Event #3 - Just keep swimming [TAG: Chris, Thalia, Veronica]

[Nancy Holmes]

OOC: this happens after the thred "Finally"

 

Chris and Nancy had decided to take a look into all rooms they had access to. Those had been the art class, where they didn't find anything useful, and the girl's toilet which Nancy had just visited. At least they had been working properly! And she even got the chance to wash herself, that had made her feel better. "Heyyy, sorry for the wait. I just couldn't bare walking around like this anymore, so I washed some of my clothes... you're welcome to do the same if you like, I'll just wait here", she offered kindly after she came out of the toilets. They both needed a break, that was for sure. Even if it was a liiiiittle scary being alone in this dark and haunted school, she could do it. "Don't worry about me! It'll be fine!", the girl assured him.

_____

She and Chris were now walking down the corridor into the only direction that was not blocked by piles of concrete. They stopped in front of the door. Class 2-4. Please, let someone be in here.... There had been so many people in school on that day..... which day was it even..? She had lost all feelings for time already. They should scratch marks into the walls to keep count..... Slowly, she grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

She took a step in and looked around. After just a few seconds, she noticed two bodies lying on the floor. "CHRIS, here!!", she screamed and ran into the room, towards the two figures. Girls. Brown hair. "AUNT RONI!!! THALIA!!!! OH thank god, you're alive!!  And here!! W-where are the others?? Arielle? Phillip? Sig? Elizabeth?? What happened...!!!???", she shouted and dropped on her knees next to them. "Oh god, Chris, they're not awake...!", she panicked for a moment, but sighed in relief when she could feel both of their pulses. Phew.... "They're alive.....", she let his companion know.

She shook Thalia's shoulders. "C'mon....wake up.....Thay....." What the hell had happened? It didn't make sense that her aunt was suddenly with Thalia and not Phillip. Did they get seperated? She looked over to Veronica. And the others too...? It would've made more sense if Thalia and Phillip were in this room, they probably...well.... went through that portal or whatever, too, after her? It was all too much to process and even harder to accept. Nancy couldn't really accept the fact that there was someone....somehing haunting them. But aft all that Chris had told her....It seemed like the only explanation. Except this was all a dream. A nightmare. A nightmare that they, uh.... all dreamed. Or maybe it was just her. Maybe she had blacked out in front of everyone in the auditorium and hit her head really hard? Hiding it from the others, she pinched her arm. OUCH!!! Okay, shouldn't she wake up by now...? She waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. Damnnit.

[Christopher Kresh]

Chris had been waiting for nancy outside the bathroom. Kind of as if he was guarding the door more then just waiting for her.
The redhead had no idea how he had ended up in this part of the school and he felt extremely bad for leaving tara on her own. God. She trusted him and he just walked off because of his small break down. Chris didn't care he was being harsh on himself.
Nancy’s voice made him look up. He forced a weak smile and shook his head. “nah.. im okay.. don't worry..” he said softly. He didn't really want to leave nancy alone. Not with this weird paranormal thing on the loose.
He gently touched his phone in his pocket for a moment. It had not buzzed again. Gladly. It felt like a heavy burden to carry.

The two of them walked on. For a while they found nothing. Until nancy suddenly yelled his name. Chris his head perked up as he heard it. His green eyes widened as he hurried towards her side. Miss kishi and thalia were both on the ground. “they aren't awake!” he noticed that too when she said it. But.. clearly nancy had seen them awake so it wasn't a naveen case. He could only wonder what knocked them out.
The boy sighed in relief hearing they had a pulse. “good.. that's good" he mumbled in a worried way. He had always been.. kind of scared.. or well maybe intimidated was a better word, of both thalia and miss kishi. Miss kishi for obvious reasons. And thalia for well.. she had this icy gaze and she could use it to pierce right through someone. That and she had a certain energy around her. He didn't want to judge her however since he never really spoke to her.

“are they wounded?” he asked.

[Something]

Nancy received a new message from an unknown number:

Strangle Thalia with your bowtie.

[Nancy Holmes]

After a while, she sighed and stopped trying to get Thalia to wake up. “are they wounded?”, Chris asked. Nancy looked over her and her aunt, but couldn't see anything. "I don't know, it doesn't look like they are.... Veronica's foot looks a bit strange though......." Nancy didn't dare to touch it, it looked a bit off, but it could be nothing...

She looked back at Chris and smiled. "It could be worse." Just on time when she had finished that sentence, something buzzed in her pocket. Her phone? Wait- HER PHONE? Her phone that she had turned off earlier? Her phone that she had just moments ago taken a look on and that had still been turned off? Her smile faded away immediately and she stared at Chris with wide eyes. Slowly, she took out her phone and looked down on it. [1] New message. Her hand was shaking when she opened it.

Strangle Thalia with your bowtie.

She gasped, frozen in place. "those texts are dangerous..!", Chris had said. "S-Something possessed andrei after peyton didn't obey..!", he had said. "..andrei is dead", he had said. Dead....dead..... dead."So you say that..... this..... something wanted to kill Peyton for not following his orders?" - “ .. yes.. that's why i said you shouldn't turn off your phone.. i.. wouldn't want anything to hurt you” Nancy's breath got faster by every second, she was close to a panicattack. Still having her glance locked on the phone, she deleted the message. But right after it appeared on her phone again as if she hadn't. She deleted it again. And again. And again. But every time it just popped up again. It was a curse... a curse.... It felt like her throat was getting corded up. Fear was choking her.

She rose her eyes to Chris, total panic in them. She wanted to tell him about the text, tell him that she needed help, tell him that she didn't want to die just because she didn't do what that thing told her to. She couldn't say a word. Instead, she closed her mouth and held out her phone towards him. Help me. Help me. Chris...Philipp..someone. Anyone. Help...! Her hand was shaking and she couldn't hold the phone any longer, so it fell on the ground, cracking the display. Time-delayed, she followed it. It was still on, the text clearly readable, glowing behind the huge crack.

Her bowtie was still loosely hanging around her neck, but it slid down from it when she looked on the floor to where the phone was. It fell to the ground right next to it, like an offer, like a sign. Just do it, it seemed to say. No...nononono, she could never strangele Thalia. She couldn't strangle anyone..! But- dying because of that? Was it... either her or Thay...? All her movements seemed to be in slow-motion while her thoughts were running incredibly fast through her brain. The raven-haired turned her head towards her friend, a strange glow in her eyes. No, she wouldn't die because of this. If someone else had to die... so be it. She took the tie from the ground and squeezed it in her fist. Tie...Thay.... what a coincidence. But, was it? It was almost funny. This whole situation they were in, it was....funny. She couldn't stop a small laughter when she looked down on her fist. If she obeyed to all the text, she could survive, right? And that was the most important thing, right? She felt how her breathing normalized again.

Slowly, she moved to Thalia and put the tie around her neck. If Chris was saying anything, she didn't hear it. She was too focused. On Thay and the tie. She almost laughed again. It was now positioned, she only needed to pull on it... Just pull on it... But her arms wouldn't move. Something dropped on Thalia's white neck. ...Water? ...Oh.... It was a tear. From Chris..? No...from herself. She couldn't do it....She just couldn't...! But... would she die now...? Maybe... She looked at Chris with her teary face, seeking for help. What should she do? Strangle Thalia with your bowtie. Maybe.... maybe she wouldn't have to kill her... she could just... like....strangle her for some seconds and then let go.... Her hands were shaking again when she looked back on them. That should be okay.... She would do what it wanted... It never said strangle her to death...just...strangle...Just a little bit... Strangle Thalia with your bowtie.She pulled at both ends, pretty hard actually, but let go of them after 1.....2.....3..... She just opened her hands and the ends of the tie fell on the floor. Panicking, she checked if Thalia was still breathing.

[Something]

The moment Nancy started to strangle her friend's neck, she heard a buzzing voice inside her ears "Good, Nancy, good," it hissed, making shivers go down her spine. "Kill her," it commanded as the girl picked up the bow and put the tie around another student's neck.

"Kill her now," it repeated impatiently, while the girl was hesitating and slowly tightening the grip. "DO IT!" the voice yelled at her inside her head, making Nancy's yelp and fall down on the floor, panting in fear. Though, the next moment the brunette felt a weird buzzing sensation inside her head. It felt... nice?

Thalia lost 1 health point.

[Christopher Kresh]

Worried chris kept his gaze on nancy and the others. "I don't know, it doesn't look like they are.... Veronica's foot looks a bit strange though..” Nancy told him. Chris frowned slightly. “ weird? what kind of weird?” he asked “ the broken type of weird or is it something else..?” he asked as he got closer to her to help her look over the two people there.
As he joined her, Nancy looked up giving him a small smile. "It could be worse." she stated. Chris nodded. “ I suppose..” He said as he studied his teacher and drama club acquaintance. He indeed saw how miss kishi was hurt. He was thinking if it would be broken or sprained however a gasp made him look up.

It was nancy. She looked completely horrified. “N-Nancy..? h-hey what's going on..?” he asked as he turned to her. She became more pale by the seconds that passed, almost hyperventilating.
Finally he seemed to get her attention, her pupils filled with fear and panic.

Nancy dropped her phone on the ground and it was only now that chris realized. She had gotten a text. no. No. She .. she wasn't going to end up like andrei right..!? RIGHT!? a sudden fear struck him. “ Nancy..!! What did it say..!?” he asked in panic. Maybe he could help!? Whatever it was she had to do maybe it didn't have to be that way! He looked at her as she got up.
It took him a minute to get up too as his fear made him want to tense up and back away. he couldn't however. he couldn't witness another death. It made him realize how mild the text he had gotten was.

Nancy moved to thalia and chris could feel his heart beating in his throat. “ n-nancy” he said with a hoarse voice. “ what are you doing..?” His voice sounded small and fragile. He didn't want to ask. he didn't dare to ask. Was this.. still nancy? or was whatever happened to andrei the same that happened to nancy. He noticed how she got the tie from her neck. “ Nancy..” he said. The small laugh send a shiver through his spine. especially after what followed.

“ NANCY STOP!!” Chris yelled. His eyes widened seeing how the sweet girl turned into something he didn't recognize and started to choke thalia. He needed a moment and then got forward to help thalia.
Had nancy lost her mind..!? Before he could do anything nancy let go. Chris wasn't sure if it was because he came to help thalia or if it was because nancy got her self control back. Either way he was wary.

Nancy fell on the ground and chris quickly tended to thalia feeling her pulse. he looked horrified of what just happened. It seemed as if.. death and misery was following him.. first amanda, then kairi, andrei.. he remembered all the harm that had come to his friends or the people he had just been close to. he.. he didn't think he could take anymore of that.

[Thalia Turner]

Thalia seemed to be floating once more. Or, perhaps it was sinking. Instead of voyaging through the stars and the nebulae; brushing her fingertips with galaxies or sliding past swirls of gas, Thalia was being tugged down. The heaviness of her heart had created a weight upon her chest. Her dream twisted and curled, the softness of space darkening, becoming far more sinister. She was plunging down, down, down, before hitting the ground. Her body felt whole, shaped. In this dream, the ground smelled fresh, like earth. She stretched her hands out over the soft grass and was conscious of the fact that it should have felt pleasant. But the darkness that enveloped her was heavier than any presence she could feel watching her.

    In this dream, Thalia pushed herself to her knees, then her feet. She could make out the eerie silhouettes of shrubbery and trees, looming like immense soldiers. Guardians; for what she could not tell. She was in a forest. Thick, like the air. The girl massaged at her neck as a lump had formed at the highest section of her trachea. A prickling unease brushed up her hairs along her back As if on cue, the shrubbery parted and something large stepped out from the densest partition of the trees. Something… staring right at her. The air went cold. Its breath wheezed with thick urgency, the smell pungent of death and decay. Thalia could barely scream before it lunged at her, wrapping its claws around her neck and slamming her back against the tree. Tighter. Tighter. It clung on to her throat, squeezing the life from her body. All she could see were the eyes; like burning black coals, embers burning in the night.

    Suddenly those eyes were familiar. Blue. Once they had stared at her with such warmth. Once she may have considered them belonging to a friend. The dream cleared; the forest wilting away before the dark and dingy class room rose up to meet her. That sickening smile on her face, it shot a wave of nausea immediately to the girl’s throat. Her throat. Her eyes snapped open as she realised what was wrapped around it. Nancy, her friend, tugged at the ends of the tie which was wrapped so harshly around her elegant, beautiful neck. It was cutting into her; gripping ahold of her. Thalia gasped for air, her face flushing due to the sudden lack of oxygen. She saw someone standing next to her. The boy, Chris. The look of horror on his face confirmed that what she was experiencing was not another hallucination. Her eyes snapped to his in a horrified plead for help. She spluttered, the words unable to form on her mouth, her brain starving for oxygen. He screamed something to her, to IT. That creature before her was no friend of hers. The witch seemed to be enjoying her work. But the defiance in Thalia’s heart was not to last long, as the edges of her vision blackened, and the claws of the creature were returning. But now she wasn’t going to wake up, she would be stuck there, in that perpetual hell, forever. Terror gripped her as she made one final attempt to breathe…

    And then Nancy let her go.

    The girl would have screamed in the air if her throat hadn’t felt so raw, so crushed. Would have screamed in general if it weren’t for the shock sinking its teeth into her spine. She sobbed and gripped on to Chris, seemingly the only sane thing she could find. She clung on to his arm, shaking, letting her body settle and her mind stop screaming. Oh god the screaming. This time the tears couldn’t be held back. They streamed down her face with abandonment, though the expression on her beautiful face could not have juxtaposed it further.

    The look of complete, utterly raw rage. Rage in which Thalia had never felt before. She wrapped her arms around Chris’ shoulders, using him as a steady anchor to allow her to stand. Her throat burned, as though hot coals were being forced into her mouth. She tasted ash; metallic, like blood. Thought that could have just been the anger. With a shaky hand she tugged at the tie still hanging limp around her throat and let it slip to the floor. For a moment, she just stared at Nancy, wordless. Even if she wanted to scream at her, the girl didn’t think the words would be able to form on her mouth. For a moment, all seemed to settle.

    Before Thalia lunged at her friend with a speed unknown even to her.

    She slammed into the girl, shoving her against the wall, using her bigger height and professional-level athleticism to tower over the smaller, younger Nancy. Her teeth were bared, the pure raw hatred in her eyes level even with the monster that killed Elizabeth. She couldn’t believe it. Sweet, gentle Nancy. Nancy. NANCY. Thalia snarled like a beast, grabbing ahold of Nancy’s raven black hair and pinning her head back. She was still shaken from the incident, though the adrenaline coursing through her veins blocked any and all agony she felt in her soul.

    “You touch me again,” Thalia croaked, her voice torn into ribbons; a shadow of her former self. The dark rings under her eyes told a thousand tales but the weariness in her body could not be visually explained. “… You even try to talk to me again, Nancy Holmes, I’ll break every fucking bone in your body. I don’t give a fuck who you are or what you were to me,” her voice rose in urgency, though Thalia didn’t let the pain searing down her windpipe stop her threats. She gripped onto her hair tighter, making sure it hurt. “To me, you are dead. And you better get out of my sight before I make you wish you were.”

    Thalia threw her friend to the floor, disgust souring her face, her lip tugging back to reveal bared teeth. Her own breathing was heavy and ragged, like a panic attack, and her eyes were as horrified and as pained as a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding truck. Horror. Pure horror. She slammed her own palm into the wall. Once, twice, five times before the pain was sharp enough for her to stop. She grabbed her head and her red hair before her legs gave way and she sunk to the floor, sobbing out her agony. Memories of death; of betrayal; of misery. She wanted to die right there and, in some way, hated Nancy for not following through. Hated her. Loathed her. Despised her. The words, it seemed, weren’t even enough.

[Christopher Kresh]

The moment chris got forward to help thalia he saw how her eyes shot open.
Getting to the horrified girl he firmly but carefully held her making sure she would find support by holding on to him. What the hell had gotten into nancy.
If he was completely honest. He knew. The thing had texted and told nancy to do it. However.. he couldn't believe nancy would actually do as the thing said when it included someone else getting hurt. He had done what the thing had said too but it had been an innocent question. right?
He shook the thoughts off and focussed on thalia who held on to him. The poor girl was shaking, and why wouldn't she. One of her friends had just tried to kill her!
“ Easy thalia.. I-I got you..” he said softly trying to get her to breathe and calm down.

Something in thalia’s behaviour changed all of the sudden. and it sure as hell wasn't “ calm”. The redhead could feel how thalia got her arms around him using him as support to get up. He decided to help her and let her. ofcourse she wanted to be on her feet again.
However seeing how thalia lunged at nancy made him jump. Jezus christ. He had not expected that. “ girls..!” he didn't know what to say. her reaction was completely justified.
“To me, you are dead. And you better get out of my sight before I make you wish you were.” Thalia ended her threat to nancy. Chris bit his lip. this.. whole thing was insane. Seeing thalia lose it made him feel bad for her. ofcourse this whole thing was a shock.

He looked at nancy for a moment waiting for her response. She sure needed to explain herself.

Even if he had been closer to nancy then he had been to thalia, he could see thalia needed his help more then nancy did. After all.. nancy did this even if he didn't want to believe someone as sweet as nancy was able to do that.

Thalia needed comfort. And nancy sure shouldn't risk getting close to her. Hesitantly he got to the sobbing girl. “ Thalia..” He mumbled. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know this girl. Thalia had been someone he was actually kind of afraid of. The girl was gorgeous and popular just like phillip and such. people he looked up to and was easily intimidated by. He honestly didn't know what to do as his mind went blank. He just gave her a really apologetic look as he genuinely felt bad for her and wanted to help her feel better. he just didn't know how. “ Is.. there anything i can do to h-help..?” he asked her softly.

He looked around seeing if there was something there that could help ease the pain of her throat, or hand, just ..something useful in general.

(chris made a perception check.)

[Administrator]

Dice result: 1D10 => 1
Absolute failure; -1 health point.

---

Bewildered from the current cat-fight unfolding right before his eyes, poor boy tripped over Veronica's crooked foot and fell, his temple hitting the corner of the nearest desk. Seconds later, Chris could feel how a warm liquid begin to trail down his head.

[Nancy Holmes]

"Good, Nancy, good,"

Nancy wasn't sure if  this voice in her head belonged to herself or if it was..something else. But it felt...nice. She was almost tempted to really strange Thalia to death. ......1......2......

"Kill her, Kill her now,", it said. She could do it...! It would make no difference, right? ......3..... no! Nancy snapped back from her trance, when Thalia opened her eyes. Full of fear, full of confusion. "DO IT!", the voice commanded, but she couldn't. Nancy immediately let go of the tie and fell backwards, sitting on the ground. The voice screamed inside her head, making Nancy joining in. She rolled on her side and raised both her hands to her ears, expecting a sharp pain - but it didn't come. Instead, she just felt a weird...nice humming inside of her. Like when she had just visited the sauna, her skin was tingling and her muscles felt relaxed like after a nice workout. What the....? She didn't really trust this feeling, she stayed in the fetal curl, still panting and expecting something bad happening.

And it happened, though not in the way she expected it to. She felt someone pulling her hair harshly, forcing her to her feet and pushing her against a wall, her head hitting it violently, causing her ears to ring and her sight to blacken for a moment. What was happening? She had had no chance to see who it was, her brain was still shaking from the meeting with the hard wall. Slowly, her sight came back and she saw somone right in front of her, someone from flesh and blood. Someone she knew. Thalia...? Something pulled at her hair more, forcing her head back into her neck, baring it like a helpless prey before it would be killed by the predator. She moaned from pain, it felt like all her hair was being pulled out. It hurt...! Tears started to fill her eyes again, silent ones. No word came over her lips, her brain couldn't process what the other one was saying, but she got one thing: “To me, you are dead. And you better get out of my sight before I make you wish you were.” Her empty eyes widened.

And then, the girl threw her on the floor. In a reflexive motion, Nancy tried to dampen the fall with her knees and hands. She collided with a chair, causing it to fall over. She just stayed right there like a beat up dog, not moving after the fall. Her wavy black hair was covering her face, so the others couldn't see the constant tears streaming down her face. Slowly, she pulled her legs and arms closer to her torso, getting back into her former fetal position and all that while trying to not cause any noise. She pressed her hands against her chest, to stop them from shaking. It hurt. Not only the bruises she most likely had gotten from the fall, but her heart. Her heart was aching. To me, you are dead. She deserved it. The reassuring feeling from earlier was gone and nothing but hatred was left. Hatred for herself.  "But I didn't want to die...", she whimpered, not sure if even heard her. She had no choice. She was a terrible person. She was weak, she couldn't even go to death for her friends. She was not worthy of their friendship. Thalia's friendship. To me, you are dead. She deserved it. Moving her hands to her mouth to cover it so her snivelling wouldn't be so loud.

[Thalia Turner]

Chris’ soft, soothing voice felt like velvet against Thalia’s pounding eardrums. It didn’t feel right in the circumstances; too foreign to a beaten and abused woman. “Easy Thalia… I-I got you...” he had cooed, yet she had winced away from it, not expecting such kindness.
“Is... there anything I can do to h-help…?” his voice asked, so gently. Oh, how terribly kind of him; Thalia sensing his effort to make amends with such an awful predicament. She met eyes with the boy, her thick eyebrows knitting in the middle into a delicate frown. Even with her swollen, crying eyes and the redness of her cheeks, Thalia was naturally beautiful. Her vulnerability however made her seem younger, innocent; like a child. “You’re doing enough,” she whispered to him, a small, weak smile pulling on her lips.

    In all honesty, she hadn’t really known Chris before the event had occurred. Like many others, their faces blended into the amass of people surrounding her in her life, yet themselves as individuals were blurry. Fuzzy. Bees swarming her brain. She’d swat at the insects to no avail; it was fruitless. He seemed to be shy of her, though that shouldn’t have been a surprise. Not many people favoured the young English lady. But in his case his perpetual shyness seemed to stem from a nervousness of her; as though he was afraid of her. It was all rather confounding. But kneeling on that floor provided some form of perspective to Thalia, however much she wished to deny it.

    Those that she trusted perhaps weren’t sources of loyalty anymore. The fact itself drowned within her; branded itself like a hot blade on her soft pale skin. Thalia reached up and slid her slim fingers around the scorching loop of skin around her throat, which was likely to have created an ugly red mark. The uneven, raised area that her fingers slid over confirmed this, and she sobbed once again, the truth not quite sitting well with such a horrified soul. It was then her adrenaline faded, and the ache of her body surged into the spotlight. Her shoulders, her neck, her back, her poor foot; the pain drilling into her body was that of a relentless bull. Stabbing, goring, gouging, tearing; her face paled as her arm shook from the effort of holding herself up. She pushed her hair back as the cold sweat began to form on her forehead. Oh god, she wasn’t well. She was very, very sick. The utterly devastating news coupled with the injuries simply seemed to have crippled the poor girl to the point of self-destruction. She would have laid down to sleep if it didn’t put her in such a vulnerable position

    It was Nancy’s stillness which attracted the eyes of Thalia almost immediately. Her pain soured; her own brazen gaze gripped in both disgust and heartbreak. She was sitting there, like a wounded dog, lame at the knees, miserable. ‘Put her out of her misery,’ her subconscious growled, but Thalia scowled at the thought itself. Nancy tucked up her limbs into her body, making herself seem small and unimposing. The irony of it.

    "But I didn't want to die...", Nancy whimpered gently; her apparent feigned innocence sending a surge of emotion to Thalia’s chest. Of rage, of despair, of confusion. That seemed like her friend sitting there; someone she wouldn’t hesitate to seek out, to comfort. The natural urge to cradle her and stroke her hair almost crippled Thalia, and she squeezed her eyes shut from the agony of it all.

    “I just thought I meant more to you, Nancy,” she said, so weak, so gently. The rage that had shot through her initially was not present in her voice; but the voice of a dying woman had taken its place. Thalia was dying; her soul wilting away like a delicate Lily, her body in utter agony. “I just thought…” She looked away, blinking back the tears once more that threatened to spill over the edge, defiant to reveal her true weakness in herself. This is why she should never had opened up to people; this is why having friends and companionship gets you killed, or worse it seemed.
“Of all the horrible people in the world, I believed you’d be one who could never hurt me. Stop crying. Stop being manipulative; stop trying to break through to me!” she cried, her voice giving way. Thalia wheezed in the air, holding her throat as the pain momentarily shut her down, burning in her mouth, around her tongue, at the pit of her stomach. When her voice returned there was no sign of grief, or sadness, or rage. Her face was a blank pit; her voice expressionless. “Do you honestly believe you deserve anything from me? From Chris? From anyone? What would Phillip even think of what you did. Look at you; pathetic. Oh god,” she inhaled sharply, rubbing her face furiously into her hands. Her final rhetoric was breathy; lost on the wind. “What have you done, Nancy?”

    It was then Chris fell to the floor and the horror hit her once again.

[Christopher Kresh]

Chris looked at thalia and their eyes met. Even if it wasn't the right moment to think of this, thalia was one of those girls who even when angry or sad still looked breathtaking. However seeing how the once so confident girl now was sobbing with swollen eyes and a hoarse voice. It hurt to see her like that, even if they didnt know each other that well. There were people out there that would love to see the populair kings and queens of maverick high fall. But not chris. Why should he want to see someone hurt for having something he didn't? Confidence.

Thalia smiled at him. It was a very weak and sad kind of smile, but it felt genuine for as far chris could tell. The boy looked at her giving her a small smile. “you're doing enough” she said, but chris shook his head. No. He wasn't. Thalia looked miserable. Nancy looked miserable. Veronica had not even woken up yet.

The boy bit his lip. It was just the same but with different people. Everyone was scared. Everyone was slowly breaking down to pieces. And there he was trying to fix other people's messes just to not remember his own mental issues. Maybe it were those mental issues that actually made him able to take this much stress. He was like a sponge, sucking up everyone's emotions and trying to fix everything. But how long did it take for him to get full? To be so full of water and not be able to hold any more any longer?

He faintly heard nancy whisper. She didn't want to die.. so.. it was the message that made her act this way. Nancy had been frightened by his story.

The red haired boy began to feel guilty. Maybe he.. shouldn't have told her. Then this wouldn't have happened. “Im sorry..” he mumbled under his breath. He then got up feeling even more motivated to help thalia with her injuries. Still overwhelmed he took a step back not thinking about veronica. He felt how he lost his balance. Trying to not stand on veronica made him stumble and eventually fall over. He tried to catch himself. “Ugh..!” he bit his lip.
A sudden fear spread through him. Shit. Even here. Even now. His clumsy behaviour had made a fool out of him. Embarrassed he quickly let everyone know he was okay. “I-Im fine..! Hehe! S-sorry i should watch my step..!” he said quickly almost stumbling over his words, his face heating up and getting red with embarrassment. He felt a stinging sensation in his forehead but ignored it. He looked at veronica scared he had maybe injured her more by his act of stupidity.

He then noticed how something was dripping down his chin. He frowned slightly feeling his forehead. It was wet. Looking at his fingers in the dim light of the classroom he could see how his fingers were red. Blood? He .. was bleeding. He could now identify the stinging feeling and his pounding head. He quickly put his hand against his head to stop the bleeding.

[Nancy Holmes]

“I just thought I meant more to you, Nancy, I just thought… Of all the horrible people in the world, I believed you’d be one who could never hurt me.”

"Stop crying"
She couldn't.

"Stop being manipulative"
Manipulative... She had never been like this. She didn't need to manipulate anyone to get what she wanted. Just... be herself. Work hard. Be honest and friendly. She swallowed

"Stop trying to break through to me!"
...Was she? Nancy wasn't trying to get through to Thalia. Not now. She had been trying that ever since she got to know her. At first, she was just a cold person that was always around Phillip. So if you wanted to hang around with Phillip, you had to hang around with Thalia too. Basically get one and get another for free. At first she had only tolerated her. She was always there, but didn't talk much, at least not with her. She thought she was Phillip's girlfriend or sidekick or whatever and tried to be nice to her, despite her cold gaze. She invited her to things, included her. First only because she would be there anyways with Phillip, but then invited her because she was part of their group. She didn't have the same connection to her as to Sig or Phillip, but she was part of their friendcircle. One day, she had learned what was truely behind her arrogant facade. Nancy saw her dancing. All this passion, the perfection she tried to establish with her every move - it impressed Nancy and she felt like she was a related soul. Someone who would understand her on another level than anyone else could. Someone just as passionate and determined as herself. Ready to do whatever it took to make her dream come true. From that day on the raven-haired tried more actively to make her let her guards down, even if it was just a little.

And now... The wall that had slowly melt under Nancy's kindness, was back in place, even higher and thicker than before. She saw it in Thalia's eyes, as she sat up and looked at her. She was so full of regret, so full of frustration - but what had happened had happened. And she didn't do it to her because she wanted to hurt her. It had been a simple struggle to stay alive. "I saved my life", she called out in black despair, shouting at Thalia just like she had shouted at her before, "And yours too, by the way. That messanger told me to strangle you, obvioulsy wanting me to kill you! And it would've killed ME if I didn't do what it said...!! It wanted to kill Peyton for not following its orders, but Andrei saved her and died instead!! Yes, I obeyed his order to save MY life, yes I hurt you, but you're lucky it was me and not somebody else. I could never kill you, so I stopped after three SECONDS. And none of us is dead now. You should think for once before you act, just for once in your life! You always act like the whole world wants to kill you, but not everything is about you! You want to get along better with people? Control your fucking temper!!" Nancy had never talked to Thalia like that. She never had had to, she had never wished to. But this were exceptional circumstances. Their lifes were on the line and Nancy would not have any of this right now. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm herself again, while Thalia was just keeping on ranting, obviously trying to push Nancy down again, back into despair.

“Do you honestly believe you deserve anything from me? From Chris? From anyone? What would Phillip even think of what you did. Look at you; pathetic. Oh god, What have you done, Nancy?”

And congratulations, it worked. Every word was a knife in her heart, stabbing the remains of her confidence inside her and killing them. Many different feelings rushed through her at once - regret, mixed with defiance because in her opinion it had been the only way not to cause any death. Anger, because Thalia dared to talk to her like this. Sadness, because Thalia actually though so little about her before she even explained herself, before even asking why she had done this. She had just assumed I wanted to kill her, after all the time they had spent together... disappointment. Grief. I saved my fucking life, that's what I've done..., she thought. On cost of your friendship as it seems. "Just forget it. I won't come near you again, as you wished.", the singer said with a calm voice, her icy blue eyes growing cold. She suddenly heard some noises next to her. She looked over to Chris, who stumbled over her aunt and fell against a table.

“I-Im fine..! Hehe! S-sorry i should watch my step..!”
Chris no...! She reached out a hand towards the guy, she wanted to storm towards him, help him, but... she didn't dare to move her legs. She didn't deserve to help him, she wasn't the right person to help him. Or anyone. She let her hand sink again. Thalia would give him the help he needed. He wouldn't want her help anyways... It was best if she just left them alone...She saw the blood running down his head and clenched her fists, digging her nails deeply into her own skin. Stay....away....

[Thalia Turner]

Thalia Turner was a creature vastly characterised by her antisocial and intimidating demeaner. Cold, cruel, heartless; adjectives in which she herself believed pertained to being truthful. Why wouldn’t she? That’s what everyone else called her nowadays. She watched the world with a scrutinising, frigid gaze; through a thin-mouthed grimace. For years, her intimidating quietness had created barriers between herself and many others, including Nancy. Through experience, she had learned that allowing people close to her heart only garnered pain and heartbreak. At least in her loneliness and seclusion, she knew she could trust in herself. Only herself. Allowing the knowledge of Nancy’s betrayal to crush her soul was unethical. It was silly. But why did it hurt so much?

    She never regarded Nancy anything other than a companion emotionally; though at times warmth broke through that metallic barrier and she allowed herself to feel. Allowed herself to care. Almost like a mentor at times, Thalia allowed Nancy and the others into her lives gradually. Taught her how to dance; made sure that a quiet, watchful eye was placed over the young woman. Phillip, obviously, had been the catalyst to this breach of her better judgment. If it weren’t for him… perhaps none of this would have happened. With Sig, she held a motherly bond; a sense of genuine affection for him and his antics. With Arielle, likewise, she had gone through so much with her. Had seen her at a low point in their lives. Thalia only hoped she was doing better than she was…

    But Nancy? Nancy should have been more; unexplored potential; clipped their wings before she could even think of flying. Thalia knew what had occurred between her and Phillip, and she supposed a sense of jealousy and despair at that knowledge perhaps kept them apart at times. But this? Thalia was icy, mean, nasty at times, but she’d never hurt someone like this. Never… Until now.

    "I saved my life,” Nancy cried and Thalia scoffed in a petty reply. "And yours too, by the way. That messenger told me to strangle you, obviously wanting me to kill you! And it would've killed ME if I didn't do what it said...!! It wanted to kill Peyton for not following its orders, but Andrei saved her and died instead!! Yes, I obeyed his order to save MY life, yes, I hurt you, but you're lucky it was me and not somebody else. I could never kill you, so I stopped after three SECONDS. And none of us is dead now. You should think for once before you act, just for once in your life! You always act like the whole world wants to kill you, but not everything is about you! You want to get along better with people? Control your fucking temper!!"

    Thalia was silent. Shaking. Not in fear or in despair, but anger. No one had ever spoken to her in such a way, and the disgustingness of it settled within her like a bad taste, like a rotting fungus. She cocked her head to the side, animal-like in nature; unnatural. Her eyes narrowed, her mind seemingly working relentlessly. Just when it seemed like the woman would explode, she smiled.

    Smiled. Then began to laugh.

    Icy, vicious, vivacious laughter that never quite met her eyes. Oh no, her eyes were like shards of glass, glinting in the shadows. “Oh Nancy, darling,” she cooed, her pet name in which she often remarked curling off her tongue like a snake’s hiss. “I suppose that’s where you’re wrong, isn’t it? In this world, there are no friendships. Genuine affection? Folly. If you act like the world wants you dead, it hurts you so much less… because there’s no surprise. No horror. No love, no heartbreak; isn’t that what they say? Thanks to you, I’ve relearned that – how foolish of me for forgetting it,” she added, curling her tongue and palming the roof of her mouth with it. “Relationships are moves on a chess board. You play the game at life, you play it well, you’ll be safe. You let your heart rule your head, you’re better off dead. I learned that a long time ago and it tore me apart,” she hissed.



    Was it a façade? Was it just a method to fully break ties with Nancy? Thalia wasn’t sure. There were many emotions pulsing through her brain; both sides of her soul battling to take over. The kindness, and the cold. Both seemed so inviting. But in her selfishness to get on top, to be the alpha and build her wall between the world and herself again, she missed Chris. Missed the small apology as he was clearly stuck between an uncomfortable predicament. Only met with the sound of him stumbling over the unconscious Veronica, before smacking his head against one of the desks. That same sense of fear rushed over Thalia; the same when she was placed in the room; the same seeing Elizabeth slaughtered. Nancy didn’t move. Rooted to the spot, a feeble attempt of stretching out her arm, yet she seemed frozen. Was she truly so uncaring?

    Growling, Thalia limped forward, glaring at Nancy as she passed her. She quickly evaded one of the gaps in the floor and knelt by his side, allowing her hand to brush his hair off his forehead. She took a moment to take it in, a queasiness rising up her throat as her heart pummelled against her chest. “You’re okay… I need you to lean against the desk and just sit there for now. You probably have a concussion, Chris, so you have to stay awake no matter what. This is nasty,” she murmured to herself, inspecting the wound.

    “I-Im fine..! Hehe! S-sorry i should watch my step,” he chuckled, going red. She tutted and rolled her eyes, tugging the knot in her tie and pulling it off her neck. The silky material was soft, and she dabbed at the blood, clearing away so the wound seemed cleaner… until they could find some water or alcohol to sterilise it. She couldn’t stitch to save her life, therefore, best let mother nature let the cut heal…

    She rounded on Nancy, fury filling her. At this point it seemed overstated, but she was going to shout, going to exclaim her distaste to her sudden frozen state. But her foot fell through, slipping out from under her. Her sore foot; in its pain she hadn’t braced herself on the floorboards well enough. The gap in the floor, she hadn’t anticipated it. A small gasp left her mouth as she felt herself falling… Slamming down, her body left suspended in the hole, Thalia’s arms braced her as her nails scraped desperately at the floor, clawing to get up. Legs dangling, panic began to rise as she slipped further, further. Her eyes met Nancy and she knew, in her heart, she’d let her fall. Why would she save her; what possible motivation did she have at this point? None. None at all.

[Administrator]

Being a professional dancer Thalia (with Nancy's help) could balance her way out of this situation and get back on both of her feet. Soonish the students one by one fell into an unconscious state.