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-WAKE UP-

I jolted upright, my eyes wide, as I furiously struggled to fight down my body’s hyperventilation. Eventually, I stood up and took a final deep breath to regain some semblance of composure.

I was fine. Sure, sweat rolled down my temples, but that was all. It was all a dream, but damn, that felt so real. Well, dreams can be like that sometimes.

I laughed at the thought as I stepped into my bathroom. I quickly took a shower, and afterwards, I walked back into the room with a towel tied around my body. I reached into my neatly arranged wardrobe and pulled out a blue t-shirt and a grey skirt that featured some patterns on them.

My phone buzzed on the bed, causing a slight vibration. Picking up my clothes, I walked over to see who was calling. It was Briana. Not seeing any reason not to, I picked it up.

“Hey Briana”

“You forgot, didn’t you?”

“Forgot what?”

“The presentation”

I realised that both of us had presentations scheduled for that morning at school. I needed to be there earlier than usual, which is why she was calling me.

“No...”

I trailed off.

“Okay, I did, but just give me a couple of minutes.”

“Elisa”

She spoke calmly, and from that, I could tell she was angry.

“Briana, I am on my way right now.”

“Hurry up”

She hung up, and I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that went way better than I expected. I was waiting for her to explode, which she probably will when I see her.

I quickly dressed up and went downstairs. There was no one there, so they were probably still sleeping. I made a quick breakfast of bread and milk, as usual. After gobbling that down, I ran upstairs to check on my parents in their room.

After knocking on their door a couple of times, I finally got a response saying to come in. On opening the door, I saw them both lying on the bed. My dad was still asleep, but my mom was on her phone and looked at me, greeting me with a smile.

“Elisa”

“Hey Mom, did you have a good night?”

I greeted her back.

“Yes, thanks for asking, sweety.”

“That’s great. Anyway, I am off to school.”

“Oh right, take care, but remember to come back early to set up the party.”

That’s right. My brother graduated with excellent grades, so my dad decided to do something special for him, hence the party. Mom and I were in charge of setting everything up while Dad went to get stuff from the store that we needed.

I had a terrible memory at times.

“I will, mom.”

“Remember to get some bacon from the butcher’s store too, ok?”

“Yes, mom, but I don’t have any cash.”

That was a blatant lie, but I was not about to use my savings since I was trying to save up to buy a new laptop. So I had no cash I could spare. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ Find ɴøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“I’ll send you some.”

“Ok then, I have to go. Bye, mom.”

“Bye honey”

On closing the door, I bolted out of the house and ran to school so I wouldn’t miss my presentation.

—

As I approached the school gate, I could see Briana pacing back and forth. I looked down at my watch; it was five minutes past 10. I hope I was on time. She noticed me approaching and stood with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, something she does when she is pissed.

“Hey, Briana”

“Come on”

She tugged on my shirt and pulled me into the compound.

“Mrs. Graham is about to lose it.”

“Shit”

This is bad.

“I thought she wasn’t coming to school today.”

“Well, it seems she changed her mind today.”

We arrived at the courtyard, and there were about seventy or so students seated, chattering amongst themselves, with even more chairs being emptied. Then a woman’s voice was louder than others’ as she tried to get everyone’s attention.

That was Mrs. Graham, for sure. She was our English teacher, and she wasn’t one to be trifled with. We were told that she wouldn’t be around for a couple of days, but I guess that was absolute bullshit. She was most likely going to scold and punish me for coming late and delaying the presentation. I walked to the front of the gathered crowd and could feel Mrs. Graham’s annoyed look, but I tried to ignore it. Briana was only a few steps behind me as I walked around the side and to the front of the podium. Mrs. Graham slowly sat down in the front row on a chair specifically reserved for her.

“Good morning, everyone. My name is Elisa Nunez, and I am joined by Briana Martinez. We are both from Class 12 and are excited to enlighten you on the fascinating era of the Renaissance.”

Briana stepped forward as she continued from where I stopped.

“We ask for you to lend us your ears to listen to what we have to say, and we hope you learn a thing or two from this.”

I and Briana had practised for this a couple of times already, so we knew what we were going to do, what topics and issues to cover, how to go about it, and some funny jokes along the way to bridge the awkward moments. And, hopefully, we don’t blow it.

—

After twenty minutes or so, we wrapped up the presentation, and before long, everyone was leaving for their respective classes. I saw a female passing out flyers as people left, but the vast majority of people didn’t pay her any attention. She noticed me looking at her and then happily skipped towards where I stood.

“What did I just get myself into?”

I said to myself, as she was now in front of me and was grinning broadly. She was dressed in a yellow skirt and a light-blue button-up top. Her overall look was organised and tidy. She had a dark blue pin holding her hair up, and I could tell from the way she dressed that she was one of those serious students—or perhaps she was just generally well-groomed.

“Hey, Elisa”

“Have we met before?”

She began swaying around, like her body could not stay still.

“Well, you did mention your name during your presentation, didn’t you?”

I couldn’t believe my own mistake. She was supposed to know my name. I let out a frustrated sigh and tried to hide my embarrassment by looking away, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

“Yes, I’m sorry about that.”

“No troubles”

There was an awkward beat of silence, and then I spoke.

“So, what are you sharing?”

I pointed to the flyers she held in her hands.

“It is for our new club, and you are invited.”

“Cool, but why me?”

I noticed she got distracted as she looked past me.

“It seems Mrs. Graham is furious; that woman is a pain in my ass.”

Looking back to see what she saw, Mrs. Graham and Briana were out in the open, discussing something intense, and it seems she was being scolded by her.

“I have to go before she catches me here.”

“That’s fine”

As she reached for one of the flyers on her stack and handed it to me, she then took off, turning back to me and shouting.

“Looking forward to seeing you, and the name’s Holly, by the way.”

Holly. I watched as she skipped away and then glanced at the flyer she handed me. It was a mental health group. That probably explains why no one wanted the flyers. Well, I didn’t need help because I was mentally sane—at least, I thought I was. I crunched it up and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

Taking a deep breath, I knew I had to face Mrs. Graham eventually. It was better to just get it over with, so I gathered my resolve and made my way over to where she and the other teacher were standing. As I approached, I could feel my posture straightening and my attitude becoming more resigned. I knew I deserved whatever punishment they had in store for me, so there was no point in putting it off any longer. I braced myself for the worst and prepared to accept the consequences of my actions.

“Finally!”

Mrs. Graham spoke with a hint of disgust in her voice.

“I am sorry for coming late; something came up.”

“And that was?”

She replied swiftly.

I had to think of a perfect excuse, something believable, but I also had to be able to defend it since whatever I told her, she would most likely require confirmation. I caught a quick glance at Briana and noticed she had her face pointed towards the ground.

“I had to plan for a party that my brother is having later today.”

Well, that’s all I could think of, and it was also the truth.

“Mollie”

It was directed at us, so we all turned to see who it was. It was a boy, another student, with a yellow shirt and black jeans. He was also wearing a cap, but most of his black hair was still visible. But then it clicked.

My eyes widened as he called her by her first name. I knew what was coming next. I took a step back, watching as Mrs. Graham tried to process what was happening. The boy stopped in front of us, his hand in his pocket, and looked at both Briana and me before narrowing his gaze on Mrs. Graham.

“Mollie, you are needed at the gym.”

“Holy shit,”

I said quietly to myself as I was about to start laughing, and I could see Briana was about to do the same, too. The face Mrs. Graham made was priceless.

“What did you just call me?”

I couldn’t contain myself; this was too funny. A little giggle slipped, but I quickly caught myself in the hope that Mrs. Graham hadn’t heard it, but she was too fixated on the boy in front of her to notice.

“Mollie, that is your name, isn’t it, or am I mixing up names again?”

He spoke calmly as he scratched the top of his head, seemingly clueless. This made her explode.

“PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE, NOW!”

The boy just stared at her, not having a care in the world as to what she had just said.

“So, are you coming?”

Damn, who was this guy, and what was his deal? He was obviously in serious trouble because of it. He turned around and walked away, while she followed behind. It seemed they were both going to the principal’s office.

When they were a long way away, Briana and I burst out into laughter after holding it in for quite some time. Clenching my stomach, tears rolled down my face as I laughed hard.

“I can’t believe that happened.”

“I wish I was able to get it all on video.”

“Did you see Mrs. Graham’s face?”

We continued laughing as we walked to class, still chatting about what had happened.

—

The bell rang, and Louis was already in front of my table.

“Tell me everything that happened.”

I knew he was talking about what happened with Mrs. Graham and that other student. I was not sure how he knew about it—maybe Briana teased him about it, and he needed the full gist.

“What do you know?”

“I know that you and Briana saw everything.”

“Well then, you obviously know enough.”

I felt his weight on the table and the tapping sensation on the top of my head.

“Come on”

“Ok”

My cheeky grin crept up my face.

“But you owe me food.”

“Elisa”

A voice interrupted us, pulling our attention to the door, where Mrs. Jacquelyn stood.

“Hi, Mrs. Jacquelyn, how can I help you?”

She walked into the classroom, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on Louis.

“Can you excuse us, Louis?”

I was confused. What was going on? Why does she want to talk to me? Is it because of what happened with Mrs. Graham? Her voice was calm, so maybe whatever it was, it was probably not too big of a deal. I just needed to calm down since I was probably overreacting or something; maybe it was just paranoia.

Louis took a quick glance at me before leaving. As I turned to Mrs. Jacquelyn, I saw that she had already sat down next to me, feeling a mixture of trepidation and curiosity. She had a serious look on her face, and I couldn’t help but wonder what she wanted to say. I made an effort to suppress my anxiety and concentrate on giving her my undivided attention.

“I am sure you are wondering why I want to talk to you.”

She placed the notepad she was holding down on the table.

“Yes, I am.”

“Elisa, you are a smart and intelligent girl, always competing at the top of your class, but you fell off recently. Why?”

She asked an unexpected question, which caused me to pause for a second. But as I gave it some thought, I saw that she was correct. I had been having trouble lately and had lost ground compared to before. I sighed and looked down at my hands, trying to think of the right words to use to explain.

“I have just been stressed out lately.”

The day’s midpoint was signalled by the loud chime that resounded throughout the school. I had a few extra seconds, thanks to the clock tower, to collect my thoughts and formulate a response.

“It is just that I have been thinking about the future.”

Mrs. Jacquelyn nodded, encouraging me to continue.

“You know, I feel like I’m at a turning point. I feel like there are a lot of different directions I could go, but I’m not sure which is best for me. It also involves my relationships and personal life, not just my job or my education. Right now, I just feel so unsure of everything.”

As she noted something in her notebook, Mrs. Jacquelyn nodded deeply.

“Though it can be challenging to deal with, uncertainty is a natural aspect of life. It’s acceptable to not have all the solutions.”

I sighed, a little relieved that she wasn’t criticising me for being unsure.

“I’m aware, but it’s annoying. I feel as though I am in a state of limbo and am unsure of how to proceed.”

Mrs. Jacquelyn set down her notebook and gave me a direct glance.

“Investigating your options is certainly one thing you could do. Consider conversing with individuals who lead lifestyles or careers that interest you. Take chances, experiment, and decide what feels right for you. Also, keep in mind that you can always change your course if you decide it’s not the right one for you.”

“Why did you become a teacher, Mrs. Jacquelyn, if it’s not too rude to ask? Was it some sort of feeling or what?”

Before responding, she put her notepad and pen down and took a deep breath.

“It’s alright. I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do with my life for a while. I was really a little lost.”

The sound of an explosion abruptly cut off her reply. In fear, we both leapt to our feet and sprinted outside into the hallway, which was now covered in broken window glass. Screams could be heard echoing throughout the hallways. We tried to make sense of what was happening by peering out of the broken windows.

Then we saw it. It was gone. The other half of the building had been reduced to rubble. The explosion had caused that.

Mrs. Jacquelyn and I instinctively dove for cover as a loud boom reverberated through the hallway. Dust started to rise from a nearby room as a result of the impact, which sounded like something had slammed into the structure.

A sudden, spine-tingling screech ripped through the mayhem. Despite the danger, I felt an irresistible urge to investigate the source of the sound. Carefully peering out the window, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was something in the courtyard.

A towering humanoid creature with tightly coiled muscles and grey skin, standing at about three metres tall, loomed in the space. A tattered piece of clothing barely covered its lower half, and a large stitch ran across its chest and left arm. Its body was covered in chains with sickles hanging from them.

It held an enormous axe, almost as tall as it was, with a wooden handle and a sharp iron blade. The only parts of its face that were visible were its eyes and mouth, which were hidden by a cloth that seemed to be attached to a body part. The creature swung its deadly axe with horrifying force as people attempted to flee, striking terror into the hearts of all who witnessed its wrath. Blood spewed into the air as it ripped through them.

“Elisa”

My heart skipped a beat, as I had completely forgotten that my teacher was there. She too had decided to see the source of the commotion, just like I did.

“We have to get out of here.”

The building shook violently from the force of the explosion, causing the ground to give way beneath me. My vision became dim, everything sounded muffled, and I fell hard, hitting my head on something. I saw Mrs. Jacquelyn next to me screaming at the top of her lungs as I lay there in agonising pain. I didn’t know what was going on until I saw the hulking monster towering over us. It lifted its axe in the air and screamed once more before dropping it into Mrs. Jacquelyn’s skull, pulverising it in a spray of hot blood.

Her screams were silenced, and her blood and pieces of her flesh were all over my body. As the monster drew near, raising its enormous axe above its head once more, I felt sick to my stomach and was on the verge of throwing up. I was paralysed with fear and too weak to move.

This was it? Was this how I was going to die?

As the monster prepared to swing, someone quickly pushed it away from me. I heard booming noises and the demon screams of the creature. I turned to where it had been and noticed a person standing on top of it.

The figure was obscured, but I could see their fists pounding into the monster, causing the booming noise. I wondered who that was, but my vision slowly faded, and blood sipped from my mouth as my breathing slowly choked up. I placed my hand on my stomach, but I felt iron instead, and looking down, I saw that four metal rods had gone straight through me. I grabbed them and held on, dimly realising my entire body was covered in blood.

As my breathing slowed, I continued to stare at the person and the monster. The chains from the monster lifted into the air and came down on the person as the sickles seemed to lodge themselves in their elbow and leg. The grunt of pain was something I could hear.

I closed my eyes and opened them to see the person being thrown out of my view. I could hear my heart slow down; the sound around me drowned away as the scenery faded, and then everything went black.

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