Bane Academy: To Run From Fear

Chapter 14

Shae

The four of us; Dale, Becca, Fade and I; are moving towards Alby's office through the maze in the middle of the night with a storm circling above our heads. Rain starts to pour heavily all of a sudden. Bolts of lightning flash all across the sky so beautifully, some even strike earth far off in the horizon. While the scenery is beautiful, Dale's unwanted commentary is not.
"It's all your fault, you know. The only time I've ever gotten detention, and it's when you three are around." Dale whines. He looks to his right, thinking of yet another thing to complain about. "Also, my hairs getting wet. And you better not forget the way in here! I don't want to get stuck in here with you three."
"Ugh, we all don't wanna get stuck here with you." Becca sighs. "And shut up already."
"Alby's office is like thirty meters away. Thank god." Fade says, speaking for the first time tonight.
"Yay, no more complaining from Dale." Becca adds.
"Uh, guys? Why is Shae's bag moving?" Fade asks.
"Hmm? It's not moving." I say slinging my bag around to my front. "Quiet." I whisper.
BUMP.
"Not yet." I whisper again.
BUMP. BUMP.
Dale gasps. "It's gonna explode!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Becca snaps at Dale. "Shae, what's in your bag?"
"I told you, it's-" Before I can finish, Skia breaks the zip on my bag and pops her head out in her fox form.
Becca's scold quickly turns into a huge smile. "Skia? Oh my god!"
Skia jumps out of my bag and runs towards Becca while she gets down on the ground. Becca hugs Skia while Skia licks her face all over in excitement. Skia then runs to Fade, who pats her on the head a few times, then stuffs his hands into his pockets and looks away again like he doesn't care.
"You don't have to act so 'macho' all the time, Fade." I say.
"Umm..." Dale interrupts. "The fuck were you guys doing?"
"What?" Fade asks.
"He can't see Skia, remember?" I remind Fade.
"I can't see who?"
"Doesn't matter." Becca snaps at Dale then turns back to Skia. "I'm so relieved, I thought I'd never see you again."
"What do you mean? If she's not at the dorm, you know she'll be at the garden." I say.
"I know, but it's just that I thought she was gone after I-" Becca stops, pursing her lips.
"After you what?" I ask, my muscles tense up, forcing me to stand up straight. I don't know where she's going with this, but I don't like it.
"Why do you think I did something?" She asks, nervously laughing and playing with the hem of her shirt.
"Becca, you better tell me what you fucking did or I swear I'll-"
"Guys, cool it." Fade interrupts my threat.
"Stay out of it." I snap.
"Okay." Fade says simply.
Becca turns to Fade with almost pure betrayal. "That's it? You're not going to defend me? You give up just like that?"
"Why should I defend you?" Fade raised his voice, but is strangely still calm.
Becca's face becomes despondent, she takes a weak step back and relaxes her fists. "What..?"
"You're messing with my head! One day you resent me and the next, you're all over me!"
"So that's what you guys were doing out." Dale smirks.
"Shut up, Dale!" The three of us shout.
"And what about what you were saying before, Becca? What was it that you did?" I interrupt.
"Ugh, when will you get off my back?!" Becca asks.
"When you tell me." I fold my arms.
"Fine! I told John Green that you were keeping a dangerous animal in the school!" Becca shouted angrily, but afterwards looked sad. "I regretted it immediately after I said it."
Skia's ears droop and so does her tail. She whimpers and stands behind me.
My eyes twitch and my muscles tense right back up again. Two things annoyed me, the obvious one was that she told a staff member about Skia, which meant that I could've had Skia taken off me and she could've possibly been killed. And the second thing was that she described Skia as a 'dangerous' animal. Skia's biggest fear is turning back into a Maniae and Becca goes and says that. Who does she think she is?
"You were the one who told John?" I whisper.
No reply.
"You tried to take away the only thing I had left?!" I shout.
Anger overcomes me and my knuckles collide with Becca's stomach. A satisfying feeling washes over me as I see Becca fall to the ground, seeing the wind knocked out of her.
"The only thing you had left?!" Becca shouts. "The reason you have nothing else is because you shut everything and everyone out!" She moves quickly and tackles me to the concrete ground.
We land not far from Alby's office door. In the corner of my eye, I see Fade ignore the fight and move towards the office.
Becca sits on top of me and goes to punch me when I block it inches away from my face, push her off me roughly and stand up.
"You know why I shut everyone out?!" I yell at her. "You wanna know why? It's because I know that everyone I talk to knows about one of the millions of rumours being spread about me 'murdering' Liam! I broke up with Alex because he was getting seen with me in public and putting my needs before his! I fucking sleep outside so that everyone can live peacefully without any-" I struggle for the words, quickly breaking down in tears, "any me in the air!" I'm sobbing now. There's a silence.
"You sleep outside?" Becca asks quietly.
I don't say anything. I can't. Instead I nod.
Fade comes out of the office. "Guys, no-one's here." I look past Fade and into the office. I see nothing but pitch darkness. It has an eerie aura.
"So we walked all this way for nothing?" Dale sighs. He turns around back down the trail we took. "Let's just walk back-ow!"
Dale rubs his nose with his face scrunched up. His eyes widens as he looks at the new wall in front of him. "What the..?"
"The maze changes and shifts every night." Becca explains. "We'll just take another way out."