The Amaryllis Curse

Chapter 2

(Note: any and all comments throughout the story by readers are welcome as I am a new writer and would love some constructive criticism :) )

I got to my first class just as the bell rang, running to my desk before the teacher turned around.

"Ms. Hikari, nearly late again." Mrs. Valentine said as she turned to look at the class, her hand moving to lower her glasses a bit as she focused on me.

Blushing slightly, I sunk lower in my seat as the other students snickered a bit.

As the hour dragged on, something out the doors window caught my eye. A hooded figure looked in, before walking past the door. I rubbed my eyes a bit as I looked at the door again, seeing no one there.

"Am I boring you Hikari? Perhaps the principal's office would interest you better?" Mrs. Valentine said with a raised eyebrow. She did not tolerate her students being distracted while she was teaching, and this wasn't my first time.

"No, I was just-"

She pointed to the door. It was not a suggestion.

I groaned as I got up, grabbing my lunch as I walked up the aisle to the front. In the hallway, I moved to the side and leaned against the wall a moment. There was no way I was going to the principal's office, Mr. Sansuri hated me more than anyone since I was one of the 'trouble students'.

Looking around, I was the only person in the halls since classes were in session. As I walked down the hall, I came to the stairs that led to the basement.

As I was passing the stairs to continue down the hall, the hooded figure caught my eye again. Doing a double-take, the figure went down the stairs at a fairly fast pace.

Despite my better judgment, I backtracked a bit and started down the stairs after it. "Hey, wait!" I called to it. The figure paused a moment before now moving faster, going through the "Off Limits" door to the basement.

No students were allowed in the basement since it was under repair from a water leak, but I wanted to know where that figure was going.

Pulling on the doors handle, it surprisingly opened. The large room was dark, only lit by 4 small windows near the ceiling. The damp air was cold as I walked in a bit, jumping as a rat scurried across the floor. At least I hoped it was a rat.

"Hello?" my voice was soft yet still echoed in the abandoned room. I walked into the room more, wondering where the figure could have gone to.

"So, you came." a female's voice said from the shadowed corner. Stepping into the light, it was the hooded figure I was chasing. "I was waiting for you, Hikari."

I tilted my head, my arms spreading a little as I made fists. "You know my name? But who are you?"

The woman shook her head.

The room suddenly seemed to change, a bright light forcing me to shield my eyes. Moving my hand, I was now standing on sand, a beach. The sky was black with thunder and lightning, the waves restless.

"This is my home, or, what's left of it." The woman said as I looked around.

Homes decimated in shambles amongst the sand, a few children's toys being touched by the waves.

I walked to the edge of the shore, the waves lapping at my feet. Picking up a child's teddy bear, I looked out at the horizon. "What happened...?"

The woman faced the sea as she spoke, her face shrouded by the hood still. ".... You happened." she said as she turned towards me.

Voices could be heard now, but not from the island we were on.

The light flashes again, and when I opened my eyes I was now alone in the basement.

Looking around, the woman was gone. The door to the basement creaked as someone opened it, myself running behind a stack of boxes labeled "fragile".

"The basement was open, probably some kid playing around." A male said. A static was heard from a radio as another voice responded, a female. "probably, anyway, get back here so you can go on break."

Footsteps again. The door creaking. Darkness. I peeked out and could see the man was gone. I breathed out slowly with relief before pausing. What was that place I saw? And the woman? What did she mean, "you happened"?...

Sneaking out of the basement, I made my way down the main hallway again as I found the bathroom on the left. Going in I was still alone with classes happening. I walked over to the back of the room, and behind the last stall was a brown bag that I had left there last week.

Opening the bag revealed a tube of hair dye. I had to conceal it since I was never allowed to dye my hair, and it would have been found at home.

Why not ad skipped class and dye job to the list of crimes today? I snickered a little as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, taking off my shirt and gloves. I laughed a little more at the thought of someone walking in on me half-naked. Opening the tube of hair dye, I rubbed it into my hair.

After about 15 minutes I rinsed it into the sink, which now looked like a murder scene going down the drain. I grabbed a large handful of the brown paper towels and patted my hair semi-dry, looking in the mirror to see a deep red.

Putting my shirt back on and throwing away the paper towels, I leaned against the sink as I thought of what to do next. I most definitely was not going to detention, but I couldn't go home either. I then remembered the park that was down the street, it was mostly abandoned since the recreation center was nearby.

The tricky part was getting out of the school without anyone seeing me because the exits were right beside classrooms, and one was beside the principal's office. Glancing at the clock, there was only 5 minutes until class was over leaving me a 10-minute window before the next class began. I could easily sneak out the door with the students who were going to band, as that was the easiest.

Peeking out the bathroom door, I then heard the bell ring students flooding out of the classrooms in a loud uproar of talking and laughing.

I pushed the bathroom door open as I walked out, melting into the crowded hallway, headed with the group that was going to the outside door.

I could see the teachers further down the hall standing outside their respective classrooms, so I ducked down a little to hopefully blend more.

Once outside I shifted away from the group, headed down the sidewalk to my left that leads to the main street, and then the park which was my destination.

Glancing back, I wasn't being followed so I faced forward again, now doing a jog to go faster. I had 4 hours all to myself before I had to go home and I wasn't going to waste it.