in this class. You'll be graded like everyone else on drawing for designs, but you won't be making them. Helpers are just what they sound like, they can help others with design ideas and you'll probably be used as a mannequin, but don't worry about that yet."
"Raina, you can't just grab someone like that."
"It fits quite well, you look really nice Ib."
"Sorry about this, but at least you've gotten the first one over with."
"You'll be graded on submitting designs, helping out others as their 'mannequin', small side projects, and modeling in showcases or at the cafe."
"Designs that pass are featured in showcases or at fashion shows we throw at festivals or at the cafe. We even do charity benefits, or auction off outfits. You'll be assigned to a group that will be debuting their design and wear it for course it would be cruel to just throw you onstage, so you and a few others will take some walking classes when there isn't much to do or as the shows get closer. The drama department has a few students who will be helping out to teach you, so you'll be well prepared before the show."
"Ib, right now this probably is nerve-wrecking and scary, but you won't be alone. We'll all help, you just need to ask. If it get's too much, don't be afraid to speak up."
"I'm Kate Gridlings, welcome to our fashion class."
When Garry finally caught up with the girl she was sitting on the floor in her room, her back to him. "Ib." He hesitantly called out as he approached her. She moved just a fraction, indicating that she knew he was there. "Her name is Kate."
"Who?"
"The girl who's missing. Her name is Kate Gridlings. She was proclaimed missing this morning."
Garry gave her a quizzical look until he slowly started to remember. This morning everyone had been upset because of someone named Kate going missing, she was a girl in one of Ib's classes. "I think...I remember." He froze, trying to process just why he had forgotten. "This doesn't make sense! Why had I forgotten? No one else had said anything... Why...What is going on?"
Ib stood up. "I'm going back."
Garry looked at her. "You don't mean- Ib, those two may not even be connected!"
"Then explain it to me. This morning everyone was solemn at the news, but now it's back to normal like nothing happened. The time frame isn't right. Even the nurse couldn't remember. Somethings wrong. I..I don't draw like this normally and why Kate? Something is wrong."
Garry hesitated, thinking it over before nodding. "You're right that something is wrong, and this may or may not be connected to it, but we can at the very least check it out...Just in case."
"You don't have to come."
"And leave you all alone? No way! You could get hurt!"
Ib nodded, "Then we're going." Garry nodded. "We're going."
AN: Does anyone else feel that there wasn't enough initiative for Ib to decide it had something to do with the school? Yeah, not that I'm looking through it does seem that way, BUT I have a reason for this. Explanation: Chapter 2, the ending of chapter 5, and the fact that these things even are happening. They're really just taking a shot in the dark, because for all they know she really is missing because she ran off with her boyfriend.
Good news! Or not...Mary may be FINALLY making her debut next chapter~ Are you all excited? I know I am! Okay, so here's a warning, I like Mary as a character. WAIT! I didn't like the psycho part of her that tried to kill Garry, but in all, I think she was a decent character. Her story is pretty tragic and everything, but what I liked most was that she looked innocent. Too often people look for the obvious signs that people are 'weird' or 'insane' based on things like age, scars, and what they wear. Mary came off as a cute, sometimes annoying, little girl who seemed innocent, but her psych was mentally unstable. Oh~ just that character development!
-Ahem-
So does anyone else have a love-hate relationship for chapter five? I was rereading it and just didn't like most of it. I mean, of course there are chapters you don't care for, but maybe it's because it feels a little rushed? Oh, which reminds me! Ib wasn't good friends with Kate, but she did like her in that she was treated as an equal, so respect? Yup! Ib respected her!
Okay, long Author's note in loooong, but I do want to inform you all that this won't be a day-to-day fic. I will jump around, though only by a few days or so. Another thing is that I've decided to throw in a few twists, and I've given many subtle hints so far, so can you guess any?
QUESTION! Have any of you guys heard of Katy Towell? No? LOOK HER UP ON YOUTUBE! She's a professional writer and most of her shorts are really interesting. One of her videos is even being used here:
O..e da..
I ...ell ...eep
a... ...ever ...ke ...
It's actually in one, but it says the words. Dudes, I'm giving you spoilers. GO MAKE ME PROUD AND LOOK IT UP!
Have any of you noticed that the quotes at the top do mean something?
Drop a review, yes?