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Andy

Internment.

Lunch came quickly, and my class passed dully. I didn't pay much attention, to be completely honest... I couldn't, actually... With everything going on in my head, I found it increasingly difficult to not be completely paranoid around other people. I'd catch myself staring down the familiar faces of the jocks being a little too nice to me, and question if it was genuine kindness, or a cruel joke played by a clone.

I met up with Mark near the enterance, and we waited there for several minutes, waiting for Elizabeth to show up... But when she didn't, we exchanged concerned glances.

“Come on, let’s go ahead and get in line, so when she does catch up to us, we’re ready to go.”

He masks his concern well, hiding it under a confident tone and expression. I lacked the feeling myself, but nodded anyway and followed him towards the line.

I fidgeted there behind him, sneaking discreet glances towards the enterance, waiting for her to make a dramatic opening.

“Do you think Reece has anything to do with her absence?” I wonder idly, and Mark briefly drops his confident persona, shrugging in concern. “I don’t know...” He admits and looks towards the doors again.

I turn around, picking at a stray thread on my shirt while I looked over the lunchroom again, before landing upon Elizabeth’s face, seated alongside Reece and a couple boys who’s names I can’t remember. She’s laughing, and fully engaged in whatever they’re talking about. I frown a bit and catch Mark’s attention, pointing towards her.

He glares at his cousin when he spots her, and sighs gruffly, pushing his short black hair off his forehead.

“I don’t understand her... At all.” He says, shaking his head. “One minute she’s ready to leave him, and the next...” He frowns regretfully, his gaze shifting to the scruffy, blonde-haired boy at her side. “he’s down on one knee proposing again - and before we know it, the wedding is back on.”

I grit my teeth and sigh, tearing my gaze away from the seemingly happy couple. It’s possible that we’ve been reading them wrong this whole time and just don’t understand... But after hearing some of the nasty, venomous words Reece has spit at her when he thinks they’re alone, it’s hard to see him as any kind of sweet, endearing figure.

“I was only gone for a week...” I mumble in disbelief, trying to wrap my head around the timeline. “Unless I completely missed the part where she met Captain Cunt Muffin?”

I look to Mark for answers, and he shrugs, ripping away his gaze and trying to distract himself elsewhere. “She met him two days after you both fought. She was flaunting her fresh injures, testing the waters a bit to see who she could lure in... God, Ash, I love my cousin, but I’m going to be honest. She’s like a damn siren, going over to the tables of popular boys, playing the victim.”

He pauses to take a breath and smirks, “She caught some glances and got some apologies, but none of them fell into her ill-fated trap... So when Reece started talking to her, she got smug, believeing that she had truely lured him in herself, but the truth is, he lured her in. She still doesn’t know that. I think that’s one of the main reasons she refuses to call it off with him - she has too much pride. He’s the only popular one who’s ever given her a second glance, so essentially, she can’t bring herself to do it.”

I bite on my lip anxiously, listening to him telling the stories that happened while I was off doing God know’s what...

Guilt fills my head in a matter of seconds. It’s not my fault she ended up with him, but I can’t help but think that if I were here to curb her away from that (or even apologize sooner so she didn’t feel like she had to do the ‘male peacock’ maneuveur)

While she was quickly moving into an emotionally abusive relationship, I was breathing underwater in California, exploring off-limits places, and drowning in my neighbor’s cellar. What an eventful week it was.

I don’t push it much more. We get our food and seem to telepathically agree that we are going to sit with Reece and Elizabeth, anyways, despite how uncomfortable we both are with it. Besides, if we sit at a table alone, Reece will take it as an automatic sign of us backing down - something he won’t be witnessing in this lifetime.

We step into Reece’s line of sight and he glances up at us dismissively at first, before recognizing our mugs and frowning. Three of his friends looks up when they say the bitter look of distaste of his face.

There’s several empty seats across from their posse. I hook the toe of my boot around the metal leg of the chair and slide it out smoothly, plopping down in it and clattering my tray down next to Mark’s. We sit there, grinning like Chesire cats at Reece. He narrows his eyes, but seems to have run out of spiteful things to say for the time being.

Elizabeth looks at us both, and the bubbly humor that had been so evident in her eyes before is now gone, replaces by fleeting glances of stressed horror... Like she didn’t want us there and was praying we’d go away if she ignored us long enough. I have no doubts that her sudden swing in behavior is due to her lovely groom by her side. The two are inseperable now, I swear...

“What are you doing here?” Elizabeth hisses under her breath, leaning her head in our general direction in acknowledgement without actually making eye contact.

“You weren’t sitting with us so we’re sitting with you.” Mark responds in a care-free tone, rearranging his food on his plate.

His words only make her fidget more, and it bothers me how much she’s willing to side with Reece over us just ot keep some stupid level of peace between us. I bite back venomous words and keep myself busy.

“I’m okay... Really.”

She attempts to sound comvincing, but she just looks stressed. I look to Mark, sighing under my breath. “What do you want to do?”

He looks to his cousin then to Reece, who is now really showing a struggle trying to hide his distaste for our presence. Eliza opens her mouth to issue another low key warning, but Mark is already standing up and collecting his things, looking pretty pissed off.

“Come on, Ash. It’s pretty clear what team she’s playing for.”

I’m at a loss for words, listening to his retreating footsteps. I look to Eliza and she peeks up at me pleadingly, almost like she wants me to stay behind. I smile sympathetically and push back my own seat to relocate. “No one should have to sit alone,” I murmur to myself, just loud enough for her to hear. “High School is a time for all the petty clique crap. Thank God we’re almost to the end of it.” I say a little louder, catching the attention of the other boys seated around Reece like a loyal following.

I’m sure I could cut a lot of stress out of my life by just making things easier and becoming more agreeable towards things like this, but where is the fun in that?

Mark is already seated at our usual table. I sit down across from him and cross my hands on the tabletop, weaving my fingers together. He looks a little shocked that I chose him.

“Eliza has things handled over there,” I explain with a shrug. “Besides, the more I can minimalize the time I have to spend around Reece, the better.”

He chuckles in agreement, but allows the conversation to fall into silence for several minutes before he perks up with a new question, except this time it’s for me.

“Hey, uh... Can I ask you a question?”

I nod.

“Your... Ghosts? What are they like? Are you serious? Are they real?”

I should have seen this one coming, I suppose...

I nod, and think through my wording options. “There is two of them. They’re both great people.”

His brow flexes as he goes from confused to fascinated. “Did you know them?... You know, before?”

“Before they died?” I clarified, feeling a shiver run down my spine because of how ominious and final it sounded. “No... I didn’t. You probably know one of them, to be honest. I didn’t tell Eliza who it was.”

“Because she has a big mouth?” Mark smirks, “I don’t blame you. She is a good friend, I don’t doubt that... However, her excitement sometimes takes priority over that.”

I nod slowly in agreement, looking down again.

“Who were they?” He presses, then looks away sheepishly, “Sorry,” he mumbles, “I automatically get nosy when something’s interesting, and if you haven’t noticed, not much note worthy stuff goes on in Pendant, so this is news.”

I laugh, and smile. “I have to agree there-” I begin, before having a flash of finding that human skull in the woods and I mentally amend what I was saying. It was boring and bland... Before I met Andy, at least...

I look into his eyes and I see only sincerity and loyalty - two key ingredients to making a good friend and finding a good person to confide the darkest of secrets in. I remind myself with a mental slap that I’d already promised Andy this morning that I’d wait to tell other’s the deeper, intricate details of his existance. I can understand why he’d want that... With all the issues we’re currently up against, the last thing we need is adoring fans constantly dropping by the house to blow our cover.

Just then, my phone screen lights up with a notification and I am temporarily distracted. I look down at it and see that it’s a new text. From Juliet...

Hey Ash,
Andy contacted me about the ‘witch bottle’ in his dorm room. I have some friends in the area who are going to help me get it out of there - assuming no one’s cleaned out his room yet. It’ll be a damn blessing if no one has, yet. I’ll update you when I know more, and when I’m in possession of the jar.


“Ash?”

I blink and look up, and am met by Mark’s hand being waved in front of my face. I put up a pleasant, polite front. “I’m actually working out the kinks of having you and Eliza meet them. It’s easier that way - then you can just see for yourself.” I smile at him, silently praying that it would be enough to snuff out any other potential questions he might have.

He nods, not appearing to be offended by it at all. “No problem,” He nods “Can’t wait for it.”

Oh boy have I dug a hole for myself now. I just have to keep them alive long enough for you to meet them... That is the catch.

Mark’s attention is drawn elsewhere when Eliza walks towards us, her hands curled around the straps of her backpack. She stops three feet from our table and looks at us sheepishly.

“I’m trying to make things work.” She admits, sighing. “I don’t want either of you to feel excluded, but I also have my own life. Please respect that.”

“We weren’t trying to be disrespectful to you.” I say, looking up at her. “It’s just that you never said you weren’t sitting with us, so what are we supposed to do? We can’t read your mind.”

She fidgets a bit and apologizes. “I’m sorry... Just give me some time to mend things with Reece, okay? You two haven’t exactly been on the welcoming commitee.”

“We’re supposed to welcome that abusive fucker?” Mark deadpans.

“He’s not abusive,” She defends with a frown, looking down at the lunchroom tile under her feet. “He is just such a passionate, committed person, that he comes off as controlling. He’s actually pretty sweet.”

“Yeah... He ought to be committed... To a damn asylum, crazy fucker.” Mark mutters angrily, shaking his head.

I purse my lips, deciding to sit this one out as the middle person. I can see both sides of the argument. I know what Reece is when he’s around us, but maybe he’s a reasonably decent guy once you get to know him... But maybe not.

The bell rings not too long later and we disburse to our next classes. I ditch my tray and head for Math.

The faces in the cluttered hallway become blurred as I go, and I choose to block them out because it makes it easier to think clearly without worrying if someone is staring at me, or who the clones could be.

Andy has the book now, and the book has all the answers. It’s a weird coincidence that out of all the people we could have encountered at a 24-hour grocery store - it happens to be some kind of ex-Wiccan who knows way too much about this kind of stuff. If we hadn’t met her, we’d still be in the same boat, trying to figure out how to save our skin.

Notes

It has been a long time, for a number of reasons. Oof holiday season is just a busy time lol. Between Thanksgiving, Art Club, turning 18 and interviewing for a scholarship - it tis' been busy. I hope you're all doing well!

Shoutouts!

- Mezzy18
- Merelan
- Catalina

Thank you for reading! And for putting up with my slacking writing patterns lol

Comments

I just want to say, I am here to support you no matter what you do <3

Mezzy18 Mezzy18
4/12/20

Oh gosh, I'm getting weird vibes towards this "sketchy" part of town.

Mezzy18 Mezzy18
5/8/19

I am absolutely in love with this book!

Mezzy18 Mezzy18
4/30/19

Poor Ashley. Poor Andy. Poor Asheen. Wow, what a story! :)

Merelan Merelan
4/29/19

I am conspiring so many theories about this book my head hurts... lol... anyway, great chapter as usual! Can't wait to read what happens next

Mezzy18 Mezzy18
4/25/19