Hands of Dread

Sitting through Organic Chemistry with Prof. Celeathe Northum was getting harder with each passing second. I stared at the clock on the far side of the west wall and watched the second-hand click unhurriedly. I noted down the notes by Northum as he jotted down the important points on the white board.

I hadn't slept a blink after what I had read last night. Or more precisely, the morning. Someone knew who I was. And not as Nyla Richards but as Nyla Jennings. No one here knew who I truly was, except for my siblings. And I wouldn't dare to think any of them would have slipped up and accidentally revealed our surnames to anyone. Whoever wrote the note knew who I was and what I was actually there for. And their claim to help me? Could I've really trusted this person? No, I couldn't. I don't even know who they were. Except for an initial marking on the note, there was no name or a clue where the note could have come from. What if they were telling the truth? What laid behind the yellow door that could give me an inkling about my father's killer? And why was it at the school? So many questions filled my head that I was almost engulfed with its mystery.

Just as the bell rang, I jumped up from my seat faster than anyone else in class. Embarrassed by my over-enthusiasm and everyone's confused stares, I sat back down slowly. Daxton snickered beside me and Lexin frowned cutely. After giving us our homework for the week, Northum trotted out of the class. Avery hobbled next to me as soon as he left.

"What's up, girl? What the hell happened to you there?" Avery asked.

"My leg fell asleep. It was a reflex," I said, picking up my books from the table.

"Well, that was the first time I ever saw you do that." Avery followed me out of the class and towards the lockers.

"You know what they say, everything has a first time." I chuckled nervously. Avery looked at me funnily. Clearing my throat, I turned around to look for Hayden but noticed him walking towards me. A smile inched up on my face.

"Oh no! It's my time to leave. Enjoy lover-birds! I'll save you guys a seat at the cafeteria." With that Avery sauntered away.

Hayden leaned in and kissed my forehead. A blush warmed my cheeks. "Hey," he whispered.

I leaned against the lockers and locked my eyes with his beautiful hazels. So vibrant and full of life. Unlike the cold, liquid silver eyes that stared, no, 'glared' at me with contempt. Suddenly, I frowned. Why the hell had I thought of 'that' guy? Shaking my head, I smiled more brightly at Hayden. But Hayden's smile dipped slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just hungry."

Hayden grinned and pulled me closer to him. "Always the foodie, my sweety."

"Sweety?" I laughed. "You've never called me that?"

Hayden shrugged. "It's not so bad, is it?"

"No. It's just extremely cheesy and corny. I thought you hated that stuff." I placed my arms around his waist.

"Well, maybe I did once. I don't mind it much now."

Cocking a brow, I looked at Hayden. "You don't?"

"No. I'm actually considering calling you 'baby' or 'sweetheart'." He leaned in closer, boring his naughty gaze into mine.

"Ugh!" I mocked gagging. "I got goosebumps."

Hayden threw back his head and laughed. "All the more reason for me to call you that."

I pulled away from Hayden. "Don't you dare or I'll kick your ass."

"I would love it if you did." Hayden smirked, leaning his side against the locker with his hands shoved in his dark jeans pockets.

"Ah! Pervert!" I moved backwards, one step at a time. "If I knew you were like that, I would haven't ever dated you."

Hayden laughed even more loudly. "You would. Because you 'love' me."

I giggled as I twirled on my heels and ran away from him. His cheesy words made me cringe but at the same time made me feel giddy. I could hear Hayden's loud footsteps behind me when arms wrapped around me, pulling me in an embrace. I laughed as the arms picked me up off my feet.

"Hey! Put me down, Hayden!" I screamed, giggles filled the air. But the hold got tighter around my waist, almost knocking me off my breath. "Hayden! Ugh! You're hurting me." I twisted slightly to look over my shoulder and gasped when I realized the arms wound around me didn't belong to Hayden.

"Who... who are you?" I squeaked as I tried to wriggle myself out of their grasp.

The arms that held me tight belonged to a boy with a large build. He wore a misty green T-shirt and a wide, nefarious smile. "Just someone who wants to play around," the boy said, hauling me higher as he led me to a dark room. I could hear Hayden calling out my name from afar. I opened my mouth to scream when the boy's hand covered it. "Now, now. The game that I want to play only requires two people. I don't like a third person ruining the fun." He pulled me into a room.

Pushing me down on a mattress that I soon realized to be a crash mat. Crawling on my fours, I opened my mouth yet again to let out a scream when the boy grabbed my ankle and pulled me toward him. Fear aroused in my chest and trembles shook my body. In the flickering lights of the dingy room, I could barely make out his face. But one thing that caught my eye was his scar across his forehead. Shaped in the form of a heartbeat, it glowed a light hue of crimson. It shined bitterly upon his dark-green eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice shaking with dread.

The boy snickered. "Because I can." He lifted his hand and suddenly I could feel all four of my limbs pinned down to the mat. What the hell? How is he doing this?

The crimson color shone bright, indicating to me that the scar was no ordinary mark but his Nalin. His arm snaked upward, tracing the side of my body and covering my mouth. "Don't want you trying to scream again."

But this time I was prepared.

As soon as his hand moved to cover my mouth, I shifted my head slightly to the left and bit down his palm. The boy shuffled back in pain. "You bitch!" His eyes shimmered with fury as he was ready to attack me. I closed my eyes, awaiting the assault when the door slammed open. The light blinded me for a minute before it adjusted and I realized who stood on the other side.

You must be guessing it was Hayden or Shade! As it's an obvious choice! But as you can see, this was not an obvious story.

"What the fuck are you doing, Yeeza!" Hyrad screamed.

"Hyrad! I... um...." The boy, whose name was finally revealed to me as Yeeza, stuttered as his gaze shifted from between Hyrad and me. Frankly, I thought it was a very unusual name for an Eybosnian. But Eybosnians were quite unusual themselves.

Hyrad marched into the room and caught Yeeza by his collar, slamming him against the wall. "You better give me a good explanation or I will haul your ass personally to Reformation."

Did she say Reformation? Were Eybosnians also sent to that hellhole? Wasn't it a place only for the troubled outcasts of a different planet?

Shade sauntered into the room and stood by the door like a guard. His hands locked behind his back and his feet a width apart. Yeeza noticed Shade and began panicking even more than before.

"I will give you three seconds, Yeeza." Hyrad's voice was frighteningly low. "Three... two... one." Hyrad pulled back her hand and threw a right hook against Yeeza's chin. A crunching noise echoed throughout the room. The invisible restrains holding me down suddenly vanished and I was able to move again.

Hyrad glanced over her shoulder and signaled Shade to come closer. He stalked inside daringly and plucked Yeeza from Hyrad's hold as though he was trash. And in truth, he was. Shade walked out of the room with Yeeza's sobbing hysterically. Hyrad grudgingly helped me up and moved back.

"Why did you help me?" I asked stupidly. I knew I shouldn't have asked her that because for once since I've arrived at the school, I was genuinely happy to see her.

"I didn't do it for you. I'm the student-body president and it's my job that every student is safe. Even if 'that' is someone as vexing as you," Hyrad said.

I suddenly remembered what Hyrad's Nalin power was. Tracking. She had tracked me. If it were any other case I would have been pissed but for now, I was glad.

"Thank you," I said, fixing my clothes.

Hyrad watched me through her periphery before nodding once and leaving the room. The shock of what had happened still tainted my mind. I walked slowly towards the next class that we had after lunch. I sat down on my seat in the lonely room and laid my head down on the table. Sighing, I closed my eyes. The feel of his hands still lingered on my body and just the thought of it had me shiver. I found myself laying in the darkness surrounded by the shroud of his malice. I couldn't help but wonder what I would have done if Hyrad hadn't barged into the room that moment. The reverie I had found myself in was not only dark but cold and lonesome. Filled with terror and anxiousness. When suddenly, all the negativity ejected out of my thoughts with a warm glow embracing me. All my past fears had dissipated and replaced with a halo fervor.

I blinked my eyes open and felt a sudden wave of calmness engulf me. All the thoughts of fear had disappeared with the warmth that I had felt a while back. I looked around and found myself sitting idly in the room with only a gentle breeze of afternoon air blowing through the open window. I noticed a peach laying on my desk and a note underneath it. Rubbing away the weariness of my sleep, I picked up the white, crinkled paper. Unfolding it, I was taken aback.

'You'll be fine, Nyla Jennings. Though I really wish it had never happened. But don't you be scared. They have it under control. You are safe here. Nothing of such sort will ever happen again with you. It's my vow to you.

-Z'

It was that person again! Who was he? Or she? The mystery that shrouded behind the anonymous person was equally matched to the secrecy that laid behind the yellow door. And how did they find out about what just happened? Were they a student as well? Or could it be a teacher? Could they have been the person to make Hyrad look for me? I quickly got up and peeked outside the room. Not a single soul walked in the corridor. I leaned against my desk and picked up the fruit. Rubbing it slightly against my jeans, I took a bite, wondering what the hell was going on.

~*~*~*~