Doomsday Prepper

May's POV

"So she's Michelle?" I asked, trying to squirm in a spot behind a not-so-concealing bush.

Misty skidded aside for some room for me and took out a note from her pocket. "Yep. That's her alright. The committee's auditor." She put the piece of paper back in her pocket. "I can already tell we won't ever get along."

The girl we were talking about, Michelle, went inside a laundry shop right across the street.

"Just look at her," Misty grunted beside me. "casually doing laundry as if she owns the place. Bitch."

I do remember her from the time when we met in the pharmacy.

Excuse us but we don't have time to listen to your weird occult philosophies.

A vein popped in my head.

I immediately shook the unwelcomed memory off.

"So how do we take her?" I asked Misty eager to take this, as what she said 'bitch', down.

"Easy."She took out a mallet from her shoulder bag, an action that I, of course with utmost urgency, had to stop.

"Woah woah woah!" I held her hands down, sweat trickled down the side of my head. I cautiously looked around hoping no one saw Misty pull out Mr. Ole Wackoo. "I know you don't seem to like her but we don't have to come to this." Thank God no one saw us despite this bush barely hiding two highschool girls.

"Well if you don't want to hurt her to an extent that she'll faint from the pain how else are we gonna bring her to Dawn's house?"

My jaw just dropped.

I don't know if Misty heard herself, but it was like saying murder is okay and totally not illegal. Which I'm pretty sure is illegal and can be charged with lifetime imprisonment.

Or death penalty.

Which, by the way, are much more preferred fate than going to a party then have someone announce that I'm married and is now apt for death by burning.

"So what?" I turned to her. "We just go right there and wack her upside the head then drag her unconscious body back to Dawn's house?"

"I don't see a problem with it." She shrugged.

There are a lot of problems with it.

"I'm too young to be in jail so we are going to do this my way. 'Kay?" I declared.

"Sure."She complied and casually, and magically, placed Mr. Ole Wackoo back to her shoulder bag.

"Just saying.." Misty started as she raised a finger on me. "All I want is for us to be efficient about all of th-mmmhmhm...hmhm"

And I just clipped her mouth shut.

I honestly have no plan how to talk to her or persuade her to come with us. I absolutely need her to come with me but Misty's idea, no matter how convenient and fast it would make a deal out of this situation, still was not an option I was willing to take. I may hate her but not to an extent that I would drag her battered and unconscious body three kilometers to Dawn's house.

Appealing, but inhumane. Sad to say. I'm very humane. Even full of it.

Time was ticking fast, it was already late in the morning and we still got no captive of the journalist committee. And there were like seven or eight of them.

'I'm doomed!' I mentally screamed.

'Do I really need to take her the Misty way?'

Just as I was about to resort to my very first murder charge, an idea miraculously popped in my head. I can't say that this is gonna be a good idea, but it is certainly better than Misty's.

"Mmhnhnn...mhhnmmhn"

"Oh sorry." I unclipped Misty's lips.

"I don't think you have any idea how to do this May." She raised an eyebrow at me. Edging me to commit the homicide.

"Watch."I breathed in deeply and waited for her to come out. "You go ahead to Dawn's house. I don't need help with this." I forced confidence which only made my voice falter like a teenager on his first public speech.

"Are you su-?"

As I saw Michelle out of the shop with her pile of clothes, I burst out of the bush and ran to her like a pitbull on caffeine. Cars and trucks honked as I crossed the road disregarding the red traffic light. She was so shocked, either at me jaywalking without a care or looking at her as if I was gonna take her clothes and ran away.

Spoiler alert!

And I did execute my brilliant plan -took her clothes, ran away and try to lead her to Dawn's house.

'Hmm, not bad. My idea is still better though. And efficient.' I could hear Misty behind me.

And all I did was just run and run. I was not much of a runner but somehow, Michelle was not even more of a runner. I could hear her curse words but I was too focused on how I could reach Dawn's house without fainting from fatigue or fainting from being strangled by an angry teenager for taking her laundry away.

I made a good two-minute run and was about to turn to a final curve to Dawn's house when I saw Misty peeking her head. She waved at me, motioning me to run faster. Too bad she didn't know I was already at my best sprint, which is like an asthmatic three-legged horse. How she got ahead of me, I don't know. But she is the athletic girl of the circle so I just didn't think of it much.

I looked back to check if Michelle was still on my tail and she still was. And also still very angry. "Give me back my clothes witch! I will not be voodoo'd!"

I finally reached the curve where Misty waited. I stopped abruptly and before I could even ask what was she trying to do or how the hell did she get here ahead of me when she pulled Michelle's arm and folded it around her back in a police-subduing-a-suspect way. "Shout and you will shout with pain rather than help." Misty warned. "Tremendous pain."

....

"That's Darlene, Roxanne, Debbie..." Dawn paced around holding a piece of paper, glancing back and forth from the paper and our captives."..Maxene, Remi..."

We were all gathered in Dawn's room together with the journalist committee. We had them all sitting in a tight circle with their backs against one another. Captives, in most movies I have seen, had those eyes filled with terror and despair and body trembling in extreme anxiety. That is logical because captives are living with their lives on the line. One mistake and it will cost them their precious life.

But the captives we had didn't get those qualities, much to my dismay. They were all bored and annoyed like kindergartens refused to play outside by their parents. Maybe because we have not gotten them tied up and begging for their lives like what Misty proposed we make them do. We suck so bad at playing terrorist, needless to say.

"....and Michelle." Dawn clipped her hips. "Good work guys!" She congratulated us, but mostly herself since we (Misty and me) were only able to get Michelle. The rest was all her doings. My jaw just dropped when we brought Michelle over and find out that the rest of the committee was already there bored to death.

If only boredom can cause death then I would have long been bored just not to go to this damned party.

"And especially you.." She batted her eyes at a boy with slate gray spiky hair and stormy gray eyes. "Thank you Lucas."

I didn't notice Lucas the entire time just standing with his back against the closet. Maybe I would have noticed him if only I weren't struggling to catch up my breath from the running shenanigan that I made.

"No biggie Dawn." Lucas approved. "I'm sorry again for the trouble these girls made you go through last semester."

Trouble? Does he mean that time? When the journalist committee tricked Dawn by sending her a letter that supposedly came from Lucas but was actually just a stupid prank?

"I already forgot about it." Dawn chuckled.

Nah she didn't forget about it, this must be the reason why she put her hundred percent participation in this operation -a chance for revenge. And maybe a chance to talk to Lucas since he was high on her crush list.

"The mistress is so gonna kill you Lucas!" Michelle gave him one sharp look. "We won't forgive this betrayal!"

"Girls,"Lucas sighed. "They just have something to talk to you about. This won't take long. Sorry for lying about the urgent meeting" He then looked at Dawn worriedly. "Right?" To which Dawn answered in an unsure tone. "Not really." She shifted uncomfortably.

"Wait, wait, wait." Misty chimed in. "We are missing information here. How in the hell did this happen? We can't just go on and do congratulations without some sort of explanations for this! I demand an answer and I demand one right now!"

"I second the motion." I meekly followed.

As Dawn pulled Lucas away for some private explanations she had to give to him, Leaf filled us in with the information Misty demanded. So while Misty and I separated with Leaf and Dawn, Dawn had asked Lucas to make him gather the girls for her inside her house. Dawn shared how the committee pranked her with his name last semester and that somehow justified all of this. So Lucas agreed to help her gather them to 'his' house for an urgent 'meeting'. Lucas is, by the way, the journalist committee's secretary. It is always his responsibility to call on meetings for the club. How Dawn thought all of this, I just couldn't believe it. She's just so brilliant sometimes.

"I gotta hand it to Dawn. That is indeed a much more efficient way than my way." Misty agreed.

I snorted.

"So wait," We heard Lucas. "We have to make them stay here until the party is over?" Dawn looked at us, here sapphire eyes screaming for help.

Misty was about to say something but I just clamped her mouth shut, Lucas is just way too sparkly and clean to hear Misty's raw, vulgar and nefarious language

"We'll talk to them something." I immediately answered. I looked and saw how the girls slowly turn their heads toward me. They smiled slyly. They knew what I meant. And at that moment I knew that I might need Misty's help.

"This is about yesterday right? Witch?" Remi raised an eyebrow at me. With her very long chestnut bangs, I was surprised how I am still able to see her eyebrows. "You don't want us to tell the whole school?" Maxene followed, her voice seeped poison in me.

"Yes." I answered with a controlled voice. I tried so hard not to show submissiveness, that I was not nervous, anxious or scared. But in the end, my voice gave out to a whimper. "Please?" I tried harder, but it was so difficult with tears brimming at my eyelids.

My knees finally gave way and I bent with them on the floor. Trying hard not to tremble was making me tremble even more. I don't understand why.

"Please.."

The room was so silent that breathing and the ticking clock was all I could hear. I internally wished it wasn't this silent or else my whimpering would only be the audible thing in this room. And of course, I don't want it. That would be horrible.

"Please.."

I felt someone's arm around my waist. I looked up and saw that it was Leaf's arm. Her fair strong arms tried to help me stand up. "Don't do this May, come on." Her voice was firm, yet gentle. "Don't do this." She begged with a voice of an authority.

And at that moment I knew, that in this situation, ironically I was the hostage, the captive. I was the one begging for dear life.

"You heard her right?!" Misty raised her voice. She cracked her knuckles.

"That's easily fixed." Michelle smug, my eyes lit up. "Since we only have a few more months before graduation, I promise, together with the club not to tell anyone. But you have to do us bidding witch. Carry our books, do our homework, clean our shoes, clean our lunch table in the canteen etcetera etcetera. If you do then the secret is safe with us, at least until graduation day. What do you say?"

"You can't be serious?!" Misty growled.

"That's crazy!" Dawn followed.

"You kidnapped us all here to talk right?" Michelle clipped her hips. "Well we are talking already."

"Absurd." Leaf replied.

I stood up and shook away my anxieties and worries. "I agree." I wiped some tears on my cheeks. "I agree." I echoed.

I heard all of my friends gasp. I felt something strong well inside me. A strong sense of determination that was almost indistinguishable with desperation.

"I won't allow this!" Lucas punched the wall beside him. "The journalist committee writes articles about the school! This is not the kind of stuff that we do, this is heinous! I disagree."

"I think it's time for Mr. Ole Wackoo's pounding exercise." Misty slowly took the familiar thing from her bag.

"No! Guys, please." I stood and held them all up. "I can do this. It's not a big deal. There's only like what, three or four more months before graduation. It will be easy. I can do this. Plus it will help me study so I can place a higher honor rank this semester." I heaved, my voice trembled. "It is fine okay? I can do this." My breathing got caught in my throat that my voice cracked.

"Their idea is crazy May, don't you realize it?" Lucas stopped leaning on the wall and stood with his fist, his arms crossed. It sounded weird when he called me 'May' like we were long-time friends, most people at school would just refer to me as 'Maybelle'. He almost sounded like a friend, like a concerned friend. "And why you agree is even crazier."

"You don't know Lucas!" I feared my voice came out a bit louder than I expected. "They know that I'm already married to Drew! And they are going to tell everyone about it tonight! I am fully aware of the craziness of what I'm agreeing to, but me! You! I don't and will never know how crazy it would be for everyone in the school to know that I'm married!" I clawed my hair. "I'm not risking it!"

Lucas dropped his jaw in astonishment. He was clearly not briefed about why or how this situation even came up.

"Why are you helping them Lucas?!" Michelle barked. "You know that she's responsible for the mistress disappearance right?"

"It's because of her why the mistress is suffering so much!" Darlene snarled. "We hurt whoever hurts the mistress!"

"I didn't hurt Brianna!" I whipped my head and replied. "At least not knowingly! And I am fixing this complicated thing between us three with Drew! And yes it's my fault Brianna is not at school now but beca-"

"You deserve to suffer!" The girls gnarled.

"Please let me explain..." I said. "I'm willing to do all of this..everything! I swear.."

"And what May?" Dawn raised her voice at me. "Be their dog? Lick their feet for the rest of the school year? Do you think we will allow you to do that?! That I will allow you to do that?!"

"Don't put is so negatively." I replied. "You make it sound so bad."

"Because damn it is, you big dummy!"

I bit my lips and looked down at the floor. "This is my life Dawn. I get to decide how to live it. You don't have to care. I know it's a bother but I'm already used to this kind of bother. I can take it. It's no big deal honestly."

"I can't believe this is happening right now." And Leaf walked out beside me and slammed the door. Was the door or the walls this thin before? I could hear Leaf crying from the other side. And I forgot that despite her strong-willed nature, she was the most emotionally sensitive girl of the group.

"You can leav-"

Dawn suddenly took strong hold of my collar and pushed me up against the wall. "Listen here May, and listen well." She closed the distance between us whispered harshly."It's your life goddamn you're right. And that's because it's your life why we care so freaking much! We hurt when we see you hurt! We look out for each other! That's what friends are for you big dummy! Ugh! You're supposed to be smarter than me but you're making all these stupid choices that it hurts! I look up to you so much that seeing you like this breaks my goddamn heart!" She balled her fist and pounded the wall twice behind me. "You don't get to break my heart before a boy I will love does! Hear me!"

She looked at me with so much fierce and fire in her eyes that it thawed the ice of despair around my sense of self.

"I would rather bury them alive, go to jail and miss an entire season of Shingeki no Kyojin and Tokyo Ghoul than see you as their dog! For Pete's sake!"

Dawn was shaking the hell out of me, her glossy sapphire eyes twinkling with withheld tears. I realized so many things, my decision was selfish and narrow-minded. I didn't put my friends' feelings into consideration. That I was acting like one big lunatic.

Fear and anxiety inside me slowly morphed into guilt, which was twice as heavy and horrible dragging me down to the deep darkness of shame.

"I'm sorry..." And then I hugged her tightly trying to crush whatever space there was between us, rib cages, lungs, skin and everything. She hugged me back tightly.

And Misty also joined the hug. "Let's all bury them alive together."She wiped a tear from her face.

"This makes me sick." I heard one of the girls utter. Was it Debbie or Remi? I don't know.

"Okay witch." Michelle declared. "I'll think about it after you explain to us where the mistress is. You seem to know something we don't."

I gulped silently and wiped something from my eyes. "Okay."

And again, I became a storyteller like the previous days. Only this time, I was story-telling to a different audience. Dawn walked out to get Leaf, she was really crying and I told her sorry. And Dawn was off to get cookies since it was already past noon while we all sat down. I took a deep breath and told them what I knew about Brianna, everything Drew told me and what Brianna herself had told me.

I told them where she is right now. I also told them about Brianna's childhood, how she was bullied, how her grandmother had died and how her family got into a complicated and complex situation of trying to be together. I said my part where I pushed her to forgive her mother and how she didn't want it at first. I tried very hard because I knew her mother was sick and I don't want her to live a life of regret. Basically, I told them that I was trying to help her and be her friend.

Dawn came back with a bowl of freshly baked cookies and sat down too.

I also told them about Oreo and that she was the one I decided to give a gift this Christmas. I also showed them the text I received from her this morning just to add to my credential.

"I..I didn't know." Michelle's lips trembled. "I didn't know this side of her story."

"So she was trying to live a new life.." Debbie took out a handkerchief from her pocket. "Mistress....." And she sobbed and wheezed on Michelle's shoulder.

"She was so strict that she was only trying to look strict, always trying to make herself busy. She didn't want anyone to know her suffering."

"Everything was just a facade. We were too naive."

"How can we call ourselves her friend if we are this naive? We don't deserve her.."

The story was supposed to make them understand the situation, make them change how they should treat or feel about Brianna, but surprisingly it only made them feel remorseful. They all howled tears silently.

"Guys." I called them out. "Brianna is aware that you all care. I'm pretty sure about it. The reason why she hadn't shared it is because it is a sensitive part of her past and only she can decide who to share that with. Just because she didn't tell you doesn't mean that you are all less of a friend to her. Maybe the reason why she hid it from you is because she's the kind of girl who doesn't want to get pitied on. She is a strong girl and that's why I admire her too."

They all looked at me with eyes filled with misery.

"You think so witch?" Michelle asked. "Sorry, I mean May?"

I nodded. "All we can do is hope for her relationship with her mother to get fixed."

The story-telling I made lasted for almost two hours. It was almost four in the afternoon already and the bowl of cookies has long been empty, two more hours before the party. After the story, we all had mutual emotional agreements and talked about what to do with her when she comes back from LaRousse.

"We should have taken better care of her" I heard Michelle say.

I initially thought that the journalist committee were all just girls out to get me just for the sake of, well, getting me. They all just care about Brianna which made me think about something. She didn't tell them her story yet, somehow, she radiated it to them that she needed somebody without literally asking for it. These girls made their way just to protect her and make her happy, even if it meant destroying me. I'd say, she made wonderful friends.

"So what do you say?" I gulped. "Will you still tell everyone about my marriage with Drew?"

"I guess we won't do it anymore." Michelle breathed out. "We believed your story but we won't really believe it until we can confirm it with the mistress. But until then, it will stay as a secret with us."

I placed a hand over my chest and exhaled. "Thank goodness." I muttered. "Thank you!" I started crying again but it was with tears of joy this time.

"Wait." Michelle held a finger in front of me. "Come to think of it, the final verdict is not on me since I'm just the auditor of the committee."

"That means?" I asked.

"It's Ursula who you have to persuade, not me. She's the vice president. By the way, why is she not here?"

And this roller coaster of fear and relief just never ends for me. Why?