Chapter 3: Insanity in Pages

"Wow, you look like you didn't get any sleep" Marie said to me as i slumped my bag to the other side of my shoulder with us going up to the next floor. "Lemme tell you Rie, i feel like i haven't been sleeping for months..And feels like my afro is getting more fuzzier the second i decide to wake up every morning." I said, ruffling my hair as i tried to keep it down and controlled as it felt like it was a jungle.

"I think no one is getting enough sleep, especially after that incident with..Lily" She said, her voice laced with little sadness. Everyone, whether it would be teachers, the principal, or just people that know her, felt the pang of pain and sorrow as they heard the news that Lily died

As i feel myself groan in exhaustion, with Marie playing around with her short curly hair, her light hazel eyes looking over to the crowd in front of her. I feel myself drift off into last nights horrible sleeping session.

The night i said i fell into a deep sleep, nightmares were coming up right and left. The blue body, the flowers, the lilies felt like it was surreal. As i heard the screams and the fire engulfing me whole as i feel like my body was burning again. Instead it felt as if the fire was taking me alive as i feel sparks under my skin and my everything melting around me

Add the journal, the scribbles, the painful headaches that felt so surreal as if it were to happen in real life. I ended up not sleeping for that night, in fear of getting those dreams. Though, coffee helped me survive.

"Earth to Elaine? Hello? Choco!" I gawked at the sudden intrusion and the name calling, my face filled with sweat as i hit Marie's arm with force as she laughed at the shocked face i did for a second as we approached coding class. Marie, still laughing beside me, started to hurriedly walk up to the teacher to give her assignment. '1 week early..the fastest shes ever done it' I remarked as i went to my seat, putting on my glasses as Marie hurriedly took the seat next to me

"Finally, that finished" Marie remarked as she fiddled around with the curls on her hair, looking at the computer that was loading up. "You were fast with today's weekly assignment. Whats with that?" I said, eyeing her as she turned on the computer

"Eh, wastes time also just a de-stress from all of this.." She said as i looked onto the others, feeling as if their attention is on me and the feeling of guilt, not telling them about this journal that lily holds before she died.

"Choco, you're looking a little more pale than usual. And that's coming from me." Marie said as i opened the coding programs with concentration as the lesson is starting. "Want me to get you to the nurses office?" Marie suddenly piped up as she stood up to go to the teacher, but before she could i pulled her down to her seat

"I feel fine you ass, don't go getting the attention of the teacher," I hissed, not trying to make as much sounds as possible with the class in-session with teaching. "Is there something wrong, Ms. Pariese?"

I quickly retorted as i feel 20 pairs of eyes looking at me, "It's nothing, Mr. Diesel. M-my friend here thought i was sick. But i'll wait if the symptoms..uh actually gets worse." I shrugged and laughed it off as i feel the air around me tense up. Sadly, that didn't last long as Mr. Diesel then told me to leave with Marie, from his assessment that i looked sick and i actually need to go to the infirmary

So now here we are, walking towards the infirmary

"Ah, isn't this nice? That we get to skip class WITH the added fact that you get to take care of yourself" Marie said, her face lightened from the bored face she had before in the coding class. As i sighed, looking at the infirmary that was several blocks away, we stumbled across one of the shrines made for Lily

I stopped, taking a proper chance to look at the shrine people made for Lily. A big picture of her in the middle, the frame made for it was custom made with little carvings of her initials and flowers around it. More specifically, lilies

The picture was surrounded with flowers all around, but the lilies also dominated this category. The vibrant and different colors of the flowers and bouquets, decorating the still painting of her portfolio as it was surrounded with candles, notes, and letters.

'You will be missed'

'You will always be in our hearts'

'Rest In Peace Lily'

I crouched as i read every letter written for her, every sentiment written for this girl who died, this girl whose taken every heart. I slowly sighed, not wanting to deal with too much negative feelings. As i remember that

'I hold what she is on my hands'

i stood and started walking to the infirmary with Marie following behind, confused as to what happened. As i suddenly piped up, "You're not going anywhere. You're staying with me Coding Queen. Until i'm finished checking up then you can leave TO CLASS RIE. Or else i'll tell the teacher"

She then whipped her head to me, her eyes showing disbelief and betrayal as to what i said. "EILENE! YOU BETRAYED ME! NO I'M NOT GOING TO FOLLOW YOU-"

"Well that's too bad isn't it?" I then took her by the hem of her sweater as i marched to the infirmary with the occasional ranting of why this is stupid of letting go the freedom of trying to escape class.

But none could bypass me as i entered the infirmary with her at the back

-

"I'll be informing your parents about your sickness, for now just lay down" The nurse said as she went to go get the school telephone outside.

"Alright, thank you miss" I said. She then left, leaving me and Marie alone in the infirmary, as Marie grumbled against the bed.

"Y'know, you can go now. I'm done checking up, sad part is i'm actually sick" Marie then looked up at me from below, as she grumbled under her breath

"I ain't going anywhere. So too bad" She said as she laid her head down beside me on the bed. I chuckled,

'She's smart, huh..' i thought to myself as i lay down on the bed, being diagnosed to be having a fever as i heard Marie beside me squeal in victory and sigh in relief. 'Guess i was right, she was just trying to escape coding class' I thought as i look beside to Marie who hasn't went back to her class yet

"I guess its better.." I grumbled to myself as i laid down fully flat on my back, thinking about the scribbles and the random words and numbers everywhere on the journal

'Would those be intentional..' I thought to myself as i remember the passages from the first messages she wrote me on the book. I switched over to the left side of my body, trying to get the sleep i needed that i lacked last night. 'Meticulously planned...huh'

As i laid on the left side of me, thinking of what they could mean, until i hit a revelation

'..could it be that those numbers and words are purposefully there too?'

'then..most likely it would be in the forms of-'

"codes"

Its as if i hit a eureka, i suddenly sat up with my face beaming from the realization that just hit me. I suddenly had the energy and the adrenaline to go speeding through the hallways and into the classroom and run home to do some research

I then felt a pat on the back, looking at Marie whose eyes are very concerned as i held her by the shoulders and shook her very aggressively, "MARIE I'M FINE LETS GO BACK TO CLASS C'MON"

As i took her by the hand and start to walk out of the infirmary, i felt a pang of exhaustion hit me as i start trekking back to lay down on the bed, feeling the adrenaline come out as i feel pain throughout my whole body. As i hear Marie scoffing with several words that i couldn't understand, my body left to be slowly drifting off to sleep

-

As me and Marie went back to the class to get our stuff, as we slept through the whole school day, we came across the photography club who was taking several pictures of the shrines. Conversing on the angles and how they were going to put this on the newspapers later on as the weekly news of the town

"Guess they want to spread this as much as possible for the monetization huh? Really dedicated" I scoffed and sighed to Marie as she kept her head on the front, not really wanting to pay attention to whats happening beside her. Her hands started to shake as it gripped onto her jeans.

Suddenly, Marie then looked at me, dead in the eyes as she said with her hands forming a punch, "They disgust me, you know that?" As she went back to walking normally, her hands now at the back of her clenching each other as if to restrict them from going up to them and punching them all at once

I hurriedly went up to her, afraid of not catching up and the fear of her losing her sanity and making a fuss. Not long after that ordeal, we went inside the coding class with Mr. Diesel on his desk looking at the stack of papers.

"Ah, Ms. Pariese and Ms. Renee, your bags are right here" He then pointed to the bags that were beside his desk, waiting for us to come and get them. We both grumbled our 'thank you's' to him as we were slinging our bags on my back, wanting to leave as fast as possible to avoid more confrontation

"Ms. Renee, can i have a word with you for a second?" Mr. Diesel then piped up, as i saw her face wince. "Sure," she said, her voice hesitant to actually respond in the first place as she patted my back

"Go home first, i think this is going to be a long talk" She whispered as she left to go meet Mr. Diesel, as i hesitantly walked out of the classroom, head whirling as i found the first clue to solving this journal

"Lets see what codes i can solve"