Happy Birthday, You're A Freak

27: It's Like JFK All Over Again

Raeanne

Red. All I could see was red. The moon glowed deep crimson, the sky just a shade lighter with thick clouds. The ground, the walls, everything had the appearance of bleeding. It was silent until I heard a long high-pitched scream. Whipping around I saw something, a girl with dark hair was lying on the ground as a figured stood above her, her eyes were open wide – she was terrified. My brow wrinkled in confusion, why was she scared, the person was just standing there. Then suddenly I watched as her eyes widened further and she seemed to explode. Her body tore itself apart, I watched as turned into blood, exploding all over the stranger and adding another layer to the bleeding world.

The moon burned dark as the figure turned towards me, and stood where I was. Watching the graceful walk towards me. They were wearing a hood, but there was something oddly familiar about the figure. The closer they came the more I could hear, a faint trickling, a light squishing sound with each of the strangers foot steps. I could hear wind faintly, it rustled my hair, some flyaway pieces from my braid flying in my face. The figure came closer, close enough that I could touch them as I reached out to the head lifted and I to started screaming.

I was jolted awake by my scream and I heard a second shout and a thump as Spencer fell off her bed. I noticed I was coated in a layer of cold sweat and I was shaking. My hands gripping the sheets tightly and my face screwed up as I fought away the images. I couldn't remember much, there was Red, and a lot of blood, a mysterious figure. I was panting, but slowly my heart-rate slowed. Spencer had lifted herself back into her bed, “Are you okay Rae?” She asked, looking at me with concern.

Kat was still snoring idly, that girl could sleep through anything. “I'm fine. Just a dream.” Spencer still looked concerned as she pulled her blankets back on and tried to go back to sleep. I sat still for a few minutes and tried to go back to sleep, but I was afraid that I'd dream again, I was about to drift off when an alarm blared. It was loud, almost deafening and Kat and Spencer woke. Spencer had a worried expression on her face, while Kat looked annoyed and like she could kick some major ass.

I tried to talk, but I couldn't even hear myself so I got up, pulled on a sweater over my tank-top and Spencer motioned for us to follow her. So we did. The hallways had a slight red-glow to it, but that was due to the emergency lights being lit. Spencer started to run, so we followed. We ended up in quad off the cafeteria, where sleepy students and teachers arrived looking both worried and scared. The alarm wasn't so loud now and when it seemed like everyone was here the sound stopped and one of the teachers stood up.

She was in her 50's and I idly remember passing her in the hallways, she taught classes to the upper-year students. “Attention please, everyone please. It took a few moments until we all focussed on her. She was pale, almost as white as paper and her voice shook. “There's been an attack, the headmaster is dead.” The whole quad erupted at once, people were crying, talking, screaming, and shocked into silence. I myself made my way through the crowd towards the older woman.

She had a white face and you could see her visibly shaking where she stood. I stepped next to her, and motioned for one of the teachers I was teaching to come forward and support this frail older woman. People were in uproar, so I stood waiting, as slowly they fell silent and looked to me. Squaring my shoulders I managed to raise myself up from the ground, I formed a small stage which made it easier for everyone to view me.

“There is no need for me to talk of the loss we have face, because all of us know what will happen without the headmaster. I know you are scared, but I also know it had to be one of us, here in this quad that committed this deed. So I ask you not to panic.” I shouted, and with these words I erected a stone wall twenty feet tall on all sides. People started freaking out, shouting at me and sobbing. I closed my eyes and felt the energy, from the earth, in the air and from the people. I sifted through their emotions, through their thoughts until I found something.

Opening my eyes I stared right into the eyes of the boy. He was small for his age, probably 5'7'' and his eyes had the eery quality of the air nomads. He was staring straight back into my eyes, the only face of calm out of the entire crowd. I stepped off the stage and the crowd parted as I moved. “Dalton Reis.” He said nothing. I reached him and touched my finger to his forehead, and he fell to the ground, asleep.

I lifted him over my shoulder, and carried him back to the stage, where I secured him to a pole, it was a lamp post just to the left of the stage. I controlled the earth, the vines beneath the ground and wrapped him in place. In his jeans pocket, I found a bloody dagger which I tucked into my belt. I sensed something off about him while he was in the crowd. So touching my finger to his forehead again he stirred, the strangely calm expression still on his face. As soon as his eyes fixed on me I dived into his head, searching until I found it. Taylor. He was trying to escape, but I made it impossible. He was nothing compared to me.

“Well, it seems you have improved.” Taylor's voice echoed from the boys mouth. It sounded just like him, just like Taylor. “You will not get away with this.” I hissed, and when Taylor laughed in return I forced the boy to stop talking. It was too eery. “I believe, my darling, that I already have.” This startled me for just a moment that my grip relaxed on Taylor's mind and the moment I tried to grab him again, he was gone. I shouted and stormed to the wall I had made, and punched it as hard as I could.

The boy, Dalton stood there. Strapped to the pole and he started to cry. I let him free and removed the walls. “Everyone get some rest!” I shouted and slowly the students started trickling away as I paced. The teachers remained, along with Jayden, Kat, and Spencer. “It was Taylor, he took control of that boy, he will remember everything he did, but it wasn't his fault.” I was grinding my teeth. “I lost him! I was trying to keep a hold of him, to try and find anything that would be help-” I was interrupted by a large boom and shaking.

Students who hadn't gone very far screamed. I started yelling out orders to the students. “MEET BACK HERE IN FIVE MINIUTES! THE ATTACK HAS STARTED, GO GET READY FOR BATTLE!” As expected a lot of them started crying. “Come on, we need to get ready.” I ran to my dorm and changed into my unitard. I rinsed the dagger, it was silver and had odd markings on the hilt and blade. Jamming it in my belt I made my way back to the quad where people were gathered now, readied for battle. The small students, under the age of 14 had been led under the school into one of the chambers, close to where Gina was. It was a bunker, with beds, food, a bathroom and enough supplies to last them a month.

I could only hope they would need it for that long. “Remember the plan everybody. Stand and fight. Protect our school. The consequences of this loss will change everything. Be brave, stand with your back straight, your head high. Relax your mind, I know you are afraid. Use your fear, turn it into power. Turn it against them! They want to use you to destroy the world! They want to use you to kill. Don't let him use you, and nobody try to attack Taylor. He's mine.” They ran off to their stations as I stood breathing heavily. Above me I watched a flaming chunk of earth hurtling towards the barrier. The fire was put out and the earth was sent back.

“I can't kill him” I said out loud, “but I can stop him.” Then I too ran.