GHOST | Chapter 11

Instructions

Chapter 11 Themes: PTSD Sara's Perspective The day Joseph came up to Amelia, I got deja vu. Deja vu is a weird feeling. You get it at the most random times and sometimes, you don't even know why it happens. Maybe it was because he walked up to her unannounced. Or maybe it was because the rest of the Elites smirked behind him. But I think it was because of the looming, ominous aura he gave off when he moseyed up to her. My moral compass was screaming at me. Something about this was wrong. I floated over to them and watched them bargain warily. "...don't know what you're talking about," Amelia raised her eyebrows and watched his face carefully for any sign of anger. "Stop lying to me, you little-" Joseph fumed, then took a deep breath to calm himself down. "I know you've been hanging out with that ghost friend of yours. In fact, she's probably hanging around here right now." Joseph paused to swivel his head around the hallway. His cohorts did the same. I gasped in spite of the situation. Amelia's head snapped to where I was hovering. I winced at this obvious motion. "That must be her now," Joseph smirked. His malicious smile soon disappeared as he pointed towards me. "Get her," he beckoned to the Elites. His minions wavered, though. "How exactly can we get a ghost? She's transparent!" one of them asked. Joseph practically trampled the kid. "Just do as you're told. Or else..." Joseph hissed, jabbing a meaty finger into the boy's chest. "Yes, sir." The boy stared at his feet, ashamed of himself. "Well? Get to it!" Joseph exclaimed. This was a sign for me to get going. But I couldn't just leave Amelia alone with that bully! Suddenly, an idea flashed into my head. "Come get me!" I hollered. As a result of this, any surrounding classmates other than Amelia, Joseph, and his minions shrieked and sprinted for the opposite direction of the fight. "There she is!" Joseph shouted. The minions were on full-alert. As they readied themselves to chase me, I floated over to Amelia and whispered in her ear, "Be prepared to run away at any minute. I have a plan." "Are you sure about this, Sara?" Amelia said out of the corner of her mouth. "Not really," I admitted. "But we need to teach these bullies a lesson somehow. And I'd rather it be sooner than later." Amelia nodded and cracked her knuckles. "I agree to the fullest." "Come on, you chickens!" I taunted as soon as I floated away from Amelia. That set off the chase. My mind was a blur as I flew through the halls of Wilbur Academy, the Elites bolting behind me. I laughed continuously so they would have some sort of a trail to follow. Everything was falling into place. Students stepped aside when the minions appeared at the end of their corridor, seeming to be chasing thin air. But then they realized the ghost of Wilbur Academy had struck again, and that made them hurry to their classes timidly. As the minutes ticked away, we loomed closer to our doomed destination. Just as I hoped, the Elites were too focused on running to notice where I was leading them. Finally, I turned into the eerie hallways where the "incident" had occurred just 6 years before. I swiveled my body in the air and sneered at the students below me. They wouldn't dare to follow me into the haunted corridor...would they? One of the Elites glanced nervously at his friends. "Should we go down there?" "Of course, Michael! Anything for the boss," another Elite said confidently, but his voice cracked briefly with fear. Apparently his cohorts didn't notice the anxiety in his voice. The Elites collectively took a deep breath, then stepped into the hallway's entry. I started to panic. My plan had failed. At least I had spared Amelia some time. But she was still stuck with Joseph. The Elites tiptoed closer and closer to me. I had to retreat into the computer room. Surely they wouldn't think of going to the actual site of the "incident." I tried to avoid it, but it was inevitable. I glanced over at the red puddle embedded into the carpet. My hands started to shake. I dug them into my clothes to stop the quaking, but they still shivered as they grasped the material of my dress. "No," I whispered to myself. "It was 6 years ago. It won't happen again." That's when the tears came. They rolled down my cheeks in little rivers of sadness. The screams slowly echoed in my eardrums. "No, no, NO!!!" I wailed. The scene faded in all around me. I covered my ears and screamed. The thump of the bullet ripped away at my heart. I was dying. I was actually dying. Then I heard the gunshot in the distance. Author's note: I know, another cliffhanger, I'm sorry! Stories have to stop somewhere. But don't worry; GHOST will return shortly! Love y'all and see you again soon! <3