Lost In Purple
Chapter 41: Toxicity Challenge
Melanie's POV
"I don't think I ever asked what the first event would be," I state while walking alongside Johnny down the cul-de-sac.
"A child's room is where you scare, but avoid the toxicity lurking there," Johnny replies with relaxed confidence.
All the boys chuckle as if they're planning some malicious prank, even Randall let's out a funny sounding cackle, but maybe they're just sadists at heart. They've obviously figured out the answer to this enigma, and are purposefully leaving me in the dark.
"W-what? Why are speaking in riddles?" I question.
Javier slows down to walk on the other side of me. "The first thing you must do amiga, is to think like a Scarer. What do you think happens when you first step foot in the human world?" He asks.
"Um…I don't know. Nobody knows, which is why we're taught to always be aware and quiet," I respond with uncertainty.
Johnny elbows my shoulder, looking at me with an impressed grin. "Good answer. That's exactly right. You never know what will happen or what will be on the other side of the door."
"Which is why we're given riddles. With every event, we receive a clue in the form of a riddle that describes what the next event will be," Javier jumps in.
"Oh so it's about toys?" I conclude.
Everyone stops dead in their tracks, turning towards me as if I said something outrageous. "AWWWWW WHAT?!" Bruiser, Chet, and Chip groan in unison.
That was one hell of a one-eighty. Everyone was so quiet and focused and all it took was one prediction to set them off. Was I completely wrong or something? Did I disappoint them in some way?
"Ay carajo, you really do make a good ROR," Javier praises.
I shake my head in confusion as we find ourselves near the Scaring School Courtyard. "I'm sorry, I'm confused. Was I right?" I ask.
"Color me impressed Princess, it took those three almost 5 hours to figure it out and it didn't even take you ten seconds," Johnny says while pointing to the three in distress.
"You're supposed to struggle with us Miss Melanie!" Bruiser cries.
Chet joins in with a complaint. "Yeah that's not fair!"
The seven of us pass by the fountain at the center, heading towards Troll Bridge. The night is cold, but the breeze has stopped and the environment is as still as a statue. Luckily, the RORS are here to break all the silence. "Well I'm sorry, but I didn't think that was hard at all. A child's touch is toxic, and children play with toys, so because they touch toys, it makes them toxic. It's called deduction Chet, use it," I chuckle.
Chet guffaws. "I don't got time for that. I'd rather play games or party or something, it's way more fun!"
"Yeah yeah, we've heard this a thousand times already," Chip adds while waving his hand in dismissal.
I agree with Chip. I don't really want to hear an explanation as to why school isn't worth his time, mostly because I already heard it from Sullivan when he was still around. It's been very obvious from the day I met Chet that he's more of a kinesthetically crazy monster that doesn't have the mental capacity to do dull things like sit quietly and digest information. Although, I wouldn't want him to be anything different because it's nice to have someone who isn't afraid to be intentionally goofy around here. Johnny and Javier can be a little too serious at times.
"So do they have actual human toys or something?" I ask Johnny in an attempt to change the subject back to the Scare Games.
Johnny shrugs and closes his eyes while doing so. "No one knows. From what Jav and I can guess, they'll have the Biology department come up with some messed up alternative. And by messed up, I mean beyond deranged. The Biology students here at MU are some of the craziest people in the world and most certainly are trying to kill us."
"Seriously, who wants to put themselves through all that suffering just to figure out how all the processes of nature work," Javier adds.
I groan out of worry. No matter how they phrase it, I couldn't possibly justify going through a competition that has the capacity to kill you. If anything, they're the crazy ones for doing this. "Ugh! It's only the first event and I'm already terrified of you all being out on life support."
All the boys laugh synchronously as they lead us all down towards the south side of the river…which seems like something straight out of a horror movie. "What can we say, we have a death wish. Why else do you think people decide against becoming a Scarer?" Chip continues chuckling.
"But you all make it seem like there isn't a single safe thing about Scaring. Like, as if the scaring companies don't care about anyone at all and refuse to keep you safe," I respond in disbelief.
Johnny places his hand on the top of my head, and pats it as if I'm his pet. "Yeah that depends on the floor manager. Some are constantly watching you while others just walk away entirely and relax for the rest of their shift," He states with a smile, "I've been trying to convince Professor King for that exact reason. He actually cares about us, the people who sacrifice themselves for the better of society."
While Johnny has a good point, I still don't believe that he's thinking about his safety and quality of life. "But, how am I going to live with myself knowing that you guys could die when you get jobs next year!?" I pout.
"Por favor, cálmese!" Javier laughs, "This is why you have to be the best of the best, so that nothing bad will happen."
I hear Chet cackle as we find ourselves nearing a sewer, making me feel a tad bit uncomfortable. "The real question is, how will we know that nothing bad will happen to you? I mean, I wouldn't say you're the best Scarer ever," He asks bluntly.
"Chet, shut up. I don't want to think about that right now," Johnny berates.
With a scoff, I raise my voice and have to keep myself from socking Johnny in the nose. "Do you seriously think I'm that helpless?!"
The boys all laugh again which makes my blood boil. How did I become the one to pick on? What did I do to deserve this?
"It's alright Melanie, I'm probably right there with you," Randall jumps in.
Bruiser and Chip both say, "You can go invisible though."
"Hehe, uh-I…y-yes you're right," Randall agrees nervously, "I just think it's a little different for us monsters who are on the…smaller side. Humans aren't as scared of us as they are for you all."
There's an uncomfortable silence between the boys, and I don't really know the best way to break it. Even though it only lasts for about five seconds, it's suffocating nonetheless.
"Yeeaaah, not so sure about that one Boggs, but I wouldn't worry about it yet Mel. You still have three more years to practice," Johnny retorts.
We finally reach the entrance to the sewer that's decorated with an outline of wide spikes. The water from the river sloshes eerily, and the sound that generated from it reverberates off the sewer's concrete walls. The air around us becomes increasingly and noticeably more thick, and the cement walls are covered in graffiti. The only other stimulus that's present is the echoes of the boys steps which can be heard clear as day. It really seems like this is a place that hundreds of students have been murdered or kidnapped or something.
I involuntarily stop myself from going in, causing everyone but Johnny to walk ahead of me. With my arms crossed and my hands on my elbows, I look like the most timid monster who ever lived. All of the RORs except Johnny continue further into the sewer, leaving us to ourselves. I suddenly have this network of thoughts run through my head like a spider web in the corner of a room. Within just one second I realize that I'm weak and too timid for something so extreme. This whole time I've been worried about everyone's safety and well-being, afraid to even be watching it. I also got extremely lucky that I even passed my final exam considering Hardscrabble would have likely recommended that I drop out. Johnny told me that I still would have passed regardless, but remembering that look on everyone's face said otherwise. Do I really belong in ROR? Did Johnny just do that so he and I could stay close for as long as possible? Is this how those poor Oozma Kappa boys feel about being a part of all this?
At the end of the day…I realize that I'm not scary. I was just some kid who took interest in Scaring and tried to learn everything about it. I'm just a nerd who's read books, not some tough and fearless monster who can simply jump into the human world like Chip said. I'm not someone who finds thrills in danger like Chet and Bruiser. I'm not someone who's so well-rounded that I could do anything like Randall…and I'm not perfect in everything I do, like Johnny. This is the first time I ever truly felt like I couldn't be a Scarer, and something tells me that I'll be feeling that way for the rest of my life. All these concerns spring up out of nowhere. While they might be pessimistic, they have loads of truth to them. All it took was that one crack in the dam, that one break in my sanity to show me how I actually can't live out my dream the way I envisioned. All because these boys are proving to me that I could never be like them.
But I know I have to do this for my Dad. I cannot let him continue working the way he does for the rest of his life. I also can't let Johnny or any of the RORs know about these feelings because I know they'll decide to just forget about me. I think I finally understand what Faust told me at the beginning of the semester. They only care about those who defy normality. Once they see that I have no value to them, or that I'm not someone who can be the best, I'll mean nothing to them.
I hear a subtle inhale to my left. "Don't worry about anything, it's just an abandoned sewer. It got drained years ago and people only usually use it as a paintball arena. You're also not participating so you don't have to do anything but watch us," Johnny soothes.
"I-I just don't know if I can watch you all play with fire like this. I know I'm not actually participating, but I still don't think that I really belong in a competition like this," I quiver.
Johnny furrows his brow. "Mel, you're more than capable of doing this. You've shown me that you're one of the scariest monsters on campus. I promise you that everything and everyone will be fine."
He takes my hands as I say, "John I couldn't even perform the most basic scares last semester and got lucky that Professor King gave me a second chance."
"Where did all of these bad thoughts come from?" Johnny laughs melancholically, "There's no reason to feel the way you do about this."
"I don't know. I guess I'm just starting to feel too different from everyone else all over again, like I did back in high school," I sigh.
He pushes me forward, letting us plunge further into the darkness. "Being different is fine. You know better than anyone that I'm different as well. But let's just take this one step at a time. This first step being to watch us compete and maybe learn a thing or two," Johnny responds.
It only take a couple of steps to see a bright light further in with many students gathered around cheering, eager for the event to begin. The moment Johnny shows himself, everyone roars in excitement, creating an ear-piercing sound wave that bounces off the cement walls and back into my cranium. I can feel the ground shake as everyone starts rhythmically chanting and clanging the iron bars above. It becomes even more thunderous when all the students near us start reaching their hands up for high fives from Johnny, attempting to pump him up. He makes sure to give each person some sort of attention, whether it be a simple greeting, high five, or fist bump. Some random females almost have a mental breakdown when he looks at them right in the eyes and winks at them. I can't tell if I'm being jealous, but I feel bad when nobody even notices that I'm walking behind all of the RORs.
All of the boys group up in the middle of the room, seemingly waiting for some sort of instructions or random event to happen. I quietly take my position behind Johnny and notice the dimmed lighting of the large room along with the red paint on the wall that says 'Scare Games.' I hear Johnny speaking to the rest of the team saying things like, "Remember boys, we're a team so we have to finish together," and "We'll wipe the floor with everyone like we always do." I would give him a lecture about saying things like that but the noise keeps me from doing so. I don't think he'd hear me or even want to listen to me considering that he's eating up all the attention. The constant amount of flailing and screaming from everyone here is so irritating that it hurts.
"So the screaming puppy has decided to show up. How pathetic," A deep voice says behind me.
With a swift swerve, I see Faust standing behind me. He's leaning all his weight on his right leg and has his arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and teeth ready to bare. He looks displeased and ready to create some violence. I'm not really aching for some violence, so I decide that it's for the best to stay a safe distance away from him.
"I can't wait to see your face once your 'brothers' get booted after a little competition. It was only a matter of time before their smug asses were brought down a notch," Faust smirks. A bunch of students around us listen in carefully and indirectly attempt to instigate a fight by letting out their 'Oooooo's.'
I remember all of the times Johnny has told me to become a little more abrasive, so I keep calm and power through all the negative emotions I'm feeling. "You know, I'm not interested in talking with you anymore Faust. Just let them do their thing, and if we lose then we'll try again next year."
"Tsk, tsk. Melody... why must you always be good girl Melody? Always loyal to people who will inevitably break that fragile little heart of yours... It's really tiring you know, having to see you make the same mistakes over and over again," Faust sighs in frustration.
I look down at the ground while furrowing my eyebrows. I can feel a burst of anger trying to escape but that will only prove to everyone that I'm weak and unable to keep calm in a stressful situation. It would also prove to Johnny that I haven't learned anything from him. "Last time I checked, you didn't care about my 'fragile little heart' anymore."
"Mmmmm...deep down, I would be lying if I said I didn't. I just wish you could see who's a good person and who isn't. Those RORs will be the death of you, whereas us JOX would nourish you into a proud and strong young women. Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to join me in my endeavors?" Faust asks.
I put my hand up and close my eyes. "Stop."
"Oh come on Melody...things would be so much less difficult, so much less stressful with us. All you do is worry, and we would relieve you of all of it," He adds.
No matter how hard he tries to tap into my emotions, he's already done enough damage to me. I don't think I could trust him ever again. "Stop Faust! I can see that you're trying to manipulate me by using a weakness of mine, and I'll tell you right now that it's not going to work," I growl.
"Oh really? And you can say with certainty that the RORs aren't adding to all that stress?" Faust asks.
No they definitely haven't be-...actually...they have. I realized just a few minutes ago that I could never be who they are, that I could never effectively do what they do. They talk so much about being the best of the best, but they already know I'm not the best. Chet even said so, and Johnny didn't deny it. Everyone also seems to know I got extremely lucky to get a second chance at my Scaring Exam last semester. I should have been kicked out of the Scaring Program and everyone knows it. It only makes me feel even worse for all of those who got kicked out after one chance, like Mike.
"See, even you agree with me. All they do is make you feel worthless and I, as your friend, refuse to believe that you are," Faust smiles while placing his hand on his heart.
He right. I don't feel like I belong in ROR now...but they've been trying their hardest to make me feel like I am. They have explained to me that I still have time, that I have three more years to prove myself as one of the best. Faust also hasn't seen me scare in real time. He doesn't know that they all collectively agree that I'm capable of outperforming a majority of Scarers on campus...especially the JOX.
"For the last time, stop. You're trying to trick me into joining the JOX because you've heard all of the rumors about me and my Scaring, and that I'm a priceless participant in the face of the program. You and your creepy brothers are nothing but an embarrassment to the JOX name, let alone the Scaring Program, and shouldn't even be compared to ROR. Actually, they shouldn't even be compared to any of the Frats or sororities. If anything, you're the one who is worthless because of your misogynistic views, violent behavior, and blatant manipulation you show your classmates. It's blatantly obvious that you're still basking in your high school days, refusing to leave them behind, and therefore refusing to leave your suffocating presence behind. If you ever want to talk to me again, please do me a favor...grow up," I rant.
Even though the entire sewer isn't completely silent, most of the students around the two of us have been rendered speechless. Faust seems like his brain has overloaded and can't even figure out how to analyze what I just said. Yeah, he's definitely become one of those dumb himbos as a result of spending time with all the JOX. I turn away from Faust to see HSS, PNK, and ROR grinning at Faust, almost as if he's had this coming to him for a long time. Carrie and Britney give me a thumbs up as I walk closer to Johnny and smile back at them as if nothing even happened. The ROR boys, however, have a different reaction. They surround me and congratulate me on standing up for myself, patting me on the back.
"That's a new side of you that I very much want to see more of," Johnny says with a soft growl in his voice.
I blush and cross my arms while taking position next to him. "Yeah... I don't think I'll be able to do that again for a while."
"Well regardless, I think you could say that you've become a stronger Scarer already. Like I told you before, being the best Scarer requires you to never take any bullshit from anyone. The tougher you are, the better," Johnny smiles.
I see Faust walk away in anger as everyone returns to taking in all the hype the students are making for the beginning of the first event. Johnny crosses his arms and calmly basks in all his glory as if he were a prince standing in some sort of ballroom. Meanwhile, I'm just the random stranger that nobody cares to notice. I look around to see the many platforms above carrying hundreds of monsters of every color, shape and size. It's at that moment that I see Mike and Sullivan finally peek their heads into the sewer, jaws dropped and just as uncomfortable as I am.
This is where the Greek Council members decide that the event should start. "Welcome to your worst nightmare! THE SCARE GAAAAMES!" The griffin-like member announces.
All of the students scream even louder than before, and the rhythmic chanting comes back once again, but increases in tempo after every beat.
"Yes! Yes! I love this energy! Ok, ok everybody" He says ecstatically.
All of the students are absolutely electric, showing that they will refuse to calm down for the entirety of the challenge. Even all the monsters who can fly are circling the top of the room, making this seem more like some sort of riot. The goth member jumps in for her chance at hyping up the event, leaning over the metal bar in front of her. "Let's hear it for the frats and sororities competing in this years games… Jaws Theta Chiiiii!"
As much as I don't want to even pay anymore attention to them, I turn my head to see all of the JOX pumping themselves up by just screaming. However it's Red that decides to take a piece of wood and smash it over his head for some reason. That totally doesn't have a chance at causing him any sort of brain damage but whatever. I also notice that Faust isn't even in the group, so he must not be participating in the games just like me. That might be for the best considering that he just wants to start fights for no apparent reason.
The announcing of the groups switches off between the two council members, eventually hitting ROR. All the boys raise their arms after moving closer to the center of the room, drawing in the most amount of cheers out of any of the contending fraternities and sororities. I look at Johnny to see him cross his arms with a cocky smirk on his face, still thinking that this competition will be a piece of cake for him. Everything then goes absolutely silent when they announce Oozma Kappa who are standing awkwardly at the entrance of the sewer system, at least ten feet away from everyone. There's one cheer that comes from way up in the system and it's a monster that looks like that pink, squishy monster but more motherly. She takes a quick picture of them and then everything turns back to normal.
"They're going to wish they never stepped foot in here," Johnny laughs.
"Literally," Chip agrees while looking into the long hallways to our left.
I follow where their eyes are looking and see thousands of these spiky pink balls that are spread out on the ground. I don't know about anyone else, but I wouldn't want to step on those things. I would probably bleed out from just simply being poked by one.
I feel my anxiety build when the goth council member starts explaining the challenge in great detail. "Human children are TOXIC…and anything they touch is toxic!" She states while pointing to a creepy looking painting on the wall of human toys.
The other member starts explaining how they don't have any actual real life human toys, but that they instead have stinging glow urchins from the MU Biology department. How they hell did Johnny and Javier know with certainty that the Biology department would be in on this? They must be the greatest Scaring experts ever to be able to figure out that they might do that. A large set of prongs are put into the hands of the goth council member, and she uses it to pull out one of the specimens that ramps up with light only to return to a dark state. It only then clicks that those pink spiky balls in the hallways next to us are those glow urchins. My heart drops and I almost want to take Johnny and drag him out of the sewer out of pure horror.
After it's explained that nobody will want to touch the urchins and the many within the hallways, they explain how the entire event works which is actually pretty straight forward. It's a simple race with obstacles that I'm assuming rip you to shreds, but what do I know? I stare at all of the urchins closely, feeling my stomach drop numerously as they just lay there motionlessly. Those spikes are really sharp! Sharp enough to become lodged into one's skin!
"Hey Mel!" Johnny says raising his voice at the starting line so that I can hear him as the cheering erupts again, "We're going to come out at the end of that tunnel. You can use those stairs over there and walk all the way down in order to meet us there."
I nod, jog over to him, and wrap my arms around his left arm. "I know I'm overthinking everything, but please be careful," I say with wide eyes.
He leans down and gives me a quick kiss on the forehead. "Don't worry, I will. Can't leave you behind to fend for yourself now can we?"
I let go of him and power walk towards the stairs with my head down. The cheers drown out my concerned thoughts and keep me focused on making it to the end of the sewer to see Johnny come out in one piece. It only takes a couple quick steps and I reach the top of the metal walkway, that shows hundreds of monsters along the railings in hopes to catch a few seconds of action.
A couple seconds go by, passing many more students excitedly leaning against railing, and then a minute passes. The lights suddenly go out, emphasizing the amount of danger that all the participants are in as the urchins pulsate in pink.
"On your marks, get set, GOOOOO!" A voice from down the sewers howls.
All of the monsters along the rail go wild, screaming to a point where it seems like their vocal folds become damaged. I turn my power walking into a jog, trying not to bump into anyone. I reach a point where the room opens up while emitting a pink glow, and many monsters with boxes next to them become armed with urchins, flinging them down into the hallway below. I find an open spot for me to look down and see Mike and Sullivan at the front of the pack, only for Sullivan to get hit in the right shoulder with one. The urchin seems to cause his shoulder to inflame astronomically, which prompts him to take it off with his hand. To no one's surprise, his hand enlarges as well. Mike then gets hit in the leg and rolls onto his bottom, letting Sullivan take the lead. I can't help but feel confused because this is supposed to be team competition. Where are their teammates at?
The RORs then appear out from behind them, gracefully dodging any and every urchin that's flung in their direction. While they all do an incredible job at avoiding the urchins, Johnny takes my attention when he rapidly changes his position to jump over Mike while simultaneously stepping around every urchin on the floor without even looking. They all take the lead after swiftly passing Sullivan, pirouetting as they fly into the air in order to avoid the incoming obstacles that shoot through the air. They're like computers who are able to infinitely calculate where each urchin will end up, and subsequently taking the required amount of energy to enact their dodging. Every movement is so carefully thought out that I can't help but feel overwhelmingly impressed as not a single urchin comes even relatively close to touching any of them.
I push myself away from the railing and run along the walkway towards the end of the sewer. I can see that the next area they run into is an enclosed room where everyone will have to avoid being hit by suspended urchins on strings, but I unfortunately won't be able to see anything in there due to this large brick wall to my left. After slowing down, I'm happy to hear one of the council members scream, "Roar Omega Roar wins," once I hit the staircase that leads me back down to the ground. I look to my left and see the boys elevate their arms in celebration, and walking a little bit closer in my direction to make room for the next teams to finish. Mike and Sullivan shockingly are the next ones to make it past the finish after a very dramatic dive, but with none of their teammates with them. They seem to have been hit by numerous urchins, which looks painful as hell. Both of their faces are swollen beyond belief, and they both look like diseased trolls with certain limbs being enlarged while the others are not.
"Take that Wazowski!" Sullivan growls with an enlarged lip after painfully getting on his feet.
"Are you delirious? I beat yOooOu!" Mike goofily points back in anger.
The crowd remains silent, not believing what they're seeing. I myself can't believe I'm seeing something so dumb, it was a team game and they think it's the compete opposite. Like why even let Sullivan be on your team if he's just going to cause trouble? Johnny and the rest of the RORs practically kicked him out because of it, so why expect anything different?
"Oh way to blow it Oozmas!" Chet babbles out loud.
I see the rest of the RORs with amused grins on their faces. Johnny, however, looks like he's trying his best to stay as civil as possible, and obviously hoping to look as sorry for them as possible. The JOX then cross the finish line, causing the council members to announce that they've placed second.
"Your whole team has to cross the finish line," Johnny explains briefly to the OK members, keeping that smile across his face.
All of the teams end up crossing the finish line, meaning Oozma Kappa has placed sixth and will be eliminated from the games. I have to cover my mouth, and keep myself from embarrassing myself by walking over to look at the four members who have been absolutely pummeled by the urchins. That poor pink, squishy one has even been bloated to the point where he has to be rolled in order to move.
Everyone's attention is transferred to the council members who announce that Oozma Kappa has been eliminated and everyone shakes their head in disinterest. While I understand that they didn't have the greatest odds to win, I don't think it's fair to simply have absolutely no hope in them whatsoever. My thinking is interrupted though, and it's said that JOX has been disqualified. They apparently used protective gel that made them not be able to be hurt by the urchins, and demonstrate it on George after wiping it off. I can see Faust throwing a temper tantrum off to the side and screaming at Red, which makes me wonder if he's the one who came up with that idea. Knowing that I can now rest easy, I look back to the RORs who have be swarmed by almost all the students who have congregated over here. They all occasionally block my view from them, trying to ask them all questions and show their appreciation for them. I myself wish I was up at the front so that I could show them how impressed I was. Although, most of my praise would go to Johnny because I've never seen a monster make something so dangerous look so easy.
I feel my heart rate increase and my face get hot. However, it looks like I won't be able to do anything about that. There's simply to many people around Johnny for me to even try to congratulate him.