Event #4 "Through the roof" [Tag: Anyone]

[Misha Charisse Quinn]

. . . . .

. . . . .

. . . . .

 – … ofh…

Misha groaned softly. This again… yet another headache, yet another white noise ringing in her ear, yet another strange sick sensation. This was getting truly annoying. The last time she’d felt this way, she…
She gasped.
Her hands rushed under her chest to push her body off the ground, forcing herself in a position from which she could give a look around. She was back in the classroom, again. Except that it was neither the one she’d just been in, nor the one she was earlier.
And Alex was nowhere in sight.
No
No no no no no no

Feeling her heart beating loudly, she brought a hand to her chest, as if to appease it. She needed to breathe, and remember. She’d been with Alex, the principal, she was hurt, Ryan had snapped at her, there were people on the other side of the wa--that’s it!!

Jumping to her feet, she felt a wave of nausea indicating that she had been too quick to move; but she paid it no mind. Her best friend was somewhere out there, and she had to find him. Naya was probably somewhere too, and, hopefully, Andrei. She’d go explore outside of the room in a moment, but for now, she needed to make sure he wasn’t anywhere around her. Moving to the nearest wall, she started banging against it, calling for anyone to hear her, without getting any response. Huffing angrily, she turned to reach the other side of the room… and almost tripped over a body.
Oh, right.
There were more people with her, again. More people that shouldn’t have been near her in a room they shouldn’t be in, again.

Whoever’s doing this is having the time of their lives.

Finally, she gave a quick scan of the room. Jamie was in here and seemed safe, thank God, as well as another woman. They weren’t who she was looking for, but she was still glad to see more survivors… even if she still felt truly uneasy.
Maybe they know something.
Hesitantly, she crouched to the nearest person’s level and gently shook their shoulder to get them to wake up.
 – Eyh, you. Are you alright?

[Maxine Evans]

Darkness. She floated in darkness. What happened? 
She tried to remember - one moment she tended to Robert's crumpled form, Emery ashamed, the text - then - 
- she knitted her eyebrows.
She tried to fill in the piece, but -
nothing. Nothing but noise. A noise like a hive in her head.
'It's how it starts, isn't it? Gaps. Mind the gap -' 

She felt a grip on her shoulder. Before she knew it, her body knocked up and down on the floor. 'Talk about your deja vu,' Maxine thought. She shot up with a groan. 
'Okay, Em, you really need to-' she opened her eyes. A red-head came into view. Mina? Misha? She didn't know the girl well, but then again - she only really knew Peyton, Em, and - Vanessa! Her stomach went in a knot. The last time she saw Nessa was in the computer lab before the earthquake - but - if they were all trapped... 'She's fine. You know she's fine. You would know if something happened.'

'Uh - hey. So, how long have you been here?' Max asked Misha. She rubbed the ripped sleeve of her shirt. She spotted a brunette on the other side of the room but - the others were missing. Okay - Emery probably went to look for help but... Robert. Yeah. No way he'd be able to walk. Not after that hard of a kick to the balls - and Sig.... Max turned to the shelf.

No body. No blood. Just a neat stack of dog-eared textbooks.

'And where's the others?'

[Jamie Lewis]

Jamie’s eyes shot open. She was confused. It was like she woke up from a bad dream a horrible nightmare. But with every bad dream after she woke up she forgot it..like it never happened...just a dream. They were  transported to a new group ...again? The girl remembered talking with Alex.. and how she rushed out of the room to...to uh...to find her friends, yes that's right... but...she lost them. It’s all her fault. Again with the stupid splitting up. She should’ve kept Tristan by her side. Then again.. he probably found Naya and his brother and they are in a group together. Safe. She wanted to believe it but had a horrible feeling in her heart that her best friend...was in trouble.

She sat up and looked around the room and saw Misha - which made her feel a bit more at ease - talking to Maxine. She hasn’t really talked to Maxine much but Jamie was really fascinated with her hobby and she just thought she was a cool person in general. But of course… no Naya, no Tristan and no Phillip.

"And where's the others?" Maxine asked. “Probably with a different group” she answered “I don’t know why but this thing that keeps sending the messages always puts us in different groups and it’s kind of frustrating…” she said and looked at the girls “N-not that I’m not glad to see you’re both okay just…” the brunette looked at Misha who could probably relate to her next sentence “My best friend is missing…” her voice a bit sad and regretful.

[Misha Charisse Quinn]

Finally the other woman started to wake up. Misha was having some troubles remembering her name, but she didn’t seem injured at least, nor was she interesting in twisting her arms at weird angles like one of her last companions. That was always an improvement.
“Uh - hey. So, how long have you been here?”

 – Conscious, only a few minutes. Unconscious… I have no idea when I was brought here. Why, were you already here before? – she asked, curiously. The girl talked like she wasn’t surprised to be where she was, but Misha had been too the second time she’d found herself in a classroom for believing she was still in the same one; now, she knew better. Maybe… Maximilienne or whatever her name was found herself in the same situation.

“And where's the others?”
 – Well, that depends which others you mean. “My” others aren’t here so far, neither of them. – she said, referencing both groups she’d been with until now.
“Probably with a different group” added a voice behind her. She glanced in that direction. Oh good, so Jamie was awake and well too. That was one less thing to worry about, and she nodded in the girl’s direction to greet her. She continued talking. “I don’t know why but this thing that keeps sending the messages always puts us in different groups and it’s kind of frustrating…”
So, the fact that creepy phone guy was a real thread and also probably responsible for this was a quickly spreading knowledge. She didn’t know whether to be glad of how aware people were, or worried about how many victims to be targeted for the information to travel so quickly.
“N-not that I’m not glad to see you’re both okay just… My best friend is missing…”

Misha pursed her lip, discreetly.

 – It’s alright. Tristan is probably fine. – after all, so far, most of the dares had been more slutty than harmful… unless you counted poor Andrei and his “accidental” fall, and Madonna, whom she suspected had been one of its victims too. Either that, or one of them all was very thirsty for blood. Or Asshole attacked her directly, she frowned. – Who were you with until they switched us around again? – she asked both girls. The only thing she had true authority over right now were her memories, and she wanted to keep some kind of control on who was with whom when, if only to know who was still fine and accounted for – Right after the earthquake, I was with Andrei, Naya, Peyton, Chris, Tara, Naveen… and Kairi. – she took a pause for the last name, and unintentionally glanced in Jamie’s direction. She could vow Tristan’s well being whether she knew it to be true or not; but one thing she could not swear was Kairi’s. And though they might not be as close as Tristan and Jamie were, Misha had seen both girls interacting… Yet, she wasn’t sure if it was a good call to start mentioning deaths so quickly into the conversation. Reluctantly, she kept going. – After that, I was with Alex, Madonna and Ryan… and I could talk with Naya and Jamie through the wall. Do you know how any of these people are doing?

[Maxine Evans]

'Well, that depends which others you mean. 'My' others were here so far, neither of them.' Misha answered. 
'Probably with a different group,' Jamie piped up, 'I don't know why but this thing that keeps sending the messages always puts us in different groups and its kind of frustrating...'
Different groups... it sounded like a party game, like musical chairs where each person would change positions but - she placed a hand on her chin. The books, the bits of cockroach, and - she blushed - the scrap of her sleeve still remained on the floor. So why was she still here? And the texts... 

'N-not that I'm glad to see you're both okay, just - my best friend is missing...' Jamie continued. She glanced away in worry. 
'It's alright. Tristan is probably fine -' a frown played on Misha's face - 'Who were you with until they switched us around again? Right after the earthquake, I was with Andrei, Naya, Peyton, Chris, Tara, Naveen and...' Misha hesitated, her eyes darting to Jamie, 'And Kariri.' Maxine wrapped her arms around herself. The image of Emery collapsing in grief flashed through her mind. It was still - unreal. The death. How long had it been... a day? A few hours? She flipped her phone around. 'June 11th'. She shook her head in frustration. Still on the blink. 

Misha continued, 'After that, I was with Alex, Madonna, and Ryan - and I could talk with Naya and Jamie through the wall. Do you know how any of these people are doing?'
Maxine shook her head. 'I was with Emery, Sig, and Robert before this. Emery seemed stressed, like the rest of us, but okay. Sig was knocked out but alive,' she glanced at the books, 'And Robert... well, fine as he could be. Some muppet told Em to kick him...' 

'I know you're in pain - but you have to do whatever the text tells you to do...' Em had looked terrified, insistent - Max gripped onto her phone. Nothing was going to scare her. 
Nothing. She'd been in worst scrapes than this.

'And - we were able to talk to Peyton through the wall. I wonder if...' she headed over to the wall and pounded on it. 'OI. ANYONE THERE?' 
Silence answered. The others - probably just been sent to another room. She shrugged. 'It was worth a shot.'

[Jamie Lewis]

The redhead pursed her lips at her sentence. “It’s alright. Tristan is probably fine.” she assured her, but Jamie wasn’t so sure. She was probably just paranoid. The fact that since the earthquake she was always in the same group with him gave her a false sense of comfort. She didn’t have to worry about him.. until now. “Who were you with until they switched us around again?” Misha asked and started listing her own group members, then came to Kairi’s name, and looked at Jamie.
She sighed. This was the third time she had to talk about it with someone, and she was sick of it. She didn’t want to think about it. Forgetting it would be the best, but it’s impossible if people keep reminding her of it. “I know!” she said quickly signaling that she doesn’t want to talk about it. The next piece of information she already knew from Alex.

Then Maxine listed her partners. Jamie was glad to hear Emery was alright and wished that she could tell Alex...wherever he was. “Some muppet told Em to kick him” “Yeah the texter” Jamie nodded. Then the girl went to the wall and pounded on it. “OI. ANYONE THERE?” it was so sudden the brunette looked at her in stunned. “It was worth a shot.” Maxine shrugged. The brunette let out a small chuckle. “Looks like we’re on our own so far… Maybe a different room?” she suggested, then realized it was her turn to list her teammates. “Well.. after the earthquake I was with Tristan, Nerissa, Alex and Emery, Ryan and.. Copper.” she paused a bit before the last name. Memories flashed into her mind. She shook her head and continued. “And before this I was with Tristan, Phillip and Naya. She told me about all of the deaths.” she mentioned since she thought Misha would like an explanation on that. “So what do we even do? We clearly can’t get out so… find food maybe?” she asked. She only just realized how hungry she was getting.

[Administrator]

Misha felt a phone buzzing inside her pocket. Thankfully, it wasn't a new message from a persistent creep but a new notification from Andrei's phone. It was an alarm clock set at 9:00 pm. Besides this, the redhead could have noticed that now she could now check out a few new media files in his gallery. The first one was a video file, about a 0:24 seconds long. The date was stated as September 16, 18:39 pm.

The video has started with Andrei swearing under his breath only to reveal Amanda standing on the edge of the roof... yelling at the sky. "WHY DID YOU NEED TO DO THIS?! she yelled, her head thrown back in an aggressive pose. "MY EXISTENCE IS ALREADY MISERABLE WITHOUT YOUR "HELP"! JUST... WHY?!" the girl was walking back and forward, her hands gesturing wildly. "TALK TO ME FOR ONCE!" she turned around on her heels and her eyes met with the camera, her hands clasping over her mouth. The video has ended with Andrei mumbling fuck and turning off the camera.

The second and the third media files were two photos. The first one was Andrei posing with his dog and the next one a selfie with Alex, Andrei holding a blunt, trying to look "cool".

[Misha Charisse Quinn]

Misha tried to keep a straight, unaffected face as Jamie snapped at her. So, she knew. Well… that was one less bad news for her to have to deliver. She was tired of having to hand those out like candy.
It was a little hard to tell how well she was truly handling it, but at least she wasn’t letting it overwhelm her too much, and for now, that was for the best. Misha had had her share of feeling crushed by a friend’s bad fate, and she didn’t wish for someone else to go through it. It wouldn’t do anyone any good. Max didn’t seem too alienated by their conversation either, which was quickly explained when she mentioned talking to Peyton. The woman had probably shared what she knew with her wall friends just like she and Alex had.
She was glad to hear that Emery was alive and well, at least; of course, she had to discover that when she could no longer talk to Alex… for now. She still needed to check the other rooms, and she had a lot of walls to knock on. She wasn’t giving up on him that easily.
Max seemed to have the same idea, for she quickly started banging on a wall herself, just as Misha was registering the rest of the information that had been given to her.

 – I already tried that wall. – she gestured to the wall she’d just attacked herself a few minutes ago. Might as well be efficient about this.

So, Emery had received another text… and she’d obeyed it. This made Misha frown. She’d just told Naya to be careful with the texts she’d receive herself, but… she didn’t want people to follow orders blindly, either. The more they’d give in, the more they’d be asked to do, the worse it’d get. She doubted their creeper would be content with just his basic jokes; he would get to much more hardcore stuff eventually… and apparently, poor Robert had to pay the price. Such a nice, gentle guy, too…
“So what do we even do? We clearly can’t get out so… find food maybe?” questioned Jamie, right after listing her own set of past roomies. And from her reaction, she suspected she might have been there when Copper snapped as well.

 – Yeah, we should search this room and then go look for other survivors, and… a way out, or something we might use. – she gave both of her companions a determined look. – Since there’s only three of us, we can’t really divide into even teams, so we might have to stay together for now… it’s not safe to be alone out there. We could…

Bzzz~
Misha froze.
Please not this again.
Silently, she glanced down at her pockets from the corner of her eyes. She couldn’t just pretend she hadn’t heard this, whoever was keeping an eye on her would know. Maybe she should just set her phone in complete silence and hope to get away with—it wasn’t her phone.
It was Andrei’s phone.
Paying no mind to her companions, she very slowly reached for the device, and opened it, her features petrified into the straightest, calmest face she could fake. It was…
An alarm clock.
Fucking hell.
The redhead felt a long, relieved sigh escape her lips. Rei, you fucking moron. Even down your hole you manage to give me a heart attack. Frowning, slightly embarrassed by how worried she had been for nothing, she deactivated the alarm clock. Who the hell sets an alarm at 9pm anyw—

It was 9PM? She looked outside the window. It was as dark and rainy as ever. Was Asshole just knocking them out during the whole day and keeping them up at night? She glanced at the phone’s date: 11th of June. Great, so she had no way to keep track of time or know if the hours on this thing could be trusted. Wonderful. Just what she needed.

 – Okay girls, it’s nothing to worry about. – she reassured the two ladies with her. They’d just mentioned Emery kicking people because of a text creep, they were probably curious about this. – It was just… hm… ?

As she got rid of the alarm, the phone went back to the video she had showed Alex earlier; yet, now that her fingers rested on the screen, it accidentally, moved to a different file… a video she could also watch. A video she was certain had been unavailable before.

And honestly, she should have known better. But curiosity was too strong, and the tension was too real.
Anxiously, she pressed play.

She was greeted yet again by a now familiar sound: Andrei cursing under her breath, and for a second, she wondered if this was just a repeat or continuation of the past video… but it wasn’t. Because now, Alex was outside… and had company.

"WHY DID YOU NEED TO DO THIS?!" yelled a voice she hadn’t heard in quite a while. Hearing Amanda again, knowing what had happened to her between then and now… it was eerie, almost wrong. Like this video belonged to the past, a time she wasn’t supposed to mingle with anymore. Yet, the footage kept playing… and Misha frowned, her eyes glued to the video. Amanda was talking to… herself. She clearly wasn’t looking in Andrei’s direction at all, and it didn’t feel like he was part of the “conversation”, only acting as a silent observer. Then who…

She was on the roof.
Shakily, Misha checked the date of the footage. September 16th. The day it all began. The day Amanda…
The redhead felt bile rush to the lower part of her throat. Had Andrei recorded…?
I can’t watch this. I don’t want to watch this.

Suddenly, Amanda turned around, saw the camera, gasped. Andrei swore, turned the camera off, and everything stopped.

Misha breathed.
Thank heavens.
Thank heavens, it’d stopped on time. She didn’t think she could handle watching… this. Andrei’s fall had been an accident, but Amanda…

Rei. She could still feel the bile in her throat, trying to subdue it as she calmed herself. What the hell did you get yourself into…?

 – I-it’s fine girls… just… one of my friend’s videos. I thought it was something else. – What was she supposed to tell them, that their janitor had recorded footage of one of their classmates talking to herself before she’d jumped off the roof? Had she even jumped, or had she been… pushed? Did Andrei have anything to do with… ?

No. He wouldn’t. She refused to think about that.

Her attention went back to the phone, as it seemed like more files were now available for her to open in the library. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see them, but… she changed her mind when she saw what looked like her best friend in the preview. Still feeling shaken, she opened the files, to discover a picture of Andrei with his dog, which seemed innocent enough, and another of Andrei and Alex. Neither of those pictures had anything weird for her to dwell on… yet, she felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
Andrei was clearly involved in something he shouldn’t; she couldn’t deny that anymore. And Amanda… Amanda had issues, her suicide was telling enough, but with this new footage, even more so. As for Copper, he’d apparently snapped and attacked someone. But Alex…
Why is Alex in this? What does he have to do with any of this?
She would pay anything to see and talk to him now. To make sure he was fine, and for him to prove her wrong, that he didn’t know anything about any of this, and that he was as clueless as she was. She wished she could see him.

What the hell was going on in this school? If Amanda was hearing things BEFORE it all began, did it mean…?

Though somewhat reluctantly, she let her fingers run on the device’ screen once more, looking for anything else that might have changed in the past few minutes. As she did so, she tried to avoid her companions’ eyes, keeping her head low as she searched the room for any other clue.

[OOC: Misha made a perception check.]

[Maxine Evans]

'She told me about all the deaths.' Deaths. Plural. Maxine shuddered - how many died after the earthquake? She'd only known about Kairi and Andrei but - god. Jamie had said her best friend was missing... and the list of names. She knew Peyton was alive at least... but Vanessa. The absence of her name felt like a sentence. Max's mouth went dry. No - no she had to be fine. What was that rule in movies? No one was dead until they found the body.

Jamie's voice came back into focus. 'So what do we even do? We clearly can't get out so... find food maybe?'
Max pointed to her. 'Yes - we-' Misha took over, 'Yeah, we should search this room and then look for other survivors...' she laid out her plan. Max nodded. Of course they couldn't separate the group. It was the first rule of survival - stay as a team. Before Misha continued though -
A buzz. Misha froze, startled. Max watched, her hackles raised. The same reaction to the text as Emery... Misha shook her head. 'Okay girls, it's nothing to worry about - it was just... hm?' She focused on the screen, razor-sharp. With a thumb hovering over her screen - she hesitated. 
Then clicked. 
Voices came out of the phone, distorted and quiet. She couldn't make out all of it....''WHY DID YOU NEED TO DO THIS?' MY EXISTENCE IS ALREADY MISERABLE WITHOUT YOUR HELP!'  A female voice. Max considered moving in closer, but - Misha's hand.
It was shaking.

Max stayed back, and studied her. She had done enough interviews for the Drama Club doc to know  that expressions said far more than words. How many times had she gone over each laugh, each flush, each hesitation while she edited? Yeah, whatever was going on that mobile video - Misha wasn't giving a look of embarrassment. She looked sick.

Before Max could say anything to her, another voice mumbled static, then cut out. The redhead breathed. 'I-it's fine girls... just... one of my friend's videos. I thought it was something else...' Misha turned back to the phone, her thumb sliding back and forth across the screen. She seemed to be avoiding them. Hiding her face.
Just like how Emery avoided her eyes when she kicked Robert.
Just like how Robert avoided saying anything to Max and hid behind the mobile screen.
Just like how Max avoided everyone's eyes when she heard the voice in her head.
Patterns.
Okay. Fuck this. Fuck deja vu. And fuuuuck being left in the dark.

Maxine crossed her arms.  'Huh, I thought you were part of the Drama Club. Didn't think you'd be the kind to phone it in.' She took a step towards her. 'I - look, we're all stuck, yeah? I get that it's private - I'm not close to you, I get that. But I can't keep guessing and guessing and guessing at what's going on here just because you can't be arsed to - I don't know. Tell the truth?'

Maxine pointed to Misha's phone. 'I didn't quite hear all of it... but I heard enough. That wasn't some prank. Something happened...' Her chest beat like a drum. Come on... come on... 'First an earthquake. Then weird memory gaps. People shifting rooms - and texts? And I -  I thought I heard a voice... in my head. Yeah, I know, I know, it sounds barmy...' She huddled herself. Her finger traced a hidden scar on her upper arm. 'So, yeah. Yeah. I know I'm some outsider - how rude of me - but we can't afford to keep secrets. We're all missing people... and I can't keep being left in the dark like this.' She glanced at the door. 'I can't afford to do nothing anymore.' 

[Jamie Lewis]

Misha gave out her orders. Look for food, find survivors, check for anything useful. Great. Jamie was about to stand up from the floor, when she heard a buzz. She froze. It came from the redhead’s pocket. The brunette turned to look at her. She watched with anticipation as the girl took out the phone. Jamie was scared to say the least. Scared of the message. What would the texter want Misha to do? Would it involve one of them? Misha slowly looked at the screen, then let out… a relieved sigh? “Okay girls, it’s nothing to worry about. It was just...hm..?”

Jamie heard voices coming from the phone. Probably a video..she could make out a girl’s voice..Amanda? But she’s.. and Andrei too. This was probably recorded before the earthquake. She heard Amanda yelling. Who was she yelling at? Andrei? But why? "MY EXISTENCE IS ALREADY MISERABLE WITHOUT YOUR "HELP"!” What was she talking about? It didn’t make any sense. What was Andrei helping her with? “I-it’s fine girls” Misha started after the video finished “just… one of my friend’s videos. I thought it was something else.” “That was Andrei and Amanda!” Jamie said. She was sure of it. She remembered their voices. Loud and clear. Just before she could continue with her questioning Maxine spoke up. 'I - look, we're all stuck, yeah? I get that it's private - I'm not close to you, I get that. But I can't keep guessing and guessing and guessing at what's going on here just because you can't be arsed to - I don't know. Tell the truth?' Jamie’s eyes widened. She never heard Maxine talk like this. When she saw her around in the club she always seemed so chill. Jamie never knew this side of her.. come to think of it she didn’t really know her at all. “I thought I heard a voice... in my head. Yeah, I know, I know, it sounds barmy...' Jamie’s mind went blank. A voice.. where has she.. her head started buzzing...where has she heard that before.. “I heard this really weird voice... Like a robot almost. And the next thing I knew, I was being strangled. “ Alex!! Alex told her this. He heard a voice too. “I can't afford to do nothing anymore.” Jamie heard the dark brown-haired say. She knew exactly how Maxine felt. Not being able to do anything is all she felt since the earthquake. She couldn’t find her friends, she got herself punished, even in the computer lab she couldn’t help Nerissa after the dog attacked. She felt selfish and useless. “Maxine’s right.” Jamie spoke up “We can’t keep secrets.” she stood up and looked at the redhead. “Tell us the truth.”

[Misha Charisse Quinn]

'Huh, I thought you were part of the Drama Club. Didn't think you'd be the kind to phone it in.'

If she’d had the required energy right now, she would have sent her a death glare, or said something back. That was the worse joke she’d ever heard; and Misha wasn’t an actress, even. Max should know that. But for now, that didn’t matter. Because both her companions had seen right through her.

What even made her think she could fake her way out of this, surrounded by drama aficionados?

Before long, Max was giving her a whole lecture, but it wasn’t the worse; Jamie had clearly recognized the voices on the footage. Once that was out into the open, with the girl knowing that both were dead… there was just so much she could do to hide the truth. And she wouldn’t even know WHAT to say for that. And if she even wanted to.
As she lowered her head once more, wondering if she could just ignore that mess into oblivion, once detail out of Max’s speech got her attention, causing her to raise her chin again to look at the woman with rekindled interest. ‘And I - I thought I heard a voice... in my head. Yeah, I know, I know, it sounds barmy...' So she’d heard voices too. Which meant Alex WASN’T going crazy. Or at least he wasn’t the only one going crazy. So did that mean it WASN’T because of the amulet? She tried to make memory. The voice he heard when the glowing happened was miss Kishi’s, but before then, it was someone unknown… who had SHE heard?
She didn’t have much time to keep dwelling over this, however; Max had finally finished her rant, which had turned into a half-scolding half-pleading, and Jamie had reiterated the other woman’s wish to be told the truth. Both were now facing her head on, with expectant looks and grave faces, physically blocking the only way out, possibly involuntarily. There was nowhere else for her to go.

Misha eyed both of them for a few seconds, silent, before letting out a long, tired sigh. Finally, she felt enough like herself to speak and, straightening her spine, made eye contact with both girls, with a tough expression. Enough of standing there and getting yelled at.

 – Okay, okay. Do excuse me for being a little unnerved over this. But fine, if you all wanna know so damn much. This was a video of Amanda, probably right before her suicide, recorded by Andrei. … ah. – Misha suddenly dropped her serious demeanor to let out a slightly nervous chuckle. Fuck. She turned to Max. – Ah… Sorry. I’m not even sure you knew about that yet. – Smooth, very smooth. Her social skills were only getting better. – … she was talking to herself, looking at nothing, and when she saw Andrei, they both gasped and he turned the camera off. … Like he wasn't supposed to see that. – once more, she turned to Max. She had quite a few questions for her, but she wasn’t sure what to start with. Though honestly… anything worked if it diverted the attention from this. – … you said you heard voices, right? You’re not the only one. And apparently… Amanda did too. And that was before the earthquake. … what exactly did you hear?

[Maxine Evans]

'Maxine's right. We can't keep secrets. Tell us the truth,' Jamie said. Max gave her with a gentle nod. She had almost regretted her outburst as soon as she said it. There was too much information, too much vulnerability in her outburst- this wasn't her. She was a rock. A rock. The fact she wasn't the only one who was frustrated? Yeah, Jamie's words gave her a  needed boost - and for that, she was thankful.

Silence settled in the class room. Misha eyed them both, and then gave a defeated sigh. She straightened up, her face turning stoic. 'Okay, okay. Do excuse me for being a little unnerved over this. But fine, if you all wanna know so goddamn much. This was a video of Amanda, probably right before her suicide, recorded by Andrei... ah.' Maxine's eyes widened. Amanda... killed herself? Max tried to think back on the times shes saw around the club. She knew Amanda had always seemed on edge - sweet, sure, but wound up tight. Max's chest went heavy. How could she have missed it? The isolation, the anguish, the feeling that other people were better off without you - she'd seen it in her father's eyes in those damned lucid moments. The clench of his hands on hers. His apologies for being a burden -  'I'm here...'  Max blinked away a few tears. God.

Misha turned to her, her eyes softening. 'Ah... sorry. I'm not even sure you knew that yet. She was talking to herself, looking at nothing, and when she saw Andrei, they both gasped and he turned the camera off...' Talking to thin air - so she heard something too. Max rubbed her cheek with the back of her palm. She didn't know if she should be relived that she wasn't alone, or horrified. Both. The redhead clearly thought the same thing, because she proceeded to echo her thoughts. 'You said you heard voices, right? You're not the only one. And apparently - Amanda did too. And that was before the earthquake... what exactly did you hear?' 

It was an obvious question. Of course she'd want to know - but, god, it was stupid. Now that Max was out of the fog.. why did she believe it? She felt melodramatic, so - selfish. 'Self-esteem has a funny way of twisting the truth... you become your own worst enemy.' She hesitated. She focused on a spot on the tile, her fingers playing against her palm. She didn't want to say it - but she had demanded the truth. As had Jamie. 

No turning back.

She looked Misha right in the eyes. ''You are nothing-' Max gave a nervous laugh when she realized how it sounded - 'Sorry, I mean, the voice literally said, 'You are nothing. Just kept repeating the word over and over... nothing.' She shook her head. She didn't know if that was what Amanda had heard that as well - though given her outburst in the phone, it didn't seem to be the case - but... if she did - then her suicide made a sick amount of sense. Hear something often enough - and you begin to believe it. You are nothing, nobody cares about you, you're useless... your brain becomes a quagmire, each step, each day, a chore... was that what Amanda had gone through?

Was that why she killed herself?

'I know it sounds - weak. But -' a thought struck her, '- come to think of it. There was something else. After that, Robert received a text to tell me I was cute. And I guess he hesitated because Emery received a text to kick him... I guess to make him hurry up? It's weird - why would the voice tell me I'm nothing, then... compliment me? Unless -' If Amanda had convinced herself she was nothing... no... 

She didn't believe in ghost stories. Watching them, sure - but - what if?

'Unless it was a weird coincidence. Or - something else.'

[Administrator]

Dice result: 1D10 => 3
Failure; you didn't find anything useful.

[Off-top: I'm sorry that I missed u, Zoe O,O thank you so much, Liv and Meg for helping me! <3]

[Jamie Lewis]

Finally Misha started explaining the video. As Amanda’s name was mentioned Jamie’s face became sadder. She had no idea what the video could mean but it was definitely spooky. She turned to Max who apparently didn’t know about this and was now fighting back tears. The brunette placed her hand on her shoulder. Maxine wiped her tears away.

“You are nothing” silence. Both of the girls looked at Maxine. Then she nervously laughed "Sorry, I mean, the voice literally said, 'You are nothing. Just kept repeating the word over and over... nothing." she added. Jamie didn’t understand why it would say that. Maxine also mentioned that after that it wanted to compliment her. “It’s okay Max. They can say anything to you. The thing that matters most however is if you believe it” the brunette said. It surprised her a bit too, since it kinda sounded like something an old mentor would say to their protege. She still hoped it helped the dark-brown-haired. “Thank you for sharing it with us Misha.” she turned to the redhead “It’s better not to have secrets” she nodded. “Well since you didn’t find anything I say we go look around. What do you say?” the let out a faint smile.

[Misha Charisse Quinn]

Max was obviously shocked by her reveal, her features distorted in an expression of… guilt? Misha raised an eyebrow as the woman blinked to return to her more composed self. Why would she act remorseful? … She didn’t have anything to do with Amanda’s suicide, did she?
Her internal conflict was not yet over, if she was to judge her face when asked to say what the voice she had heard had told her. Which again… was the tiniest bit suspicious. Had she heard the same thing as their first death victim?
Finally, after what felt like forever, Max raised her head to face her straight on, and opened her mouth to speak.
''You are nothing. "

Thanks. Misha blinked. What the hell was that for?

Jamie looked about as confused about it as she was if not more; finally realizing what she had just said, Max laughed nervously. “Sorry, I mean, the voice literally said, 'You are nothing. Just kept repeating the word over and over... nothing.” Misha frowned. Ah… so that’s what she meant.
Something wanted Max to feel… berated. Useless. Yet again, she thought back to Amanda. It was weird how many similarities she was seeing there. Had their texter been the reason behind her suicide, and if so… was it now looking for its next victim?

Disgusted, Misha shook her head, as Jamie began talking again. “It’s okay Max. They can say anything to you. The thing that matters most however is if you believe it” Silent, she looked over at the young girl. What truly mattered right now was to keep their minds steady and prevent themselves or each other from doing anything… drastic. They couldn’t let their harasser bring them to insanity; and definitely not this fast. They had been down here for… two days, maybe? It was hard to say.

 – I don’t think you should try to make much sense of it. – she warned Max, turning her attention back to her. The poor girl was trying to find meaning in her persecution, and she doubted that was a good idea. Abusers didn’t care for logic or sense, only pain. – It probably just wanted to hurt you, like it wanted to hurt Robert by embarrassing him. Or you, if it made you uncomfortable or confused you more. It doesn’t even has to mean they think you’re either cute or nothing… just that whatever hurts is good. – after a second, she shrugged. – Someone else heard voices telling them to just… leave someone to die, because she didn’t deserve to be saved. Two people were asked to harass me. – she rubbed one of her ankles against the other, her balance unsteady.. – I don’t… think they care much what they say or do, as long as it’s bad. – just as she was about to let the subject go, another question came to her mind. – Tell me, when you heard those voices… were you touching or doing anything out of the ordinary, some object you didn’t know, or did it just… come to you out of nowhere?

“Thank you for sharing it with us Misha. It’s better not to have secrets.” In the meantime, Jamie had directed her attention back to her. Expectant, Misha nodded. “Well since you didn’t find anything I say we go look around. What do you say?”

 – Yeah… sure. I don’t think this room has much to offer for now. And we still need to make sure if there’s someone else out there. We’ve lost enough time in here as it is. – she could feel the weight of Andrei’s phone in her hand, surprisingly heavy; about as much as her spirit. So much information and misery to take in, in such little time… she needed a break, albeit a short one. – You two just… go on ahead, I’ll be right behind you.

She had said herself they shouldn’t break the team apart, and she had no intention of staying here longer than absolutely needed, but… she was tired. Truly, incredibly tired. Just a moment to breathe would do.