I have to blink my eyes a few times when the scenery around me suddenly flashes green. I look around, dazed. It looks like I’m in the middle of the jungle…

“Huh... when did we get outside?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.

“Step away from him. Now.” A girl’s deep voice commands.

I whirl around. I see Ashley, who is… wearing a suit of armor? And she has a sword, which is drawn… and directed at Ms. Truman’s throat. Ms. Truman is cowering away from her, her hands out in front, eyes wide with fear.

“Ashley... please,” Ms. Truman says, shaking her head. “I- I don't know what's going on... I'm scared and confused... I don't know what you want, but please, just don't hurt Kevin...”

Hurt me? Suddenly, the full absurdity of the situation hits me.

“Ashley, what are you doing?” I ask her. “Why do you have a sword?”

She doesn’t move her stance but turns her head towards me. She has a look of disgust on her face that makes me wince a little bit. “This woman... she is a despicable creature,” Ashley says. “Do not let her get close to you again.”

“Ashley please... I don't know what I did,” Ms. Truman pleads. “Take my money, just please leave me alive...”

“I don't care about your money, sicko.” Ashley responds, turning back to her.

This is insane! What is she talking about?

“Ashley, come on! What are you threatening her for? That’s Ms. Truman, our English teacher!” I say, trying to reason with her. “Let's just calm down... we need to figure out what's going on here.”

“Don't worry, I can tell you exactly what's going on here,” Ashley tells me calmly. She drives her sword a little closer to Ms. Truman’s neck, spilling a drop of her blood. “This woman... this wretched, horrible woman... framed Coach Everheart for an act of rape that she was planning to commit. On you, Kevin. Do not trust another word she says.”

I barely have time to process that statement when I hear rustling all around us.

“Aaaahhhh! Something’s coming... what's happening?” Ms. Truman screams, looking panicked. “What are you doing, Ashley?”

“I'm not doing shit,” Ashley responds, starting to drop her sword. “Kevin, get-“

I feel something grab my arms at the same moment that I watch Ashley get immobilized by what look like ropes or vines grabbing her arms and legs, causing her sword to fall out of her grasp. I try to move and find that I’m also tied…

Ms. Truman’s posture relaxes, her shoulders slumping. She takes deep, calming breaths as she looks between Ashley and I.

“What is this? Where even are we?” I ask, starting to panic.

“Somewhere where nobody will be able to find either of you,” she explains. “Except for me, of course.”

“Not nobody,” Ashley contests. “You’re going to pay, one way or another.”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan for what to do with your friends,” Ms. Truman gloats. “They will be joining us soon enough… under my terms. Which reminds me.” She strolls up to Ashley and starts reaching around her waist area.

“Don’t you dare touch me!” Ashley growls, trying to yank herself free of the strange vines.

“Don’t worry, we’re not doing anything like that… yet,” she assures her. “I just needed… this.” She pulls out Ashley’s cell phone. “We can’t have any escape attempts now.”

“Ms. Truman… are you really doing this?” I ask, feeling crestfallen. “Did you frame Coach Everheart?”

“I saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, so I took it,” she explains casually, shrugging. “Don’t look so depressed. I think you’re really gonna like what I have planned for you. Stay right here, mommy will be back soon…”

She does something with her phone, and then she just… disappears, right in front of our eyes.

“Kevin, listen to me carefully,” Ashley begins as soon as she is gone. “In this world, everyone has the potential to awaken a great power within them, and that includes you. You can use this power to get us out of this.”

“A great power?” I question confusedly. “This world? Ashley, I still have no idea what’s going on!”

“We’re in a place called the Metaverse, where those with strong wills can make their very thoughts reality,” she explains. “I don’t know how, but Ms. Truman has the ability to access it…”

I’m trying to wrap my head around this when something appears, emerging from the foliage. It looks like Ms. Truman, but if she were a villain from a comic book or something. The vines which are immobilizing us are coming from her head, the green vines thinning and transitioning into golden blonde hair strands that contrast from her usual brunette. Because of the way the vines are anchored to the floor, she is suspended several yards off the ground, looking down at us with a wicked smile unlike anything I’ve ever seen on her face. The feminine features of her body are exaggerated and displayed proudly by a revealing outfit, a green leotard with golden bands around her arms and legs. Normally I would probably find it hot, but I’m too frightened and confounded about what’s going on to appreciate it.

“Well, isn't this a lovely surprise,” she calls at me. “I was expecting a young boy to play with, but I get a bonus as well!”

“Ashley, what the hell is that?” I question in terror.

“ That is everything Ms. Truman has been hiding,” she says matter-of-factly.

The blonde Ms. Truman giggles. “While my other self gets things ready in the real world, I’m gonna get you guys warmed up. Don’t be afraid, now. I intend on showing you a good time.”

“And I intend on showing you my sword going through your heart,” Ashley growls.

“Why the defiance? I thought you’d jump at the opportunity to get with a real woman. I’m just like you, you know.”

“No, you’re nothing like me,” Ashley bites, starting to go red in the face. “I like girls who are close to my age. You obsess over your own students because you’re a freak.”

“Why do you think I wanted this job?” Ms. Truman asks, smirking at her. “I think people peak in high school. Old enough to be hungry for love, but young enough to be fresh and passionate.”

“And by that you mean young enough to manipulate and exploit,” Ashley retorts. I have a horrible realization; was she only being nice to me this whole time to get to me?

“There’s something wonderful about the rush of having these feelings for the first time… and definitely something charming about the naivety.”

“I don’t care,” Ashley responds bluntly. “I don’t give a shit what excuses you have for being a molester. So how about you shut your mouth about it.”

“Maybe you’re right. We should get started with the fun part now!” she turns towards me and grins. “Now, Kevin. I know you have quite a thing for Ashley, right? Ever wondered what she looks like with her clothes off?”

“What? Wait… No, don’t do that!” I stammer, feeling very awkward.

“Don’t be shy! You want to see, do you not?”

“Not like this,” I respond, embarrassed. “Never like this.”

“Eh, I’m sure you’ll change your mind once we get going,” she dismisses casually. “Enjoy the show!”

“No, wait…” But she’s not listening to me. The vines lower Ashley to the ground and hold her down like she’s on an operating table.

“You know, that armor isn’t very sexy. You’re covering up all your best features.”

“I don’t remember asking for your opinion,” Ashley snarks, trying desperately to wriggle free.

Another vine comes up and covers Ashley’s mouth, stopping her from talking anymore.

“Other than your bright green eyes, you’re really rather plain… but your figure is another story.”

Ashley’s eyebrows furl at this, and she makes growling noises as she continues to struggle against her constraints.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“Please stop doing this!” I plead with Ms. Truman. “This isn’t right!”

“Oh, there’s nothing you can do about it,” she taunts. “Might as well let your natural instincts take over and enjoy it.”

“You’re gonna go to jail for this!” I threaten.

She laughs hysterically at me. “Don’t be ridiculous. Nobody will ever believe you over me.”

“No…” The embarrassment I felt earlier is turning quickly into rage.

“When we go back, and Ashley is mysteriously gone… which side of the story do you think people are going to believe? That the cute, unassuming English teacher tried to violate two of her students? Or that an aggressive, hormone-addled little monster was trying to force himself on the girl he liked, who kept turning him down… and the heroic teacher came to her rescue, giving her time to run away…”

“How could you say that about me? I’m not like that at all!” I’m getting so furious I want to burst into tears…

“Oh, I know that you’re a little goody two-shoes,” she admits. “But people in this world see what they want to see… or in this case, what I want them to see.”

“My friends will believe me,” I argue desperately. “They know I would never…”

“But your friends don’t matter. The people in charge will listen to me over you. You’ll go rot in juvie. But don’t feel too sad…” she gives me a sinister grin. “I’m such a kind, forgiving soul that I’ll come visit you… and that’s when the real fun will begin.”

This proclamation hits me like a ton of bricks. In addition to my fury, panic surges through me as well. What if she’s right? What if nobody believes me, just like they never do? I really have no way to win out against her. Unless...

I look back at Ashley. The vines are circling her, seemingly trying to find a kink in the armor. She makes eye contact with me and gives me a stern look. In this world, everyone has the potential to awaken a great power within them, and that includes you…

----------------------------------------

I think I feel it now. In a moment, I picture a man with spiky black hair and a long red cloak, holding a long pistol, standing in front of a backdrop of a dark forest under a red sky. He gives me a toothy grin.

“You wanna know something?” I tell the man. “All my life, I’ve had people assume the worst of me. I’ve had people pin things on me that weren’t my fault. And what she just said, it’s like she’s doing the same thing.

“I didn’t want to be dragged into this weird jungle. I didn’t want to have someone I trusted manipulate and trap me. And I haven’t enjoyed a second watching my… my friend, be tormented right in front of me.”

“She called you a monster, Kevin,” the man tells me with a low, haunting voice. “But you know that people like her are the real monsters. And you know how to deal with monsters-” he hands me his handgun- “With a silver bullet to the head.”

I take the gun and admire it, the sheen of the moon glistening on the holster.

“The wheel of fortune will turn for you no more,” he concludes. “Now’s the time to show your true self.”

----------------------------------------

I open my eyes. I take in everything around me. The vines holding my limbs are flung off of me, as my school clothes change into a red longcoat. The same gun is in my hands. As I’m falling to the ground, I take aim and quickly fire at the vines holding down Ashley. It’s so cool… it’s like my reflexes have been cranked up to the max. As I hit the ground, Ms. Truman shrieks, and Ashley struggles free from the vines and chops them off with her sword.

“Hey, check it out! I got my stand!” I shout to Ashley.

“Your what ?” she asks, frowning.

“I’ve waited for too long!” Ms. Truman grunts, looking frustrated and desperate. “I’m not letting my catch get away from me again!”

“Kevin, let’s go!” Ashley calls. “Put some distance between us and Medusa here!” She turns away from Ms. Truman and runs into the dense trees, and I follow without thinking twice.

----------------------------------------

When I come back to the band hall, I’m surprised to see that Ashley is gone. Both of our backpacks are still sitting where we left them. Where did she go? I look around the hall, and peer into the practice rooms, but I don’t see her anywhere.

I sit down next to my backpack and softly whisper, “Hey Ted… do you know where Ashley went?”

“She needed to check something,” he responds in his own hoarse whisper. “She wasn’t right… breathing was funny. Like she got freaked out at something.”

Freaked out? This makes me worry… Ashley never freaks out about stuff like that. She’s always so calm and collected… whatever it is must be really serious. Could it have to do with our case? I get up and start looking around more intently.

“Zoe, is everything alright?” Yonca asks, startling me. I hadn’t noticed her sitting near the back as I walked by.

“Did you see where Ashley went? She was supposed to wait here for me,” I ask.

“Oh… it was so weird. She was sitting there, still and quiet… and then all of a sudden got up and ran out the door!”

“That’s not really like her, isn’t it?” another voice says, and with a jolt I realize that Terra was sitting next to her. “You better go find out what’s up.”

“Uh… yeah,” I agree awkwardly. “Anyways, I’m going to go find her… Thanks.”

I get out my phone and start messaging Ashley. Then, when I get no response, I message our group chat.

Hey guys. Has anyone seen Ashley?

Anja:

I thought she was iwth you?

She ran off.

Ted said she was freaked out about something.

I have a feeling it has something to do with our case

Anja:

Oh shit. That ain’t good.

I’m still hanging around, so let’s all meet up and look around for her.

Uh… I’ll get Nova’s attention, I’m with him by the bus stop.

You might want to check the orchestra hall for Ruth.

Okay, will do Anja. Thank you.

Without further ado I run to the orchestra hall. Sure enough, Ruth is there. She is sitting in the front of the room playing her cello. The song is a pretty piece of mostly eighth notes and many arpeggios. She’s playing with her eyes closed, so I go up to get her attention.

“Ruth… I’m really sorry to bother you, but… we need your help with something.”

She opens her eyes and stops at once. “Hello again, Zoe,” she greets.

“We think Ashley might be onto something,” I explain. “But she ran off, and we have no idea where she went.”

“Hmm. She does strike me as the type to act impulsively,” she muses. “She’s very businesslike and to the point…”

She sighs deeply and starts putting her instrument back into its case. “Did you get any idea of what it was she found out?”

“No… I just went back to the band hall, and she was gone… and apparently, she was freaking out about something.”

“That does seem unlike her. Perhaps it is important, then…” She buckles up her case and hauls it over to her locker, moving quickly.

----------------------------------------

“There’s my bus,” I say, watching #286 pull into the lot.

“Hold on. I think shit’s happening,” Anja tells me, looking at her phone.

“Really? Now?” I groan. “It couldn’t have happened a few minutes ago?”

“Don’t sweat it! I’ll drive you home!” she offers, smiling at me.

“Oh, uh, thanks.” I tell her.

“It’s no problem! It’ll be fun!”

Both of us go back inside and catch Zoe and Ruth walking to the front office. Zoe has her backpack, so that’s everyone in our group but Ashley.

“I’ve been messaging and calling her, but I haven’t gotten anything!” Zoe cries, clearly stressing out.

“You think she went back to the other side?” I question.

“If that were the case, she should’ve returned by now,” Ruth reasons. “Doesn’t time pass much more slowly over there?”

“I wouldn’t be totally surprised if she ran in there on her own, though,” Anja comments, sighing in a frustrated way. “Damn her…”

We stop talking at the sound of a pair of high heels approaching us. They belong to a teacher, a younger woman with brown hair and heavy lipstick on. She’s looking straight at us, worried about something.

“I was hoping to run into you four,” she tells us.

“Uh, what?” I question. “Who are you?”

“This is Ms. Truman, Ashley and I’s English teacher!” Zoe introduces.

“That’s right. And you’re all Ashley’s friends, right?”

“Yeah, we sure are,” Anja answers. She makes eye contact with Ruth and slowly shakes her head. I don’t know what that means, but Ruth seems to understand.

“Well, there was an… incident with her just now, and I’m not sure where she went,” Ms. Truman explains.

“An incident?” Zoe exclaims. “What happened?”

“Well, it was between her and Kevin. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but he was mad at her for not going to Homecoming with him… when I left my room to see what the fuss was about, she was screaming and running out the exit door, and he chased after her.”

“Oh no! He was always so nice!” Zoe cries, looking distressed.

“Ashley just screamed and ran away?” I ask, snickering. “I thought she would’ve broken the dude’s nose. And this time nobody would’ve blamed her.”

“I’m sure she panicked because of how sudden it was,” Ms. Truman reasons. “I was wondering if one of you could help me find her, I’m worried for her safety… Zoe, you know her best, right? Why don’t you come with me?”

“Okay, I’ll help!” Zoe agrees. “I’m really worried about her too…”

Zoe walks forward, as if to follow Ms. Truman, when Ruth grabs her by the shoulder and stops her.

“Let’s all go,” she suggests. “We’re all her friends, and we can cover more ground as a group.”

Ms. Truman thinks about this for a bit, and then says, “Actually… that’s a good idea. We can all split up and try to find her. This way, everyone…”

“I’m gonna try texting her too, let’s see if she responds,” Anja suggests. “I really think everyone should try that…” The way she says that sounds like a hint hint, so as we walk down the hall I get out my phone. Anja is sending something in the group chat.

Anja:

I think she’s lying.

Nova’s right. Ashley wouldn’t react like that.

And Ms. Truman was on the list of people who were at that work party.

I don’t know what part she’s playing in this, but she knows something.

She’s trying to throw us off the scent.

Ruth:

I absolutely agree. I’ve known Kevin for years and can vouch for his character.

He held no grudge about being rejected for Homecoming.

oh yeah, kevin

anja didn’t we talk to him there

Anja:

Right, we did!

And yeah, he was chill about it.

Zoe:

What do we do then?

Ruth:

For whatever reason, she is trying to split us up.

So we should try and stay together.

Anja:

Since she knows something, maybe we should try and interrogate her about it…

I think I have an idea. Follow my lead.

“This is where I saw her last,” Ms. Truman tells us. I look up from my phone. We’re in the English hallway, right by the end where the exit is.

“I see…” Anja says. “You know, the timing of this is kinda freaky. Wouldn’t you say?”

“You mean with what happened to Coach Everheart?” Ms. Truman replies.

“Yeah, that!” Anja agrees.

“Well, Kevin was on his track team,” Ms. Truman explains. “I think he might’ve been inspired to follow in his coach’s footsteps…”

“It’s really crazy, you know… weren’t you just at a work party with him last weekend?” Anja asks pointedly.

For a moment, she looks like Anja just punched her in the face. But then, she relaxes again, and says, “Yeah, I was. And I thought he was being rather suspicious. He kept talking about his female students and their bodies.”

“And you didn’t report him?” Ruth questions, frowning.

“Well, you know how it is, being a woman in a man’s world,” Ms. Truman says dramatically. “They’ll always just shut you down…”

“Too true, sister,” Anja responds. “But was there anyone else suspicious at that party? He would’ve had to have posted that blog thing while it was happening… what if it was someone else on his Wi-Fi, hmm?”

The hall goes dead silent. All four of us are looking at Ms. Truman, who goes as white as a ghost. Then, she starts looking angry.

“Well, you kids must think you’re really smart, do you?” she asks spitefully.

“Yeah, pretty smart,” Anja responds, smirking. “Smart enough to do… THIS!” She pulls out her phone and… okay, sure. I guess we’re going back into the Metaverse.