A new chapter filled with twists and turns! Prepare yourself for a new chapter...and enjoy.
Tuesday: June 4th, 2010 – 5:03 A.M. (Farm House – Front Yard; Deserted Island)
The corpse of Lucy Stone was lying in the blood tainted bed of pure white roses with a carved oak arrow protruding from her once flawless face. Dark red blood bubbled from the caved in portion of her nose like foam as her joyous eyes stared up at the clearing skies longingly. Her limp hand was lying at her side with the ladybug ring still glistening upon it like an excited star in the skies.
Tori looked down at her with a pair of saddened eyes as she held the bow she used to put that arrow in the center of Lucy's beautiful face. Tori had killed the girl who murdered her sister. She got her revenge at last.
However, why does she feel so regretful…so empty as if it all meant nothing? As if she merely stooped as low as Lucy did? Tori almost felt a surge of guilt run through her every time her mocha brown eyes fell upon the deeply traumatized Lucy's motionless body.
"What did I do?" the thin, Hispanic girl whispered with a tear rolling down her cheek. "Why did I…Lucy she was…she was just a scared little girl. A little girl who had everything taken from her. My God, what have I done? All she wanted was for someone to care for her and I…I killed her."
"You can't…you can't hurt me. Tori you…you have to feel it too. You have your daddy. You're lucky…you can feel it can't you? Your daddy's love? Can't you feel it?"
Tori heard Lucy's childish yet disturbed voice echo within her head before yanking her trembling eyes away from her. Lucy was misunderstood…misunderstood and perceived as something she wasn't. Katniss took a huge deep breath of the fresh rain scented morning air as the skies still seemed a bit dusky and dim due to it still being early morning. She narrowed her detailed, silver eyes as she examined Lucy's corpse before walking up to it to yank the durable arrow free from her bloody face.
Everyone squirmed in disgust as Katniss did this and heard the squelching noise of it being pulled out along with a few bones cracking as well (probably her nose cartilage). "God Katniss what the hell," Beck sighed with a scrunched up face as he placed a bandaged hand on Tori's trembling shoulder comfortingly.
"What? This arrow took me a long time to make. FYI…not in the mood to sit down and make more like a grandma knitting sweaters. Now…we need to move on. Don't worry Tori, you did what you had to do. You did it and we need to make sure we push all of those emotions aside for now. We have a little under an hour until these collars come back intact and if that's the case we'll have to resort to plan B."
"What's plan B?' Drake asked with a shaky whisper uttering from his thin lips as he walked up to the trio. Katniss only smirked as she placed the crimson red arrow back into her home made quiver allowing the iron liquid to drizzle onto her fingers.
"You'll see when it happens Drake 'the ladies man'. Now let's get going kiddos…we have a lot of ground to cover," Katniss grunted while flipping her braid behind her back with a single swift motion. Tori gave Lucy one last look of remorse before shutting her eyes tight and whispering a few words of respect. It wasn't easy considering Lucy tortured Tori for years ever since the sixth grade…and even murdered her sister in cold blood, but she had to show some kind of respect.
It wasn't until they all heard a few more pained whimpers softly filling their ears from behind did they think to turn around. Kacey. Her gunshot wound. Of course she's still in pain…that's what they all thought frantically before turning around with a pair of wide eyes.
Drake, Beck, Tori and Katniss expected to see Kacey Simon, the cheerleading captain with all the popularity to rule the world, lying there holding her bleeding chest. Instead they saw her being held up on her feet with a blade held to her throat. Camille was holding Kacey by her thick black hair to keep her standing up while pressing Suzie's katana (it must have fell near them when her bag was shot open) against the creamy flesh of her neck; just above the titanium collar for the game.
"Surprise," Camille whispered into Kacey's ear with a calm expression on her porcelain face before gazing over at the group of stupefied teens. Camille faintly grinned at all of them before pulling Kacey's hair rather roughly making the popular girl who had every boy chasing after her emit a series of painful whimpers. Tears were trailing down her tanned cheeks as she felt the deadly blade graze over her skin; right above a few veins.
"G-Guys…p-p-please," Kacey whispered desperately while feeling the hot tears burn within her eyes. "H-Help."
"Sh," the drama queen with bright brown curls soothingly shushed in her ear. "I don't think you want to do that Kacey…I am the one holding the sword after all. Do you know what I could do with this sword? Well...do you?"
Everyone stared at Camille with shocked expressions still not understanding what was even happening at the moment. "I can do this my sweet," the pale girl sweetly spoke as she lightly sliced the top of Kacey's exposed flesh causing her to break out into a fit of silent sobs. A thin stream of bright red began to run down her neck and underneath her school shirt making Camille stare at the human liquid with an intrigued look. "My…tres bien. So breath taking isn't it? The human substance called 'Blood'. So fascinating. All human beings bleed out this red substance no matter who or what they are. It's what makes us all the same I suppose. It's so…slippery and moist."
Camille brought her empty, pale hand up to Kacey's trembling neck and dabbed some of the blood with the tip of her finger. The beautiful actress brought the liquid up to her fascinated brown eyes as if she were examining it and began rubbing the liquid in between her fingers making it coat her skin. "So sticky as well," she added with a low whisper.
"What…C-Camille what the hell!?" Beck screamed still with a look of confusion all over his face that still had few cuts and bruises. "Let her go! What the fuck are you doing!?"
"Isn't the answer obvious Beck. I'm betraying you," she simply answered with a blank look on her face as she tilted it slightly to the side making everyone widen their eyes even more from the blunt answer. "Oh don't be so shocked darlings. I am an actress after all…the whole time I was with you since the crops up until this very moment…I was acting."
Tori felt her heart drop to her feet after she heard this and couldn't believe her ears. "No…y-you said…you said you felt horrible after killing Moze and-and Suzie! Camille? You said you wanted to avenge Logan and…you were our friend," the poor girl's voice was on the verge of breaking as she spoke all of these things. Camille only chuckled slightly with her eyes narrowing at the Latina still with a content look on her pale face that seemed menacing in the dim light.
"Again…I was acting. I thought I would portray a character like in plays and movies. I would portray a girl who'd lost it all including the boy she loved. I would become a girl who needed to do whatever it took to make sure she got it all back…don't get me wrong, I really did love Logan. However, now that he's dead there's really no point staying in character now is there? Why would I live a life as a fugitive knowing I never got to see him. I don't care about you…I only cared about him. Now that he's gone and Lucy's out of the way; thanks to Tori…I can finish the game and win the big prize. I hope it's an Oscar though. I've always dreamed of becoming a famous actress and winning an Oscar," Camille soothing spoke quietly as she gazed upon the dismayed group she tricked all along.
Katniss gave off a furious grunt of anger before quickly grasping her bow from Tori and drawing a lethal arrow to send at Camille. Camille stared at it for a second or two before chuckling in mere amusement. "Katniss…you do know that if you were to shoot that at me, it would hit Kacey instead? Hm…interesting how you were chosen as the leader of this grand alliance."
"Bitch," Katniss grumbled with her teeth clenched in overbearing fury as she looked over to Beck's still form with a murderous look in her gleaming eyes. "So Beck…you starting to regret not killing her like I suggested? Still proud to be the little hero?"
"Katniss…" Beck faintly whispered in great shame as he bit his lower lip with his heart beating wildly against his frail chest. This was all his fault. He always was getting everyone else into trouble…he should of let Katniss kill her like they planned in the first place. "Camille please…let Kacey go and just…just don't do this okay?"
"Hm, how about instead I give you a minute or so on how you all would like to die. I'll give you two choices to make it easier okay. One, I shoot you all in the head point blank allowing you to die immediately and painlessly…allowing some mercy. Two, I become merciless, take this katana and slice you all up slowly limb by limb…and watch you all bleed out painfully for a few minutes as you rethink your pathetic lives. The choice is yours…but personally, I would choose the first option."
"Howabout none of the above!" Beck howled in anger as he felt Tori's hand squeeze his own once that one raw emotion called fear began to course through their veins like a frightening drug. "You goddamn bitch! You're even more sadistic and fucked up than Lucy was! Seriously? What are the odds of getting two psychotic murderesses in our class? What are the fucking odds!"
"T-Tori…go. Get out of here please!" poor Kacey screamed in desperation while feeling the pale girl's hand tug on her hair even more making her whimper in distress. "Please! I can't let anymore of my friends die!"
"K-Kacey I can't leave you-" Tori cried back with pitiful tears filling her gorgeous mocha brown eyes. Camille cut her off immediately with a quiet giggle escaping her lips; letting it roll through the tense air as the trees over towering them continued to drizzle with the last few cold rain drops.
"You won't make a decision will you?" she sighed with a pair of blank downcast eyes; her dull chestnut eyes shining from the few slivers of sunlight peeking through the dusky gray clouds above. "Alright…then allow me to make it for you."
"What!? Camille what are you-" before Beck could even get out his ringing sentence with spit flying from his mouth, Camille slashed the front of Kacey's cream colored throat with the sharp edge of the katana making a deep slit which resembled an apple after it's been sliced. It even sounded like a fruit being sliced.
Kacey's eyes went wide from the quick surging pain and felt her throat burn terribly as if she'd swallowed a tray of scalding hot coals. She tried to breathe but all she could do was wheeze like a dying cat having an asthma attack as gooey crimson red blood began to spill from her parting mouth like a fountain. Blood splattered onto the damp wooden trees like paint cans bursting and it even splashed onto the Beck and the others.
Drake stared at Kacey's dying form with trembling eyes as the blood splattered onto his pale cheeks and Tori stood there like a frozen statue with a look of terror mixed with devastation. Kacey's eyes examined her surroundings as she felt her body being dropped to the ground like a worthless bag of garbage. The blinding rays of golden sunlight bathed her face as she fell onto her back making gurgling noises that sounded like she was gurgling mouthwash.
Kacey's POV
What the hell! That's all I can think right now…what else am I supposed to think after having my neck sliced by…Oh God! I'm dying. I just realized that. I'm dying! It all happened so fast I-
It all happened too quickly. My throat feels like it's burning…like someone's sticking a scorching hot fire poker deep inside my throat and gagging me. It sucks…it sucks and I wish I could have gone with my mom to Paris during the weekend instead. I would have never thought my mom could ever go to Paris…the city of romance.
We used to be a family living in the beat down streets deep in the Bronx. Now we we're leaving in a beautiful house on the Manhattan skyline. Like a Cinderella story right? Well…without the glass slipper or the fairy godmother…or the prince or the evil step whatevers. It was just a huge miracle and my mom deserved every bit of it.
I miss her so much. I miss my dad…I miss them and now I'll never get to say good bye. My chest feels so sticky and gross! Must be the blood coming from the gunshot wound in my chest thanks to Hardcore Stone.
I look up at the sky and can see it glowing white. Nothings fading or anything but only the sky seems to be getting brighter like it's starting to glow or something. I feel my chest rise and fall in agonizingly slow motions as if my hearts about to stop beating at any given moment. I hear Tori and the others screaming out for me…why won't they just forget about me and get the hell out of here.
They really care about me huh? Maybe that's why they won't leave…everyone loves me. The popular beauty queen who has every guy in school crushing on her. I used to love being that girl. Now I wish I was a damn bad ass assassin so I didn't have to be so fucking helpless right now. I hate that feeling. Being weak. I hate it so damn much. My dad always taught me that in the army, weakness can sometimes be a strength. I never bought it for a second.
I'm always crying out for help and wishing a strong man can help me…I hate it. I soon hear everything fade out into distant echo. Is this the end? Oh God no…not yet. I feel everything start to go numb as if the pain is starting to fade away as well. My eyes are blinded by some glowing white light as if the sun's rays began to intensify.
I shut my eyes as tight as can be with my lips quivering; expecting the absolute worst…like Heaven's gates. Again, I can't die. Simple as that.
However, as I slowly open my eyes I realize I'm far off when it came to being at Heaven's gates. Instead I'm standing in the middle of our schools' football field on the patches of lush grass. The towering spotlights shine on me as I stand there obviously confused while hearing the sound of crazed cheering echoing all around me. Is a game happening right now? It must be Fall because football usually happens around that time. Hockey happens during the winter…soccer in spring and basketball in the summer. I feel a different fabric on my body and figure out that it's my infamous cheerleading uniform. Am I cheering for a game? Was this all just a horrible dream?
I feel the handles of my black and red pom poms in my slick palms as I squint to make out my surroundings. Oh yeah, I'm definitely on the field and it seems to be late at night due to the pitch black skies…but there isn't a football game going on. I'm in the middle on the empty field like a lone wolf and see the twenty foot tall bleachers filled to the top with screaming, cheering students, teachers, and family members. What is all this.
As I look all around I see everyone holding up signs saying 'We Love You Kacey!', 'GO KACEY GO!', 'TEAM SIMON', 'You got this girl!', 'Everybody loves the Popular Queen, Kacey!' and many others in bright bold letters with the boards decorated gorgeously.
I don't play football. Wait a second…I soon see Camille emerge from the entrance onnto the field from the locker rooms. A shining katana blade tightly gripped in her hand. What the hell!? She has a sickening look on her face as she comes towards me with it, but all I can do is turn around at top speed with my heart beating at rapid pace. However, now I see Lucy coming out on the other end with her damn sickle with that trampy outfit on when she shot me. What's going on?
I look back around at Camille and see some more of my class mates spill out from the entrance with murderous grins on their faces as they follow behind her. I see Gibby marching right besides Kevin…a crossbow and a bloody axe. I then see Carly, Cat and Tori…one with a pistol, one with a needle with blue stuff in it and one with a gleaming knife of sorts.
Kendall with a gun, Stevie with a switchblade, Lulu with a kitchen knife, Trina with a zapping taser with sparks flying from it as she clicked it, Carlos with a crowbar gripped in his hands, Hayley with a machete like Jason Voorhees, Andre with a bloody metal handgun…all of my friends are marching towards me with dark smiles. They're walking at an agonizingly slow pace it makes me almost break into hysteria. I'm trapped and I'm as good as dead! All forty-one of them are coming towards me and the crowd keeps cheering?
"Go Kacey! Kill Kacey! K-I-L-L! KILL!" they scream in excitement as everyone begins to close in on me…their bodies and faces splotched with blood.
No…NO! I can't. I can't kill. I can't play this game. I'll…I'll never play this fucked up game! I still hear the crowd cheering like mad before suddenly shutting my eyes tight in hopes that it would all end and I'd wake up in my bed back home.
Just as I open my eyes, I see my old room back in my beat down home in the run down streets. The walls are peeling like crazy yet they still gleam with a baby pink color as posters of boy bands cover them like bandages. I look over at my bed that still has those same Strawberry Shortcake covers on it with a matching pillow with the logo. My old hand-me-down barbies are scattered all over the floor…my medicine and syringes for my diabetes are stacked in a messy pile by my peach colored door; it's chipped and grimy as well.
What's happening? I look all around my room letting my past sink in slowly.
"Kacey, don't change."
What the…that's my mom? Yeah, it is! My mom and dad! Their voices are filling the room as if they're right there with me, but they're not.
"Don't feel ashamed of your past baby. Don't push it away…don't push any of it away. Just because we made it to the next level doesn't mean you get to dump everything from your past into the trash. It all makes you who you truly are. It defines you."
Defines me? My past? But I hated my past…it made me look weak. It made me seem hopeless. You know how much I hated that. You know that I had to start over and change. I couldn't be that lame girl with the medical problems who lived in the dumps. I wouldn't have made any friends…I wouldn't have been so liked in my school…I wouldn't have been as strong as I am now.
"That's a lie. Everyone still would have loved you all the same popular or not…what matters is your character and its things and obstacles like these that strengthen it. This is what made you strong baby. Not getting rich or having a 'new' life. This is what made you and you shouldn't forget it."
I feel my heart twist once they say these things and look over at my shameful piles of pill bottles and beaming syringes with a sad look on my face. They're right though…God when aren't they right? I almost laugh at the predicament and soon walk over to the needles and pick one of them up with my soft fingers. As I fiddle around with it with a faint smile coming across my glossed lips, I sit down on my kiddy little bed staring down at the silver trinket in my hands.
Going through all of this crap is what made me…I forgot that. I forgot that I was always a strong girl. Always dependent thanks to my parents and my hardships. It's what made me and I need to accept that. I need to accept it. I then feel a pair of hands grab onto the syringe I'm holding almost suddenly yet they're gentle.
They're two tiny hands. Like a kid's…two cream colored, mini hands making me gawk in confusion. I look up only to see a small eight year old girl with my head of hair along with my same features looking up into my eyes with a cute little smile. She's wearing a purple t-shirt that seems to be washed out and a pair of worn out jeans…her black hair is decorated into a beautiful set of braids that dangle around her tiny body with beads of all colors at the tips. This…This is me. Me when I was little.
I still feel her hands holding mine on the syringe and I see her lips open to say something. "Do you remember me now?"
I feel my eyes brim with tears as I begin nod with a bright smile coming onto my face. "I do…I do remember," I laugh in a shaky voice from how incredible all this is. Is this what happens when you die? You have a life revelation? Wicked cool.
I feel her frail arms wrap around me with a giggle pouring from her lips as she grins proudly. "Good…don't forget me again though okay? Don't lose me again."
"Never…not again. I've got you for good…" I chuckle as I hold her close to me. Not again. I'm not a weak damsel in distress…I've always been strong. I was strong and I forgot. I forgot when it most counted…I still feel the burning sensation in my throat gradually return as I slowly close my eyes with a determined look on my face.
I'm strong. My mom and dad would've been so proud of me. Guess I'll have to show them another time right? Poor Gary…my poor puppy. I'll miss him the most, no offense to my folks. I'll miss looking at him and remembering how he jumpstarted my life at Garside. I'll miss knowing that I won't be able to feed his grubby butt every night.
I'll miss everything about my life. Hm, I'll even miss the bad parts…because all of it is what made me…I feel the burning begin to go away once more and everything begins to fade to white this time. It's over, but I still won't let go of who I am…
Girl # 16: Kacey Simon (Eliminated)
5 Students Remaining
Tuesday: June 4th, 2010 – 5:17 A.M. (Farm House – Front Yard; Deserted Island)
Everyone watched in great horror as Kacey fell to the ground with a thud and began to choke on her own blood with a look of panic written all over her face. Beck tried to run to her aid but Camille stuck the katana straight up at his face with a glare making him jump back in response. Kacey soon ceased her torturous squirming after about thirty seconds and all that was left was a corpse with blood splashing all around it.
The most popular girl in school named Kacey Simon was dead…it was now four against one. Just them against this wicked emotionless girl named Camille Roberts. "They all bleed out red…so…moist," Camille gasped as she gazed upon Kacey's scarlet red corpse with a pair of amazed eyes. "Like sacs of fluid when punctured. How interesting."
Beck stood there rattling in complete terror with his skin turning a ghastly white as Tori fell to her knees with her mouth hanging open as if she were about to scream, but nothing came out. Her brown eyes were quickly brimming with tears as she began to let heaving sounds spill from her gaping mouth instead of cries or screams.
"Hm…who's next?' Camille spoke with a soothing tone to her calm voice as she looked up at the remaining four with a bored, empty look in her eyes. No one even responded…everyone merely felt stiff and rough like statues left in the cold as they stared upon Kacey's gruesome corpse. "Hello? I asked a question. I said who's-"
"You fucked up skank," Drake seethed through his clenched teeth as he stepped forward with a look of pure hatred in his glaring eyes. They resembled daggers as he furrowed his eyebrows in utter rage while holding up his frail hand. Something was in it…but it wasn't a gun considering their guns were off in the middle of the road, plus the one they used on Lucy was lying in the mud teen feet behind them giving them no time to get it. Another throwing knife was gripped in his moist hand making Camile arch her brow.
The others soon did the same until they saw him swing his arm down like baseball pitch being done in a quick second making the knife go flying towards her pale hands. The blade dug into it causing her to hiss in pain and she immediately dropped the samurai blade as blood dripped from her hand.
"Get out of here," Drake growled while partially turning his head towards the other three with a look of anger on his pale face; his swooping locks of chocolate brown hair falling in front of his eye as he did so. "Beck? Did you hear me dude? Take the girls and go! I'll keep this chick stalled! Just hurry before she reboots herself like some freaking robot on steroids."
"Drake we can't leave you behind! We can all fight against her," Beck cried it refusal while gripping Drake's slender shoulder. Drake only shook his head with a laid back smirk on his face.
"No. You can't be wasting your time with this chick. You guys have an island to escape alright? So take Tori, take Katniss and get whatever you can get just in case and get out of here!" Drake chuckled with that same grin on his moist face as he looked back over to Camille who was beginning to reach for the katana with her uninjured hand. Katniss, Tori and Beck all gave Drake a small grin of sadness as if they were saying farewell to a hero being put into battle and nodded before heading off at full speed back into the brisk woods.
The wind was chilling and cut to the bone thanks to the aftermath of the freezing rain. Drake let out a deep sigh before looking back over at Camille who was nearly grasping the deadly blade's smooth handle. "Howabout me make this a fair fight bitch," he smirked while kicking the blade's handle as hard as he could making it tumble to the side and down a steep hill. "Aw…sucks huh?"
With that leaving his mouth, he took off on his feet to go right past the porcelain like girl with great haste while snatching up one of the guns Camille had stolen during the early hours of the competition (Owen's Colt Python). "Damn…can't shoot her yet. Not enough time," Drake huffed while scurrying towards the towering farmhouse with his lanky legs and his breath leaving his throat like smoke hitching from within a huffing dragon.
He finally reached the building and began to run around the side to get in through the broken window. He wriggled his way in making a few shards of broken glass fall around him as he tumbled inside the homey living room with his chest heaving hysterically. The rays of morning sunlight began to pour into the living room through the glass paned windows near the front door and within the kitchen. The glass coffee table stood proudly in the middle of the cozy room with the salmon colored couch right behind it and a TV set standing in front of it. One of those old TVs from the forties obviously.
Drake lifted his thin form up from the soft carpeting while gripping the handle of the Colt Python with his anxious fingers. He cocked the gun with a smirk on his face and knew that right when Camille entered that window…she was for sure dead.
Drake let out a soft chuckle from the thought and turned around to aim for the gaping window he entered through, but right when he turned Camille was already standing right there with a blank look upon her rain drenched face. 'Oh Shit!' Drake jumped in shock right before feeling the girl's fist hit him straight in the mouth causing him to stumble backwards. He felt the dull pain radiate through his teeth, feeling a slippery liquid oozing from his lips. "Damn…she…she sucker punched me. Cut lip…sucker punched me."
Camille threw another quick punch his way, but luckily he was able to block it just in time with his forearm. However, she did the same thing again and got him straight in the eye making him cry out from the pain as he staggered back once more. He then saw her try and do it again, but he grabbed her arm after dodging the cheap shot and kneed her straight in the stomach causing her to fly back into a family portrait hanging by the window. The glass shattered making their ears ring for a bit as the pale drama queen collapsed to the ground with a hint of pain on her face.
Drake looked down at his hands frantically only to realize that he'd dropped the gun! He dropped it after she sucker punched him…so he tried looking for it thinking Camille was knocked out from the glass hitting her head. However, as he began squinting down at the carpeted floors he felt someone placing their gentle hands behind him. A second later, he was roughly pushed forward making him trip. His eyes grew wide as he toppled into the coffee table making it crack in response to his weight. He then rolled off of it after Seeing Camille's reflection; a simple dining chair tightly gripped in her hands as if she were about to swing it down.
Which is exactly what she did right when Drake rolled off the gleaming table making the glass shatter horribly and the chair even broke from the impact. "Damn…fucking crazy. I've had enough with these psycho bitches!" Drake grunted in fury as he tried to take out a few shimmering glass shards from his skin. Camille only stood up from the horrid mess with a few clean cuts made on her ghostly white arms and took a deep breath as if she were calming herself.
"Quite impressive," she whispered before watching Drake run towards her; catching her off guard. He jumped onto her causing her to fall back onto the salmon colored couch with a look of surprise. His thin arms where snaking around her pale neck as if he were trying to get her locked in a choke hold. It was incredible how strong he was considering his physique, but as Drake said…he was in a gang and obviously gang members get into some pretty vicious fights.
Camille felt her windpipe slowly being crushed as they rolled off the couch and fell onto floor with a loud thud echoing throughout the demolished living room. They rolled around the glass covered floors like a log until Drake felt the thin, small bones in her neck cracking underneath his tight hold on her. Camille's bright brown eyes were searching the floors for anything she could use, and finally she found something just as her breathing began to constrict. She grasped the leg of the chair she swung down on the glass coffee table with an anxious free hand and swung the wooden stick right behind her; slamming it against Drake's head.
Drake felt the blow radiate within his skull causing him to wince a bit in pain; loosening his hold on Camille's bruising neck. Just as he did this, Camille began to break from his thin arms and took off towards the doorway into the bright kitchen. Her curly locks of brown hair bounced behind her back as she sped to the kitchen leaving Drake their rubbing the side of his head in discomfort. He then pursed his lips in anger while frantically looking over towards the fireplace only a few feet to the right of the TV set.
"I never knew what these things were for, but now I guess I'll need to finally use 'em," Drake groaned while crawling over to the simple little fireplace as quickly as he could and grasped a fire poker from the set of tools hanging on the brick mantle. Right afterwards, he leapt towards Camille's running form and slammed the fire poker right into her ankle making her eyes widen from the dull feeling.
She fell face forward into the carpet making a thudding noise echo throughout the room while squirming a bit from the pain coursing through her bone. Drake only smirked I satisfaction before looking up at the kitchen through the locks of brown hair covering his eyes. He knew what to do. He had to get to the kitchen and get his hands on a knife.
A steak knife, butcher knife or even a butter knife would do…he just had to get to one in order to take Camille out. He was skilled with knives and usually got into a few knife fights in New York when he was involved in gangs. He was actually really good when it came to knife fights, even though that wasn't something you should really boast about.
Anyways, Drake took off at great speed towards the nice sized kitchen with his fingers itching to get on a blade of sorts. As he entered the kitchen he spotted the dining table near the backdoor leading to the backyard, a few wooden pantries that were nearly open with only a few items within it, a gleaming metal sink with a few dishes in it (they had hints of rice and beans in them) and…a set of deadly kitchen knives used for cutting foods. He immediately ran towards it with a huge grin before snatching one out of the wooden block it was in.
His gripped the solid black handle of the butcher knife with a few shaky breaths leaving his throat as he heard Camille enter the kitchen and he spun around to swing the sunlit knife at her. He could hear the mocking birds chirping just outside in the yard as if they were singing a beautiful melody to wake up the island…even though there wasn't any one living here any longer.
He turned around with his mind completely alert and as always Camille was coming right for him. It's now or never Parker! He hissed within his head and swung the blade right down in one swift motion making Camille gasp in shock. She lean back a bit to dodge the fatal slash and brought her hand up to the hem of her plaid school skirt with a look of mere amusement. She brought out the Colt Python Drake had dropped and quickly brought it up to his face before pulling the trigger without thinking it through.
The shot rang throughout the tiny kitchen making Drake feel as if his ear drums were about to pop while he ducked quickly to the tan tiled floors with a look of panic written all over his face. The bullet blew off a chunk of the plain white countertops making debris fly in the tense air and it even strayed a bit and blew off one of the sink handles allowing crystal clear water to spray out in a fanning mist.
Drake felt the moist droplets fall onto his face as he began to smile and laugh a bit in relief that he was able to dodge the unsuspecting shot and glared at the deadly brunette before gripping the knife handle even harder. He leapt to his feet and slashed sideways; chopping off a few of Camille's delicate fingers that were holding the gun's handle. She almost arched her brow in disgust as she watched her fingers fall onto tile floor along with a few blood droplets.
Blood gushed from the stubs where her fingers used to be and she immediately tried her best to suck in the pain surging through her mind. Crimson red liquid spurted from her hand and onto the floors as water continued to spray all around the room like a sprinkler.
Drake only looked at her for a quick second before thrusting the tip of the gleaming butcher knife towards her head making her eyes squint in annoyance. Camille grasped a knife as well from the wooden block that was holding them with her fully functional hand and deflected Drake's blade with a single swipe making him break into a smile. "Hell Yeah…let's go Camille…bring it on!" he roared like a determined warrior before slashing the blade towards her once again making her continue to clash blades with him. They were having a full on knife fight as Camille began to slowly back away in the middle of it every time Drake delivered a lethal move.
Suddenly after at least ten seconds of knives clashing together, Drake finally slashed Camile's cheek rather deeply making her wince a bit. However, she immediately retaliated and slashed his cheek as well making him hiss from the searing pain and he kicked her in the stomach making her fly towards the dining table.
The pale drama queen toppled onto it with a few exhausted breaths leaving her lips as she felt the warm sticky substance ooze from her cut cheek. She soon rolled off of it in quick timing as Drake slammed the blade right into the table missing her by just half a second. He cursed under his breath as he tried to pry the kitchen knife loose from the mahogany dining table, but felt it fall sideways toward the glass back door. "Shit…this damn bitch!" he groaned in fury as he felt his body falling with the table face forward as always and felt his back slam into the glass along with the table.
The glass shattered from the impact and Drake went flying out of the gaping hole made in the door; tumbling onto the concrete patio. Glass shards scattered all over the patio and continued to sparkle along the ground like stars as Drake began to whimper from it all.
Glass breaking…it sounded real familiar to him actually. Glasses being broken. Tables being tossed around. Everything spiraling out of control. Drake knew it all too well.
It was a huge portion of his childhood before his parents divorced. It was actually the main cause of his parents splitting up. His parents fought all the time when he was growing up…he didn't know why or what the point of it all was. He thought it was because his dad never went out to look for a job and just stayed home on the ragged sofa in their one bedroom apartment strumming his acoustic guitar all day.
His dad was an amazing man to Drake though…he always got his dad to smile and he even admired his father for dreaming so big, but the fights were horrible. Drake's mother couldn't stand the fact that she married some dreaming loser without a future and Drake's father refused to let his dreams of being a musician die out.
They always fought and by the time Drake was seven and could finally get an iPod from his grandparents, he almost felt that it was normal. Whenever these ugly fights would happen with violent screaming, disgusting threats being said, and glass being broken along with other things in the midst of their argument, Drake would always curl up in the corner and plug his ears to escape it all. He loved music…it was an escape. A portal into a dimension that made him feel safe and made him feel as if he weren't alone.
He loved visiting that place where music artists of all types would come together and scream out against the cruelty of the world. He loved hearing the angry yet soothing sounds of guitars as they fought back against the unfair judgment they had forced upon them. He loved being able to leave the real world.
He wished he could now, but he realized that he had to face the music no matter how horrible it may be. He slowly stood back up on his two feet and felt the cold winds rush against his damp skin making him feel exhilarated in a way. He looked around and could see a bird bath carved out of stone in the middle of the entire yard surrounded by beautiful flowers of all types. The patches of grass were all over the yard and gorgeous mocking birds were singing magnificently while playing in the stone bath.
He shook the beauty of his surroundings from his mind and gripped the knife in hands with a series of slow breaths coming from his dry throat. White dress shirt was covered in dirt, debris and splattered blood as he stood there in a readied stance just in case Camille was to pop out of nowhere.
His eye was beginning to swell a bit thanks to her punching him a little earlier and his teeth clenched as he fought back the painful sensations occurring all over his body. It was forming into an ugly black eye…but there was nothing he could do about it. After a couple more agonizing seconds, he heard that faint sound of glass shards being stepped upon. She was coming and Drake was more than prepared for her.
"Alright…okay. C'mon bitch. Come on…come at me," he whispered while licking his thin, pink lips as she began to wrestle her way over the tipped over table to get out onto the back patio. Her bouncy brown curls of hair bobbed all around her body as she finally regained her footing and held her opposing kitchen blade up in an attacking position; pointed straight for Drake's heart. "That's it...c'mon!" he wailed in anger while kicking a pile of crushed glass away from his feet.
The sound of melodious mocking birds drifted through the serene early morning air as the two teens stood their ground; keeping a steady gaze at one another. That is until Camille lunged forward making the first move. Her gleaming blade making a jabbing motion straight for Drake's heaving chest causing his eyes to go wide in response. He merely reacted by bringing the blade up at full force and slashed her wrist making Camille grunt in immense pain and drop the knife.
The lethal weapon fell to the glass covered patio with a clang making the metal reflect the emerging rays of sun and Drake made a dash towards the gorgeous birdbath in the middle of the lush field of grass. The stone structure stood proudly in the middle of a patch of flowers as the pale rocker gripped its edge with the hand he had the knife in and used his other, free hand to hastily snatch something from his dress pants pocket.
He felt his heart race speed like a flying bullet as he looked back over to see Camille slowly hoisting herself up with her ghostly white wrist dripping with bright red liquid. Her eyes were barely showing any signs that she was in any pain, but she still gripped it as if she were curious. Talk about weird…
Drake fished his fingers all around the deep pocket until he finally felt a cold metal material underneath his fingertips. His mouth opened wide in an over relieved grin as he quickly removed it from his pocket and felt his chocolate brown bangs swing over his eyes. It was the Colt Python…after Camille dropped it after having her fingers sliced off. Drake picked it up right after without her knowing. Talk about sneaky intentions.
He gripped the defined handle with both of his hands and heard the music from the bathing birds behind him grow louder in volume as if it were to build suspense. He swallowed dryly and felt as if his heart was to burst from his chest, but he finally managed to pull the trigger of the gun. He felt the rebound of the shot course through his bone and his ears rang insanely from the single pop of the gun.
Camille narrowed her bright eyes at the flying bullet and rolled to the side immediately while crushing and feeling the sparkling glass bits underneath her. The bullet, instead, slammed into a large window pane that led into the family room causing the reflecting glass to shatter into a million pieces and fall to the ground like an avalanche.
"No!" Drake gritted his teeth in fury as he glared at the horrendous shot he fired. How could he miss? That's all he could think after watching that horrific display until he looked to his left and spotted Camille looking at him in a kneeling position. She flicked her wrist like a skilled pitcher on a major league baseball team and Drake felt his chest burn instantly. "Wh-"
Before he could finish, he felt his body fly back making his thigh slam into the rigid edge of the stone birdbath. The dull pain went right through him as he stared up at the pale blue sky with flecks of pink still mixing in with it. He was beginning to fall backwards like a tumbling tree coming to the ground and soon felt cold water consume his body. He had fallen right into the birdbath causing the crystal clear water to splash everywhere. The mocking birds flew off in fear as he did this and ceases their joyous melodies. Drake watched them fly away…leaving him behind as he laid there in the birdbath with his thin arms dangling over the sides.
Camille's kitchen knife was sticking straight from the middle of his slow rising chest. There was barely any blood, but there was still a pale scarlet red spot forming around where the knife entered and every breath he took felt torturous and fatal like it would be his last. His eyes were squinting up at the morning sky as his thin lips parted to let out a few words, but he simply couldn't speak.
His hair was immersed in the water as he felt his collar continue to choke him.
Drake's POV
That's it? Are you kidding me…after all this. This is the end. Nobody to spend my last few moments with? Nobody to help me get through this pain till I go? I…I have to go through this dying thing on my own?
This…This sucks! Is this what Josh felt when he died? He didn't have me there…I was such an ass for leaving him but it's not gonna matter anymore. I'm headed for the same destination also. I'm escaping this game on my own terms I guess. I'm escaping my old life even though it sucked. I mean it was awesome but I never got to do what I wanted to do.
I never got to be the rock star I dreamed of being just like my dad. I didn't get to tell my story like those other artists could through their songs of pain and suffering. I couldn't do anything…I really am I failure.
I can still hear them fighting. My mom and dad…their screaming voices filling my head. I still hear it after all these years and it still fucking sucks to hear. My mom screeching at him because she's pissed he never got a 'real' job like an accountant or a doctor. Boring…
He just was sick of hearing her nag all the time so he decided to scream his opinions right back at her which soon led to them getting to a more physical level when it came to their fights. Glasses being broken whenever my mom would throw them at him…plates being shattered whenever my dad kicked the table over whenever they fought during dinner.
It was a one bedroom, so I didn't have my own room. That meant I had to sit there in the middle of it all…I couldn't even get things like my homework done thanks to all that crap. I usually mind my own business whenever it happens…I had no place to go so that was all I could do. I hated the world…I hated the fact that so many people had clean and proper families. They what I didn't have...they had a loving home.
My parents never hurt me, but it still sucked to witness it all. However, when I turned eight…everything changed. I remember one time when we all went Christmas shopping at the mall in our good ol' NY city, I snuck away from them and went to the music store in the mall. It was awesome! Bands like Metallica, Muse, Sabbath! Hardcore rock and roll baby! My Chemical Romance, Slipknot, Flyleaf…all bands who conveyed their pain and anger through music.
When I was little I never understood that type of music, but when I picked a pair of headphones and listened to a demo track by Evanescence…Bring Me to Life! That's it. I remember hearing her vocals tear through me. It was incredible…her lyrics…her shouts against society. It was like whenever I listened to these songs my problems would just vanish. All that was left was the world of music.
It made it seem like I wasn't alone. When I heard that song by Evanescence that day…while I was listening to it I felt rescued. I felt like I finally had other people who understood what it felt like. How crying out against this shitty world could make everything feel so right.
I felt hypnotized by the electric and acoustic guitars, by the melody of the piano, by the violent beating of drums…it…it all saved me. Right after I finished listening to that song I remember taking a few CDs of various bands from the store. It wasn't really stealing. More like borrowing you know?
I went home and played them over and over in a CD player I found in the storage closet and couldn't help but grin at the sound of it all. It was poetry. Not the lame loser poetry Mrs. Hayfer made us read in English but just…just poetry that fought back against the crap the world gave you. I even told my dad about it and he couldn't be more proud of me. He told me that impossible things didn't exist…that any dream could come true if you wanted it bad enough. Like his dreams…I knew…I knew I wanted to be like those singers in the songs I listened to. I didn't want to sit back and suffer. I wanted to shout back!
A few weeks later on the way home from school I came across a beautiful acoustic guitar. It was lying by someone's trash can as if they were going to throw it away, but who the hell would trash this beauty? It was raining that day so it had a beautiful shine to it also. I remember taking a moment to look at it before I went over and began feeling it with one hand while the other had an umbrella gripped in it. It was fate. It was destined for me and I knew it.
I took it home right away and hid it my room while my parents were still at work when I got home. My mind was made up. I was going to devote my life to making music. I was going to save others who're like me…save others just like those bands saved me and woke me up from my pity party slumber.
The sucky part. My parents fought that same night over the same stupid things during dinner with me still at the damn table. My dad was screaming at the top of his lungs; his face turning red while my mom slammed her fists into the table making the coleslaw tremble. I sat there looking miserable as they fought and spat poisonous words at one another until my dad picked up the beer bottle he was drinking and tossed it blindly. He was a poor shot I guess…it hit me instead of her or the wall and made me fly to the ground.
I didn't even know what happened after that. I had a concussion for a week…I was in a week long coma as well. My head wrapped in freaking bandages…hopeless yet again. The room I was in had that sickening stench of alcohol cleansers and its bright white walls made my head sting with pain. I knew right when I woke up that what my dad did to me was the last straw. My mom decided to divorce him…and didn't even tell me that she was gaining full custody.
My dad even visited me right after I woke up that day. I'll never forget it. He was telling me that he had to leave…that he had to go far away because of what he did to me.
"No dad! You can't go alright we need you! M-Mom she…she doesn't mean any of that stuff that she said. You can stay…please stay," I whimpered with a few tears coming to my small eyes after my dad finished telling me the news. The nurses had just finished changing my bandages…so luckily I didn't have to worry about that right. My dad only gave me a sad smile before patting my leg.
"Sorry little man…dad messed up. Your old man messed up big time buddy. He messed up real bad and there's no way your mom's gonna let you be with me anymore. I don't blame her…" he whispered with a grin; his bearded face shining from the sunlight pouring in through my room's window. "I kind of think this is the best thing to happen on all of our sakes. If I stay in the picture you might get hurt even worse…maybe mom will. I can't let it happen okay?"
"No Dad! Is it money? Is it because you still can't find a nice job? Okay…then I can help you! I can sell all of my video games and toys for cash and…and maybe…maybe mom will let you stay!"
All my dad did right when I finished was laugh lightly as if he were chuckling and gave my leg a firm squeeze. "It's not money little rocker," he sighed before digging into the pocket of his old jeans. He brought out a simple, plain red guitar pick…the one he used when he was starting up on his musical dreams. "Here…I want you to have this Drake."
"What? Y-Your pick!? Dad! For real! No way!" I start to laugh in disbelief before taking it slowly from his palm; observing it between my fingers in the rays of shining sunlight.
"Way. Haha…I know how much this means to you. How music can change a person…how it can rescue them. It hurts thinking that it was rescuing you from me…from what I've done. I'm sorry buddy. I'm sorry for putting you through all of this crap. I'm sorry for everything, but make sure that you follow your dreams. I don't care what your mother says…you do what you want to do and don't give a damn what anyone else says alright? Be the voice okay…fight for what you want in life and make sure it happens because one day you'll finally reach that point you'd never thought you'd get to in your life. All you have to do is want it bad enough," he broke into a heart breaking grin while curling my fingers so that I made a fist with the pick inside of it.
A week later I was released from the hospital but when I came back all of my stuff was packed up…my bed was gone and my room was barren as if it were haunted. We moved into a beautiful two story house near the skyline on Manhattan only a short time afterwards when I was released from the hospital…leaving my dad in that nasty apartment. My mom tried sounding upset about the messy divorce settlement, but I knew she was doing it to make me feel better.
"I'm sorry sweetie. I really tried. I really did, but dad and I can't be together. Not now okay…"
It was devastating to hear. How can I just sit back and deal with my parents giving up on one another with me as the only thing keeping them somewhat connected. I can't even visit him anymore thanks to the social services bastards. I never got to see him since that visit in that gross hospital room.
I gave up on everything once me and my mom got settled. I gave up on sports…gave up on school…gave up on friends and family…even gave up on the music that made me feel stronger. I felt as though it would keep me tied to the past I guess. Then my mom went off and met Walter…some weatherman on the local city news. He was nice and looked good, but he still wasn't my dad. I wanted him to come back and love my mom. I wanted him so that everything could go back to normal.
I even hated his nerdy son Josh…who soon became my closest friend. It was after he told me that he gave my mom a chance that I decided to do the same, and pretty soon I grew to tolerate them both. After year I finally liked them…I finally realized what I've been wasting. I forgot my passion…my passion for music.
My guitar (the one I found in the trash in the rain) was up in the attic of our new house; dusty and longing to be strummed delicately. I retrieved it from the suffocating space in the attic and decided that it was my time to live. My time to chase my dreams just like he taught me.
I grabbed the pick he gave me and began to play that guitar and at first…well I sucked. I haven't played before so I was pretty jank at it, but soon I began to teach myself all the different methods that came with the instrument. I taught myself and pretty soon, I began to sing as well. I played little concerts at my new school (Garside) in the Spring near the parking lot after I began to get the hang of it all. My friends and classmates were cheering my name and danced to the melody of my voice mixed with the acoustic sound.
I loved it…I soon began going out without my mom knowing after school in order to land gigs in the city. Only problem…who wants a twelve year old playing in their showrooms? Whatever, that didn't stop me. I was determined to get my voice out there. Just like my dad said, 'All you have to do is want it bad enough.'
Still, I didn't have any luck for a year or two…which is why I joined the whole gang scene to get some jobs. I felt ashamed and got in too deep, but thanks to Josh I got out of it and he got me a job working at the local movie theater near our school where everyone went after school on Fridays. The manager loved me! She hated Josh though…
Everything was going great. I was able to find a gig at sixteen in a hyped up club downtown and boy was it crazy as hell! I felt my adrenaline course through my veins and the music I was playing roared in my ears just like before at the mall when I was listening to that one song that started it all. It was insane…I was getting my name out there big time and everyone started to want me for their big acts. I even got a record deal in May this year…a month before this damn trip. It was from a huge record company who signed with artists like System of a Down, The Plain White Ts and even Evanescence!
I was finally going to be able to live my dream. I was finally about to become one of those voices that rescued others who felt as alone as I did growing up. I was doing what my dad pushed me to do…live my dream.
My chest fucking burns! That bitch…she got me good. My head's going under the water now…the birdbath water. It's not like I'll drown since my lungs feel tight and locked anyway, but it still feels terrifying.
I see the pale blue skies and the glowing sun up above; its dull rays caressing my face. My legs are dangling over the edge of the stone birdbath and I can hear nothing but silence thanks to the water. This is it Drake Parker…this where your story ends huh?
I never got to be the musician I dreamed of but hey…I died trying. I…I wanted it bad enough but I still didn't quite make it…
Boy # 9: Drake Parker (Eliminated)
4 Students Remaining