CHAPTER 1: Behind her death

After one year, another school year starts.

Chloe Anne Padilla is on her 8th Grade. She was one of the students who witnessed the tragic death of Emily May Dominguez.

She should be on her 9th grade this year but Emily's tragic death keeps on hunting her in her dream and it almost affected her life. So, she had to stop because it worsen her if she continues to attend school.

When her parents found out about it, they decided to undergo her a psychiatric treatment in one year to overcome her mental illness, as they assume. Now, she's ready to face another event of her life.

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A weeks passed by, a rumors spread around the school.

Chloe sits on the lounge. She takes out her lunch box and opens it. There is bread and butter on it as her lunch.

When she starts eating, she hears the conversation of two girls who slowly walked by at her back.

"Did you hear that? Emily died because of a spiral curse" a girl student said to her friend.

"Really? What kind of curse is that?" a friend's reaction with unbelievable look.

" Someone said that it is a curse of a bloody girl wearing our uniform." she continued.

"Bloody girl?"

" Yes, she was murdered. No one knew who did it.... and it started" giving a scary face.

A girl's friend gets scary "Oh, Come on. Stop saying it now. It shivers me" and walk away.

Chloe feels uneasy after it. Something is bothering her. She quickly finished her lunch.

The school bell rings. Students attend their regular class hours.

Starting today, everything is a normal day for everyone but.. how about for Chloe?

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, everyone goes out to go home while she's the only one left in one of the classroom of third floor.

She puts her things inside her bag when she hears a voice.

"Psssst. Want to know a secret?" a voice said to her. It gets her attention. She looks around but nobody is there except her.

A bunch of girls is walking by the classroom, laughing hard.

"Maybe, it is one of them" she said to herself and stares at them. She looks them carefully, assuming that one of them did it but it looks like they didn't notice that she's inside.

"The voice... sounds familiar when it whispered to me" she mumbles and picks up her bag.

A knock sound, in the girl's toilet room, gets her attention. It was so loud as if someone falls to the ground.

She enters the toilet room but no one is there.

Then, "Do you want to die?" a voice again.

But this time, it sounds like it is from a different person.

" Don't look around if you want to live!" another voice said, loud and clear.

Because she still want to live, she didn't look back.

She wanted to leave but her legs are numbing and her body is sweating as she couldn't move it.

An awful smell spreads the entire floor that makes her want to throw out what's in her stomach.

"Help!" she says in her mind. She couldn't utter a word or shout.

"Help! Help! Help!" she keeps saying it even though it's useless.

"Do you want to die?" that voice again.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?" she asked but, still, she couldn't say a single word.

"If you die, you couldn't come back. You will become more envious of life" a girl appears in front of her. She is wearing the same uniform filled with blood on her body.

"N.. No" she answered.

"... But you were desperate to die one year ago" she said as she looks into Chloe's eyes.

"Do you remember why Emily died?" she continued with a devilish smirk as she looks to Emily nearby, watching them somewhere.

" I didn't intend to do that!" she shouted. Finally, a word comes out from her.

She can move now.

That bloody girl disappears but her voice is heard from somewhere.

" Remember, Chloe? " she starts to make her remember it.

" Let's start from the beginning" she said.

Two months ago before the year of Emily May Dominguez's death, Chloe has bullied by Emily's circle of friends when the school year starts.

They had crippled her books into pieces when no one was around except them.

They had took her lunch box and hid it.

Chloe hated them very much but for her, Emily was different.

She is beautiful, kind and smart.

That was what she thinks.

Until one day, she sees her true color.

She accidentally spills a can of milk to Karen, closest friend of Emily, in the Canteen.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Karen shouted at her.

"I.. I'm sorry" she apologized.

"Sorry? Is that the only thing you can say?!" she said with anger.

"I'm...sorry" she apologized again.

Karen smirks as she is getting an idea on how to solve it.

" I'll forgive you, if you give me your uniform as exchange of the damage you have done" she said as she is stepping forward all and pulls her hair with force.

" I.. It hurts" she said as she is in excruciating pain

" Just deal with it or I.." she didn't continue what she is going to say when Emily stops her.

"Karen! That's enough!" Emily comes to the rescue, as what Chloe thinks.

Then, Emily whispers to Karen "There are many students here. Why won't we deal with it somewhere?" she suggested with smirk.

This moment is shocking to Chloe. She can't believe of what she said.

Yes, she hears it from Emily. The only person she idolized the most.

This darken her mood but she's too weak to deal with it like this.

" Okay, Chloe. Let's deal with it somewhere" as Karen put her arm on Chloe's should and dragged her somewhere.

Chloe is resisting. This makes her escape from Karen's arms.

But, Emily gets her and starts tearing her uniform in front of all students in the Canteen.

"Ooops! I didnt mean it" she said with a smirk.

Chloe was feeling hurt of what Emily did to her.

The Emily she idolizes, no longer exist.

At home in the evening, Chloe cries and cries. She doesn't want to go to school anymore.

Then, Someone texted her

"Hello, It's me. I am outside your house. Let me borrow three thousand pesos " - Emily

She is afraid of her. She doesn't want to go out but she has to because she doesn't want another shameful things to happen.

She steals money from her mother's wallet. It is difficult for her but she has no choice. She's too weak for this.

She goes outside. She sees Emily, waiting for her.

"Don't make me wait for too long, fool" Emily said.

" I.. I'm sorry" she apologized.

" The money?" Emily asked. She gives it to her.

" Don't worry. I'll pay for it" she apologized.

" I'm sorry. I went overboard. Sorry.." she continues.

Chloe knows that Emily already apologized. But, deep inside it is too difficult for her to accept it easily.

"Anyway, I'll return this money by next month" Emily gives her assurance for the payment.

Emily is walking out to go now.

Chloe is starting to build hatred to Emily.

"I wish.. you die! " she said in her mind with anger and hatred.

In the morning, she wakes up early. But, she doesn't want to go to school. She makes an excuses to her parents that she doesn't feel good. So, they make her stay at home.

She opens her Facebook account. The students in her school are panicking because of a bad news.

" What happened? " she asked in the group chat of the class.

" Be happy, Chloe. Emily was in car accident last night. She's under comatose right now" Karen replied to her.

" Delighted? " she continued but Chloe feels a sarcastic tone on her message.

She doesn't reply.

She sighs and feels good, literally. For the first time since the school year starts, she smiles and she decided to go to school.

Before the class starts, Karen and the circles surrounds her.

" I'm sorry for what we did Chloe" Karen apologized.

Something is different to Emily's friends. She doesn't want to become their friend but...

"but, it's better than before.. " she said to herself.

" We're sorry" the circles apologized too.

" It is Emily's fault. Sorry." Karen said to her.

" Yeah, it's her fault. She deserves what she happened to her" the circles added.

And everything changes.

Emily's friends become Chloe's friends. She feels lively and happy.

Everyone seems so nice to her. No bullying because Karen is there to protect her.

After two months, The teacher introduces a student, Emily May Dominguez.

" I.. It's her!" she said to herself in mind.

" Class, Emily was in a car accident last two months ago. Because of it, she doesn't have her memory" the teacher said her condition.

Everyone starts gossiping.

"Yes, she forgets her memory of five years. The doctor said it is maybe temporary or not" she added.

Emily is smiling at her. She looks so different.

She keeps smiling at everyone. She looks like an innocent girl who didn't shame other students before.

She's a complete opposite of Emily they have known for so long!

Someone puts an arm on her shoulder.

" Karen.." she called the name.

" She's so different, right?" Karen asked. She nods.

" But, she's still our friend" Karen said as she starts walking to where Emily is and starts talking to her.

Her friends are turning their back and go to Chloe. They acted differently again. As if, they didn't ask for forgiveness. As if, they didn't ask her to become friends. As if, everything is going back to where they are before.

"Noooooooooo!!" she shouted in her mind.

"They are my friends! They are mine! Not yours, Emily!"

Then, a thought comes in her mind. There are many WHAT IFs in her head.

But, the only WHAT IF she scared the most is

" What if, they will leave me behind because she already come back?"

"I'm... I'm scared" she mumbles.