EVENT #5 - There's a ghost in the mirror {Tag: Alex}

[Emery Attiyah]

[OOC: TRIGGER WARNING- SELF HARM. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF SENSITIVE TO THIS SUBJECT!]

Emery ran into the boy's bathroom, not looking back, barely looking forward. She only looked up when she had to. Which was to find the door to the bathrooms. She opened it and ran in, her body going straight to the the sink. Her hands held onto the sink, her arms as well as her whole body shaking. She whimpering, breaking down. She leaned over the sink before a nauseous feeling washed over her. Taking over her and forcing her to throw up. She coughed, hyperventilating, her emotions taking control again. And not only were her emotions controlling her, but so was the ache in her right hand. She looked at her, noticing it was still bleeding a little. She coughed, her body jolting. She needed to bandage it up, but she didn't want to... No let it her hurt for a while, she deserved it...

Her head lifted up, looking at the mirror in front of her. her reflection staring back at her. Her eyes were slightly pink, she had bags underneath her eyes. Her hair was a mess and it looked like she had been crying for days. Which was true in this case. She stared at the reflection, taking in every little thing about her. Taking in everything she use to love about herself, stuff that she now hated. Her hair, her face─everything! She was revolting, disgusting, hideous! Her hands tightened on the sink, her fingers and knuckles turning white from her grip. Which also forced a bit of blood out of her wound.

Why was she still allowed to live? She had killed two people now! Two! How was she going to live with herself! How could she look in everyone's eyes and tell them how she ended up killing two people. How she all did it as a task. How she was doing this to keep the ones she was protecting safe! How was she suppose to explain this anyone?! Wait─how could she explain when she promised to not say one FUCKING word! Her expression started to turn into a cold one as these thoughts washed over herself.

I hate you...

I hate you, I hate who you have become! Look at you! You're worse than that thing inside of Naya! You're disgusting, you're revolting, how are you going to live with yourself!? How were you even living with yourself before?! You're a burden! A fucking burden! A burden during the car crash, a burden when you made fun of Ryan! Burden, burden, burden!! You can't even save your own fucking friend from her mother!! You can't even save Naya from that fucking thing!!! Cause you keep making stupid fucking promises!

"I hate you!" She screamed, lifting her injured hand and punching the last of the mirrors in the room. The glass shattering. She cried out, breaking down harder, her eyes closing as she leaned over the sink. Her body shaking violently. "I hate you," She whimpered, staying still, finding she couldn't move due to how upset she was. But when she finally had enough want to move she opened her eyes. Her eyes catching the sharp glass shard that landed in the sink... Sharp enough to inflict pain. She took another look at herself in the mirror before remembering how she killed Madonna and Copper...

Her mind went blank...
No more thoughts...
She stopped crying...

Emery picked up the glass shard, everything going blurry as she placed it on her lower arm.

Her mind was blank...
Her breathing calmed...

One for Madonna.

A thin line was forced onto the girl's arm.

She cried out in pain.

One for Copper.

A second one below that, this time a bit thicker. She cried out again, dropping the shard as she couldn't do it anymore. It hurt, it hurt too much. She gasped, backing herself up against the wall before she slid down it. Allowing her cuts to bleed as much as they could. Not looking at anything anymore. The cuts weren't deep enough to kill her, but they were just enough to make her forget her pain for a moment. After all, this was her punishment... And she would do this as long as she kills innocent people.

A way to remember them...
A way to punish herself...

Please God, forgive me...

"I am so sorry..."

[Alexander Attiyah]

Alex stumbled blindly on his way through the corridor after the sound of his sister's screams, falling against the ground over and over - more times than he honestly could count. His body ached each time he hit the floor, and judging by the pain in his limbs and the weight at which he'd hit things, he was sure he had a large amount of fresh bruises now. But he didn't stop; he couldn't. He knew that was his sister somewhere out there... He'd recognize her voice anywhere.

"I'm coming, Em," he whispered under his breath in a strained tone, grunting a little in pain as he leaned against the wall and followed it down.  One way or another, anyway... His words were cut off, however, as he suddenly heard a different sound this time running somewhere down the hallways. It was faint, but definitely there, and his eyes widened. Those sound like footsteps!

Immediately he froze, unsure if he should call out or not. He hoped it was Em - or at the very least one of his other friends or classmates whom he wanted to find and could be safe with. But he felt his body shake at the prospect of it being someone he wouldn't want to see; his sister had been screaming after all, and he felt terrified considering the chance that it might be Amanda or someone--or something--else who was inflicting pain... someone he needed to stay clear from. Yet as he strained an ear towards where the sound was fast approaching up ahead, seemingly only a few yards in front of him, he heard sobs that he instantly recognized and his throat instantly dried, his brown eyes widening even further. That's...

"Em?" he called out in a voice barely above a whisper. Though it didn't seem like she had heard him as all that followed was the noise of a door being opened and then quickly slamming shut, all while the footsteps thundering against the tile muffled behind whatever door she had just entered before stopping altogether. Shit...

Grimacing a little as he moved, Alex continued forward as fast as he could in the direction of the sobs he still heard until he felt the wall suddenly give away to nothing but air. Instinctively he inhaled a panicked breath as he felt his body pitch forward slightly and raised his arms up quickly to catch himself, unable to see anything but black in front of him. His palms and forearms soon struck hard against the cold tile flooring with a thud, pain instantly rocketing up his arms and knees who took most of the fall. "Ow..."

He instantly winced, moving his arms underneath him to help push himself back up for what felt like the hundreth time while his fists clenched in determination. If that really truly was Emery, nothing was going to keep him from getting to her...

Though the halls suddenly echoed with the muffled sound of glass breaking and the sound of Emery screaming... and more glass breaking... and more screams. And Alex instantly shot his head up in the direction the shattering vibrations were coming from: the same direction he had heard the door close... What the hell!?

Filled with more panic and concern than before, the ravenhaired forced himself back up and ran forward with one arm stretched out as a guide, stumbling a little in his black vision towards the noise. Within seconds, his body eventually hit against what felt like a heavy door and behind it, he could hear the crashing sounds ringing behind it along with the pained whimpers of his sister inside.

"Emery!" he tried yelling frantically through the door, his fists pounding against the barrier. But he supposed her own voice or her thoughts were too loud for her to hear him, and so he continued to search for the handle, both hands moving along the surface of the door. But as he blindly felt around, the ear-splitting sounds of Em's cries and breaking of glass inside had already died down into nothing but an ominous echo and then silence altogether. And the halting shift in noise and mood instantly left the ravenhaired waiting outside the door freeze in place, having absolutely no clue what was happening inside while his mind rang with panicked worry and foreboding thoughts and confusion.

Remaining like that for a few seconds with his ear strained towards the door in a desperate attempt at hearing anything at all, Alex could hear what sounded like Emery's voice mutter something inside, though he couldn't pick up what it was she said. Though it was all he needed to move again, and he immediately picked up his search again, his hands pressing against the door. Shit, come on! he muttered inwardly as his teeth clenched in frustration and determination, his hands moving a little lower and more towards the side.

Finally after feeling the cold metal of the door handle brush against his fingertips, he immediately gripped it and, without another second of thought, threw the door open and stumbled inside. At first, he didn't hear anything. Nothing but the sound and feel of glass instantly crunching beneath his shoes, anyway... The sharp noise echoed slightly in the room, sounding closer to a cave than the usual rooms in the school and he wondered if he was now inside one of the bathrooms in the school - which, all things considered, greatly explained where the sound of glass had come from...

But what made his breath catch in his throat was that in the midst of the quiet, he could hear muffled whimpers - ones he had rarely heard before. And his body subconsciously took a step forward towards the sound before stopping in place, seeing nothing but black shapes in front of him. "Em?" he called again, his voice so low and hushed he wasn't even sure she would hear it even despite the echo in the room. Though he hesitated where he was, torn in his decision of wanting to go to her but not sure he was able to; there was too much glass... made evident by the sound of it breaking underneath his shoe as he took a step forward, his lips parted slightly as his face contorted into a rather pained expression. "Please tell me that's you."

[Emery Attiyah]

BAM!

Emery jumped at the sound of the bathroom door slamming against the wall. Sounding like someone had threw it open. She stared at the wall that was blocking the door, watching in horror when she started to hear slow footsteps. Her knees bent and she brought them to her chest, holding herself. Who the hell was coming in?! Did someone hear her? Who ever it was she didn't want them to be here. Wanted them to leave her alone. Let her be at peace finally... Let her just be alone for one second! She had no idea who it could be, but she was wondering the most if it would Naya. Maybe she was coming to congratulate her? No, the footsteps were too heavy, too heavy to be her friends. It had to be a male. She opened her mouth to tell them to go away, but nothing came out from her throat. Paralyzed in fear.

Since it was dark the first thing she saw was just a tall black figure emerging. Chills were sent down her back. A whimper left her throat as she pressed herself against the wall more. Please go away, please don't come in, please leave... No one is here, no one is here! Her thoughts were going crazy, they were loud, it was like she was expecting who ever was in the room to read her mind and go away. The figure kept moving froward, each step making her more and more scared. Then its foot stepped on some glass, crunching it underneath their feet. She closed her eyes, trying to silence herself. But no matter how much she tried, whimpers kept leaving her. Please, please, please...

"Em?"

Alex?

Brown eyes opened, staring at the floor. Did she really just hear Alex call her nickname? Or was she just imaging it because he was the only person she really wanted right now. Was she finally going insane?

"Please tell me that's you."

No, no that was his voice. That was really his voice... Which meant.. "Alex?" She asked, moving slowly to stand up. She looked towards him, still not able to see his face, but now his figure looked familiar. Yes, yes that was definitely her brother! She gasped, smiling, taking a step forward. "Alex, I'm here," She took another step forward, then another, walking slowly to him. "I'm here, where have you been are you oka-Ah!!!"

Emery shrieked, her hands going over her mouth. The moment she got close to Alex and his face was no longer covered in darkness she saw that his eyes were white and the skin around them were burnt. Her back straightened in fear, paralyzed in fear as all she could do was stare at him in absolute horror. "A-Alex, y-your─Y-your─ e-eyes, who─," White noise filled her head, her vision wavered. Everything felt heavy, the shock of seeing her brother injured in such a way was too much. Her eyes went heavy, her body felt numb. They closed and she fell forward into his arms. Her emotions overtaking her. Her body had enough, it needed rest.

Darkness wrapped its arms around her once more.

[Alexander Attiyah]

It took a moment before anyone answered, but when his sister's voice said his name, Alex immediately let out a quiet breath of relief. "Yeah, it's me," he said as he stared blindly ahead in the direction she was speaking, wishing he could see her too. Thank God it's her... A small smile formed on his lips as he heard her take steps closer towards him. He was happy to finally find his sister again, but it was with a bittersweet and rather nerving dose of reality. In his mind, he could still hear the glass shattering and her screams of frustration and muffled whimpers that rang out only seconds ago. He honestly couldn't even remember when Em had last screamed like that, and he didn't have a very good feeling at all - made evident by the weird energy in the room. And it scared him to think what was going on that had made her break like that.

"Alex, I'm here," he heard her say as her steps grew closer and closer towards where he was. "I'm here, where have you been? Are you oka-Ah!!!"

The sudden, horrified screamed that ripped directly in front of him to reverberate against the walls of the small room instantly sent the ravenhaired backwards, his breath immediately caught in his throat as a painful feeling in his chest seemed to hit him with force. "Wha-?!" he began to ask, his face revealing his emotions of both hurt and complete shock. It was like Em's scream had cut right into him and he took a step back instinctively, all of his nerves on end. He was anxious as to why she was freaking out, but a part of him already knew the reason: the same part of him that had been fearing her reaction since Nancy had screamed in terror at him... And at her next words, it was like his fears were now being realized.

"A-Alex, y-your─Y-your─ e-eyes," she stuttered out, the very tone in her voice making the male's heart break. "Who─"

Immediately his heart clenched, his mouth completely dry. "I-" he began to mutter out, trying to grasp at anything he could say... But he wasn't able to say anything more before he felt her body suddenly knock into him, the unexpected weight nearly sending the two of them towards the floor as his eyes widened in shock. "Em? ... EM!?"

He waited with baited breath for her to say something, but she remained silent against him, his arms currently holding up her entire body weight. It didn't take him seeing her to know that she had fainted, and while his own heart was still recovering from the harsh reality her reaction to the marks over his eyes had been, the ravenhaired didn't have time to focus on that. All he was aware of right now was the stillness of his sister in his arms and the tickling sensation of her hair rubbing against his arm while his own body shook with anxiety.

"Em, please talk to me..." he pleaded despite knowing she couldn't respond, his voice containing every fear and nerve he felt. "Em! Wha-" His words were cut off as he realized a second tickling sensation - one that was warm and felt like liquid, now moving down his arm towards his hand. And he nervously shifted his sister against him to free his other arm, rubbing his fingertips along the same area to try and discover what it was as a foreboding feeling gripped at him.

Lifting the substance up towards his face, Alex froze as he recognized the metallic smell, his own blood running cold. Oh shit! he whispered inwardly as a gasp left his lips, immediately moving his hand back towards her arm. He could feel more blood coming out of what felt like a cut on Em's arm and he pulled his hand away, biting the inside of his cheek in worry. Did she get cut from the glass? He didn't know, but he forced himself not to think too much about it yet and instead turned his attention towards his sister's unconscious form, holding her against him as gently as he could while his hand frantically felt around where he stood in the hopes that he'd find something--anything--to help them out.

His own panicked breaths were the only sounds that echoed around him. And when he suddenly felt a sharp sting shoot up his fingers as his skin met some of the broken edges of what felt like a mirror - or what remained of one anyway - he didn't stop and continued searching. The pain was nothing compared to the worry and hurt he felt in his heart at the sensation of his sister's blood dripping down his arm. All he cared about right now was Emery.

Please let there be something here, he muttered inwardly as he moved his hand over. Eventually he felt a plastic-like box beneath his fingers and as he lowered his hand even further, he felt the familiar texture of a paper towel and his hopes rose, realizing it was a dispenser while also getting confirmation on a general idea of his location.

Grabbing as much as he could, he adjusted them against Em's arms where he could feel the majority of her blood coming from and bit his lip, feeling frustration and worry mixing together. He hated that he couldn't see right now; it was hindering him from knowing what exactly happened with Em and how severe her wounds were. He had no idea how many there were either... And with her unconscious, there wasn't any way to know and no one around to help him. He was on his own. And he could feel his heart clench in both determination and anger.

"Shit, come on!" he snapped through clenched teeth as he felt the warm sticky liquid seep through the thin paper. It shouldn't be him helping; he didn't even know where exactly he was still - he was downstairs at least since Misha had been in the entrance hall. But was this the girls bathroom? The boys? Despite it all and his own current condition, however, he was determined and desperate and with little options. He cared deeply about his sister, and he was going to do whatever he could to keep her safe.

Not waiting another second, he moved his sister's uninjured arm over his shoulders and grabbed her waist, keeping his other hand free to guide him outside of the room and hopefully somewhere where they could get help. "Just hang on, Em," he whispered to her as he blindly led the two of them back in the direction he had come in, pushing the door open with his shoulder. "We'll find some help." I hope...