Author's Note: Another chapter complete! Success! Ha, anyway it is lenghty. I included more depth with the help of The White Prince! Thanks!
So, I got dream sequences, halucinations and a death! Yayyy! So, enjoy!
Tell me what you think of it!
-Again, I own only the characters that I created.
*Ray-Ray
The next morning at school, Bug avoided everyone's glances. His head had been throbbing since he woke up. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He even avoided Seth, who seemed to understand. He managed to make it through lunch without being disturbed; he had snuck outside to eat in silence. He liked being outside. He was always reminded of the Condor, flying free.
"You really shouldn't be out here." Someone from behind him said. Bug turned to see Hayley. Unlike her bubbly personality, she seemed upset.
"Then why are you out here?" Bug stood and wiped off his pants.
"Don't make this about me." She replied. Something in her tone seemed harsh; Bug could see it in her eyes.
"W-what's wrong?" Bug stuttered. Hayley's face immediately softened.
"I'm sorry. You didn't hear?" Hayley played with her hands.
"Hear what?" Bug was so confused. They started walking towards the building again.
"They found Dalia last night." Hayley's voice was barely above a whisper. "She was killed. They think it was someone who posed as… as the Ripper."
Bug stopped walking; he took several deep breaths and closed his eyes. What if it wasn't a poser? What if it really was the Ripper?
"Bug, did you hear me?" Bug could only nod. They walked into the school once more and Bug kept his head down. From the corner of his eye he saw the glint of some sort of metal.
The Ripper's blade, he thought to himself. But when he looked it was only someone's keys, dangling from their lanyard.
His head was throbbing, he rubbed his temples periodically. During the rest of his classes he could have sworn he saw the Ripper. He spotted pieces of his clothing, hair. But every time Bug would look a second time, he would only see another student.
He walked home alone once school had ended. He took the longer path, through the woods. Truthfully Bug hadn't wanted to ever go into the woods again, but something made him. His pace quickened when he heard a rustling to his left. Bug checked over his shoulder and swore he saw a large man behind him.
Stop being so paranoid, he told himself. You are overreacting. No matter what he told himself, he couldn't shake the thought of the Ripper from his head.
"Hey Bug," A hand grabbed him from behind causing Adam to jump violently. "Whoa, I didn't mean to scare you." Seth said.
"It's okay," Bug said. He stared at the ground and kept walking.
"Are you doing anything tonight?" Seth asked as he shifted his bag on his shoulder.
"Uh," Bug thought for a moment, and then he remembered. "Yeah, Hayley is coming over to hang with Fang and me."
"Oh," Seth broke into a huge grin. "I knew you liked her."
"I do not!" Bug said, "Well, I don't really know." He shuffled his feet as he walked.
"You need to figure it out. She is cute, you won't have to long before she is taken. And I am not going to assure you that I won't be the one who takes her." Seth nudged Bug jokingly.
"Stop man," he said in a serious tone. Seth looked at Bug in shock.
"Dude, I didn't mean any harm. Look I'm sorry."
"Sorry," Bug muttered. He didn't know what made him act that way.
"It's cool." Seth said; he was always so cool about things. He never got angry.
"So Hayley is going to come over?" Seth said ending the silence. Bug nodded, they were coming up to the road, and Bug was almost home. "That's cool."
"Hey, why did you walk through the woods? Don't you live on the other side of town?" Seth glanced at Bug quickly then looked away.
"I… I just felt like it." He said shrugging it off. "Well I better get going; I don't need my dad on my back when I get home." He saluted to Bug then ran off in the opposite direction. He remembered how Alex would sneak up on him in that way and then leave in a moment's notice.
"Hey, I wondered where you went after school ended." It was Leah; she was leaning against her car. Next to her was Hayley, she still looked dreadfully sad. She gave Bug a brilliant smile.
"How are you feeling?" Bug asked. She shrugged and stepped toward him. Without any hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him.
"How are you Adam?" She let go and looked at him, still smiling. "I like your real name better. Why does everyone call you Bug?" They walked into the house and settled down. Hayley had her bag so she set it next to the door uncertain. "My mom also said I need to do my homework, so I guess I need to get that out of the way before we watch a movie or something." She smiled sheepishly.
Hayley was a pretty girl, her cheeks were flushed her teeth were white. She had curled her blonde hair, the way it cuffed her face was just right. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, even when she was so sad. Bug shook his head and looked to the floor. Leah was grinning wildly, and even though Adam wasn't looking, he could tell.
"That sounds good." Leah said. "Besides I have to write this sort of essay for my physics lab. I might as well get it out of the way now." She dug through her bag and pulled out a large binder full of papers. Hayley walked over to fetch her bag as well. They all settled on the couch and did their homework. Bug tried to focus on his work but the headache was getting worse. After a second wave of nausea passed, he stood and excused himself.
He locked himself in the bathroom and ran the water to block out the sound of vomiting. He tried everything to vomit, but couldn't. He washed his face then looked into the mirror.
You try the finger thing? Alex had asked the day of their presentation. He nodded, and then realized that he had done it just now as well. That sucks. Adam looked down into the sink and realized that the water had not been sucked into the drain.
"What the hell?" He asked. He pulled and pushed the stopper, but nothing happened.
He caught a glimpse of something in the water. He squinted, hoping that his eyes were playing tricks on him. He watched it for a long moment, and there was nothing. Wait, there it was again. It was a flash of dark curly hair.
Dalia, he told himself. She was running down the street. She kept looking over her shoulder. Then she disappeared again. Bug was gripping the sides of the sink and leaning towards the water. The next image was of a knife shinning in the moon light. The word vengeance gleamed as the knife moved forward, slitting Dalia's throat. But the killer wasn't done; he lifted her with one hand by the neck and thrust the already bloody knife into her abdomen. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she was trying to scream but all that could be heard was a horrible gurgling sound. She reached for her neck and stomach once the killer had tossed her to the ground and fled the scene. There was a glimpse of him; he was dressed in the same costume that Alex had worn, the costume they used for the Ripper puppet.
The knob on the door jiggled and Bug cut off his scream by placing his hands over his mouth.
"You okay Adam?" It was Hayley. Bug unlocked the door and looked back to the sink. The water was gone.
"Yeah, I just… I don't know." He shook his head and led her back downstairs. She put her hand on his back and smiled kindly.
"Did you finish your homework Miss. Goody-two-shoes?" Leah joked.
"Yes," Hayley said hotly. "I am not a goody-two-shoe!" She said defensively.
"Okay, gosh I was only joking." Leah held her hands up in surrender. Hayley sighed.
"I know. I'm sorry." Leah put her arm around the younger girl and sympathized.
"I understand how your feeling. It will be okay. So, how about a movie? We got Netflix." Leah smiled and walked into the kitchen. She tore open the box of microwave popcorn and tossed one into the microwave.
Hayley loosened up and sat next to Bug on the couch.
"I won't watch any chick flicks." He announced promptly. Hayley laughed.
"Good, I am really not ready to cry again." She said jokingly, but for a moment or so she remained quiet staring at the ground. Bug looked to Leah for advice, but she was still in the kitchen.
"It's going to be okay," he said, trying to sound reassuring. She leaned into him and just stared at the floor more intently. Bug put his arm around her and gave her a sort of half hug.
"Thanks," she said softly.
They ate at least some of the popcorn as they watched and corny horror movies that were ages old. Most of what had been made was thrown across the couch at one another. They had a great time together. About half way through the movie marathon Leah broke out the sweets. Bug noticed that Hayley like Sweet Tarts in particular.
"So, you never told me why they call you Bug." She said as Leah and Bug drove her home. She grinned, expecting an answer.
"He liked to eat bugs as a child. So I thought it was fit to call him that, and it stuck." Leah laughed.
"I did not!" He exclaimed, and then he turned back to Hayley and answered. "When I was five, I loved to collect bugs. It's simple. Bugs fascinated me." Hayley nodded.
"Well here is my stop." She smiled at Bug who was getting out of the car to open her door. "Thanks," she said as he helped her out. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "See you tomorrow. Bye Leah!" She called as she scurried into her house.
Adam got into the front seat and they drove back home.
'You will never be free of me.' He heard in his head. Bug squeezed his eyes shut and prayed the voice would go away. It was a deep gruff voice.
"Bug, are you alright?" Leah shook him gently. He opened his eyes and sat up straight. They were in their driveway again. He must have fallen asleep.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Leah still didn't seem satisfied.
"Is this about what happened to Dalia?" By the mention of her name Bug saw her death. He looked at his older sister and nodded. He also saw that there was fear in her eyes as well.
"It isn't possible though, right?" He whispered. Leah shrugged.
"We should be sure before we assume." She got out of the car and walked into the house, Bug at her heels.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked as she made her way up the stairs.
"I mean, we need to do research, isn't that your area of expertise?" She looked at him critically, almost meanly. Bug shrunk back slightly.
"Okay," he whispered and he walked into his room, closing the door behind him.
"Bug, I didn't mean to sound so rude." She said on the other side of the door. "I guess this Ripper business is making me unlike myself. Anyway, tomorrow I am going to go speak with Officer Jeanne. She knows a thing or two about strange spiritual things." After a moment she walked away and Bug got ready for bed.
Once asleep, he was dreaming again. He was watching from some sort of closet. He was in the school pool. Across the way, he saw a girl crying. Next to her was a familiar curly red head. She was praying. Bug moved around, backing up he hit something and it fell over. Penelope looked up and stood, telling the girl she would be right back. She walked briskly to the connecting hallway, but found nothing. She was scared now; it was clear in her eyes. She ran back calling the girl's name.
"Melanie!" When she reached the pool she found that the girl was gone. She looked around hastily.
He approached her from behind. She turned and tried to scream. Her screams were cut short. He grabbed her, covering her mouth, then he swiped his knife, the Ripper knife, across her throat. He held her there and watched the blood flow into the pool, staining the water red. She was attempting to cover her throat. The attempts were feeble. She was trying to mouth something.
Bug, he finally realized.
Such a wonderful feeling, he thought to himself. He carried the girl from the school. She was limp in his arms now. He hurried through the woods and set her next to the upturned ambulance.
Such memories, he thought to himself as he left her there.
Bug woke up sweating once more. It was already seven. He knew that he should get ready for school. He dressed in a long sleeve shirt and dark jeans. Leah was waiting downstairs for him. They left together, Bug chewing a breakfast bar as they walked to school.
"So, have you decided if you like Hayley or not?" Someone said from behind. Both Leah and Bug jumped. Seth chuckled.
"I think he does." Leah said now laughing. Bug glared at her. He was blushing, Leah smiled. Bug knew that she wasn't going to let him forget this. They arrived at school together. Leah spotted Maria and walked off with her. It was just Seth and Bug now.
"So how did it go last night?" Seth nudged him, raising his eyebrows. Bug laughed.
"It was fun. We hung out and watched movies." He made a move to open his locker. From the corner of his eye he saw a thin dark haired girl walking alone with her head down.
Melanie, he thought to himself.
"Hey, can I catch you later?" He asked as he pulled out his supplies for his first classes.
"Melanie, wait up," he called as he saluted Seth. That had become there thing, their symbol of friendship so to say.
The girl turned to Bug and after a moment glared.
"What do you want Bug?" She spat the words.
"Uh," Bug said losing his composure for a moment. "I just wanted to see how you are doing."
"I am fine." Her eyes were watering. "I've got my family and my own baby."
"How is he?" Bug asked scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Brandon is fine. He can be a handful at times, but my mom helps out." She froze for a moment. "Why am I telling YOU this?" She shook her head and began to walk off.
"Melanie, wait." Bug said taking her arm gently. "I don't understand why you are so upset." He also wasn't sure why she chose to name the baby after the father, who had been a player until his last moments.
"Because, it was YOU who survived. Why wasn't it Penelope or Brandon?" She was crying now. "You are useless to me. Penelope cared about me; she helped me when no one else would. Brandon, well he wasn't as great as he seemed, but he wasn't heartless. I know that if he was alive, he would be helping me with our child." She turned and trudged away.
Bug stood there in shock. She had called him useless.
Am I? He thought to himself. Inside he felt broken, but at the same time he was outraged.
"Hey Adam," a bubbly voice from behind him called. Bug ignored her call, and walked on to his first hour class.
At lunch he sat outside alone. It was then that he let it sink in. He was useless to Melanie. He didn't understand why. He hadn't done anything to her. Inside he knew it was because he had survived. She resented him for that. Despite his attempts to hold in his emotions he started to cry. Now he was glad that he was alone. After the sadness had gone away, anger took place. If it hadn't been for him the Ripper would have gone on to kill everyone in the town, he enjoyed the kill too much. Why couldn't she understand that? Bug slammed his fist into the ground.
"Are you okay?" It was Hayley she was walking up from his left. Bug sighed and took a hand full of grass in his hands.
"I don't know." He shrugged. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk about this. Pulling out the grass he lifted his knees to his chest and rested his arms there.
Today Hayley wore lose rise jeans, and a bright colored three quarter sleeved shirt. Her hair was down aside from some strands that had been pinned up. She sat next to him and asked again.
"I guess the story about the poser is really getting to me." Hayley looked at Bug sadly.
"I shouldn't have told you," she said looking at the ground.
"No," he said looking into her eyes. "I am glad you did." Then after a moment of hesitation he asked, "Can I trust you with something?"
"Yeah," She weaved her arm through his. Bug sighed heavily and thought about how explain.
"I saw Melanie today." He started. "She was fairly rude to me. Well, she was a complete jerk." Bug wasn't really one to cuss that was always Alex's thing. "I just wanted to see how she was doing. She went off on me and said I was useless to her. She wished that Brandon or Penelope had survived. It confused me. Brandon had just left her. Penelope, she was so kind to everyone. She didn't let anyone put her or anyone she cared about down." He stopped there, and then remembered his dream. He spoke again before Hayley could talk. "I had a nightmare about Penelope last night. I dreamt about how she died. It was horrible. I haven't dreamt about any of the Riverton seven since the Ripper was alive in Alex. I don't understand what is going on." He looked at Hayley; she was looking at him in shock, or something similar to it.
"You think I'm nuts." He said pulling his arm away from hers.
"No! I don't think that at all. Adam, I wouldn't think you are crazy. I understand what you are saying about what Melanie said to you. Brandon did use her, but you don't know what happened last year when he found out. He tried to call her, but she didn't answer cuz she was praying with Penelope. He left a voicemail saying that he would help her if she wanted him to. She called him back after, but he didn't answer." She hugged Bug tightly. "It isn't your fault."
He tried to believe what Hayley had said but he could find no reason. Before he returned inside he saw someone in the distance. Bug squinted. He gasped when he made out what the figure reminded him of.
"What is it?" Hayley said and looked in the direction Bug had been staring. The figure was gone now.
"Nothing I guess, I thought I saw someone."
They hurried inside together, Bug looked over his shoulder one last time and saw the figure again, in its hand he was the glint of some sort of metal in the sunlight.