Mistaken fear

If you look at the past, everything is so intertwined. What changes your mind today and pushes to do something might very well take you to a path you never expect and never wished for. Therefore, beware of the consequences of actions. After all, a butterfly can cause a storm just by moving its beautiful wings to entertain stranger's eyes.

Elianna didn't know she was running in circles until she saw the classroom she woke up in a few hours ago three times in a row. Outside, there was starlight and a chilly rind of moon. Enough light to cast a shadow but not enough to see the silhouette's face. She was running and running, running as her life was in danger.

The weather was awful but the moon was clear. Elianna turned a corner and saw the school closets, the same as they were in her memory. She looked for her closet between all of them and thought it was the safest place to hide. She decided to hide because it was better than running exposed. It was one of those nightmarish nights where you couldn't wake up and nothing seemed to wake you up.

Her body froze at the sight of her closet. It was full with threatening letters and mocking posters. The word bastard was written clearly in red. She closed her eyes and emptied the content quickly then sat inside. Her hand pressed against her mouth and her legs stashed together. She stayed still and prayed for her voice to not come out.

The sound of footsteps came closer and closer then it stopped in front of her closet. The footsteps echoed softly, invoking suspense in her. Reality faded away as time stood still. Elianna prayed the thing would go away. Her first experience with a shadow lingering wasn't good. Thinking about it, it felt warm for a second then it turned all vicious and uncanny. The words were familiar but there wasn't enough time to waste in thinking about it.

'Anything could be a clue,' she thought as her fear settled in. 'Anything could lead us to the day.'

She thought of how she left Diana and felt slightly guilty about it. In times of doubt and fear, it was better to stick together. But she had to just apologize continuously and make her feel nervous. She was always told by her step-mother her face was like poker. She couldn't get anything from it. She was expressionless.

"Elianna," a soft manly voice resounded from outside. Recognizing the voice, Elianna's fear dissipated and it made place to relief. "I don't know why you have been running from me but I mean no harm. I am the only one here who thinks of you. I swear I am doing everything to protect you."

Emmanuel crouched in front of the closet and put his hand on it. He wished he could transfer his warmth to her wary soul and calm down her fear. He didn't mean to scare her but the knife he found somewhere caused the opposite. He tucked it in his belt and attempted a smooth talk. She was delicate in his eyes, so much fragile but he swore to protect her.

"Emmanuel, is this you? Oh my God! I will come out," she pushed the door slowly and swallowed at the emptiness confined within her. "I didn't know it was you. I thought it was another one of those shadows. I was almost killed by one of them. The feeling of its cold hands is still fresh on my neck," she touched the area where she was strangled and smiled. "Did it leave a bruise? I don't like it when people ask questions."

Emmanuel stared at the bruise in her neck and lied. He swore to make whatever did such a thing punished with his knife; he would tear down its heart slowly until nothing was left. Elianna stepped closer to him. "I am relieved you are fine. Where were you? I don't see the others. Do you remember?"

"Yes, I do. The things that happened and the heads that were burst open, I do remember them. Don't think of them! It's not important. I will get you out of here, I promise. I swear I will protect you. I will bring you out of here safe and sound. You can rely on me."

"You are creepy, do you know that?" she looked at the end of the corridor, "We should keep going. Maybe finding out what we can do. I had another message and another. Do you want to read them?" she picked her phone out and handed it to him after she checked if there was something new in it.

They started walking towards the main gate, in silence, slowly. The footsteps echoed showing the emptiness of the space and the shadows of the past. She remembered how the school had rules and a motto. The first thing in orientation was to read the rules and memorize them. It was a school that everyone went to, in a land that had only one high school, one middle school and one primary school. Everyone was categorized by ranks and it was disgusting to see the people labelled as traitors getting to the guillotine.

All the rules were established by the Principal who belonged to a higher rank.

They arrived in front of the main gate that was shut close. Elianna looked around as Emmanuel shut the phone and put it in his pocket. "Do you think we can just get out by crossing this door?"

"It feels unreal, I don't think so. Let's open it and find out what's behind." Emmanuel opened it wide. The rusting sound of the iron made Elianna cringe so hard that she almost buried her head inside her shoulders.

Her body froze at the sight of a river of blood surrounding the school. There was no way of getting out. "It looks like blood," she said.

"It's strange! Since when we had a river of blood outside the school," he replied, half-heartedly.

The river was flowing, endless. Emmanuel tried to approach it for further examination but Elianna grabbed his arm and pulled him back; she didn't want to see more of it. It was too cruel. Her eyes saw something looking like a head being played by the red waves, then she thought of how the place they were in had blood on the ground as well.