~ALISON'S POV
One minute we were spending time together. The next... we were covered in blood.
SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE...
I was seated at the cafeteria, my earphones on my ear as I bobbed my head back and forth to the tune of Dua Lipa's 'Physical' blasting through the speakers.
I was scribbling something onto my book, so intent and focused until I felt a touch on my shoulder, breaking all that chain of focus.
I looked up, Eden, my best friend, was standing and smiling down at me.
I slid my earphones down. "What?" I mouthed.
His mouth dropped, "Don't you wanna come to the bonfire with me?" shocked that I even asked.
I rolled my eyes at him. "Oh geez, I totally forgot." My tone was dry and uninterested as I was.
He walked briskly and lowered himself in the seat beside me. "Really?"
I didn't bother to give him a glance.
"We spoke about this already." He probed, "you said you'd help me ask her and that's why we planned this out remember?"
Of course I did.
I sighed in exasperation and narrowed my eyes at him. "Do you realise I was in the middle of something?"
He groaned, stood up and just when I thought he had given up, I felt him wrap his hand around my wrist and pull me up.
My brows knitted in a frown. "Eden!" I whined.
"Shh!"
He literally dragged me with all my stuff. It was a miracle my things didn't fall off my unzipped bag.
Two hours later we were seated together round a fire with a bunch of other first years. I say across from him and my face knitted in irritation at how he kept gawking at Brittany, the school's Barbie doll who totally hates me.
The feeling is mutual by the way.
I could see him trying to talk to her, but the fake plastic bi*ch wasn't even glancing his way.
I grunted internally at his failed attempts to try to date her. He has had a crush on her for many months now and he'd go out of his way to get her stuff but in the end all he got was a big flat out NO. Still...Eden was undeterred.
Then he turned to me and I immediately looked away. I knew where this was headed and I was going to play no part in it.
Absolutely Not!
He crossed the fire over to where I sat on the log and sat beside me. "Come on, now's the chance... I've laid the foundation, your job is to help me cement it."
"Thanks, I'll pass." I replied at once.
A discontented grunt left his throat and he scooted closer. "Please she's the girl of my dreams, Ally, you really have to help me get her."
"Then you've gotta wake up." I snapped.
"Ally!!" He whined.
I looked up, my shoulders slouched as I glanced over at the task before me. "She's not worth it."
"She is to me." He said, his voice soft. "Please."
I took a very deep breath. This was gonna end badly.
"Fine." I agreed.
He didn't dare to celebrate or I might lose it. So he sat rigid like the wood he sat on and waited for me to do my thing.
With stiff legs that made it hard to move, I walked...over to Brittany.
Gosh! This was crap.
"Hi there." I started, sounded so off.
She sat straight with a smile plastered on her face as she stared off into the fire. "If you're trying to speak to me, then don't."
Those first words were like a stab. I swallowed hard, forcing my mind to think of Eden. "I'm sorry to intrude but I..."
"Go back to the disgusting hole you crawled out from and tell that ugly beat of a friend you have..." She turned up to look at me with a mock smirk on the side of her mouth, "that he'll never be my type."
I stiffened. My fist clenched at my side. I tried to turn to leave but my feet failed me.
I had to give this fake b*tch a piece of my mind before I left. I concluded internally.
"Listen here, Brittany." I began, my voice raised. "You are nothing but a cheap fake wanna be rich babe and you're nothing but evil."
Frustration gnawed at my chest. I was so angry even my insults came out wrong.
She looked up at me with that fake plastic smile that always got under my skin.
"Are you done?"
I felt my breathing quicken. I could feel all eyes burning a hole at my back and I wanted so badly to lift my fist and break her plastic face.
Instead, I inhaled deeply and stared down at her with cold eyes. "I wish you rot in hell."
With that I turned around and marched away from the bon fire and not longer after, I heard the sounds of laughter follow me from behind.
"Such a loser." Someone commented.
It was all too much. I walked faster towards the forest up ahead just to get some alone time. I didn't care to look back.
As soon as I got into the forest, I found the first big tree and swung my feet at it as frustration and anger bubbled up within me.
I placed my hands on my waist, looked up to his sky and drew in a very long breath to try to ease myself up with all my jumbled emotions which were all over the place.
After a few minutes of watching my breath I turned around to return back to the clearing where the bonfire was held. The forest loomed intimidating and I shivered as the cold air bit into my skin.
I was simply going to walk straight back the path I came. Only that as I looked down, there was no clearing and I might as well get lost. Nevertheless I walked.
As I did so it only felt like I was lost. At some point I felt the hairs on my body begin to stand. An unsettling feeling rested within me. One that stemmed from the feeling that I was being watched.
The sound of twigs snapping reached my ears. I gasped and turned around but I saw Eden.
"There you are." He stated with exasperation in his tone.
Relief washed over me. I placed my hand over my chest and let out a long breath.
"What the hell!" I exclaimed.
"Come on, let's get..."
He wasn't done talking when suddenly we heard a roar. A horrified scream left my lips as something lunged at me but I moved aside and it landed on Eden.
Black, hairy with blood red eyes.
I fell to the ground unable to move, just screaming so much it felt like my vocal cords would fry in that moment.
Then it turned to me, baring its teeth, blood—Eden's blood—dripped from the sides of its dark lips. My eyes darted to its side where Eden lay lifelessly in his own pool of blood.
Perhaps it was my time too.
I don't know if I hallucinated it but I was sure I saw a grin appear on its face as it planted its claws in the soil and lurched at me.
I screamed so loud before... the darkness consumed me.