She Above and She Below.
Just then the bird's body shook a little, then it jumped up, standing on a single leg, peering at her calmly with an eerie and frightening intelligence that sent chills down her spine. Not like a bird would.
It then flew away. Elliam stood up looking up at it, as it flew further away. She took a step making to follow it but as she did, a small crack spread on the ice.
She stopped immediately and looked down. There was a small crack but if she so much as made a wrong move, the crack would turn to cracks and the ice would crack open, then she would fall into the icy water, she didn't know how to swim so would most likely drown.
She looked towards the bank. It wasn't that far away. She braved it and took a step carefully.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice stopped her.
Elliam raised her head and cocked her it in confusion.
The ice was more solid near the rim than the middle. The intruder was standing a little near the edge holding a long sturdy branch of tree.
"Oh... Hi, do.. Do I know you?" Elliam narrowed her eyes, confused.
The child sighed and responded, "Do you... Know me? That's up to you,"
Elliam stared more at the child trying to remember the face but gave up and asked instead, "Ummm, could you please stretch out the branch a little so I could hold on to it and slide to the safer side?"
" Oh...You mean like this," the child stretched out the cane, it was thankfully within Elliam's reach.
" Yeah, thanks," she tried to the hold onto it.
But the child pulled it back out of her reach.
" But what if I have no intention of helping you, have you considered that?" The child asked.
" W-what?" Asked Elliam feeling a little alarmed. She hoped this girl was just joking with her.
" Please there's no time for jokes, the ice is about to break, and I will fall in,"
"That's very obvious, I can see that, but I'm asking if you've considered whether I'm willing to help you or not,"
Elliam frowned.
" Then why are you here?"
The girl sighed, "Well some time ago, you heavily injured a small child, I'm only here for retribution,"
" So... You're planning on getting that by leaving me here,"
" Well, something like that, I guess,"
" Who are you?" Elliam asked again.
The girl did not answer her.
" Well the least you could do is call the staffs,"
"I was planning on doing that, right after I break the ice," she tapped the ice lightly.
" Wait wait wait wait!! Stop! Stop!" Elliam exclaimed as the cracks spread more.
"Okay, okay I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that but I'm sure I could make up to you in some way, if I break through this ice I'm definitely going to drown," Elliam said, now desperate.
" I know you're going to drown," Ramone said, a dark shadow on her monotonous face as she swung the branch heavily against the ice.
" So, I'll give you a 5 minute headstart to do so before I call the staffs,"
The ice broke and Elliam felt the weak floor give, the world seemed to pause for only a second, she only becoming aware of the fact that it was just she and Ramone that knew where she was.
Ramone..... she could remember the name now.
But only for a second, from the next, Elliam felt the icy cold wetness of the pond water enveloping her body before she fell in deep completely.
This was only a pond but it was very deep and with the sudden way Elliam fell in, she fell into the dark depths of pond.
The ice broke and Elliam felt the weak floor give, the world seemed to pause for only a second, she only becoming aware of the fact that it was just she and Ramone that knew where she was.
Ramone..... she could remember the name now.
But only for a second, from the next, Elliam felt the icy cold wetness of the pond water enveloping her body before she fell in deep completely.
This was only a pond but it was very deep and with the sudden way Elliam fell in, she fell into the dark depths of pond.
Elliam didn't flail her arms, or scream through the water for help, she only floated way, way down, her breath escaping as she did so. She slowly floated towards the limits of the pond as she watched the acoustic looking bubbles of her air rapidly escape her nose and her lips.
In between the flurry of the bubbles which obstructed her view, she caught sight of Ramone through the ice, she above and she below, looking down on and at her with a cold despicable face.
Ramone, above, seeing the depths which Elliam had entered turned around and walked away.
The flurry of air which left her breath reduced until the last small one left and floated to the the rim of the water, leaving Elliam in deep dark freezing depths.
••••••••••••••••
Ramone left Elliam there for more than five minutes, she left Elliam there until evening, until she was being searched for, until someone spotted her bloated body floating under the ice, until.... She was drowned.
....
Elliam's wet cold body lay on the frost covered ground as one of the medical personnel, her two palms on Elliam's chest, applied sudden pressure onto her chest repeatedly, while in-between giving her CPR.
He did it desperately, trying if he could(as if he could)to save the young child.
A few people were around them, some teachers and staffs, Mother Essyher, Mother Moth both whom stood detached from the scene, as if (even it was) futile, as if they were not trying to resuscitate a drowned child.
A troop of medical workers ran towards the scene carrying some things.
One carrying a defibrillator, pushed the other one away, asked him to charge it up.
"All the way?" He asked.
"All the way." She responded as took the iron like parts which was connected to the machine by a coiled long wire and positioned them on the left Elliam's chest.
"Okay, 1 2 3, clear!"
The body affected by the high voltage of the electric shock vibrated violently.
The woman put her ears to Elliam's chest and looked at the boy.
"Reset it!"
She put the parts on the body's left side of the chest.
" 1 2 3, clear!"
It vibrated again.
She put her ear on its chest again, "Gimme more!"
"1 2 3, clear!"
Mother Essyher, standing made the sign of the cross as Mother Moth shook her head slowly. The atmosphere was solemn as the two workers tried, ignoring the futility of it, to bring the corpse back to life.
"More!" The worker shouted as she made to position the parts on the body again.
"Enough," she felt a hand on her shoulder.
It was Mother Moth.
"Her body has in there for more than two hours, it is useless," Mother Essyher pitched in.
" You have done enough, it is obvious the good Lord wants her in their kingdom,"
The lady stopped and dropped the her arms to the ground in defeat.
Then slowly she returned the parts to the corpse's heart, hoping this last streak of electricity would bring the child back to life.
But it did not. And they were asked to clean and wrap the child's body and keep in a wooden coffin already provided by the boarding school.
As they carried the body indoors, a staff whispered to Mother Moth.
"Mr Nomen will be coming to take her home for the holidays on Christmas, should we mention it to him?"
"No,"
"No,"
Both nuns said at the same time.
"No, do not tell him, we shall keep her fresh until the day comes, thankfully it's the winter season so that will not be a problem," Mother Essyher continued before walking indoors.
They all slowly left indoors, until Mother Moth was the only one left in the dark backyard.
She walked towards the pond and stopped at the rim, then looked at the ice.
Clearly through the ice, she could see the bloated carcass of a black bird.
She bent down and lightly tapped the ice, the area she tapped it broke away as if affected by strong heat.
She carried the bird in her hands and stood up, then walked inside.
•••••
The body of Elliam was put in the coffin then kept in the cellar where it was coldest. No one went there frequently.
By now it was dinner time and all children were gathered in the hall when they were announced the disheartening news.
Moriah in the crowd shivered and lost her composure as her eyes watered a little. She felt in her chest a sudden emptiness. She actually missed and felt sorry for her.
Moriah looked behind and felt a bit lost knowing she would never see her, following her wherever like baby duck followed mother duck, again.
The blonde haired boy, Kage, was confused and admittedly felt sorry for her.
Ramone stood in the crowd, a dark lone silent watchful eye.
••••••
But is our heroine truly dead? I don't think this story would be of any good if she were.
So then what happens now? You may wonder.
Well if you were following the chapters closely, you would notice there was a child missing in chapter 18. And because he was missing, he would come to become the biggest anomaly of Elliam herself.