QUEEN OF THE DEAD

CHAPTER 8

I dreamt of a dream where a beautiful love story has taken place. An affair where we meet under a beautiful tree and share our desires to love one another. A pure, sweet love where we don't fail to meet each other in secret. My Prince failed to meet me one night. That's when his Kingdom fell into ruins, and I fell into an unimaginable loneliness that I thought I had forgotten because of him.

That wasn't a dream. That dream happened four years ago, but I still wake up to the reality of it until now.

Tragedy in Carvalle Institutes Graduation Ceremony: Loss of the Heir to the Biggest Company

Levough Empires' Heir to the Company Shot in Graduation!

CARVALLE ASSASINATION: Terrorist Attack?

GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATIONS ON POSSIBLE TERRORIST ASSASSINATION AT CARVALLE INSTITUTES

Martial Law Discussed at House of Representatives For the Alleged Assassination of Levough Empires' Heir

VALEDICTORIAN SHOT AT CEREMONY: CARVALLE INSTITUTES THREAT OF CLOSING DOWN

Levough Empires Loses its Heir, Parents Pull Kids Out of Carvalle

Is This The End of Carvalle and the Levough Empires?

The sands of time had run out, so I sat up and caught everyone's attention.

"Time's up, submit your papers." My students groaned as some of them haven't finished yet. Just then, the bell rang so all of them were forced to pass their works.

"Not even two paragraphs, Ermie?" I commented as I received the paper of one of my students.

"Shakespeare don't do paragraphs," he giggles, turning away.

"Hold up!" I called out to the cheeky blonde. "You still have detention with me after class."

"Why, because I stole someone's girlfriend?"

"And you set them on fire in gym class," I stated, and he responded with an elaborate insult to the one he almost killed.

Ermie is a very troublesome art student who is very attractive in a cute-boy way. His adorable height makes him look younger than he actually is, and coupled with his curly blonde hair, he was given the nickname 'chaotic cupid'. Which he is, since he either sets up dates or breaks couples up in various ways.

Plus, this favorite art student of mine is the Boss Ross of painting dismembered corpse and gruesome tortures of humans. It's cute.

He winked those blue eyes at me, "I'll be there, Miss P."

When I was finally alone, I packed my papers and made my way to the faculty office.

Carvalle is beautiful.

As it always has. Yet... I can't see its beauty. The velvet red in students' uniform is dull and its expensive, scented air is nothing but suffocating for me. Why did I even stay here?

Carvalle is beautifully haunted.

I don't know. And I don't care about sentiments. Maybe I'm just here for the money. Thanks to being an Art teacher here, I was able to afford a condominium and a car. But that was all. I didn't care to buy any expensive stuff.

Maybe because these were given to me. 

"Thank you, Mr. Welsh, but I really can't accept this." I push the Ferrer Rocher towards the very kind teacher who gifted me this.

"Ahh, it's okay! It's okay, just for your snack!" He persisted, placing a hand on my shoulder.

All of a sudden, I was pulled back into an abyss. I could not longer feel my limbs, and my vision seemed to be not of my own. I was whisked away into a dream-like reality, where details are realistic but at the same time... not real. I can see Mr. Welsh entering an apartment, most likely his home. He seeks the comfort of his own bed, so he lies on it. Then, my vision picked up something at the window. 

"Percy," I hear a whisper from the outside. A dark, horrifying smoke that inputs nothing but negative aura and bad omen as it floats on oxygen. It looms over the window for a few seconds before it slips into the tight space between the window and the window sill. Desperate to move or do something, I forced my 'sight' to blink. Yet, upon blinking, I am suddenly staring at the ceiling of the apartment. I realize I am in Mr. Welsh's perspective. Despite feeling the limbs attached to my body, I still couldn't move them. 

I don't understand, and I am very scared. The next thing I know, the smoke was looming over Mr. Welsh's body and materialized into a horrifying claw enough to make me yell a silent scream. The last thing I saw was the claws swiping towards me, or Mr. Welsh, before I was pushed back into a familiar dimension I know to be my own.

I got back into the real world with a gasp. The chocolates are at my feet, and I can see Mr. Welsh asking me if I am okay, yet I cannot hear him. I am too shaken up by that weird vision. It was just a micro-sleep. I need help.

After a minute of fake smiles and respectable rejection, I am finally alone with my trembling thoughts. The chocolates remained on my desk and I stared at it with discomfort. What just happened? Why did that happen? Did that even happen?

"You look constipated, are those poisoned?" I was startled upon hearing Ermie's voice at the doorway. He was leaning on the frame, smirking.

"Uhh... No. How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know Mr. Creeper over there fancies you," he approached my desk with a stupid giggle.

"It's not good to make fun of your teacher, Ermie. Take a seat and I'll assign you a project instead of staying for detention."I should get my act together. Yes, just forget I even imagined such uncontrollable scenes earlier.

"Want me to take care of him?"

"Excuse me?" I looked up at him, seeing those innocent eyes with no hint of bad intentions.

"Mr. Welsh. I can get him to leave you alone," he suggested.

"How? Wait, why? How are you going to do that?" I asked, amused.

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything. And it won't be because of you," he innocently grinned.

"You're confusing me."

"Me, too."

He took a seat, before placing a paper bag on the desk. "Here's lunch for you. It's Japanese egg rolls and some pasta."

It made me smile. He has always brought me lunch, I don't know why, but he insisted on eating lunch with me. He isn't even interested in anything like Mr. Welsh. Even if I don't accept this lunch box, he's still consistent in bringing me one. 

Though I always ask, "You made this?"

His answer is always the same. "No. Why would I cook for you?"

Again, this kid is really confusing. He doesn't want anything to do with me, relationships or whatnot, but he persists on bringing me lunch and occasionally annoying me.

"You always make me confused, Ermie" I chuckled as I ate the lunch he brought.

"People say that when I put on a wig, too," he causally remarks. Then he smiles. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, delicious as always." I nodded. "Why bring your teacher lunch, though?"

"For fun," he answered, ambiguous as ever. Then he proceeded to eat his own lunch.

two weeks later

"Hello,  students." I greeted a new class with a lack of cheerfulness. "You may call me Miss Ven. I'll be Mr. Welsh's substitute teacher for you today."

"Where's Mr. Welsh?" Asks a student.

"I believe he took on sick leave," I answered.

"Sick leave for a whole week?" Someone else chimed in, as others had wondered.

I smiled ambiguously as I, myself have no answer to the details they inquire. Mr. Welsh did not make a leave, and he's probably going to resign. The atmosphere among my fellow teachers has gotten cold as this is the sixth case of someone's disappearance.

Carvalle has a secret. The reason for its dullness. People have been disappearing, and none of us know why. The teachers have to protect this confidential information though, because students do not need to know this just yet.

First, it was a female student at the beginning of the year. A rich one, so we concluded that she just ran away from home and was never found.

Then, it was two boys. I personally know them, they were art students who was quite close to me. I was heartbroken when their families reported them missing, but Carvalle covered the disappearance up with an excuse of them transferring.

Then, it was a teacher. Someone I came to like. He was actually my crush, a young Literature teacher who suddenly resigned and was never seen again. Maybe it wasn't a disappearance, maybe it was just him resigning from Carvalle. It was strange though, because he worked hard to get a position at this school.

Then, the next two were Graduating students. I didn't personally know them, but they actually disappeared during P.E. We searched for them in the campus woods, but they were nowhere to be found. I also felt pity for their families, but of course, Carvalle covers it up.

Now another teacher, Mr. Welsh, has disappeared for a week, and we expected the worst.

"You know, it's Heidi Levough's ghost who probably cursed Mr. Welsh," one of the girls snickered.

I sighed. Not this again. "It's a campfire story, Lizzy. Ghosts aren't real."

I turned away to write something at the board, also to hide my discomfort and sadness at the mention of my late lover.

"Oh but he is," says a guy. "Connie saw his ghost in the Gymnasium stage before he dropped out of the school."

Connie was one of the guys who disappeared during P.E, with the cover up being that he dropped out.

"I saw him, too!" A girl chimed in. "I saw him out of the window, blonde hair and all!"

"Oooh, you're going to have bad luck," says a student to the girl who claimed she saw the ghost.

Heidi Levough, after his death is witnessed by the entire school during graduation, lived on as an Urban Legend in Carvalle. Students claim they see his ghost, and then they started to associate bad luck with him. To those who know about the disappearance, it is said that Heidi's ghost is the reason for that.

"Heidi Levough really haunts Carvalle, y'know." Says a student, telling a story among his peers as I write their notes on the whiteboard. "They say if you are pure hearted, he will appear to you as a handsome gentleman with a glowing aura and a gentle smile. You'll fall in love with him, then you'll be depressed because he's dead so your love will never be."

That just made me uncomfortable. Please avoid tearing up, Percy--too late. I discreetly wiped my sleeve the corner of my eyes.

"What happens if you're not pure-hearted?" asks a student.

"He appears to you with the side of his head blown up. They say he got horns and maggots are all over him. Apparently, if he scowls at you, you die. If you just see him with a blank face, you get bad luck."

"That's not true!" screeches a girl who probably got scared.

"Oh, it is. Why do you think Amy committed suicide? She fell in love with Heidi Levough's ghost. And those who disappeared got cursed---"

"Please don't disrespect Amy." I intervened, staring at the boy who dropped his smile. "We don't know what happened to her. Don't make fun of her suicide. I'll let you off this time, but if I hear anyone else associate Amy's death with that story again, I will send you off to detention."

Poor Amy. She jumped off the roof of the school only two months ago. Of course, students started associating this with the Legend of Heidi Levough, but her mother herself stated she was suffering from depression at a very young age and probably couldn't handle the pressures of being an heiress for their family company.

"Hey Miss Ven," called out a student. "My sister mentioned that you were close with Heidi Levough."

"Yeah, you were."

"The yearbook has you two as 'Inseparable' in it."

"My big sister said that they're inseparable, too."

"Okay, quiet down," I turned around to continue writing. "We're here to learn about Geometry, not ghost stories."

"What was he like, Miss Ven?" Asks a girl, genuinely curious. "Other than being handsome and mischievous, what was he like to you? Did you date?"

I knew I couldn't answer that question without revealing my true emotions. Why are they so nosy. It hurts, it still hurts to this day. Especially when I always hear his name when they talk about ghost stories.

I blinked my tears away. Without facing them I answered, "Well... he's smarter than what he puts out to me. He's an i***t, still... but so kind and generous. He is the reason I have this job now, and the reason I'm educated and not homeless. He's a really good frien--"

"Did you love him?" Asks a tiny voice from the corner of the room. I can't help but look at this adorably stylish girl.

I remember her name being Yassi, an adorable Asian girl who has a talent for dressing up in the most adorable clothes. She is well-mannered and is adorable, over all. She stared at me with those big, black eyes, anticipating an answer.

"Well..." My voice got caught up in my throat. "Everyone loves him. It's hard not to."

Whispers that I can't make out erupted in the room as I sadly continued writing on the board.

It has been a long time rumor of Heidi and I's relationship, some believe it, some don't... but the stories exist. He has become Carvalle legend... the infamous Valedictorian killed in Graduation and now haunts the school.

If that was true... how come he never comes visit me once? How come he doesn't show himself to me once? Be it as a prince or as a deformed corpse... I'll give anything for 10 seconds with him.

Funny how I've tried to avoid him the whole time he was alive. Now I'm craving his smiles and loud laughter like crazy. To call it a heartache would be a disrespect to him.

Later on, as I waswalking down to hallway to my next class, there was a group of students making a ruckus by surrounding a rather shaken up Senior.

I held the shoulders of one of the students crowding him, "What's going on here?"

The girl, shocked by my presence, shifted to let me see the boy. He was pale and shaking.

"He saw Heidi Levough!" One student exclaimed.

I sighed, because this is once again a group of students fussing over some ghost story--

"H-he has black h-hair, and... and he was... scowling...! No blown up h-head b-b-but..." The boy struggled to speak out. I kept on a face of disbelief.

"You probably saw someone else," I said. "You can proceed to the clinic if--"

"M-Miss Percy... he has a photo," says a tiny voice from beside me. That's when my nerves shot up. Goosebumps littered my skin as they handed me a phone.

First it was my breath stopping, then it was my heart clenching. I covered my mouth in shock when I saw the blurry photo caught in motion. It can't be him.

This black, curly haired, expressionless man blurred by the motion of the camera... I was certain it wasn't him. It couldn't be him. It shouldn't be him. That's not Heidi. My brain can't dictate what my eyes sees.

But my heart does. And my heart sees Heidi Levough in that picture.

-make me shiver one more time- It was a fever dream. A fever dream of my desires, yet when materialized, it becomes a nightmare. My Kingdom is in ruins now, because their Princess is being negligent of her duties. She was overcome with sadness and depression. Under that crown and jewelry, was a girl filled with a dull, blue flame. The hottest flame, but threatens to cease its tiny glow.

I woke up when someone threw coal in the fire. I woke up without a conclusive image of the fire being put out by the larger coal, or fueled by it.

"Miss P, you've been sleeping a lot, lately. Here's lunch!" Ermie held a box to my disheveled face.

He has the same goofy smile, now with his blonde hair pinned back with pinky, frilly pins.

"Thanks, Ermie..."

"You're tired?" He questions, opening up his own lunch box.

"Yeah, I guess. Teachers can get tired as much as students do."

He giggled, "Do you miss someone?"

What a random question. "No... how could you say that?"

"Just a guess," he shrugged.

His antics make me smile, at least. Upon looking down at my lunch, I was surprised to see the Ham actually shaped like a heart.

"Wow, advanced valentines, I guess? Since when do you do food art..." I chuckled at Ermie, who had his mouth full.

He looked at me in confusion before leaning in and peeking in my food. To which, he mildly choked in reaction to seeing the heart.

"Ermie, are you okay?" Wait, isn't he aware of this? Why act all shocked?

"Ahckk! Aff... ahahahaha!" He actually laughed afterwards. "So cheesy! Since when does he--ooh, I'm so gonna have a lot of jokes when I get back."

He was muttering to himself, but I heard it all the way.

"He? You mean the one who made this?" Another admirerer... I didn't want to get ahead of myself, but I'm not stupid enough not to put the pieces together. I placed the box on the table with a scowl. "Ermie, please tell me who made this."

A smile crept on his lips. "Not me."

"Then, who?"

He surrendered his hands, "If you won't eat it, I will. That's Swiss Ham."

"Ermie." He's always the master of avoiding questions. This boy can get away with murder easily with his charm and wit.

Just then, the bell rang, and those eyes of his shifted into what seemed to say, 'I win'.

"Oh look, the bell. Enjoy the meal, Miss P!"

I was left there with a box of rice and Ham, so I proceeded to eat it all since I don't have any plans to walk to the cafeteria, anyways. My eyes shifted to my phone, seeing the electronic device idle in its own space.

I decided to disturb it and watch the terrifying photo one last time.

Poor guy, I thought to the boy who took this picture. He was shaken up, believing it was truly the ghost of Heidi Levough. I adviced him to go home and rest, escorted by his homeroom teacher. He refuses to bring his phone, thinking it's haunted since it has a picture of Heidi in it.

I don't know what to feel. This isn't Heidi. None of this is anywhere near Heidi. His hair was a natural brown, wavy but not curly. And his expression... That's not Heidi.

I dropped the phone and went on to my next class.

♬♬

It's Saturday. No one else but the Janitors and I are in Carvalle, since I was tasked by the Dean to supervise the construction in the 5th library.

I am to send this report to the office. Throughout the journey, I am alone with my own thoughts.

Thought of my youth with Heidi. How we shared spaces, and how he invades mine. I laugh at myself in the hallways, recalling the many times he's gotten right at my face just to tell me I have something in my eyes.

I stopped, staring at nothing in particular. That library they're reconstructing is the one where we used to do tutoring sections, I realized. Why are my eyes hurting?

Why do I miss him so badly? Why do I surround myself with him? Rumors of him, talks of him, images of him, memories of him... why am I being tortured more than I ever have before him?

I violently wiped my tears away, thankful that I didn't put on make up today. I sobbed once, surpressing such stubborn feelings. This is karma for all the rejection I put him to. But why did he have to die?

All of a sudden, something caught the corner of my eye. Blonde hair and a red sweater. I ran to the windows to look outside, not expecting much.

Why is Ermie running to the woods? I was confused. Why is he here at all?

I forced to run down the 3 stories just to get to the edge of the football fields, where I now face Carvalle's woody area. I haven't been here since the Iguana race...

I ignored the flashes of memories spent with Heidi, trapped in a she'd under heavy rain. I have to find Ermie... He's not supposed to be at the campus. Holding my breath, I ran towards the woods.

"Ermie!" I called out. "Ermie?"

I should've called for the Janitors to help me. He's nowhere to be found, and the woods are very dangerous even in daylight. There was a bear incident here just last month. I decided to ask the Janitors for help, but when I turned around, my foot slipped on a pile of leaves and I came tumbling down.

"Ahh! Ahh---ugh, ah--!" I clamped my eyes shut as I fell for far too long. I landed on my back, my ankle sprained and my hair released from my bun. Other than that, my clothes are messed up.

"Ugh, great..." I muttered to myself. Ermie 's probably out of the wall by now... Then, I remembered the electric walls Carvalle had. Ermie couldn't go through there, so he has to still be around here.

Suddenly, I heard a yell. It sounded like Ermie.

"Ermie!" I shot up, hissing from my ankle and limped through the woods, using the trees as leverage. "Ermie, where are you! Ermie! Are you okay?!"

Something ran in the corner of my eye. "Ermie?" I yell out, this time softer.

I follow the sounds of running, feeling my heart race. Someone else must've been in here... which they're not supposed to. I fumbled my own pockets to look for my phone but...

My phone isn't here. "Ahh, damn..." I cursed, knowing that my phone fell during my fall in the slope. How am I going to go uphill with this ankle? If I can't find Ermie, I am doomed.

"Great, Percy. You're worse than a horror movie final girl," I cursed to myself, limping from tree to tree.

"Ermie!" I call out, repeating the name, especially when I hear something running.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour from my first step into the woods, I finally felt the sweat of my regret falling down my temples. I'm out of breath from just limping, and I really shouldn't have gotten after Ermie. But if something happens to him, I'll be plagued with guilt for not trying to help him.

I rested against a huge boulder, trying to catch my breath. I don't even know where I am right now... If a bear comes in I'll be a dead--

I hear a taunting laugh all of a sudden, so I limped around the boulder to check out what's behind it that's causing that laugh. It's definitely Ermie. But before I can call out his name, there was a loud, very loud, gunshot.

Bang.

I fell to my knees, my lips shaking and my eyes unable to contain the tears from running out. My heart is so loud and fast, I feel as if a heart attack will take me soon. Bad memories came flashing to my mind and it's all I can see. Heidi's all I can see. His bloody head and faded smile, his lifeless eyes staring right at me.

Bang.

I jumped as if electricity shot right through my veins, then I sobbed uncontrollably. I can't explain my feelings, and I find it hard to breathe... I cried harder than I ever have before, as I resist the urge to scream out his name as loud as I have four years ago during that day.

Then my breath hitched, and my eyes can start focusing again. I was still shaking, and I held my mouth with trembling hands. It was because of an unknown man that is scrambling around a few meters away.

He was a normal man in a hoodie, except his legs are all bloody and he's struggling to run away from something.

I gasped when I suddenly see Ermie himself, pouncing on the guy with a knife, pushing his foot to the man's neck to hold him down.

I do not know what to do. I do not know what to think. I cannot even absorb what I am seeing. My limbs are shaking, and my ears rang from the deafening sounds of a gun. I cannot hear what Ermie said to the man.

But he looked so happy and delighted when he swung the knife downwards and---

"H!" I almost screamed upon witnessing the gruesome death of a man I'm the hands of someone I personally know. Ermie just killed someone. A student of mine killed someone in front of me.

I still couldn't move. My knees are numb and I am still shocked to my core. I don't know what to do, nor do I know what to feel. This has to be a dream. This has to be a dream.

It's not a dream.

A man approached them, and Ermie lost his smile and instead frowned at the man like a child being denied of a desired toy. The man was blonde, this time dyed unlike Ermie's natural hair, but he is facing away from me so I cannot see him.

"Paul, go die!" Ermie screamed as he threw the knife towards the taller blonde. But the man surprisingly caught it, with gloves hands.

Then, for what seemed like the reason for my position at the edge of my sanity, saw someone else walk in the scene. This time, it was two men. Two very familiar men I could get a side view from.

One was the infamous, formal, dark-skinned, dark haired, Alumni of Carvalle, Heidi Valle. He is holding a very large knife the size of this long thighs, bloody and dangerous.

The other one, is the cause of my terror and insanity.

It was the legendary, pale, dark haired, infamous ghost of Carvalle, Heidi Levough. And under his long coat was a Hollister with two guns on the inside.

I audibly sobbed at the sight of him, and they all heard it. I instantly pulled myself behind the boulder while tightly holding my mouth shut. I can feel my blood going to my brain, and I briefly lost sight for a moment because eof the darkness clouding my vision.

"Someone's here." I hear Ermie's voice from behind, and I can feel myself trembling uncontrollably.

They have knifes. Heidi has guns--no, Heidi is alive. Heidi is alive. Heidi is alive!

If that was him, which I highly doubt, but whoever that was, is a clear image of Heidi and that photo from the student. It broke my heart... I don't understand what I'm feeling. I'm beyond shocked. I'm beyond disbelief.

That can't be Heidi. That can't be Heidi. Whoever they are, I'm sure I won't get out alive if they see me. I started praying to God... anyone who can help me. Either for my confusion or for my life.

"Over there!" an unknown voice yelled out, but when I gathered all my remaining strength to peek out, they were heading in the opposite direction.

I sighed in relief, my heart still beating like crazy and my fingers vibrating like I was sleep deprived.

However, I heard a click behind me, and it made me freeze. It was the click of a gun. Slowly turning around fearing for the worst, I come face to face with Heidi Levough.