Mon. 04/09, 13:32
On his side, Zayn decided to take a walk around the school. That's when he stumbled upon the abandoned building (the one described in ch3) and ventured inside out of curiosity.
He unfolded the board at the back and discovered a series of numbers written on it. They were all jumbled together, with no clear sequence. The entire board was covered, as if a madman had passed through here. He ran his hand over it, trying to erase part of the numbers, but they weren't written in chalk. It was something permanent, maybe paint ?
He turned on the lighting and the spotlights aimed at the stage at the same time, but only one of them lit up; the rest were broken. As a result, only half of the board was illuminated. The chairs were made of wood and numbered, from A-1 to J-30. The tens were crossed out in red for an unknown reason.
Having run out of things to explore, he decided to leave. As he was about to exit, he suddenly found himself face to face with a figure rushing toward him at full speed, scaring them both in the process. By reflex, Zayn took a step back, but the stranger lost her balance and fell onto her butt.
The stranger was a girl, probably a student as well, though her outfit was strange.
She was of British origin, 20 years old, and in her second year.
Her face was covered by a black mask, and she wore a pink beanie. A large scarf concealed her neck. Only her light green eyes were visible. She had neither a bag nor a sneaker on one foot, as if something had forced her to act hastily. She wore a long black skirt and a white t-shirt with the word "Panda" written in a delicate font, accompanied by cute panda illustrations. Over that, she wore a pink crop-top winter coat. When she fell, her skirt had slightly lifted, but she wore black tights that covered her legs. It wasn't exactly cold, but it wasn't the season for dressing like that either.
Beneath her eyes, her face was dotted with subtle freckles. She was a redhead with her hair falling just before her chest. She also had bangs. Her hairstyle didn't seem intentional, her hair was in freestyle : a few strands hanging over her shoulders, one strand in front, and the rest cascading down her back, while a small part of the strands on the left side was tucked behind her ear. Yet, it suited her surprisingly well. She was little short, to the point that she could almost be mistaken for a high school student. (she was short in height, but she still looked like a young adult ! —Yes short people exist)
Her shoulders were trembling slightly, as if she were in a state of panic much more intense.
— Don't worry, I was just about to leave anyway. You have nothing to fear.
She didn't respond. Instead, her eyebrows furrowed, marking an expression of distress at the sound of his words.
"Maybe it's not me she's afraid of. I shouldn't leave her alone, after all."
— Come on, don't just stand there, go back inside and tell me what's going on.
She didn't move. Zayn gently tugged at the sleeve of her coat. She let herself be guided and entered in silence, without saying a word.
— So, what happened to you ?
— …
— You don't want to talk about it ?
— …
She seemed to want to respond, but something was holding her back. She naturally spoke in sign language, but remembering that Zayn wouldn't understand, she hit her head in frustration.
Instead, she made a peace sign with her right hand, turned it to the left, and raised a third finger. She then turned it upwards, pointing the index finger up and the thumb to the left. Finally, she turned it downward, keeping the same fingers raised, then curled her index finger to form a circle, leaving part of her thumb sticking out.
"Damn, I didn't understand the first letter."
— …E…L…P. Help ? Do you need help ?
She nodded frantically. Then, she pointed at Zayn's phone, which was in his front pocket, a detail she had just noticed.
— You want my phone ?
Without hesitation, Zayn handed it to her.
She took it, opened it with a quick motion, scrolling through her apps with such speed that Zayn could barely follow her movements. She stopped on "Notes" and began typing furiously, as if the flow of words she had to write couldn't wait any longer.
« Some girls are after me. Help me, please. They'll find me soon. »
— What ? But what do they want from you ?
She typed again.
« Nothing good !! »
Zayn felt the urgency in her words, and although he didn't fully understand the situation, he didn't ask any more questions. He could clearly see something was wrong, and he believed her without hesitation.
— What should I do ?
« I don't know, something that might make them think twice before coming after us. »
Without thinking any further, he nodded.
— You can count on me !
She moved behind him, her eyes fixed on the door in fear.
In just a few seconds, a group of girls could be heard in the distance. The sound of their hurried footsteps and mocking laughter grew louder and closer. Zayn instinctively turned toward the girl behind him, trying to catch her gaze. She looked as if she was about to crack, trembling all over.
— STACYY !! There's no point in hiding. We'll find you eventually. Come on, show yourself !
The girl's voice was shrill and unbearable, like nails on a chalkboard.
— Damn it, where are you ?!!
— Are you sure it's her ? She disappeared last year, why would she come back this year ?
— There's no doubt, she was wearing a mask. Do you know many people who wear masks ? And why would she run away otherwise ?
— Let's check the old building. She won't be able to escape if she's in there.
Terrified, Stacy clutched even harder onto Zayn's jacket, as if her life depended on it.
— Your name is Stacy, right ? I would've preferred to hear it from you. I'm Zayn, nice to meet you.
His voice was calm and gentle, a stark contrast to the tension of the moment. His relaxed demeanour seemed to comfort her, as Stacy slowly calmed down. She wiped away the tears that had started to form at the corners of her eyes.
At that moment, one of the girls entered the room.
— Wait, who are you ?
— No way ! Look, she's right there !
— We're going to take her down this time.
— I can't believe it, it's really her ! After all this time.
Now, more than six girls had gathered in the room, but one of them caught Zayn's attention. She stood at the center of the group, exuding a certain confidence. A metal baseball bat was firmly gripped in her left hand.
She was of Thai origin, had 20 years old, and was in her second year.
Her lips were painted bright pink, with a hint of reddish blush on her cheeks. Her golden eyes and tanned complexion stood out. Her light blonde hair was styled in a small bun, with a ponytail flowing down to the middle of her back. Two long strands framed her face, and a fringe fell in the middle.
She was adorned with accessories, sparkling bracelets, dangling earrings, two intertwined necklaces, and three rings on each hand. Her outfit was just as flashy : ripped jeans, a pink turtleneck sweater, and a jacket that seemed like it was there purely to complete her look.