Chapter 35 An Abrupt Reunion

Cheryl sat down to eat whatever contents were present on her tray. It was a set of random items picked out by the person stuffing his face with food beside her. On her other side, the school monitor cringed at the sight of wasted food splattered on the floor around her. It was like this was her first time seeing such a mess.

"So…he's your dad," Cheryl said, breaking her away from her thoughts.

"Yeah. I don't like telling people that. They start treating me differently," Rosa replied to her, picking up a piece of carrot and carefully taking a bite out of it as if it were soaked in poison.

"Why?" Cheryl blurted in a clueless manner.

"Cause she's rich and bossy. That's what everyone thinks and no one likes that," Dan said, not taking his eyes off the food.

"I am not," Rosa retorted, seeming flustered.

"But you two seem pretty close," Cheryl said, looking from one person to another.

They glanced at each other for a second. Dan eyed her, and she shook her head.

"Don't. It was a long time ago," Rosa told him.

"We used to be friends… back when she was still with us," he told Cheryl, regardless of Rosa's disagreeing eyes.

"Who?" Cheryl asked out of curiosity.

"I told you not to talk about that," Rosa complained to him, pushing her chair back as she stood up. Her shoulder bumped backwards into another girl holding a tray filled with food. It toppled over, its contents spilling onto the floor. Some of it got onto the back of her shirt as well. Cheryl's eyes caught sight of a glinting object hung around Rosa's neck when she spun around to apologize. It was a locket. She could've sworn there was a tiny reflective mirror attached to the chain.

"I'm so sorry. Let me help you," Rosa was saying when she felt a hand on her shoulder from behind.

"No, it's alright," the girl answered as she quickly bent down to pick up the empty tray.

"Rosa," Cheryl called to her, feeling her heart sink.

"Just a moment," Rosa said, half turning around. The necklace flashed in Cheryl's eyes. It was as she had suspected. She stumbled back a step, staring at the person inside the mirror. Red, angry eyes glowered at her.

"Why do you have that?" Cheryl asked, bewildered for a moment. She looked away at Dan who also seemed to have noticed the thing inside the locket.

"Huh? This? I've always had this," she replied, casually looking down at the blank piece of mirror attached to the chain. The face had disappeared. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to wash this off…" she trailed off, pulling on her shirt to glance at the spill on her back.

Cheryl watched her make her way towards the girls' bathroom at the end of the hall.

"You saw, right?" Cheryl gave a worried glance at Dan the minute Rosa was out of sight.

"You were right… When you said she'd been watching us this whole time. It wasn't just the mirror back in that room."

"It's every mirror in this school…" Cheryl completed for him. "She can call shadows out of those mirrors. Rosa's not safe if she wears that…"

"She's had that thing for years," Dan informed, staring hard at the leftover food in his tray.

Cheryl sank back down in her seat, frowning as if contemplating something inside her head.

"She keeps tabs on you and Rosa… but doesn't hurt either of you…" she wondered aloud, eyeing Dan. "What are you not telling me?"

Dan pursed his lips for a few seconds before speaking. His eyes never left his tray.

"That friend that I was talking about, back when Rosa and I were on talking terms. That's her. The one who's trying to kill you."

She gaped at him. His unsettling eyes did not look up, lost in thought. That was until someone screamed. All laughter ceased from the hall. Heads bobbed towards the restrooms near the exit. Cheryl watched a couple of girls rush out, laughing out loud as if something amusing just occurred.

"Those girls… I've seen them before." Dan suddenly spoke, squinting to make sure it really was them. "They used to bully Rosa a long time ago. But back then, she would scare them off."

"What about now?" Cheryl glanced at them worriedly.

All of a sudden, one of them tripped and fell face first. Followed by the sound of glass shattering from inside. Her chin hit the floor, causing blood to suddenly gush out of her face.

A subtle cold wind brushed past Cheryl's legs. Dan felt it too, because the next second they were both rushing towards the restrooms. Some teachers ran ahead of them to help out the fallen girl. They never made it. A dark pulse escaped the girls' washroom, resonating into the entire hall. A blast of wind threw people off their seats as the ground quaked. Cheryl put up her arms to shield herself. Her own powers gushed out in streams of electricity, countering the waves head on. Her feet skidded back a little, while Dan tumbled to the side, grabbing onto a table to keep his balance.

Screams filled the place.

The waves quickly magnified into a black atmosphere, stretching across the floor, pushing all furniture into the walls. The hall grew dark. Cheryl breathed out, squinting around to see people sprawled along the floor. There was movement among them, followed by groans of pain. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of someone sprinting towards the washrooms.

"Dan, no!" Cheryl hissed out the words but he was already halfway there. The group of girls who had been previously laughing at something, now lay scattered around limply. Cheryl took a step forward, an electric current leaping through her. In an instant, she was next to them, bending down to check for pulse. Glass shards crunched under her feet, few of them were sticking out of the girls' skin. They weren't breathing. A moment later, Rosa casually opened the door to the restroom, stepping out, drenched with water dripping from her hair. It was as if someone had just thrown a bucket full in her face. She looked up.

A bright light hit Cheryl's face and she found herself staring at the table in front of her. Dan looked up from his food, shock filled eyes searching the hall. The tables and chairs were all in place. Laughter and chatter surrounded them once again. There were no girls outside the washroom. It was as if nothing happened.

The two stumbled to their feet, hastily making their way towards the girls' washroom. Cherl barged in, slamming the door to one side as she entered the room. There was no sign of Rosa. There was water pooled up in front of a stall. Something glinted through. Cheryl bent down to pick up the locket with the mirror attached to it. There was a slight crack on it.

"She's gone…" Cheryl said, walking out of the restroom, holding out her fist.

"Are you sure?" Dan asked. She held the locket in front of his face. The mirror showed him a distorted reflection of himself. He swiped it from her hands and stuffed it down his back pocket. The following minute, the school bell went off, indicating an end to lunch time. The students rushed out of their seats, leaving their empty trays inside a large bin as they formed lines to exit out of the hall.

"I guess I'll see you after class," Dan said in a low voice, backing away to blend in with the moving group of students.

Cheryl started in the opposite direction towards the lower end of the hall. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, hoping to get in contact with her brother. He had said that he would come pick her up. Surprisingly there were no other calls apart from the one that she missed earlier. She dialed his name, put the phone to her ear and waited for someone to pick up after the ring.

She stood at the turning that exited into the main lounge, watching streams of students walk past. She stayed like that for about a minute before the call ended on its own. She gripped the phone tighter, redailing the name and put it back up to her ear again. Nervousness shone on her face as she bit her lip, hearing the constant ringing from the other end.

"Why won't you pick up? You always pick up," she murmured, feeling her stomach twist from worry.

It wasn't until a teacher noticed and walked up to her. She wore glasses and made a stern face like an older version of Rosa.

"You should be heading to class right now. Hurry along," she shushed her away. Cheryl gave her a desperate glance before moving towards the large staircase across the lounge. When she looked back in front, she almost tripped at the sight of the stairs slanting upwards, partially blending into the wall. The railing had flattened out horizontally while a few steps towered over it. She noticed the students walking up the steps casually as if nothing happened. She glanced back at the teacher who eyed her and then made a gesture with her hand, urging her to move.

"They don't see it…" she whispered.

As she walked over the misshaped stairway, she noticed the walls thinned out the higher she climbed. She quickly headed to class around the second floor. Although it was pottery class, she wasn't sure if it was okay for pots to twist around like someone tried to strangle them. She took a seat at the back of the room. The class instructor was in the middle of calling out everyone's name when suddenly Rosa's name came up.

He looked up from his sheet with the list of names. Many glanced around the room. Rosa was missing.

"That's odd. She's never late for class," Cheryl heard some girl murmur beside her.

Her heart had already begun to sink. She gripped the ends of her seat tightly to keep herself from rushing out of there.

.

I watched a middle aged couple step in through the doorway, looking around with wonder as if the room fascinated them. Meryl rose to her feet beside me. Blasts of memories from my past hit me with a jerk, making me freeze in place. A heart beat pounded in my ears as my parents' eyes found me. For some reason they didn't react upon seeing my face. Their eyes searched around for someone even though I was sitting right in front of them.

They then turned to Jonathan with a confounded expression.

"You told us that Dixon was here," my mom said with genuine concern hinted in her voice. I noticed she was wearing the same clothes she wore when they'd first gone missing. Same with my dad, except both their clothes looked shabby and torn.

"He's… right there." Jon nodded his head towards me.

I hadn't realized that I'd gotten off the bed. My feet automatically moved towards them. The two stared at me with unbelieving eyes. My mom was already shaking her head no. I slowed to a stop in front of them, feeling something pinch inside my chest.

"No, our boy is a twelve year old child. This can't be him," dad said, staring back and forth at Jonathan and me. His face had gotten thinner over the years. His clothes sagged over his body like they were a little too big for him.

"I wanted to pee," I blurted. "And I jumped out of a moving car when you guys were on your way to Darkwood."

Both glanced in my direction with surprise.

"I'd made you guys stop the car every fifteen minutes." I inched closer.

Meryl stepped up to my rescue.

"Talia, Dave. It's me, Meryl. You used to come over to stay at our house every summer, remember?"

Their eyes turned to her. My mom took a step closer, reaching for her face as if trying to recognize.

"But… how…" she whispered, reaching for my face with her other hand. "How could you two be… all grown up?" She pulled in for a hug, wrapping her arms lightly around both our shoulders. Her arms felt stiff along with a slight tremble. It was as if she was scared of something. Still, questions lingered in my head.

I pulled away to look both of them over. They were in rags, skin ripped up the sides of their lips. Dark bags rested under their eyes and their hair could not have looked more disheveled.

"I need to know. Where have you guys been this whole time?" I was the first to ask.

I watched them exchange nervous glances. Neither of them answered. They looked at me with unsure eyes, as if still finding it hard to believe I was their child.

"How did you know where to find us?" Meryl asked.

"We… found our way to your parents' house," my dad said, choosing his words carefully. "They gave us directions to where Dixon lives."

"I found them wandering outside your apartment when I went to get your stuff," Jon informed, handing me the clothes.

"You should've let them in to rest. I would've come to meet them myself," I told him.

To which both my parents raised their hands in objection.

"No, we already talked to Meryl's parents," my mom blurted out.

"Kathy and Ray were very insisting. We'll stay with them for the time being," Dad completed the sentence for her. I was getting the feeling that they were afraid of me for some reason. They awkwardly smiled and excused themselves as they backed away to leave.

"Are you still going to look for that twelve year old son of yours?" I asked when they were at the doorway, crossing my arms where I stood.

They gave me guilt ridden glances as they shuffled out of the room.

"Wait, aren't you going to go after them?" Meryl started towards them in a panic. I pulled her by the sleeve.

"Leave them. They look like they've been through hell."

"Dude, they're your parents," Jonathan insisted.

"And they don't seem to want anything to do with me…" I said, sinking down to sit at the edge of the bed. I put my head in my hands, scratching my unwashed hair in irritation. I stayed like that for a few seconds before speaking.

"I need a bath."

I sprang up to my feet, taking my clothes into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

As I turned on the shower tap, ice cold water hit my skin. I shivered, fiddling with the taps, turning the second one on and waited till the water was hot enough. As I stepped back under the shower, my eyes showed visions of the school. The water blurred out in the background. A little shadow boy huddled in the corner of a classroom. Something shuffled and he glanced up with luminous blue eyes. A familiar dark pulse lashed at him. His body distorted into a real boy only for a split second as the wave passed. In that moment, I recognized him until he reverted back to a shadow.

I reached out, feeling the shower water drip onto my hand. The boy looked up immediately, as if staring into my eyes. There was another shuffle and lights flickered on. His head jerked to one side.

"Hide," I whispered to him. He looked at me again and quickly blended into the shadows along the wall. All of a sudden, the ground shook. I blinked away from the vision that dispersed into the air. It was just a slight tremble. Nothing happened.

I got out after a long, comforting shower, feeling fresh once again. I discarded the hospital gown I'd been wearing for almost two months. My leather jacket fit perfectly around my shoulders. The stiffness already seemed to be wearing away. I marched across the empty room, grabbing my phone from the bed. I could hear Meryl's voice from outside among the many other voices. There seemed to be a commotion.

I yanked open the door, only to be met by a crowd of people. Some of which was the hospital staff that I recognized, along with a couple of night guards. Meryl stood glued to the wall next to an open door. A silver head popped out all of a sudden. She frowned ahead at the rude people not giving her space to walk. I quickly pushed my way through the moving crowd that quickly tripped and fell over around the little girl. It was then that I saw.

The walls of the corridor had shifted into the ceiling. Tube lights caved in, partially hidden inside the wall in a distorted image. It was like the corridor had glitched.

"There you are," I said to her. Iris looked up at me with strained eyes. Her hair seemed to have gotten longer in the past two months, blanketing her knees entirely. "What happened here?"

"I was just saying goodbye to Iris when all of a sudden this black wave came at us through the walls," Meryl told me.

"I deflected it," Iris said. Even her voice felt strained.

"You can see the damage it did before Iris pushed it away," Meryl added, pointing at the walls. "I wonder where it came from."

I balled my hands to fists, recalling the dark pulse I saw in my vision. People passed by, bumping into my shoulder. I could hear them talk. They sounded afraid of what was going to happen.

"Is anyone hurt?" I asked, looking from one face to the other. They both shook their heads.

"Where's Ricky?" I asked.

"He went to pick up Cheryl, I think. He kept calling her but the call wouldn't go through."

As the crowd thinned out, I caught sight of Jonathan rushing to make his way over here. He grabbed my shoulder and gave it a little shake before gasping for breath.

"Listen…" he said in between breaths. "The whole town… it's all out of place."

"What do you mean out of place?" I asked, my brows creasing together.

"You have to see it for yourself. They're calling us back on duty."

I looked at Iris who was struggling to stand in one place. Her tiny feet wobbled slightly as she placed a hand over the wall for support. Her body was obviously not ready to get up and about so soon. I looked towards Meryl.

"Will you stay with Iris till we get back?" I asked. She was already shaking her head mid sentence. I noticed she had her arms wrapped around herself. There was a faint smell of something burning.

"I really can't. As much as I wish that I could stay, I need to leave soon."

Her eyes were pleading. I noticed her bandage had turned slightly black under the sleeves. I knew at that moment it couldn't be helped.

"It's okay. You don't need to babysit me. I'll be fine by myself," Iris said, backing into her room slowly and shut the door behind her. She seemed tense but did a good job hiding it.

I stayed for a few seconds, staring at the door in my face. I could feel Jonathan tapping away his foot impatiently. He kept swiping the screen of his phone, letting out nervous sighs. With a heavy heart, I slowly walked away. It didn't feel right leaving her alone like that but I swallowed the feeling. I needed to get to the bottom of this.