Cold Blood.

Me, I’m normal. My boyfriend, not so normal. God! I wish I could just start a story like Hi I’m Beth and my boyfriend’s perfect. But he’s not, far from it. Me too I guess, who would go out with a monster? But it’s okay being different ,It not every day you go up to someone and go ‘ hey I’m dating a vampire and I’m loving it’ it’s more like ‘ hi this is my boyfriend’ then what? Awkward silence, walk away, yea that’s about it. But you got to love the kissing, his cold lips touch mine, a warm sensation is sent down my spine. But I’ve got to kill him, after what he’s done… he just did, he’s dangerous for me and for everyone.

I felt the tear trickling down my cheek. My eyes are probably bloodshot but I don’t care. Stacey get mad at me for to stupidest things. It’s like I’m an ant or a spider. She can, live with me but when I come out into the open, BAM, she attacks! Guess I just have to stay in my hole. The cold, the dark. Its boring, tiring. But when I did go out I would normally expect the normal. BAM, she attacks! But this time no… she was crying. Stacey crying? Something must be bad, and I mean really bad! I rise up all my courage, stick my chest out, pull my stomach in. Inhale, exhale. ‘what’s wrong?’ I quickly regret that. What’s wrong with me? I should’ve said something more sympathetic, I was on the cusp of leaving when she screamed ‘it’s your fault, it’s your fault he broke up with me!’ what was she talking about? ‘He fancies you so he left me!’

I’m a bubbly person. Well most of the time, when I’m myself which today I’m not. Knowing someone likes me scares me. It not only puts the person who likes me in danger but anyone close to him. It is my fault, I should’ve just stayed in my hole. But it’s hard. It’s hard when your boyfriends a bat. Why? Because bats can’t fit in small holes. ‘Beth, do you know where Todd and Stacey are?’ shoot, I zoned out, I need to think of an answer…. Where are Todd and Stacey? ‘BETH! I’m talking to you!’ she said impatiently ‘no miss I don’t… sorry.’ The class did one of those annoying ooo he’s cheating on you, and a few wolf whistles. But just as I was about to storm out he walked in looking perfect a per usual. But maybe the slightest bit too perfect, it was like he was trying so hard to act normal because he was hiding something. Never mind that. Where’s Stacey, she never misses school when she mad at me, she always takes the opportunity to pounce, and she couldn’t have forgiven me yet. I remember back in primary my Barbie was better than hers. She held onto that grudge for 2 months. Then I gave her the Barbie and she forgave me. I noticed that Chris wasn’t in class either. Where could he be? Why should I be caring? Wait is that blood on Todd’s tooth. Ewww. It paints. It has to be paint. He wouldn’t have. He couldn’t have. He…did. That’s it! Stacey was dead and Chris has gone to look for her! Wait Stacey is dead… Stacey is dead… it hit me. All I could think of was revenge.

It was dark. I only had the faint street lamps to guide me. I could hear footstep behind me getting faster. I dared turn around. Nothing. I continued walking. I could feel the weight of the knife on my belt and the cold of the blade on my leg. ‘what’s the knife for?’ oh god. It’s him. The monster. My boyfriend. I spun round only to see him drenched in thick crimson blood. ‘I know you know what I did.. I won’t hurt you how could he say that?! He just killed my best friend! And he just expects to walk up me and expect me to forgive him. I leaned towards him to kiss him, it filled me with disgust know I’m kissing a killer. But he was kissing one too. The blood dripped down my arm. The blade snapped when I removed it from his toned chest. he dropped down to the floor and said just as his eyes were closing ‘I love you Beth Cooper’ That was it he was dead.

2 weeks ago I thought I was an ant or a spider. I realised I was a caterpillar and I had just turned into a butterfly. More like a moth. I now have a craving for blood. Nice sweet blood. Yum, she smells good or maybe him. Oh well I have the whole school to choose from.

Excuses

As I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realized there's not much left.
A boy yelled from the front row of the classroom
"Hey isn't that a song?"
"SILENCE!" I yawped over the children in my classroom.
Now back to the story, I felt like there was not much time left in my life, so I decided, I needed to do something, something adventurous, something crazy.
This is my story.

Normally I would be at home just playing computer games all day like any other teenager would. I think that's what all teenagers do, or I'm just utterly weird. But today the need of doing something exciting was exploding in my mind, I needed to do something. I put on some clothes, sprinted down the stairs, I felt like a crazed leopard. I burst out of the doors. I felt free, but then, It came. A scream that terrorized the people of my neighbourhood. So powerful and menacing it would make anyone cower in fear.
"CHARLES ALEXANDER DARWIN! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING?" screeched the foul beast
"I'm just going to, uh... take out the trash?" I hesitated
"YOU HAVE SCHOOL IN 1 HOUR GET YOUR THINGS READY NOW"
"Sorry mum. But I have a duty to fill" I sprinted away and disappeared into the trees, I was around 100 metres away but I could still hear the roar of the maniac.

I still didn't know what I was going to do, or where I was going. I decided I should go to the legendary shrine, where I am flooded by a wave of pleasure. The Arcade. I ran and ran through the dense forest, but then I stopped. The foul miasma of death overwhelmed me. I realized where I trespassed, a sea of the dead, a battlefield of the fallen, or as the casual people of today would say, The Town Morgue. I was careful on each step I would take, worried about the undead monstrosities. Suddenly the hair on the nape of my neck prickled and my body started to feel frozen. I heard a deafening wail and fell to my knees, hands on my ears and eyes closed tightly trying to withstand the terrible sound.

They started to crawl out of the earth itself, hands shooting out of the ground like lands mines. I ran further and further thinking it would make me safer, but I was wrong. I just went deeper into the plagued fields. I was surrounded and the only path left, was the one to the crypt. I dodged every hit of the zombies as I charged towards the crypt. Nearly there a zombie just popped up on the entrance, but I kept running and tackled him down. The monster exploded into bits of flesh and bone. In the crypt it was even more creepy than the fields, but it was safer, definitely safer... I think.

A shine of light appeared deeper in the crypt and due to me being easily distracted I slowly walked towards it and saw, the most beautiful weapon that I ever laid my eyes on. The one and only AK-47 just lying on a pedestal. I grabbed and knew what I had to do. BANG! The beautiful noises of the rifle as a I rolled out the crypt blasting all my foes. I picked a random direction and continued running debilitating the demons. There it was my freedom, my escape! I ran faster and faster mimicking a bull charging for a red flag. Something weird happened while I was charging that made me stop. All the undead froze in place and did nothing, so I decided to drop my gun and pranced with joy towards the exit. It was a huge mistake.
They all joined up together and formed a colossal monster with a weapon made of the bones of the dead and charged. I stopped prancing and ran, ran like the wind. I mean really. I was the wind I went off my feet and started running like a maniac. Thank god that the undead were dumb or else I would of never gotten out. They didn't bother to bend down through the gate, so they could not get through. The gate was breaking so I had limited time to get the hell out of there.

Everyone in the classroom laughed.
"That's your excuse of being late to class?" questioned my Teacher
"What do you mean excuse it's the truth!" I replied with rage.
"You expect me to believe that you were fighting hordes of undead creatures?" she said
"Yes." I quickly replied.
"Go to principal office right now!"
"BUT IM..." I was interrupted by the sound of crashing. The colossal menace must of caught my scent and followed me back to school I thought. Everyone screamed at the beast, I couldn't do anything but just say to everyone.

" I told you so."

The world + me

“I love you” were his exact words. “No you don’t! That’s exactly what my parents said to me, Look where they are now!” I yelled and ran off.

“Think about it, think about it” The words twirlling around in my head. I didn’t have to think about it. I’m the girl who lives in the darkness, who sits at the back of the classroom because it’s dark there and she likes it that way. That’s what they say. Truth is they know nothing about me, it’s the fact that they don’t want to. If I don’t have anything wrong with me then they have nothing to talk to their friends about. But that’s the way it is, that’s the way it has been, well since the accident.

The accident. Sitting in the darkness of a hospital room, the only thing you can hear is the beat of fear pumping in your ears, the beeping sound of the machine. The beep that kills you inside once it stops. The nurses kneeling down beside me “Their going to be alright, everything will be back to normal, just give it time” Normal? If by normal you mean going to your parents funeral at the age of twelve, being shifted from foster home to foster home, it was definetly anything but ‘normal’. That nurse was a liar, she was a liar, their all liars.

Back to Friends. What a rustly word. I had one once, Lilly her name was. She used to always go on about how we were bestfriends forver another lie. Forever didn’t last very long. Ever since I apparently ‘changed’. She will accationly look back or come over to me and ask if I want to go out, have a girls night, “it’ll be fun” she says. I shouldn’t be having fun. Everytime a smile even crosses my mind I feel giulty, my parents are dead. Gone forever. What’s to smile about? She sits at the front of the class with all the other girls. She is a glowing flower to all the boys, well all except one.

Jeremy, He is Gorgous. Those crystal blue eyes, hair short and dark brown spread across his face, skin as olive as can be. That’s him. He is the definition of perfect. That’s how I know he didn’t mean it when he said he loved me.

Tuesday Morning, was a regular morning. Just like every other. Get out of the house before I ‘catch’ the girl that Krofsher spend the night with. He’s my foster parent. He cares more about attracting females 20 years younger than him at pubs than taking care of me. Not that I need taking care of. Don’t get me wrong he’s a nice Guy, thilfy rich. He won’t admit it but he’s just tired of being alone and trys to find the right girl, he still has yet to relise it’s not going to work. He thinks girls will think he’s more mature when he tells them he has a foster child.

Anyways back to my morning routine. I get up around 4, shower, get dressed, tie my hair back, eat and leave for school about 5. While it’s still slightly dark and quite. Well normaly it’s quiet, until that one morning when he came along. 15 minutes through my walk I hear a voice “Hey” faded through the fog of the emptyness. I felt someone tap my shoulder. My hearts starts racing as I turn around. It was him. “ I thought it might be you, I saw you walking to school yesterday through my kitchen window, it’s jessica, right?” He said. “Jess” I snapped.
“only my mum called me Jessica”

‘well she has good taste’

“She did” I replied

I turned around and continued to walk. “Where you going?” he yelled out.

“school” I answered

“you leave for school this early?”

‘yeah, I do’

“well wait I’ll go get my school bag and I’ll join you, hold on”

I left. Something was up, no one as perfect as Jeremy would want to be even be seen let alone talk to me, there was a catch and I wasn’t about to make a fool of myself again.

At school I saw Jeremy talking to lilly., that didn’t shock me I was surprised he waited till his second week. So school went on as usual. On my was home I heard a voice again. “Hey Jess, wait up” Jeremy called out, I knew it was him, I recognised his voice. Why? What did he want from me? I rolled my eyes and turned around ‘What!’ I snapped. “you didn’t wait for me” I answered trying to catch his breath. ‘look, I know it’s only your seond week, but a thing that you’ll quickly learn is that people don’t talk to me, don’t change that. You have a reputation to maintain.’ I snapped, he looked stunned. I took a breath “what do you want from me, why are you always trying to get my attention?” I said. “Because you’re the only girl who doesn’t seem to give it to me” he replied. “your friend told me about you, and everything that happened to you.” He said camly. “They don’t know anything about me! Just leave me alone” I screamed tears in my eyes and ran off. He ran after me. Grabbing my arm, “WHAT?” I yelled my voice cracking up. “just go away, I saw you with Lilly, god knows what she said about me, she hates me, they all do, and I know that you randomly coming up to me and acting all inocent like nothing is going on. I’ve been through this, I’m not stupid and I’m not going through it again.” I ran off.

Days. Weeks went by, he and Jeremy would occationly try and talk to me and I would just ignor him. About 2 weeks after I snapped at him, he had the corrage to come up and speak to me again, on my way to school like the time before, he yelled out my name I turned around. He wasn’t alone this time; there was a girl with him, sure enough it was lilly.

“Hey, Jess” she said softly

I just stared at her for a minute

“Can I speak to you for a seco-“

‘What do you want?’ I cut her off. She pulled me away from Jeremy.

She said “I know you have decided to shut me out of your life, and to this day I can’t figure out why. But all I’m going to say to you know is I don’t hate you, I never did, it feels like it’s the oher way round. And that guy over there has nothing to do with me, he’s crazy about you.” She explained. I looked down and I saw a flash of the braclet on her wrist. It was our friendship braclet that we made out of the bead kit I got for my 7^th birthday. She must have noticed “yeah, I’ve never taken it off, miss you”

‘you never speak to me anymore’ I answered

“you never let me, you cut me off, I’ve been round to your place a few times but didn’t knock on the door cause I didn’t know what to say, just just cut me right out of your life”

‘but your always talking about me’ I snapped

“we’re always talking about why you don’t talk to me anymore, and how I wish you would”

Everything she was telling me sounded made up but in a weird way I missed her a little too, and I believed her. At school she would come up and have lunch with me, Jeremy would join her. Everytime I saw him I would think back to what Lilly had told me, that he was crazy for me. That I didn’t believe, I believed that he liked Lilly, and she would think he’s all sweet for wanting to talk to me even though nobody else did. Well he would walk home with me from school and sometimes to school almost everyday. I guess I had developed feelings for him.

Exactly 7 months after I had met Jeremy. Lilly and I were a lot closer, it’s like we were best friends again. Jeremy would sometimes go out to the movies with me or to the park. Then one day on our usual walk to school he just blurrted out “I love you”. My mind stopped, the whole world around me stopped. “NO, you don’t.” I yelled. My mind just kept shiffting back to that hospital room Where that had been my mums last words to me, then she left me. Forever. I was jut scared that it would happen to him too. My life changed because of this boy, and I didn’t want to loose him.

But now, 2 years later I realise. He meant what he said, so did my mum. I was just too caught up in the darkness of hating the world to see it.

A HEROIC DECISION

“Frank? You are so drunk! Why don’t you come on home and get into bed?”

“No!  Why don’t you get into bed?” laughed Frank.

“Because I am not drunk! And if you walk these streets alone you could fall over and no one would have noticed.” Said John cautiously.

“Ok, but I’m taking the Unicorn and you can take the Anteater because you’re a party pooper!” said Frank as he pointed to a BMX and a bicycle with trainer wheels leaning against the lamp post.

Frank has always wanted to be the elder brother.  Frank wanted to be respected and treated fairly by his family but John was always the favourite one.  As a kid he always went to bed an hour earlier than John.  Frank didn’t get to watch TV with his parents, laugh or have a good time because he was shoved off to bed.

“Hey look!” continued Frank, “there’s an old man, let’s rob him and take his money for some shots?”

“No!” yelled John, “I’m not going to let you do that.”

“O come on brother, it’s just a little bit of fun, let’s go?”

Frank took a few steps before he was stopped by John.

“No!” insisted John, “You can’t do that!”

Frank was always getting into trouble, John was fed up with bailing him out of all the bad things he kept doing.  John had no idea why his parents seemed to favour him over Frank.  Maybe it was because John was older or maybe because of the nuisance Frank had become.

“It’s not fair!” said Frank and he continued to mutter under his breath; “Why should I stand in someone else’s shadow. Why does John always have the girl?  Why does John always have the bigger allowance? Why is it never me? I should end this once and for all!”

A blow to the chest would not do it but it would give Frank a warning to not mess with me, but he got straight back up and wanted more; this time he had a dagger.  He came straight for me with his knife in his left hand so I had to react quickly and use my skills to block his stab and to force the weapon out of his hand.  Following a blow to Frank’s jaw bone, I drew blood and possibly shattered his teeth.  Frank fell down on the ground but he did not fall on the foot path or the grass but out onto the road.

I charged at John with my fist clenched but I was not prepared for the response I got.  I knew this was his warning to me, but my objective wasn’t complete.  I got up from the concrete footpath pulling out my dagger from my left pocket.  As I swiped the knife towards John’s chest, before the pin point reached his flesh, his wrist whacked the weapon out of my hand.  It was now out of my reach. Before I could respond to his action a blow from John’s fist connected with my mouth sending blood and teeth everywhere. 

When Frank opened his eyes he was lying on the road with the sound of oncoming traffic ringing in his ears.

John was in shock, his twin brother lying helplessly in the middle of the road.  He couldn’t bear him dying like this; certainly not as a young man.  With horror John saw lights of a truck coming Frank’s way.  Without thinking of the consequences John lurched out onto the road, thrusting Frank’s body out of the way of oncoming death.  Although he was a very fit man he was not quite fast enough to dodge the trucks tyres.  Pain shot through his body like an enormous electric shock. His last thought was; “At least I will die a hero.” 

In his dying moments a chill of terror attacked him like a venomous snake; he looked up and saw the twisted smile on Frank’s face.

(663 WORDS – 10B)

A Sweet Nightmare.

Don’t look behind. It’s funny how you always end up doing the total opposite. Every step I took led me to think that death had chosen itself a target. A target namely, me. Black, it was all black. Under the warmth of the street lamps I was basically surrounded by nothing but the cold eerie downfall of darkness. It was ironic how this to me was more like a dream…no, a nightmare. With the only source of light flickering on and off I knew something was off, something just wasn’t right…

I took the usual route back home that day, feeding the dog outside the school building, passing Mr. Harold’s house. Normal. Everything was normal. If it weren't for this ‘bestie’ of mine, I would’ve been tucked under the safe surroundings of a place called home. Wondering why, no, how I ended up in this dark isolated street? Well? This was my story…

Gazing upon the black shadow that had somehow cascaded onto my skin from behind, I balled my fists together, clenching upon what I had assumed to be a stress ball, created by something called ‘imagination’. Adrenaline ran through my body like a torpedo zooming past a vast ocean, bumping and marking every part of my body. Intoxicated by the smell that filled the air I placed a hand on the nape of my neck, clutching it tightly to help support the sudden pain that eased its way into my body.  Fear. I knew it was. I was terrified.

Hands. Cold Lifeless Hands that brought nothing but instead deepened the feeling of fear inside of me. Run. Just. Run. Kicking into overdrive I skidded across the tightly fitted corner, running through what seemed like miles all piled up to make up one catastrophic disaster. Scurrying through my pockets for the keys to the house I cursed silently hearing the sounds of footsteps not far behind. Jamming the key into its rightful place I gasped seeing the small metal object disappear before my eyes. This was not funny. Was this just a game? A strong gust of wind stormed past, drawing the scent of blood across the black oblivion sky. Along with it a ghostly laughter caught me off guard, the inaudible sentence that I had strained to listen to… ‘Krystal...Your Mine…’

Since that night, strange and incoherent things had occurred. It just didn't make any sense!?  As time would force each and every day to come to an end a small pink colored box with the letter ‘A’ would be placed outside my locker. Strange? Not at first, but tearing the reborn apart from its origin, the content left me in a daze. A lock-lock of hair?! There it goes again, the creepy aura of nothing but pure silence had left goosebumps tainted on my skin, trailing its way up my spine.

“Krystal?” Relived. The feeling of being washed away by relief was nothing but pure bliss.

“Aaron” I replied running a hand through my brown locks frustratingly. He was my best friend.

He walked me home that night. Everything seemed like a dream, a dream that was soon about to turn into a nightmare. With me ranting on and on about my hatred for this unknown ‘stalker’ or mine, I couldn’t help but to notice that slight smirk dragging itself from the corner of his lips. Weird? Very, he just wasn’t himself.

“About this problem of yours?” He asked face showing a small amount of amusement.

“Stalker problems” I sighed twirling the long ends of my locks.

“Who’d you think it is?” He wondered, shoving a piece of breath mint into his mouth.

“I-I don’t know” I stuttered warily as he turned his full on attention to me. Awkward.

“So, you say he left you a box everyday for at least a week already?” He leaned in, our faces inches away from each other. I nodded tiredly as he leaned even further, his lips a few millimeters next to my ear.

“Are you sure it’s not Aiden?”

The conversation had led itself to a dead end as I realized I was the only one rambling on and on, his eyes spoke nothing of interest as I spoke about my daily chores. It had seemed like his soul was no longer in his body. He looked like my best friend but I had a strange feeling it was not him deep within.  Mumbling a quick goodbye as we reached our destination, I slammed the door shut. Watching Aaron leave with a wide grin on his face through the mail slot. Think.

For a few seconds there one person immediately ran though my mind ‘Aiden’. Could Aaron actually be right? He fitted the description, he was antisocial, yes he did have the looks but through my eyes he was a total beast. It was him, I knew it was. Aaron’s advice paid off, it was like he knew who it was from the start.  

There it was again. I hated it. I hated how my phone just couldn’t shut up.  It was him, I knew it was. Like a gunshot to the head the ambience of fear coated itself around me once again. It’s been days since I reported ‘Aiden’ in being the ‘stalker’. But these calls, picking it up only to hear the sound of breathing from the other end. It couldn’t be Aiden, I was wrong, Aaron was wrong…Stop. I wanted it to stop. There it was once more, it was endless. My heart cringed and my stomach churned. Just why couldn’t it stop?

I had to talk to Aaron, I just had to. Slipping on a simple jersey and a pair of jeans, I hurried down the stairs towards the brown auburn coloured door that waited for my arrival. Flinging it open, my jaw dropped at the sight of a dead cat placed onto the ‘welcome’ mat. H-He was here? My heart raced as I backed away slowly. Step after step I continued to stare at the door that was still left open. My eyes filled itself with crystal clear tears, trailing itself down my ice cold cheeks.

“Krystal” A voice whispered into my ear from behind. That voice…

My eyes betrayed me as it revealed the sight of my best friend, arms crossed, a sly smirk plastered on his face.

“I-it was you?” I gasped chewing onto my bottom lip. “I should’ve known, it was you from the start”

“You have no one else but me, your inseparable from me” Grabbing the nearest vase, I flung it at him only to feel a sudden pain in my lower abdomen. Watching as the blood flowed down my legs like a waterfall, creating a small pond at the bottom. Giving him one last look, I smiled only before blacking out…

“Seems like she inflicted these wounds onto herself.”

“This could possibly due to the stress she experienced in school.”

“It states, that she has no friends, always alone.”

“What about this kid called Aaron?”

“Principle states that there’s no kid called Aaron attending their school.”

“Then who is he?”

“Teacher says, she created an imaginary friend due to the constant bullying she received.”

No one believed me. They said I was crazy. He was watching me through the window as I was strapped in something known as a ‘special’ jacket to keep me from harming myself. His smile. He smiled a smile so big that his gums and lips tore apart. A smile that reached his ears. There was no sun; there was no light. I was dying. I couldn’t remember what the sky looked like. But I didn’t die. I was lost to a sea of cold and I knew it would be a long time before I could return back to the world of warmth.

Voices, Task 1

Splash! I jump into the cool sapphire pool, feeling all the troubles of my day just wash away. Nothing matters when I’m encased in the crisp blue waters. I’d been going to St. Stevens cold springs since I was 6, and 10 years later I still aimed to go there at least once a week. To me, there was no better feeling than jumping into the seemingly infinite waters, so cold it hits your body harder than Muhammad Ali. I didn’t think today would be any different. You don’t think that one simple event can change your whole life, do you? Well. I never did anyway. “No’, was Alice’s response when I asked her to come swimming with me. ‘No?’ I repeated. ‘Just like that?’

‘Mhmm.’ She smiled ‘You know usually I’d love to, Ellie! But tonight I have plans- but have fun without me!’ Oh well who cares? I’m here now and having much needed me time! I pulled myself up onto a rock my whole body shivering. I lay down and closed my eyes, letting out a peaceful sigh. Nothing mattered. Everything here was irrelevant, inconsequential. It was just me, the trees and the therapeutic whispers of the spring.

I open my eyes. As I look up, I see nothing but the night sky looming over me. I must’ve slept for hours! Mum and dad would be worried, so hurriedly I pull myself up from the rock and attempt to get back on the pathway. Then it happens. My hands . The rock, saturated inspring water. My bare feet. A stumble. A scream. A crack. Silence.

I wake up in a cold white room which would probably smell of disinfectant and rubber, if I didn’t have a mask over my nose and mouth. It hurts. I’m not sure what, but all of me aches. Then I hear it, a kind of muffled sound, as if I had an earful of water. Maybe I did. Imperceptible and hushed, but still unmistakeably , a voice.

I slept for most of that day, I was too weak to do much else. Sometime when it was dark outside, a nurse with a name tag which read ‘Betsey’, brought me a plate of food. I thanked her, and as she walked off I’m sure I heard her laugh and say ‘enjoy your dogfood!’ but it was in that fuzzy way again. I put that down to still being disoriented, and dragged my apathetic body up a few centimeters so my back rested comfortably on the propped up pillow. Taking the plastic fork, I delved into something reconstituted from the stomach of a cow. As hungry as I was, I couldn’t justify the idea of eating something that looked like it belonged in a clogged up toilet bowl!

The next few days passed in a blur, probably due to the amount of strong painkillers they’d put me on. I vaguely remember blood tests and brain scans, walking the wards of the hospital listlessly, just looking for something to do. Each time I walked up and down the Barker Ward, I could hear lots of voices. Voices of concerned mothers, worried doctors and frightened patients. But when I looked around, nobody was speaking. Finally on Friday, they told me I was well enough to go home. I was well rested and feeling better than ever when I got to leave the hospital. My head didn’t hurt anymore and my once weakened body had regained most of its strength. The only problem was what was going on inside my head. The voices. I guess I could just put it down to sleep deprivation but right now I felt as If I’d slept for 10 years! I couldn’t sleep more if I tried! Mum and dad greeted me with a shower of kisses and tears which, for once, I really appreciated.

In the car on the way home, I could hear dad cursing the drivers. When I looked at mum, who is usually the first to yell at him for his abrasive swearing, she just sat in the seat next to him, looking out the window smiling, completely oblivious.

‘Hey ,dad!’

‘Yes?’

‘I really don’t think you should call that woman that, just because she’s driving a bit slow…’

‘What?’ Mum questioned. ‘Steve, what did you call that woman?’

‘Nothing.’ Dad lied. ‘Nothing! Did you hear me say anything?’

‘Well…no.’ Mum bit her lip. ‘You shouldn’t be making stuff up like that, Ellie!’ She spoke to me as if I was 5 years old. And I responded in a similar manner! ‘But Muuuuuuum! I didn’t make it up, I swear!’ And then I heard dad chuckle.

As soon as I got home, I ran up to my bedroom and picked up my phone. I punched in the number for Alice and after 3 rings she picked up.

‘Ellie’

‘Hi Alice, it’s me!’

‘Oh my god! So you’re alright then?’

‘Yes. Well, no not really. It’s just…can you come over to mine?’

Within 5 minutes the doorbell rings and we greet each other with a much needed hug.

‘So,’ she asks, ‘Whats the problem?’

Once we’re safely concealed in my room I tell her. ‘I hear voices.’ She gives exactly the reaction I was expecting, not the one I’d hoped for. She laughed then when she saw I was far from joking, she looked at me worriedly. ‘Oh. So, like voices that…tell you to do stuff?’

‘No. Not like that. It’s just sometimes,’ I exhaled ‘I think I can kind of hear what people are thinking.’ After 5 minutes of laughing at me further, she puts me to the test. ‘Okay. Next time you hear some kind of voice just tell me, okay?’

About two minutes later I hear her voice, in that hushed tone. ‘God, I really hope my best friend hasn’t turned into a freak!’ I laugh and repeat the phase that I’ve just heard. She looks at me like I’m crazy, then puts a perfectly manicured hand up to her mouth. I presume by the fearful way she was looking at me, that she believed me.

‘Do you have any idea what this means?’ she asks me.

I don’t reply. She smiles, a perplexing smile and begins to think of the possibilities, which I of course can hear perfectly…

The Hitch-Hiker

“BOOM” exploded the engine of the car just in front of me and it was now careering across the road. A cloud of smoke distorted my view and its tail lights dissolved like a spent firework into the smoke, dust and darkness.
“What a time to blow your engine! Midnight!”
I pulled up sharply, snatching out my mobile to call emergency services, but slowly, It replaced itself gently back in my pocket as I watched in amazement the driver emerging with no apparent cuts and no harm done. His car had only stopped because it was rammed into a lamp post, and was being bombarded by a cluster of falling sparks and it was partially crushed underneath a big heavy pole.
“Hey pal,” he said in a low, gruff voice, “Got room for one extra?”
He sat on the passenger side and it was just me and him.
He’d got one of them volcano-type voices rumbling and rustling like leaves at the back of his throat. He wasn’t a very large man, quite thin too. It seemed like a miracle he’d survived that crash. I took a closer look at him through my mirror. This man – this creature (looked more like an it than a he. The beard, the scar on his forehead, the long lank hair), and had a stain of thick blood on his clothes. So how come he seemed perfectly alright. He looked like the type to get enraged as fast as a bull, so I kept my mouth shut about the blood. I looked at the wreckage before we drove off. I could see shattered glass, shredded tyres, a smoking engine, and, what was that? Another body in the car? Blood smeared on his or her head?
“Are you gonna go or what? I got some other business to get to”
I asked him what his name was and what he did.
“My name?” he repeated, as if he wasn’t expecting that question, “My name’s Nosnam.”
An odd, very unusual name.
“And my business?... I’m on a business trip... meeting some... people across the country,” he explained, pausing and hesitating.
“You here alone?” I asked in a more forceful voice, still with that image of the body engraved in my skull.
“No.”
After a couple of minutes, I glanced in my mirror and my eye caught the strangest thing. His nametag. The mirror image of it, said Manson! The reverse of Nosnam is Manson. I’ve heard of a Manson name before... No, impossible! It can’t be. The wanted man on the poster? But what if? The very thought of having an insane killer in my car made me twitch and sweat scarring acid none stop. I kept my eyes glued to all my mirrors, watching him more than the road to make sure he didn’t do anything suspicious. My car shook and wobbled because my steering wheel was hard to grip with sweaty palms. I knew it was true...Charles Manson...the Tate/LaBianca killer, because it was too terrifying not to be.
“Stop right here” he said, after a long, deep, never ending silence.
He jumped out the car. He stretched his bones, smiling gleefully and said thanks, and left. Now he was going to come back and force me out and walk with him. But no, he went, he did. Just like that. I couldn’t believe it! He didn’t do anything. No threats, nothing. I cried tears of joy and felt the floor of the car as I slammed my foot on the pedals.
Thank God! I would see my kids again! The gleam on my face and the tear-stained cheeks were enough. The power of happiness consumed me. If I’d started seeing pink elephants it wouldn’t have mattered. The looney is gone! Or am I wrong? No way. But wait. What if?
Impossible! I parked the car and got out for some fresh air and to think it over. I retraced my thoughts from when I met him. The engine burst: could “Nosnam” have rigged the engine maybe? Something in his pockets that could trigger the bomb? A tiny bomb, just enough power to take out the engine and only the engine? The rate of my heart sped faster as I went over the options. And the body with blood? Could Manson have been a hitch hiker for that car as well? He could have set off the explosive, and then made his move on the driver. But then how did he come out unharmed when I picked him up?
I thought back, went over it again. The engine, it was a cheap car, easy to tell. But the blood? He must be a killer! But wait, could it have been ketchup? He could have been eating while driving, then took the ketchup and squeezed too hard, getting it on his clothes, thus startling himself and accidentally pushing the pedal, giving the car too much juice. Maybe? But the body! Unless the lamp post he crashed into, could that be the cause of the ‘body’ the airbag?
I’m now sitting back in my car. The image of the eyes in the mirror look manically back at me. Am I, am I the real madman, the real looney?

The Schizophrenic Teacher

'Sirs gay!'

'Ha ha yeah sir's a homo!'

'And pedo!'

The desk groaned and felt as though it were about to snap. They jeered and taunted.

'Quiet please...' I practically whimpered. Any other man would have been disgusted with themselves letting children bully them, but they didn't know what it was like.

'Aw look at the little baby'

I'd be picking out more splinters from my fingers tonight, at this rate I'd need another desk soon. My desk looked pretty much how I felt. A fractured, broken wreck.

'Silence', this time louder.

'Uh...NO!' The words ran like a wave around the class. They carried on defacing the school's property. If you'd walked in now you'd have thought that you'd walked into the local estate. Graffiti dominating the walls, and all sorts of repulsive things stuck to the ceilings. Another less fortunate window shattered as something, undoubtedly against school rules, went through it. Then for the first time in years I gained confidence. Sitting down I appear a small man but I stand at 6'1. So then I stood up.

I stood with such force that my chair flew back into the wall with a BANG! I saw several students jump and everyones necks snapped round to the sudden noise. All but one. One who had sat and watched me break. Seen me as wrestled with my insecurities. And now he smiled. My hand swung round to the side of my desk as I pulled my self round gaining speed much like an ancient catapult. Unfortunately there were fag boxes, and needles on the floor. Laid with such precision a ballerina would have had trouble getting through. I stood no chance.

I slipped and my arms flailed desperately for something to grab on to. My mouth opened wide to cry out but what was the point. The closest person who wasn't a child was Mrs Cushing next door, and she was probably next door cowering behind her desk much as I had been. My hand managed to catch the lip of a desk. I'd only fallen to my knees but that in itself was awful. A sign of weakness. Though there had been plenty of those.

They started laughing though. Like hyenas. Chattering at their prey. My hands came up to my head and clutched my temples. I was seeing double as their tarted up faces leered at me. My eyes darted around looking for something to fix on. And he was there again. Sucking on a cigarette. Everything was blurred, where the hell was my inhaler? My hand shivering as it searched down from my face to my shirt pocket, to my trouser pocket. Dammit I could barley control myself. I fell to the floor on my side and curled up in the fetal position. Their phones out now, with their little LED lights flashing. Looks like I'd be an Internet star now.

I finally found my inhaler and took two deep lungfuls of the chlorine, fluorine and oxygen goodness. I dragged myself up still gasping for air and a girl shoved her face in mine so I shoved away. Her balance obviously wasn't great as she went THWACK. I stood, shoulders forward, arms and fists tensed. I smiled and my eye twitched. I turned my head sideways and clicked my neck. Once, twice, thrice. Someone deep in my subconsciousness screamed NO! They're only children! I was definitely going to suffer from arthritis in old age as I cracked my knuckles, jaw and shoulders.

I stormed forward, and my brain registered something on his face. A frown. This was the first emotional response I'd ever had from him. Then years of anger came surging toward my heart, soul, and mind. Anger at my father who had sat and watched me cry, sat and watch me hurt. Anger at the teacher for doing the same. Anger at the boy who had graced my face with the presence of his fist, and my ears with his words. They all blinded me. The red burning tip of his cigarette said toro! toro! And like a bull I charged.

Blinking several times, I opened my eyes. Though I was more concerned with the sound. Silence That could only be bad. Next came to me that I was on my knees. Only now did I notice that blood ran out on the floor. It was a wonderful deep rich red. I wondered if the art department would want it. It'd be great for tears in portraits. A new media perhaps. I rose and noticed the ripples. Perfect they were. Then I saw the source of the blood.

Him...

The University, Kleenex®

My heart hammering at 110 beats per minute. My ears screaming for silence. My blood shot eyes paralyzed at the sight of my best friend laying on the icy floor with his blood pouring uncontrollably from his red stained skull, His eyes wide open looking at me. The back of the gun flew in my face and then I blacked out. I woke up in a shock.

Hi my name was Alexander but you could of called me Alex. I lived in Miami, Florida. Nice weather, sunny days, nice ladies and good education. I studied at the university of Miami. After University I wanted to be an architect but that was still years away.

The security at the university was very tight. One day I was asked to stop and open my laptop bag because they thought I was doubtful carrying a black bag. Paranoid guards and Insane Students. Not a good merge.

On the morning of February 6^th 2008 I was walking to the Physics building at the university like any other day. Ice-cold raindrops drumming against my raincoat like seeds in autumn falling down from the trees. It was a foul soul-draining day. The sky was Gray and no birds were in the air. The wind was so bitter it was burning. It was as if the devil had turned the blue sky black.

The usual Classes on a Monday Morning, Biology, Physics, English. The day finishes with 2 periods at the lecture hall. The lessons bypass In a click of a finger. At lunch, another student approach me and handed me a card without saying anything, the second he had came. The next vanished. The card read

MEET AT THE SHOOTING FIELD SATURDAY 1:00PM

My eyes widened like an owl in a dark cold night. My brain thought and then I said to myself. “A good idea this is?”

The week passed at a remarkable rapidity. Saturday came and I gradually made my way to the Shooting field. The shooting field was a former farm that was remade into a large shooting field. At a remote distance I spotted a man waving both of his hands in the air. I heard a gunshot and then my mouth went dry as a bone. Emotions going from good to bad. I had to sooner or later snap out of my “shocked” state.

After a 10-minute march I finally arrived at Point blank of the fellow individual who handed me the card. “Hello my name is Alex,” I said in a concerned voice. “Hey My name is Connor,” he said in a composed tranquil voice. “Are you frightened of guns?” he said. From the look on my face he nodded and acknowledged that he figured that I was scared.

“Okay, Lets get shooting” he said as if it was an ordinary informal thing that is normal to one and all. “Okay” I forced out the words as I was getting skeptical and just simply scared.

I stepped out to the plate and he handed me an MP5K. The MP5K is an undersized compact full automatic gun. My aim was to shoot down an object, which was a couple of meters from me. I manage to get the target. In the arm. Everyone laughed and so did I. As I knew this was just a hoax.

Connor and I were friends for around a month or 2. Now that you know Connor let me tell you what he did to my friends and me.

Same old routine. Walk to university. Study. Eat. Go home. Eat. Sleep.

But in April everything took a severe twist to hell.

The first detonation went off around the canteen. The black smoke filled up the air like a toxic gas. Everything moving in a slow motion kind of manner. I ran to my Chemistry class. People covered in blood running trying to make a get away until a ripper dressed in a black coat shot them down. His face enclosed by an alarming mask. I made my way to the chemistry room and slid under the table. Other students were there. We waited for 30 minutes until we heard another detonation. Sobs filled the room like a sad perfume. I started praying. Holding the hand of my best friend.

Watching people getting shot down. Blood splashing against the door window. Later in the day the Police and all the civilians who lived by were around the school. The furious man was still on the loose and we were still trapped in the class. Until we heard a loud bang on the door. Black Shoes appeared after the door opened and then he wheeled the gun so that it was facing the floor.

He shot our chemistry Teacher first. Then some students screamed and soon got shot down. Then he reached out and grabbed my best friend and did not hesitate. He took his chance and shot him in the head.

My heart hammering at 110 beats per minute. My ears screaming for silence. My blood shot eyes paralyzed at the sight of my best friend laying on the icy floor with his blood pouring uncontrollably from his red stained skull, His eyes wide open looking at me. The back of the gun flew in my face and then I blacked out.

I woke up in a shock. Then a pair hands covered in gloves grabbed me and dragged me a meter out of where I was knocked out. “Hello Alex remember me?” the voice said. I recognized the voice it was Connor. “Please spare my life,” I said in a petrified manner. “You dirty Scum” he said and then took me to a room where other people were tied and lined up.

He put us in a line then we waited and we looked outside. The last beams of light hit our skins.

He lined us all up. Then the bullets fired, piercing our bodies like metallic needles.

We all fell together to the floor. We all marched through the hall and a golden light glistening in the far distance took us to a golden valley.

End of life.

Kleenex®

Happy Birthday

It was strange...

All good things must come to an end. But that moment was too soon... Her smile pulled me in like gravity. But her death built a wall between us. It still scorched my mind. The spontaneous burst. It was oddly cold then hot. It was funny I thought. Death has beauty in many strange ways. Ash is one of them.

Thinking what I should do next. It was February already. Seven months after her death felt like seven days. I can still feel her flame contrast the bitter coldness inside the cafe. Or it could be the radiator radiating heat behind me. Anyways... What should I do?

I haven't have much to do.

I already packed my stuff at home and sort out the ownership of the shop...

So I looked outside the frosted glass and remember what I have left in my memories as sentiments of her happiness.

As I lift myself off the armchair. six thirty it said. nearly time

Turning from open to close. I strap my apron off and slumped it over a chair. dimming the lights and soften the acoustic guitar. I stood behind the counter and placed a cup cake in front of me.

Six forty five. Nearly there. I stood a monochrome picture next to me. the picture of her happiness. That sweet smile I won't see often, but always kept to my greed. I smile for once, truthfully.

Strike a match and it lit the candle, tossed it into a sink and smoke was in place. The irony I thought. it was ironic. so ironic I'm smiling.

seven o' clock it spoke. Now

Lights were killeed and stood a dead silence. The only sources of sound were the frosted glass. Outside life and candle light.

"Happy Birthday" I cheered softly. taking my blow for her. the silence was now silent, as there is now flames at all. Just frosted glass and candle smoke. Death is sad, but memories were already beginning.

Burnt for being different.

"Gay boy! Gay boy! No one will ever like you!" these are the exact words that run through my mind every single day, continuously.

Hello, my name is Samuel, most people call me Sam, and by most people, I mean my mum and dad. At my school I am preferred to be called either Gay boy or Samantha. Not by choice, by chance. 

I'm not your average 15 year old boy, I like to paint, I love designing clothes, I am very conscious of how I look and last but not least I like my own gender, yes, you've probably figured it out already, I'm gay. 

Throughout my teenage years I have been severely bullied, by almost anyone and everyone. Bullied to the point where my parents don't even want to go in to school anymore because apparently they've been in "too many times". 
I thought parents where meant to be there for you whenever they could? Well, not mine, sometimes I ask myself, "do they even love you?"

The last time I remember them going into school was when they decided to pull me out of it. I've always wanted to be home schooled, but no, my parents have no time. My mum sits at home all day whilst drinking. My dad has a part time job that he's rubbish at, I know this how? His boss always calls him complaining how 'he hasn't sent the letter', the worst part about it? My dad makes me answer the phone every single time because he doesn't want to be shouted at. So from that, I could be home schooled but my parents can't be arsed.

Last thing, I have over 38 burns all over my body, and this is why.

It all happened last winter. I'd searched up on the internet "how to stop from being bullied" and the first link looked the best so I clicked on it, with all mixed emotions lingering through my body. The first one said, "try standing up to your bully and telling him how you feel" 
Absolutely the worst piece of information i had ever taken seriously from the internet. This is how my nightmare started, but worse, it wasn't a nightmare, it was happening right in front of my very own eyes.

"Charlie..." I mumbled  
Charlie and his 'friends' all turned around shocked to hear his name come out of shivering mouth.
"Yes Samantha? Asking for another spanking I see?" he laughed to his friends
"I was wonder-" 
SLAP. he hit me across the face as I tried to get my words out. 
I was feeling good about talking to him about the problems he has caused until the minute he opened his mouth.

I ran of crying as I usually do when something like this happens. After the lovely chat we had, I was feeling a little bit anxious whether to what he'd do next. 

I went in to the bathroom to fix my foundation, I always found it made me look braver.
I could hear large footsteps and laughing getting closer and closer towards the bathroom I was in.
I quickly ran into one of the toilets and stood on the toilet seat so it looked like no one was in. 

They entered, I knew it was him from his stingy smell and horrible voice. They were talking about some pub near our school for about 40 minutes, their 15 and are already talking about pubs and what they would do when they're there. I sat and waited, I heard the door shut so guessed they went out. I opened the creaking cubicle door, to see about 11 boys surrounding the bathroom worktop. One of them was Charlie. I tried shutting it as quick as I could but they were too quick, I knew I wasn't going to get out of this one. 

They were throwing a lighter around to intimidate me, it was working, really well. I get intimidated easily just by looking at their faces, so of course I was sunken into my soul with this happening around me. Charlie shouted to one of his boys "Oi Barnson, pass it here" 
4 boys held me down on the floor, I tried fighting back, but they were all triple my size so I had no chance. All these worries kept running through my mind, "I haven't even written my will yet!" "will my parents care if I'm dead?" 
One of the boys poured this liquid all over my legs, I knew what their idea was the minute he opened the lid. I was going to be burnt to death. My soul was going to be eaten by fire, this was not how I planned to die. Actually I don't think anyone plans to die.  

Charlie sparked the flame, he placed the tip of the flame on the very end of my trouser. They all ran out laughing. I gripped onto my flesh and tried to take the pain. I yelled from the top of my lungs "SOMEONE HELP! PLEASE!" but school had finished around an hour and a half ago so no one was there. Or if there was they couldn't hear me.
I remembered that the toilets had hoses beside them. I looked up and crawled towards the left cubicle, I reached it, grabbed it and turned the tap lever. 
I sprinkled all my lower body as fast as I could to stop the burning from spreading even more. The feeling I got when the water trickled down my legs was sensational. 

At last, I couldn't believe the state that I was in, I could still feel the burns circulating throughout my legs and lower calfskin, I couldn't believe that I survived. Those ignorant fools will get what they always asked for. And they did. 3 years sentenced to juvenile.

All my legs are burnt, I am in a wheel chair because half of my calf muscle was so badly burnt It stopped my leg from functioning. I am now going to a boarding school in London and so far it's been good, No one takes notice of me having a sexy walk or that I wear makeup. But I still suffer from that one day, I hate my legs. They're absolutely hideous.

I got all of this for being a homosexual, for being different. 

No One is Safe in Tudor Hall

No one else would believe Amy. They all just said she was crazy, mental even stupid, but not me. I believed her.


Last night I warned her not to go out to the woods. "Don't go" I said "Something is out there". The next day I heard sirens and saw a hand sticking out of a mattress covered by a blanket.


I closed the curtains of my room. "Thats it" I thought "This place is haunted". I clambered down the stairs. The winter sun shone through the condensation on the windows. I walked into the kitchen. My little sister Abigail was scoffing down her breakfast. "Come and have breakfast dear," said my Mum. "No thanks. I'm not really very hungry," I replied. "Are you scared that the creature will come and eat you," said Abigail. "Abigail!" said Mum in a furious tone.


I quickly left the kitchen walking as fast as I could. I walked onto the open air porch. The trees were starting to wither away. The icy cold air stang like icicles. "Poor Amy," I thought. "What did kill her. Tudor Hall is a big house where two families can live and anything could have happened." As I sat on the bench dark clouds began to form, and before I knew it, it had started to pour. The rain felt as heavy as hail as it penetrated my skin.


A gusty wind blew me inside. I struggled to close the door. I heard my Mum listening to the wireless. I hastily climbed the stairs, past the door leading to the attic. I remember my Mum telling me, "Don't go into the attic and don't enter the woods. " I really wanted to know what was in the attic, so I opened the door. It creaked as I opened it. As I walked up the stairs in the attic I heard another clap of thunder. As I reached the top of the stairs, the attic looked very spooky and mysterious. It smelled damp as well. On an old desk I saw an old piece of parchment. It read "To the next owners of the Hall. Please be assured that this place is not haunted. We have left behind one family member who was dearest to us. If you do not feed him he will take you away. If you do not feed him you will suffer the consequences. He is not a tame animal." At that point a flash of something bright flashed by. The stairs started to creak. I dropped the letter in fright and stared at the door.


The creaking stopped. I turned around to face a mirror. The mirror showed a pair of yellow eyes and grinning teeth, but when I turned around Mum was staring at me. "I told you not to come up here," she said. I rushed past her and fled down the stairs and ran into my room.


The rain had become heavier and the woods more darker. I sat on my bed. The words "He is not a tame animal" flooded through my mind like an overfilled dam. I thought to my self "How could the eyes be there but at the same time, they were not."


The night was blustery and the lightning kept on striking. I walked up the stairs at exactly nine pm to go to bed. I couldn't sleep with all the thunder and lightning. I managed to close my eyes for five minutes. Then a bolt of lightning struck close by. I sat up and gaped at a pair of yellow eyes glaring at me. I was horrified and frightened. I quickly fumbled for the lamp switch. When I found it, I switched it on, but there was nothing there. Fear froze my face. The eyes had vanished. I suddenly heard a scream. It was Abigail. I quickly opened the door and slammed it shut, and raced to Abigail's room. The room was echoing with her scream. She was standing on her bed pointing and screaming. I turned to what she was pointing at. There was a squirrel on her dressing room table. Mum and Dad came in. Mum went over to Abigail and comforted her. Dad grabbed the squirrel and let it go out the window.


The next morning I fiddled about with my torch while I was on my bed thinking about what I saw. I then heard Abigail singing outside. I went over to the window and saw her heading to the woods. Horror touched my face as I fled out of my room, down the stairs and as I ran outside. I yelled "Abigail come back". Abigail was frozen staring. I moved up to her and saw what she was staring at. It was a big black wolf about two times the size of a regular wolf. "Abigail, go back to the house" I said in a calm voice. She ran. The huge black wolf stared at me with its yellow eyes and smiling teeth. A red liquid dripped from its mouth and it lay motionless. I was frozen with fear. I couldn't move. It slowly got up and stood up on two legs. It was taller than a grizzly. I closed my eyes and felt heavy breathing down my neck. I suddenly felt a pain worse than death and I fell to the ground. The two sharp paws started to claw me apart. I heard a banging and the pain stopped. I woke up on a white bed. Mum, Dad and Abigail surrounded me. "We will never live in that house again," said Mum. Dad then told me about how two policemen went into the woods to look for the wolf and never came back. "Yikes, that's bad" I said.


I definitely feel sorry for the next family who will live in Tudor Hall. When the next family did arrive they had a son who also claimed to see yellow eyes but never got to tell the tale.

How far would you go to fit in?

"Don't!"

"Listen, this isn't happening to you. You’ve no reason to be worried!"

“How can I not be worried knowing that my best friend could die tonight? All this, just to prove that you’re “cool enough.”

“You haven’t got the slightest idea of what I’ve been through so don’t you dare come skipping in being the hero.”

“I’ve been affected by this just as much as you have! Who helped you with dare #3? Who did you come to when you burnt yourself during dare #6? ME.”

Silence.

"Promise you won't go through with it?"

Silence.

"Promise."

And with that, I left.

That conversation took place three months ago, we haven't spoken since. Cassie and I were best friends, "joined by the hip" is what the teachers used to say about us. Being so close, we never fought. Not once. Not ever. That is, until high school.

On our way to our first day of school, Cassie and I stopped dead in our tracks when we noticed the “populars” ahead of us. As I attempted to pull Cassie along, she whispered “I’m going to be one of them.” The “populars” were made up of six beautiful boys and girls but they were heartless, the whole lot of them. Rumour has it, they murdered someone.

“Why them? They’re disgusting.”

“Why not them? They’re perfect.”

Double science and extended maths dragged for what seemed like forever. When the bell finally rang for lunch, I met up with Cassie by the water fountains.

“I’m trying today.”

“Trying what?” I gargled.

“I’m going to try being one of them.”

“Good luck. It’ll be like trying to join a très exclusive club.”

“We’ll see.”

Cassie finished getting her meal and was coming towards the table that I’d reserved when she froze. She was looking at the “populars” and they were inviting her over. Trouble. She slowly walked over and they talked, they laughed, they teased. I knew what was going to happen next but did I react? No. I stayed where I was, paralysed. Gasps filled the room. They’d chopped all of Cassie’s hair off saying “it will look better, trust us.” Cassie dropped her tray and ran out, tears racing down her cheeks.

The next day, everywhere Cassie went, eyes followed in pity. Lessons flew by quickly and it was lunch again all too soon. This time, she approached them, fearless.

“Listen guys, I want to and should be in this group of yours.”

“Prove it.” They said simultaneously.

“Then they dared me to jump the electric fence!”

That was the sixth dare this week. Cassie came over instead of going home because she was terrified of anyone else seeing the severe burns on her legs. These dares started out harmless but now they were plain ridiculous; she’d been burnt, cut, bruised and chased by the police too many times for a fourteen year old girl. Why is she acting like this? To prove that she is “cool enough” to join the beautiful people. Who’s daring her? The “populars”.

“How many more of these dares are you going to have to do until you realise that they’re doing this for their own entertainment?”

“They’re not! They’re just testing me. Just wait and see, I’ll be accepted.”

“Doubtful. What’s your next dare then?”

She then explained how she was to climb up to the highest diving board, at the leisure pool, after hours, and jump off with there being no water in the pool. Told you they were ridiculous.

“They want you to kill yourself?”

“No, god Skye! Why can’t you just be supportive and tell me that it’ll all go as planned and I’ll survive?” I don’t need your pessimism.” Cassie flung open the door and left, heading to the pool.

The lightning flashed me warningly, the thunder rumbled in disagreement, rain splattered my face trying to force me to head the other direction but all I could think of was trying to get to her. And there, on top of the highest diving platform, stood Cassie with the wind in her hair and terror in her eyes. I sprinted up the dozens and dozens of stairs until I was standing just behind her. She was somewhat in a trance; her body was present but her conscience wasn’t, an empty vessel.

"Don't!"

"Listen. This isn't happening to you. You’ve no reason to be worried!"

“How can I not be worried knowing that my best friend could die tonight? All this, just to prove that you’re “cool enough.”

“You haven’t got the slightest idea of what I’ve been through so don’t you dare come skipping in being the hero.”

“I’ve been affected by this just as much as you have! Who helped you with dare #3? Who did you come to when you burnt yourself during dare #6? ME.”

Silence.

"Promise you won't go through with it?"

Silence.

"Promise."

And with that, I smiled, hugged her and left.

I was asleep when Cassie called my mobile. I didn’t pick up.

The next morning, I was awoken by my phone vibrating. I stumbled around. I found it. I picked up. It was Cassie’s mum.

Cassie had broken our promise.