THE SHADOW
1458 Words
Rose and her friends were eating at the cafeteria, celebrating the acceptance of Linda into their circle. Linda had volunteered to buy the food for the celebration.
Rose, beaming with a smile, said, “You’re welcome to the group.”
“This calls for a celebration!” Rachel cheered.
“And I’ll buy the food!” Linda added.
As they were eating, the Girls’ Scouts approached and disrupted their celebration. One girl sprayed perfume into their food, while another grabbed Rose’s handkerchief, wiped her boots with it, and then tossed it into Rose’s plate.
Linda stood up and pleaded calmly.
“Can you girls leave us, please? What do you want us to do for you to go away? We’re tired!”
Kylie stepped forward. “You’ve not seen anything yet. And by the way, we’re not here for you, Linda—yours is still in the refrigerator. We’re here for her.” She turned to face Rose.
“You have the guts to report us to the principal, huh? Well, let me burst your bubble—we’re still here.” She took a sip of her drink.
“She doesn’t know that your father is one of the shareholders of this school,” one girl in the group whispered.
“How will she know, when she’s from the countryside?” Kylie smirked.
“It’s all thanks to Melinda’s parents who took her in. If not, how could she even step foot in this school?” Jane mocked.
While this was going on, other students were watching from a distance. Some mocked Rose, some praised Kylie for her beauty and wealthy background, while others supported Rose.
“What did she do to them?” one onlooker asked.
“I heard she didn’t recognize Kylie the first day they met,” a boy replied.
“That’s a lie. I heard Kylie is angry because Rose was compared to her in terms of beauty,” another boy chipped in.
“This is a real fight coming up,” the girl whispered.
“But who’s more beautiful?” the second boy asked.
“I think Kylie is more beautiful than Rose,” the first boy said.
“No! Rose is more beautiful,” the second boy argued.
“Seems like you like her,” the first boy teased.
“Hell no! She’s not my class!”
“Are you sure?” the first boy teased again.
They laughed and walked away.
Meanwhile, the Girls’ Scouts were still at it, bullying and teasing both Rose and Linda until Rachel intervened.
“Will you stop that—or should I help you?” Rachel asked, standing up.
“Do you need my help, or—” Before Rachel could finish, she grabbed Jane’s wrist and pushed her aside. The other girls quickly stepped back.
“Rose, you’re lucky Rachel is here. If not—” Kylie started, but Rachel grabbed her by the head.
“Will you pay for the food or buy us lunch from a five-star hotel? Choose!”
Kylie trembled. “Yes, I’ll pay.”
“Better. Now do it.”
“Alright.”
Kylie paid and was about to leave when Rachel stopped her.
“Kylie!”
“Yes?”
“Stay clear of my friends, or I’ll tell your grandfather how you bully your schoolmates. You know what that means, right?”
Kylie glared at her and left without a word.
While all this was going on, a man had come to the school for supervision and noticed the scene. As he was about to intervene, he stopped—watching how Rachel handled the situation.
A certain look—like a morning star—flashed across his eyes, and he was satisfied. He turned to his assistant.
“Check that girl for me,” Ethan said, pointing toward the group.
“Okay, sir. But which one?” the assistant asked.
“Mm… I know what to do,” Ethan muttered.
Ethan then approached the principal and quietly advised him to “look after his students,” before leaving for his office.
....
Rose POV
That night, Rose had another dream.
In her dream, her room was dark. A man entered, holding something that looked like a rope, and walked toward her.
“Lie down… Don’t resist, or I’ll kill you. I hate being interrupted.”
Rose didn’t resist. But to her shock, the man began to flog her. Rose screamed in pain.
“I’m sorry, Rose. But I have a strange hobby of flogging while dancing for pleasure.”
With every strike, Rose cried out but still didn’t fight back.
In the morning, Rose woke up with bruises all over her body. She tried to stand but cried out in pain. Still, she pushed herself up, bathed in hot water to ease the pain, and wondered what was happening to her.
What is wrong with me? Why are my dreams becoming more and more real by the day? God, please help me.
She prepared for school.
At school, her friends noticed she was unusually dull and quiet. They tried everything to cheer her up, but nothing worked. Finally, Rachel broke the silence.
“Rose, what’s wrong? You look dull and unhappy. This isn’t like you.”
“I’m fine, Rachel… just that something is bothering me. It’s weighing me down.”
“What could that be?” Linda asked.
“I don’t know… but it’s mysterious. I’m still looking for answers,” Rose replied.
“Answers to what exactly?” Rachel asked.
“Something strange has been happening to me lately.”
“Something like what?” Linda asked.
“I’ve been having this strange dream for quite some time now.”
“A dream?” Rachel leaned closer.
“Yes. A strange dream.”
“Why is it strange? What happened in the dream?” Rachel asked.
“It feels so real.”
“How real?” Linda inquired.
Rachel interrupted. “That shouldn’t be the question, Linda. The question should be—is it the realness that makes it strange and mysterious?”
“It’s strange because it feels like I’m experiencing it for real,” Rose answered.
“How is that possible?” Linda and Rachel asked together.
“That’s why it’s strange. Look.” Rose lifted her skirt slightly, revealing bruises and wounds all over her legs.
“What!” both girls screamed.
“What happened to you, Rose?” Linda asked, nearly in tears.
“Do you believe me now?”
“That’s not the answer to her question,” Rachel added.
“I know… but the strange thing is that I don’t even understand what happened to me.”
“Huh? Who did you fight with?” Linda asked.
“Nobody!”
“You’re lying,” Linda said. “How can a grown-up girl not know what happened to her?”
“It’s possible—because it’s happening to me,” Rose insisted.
“Rose, did you fight with anybody?” Rachel asked.
“Hell no! I don’t fight,” Rose replied.
“Mm… you must have gotten a boyfriend,” Rachel teased. “Don’t tell me that son of a—did this to you?”
Rose chuckled. “Oh God, what are you girls always thinking? I don’t have a boyfriend. I’ll get one after school.”
“If it’s not your boyfriend, then who did this to you?” Rachel asked.
“It happened in the dream.”
“In the dream?!” both girls exclaimed.
Rose narrated her dream to them, but they laughed in disbelief. Rose stared at them in shock.
“Why are you laughing? Is my story funny?”
“Of course it’s funny. If your story is real, then it’s complicated and unbelievable,” Rachel replied.
“But it’s the truth! Why is nobody believing me? Even my aunty laughed at me when I told her,” Rose said.
“Rose, we’re not laughing at you—but your dream is unbelievable. How can someone attack you in a dream and you experience the same pain here?” Linda asked.
“I know… if someone else told me this, I’d think they were mad. But it’s happening to me. That’s the truth.”
“Mm… if what you’re saying is true, then you need help,” Rachel said.
“But where do I start?” Rose asked, confused.
“I think you should tell your aunty,” Linda advised.
“I did, but she laughed it off—saying my dream was odd and unbelievable. But she promised to look into it.”
“Alright, Rose. Telling your aunty is the best option. Let’s wait and see if she comes up with something.”
- Writer
