Chapter Four
1183 Words
Donna
Scanton High.
It was monstrous in stature. It was certainly bigger than the palace and also more…new? Was that the right term? It was compelling, almost powerful. I wondered if passers-by randomly walked in to just gawk at it. It was certainly worth gawking at especially during sunrise.
“Come on Maria, let’s find a better angle.”
I grabbed Maria’s hands and dashed towards the school’s main entrance. Within seconds, we were on the roof, our eyes fixed on the rising sun.
“Mistress-"
“No Maria. While at Scanton you can call me Donna…”
“Very well Mis… I mean Donna. I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“There is nothing to be scared of Maria. As long as you are wearing your necklace…No harm will come to you.”
I pushed my face forward and let the warmth of the sun tingle my skin. The feeling was intoxicating, I felt alive, hopeful. I closed my eyes and bathed in this glorious sensation.
Maybe this was not going to be as bad as you thought Donna.
I agree.
“Maria are you feeling this? Isn’t it amazing?”
No response.
“Maria?”
I opened my eyes and scouted for my Hand. She was pressed against the wall, seated on the floor with her knees pressed to her face. She was trembling, her eyes masked with profound fear. I dashed towards her and crouched before her.
“It’s going to burn me, Mistress!”
“No, no it won’t Maria.”
“Yes, yes it will! I have seen it burn them! I have seen it turn them into monsters!”
“Maria, do you trust me?”
The question took her by surprise. For a brief moment, she stopped shaking, and the trepidation in her eyes vanished. She angled her head upwards and interlocked her gaze with mine.
“Completely Mistress.”
I blinked, stunned by the certainty in her words. After the shock wore off, I smiled and held out my hand.
“Then follow me into the light.”
It took a while, but Maria finally placed her shaking hand into mine and I lifted her from the ground. We dashed towards the edge of the roof where the sun had already fully dominated. I turned to Maria who appeared to be numb in shock.
“See? No scalding flesh. Maria, for this entire year we are humans.”
Maria’s face broke into a beautiful smile. We stayed on the rooftop basking in the sun, marveling at the gorgeous feeling. I sighed and allowed my eyes to sweep the school, enjoying the structures, and the trees surrounding them. Soon, students began streaming in but not one of them looked up. They were all engrossed in their own world, occupied by their lives. At first, I had been worried about drawing attention but after a while, I grew comfortable with my haven and continued to enjoy the warmth of the sun.
My eyes lazily wandered towards something still…wait was someone staring at us? Yes, a man. He was looking up, with intense green eyes and a head filled with overgrown, dark hair.
It couldn’t be.
A soft whisper escaped my lips.
“Sorokin?"
Jim
It was just as I had pictured it. The varsity jackets, the cheerleader skirts, the wimpy kid being stuffed in the locker; it was déjà vu or as I liked to call it, my personal hell.
I need a smoke.
I retraced my steps and wound up at the parking lot. I did a quick sweep before patting the inner pocket of my jacket. As I was retrieving my cigarette and lighter, I felt the sudden urge to look up. My hand froze midway. Was I seeing things or was there someone on the roof? Wait were they going to jump? I squinted my eyes; my heartbeat had accelerated, my mouth felt dry. No, it was not one person. There were two people up there. There were two people on the roof. Maybe one wanted to jump and the other was talking them down? I had to call someone. Who? The janitor? Well not him, he was a thousand years old. Think damn it! The principal? Yes. Yes but…won’t that take time? It had to be me. I had to go help. Without sparing another thought, I sprinted towards the school’s entrance and made my way up the stairs. Ten minutes later, I shoved the door open and immediately began shouting,
“It’s okay! You do not need to do this!”
My heart was still pounding. Had I thought this through? What if they did not listen and jumped anyway? Would the police blame me? Would the world blame me?
“Excuse me? Are you alright? You look like you are about to puke…”
At some point during my freak-out, a girl with long, auburn hair, pert lips, and wide grey eyes had appeared in front of me.
“f**k, you’re hot.”
“Excuse me?”
“Puck your knot?”
“That cannot be English.”
“And who made you the English professor?”
“Can someone make anyone a professor in your realm?”
“What?”
“What?”
Wait, where were the two people I had seen? Who was the jumper?
Had there ever been a jumper?
“You were at the edge of the roof…”
“Yes.”
“You looked like you were about to…about to…”
“Jump?”
She was smiling. Did she think this was funny?
“Don’t be silly…Humans cannot jump from this height and live.”
“I am glad you find suicide amusing.”
A wave of rage suddenly overwhelmed my being. I could feel myself quickly succumbing to it. The last time I had allowed myself to drown in that feeling, a guy had wound up in the ICU. Without uttering another word, I turned to leave.
“Wait, I’m Donna…aren’t you going to introduce yourself?"
I huffed in annoyance and pulled the door to the roof open. As I was climbing down the stairs, I wondered about the other person who had been on the roof, where had they vanished to? I was certain I had seen them. Was I though or had it been a figment of my imagination?
As I entered the school hallway, I was swallowed by kids wearing varsity jackets, cheerleading skirts, and wimpy kids. I groaned and began making my way to class. I let out a cuss when I spotted my English teacher stride into class. I broke into a run.
“Mr. James you know the rules. I enter class before you, you camp in the hallway.”
Now, normally I would shrug and head straight to the principal’s office but I could not move. There, in the front desk, sat the girl with the long, auburn hair, pert lips and wide grey eyes.
She smiled at me and as the English teacher closed the door, she winked at me.
What the actual f**k?
- Writer
