I See You

Chapter III

I couldn't take listening further with the three girls earlier, so I left.
They knew my sister and even talked about her; just hearing it all over again felt terrible. 
 
*the sound of the door creaking as it opens*
 
Everything looks very much the same here. Cassidy's room sits on the second floor of the house, looking over the road and into the sun. I can even see the orange hue reflecting from the window now that the sun is setting. On the right-hand side of the door, when you walk in, there is a feature wall with a small white window towards the top. Under the small window is her bed, and to the left is a bedside table with a gray-shaded lamp on top. Beside the bed are a set of wood-stained, patterned drawers with a full-length mirror. Her computer desk, a shelf with books and framed photos, and several wall-mounted posters of her favorite band are situated on the opposite side of the room. I lay down on the carpeted floor at the bed's edge and rested my head on the covers; it felt fairly warm, as if she's still here. I wish she was. I closed my eyes, trying to make them rest for a bit. 
 
*****
 
The cold air woke me up, and I noticed it was already dark. I'm not planning to sleep at all, but I guess I did. I didn't know walking around the neighborhood would be that tiring. I might have left the window open since the air is blowing through the sheer curtains of Cassidy's room, making it more cold. The room is pitch black, so I reached for the switch to turn on the lights. Then I heard a loud thud. I was terrified for a second, wondering where that sound had come from. I walked towards the door and looked with hopes of seeing Dad, but I'm even more surprised to see no one except a Nordic wooden figure of a bird that used to be hanging beside the doorway of Cassidy's room, laid down on the floor. Well, maybe it is just the wind, but I protest for a second because no wind would ever take that figure down that easily. 
 
"Agatha, dinner's ready.”
Dad called from downstairs.
 
“Cominggg!”
 
*****
 
The next day 
 
I can hear the sound of leaves being crunched with every step as I walk towards the West Hall of Littlewood High. I can't really imagine what I will expect in the next 24 hours in this place, and I have talked with the admissions counselor, Mrs. Elsher, and already settled all my papers so I can attend classes today. I was walking behind her because she needed to send me to my room to meet Mr. Poverly, my academic advisor for the rest of my junior year. And to also introduce me to the class I'm attending. Not that exciting, really; if this were not for Cassidy's sake, I wouldn't be here anyway. We stopped by the doorway, and Mrs. Elsher was talking with Mr. Poverly about taking me over so I could start my day with current lectures. He then looked my way and smiled at me. Mr. Poverly might be in his late 20s, but he looked young for his age, with an immaculate appearance that was incredibly tidy and clean. He gave off the impression of being a teacher that you would find attractive. 
 
“Come in, Ms. Hansley; I'll introduce you to the class.”
 
He guided me to enter the room, and I saw some familiar faces from the funeral—those friends of Cassidy's. I guess I can still recall one of them, if only a little. I guess the one sitting nearest to the window is Tina. Some are also familiar, but I don't know their names. Tina struck me the most at the funeral, maybe because her face is easy to remember and her name too. Now I'm starting to sound like a bore. Everyone is looking at me, and I can hear them whispering. 
 
“So this is our new transferred student, Agatha Hansley. She just recently moved here to LittleWood High from Colorado.”
 
I said nothing about myself since I didn't think anyone would be interested in getting to know me. I also took up the slack. Making introductions is something I detest doing. This kid in this room was just staring at me and whispering. They might think Cassidy is my twin. Just a wild guess, because that's most likely what we get from impressions from people and neighbors before too. Mr. Poverly told me to sit beside the guy who was wearing a gray Nike sweatshirt, just a few meters by the window on the last row. Great, I'm in the back of the class. I don't need to worry about anyone staring at me, can I? 
 
“Henry Matisse is one of the most remarkable artists of his time.”
 
Although I don't seem to be a big fan of lectures, I'm interested in this one. Since Henri Matisse is one of my favorite artists, his painting "The Joy of Life" generates sentiments of joy, calm, and pleasure. Many people consider the 1906 masterwork to be among the most significant paintings of the 20th century. All I did was agree to what Mr. Poverly was saying by slightly nodding and bracing up my head with one hand while scribbling on my notes with the other. I'm still paying attention after just hearing him speak. 
 
Scribble. Scribble. Scribble
 
I stopped when a hand slipped over my table. It's the man wearing the gray Nike sweatshirt. Next, he raises his hand and leaves a piece of paper on top of my table. I looked at him, perplexed. and picked up the paper to read it. 
 
 
The madness got to you too?
 
I looked back at him, even more confused. 
 
“I'm sorry? What do you mean? ”
 
He didn't say a word; he just
smiled cunningly, sending chills down my spine.