Chapter 4

dont own it...to bad though *sigh*

The next day at school, I was in class and I could hear two girls talking about what happened but the information was false of what they were saying, having been spread by rumors, which never stay the same.

The blonde girl said, "I heard Seiya and Odango were there, and they had to fight their way out with a machete." She said to the dark-haired girl next to her.

The dark-haired girl looked at me and said, "Look, she's not even moving," she says in shock.

"It's called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My dad was in operation during freedom and he totally stopped talking for like months." The blonde told her.

I began to zone it out because I was thinking about all that happened and what I had seen….especially with Seiya.

-Flashback-

Me and Seiya were 8 years old sitting in a sandbox playing dolls.

"I'll be Pretty Becky and you be her," Seiya said, handing me a naked doll with messed up hair.

"Why do I have to be Ugly Ashley?" I ask her glumly.

"Oww!"she said, looking at her hand.

"What's wrong, Seiya?" I asked, looking at her hand.

There on the side of her hand was a thumb tac stuck in her hand. I pulled it out and pressed my lips to her hand, licking the little blood from her hand.

"Don't tell my mom about that or she'll make me get a shot," Seiya said, looking at me seriously with her blue eyes.

"I'll never tell on you," I say truthfully, smiling at her.

-End Flashback-

"Where's it at, Monistat?" a voice said to me.

I look up, coming back from my flashback to see Seiya standing in front of me. I rub my eyes to make sure I'm not dreaming. No, she's really here. She looks healthy and beautiful like she always does…none of the blood and messed up face like what I saw last night. She had on a yellow and white zip-up top, jean skirt, and white ked shoes.

"You're alright?" I say in amazement and shock

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Seiya said, kind of rudely.

"'Cause last night at my house…you were…"I said in doubt

"You do have a tendency to overreact. You remember in Girl Scout Camp and you totally thought it was an earthquake, but it was just two guys with a ghetto blaster," Seiya said animatedly, and sat next to me and applied some lipgloss to her already glossy lips.

I looked at her incredulously. "People died, Seiya… it's all over the news… national news" I tell her seriously.

She rubbed her lips together, looking at me and said, "Anybody that we know?"

I continue to look at her. "We know everyone," I said, pointedly.

"Sucks to be them, I guess" she said softly, but not really caring and puts her lipgloss back in her small pink purse.

I just look at her. "WHAT is wrong with you?" I ask

She turns toward me sharply. "WHAT'S wrong with you? Besides the obvious surface flaws…" she says hotly.

I don't respond and just turn away from her, thinking while she looks ahead.

I knew it was real…I was up all night, cleaning the carnage off the floor.

-Flashback-

I sit in the kitchen, scrubbing the black liquid off the floor. I stop sobbing, thinking about what happened.

-End Flashback-

"Soot…" I whisper, thinking back on what that black stuff was.

"Please don't talk to yourself…" Seiya says. I look at her sharply and hold my hands up for her to see the residue of the black goo she threw up. "It's one of your freakish Odango behaviors and it makes both look like total gay lords"

She looks at my hands in disgust, "Ew, fuck, you need a mani-pedi bad… you should find a Chinese chick to buff your situation," She said to me and looked forward as the teacher came in. I just put my hand down and faced forward too.

"This is a dark day for Devil's Kettle…." The teacher said. Believe me I've been through….some heavy stuff. We lost eight precious students….including Emmett from India, several parents and our beloved Spanish teacher Señorita Erikson" he finished choking up on his words at the end.

"No way, Erikson ate shit…" Seiya whispered, smiling like she was amazed. I looked at her, making a disgusted face before looking back.

"Now more than ever, besides your teenage concerns about who's uncool dude, or who's a hoe," he said to us. I just looked at him and cock my head in confusion. What does that have to do with anything? Seiya just smirks and puts her hand over her mouth to cover her laugh. "We can't let that damn fire win."

Seiya finished took her hand from her mouth and said, "It already won" I glared at her and she focused back on the teacher.

"Bless you kids," the teacher said sadly and watched as Jonas, the star quarterback, cry at his table.

After school, as I'm walking down the hall there's nothing but grief and mourning. I see a girl sitting on the floor by her locker with friends sitting next her, trying to sooth her.

"There's no band practice today." Mamoru comes up, walking besides me.

"There's no anything today" I respond back, exasperated.

"It's surreal, right? It's like when one person dies in Devil's Kettle, time stops." Mamoru replies

"Feel guilty just breathing" I say glumly. Mamaoru shrugged and makes a face, agreeing.

"Mamo-chan, I have to tell you something….. kind of weird" I say to him following him to his locker.

He looks at me and waits for me to start so I say, "It's about seiya"

"Oh?" he saying and began to get his stuff to take home.

"Well, you know last night we were talking and I said someone came in my house …..well it was Seiya. I mean she looked like she had been beaten up or shot or something….and then she barfed up this, like, disgusting prickly stuff that looked like road kill and soy needles mixed together," I say shaking my head still couldn't believe what happened.

"Yuck,….well, she probably just inhaled a whole bunch of smoke or something," Mamoru said, closing his locker.

"No, Mamoru, no it was like…it was like evil," I said stating on what it truly felt like.

He looks at me for a second, leaning against his locker.

"Usako, I think you should go talk to the school shrink. I'm not saying that to be a dill hole" He said.

"Yeah, but if I don't tell Whoppers, then I'm not crazy." I say walking away.

"I didn't say you were crazy, it's just that everybody is a little messed up. It's ok to feel…." He stated, following me.

"Discombobulated," I say annoyed.

"Yeah, fucked up," he said as we were walking to the door.

"Hey, Odango…" a voice say from behind us.

We turn around to see Saphir Dark in all his emo glory and chains in piercings. He's not really a bad looking guy…kinda cute actually…in an emo sort of way.

"Oh hey, Saphir" I say to him nicely.

"I heard you were there last night in the fiery trenches?" he say, holding his hand to his face with his other arm supporting his other, in a pose meant to seem as casual.

"Yeah," I say softly with a nod, feeling kind of awkward.

"Well I'm glad you didn't die," He said to me, earnestly.

"Thanks," I said kind of sadly.

"Seriously," he said, backing away and leaving, a bunch of other emo kids started following him.

"How are you friends with Saphir Dark? I thought Saphir only talked to the dead girls, " Mamoru said to me.

"I just am. We both have creative nonfiction together. He's a really good writer, he's all dark and emotional and stuff," I answered.

"I'm like that too…. I'm not all obvious about it ….and crazy and stuff, " He said, a little jealous

I smile at him while he says all this. He's cute when he's jealous. "Walk me home?"

He smile and puts his arms around me. "You know it, babe.." he said and we walked out the door.

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