Footsteps patterned themselves across a dusty floor. They traced the edges of bookshelves and sometimes scuffed up in a little pile. Often, one could find a clean rectangular patch on the floor, the only remaining evidence of a book knocked off the shelf that was subsequently placed back to its rightful, or what was hopefully the rightful location.
She heaved a sigh.
((G008 - Coleen Reagan, start))
There was a time for tears. Coleen had enjoyed that time earlier, leaving her face a smudged, caked, still-burnt and gross-feeling mess. She silently considered it a saving grace that the library she had been surreptitiously placed in contained no mirrors, outside of a bathroom that she was still not yet sure even existed in the building. The sides of her head were pounding, whether it be from the cocktail of whatever those men had given to her or from hitting her head on the bookshelf when she was propped up against it next to a dufflebag containing some of her belongings. She didn't recall carrying a DVD with her on the science trip, however; it was all too possible that her things had gotten mixed up with somebody else's.
Resisting the ever-present urge to wipe her face with her sleeve (an action that would serve to both irritate her scarred cheek and get a nasty mess all over her shirt, which was still a concern for reasons she couldn't quite verbalize), Coleen pressed her back to a shelf and took a good look around the room. Books, books, more books... a circle of chairs, a fireplace, and some more sophisticated furniture all adorned the room. It would be a cozy place, so long as there was nobody around to share it with her.
The thought was unfair, she realized, but she most desired to be alone. The words of that one wrinkle-eyed man bounced off of the inner walls of her head, repeating themselves again and again. Friends will turn on friends. Coleen conjured a list of names and placed a face to each one, vividly thinking about each and every student in Cochise that she had interfaced with, come to like or dislike, trust or distrust. Trust... that word was rapidly losing its meaning by the minute. How many people had taken that man's words to heart? Could Cameron enter this very room, pull out a gun and shoot her? It seemed an unlikely scenario.
It seemed far less unlikely when Coleen replaced Cameron with somebody like Vanessa.
Coleen slumped against the shelf and tucked her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. She bit her lip to let the pain distract her from everything else.
Dramatica
G008 Start
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MK Kilmarnock
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ViolentMedic
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((Lillian 'Lily' Caldwell continued from Christmas Tree.))
Lily felt a little better now that she was on the move. Made her feel like she had a plan. A good one. She didn't. But the illusion was there. As long as she had an immediate objective, the rest would wait.
Maybe it would have helped if she'd looked at her map, though. She had no idea about what was beyond... wherever she was.
She should stop. Get her bearings. Then she could make a better plan. One that might get her to the next sunrise.
Library. Libraries were... comforting. Not usually so dusty. But it was the sort of place Lily would have gone if this were a harmless trip like it was meant to be.
Lily walked in and saw the shape of someone curled up near a shelf.
Immediate panic. Who was it? Friend? Foe? She didn't have a plan for either, she didn't know how to deal with this, she wasn't ready—
She quickly dived behind a different shelf. She'd meant to be quiet, but in her panic she slammed the shelf with the heavy duffle bag dangling from her shoulder, and that set her off-balance, sending the rest of her slamming into the shelf too. The shelf creaked under the pressure, and for one moment Lily thought it was gonna stay in place. Then it toppled, sending up a huge cloud of dust amid the falling books. The only saving grace was that it didn't knock any other shelves over on its way down.
...
That had not gone to plan, whatever that plan had been. Lily was left standing in the open, frozen like a deer in the headlights.
Lily felt a little better now that she was on the move. Made her feel like she had a plan. A good one. She didn't. But the illusion was there. As long as she had an immediate objective, the rest would wait.
Maybe it would have helped if she'd looked at her map, though. She had no idea about what was beyond... wherever she was.
She should stop. Get her bearings. Then she could make a better plan. One that might get her to the next sunrise.
Library. Libraries were... comforting. Not usually so dusty. But it was the sort of place Lily would have gone if this were a harmless trip like it was meant to be.
Lily walked in and saw the shape of someone curled up near a shelf.
Immediate panic. Who was it? Friend? Foe? She didn't have a plan for either, she didn't know how to deal with this, she wasn't ready—
She quickly dived behind a different shelf. She'd meant to be quiet, but in her panic she slammed the shelf with the heavy duffle bag dangling from her shoulder, and that set her off-balance, sending the rest of her slamming into the shelf too. The shelf creaked under the pressure, and for one moment Lily thought it was gonna stay in place. Then it toppled, sending up a huge cloud of dust amid the falling books. The only saving grace was that it didn't knock any other shelves over on its way down.
...
That had not gone to plan, whatever that plan had been. Lily was left standing in the open, frozen like a deer in the headlights.
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MK Kilmarnock
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"UH!"
It was far from the most articulate noise she could have made, but Coleen hardly had articulation in mind when her thoughts were disturbed by a crash, a strange creaking and a barrage of shuffling, and then another extremely loud crash as a shelf toppled. Suffice to say, somebody was definitely in this library with her, and they likely did not have the best intentions in mind for her.
The smartest thing to do, Coleen realized, would be to stay quiet and try to hide in a safe place. Unfortunately, the idea of complete stealth was a ship that sailed when she gasped/hiccuped/yelped in shock. Whoever was there also knew she was there. So, this was how she died, then; whoever this person was, they had already found her so soon after waking up, they were going to kill her and then they were going to take whatever weapon she had stashed on her person. So much for making it out of Kingman as an actress, or as the lead singer of a band.
"No no, uh, stay away from me!" Coleen said it without thinking. There remained the possibility, slim as it may have been, that her surprised outburst had coincided enough with the tumbling of the bookshelf that the intruder may not yet have noticed her. Had that possibility existed, it was now just more dust to line the shelves of books and the floor. Speaking of dust, there was now a cloud of it from the commotion, and Coleen used the opportunity to grab her dufflebag and hunker down behind another bookcase.
It was far from the most articulate noise she could have made, but Coleen hardly had articulation in mind when her thoughts were disturbed by a crash, a strange creaking and a barrage of shuffling, and then another extremely loud crash as a shelf toppled. Suffice to say, somebody was definitely in this library with her, and they likely did not have the best intentions in mind for her.
The smartest thing to do, Coleen realized, would be to stay quiet and try to hide in a safe place. Unfortunately, the idea of complete stealth was a ship that sailed when she gasped/hiccuped/yelped in shock. Whoever was there also knew she was there. So, this was how she died, then; whoever this person was, they had already found her so soon after waking up, they were going to kill her and then they were going to take whatever weapon she had stashed on her person. So much for making it out of Kingman as an actress, or as the lead singer of a band.
"No no, uh, stay away from me!" Coleen said it without thinking. There remained the possibility, slim as it may have been, that her surprised outburst had coincided enough with the tumbling of the bookshelf that the intruder may not yet have noticed her. Had that possibility existed, it was now just more dust to line the shelves of books and the floor. Speaking of dust, there was now a cloud of it from the commotion, and Coleen used the opportunity to grab her dufflebag and hunker down behind another bookcase.
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ViolentMedic
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Lily expected, for a split second, a hail of bullets to put an end to her for this ridiculous mistake. But it didn't happen. Instead, the figure vanished before the dust settled, and she heard a voice call out. Tell her to stay away.
Lily took a step back. Wondering if she should flee. But if they wanted her to stay away, they weren't looking for a fight. She'd have to face someone eventually. She'd rather do it when she knew someone was there.
"I..." Lily's mouth felt dry. She stopped again, trying to find the moisture to speak. The dust was clogging the air and making her eyes water. She coughed, then called out quietly.
"Whoever's there, I don't want to fight," she said. It came out meek. Like she was about to crumble at any second. She coughed again, and in an attempt at a stronger voice—it was still shaky—she added, "As long as you don't want to fight, either."
She still had the shard of mirror from the gym in her hand. She kept it lowered, though.
Lily took a step back. Wondering if she should flee. But if they wanted her to stay away, they weren't looking for a fight. She'd have to face someone eventually. She'd rather do it when she knew someone was there.
"I..." Lily's mouth felt dry. She stopped again, trying to find the moisture to speak. The dust was clogging the air and making her eyes water. She coughed, then called out quietly.
"Whoever's there, I don't want to fight," she said. It came out meek. Like she was about to crumble at any second. She coughed again, and in an attempt at a stronger voice—it was still shaky—she added, "As long as you don't want to fight, either."
She still had the shard of mirror from the gym in her hand. She kept it lowered, though.
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MK Kilmarnock
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Coleen had already unzipped her bag. She made no effort to do so quietly - time was of the essence and if somebody was going to come barreling at her brandishing some sort of freakish weapon, she'd rather be able to brandish something right back at them. Instead, she found a change of her clothes that she had packed in her backpack, an article long since gone missing. Her mp3 player with all of Peyote Coyote's recorded songs, as well as all the other music she loved to listen to, was also missing.
With no time to dwell on the fact, Coleen dug straight to the bottom and pulled out the DVD case that she saw before. The words 'Drake n' Josh' were clearly visible, along with the instantly recognizable faces of the actors of the titular characters. She was just about to dismiss it when she noticed a tag punched into the corner of the DVD.
'G008 - Reagan, Coleen'
Ooooooooh hell. Rough times ahead for Coleen.
"That's... um, that's great..." Coleen sputtered, not daring to peer around the shelf she was hiding behind. "Uh, look... whoever you are..." Coleen coughed, from either stress or dust. Her nose was runny as well, a mild reaction to having kicked up some of the dust, getting it all over her skirt and blouse as well as part of her exposed legs. She was thankful for not having severe allergies, but dust of this caliber going up the nose would affect anybody, she imagined.
To make matters worse, she couldn't recognize the voice of the other person talking to her. It sounded weak and diminished - somebody trying to make themselves less threatening? If so, they were a good actress. The voice wasn't Cameron's, or Vanessa's, or even B.B.'s. Obviously wasn't Bradley's. "Whoever you are," Coleen repeated, "I... yeah, no, I don't want to fight either. So i-i-if you've got a gun or a knife or... if you're thinking of hurting me..."
She could almost see the bright light of a stage. It always gave her a headache.
With no time to dwell on the fact, Coleen dug straight to the bottom and pulled out the DVD case that she saw before. The words 'Drake n' Josh' were clearly visible, along with the instantly recognizable faces of the actors of the titular characters. She was just about to dismiss it when she noticed a tag punched into the corner of the DVD.
'G008 - Reagan, Coleen'
Ooooooooh hell. Rough times ahead for Coleen.
"That's... um, that's great..." Coleen sputtered, not daring to peer around the shelf she was hiding behind. "Uh, look... whoever you are..." Coleen coughed, from either stress or dust. Her nose was runny as well, a mild reaction to having kicked up some of the dust, getting it all over her skirt and blouse as well as part of her exposed legs. She was thankful for not having severe allergies, but dust of this caliber going up the nose would affect anybody, she imagined.
To make matters worse, she couldn't recognize the voice of the other person talking to her. It sounded weak and diminished - somebody trying to make themselves less threatening? If so, they were a good actress. The voice wasn't Cameron's, or Vanessa's, or even B.B.'s. Obviously wasn't Bradley's. "Whoever you are," Coleen repeated, "I... yeah, no, I don't want to fight either. So i-i-if you've got a gun or a knife or... if you're thinking of hurting me..."
She could almost see the bright light of a stage. It always gave her a headache.
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ViolentMedic
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Lily felt like she might have heard that voice before, but in a passing way. Maybe having a conversation near her or something. Not someone she'd spoke to personally, or could place a face to.
"No gun. No knife." Lily looked down at the mirror shard. "And what little I have is for defence. As long as you're not going to hurt me, I won't hurt you."
She took a couple of steps back towards the door. Just in case this girl was lying, and had a gun.
"I just... I just want to sit down for a moment, look at my map and get my bearings. Do you mind if I do that?"
Another slow step towards the door.
"Um... my name is Lily. Lily Caldwell." She didn't have enemies, as far as she knew. Giving her name couldn't hurt. They list killers, they said, but it wasn't as if she was... was...
But if she wanted to live, wouldn't she have to become one?
"May I ask who you are?"
"No gun. No knife." Lily looked down at the mirror shard. "And what little I have is for defence. As long as you're not going to hurt me, I won't hurt you."
She took a couple of steps back towards the door. Just in case this girl was lying, and had a gun.
"I just... I just want to sit down for a moment, look at my map and get my bearings. Do you mind if I do that?"
Another slow step towards the door.
"Um... my name is Lily. Lily Caldwell." She didn't have enemies, as far as she knew. Giving her name couldn't hurt. They list killers, they said, but it wasn't as if she was... was...
But if she wanted to live, wouldn't she have to become one?
"May I ask who you are?"
There was a loud, ear-piercing scream from further inside the building.
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MK Kilmarnock
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Lily Caldwell. The name was not overwhelmingly familiar with Coleen. She was about ninety percent sure that there weren't any Lilies in her grade. Her heart was still pounding as Coleen decided what to do next. She was without a usable weapon, so if this girl was packing anything dangerous - she said she didn't have a gun or a knife, but she implied she had something - then running was the best course of action.
"Coleen Reagan," she said, giving her name as asked. Fair's fair, since Lily Caldwell gave hers. "Senior. I, uh, don't think I know you very well. Were you, um... the ju- one of the juniors on the trip?" Coleen asked. She dared peek around the edge of the bookshelf, just for a moment, then pulled back. She only needed a moment's glance to pick out that very distinctive hairstyle. She could easily remember walking past the girl numerous times in the hallway; that hair had caught her attention more than once. Shame this had to be the first time ever speaking to the girl.
"Look, uh-"
A scream permeating from somewhere beyond their location cut short whatever Coleen had to say. She wheezed slightly, due in no small part to her pulse and breath quickening in ever-growing fear. Dust wasn't exactly conducive to frightful gasping, and Coleen coughed as she tried to speak. "W-... UGH! Who was that!?"
"Coleen Reagan," she said, giving her name as asked. Fair's fair, since Lily Caldwell gave hers. "Senior. I, uh, don't think I know you very well. Were you, um... the ju- one of the juniors on the trip?" Coleen asked. She dared peek around the edge of the bookshelf, just for a moment, then pulled back. She only needed a moment's glance to pick out that very distinctive hairstyle. She could easily remember walking past the girl numerous times in the hallway; that hair had caught her attention more than once. Shame this had to be the first time ever speaking to the girl.
"Look, uh-"
A scream permeating from somewhere beyond their location cut short whatever Coleen had to say. She wheezed slightly, due in no small part to her pulse and breath quickening in ever-growing fear. Dust wasn't exactly conducive to frightful gasping, and Coleen coughed as she tried to speak. "W-... UGH! Who was that!?"
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ViolentMedic
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Lily saw a glimpse of the other person as she peeked out for that slight moment. That mixed with the name helped her remember. She'd seen Coleen around the library quite a lot. She was fairly sure she had seen her on stage at some point, too, though that felt like it'd been longer ago.
"Yeah, I'm a junior. You might... you might know a few of my cousins? I'm a Luz, so... just different family name." ...She hadn't remembered her cousins were here until now. Should she look for them? Which ones were here?
Coleen had been about to say something else when someone screamed. Lily's immediate reaction had been to drop to the floor, sending up another small puff of dust, before scrambling away from the direction it'd come from.
"I... I don't know, I—ow!"
Lily had clutched the piece of mirror to her chest, but her grip had instinctively tightened on it and the sharp edges had sliced her hand open. She dropped the mirror shard and held the now bloody hand close to her, her eyes on the door closer to where the screaming had come from.
The gash in her hand was the least of her problems. That screaming could mean a lot of things, and none of them were good.
"Yeah, I'm a junior. You might... you might know a few of my cousins? I'm a Luz, so... just different family name." ...She hadn't remembered her cousins were here until now. Should she look for them? Which ones were here?
Coleen had been about to say something else when someone screamed. Lily's immediate reaction had been to drop to the floor, sending up another small puff of dust, before scrambling away from the direction it'd come from.
"I... I don't know, I—ow!"
Lily had clutched the piece of mirror to her chest, but her grip had instinctively tightened on it and the sharp edges had sliced her hand open. She dropped the mirror shard and held the now bloody hand close to her, her eyes on the door closer to where the screaming had come from.
The gash in her hand was the least of her problems. That screaming could mean a lot of things, and none of them were good.
Jasmine Reed (Girl 052) had just woken up. There were voices and they woke her up. She had been besides herself, floored, quite literally on the floor, but that was until her fingers landed on her collar and she remembered the room and Mr. Graham and the blood. 'Besides herself' could not possibly describe her reaction. She let out one scream that pierced her ears.
Then she stopped. Jasmine fell into an abrupt silence. The drugs in her system lingered, and the scream made her dizzy. She wanted to scream again. She slapped herself across the face, breathed in through her nose, balled her fingers into fists.
Jesus, Jazz, calm down. Just calm down.
Jasmine sat up. There was a voice, somewhere, but she had an one-track mind and she didn't even consider where the voice was coming from. Jasmine knew she had to get out of there, wherever she was. She scrambled to her feet. She didn't even take in her surroundings, giving herself enough time to recognize that she was behind some sort of counter. There was a bag placed in a wooden chair, oh shit, right, her dufflebag! Jasmine snatched it and threw it over her shoulder.
The library counter was a small island in the corner by the entrance. Jasmine did not see a door or anything of the sort, and in her panic she neglected to check the office behind her. So Jasmine did the only thing she could think of; she scrambled over the counter. What's the worst that could possibly happen?
Well. Jasmine could lose her balance, fall off and land on her head.
Jasmine's mother always told her to take her time. Jasmine was a terrible listener.
"Owww."
Then she stopped. Jasmine fell into an abrupt silence. The drugs in her system lingered, and the scream made her dizzy. She wanted to scream again. She slapped herself across the face, breathed in through her nose, balled her fingers into fists.
Jesus, Jazz, calm down. Just calm down.
Jasmine sat up. There was a voice, somewhere, but she had an one-track mind and she didn't even consider where the voice was coming from. Jasmine knew she had to get out of there, wherever she was. She scrambled to her feet. She didn't even take in her surroundings, giving herself enough time to recognize that she was behind some sort of counter. There was a bag placed in a wooden chair, oh shit, right, her dufflebag! Jasmine snatched it and threw it over her shoulder.
The library counter was a small island in the corner by the entrance. Jasmine did not see a door or anything of the sort, and in her panic she neglected to check the office behind her. So Jasmine did the only thing she could think of; she scrambled over the counter. What's the worst that could possibly happen?
Well. Jasmine could lose her balance, fall off and land on her head.
Jasmine's mother always told her to take her time. Jasmine was a terrible listener.
"Owww."
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MK Kilmarnock
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No time to dwell, not on the reasons for the girl's presence (was Lily dropped in the same building, or did she come here seeking something? What was she looking for?). No time to dwell on her name, either. The Luz family were a large enough bunch, usually conjuring up thoughts of the silly O'Doyle family from Billy Madison. Coleen wouldn't have found it particular outlandish if the Luz family had kids in each grade. She also wouldn't have found it particularly outlandish if they had to use a modified school bus just to go to the supermarket.
There was no time for any of that because of the scream. To think that somebody would take to the advice of their captors so quickly... well, she supposed it wasn't like they had been left with much choice, not with those prohibitive stipulations. In less than 24 hours, one of them HAD to be dead. Otherwise, they'd all be dead, their throats torn from them thanks to these damned metal rings choking their necks.
Coleen imagined that it was the collar's presence that marked the tipping point. Waking up and processing her situation was hard enough, but to have been so... so callously marked as to have a collar on invoked the feeling of being an animal in a cage. Given that they were being 'asked' to fight to the death, a comparison to pit bulls might be more apt.
It had been a few moments since the scream, and Coleen had stepped back far enough that the bookcase no longer covered her from Lily and vice-versa. She looked at the other girl out of the corner of her eye. Her heart sank; if Lily was indeed lying and was also an aggressive party, she was too close to the door to make that a viable escape route. The vulnerability present from having no real weapon held increasing weight, and Coleen decided the best thing to do by this point would be to hide.
Again.
Dragging her bag along with her and keeping a careful eye on Lily, the girl tucked herself behind one of the couches in the reading area, switching her gaze between the door and the girl in front of it, and then towards the direction the scream seemed to come from.
There was no time for any of that because of the scream. To think that somebody would take to the advice of their captors so quickly... well, she supposed it wasn't like they had been left with much choice, not with those prohibitive stipulations. In less than 24 hours, one of them HAD to be dead. Otherwise, they'd all be dead, their throats torn from them thanks to these damned metal rings choking their necks.
Coleen imagined that it was the collar's presence that marked the tipping point. Waking up and processing her situation was hard enough, but to have been so... so callously marked as to have a collar on invoked the feeling of being an animal in a cage. Given that they were being 'asked' to fight to the death, a comparison to pit bulls might be more apt.
It had been a few moments since the scream, and Coleen had stepped back far enough that the bookcase no longer covered her from Lily and vice-versa. She looked at the other girl out of the corner of her eye. Her heart sank; if Lily was indeed lying and was also an aggressive party, she was too close to the door to make that a viable escape route. The vulnerability present from having no real weapon held increasing weight, and Coleen decided the best thing to do by this point would be to hide.
Again.
Dragging her bag along with her and keeping a careful eye on Lily, the girl tucked herself behind one of the couches in the reading area, switching her gaze between the door and the girl in front of it, and then towards the direction the scream seemed to come from.
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ViolentMedic
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Lily saw Coleen move positions out of the corner of her eye. That was probably a good idea. Hide. Wait. But running? That also seemed a good idea. But what if whatever had caused the screaming was out there?
These logical questions did not manifest in her mind clearly, mostly being replaced by a lot of internal screaming. Running narrowly won out, but the urge to stay still and hide only let her legs move in little, tiny steps towards the door.
Then from a nearby counter island sprang the form of Jasmine Reed. Which immediately toppled onto the floor with an amazing lack of grace.
Lily recognised her instantly, although they were not friends nor had they talked much. She mostly knew Jasmine because she was friends with Caedyn, which was reason enough for Lily to, whenever possible, give the girl a wide berth.
Really, if anyone was going to play the game, it was probably Caedyn. Did that make any friends of Caedyn guilty by association? Though, that wouldn't really excuse Lily herself, seeing as her tastes were warped enough to have once seen Caedyn as attractive and interesting.
Lily backed up a little, gingerly picking up the now bloody mirror shard from the ground, before edging back forward. Just in case. Still, a girl falling on her head the moment she appeared didn't make her seem too dangerous. Yet.
"Jasmine? ...Are you alright?" Lily asked slowly. That was asked less out of genuine concern and more because it seemed the polite thing to do when someone fell down.
These logical questions did not manifest in her mind clearly, mostly being replaced by a lot of internal screaming. Running narrowly won out, but the urge to stay still and hide only let her legs move in little, tiny steps towards the door.
Then from a nearby counter island sprang the form of Jasmine Reed. Which immediately toppled onto the floor with an amazing lack of grace.
Lily recognised her instantly, although they were not friends nor had they talked much. She mostly knew Jasmine because she was friends with Caedyn, which was reason enough for Lily to, whenever possible, give the girl a wide berth.
Really, if anyone was going to play the game, it was probably Caedyn. Did that make any friends of Caedyn guilty by association? Though, that wouldn't really excuse Lily herself, seeing as her tastes were warped enough to have once seen Caedyn as attractive and interesting.
Lily backed up a little, gingerly picking up the now bloody mirror shard from the ground, before edging back forward. Just in case. Still, a girl falling on her head the moment she appeared didn't make her seem too dangerous. Yet.
"Jasmine? ...Are you alright?" Lily asked slowly. That was asked less out of genuine concern and more because it seemed the polite thing to do when someone fell down.
Contrary to popular belief, it is extremely hard to stay panicked when you've hit your head so hard you're seeing stars.
Jasmine sat there, holding her head, muttering and cursing, kuso, kuso, kuso. It was a force of habit for her; her parents had no idea what she was saying, after all. To any outsider, though, they'd probably think she was talking gibberish to herself. Maybe that was the case for Lily, maybe not.
When she heard a familiar voice, she looked up. Misty-eyed, frowning, Jasmine was suffering through the pain like a child who just scraped her ankle. It took her a minute to believe it was really Lily Caldwell. Her brain kept saying, "wait, why was Lily here?", "she wasn't there before, I would have seen her," "Why is Lily talking to me, I thought she hated me." Still feeling out of sorts, Jasmine forced herself to speak.
"Oh. Lily? Is that really that you?" She swallowed, her throat dry, "I'm fine, I just fell and - "
That's when she saw Lily's hand. And the blood.
Under normal circumstances, shock would have given her enough time to realize that, no, Lily couldn't have stabbed anyone with that shard of glass. Certainly Jasmine, under normal circumstances, would have taken one look at Lily and understood that a girl that size would not have been able to overpower anyone, not even Jasmine herself.
But these weren't normal circumstances, were they? Jasmine was drugged. She landed on her head only moments prior to her eyes locking with Lily. She was also scared shitless. So all Jasmine could see was the glass shard and blood.
The blood was all she needed to see.
Jasmine screamed. In a sudden frenzy she started to crawl backward, scrambling in the direction of the door. Her eyes never left Lily and her bloodied hand. Her mind was overheated, her eyes wild, her face twisted into a look of sheer terror.
"NO!" She clenched the duffel bag for dear life. "STAY AWAY! D-DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"
... Or what? You'll swing your bag at her?
Jasmine sat there, holding her head, muttering and cursing, kuso, kuso, kuso. It was a force of habit for her; her parents had no idea what she was saying, after all. To any outsider, though, they'd probably think she was talking gibberish to herself. Maybe that was the case for Lily, maybe not.
When she heard a familiar voice, she looked up. Misty-eyed, frowning, Jasmine was suffering through the pain like a child who just scraped her ankle. It took her a minute to believe it was really Lily Caldwell. Her brain kept saying, "wait, why was Lily here?", "she wasn't there before, I would have seen her," "Why is Lily talking to me, I thought she hated me." Still feeling out of sorts, Jasmine forced herself to speak.
"Oh. Lily? Is that really that you?" She swallowed, her throat dry, "I'm fine, I just fell and - "
That's when she saw Lily's hand. And the blood.
Under normal circumstances, shock would have given her enough time to realize that, no, Lily couldn't have stabbed anyone with that shard of glass. Certainly Jasmine, under normal circumstances, would have taken one look at Lily and understood that a girl that size would not have been able to overpower anyone, not even Jasmine herself.
But these weren't normal circumstances, were they? Jasmine was drugged. She landed on her head only moments prior to her eyes locking with Lily. She was also scared shitless. So all Jasmine could see was the glass shard and blood.
The blood was all she needed to see.
Jasmine screamed. In a sudden frenzy she started to crawl backward, scrambling in the direction of the door. Her eyes never left Lily and her bloodied hand. Her mind was overheated, her eyes wild, her face twisted into a look of sheer terror.
"NO!" She clenched the duffel bag for dear life. "STAY AWAY! D-DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"
... Or what? You'll swing your bag at her?
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MK Kilmarnock
- Posts: 1931
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:28 am
- Location: On one of the coasts, generally
Ooooooh no. No no no.
Far too much yelling.
Coleen clapped both of her hands over her ears and crouched down near her bag, clinging to the hope that maybe these two could hash out whatever clumsiness-generated catastrophe was about to befall the library and just leave her out of it. The more she stayed out of the public eye, the better. Nobody ever won a battle of attrition by drawing attention to herself.
She felt dirty for her line of thinking. If the goal of this whole disgusting charade was to get former friends and classmates to distrust one another? Then congratulations. Your stupid little social experiment was a riveting success. Maybe wait a couple more hours and then turn off the cameras, launch an announcement over some PA system if you've got it, and let everybody know they could go home.
Coleen just wanted to go home. She wanted this terrible dream to be over and, in the meantime, she needed everybody to stay the hell away from her. A hug wouldn't be that terrible either which... was rather counterproductive given her aforementioned comfort criteria. Looks like she'd be hugging herself tonight, provided she made it that far.
"Stop... stop..." Coleen murmured, mentally screaming at both Lily and Jasmine far louder than her voice could ever manage.
Just get the fuck away from that stupid door. Come on, guys, it wasn't hard. Just let her out.
Far too much yelling.
Coleen clapped both of her hands over her ears and crouched down near her bag, clinging to the hope that maybe these two could hash out whatever clumsiness-generated catastrophe was about to befall the library and just leave her out of it. The more she stayed out of the public eye, the better. Nobody ever won a battle of attrition by drawing attention to herself.
She felt dirty for her line of thinking. If the goal of this whole disgusting charade was to get former friends and classmates to distrust one another? Then congratulations. Your stupid little social experiment was a riveting success. Maybe wait a couple more hours and then turn off the cameras, launch an announcement over some PA system if you've got it, and let everybody know they could go home.
Coleen just wanted to go home. She wanted this terrible dream to be over and, in the meantime, she needed everybody to stay the hell away from her. A hug wouldn't be that terrible either which... was rather counterproductive given her aforementioned comfort criteria. Looks like she'd be hugging herself tonight, provided she made it that far.
"Stop... stop..." Coleen murmured, mentally screaming at both Lily and Jasmine far louder than her voice could ever manage.
Just get the fuck away from that stupid door. Come on, guys, it wasn't hard. Just let her out.
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ViolentMedic
- Posts: 813
- Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:53 am
At first it was calm. Calm was good. Calm meant no-one was going to die, at least immediately. And then Jasmine just started screaming at Lily like she was a seven-foot-tall muscle-bound ax murderer.
"Wha—" Lily followed Jasmine's gaze to the bloody hand, the bloody mirror shard. Not to mention she still had flecks of blood on her dress from Mr. Graham. "Oh! No, this isn't... I hurt my hand! Look!"
Perhaps holding out her open, gashed hand wasn't the best idea. In her rush to show Jasmine that it was her own blood, she flung out her hand a little wildly and scattered drops of blood in Jasmine's direction. Just waving her hand around made the fresh sting of the injury burn more.
As she flailed her hand around, she looked over in the direction she'd last seen Coleen. Her hand hadn't been bloody when she first walked in. Things had been calm between them before Jasmine had turned up.
"Tell her I didn't attack anyone! I just wanted to check my map!" Lily yelled in Coleen's general direction, panic and frustration entering her voice.
Her feet felt like they were glued to the floor. She didn't back away or get closer, and she didn't drop the mirror shard. She thought about it for a split second—prove she was harmless—but what if Jasmine attacked?
"Wha—" Lily followed Jasmine's gaze to the bloody hand, the bloody mirror shard. Not to mention she still had flecks of blood on her dress from Mr. Graham. "Oh! No, this isn't... I hurt my hand! Look!"
Perhaps holding out her open, gashed hand wasn't the best idea. In her rush to show Jasmine that it was her own blood, she flung out her hand a little wildly and scattered drops of blood in Jasmine's direction. Just waving her hand around made the fresh sting of the injury burn more.
As she flailed her hand around, she looked over in the direction she'd last seen Coleen. Her hand hadn't been bloody when she first walked in. Things had been calm between them before Jasmine had turned up.
"Tell her I didn't attack anyone! I just wanted to check my map!" Lily yelled in Coleen's general direction, panic and frustration entering her voice.
Her feet felt like they were glued to the floor. She didn't back away or get closer, and she didn't drop the mirror shard. She thought about it for a split second—prove she was harmless—but what if Jasmine attacked?