Chapter 5: Camera Footage

Lillian looked over the now crowded hallway, searching for an explanation as to what just happened. She was in so utter confusion, she didn't hear Connor talking to her.

When the girl materialized, a sharp throb of pain shot through her right arm. She had thought she could faintly see the blue letters that laid there just weeks before.

Of course, that was madness. Julia was dead, Lillian had to have imagined it. Lillian was just missing her soulmate and thought she saw her come back.

But when she looked up again, the looks on everyone's faces told her otherwise. The hallway was filled with murmurs and faces laced with fear and confusion. Whether the disappearing girl was her soulmate or not, something strange was going on.

It took Lillian a second to realize Connor was talking. Not necessarily to her, as he was just nervous ranting, but she figured she should be listening.

"…And even if it was a phantom, how did it touch you and Tristin?" She turned to him, listening into his nonsense. Though, after what just happened, he had better theories than her. "Maybe it was some mass hallucination and we all inhaled toxins or something. But, still, it doesn't cover the fact that Tristin is crying with a blood covered face, does it, Lilli? Wait, what if--"

"I think she was my soulmate."

Connor stopped talking and looked over at her. Instead of disbelief or confusion, his face held understanding, almost excitement. "Your soulmate came back to life!"

Lillian shook her head. "No, she's still dead."

Connor's face morphed into confusion this time before she looked down at her arm. Her soulmark was fading again, but this time it felt less sad. It was more like a challenge to figure this out. And, sense be damned, she would figure it out.

"Lillian." A stern feminine voice brought her out of her thoughts. When Lillian looked up, she saw her tenth grade teacher, Mrs. Williams holding Tristin and staring daggers at her.

"Fighting is not tolerated in this school. I will have to take all three of you to Mr. Woods' office."

Tristin stood up, glaring at anyone who looked his way.

The teacher led them down the hallway to the principal's door.

Not many students liked Mrs. Williams. Not because she was a bad teacher—she was a great teacher—but because she was so strict. She had a set of rules and her students followed them, and if they didn't they were punished to the degree she found appropriate.

But she could go overboard with punishment, making her one of the less popular teachers.

She sat the three of them down in the waiting area and pulled a pad of sticky notes from her pocket, ripping the top one off. She scribbled a few words on the paper and handed it to a lady at the front desk. She then walked out of the room, to her classroom as the bell had already rang.

The next few minutes were filled with awkward silence, briefly interrupted a few times by people walking by their chairs.

Tristan continued to sulk, and Lillian could feel the nervous energy radiating from Connor. Even being the energetic, wild boy he was, he could be unbelievably anxious at times. And, as much as it happened to him, getting in trouble was number on on the list of those times.

Lillian glanced at him, seeing the way his knee was bouncing and his left hand was fidgeting with a piece of his bracelet.

She put her arm on his shoulder, drawing his attention. "Hey, they'll check the security footage and see that we didn't do anything wrong. It'll be okay."

Connor opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Tristin scoffing.

"Didn't do anything wrong? You punched me and the footage will show the same," He said from Lillian's left, making Connor start playing with his bracelet again.

Lillian couldn't understand what Tristin meant. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew she didn't punch him. The footage would show a girl appearing, hitting him, then fading again, she was sure of it.

Neither Lillian nor Connor replied to Tristin's confusing comment. They all sat quietly, waiting to be called into the principal's office.

And, eventually, that moment finally came. The secretary sitting behind the front desk said their names and beckoned them into the door beside her.

They walked into the small room, sitting on the worn red couch at the side of the room.

A short old man turned around in his chair to face them. His face was wrinkled and filled with laugh lines, and his short gray hair framed his face with a salt and pepper beard.

He spoke, catching the students off guard, having grown used to the silence.

"I must admit, I wasn't too shocked to see Tristin and Connor in here, but Lillian, I was surprised to see your face in the waiting room." He talked in a deep voice with authority that would make almost anyone stop and listen to him.

Lillian wasn't dazed by this, she had expected something like it. Never having been sent to the principal's office then seemingly randomly getting in a fight was what most would put past her.

"And even though this is your first infraction, we take fighting very seriously here and your punishment will not be lenient." Mr. Woods' eyes scanned a small stack of papers on his desk.

"Sir, neither one of us hit Tristin," Lillian said.

The principal looked up from his writing and fixed his gaze on her. There was almost amusement in his eyes.

"Yet, Mrs. Wiliams, Tristan, and a hallway of people say otherwise. Though, we can take a look at the camera if you would like."

Lillian nodded, still certain that the tapes would show what she saw.

Me. Woods sighed and typed something on his computer monitor. He motioned them all behind him so they could see the screen.

The recording of the hallway right before the fight started playing.