Nethania

Chapter 34: It glitched

AVIA

GEEZ. What is happening? I thought only Nico and Jamsen were missing, but behind our awareness, two of our classmates and some students from other sections got abducted in just two days. Is she tired of killing people, so she just kidn*pped them and kept them somewhere out of our reach? Or maybe she wanted to level up her killing abilities and add k********g skills to her list.

I flipped my hair and rolled my eyes. I began tapping my fingers on top of the railing while staring at the wide open field before me. The morning was good and energetic, but our lives here weren't good. Yet the lives of animals were much safer than our lives now.

The morning breeze was relaxing and I couldn't resist enjoying it, but I couldn't get out of the fact that even the morning breeze couldn't get us away from the dangers lingering around us.

I spun around and leaned my back on the railing and placed my elbows on top of it. I c****d my head while thinking about the mysterious texter who sent a text message to his phone. And the same texter who sent a message to Austin using Nico's phone.

Geez. Nethania used Nico's phone to text us. She threatened us again and no doubt she was good at it.

Tremendous bombshell is my present to everyone. Tomorrow is the party you'll never forget. Her text was still ringing inside my head and I didn't know how to get this erased in my mind! That was the same message she sent to Austin using Nico's number. I sighed and looked up. Will we survive this circumstance? We are gradually falling into her trap, and if we don't act immediately, this might be the end of our lives.

I glanced at my wrist watch. It was eight a.m. Hannah and Hilary were still preparing themselves in the dorm and since I was the first one who finished fixing myself for the program, I decided to go out and wait for them outside.

Today is our foundation day. Due to events that have happened in the last two days, I'm beginning to agree with Alexandra that we should postpone the upcoming event until the authorities seize Nethania. I couldn't put my trust on the security of this school now. Why? Because the killer is with us from the inside and even the campus police couldn't even trace nor find her.

"Geez, how long they will stay inside the dorm? The program will start in a few minutes," I complained, and folded my arms across my chest.

"Avia, why are you alone here?"

I turned my head to notice the husky voice that hit my ears. I stood up straight and faced him. Austin was approaching my spot. His hair was bouncing up and down while striding down the hallway. His eyes were gleaming as the rays of the sun shone on them.

He walked closer to me. "You're beautiful," he whispered and looked intently into my eyes with a sweet smile.

I just blinked my eyes out of astonishment and I couldn't move my body away from him.

We stayed like this for about ten seconds. I cleared my throat and turned my head sideways, keeping my gaze away from him. He stepped backwards and sighed, leaning against the railing while his hands were in his pockets. I looked down and touched my face. I felt a heating sensation on my cheeks.

"Hey, look at me," he said, leaning closer to me.

I shook my head. "No."

He laughed, still not pulling himself away from me. "Why are you so red? A tomato?"

Geez.. What the—I'm blushing? I couldn't believe it. It's been a long time since my last cheeks blushed, yeah.

I bit my lower lip. "I'm not a tomato."

"Yes you are." He giggled.

Silence enveloped us. I suddenly felt awkward after our quirky conversation. I wish Hilary and Hannah would come out of the dorm to break the awkwardness hovering around us.

I heard the knob turn over and the door creaked open. Hannah got out first.

"Oh, what's this?" she innocently exclaimed, placing her hand on her chest while looking at us. I looked away, trying to avoid their scrutinizing gazes.

"Thank you for waiting for us," Hilary said.

I grunted. "Let's go before I get smashed like a tomato here," I murmured.

I began walking first, leaving them behind.

"Avia's cheeks are red. What happened?" I heard Hilary asked.

"You know what happened, Hilary," Hannah replied.

"Geez... My cheeks have nothing to do with you," I snapped.

We reached the first floor and strode down the pavement, heading to the gymnasium. We were walking along with the students. I felt a sudden hard pounding of my heart. I felt shivers while we were approaching the gym. I slowed down my pace until they leveled it off. Why is it so strange today? I mean, of course, today is our foundation day. We should be happy now, but I felt different. I sensed terror. I shrugged and continued walking, a bit faster.

But my gut feelings never disappoint me.

"The gym's jammed," Hannah complained when we reached the main door. Students were entering and exiting the building since the program hasn't started yet.

I nodded. "Yeah, even if it's jammed, we still have a place to sit."

We entered the gym and headed to our spot. We immediately found our area because I saw Alexandra standing in the middle of the crowd. And I saw some of our classmates too.

We slipped in front of our classmates who were already sitting in their chairs. The ambiance of the gym was good, but I felt a tinge of terror creeping onto my skin. A huge LCD screen was adhered to the upper part of the wall, projecting our school's logo. And beneath it, the stage was decorated with a long white and dark gray sleek curtain with the words 'ALVIANA ACADEMY 50TH FOUNDATION DAY' and some details were glued on it.

"Vino, what happened?" Hilary asked, looking at Vino, who arrived looking like he had just gotten involved in a marathon. He was sweating hard and panted so heavily.

"I bet he ran from his dorm up to here. He always does that," Hannah butted in.

He sat beside Austin and exhaled deeply. "I had a nightmare last night. Nethania was speaking to me in my dream."

My eyes widened and we instantly nailed our gazes at him. We leaned closer to him.

"What? What did she say?" I asked.

"She said that 'read the story'," he whispered. "She wanted us to read the story. I didn't know she was joking or not. But it's weird."

"You already read it. So she wanted you to re-read it?" Hannah asked, raising her eyebrows.

He nodded. "No, probably she was telling us that we must read the story. What do you think?" He eyed us one by one. Austin looked down and sighed.

I flipped my hair and leaned on my chair. She wanted us to read the story? To kill us?

"No, I won't," Hannah exclaimed. "See what it brought to the students who read it? Nethania still abducted Jamsen even though he didn't finish reading it. And she was planning on how to get Vino next."

Vino twitched and glared angrily at Hannah. "Hey! I'm not joking here, Hannah. I'm telling you the truth."

"Is that real?" Hilary asked, starting to breathe deeply. I caressed her back to calm her. The events had traumatized her awfully.

"Yes, Hilary," Vino replied, eyeing her. "Even though there's no face, at least she told me her name."

"Let's talk about it later. The program is about to start," Hannah reminded.

I sighed and focused my attention on the stage, where students with responsibility for the event were gathering on both sides, arranging and organizing the commencement of the event. As soon as Ms. Nichole went up the stage, the screeching sound from it made students grunt and complain about the earsplitting shrill noise.

I partly covered my ears when the feedback worsened. I twisted my lips in annoyance and clicked my tongue. Geez.

"The hell. That sound thingy will break my eardrums," Hannah complained.

I flipped my hair and licked my lips to make it wet. I glanced at Austin, who was looking below while his fingers were snapping. He said nothing nor reacted to our conversation earlier about Vino's strange and creepy dream. I, too, was confused and felt shivers when I heard about it. But... how could Nethania manage to control one's dream if she's alive? I mean, how could she be in a dream if Vino wasn't thinking about her?

"Are you thinking of Nethania before you sleep?" I asked, making him flinched and looking at me. Austin moved his eyes toward me.

"What are you saying? Why would I think of a killer? She's not my crush to think about her the whole night. I was shocked to see her in my dream," he replied. His tone showed a firm disagreement with my statement. He sighed and strongly leaned his back against the chair.

"However, ho—"

"Good morning students, faculty and staff! I'm pleased and delighted to see all of you sitting comfortably in your seats," Ms. Nichole began her welcome speech with a gleaming smile. Her hair was pulled up in a bun and she looked superior in her black amerikana and pencil skirt. "We are all gathered here this morning to celebrate the Alviana Academy 50th foundation day!" Ms. Nichole announced, beaming at us.

Students clapped their hands clamorously, filling the whole gym with cheerful cheers. I lifted my hands to clap along with them, even though I wasn't that happy and excited about celebrating the event. I wandered my eyes. I didn't know why I was doing this, but I sensed something strange which was not likely to happen at any moment. I moved and adjusted my seat, crossing my legs and flipping my hair. I sighed and swallowed a lump in my throat.

"What's wrong, Via?" asked Hilary while touching my hand and glancing at me.

I smiled a bit and shook my head. "Nothing, just a bit bored."

She sighed and pulled back his hand from mine. Her eyebrows knitted. "Disturbed, you mean. I noticed you are constantly moving in your seat, though it's comfortable to sit on," she added.

I flipped my hair and turned my head, focusing on the stage in front of us. "You know what, this is nothing and you don't have to worry. I'm fine."

"Okay."

We stood for an invocation and afterwards we sang the National anthem and our school's hymn. The melodies were just so fine, but we couldn't avoid mischievous students who were making fun of the program. We were all seated and Ms. Nichole stood again in front of the lectern.

"To begin our program, I may call on Alexandra Mayville, our Head Student, to present to us a video containing the school's achievements, activities and recollections for the past fifty years," Ms. Nichole continued. She lifted up her hand and motioned it to the direction where Alexandra was sitting.

Our head student stood, smiled at us, and made her way to the stage. Every step she took, the beats of my heart synchronized along with it. I barely blinked and my stare nailed at her.

Miss Nichole left the lectern with a beam and sat on her chair. Shivers ran down my spine when her smile played over and over again in my mind. Her stare was cold and her smile was menacingly disturbing. I glanced at Hilary. She was staring steadily at the scene on the stage, enjoying every moment that passed. I turned to Hannah. Her eyes were falling down at any minute. She lifted up her hand to cover her mouth when she yawned. I peeked at the spot where Vino and Austin were. Vino's head was hanging down, eyelids veiled his eyeballs and his arms were crossing across his chest. Austin's thumb was busy scrolling something on his phone. His left hand was covering it from being exposed.

"Avia?" Austin inquired, furrowing his eyebrows and parting his lips when he noticed me peeking at them.

I flinched and shook my head nippily, leaning against my chair the second he asked. I placed my hand on top of my lap and mashed my skirt. I nailed my stare at the front while my heart was beating so fast and hard.

I don't know why I've been feeling this way. I didn't know why I felt something odd and eccentrically creepy when I saw nothing in my surrounding to be afraid of.

Students listen peacefully.

Everything is in order and in almost perfect organization.

"Okay students, the technical team is ready to showcase the video presentation to us. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show," Alexandra declared, grinning.

The video began, flashing our school's logo accompanied with a jazzy instrumental. Students cheered when it showed several photos of students who were caught doing various school activities. Stolen shots, wacky photos and pictures of recognition were displayed.

"Now is the best time to sleep," Hannah muttered beside me.

I glanced at Hilary, whose eyes were gleaming like a disco ball while watching the enthralling show.

"Avia, look! It's you!" she cheered, pointing her finger at the screen and shaking my hand without glancing at me.

I gazed at the huge screen. I saw myself holding a school's trophy when I won first place in a drawing contest. Well, that was four years ago. I gave her a weak smile, though she wasn't giving me any attention. The video got her attention.

My eyes squeezed when the video started to glitch. Alexandra turned towards the direction of the technical team with a confused look and began pointing at the huge screen on the wall. It was still glitching. The screen distorted and I couldn't even recognize the faces of the people who were shown in it. Murmurs showing irritation started to hover around the gym. Indistinct chattering filled the place.

"Aww...Such a loss. The video is ruined. I loved watching it until it glitched," Hilary hissed, lips curved downwards, and eyes began to look sharply at everyone.

"Has the show ended?" Hannah asked, yawning.

I turned to her and shook my head.

I caught Austin eyeing me. I stared back.I believe we are experiencing the same feeling right now that something odd is going to happen.

The jazzy music began to distort. Discordant noises totally invaded the whole place. Sounds of screeching, high-pitched tones, and screams echoed across the area.

"What's this?" Vino asked, knitting his brows while turning his head sideways. Hilary just sat still, roaming her frightened eyes, and I felt her hands shaking terribly. I held it, trying to calm her down. Hannah hugged me from behind. Austin observed the whole place without any fear flashing in his eyes.

Alexandra, Ms. Nichole and other faculty members left the stage immediately. They gathered at the corner of the stage. Ms. Nichole faced several students, and after a couple of minutes, those students ran in diverse directions, staring to soothe the students.

Geez! C'mon! How could they soothe the students if the creepy scene was about to begin!

"Hello, people of Alviana Academy."

Everybody stiffened when a shrill, creepy voice echoed across the gym.

Noises were hushed down.

Our gazes were fixed on the massive screen. It stopped glitching. The screen went back to normal, but the video we were watching earlier was gone. My eyes widened when I recognized the face that was flashed on the screen. I tried to move, I tried to feel my body, but I was so stiff and numb.

A girl with messy hair, covering the half of her bloody face. Wearing a bloody uniform. Her eyes were deep as the abyss, staring at us directly without blinking, and her grin was wicked as the devil's smile.

It's Nethania.

Her grin...

She began to move away from the camera, showing her shoulders and chest. Moving farther away, her arms were exposed. I breathed heavily when I saw her holding a long, gleaming, pointy knife with fresh blood dripping from it.

I gasped when her background was revealed. She was in a white room with a flickering light. Blood was scattered on the walls, staining the white face of the wall, turning it red. Hideously gory. Bloody dead bodies were slumping at the foot of the wall. Laying in an irregular position, arms twisted, legs turned over, and the body was folded in half. Slits on their throats, deep lacerations in their flesh and several severed heads with eyes wide opened were scattered on the floor. I recognized one of the heads laying in a pool of blood. It was Flinn Jon Lioner's head!

I shivered. My hands trembled in fear.

Only both sides were revealed. She hasn't shown us what's behind her back.

But I heard a screeching chair leg and an agonizing groan from the video.

She spread out her arms and grinned. "You watched a vapid and lousy video earlier," she said in a shrill, mischievous voice. "This day is worth remembering but now I'm going to make it more memorable." She laughed evilly, maintaining her wicked face.

She stepped backwards, farther from the camera.

"Ladies and gentlemen! May I present to you, my hostages!" she announced. Her laugh echoed around the four corners of the gym.

"What the f**k!"

"What the hell!"

"Oh, Crap."

They cursed as soon as they saw two students sitting on a chair. They were still wearing their uniforms, yet they weren't neat at all. Squirming violently, trying to escape from the grip of this evil incarnate. How could they escape when their hands were tied tightly behind their backs along with their feet? Their heads were covered with a black cloth.

Students fled from their seats, screaming and running in a disorganized way. They covered their ears with their hands and carried their bodies away from here.

"Let's go!" Vino yelled, pulling us frantically. I held Hilary's hand tightly and we began to step forward when...

The doors were shut immediately.

Too late, we're doomed.

"Let the torture begin!"