It had been over a week since I hadn’t come to school. In just one week, everything felt different from the teachers to the students.

And since I was gone, another kid was hurt, and it was Jill at that. When I realized what happened to Jill, I felt like it was my fault. If I didn’t explode the way I did, if I had held it in like all those times before, then maybe, Jill wouldn’t have been hurt.

The only reason I knew it was her was because of how she acted now, as compared to before, just like all the other kids who had been hurt by that monster.

Added to how the class and so many other students treated them after I fought back, Jill was alone. And that left her open to being hurt at his hands.

It made me feel sick.

Would he not stop, not even after I called him out in the principal’s office? Did he think nothing could hurt him? That he was untouchable?

I felt useless. Absolutely useless.

Angry and frustrated I leaned against the brick wall of the school, feeling the sudden need to smack my stupid head against the brick behind me.

What could I do?

Jill was like all the others, too scared to talk, afraid of what that monster would do if anyone knew the truth. Anyone important that is. Since she hated me, I wasn’t important, and no one would believe me anyhow. Just like before.

I hated this, I wanted to do something. I promised myself I would. Yet here I was, unable to do anything. All because I was a kid.

So frustrating!

Why? WHY?!

Just because I’m a kid, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be heard, that I shouldn’t be ignored! Why were so many adults like that? Like my mother? Like my grandmother and uncle?

No, calm down, acting out would just prove them right and that was the last thing I wanted. I had to do something, and soon. If this went on any longer… then Kaya or another kid might be next… I… I didn’t want to think about it. If I did, I might end up picturing it so clearly, as if it were real. If I let my imagination wander too much it may cause others to worry. It’s one of the reasons why Mia didn’t like me because I could easily figure out what was wrong and the possible cause.

Because of what happened yesterday I managed to get Kaya to play with Lukas, at least that way she wouldn’t be alone. Had I not seen Nick purposely interact with Kaya, making it look like he caught her when all he did was pretend to when he pushed her, my mind started to picture things, things I didn’t want to happen but feared for the worst.

Even with my imagination, I could always picture things easily, solve puzzles when seeing the pattern, and figure out what I needed to do with little clues in point-and-click games like in Nancy Drew or even when I’d read in children’s mystery books too. It wasn’t hard for me to know who the ‘bad guy’ would be. But this was real life and not a game or a story in a children’s book.

I had no special powers I was just good at picking up things quickly from a person or reading, music, language and other things. It didn’t make me special, it’s just how I was.

I leaned against the school’s brick wall, looking up at the blue fall sky, trying to think of something that could work when I heard something. Something that didn’t come from the kids that screamed or shouted as they played. Or of teachers keeping an eye on them. No, this sound was small as if someone was trying to make it impossible to hear. But with my hearing, I could.

Someone was crying.

I followed the sound of sobbing to a hidden spot in the school. Rounding the corner of a part of the outside no one goes to, I saw Mia sitting on the ground, curled up and crying as she hugged her knees.

“Mia.” Her head snapped up, tears running down her cheeks as her green eyes were red from crying. “You shouldn’t be by yourself.”

She glared up at me, and I noticed a new bruise peaking up from the collar of her shirt. There were probably more too. “Go away, you freak; I don’t want to deal with you right now.”

It was rare to see her alone like this.

I squatted down, ignoring her demand. It wouldn’t be good to leave her alone where anything could happen. “Too bad, I’m not going to.”

“Leave!” she yelled.

“No,” I said calmly. “I’m not leaving you alone in a place like this. Something bad might happen to you.”

“Like you care!” Mia screamed. “What, you think you're soooo big because of what you did to Jill and the others and me?! Do you think that changes anything?! You’re still a freak who should disappear!” When she said that, Mia shoved me to the ground and started to run away.

“You’re not the first that was hurt by him!” I shout. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at me. Her green eyes were wide with fear and terror. Like she hoped that I was lying.

“…what?” I almost didn’t catch her saying that, with how tiny her voice came out.

I stood up slowly before looking at her. “I know… I know what you’ve been through. I don’t know all of it, but I know you’re not the first.”

“And how do you know?”

“Jill,” when I said her name Mia flinched. “I know that man hurt Jill and about eight others. Making you the tenth…” Kaya would have been the eleventh if I hadn’t caught her in time… that alone made me feel sick. It made me glad that I decided to keep an eye on her.

“That many…?” Mia’s question broke my thoughts. “Even Jill…? Then that’s why she…”

“Why do you think she left your group and sits by herself?” I finish for her. “Haven’t you ever wondered why I would go talk to her? Or why she’d avoid you or other friends?”

Her silence gave my answer. Then she gritted her teeth and snapped out. “Then, if you know, why not tell the teachers? Why not help us? Why not stop him? Or…” her eyes went wide as she came to something. “Or did you want it to happen to us? For payback for what we did? Yeah, that has to be it!” she pointed at me. “I bet you gloated to Jill. I bet you laughed and told her she deserved it! I bet you…”

“Shut your mouth,” I growled back. I was tired of her stupid thoughts.

She paled; the look I must have given her had to have been scary. “Mia, if I wanted you to be hurt, if I wanted you to be in pain for what you did to me, I can tell you right now that what you went through is not what I’d let happen to you or the others. Trust me. I’d rather burn the whole school down with everyone inside, including you, than what you went through. What’s more…” I closed the distance so that we’d be inches away as I allowed all of my anger, and all of my hate to come out so she would see it in my eyes. “I’d do it myself.” She fell to the ground as I let out a breath. “But despite that, I don’t want to do that either.”

“W-why not?” her voice shaky as she looked up at me, no longer as someone she hated, but at that moment, feared. I didn’t like it.

“Because I’m not that kind of person, I don’t enjoy hurting people as you do. I don’t want to become something I hate. Like how you hate your parents for how they hurt you.”

She looked away. She knew that I knew. Maybe it was why she started to bully me, or maybe she thought I didn’t deserve the life I had, thinking it was perfect.

If only she knew what my Dad was really like…

Now that I think about it, she might have done it to get people to be on her side if I decided to tell others, making them think I couldn’t be trusted.

“I never told anyone, and not because of what you did. But because I knew you didn’t want anyone to know. Besides, that’s something we have in common.”

Mia frowned. “What-what do you mean?”

I plopped down next to her, something she didn’t expect but didn’t move away either. “Not being believed, knowing something but people won’t listen to you because they think that you’re playing a joke or… they just want to pretend it’s not true. And… I know what it’s like to be hurt by a parent.”

She laughed; she didn’t believe me. “Yeah, right, your dad loves you. Everyone knows he would never hurt you.”

“I never said it was my Dad.” I let my words fill the silence and what I meant by the unsaid. When I looked at her, her eyes gave me the question of: “What happened?” So I told her what she wanted to know. “When I was three, my mom tried to kill me. She always pretended to be nice and sweet, but the truth was that she was mean. Never liked that I looked like my Dad and probably a lot of other stuff I don’t even know about.” I raised my left hand to my throat. “Sometimes, I can still feel her hands around my neck like they’re still there. But… my Dad saw, and then… she was gone. I haven’t seen her since.” I glanced at her. “Still think everyone should have both parents?”

Mia quickly shook her head.

“Good, stop telling people I should disappear. I get enough of that from myself.” I said that last part under my breath. I just wanted to get it out so I could maybe move past it.

“Huh?”

“Nothing, and leave Lukas alone.”

She frowned again. “I never bullied him, I… I like Lukas. And I told the others that too.”

I knew Lukas wasn’t being bullied, but I did think that what she did to me might have also been because I was with Lukas a lot of the time when avoiding her and Mia’s friends.

“What are you going to do?” she asked after a bit.

“I don’t know. I told the teachers and the principal. Nothing changed…”

“Why not your Dad?”

I opened my mouth only for my hands to cover it.

“Amalie?”

I was going to lie. But I can’t. My Dad hates liars, and I don’t want to lie, but… what if she didn’t believe me? It happened before, of people not believing me.

How dumb was that? After what Mia went through, what my Dad did, or still did, was something that even she could understand given her abuse.

“Because he’d do something bad.” I managed to say when I lowered my hands. “Really bad. And I don’t want him to. That’s why I kept talking to the others, to get them to go with me, to tell the principal. To record it on our phones and get those who care to hear us out.”

“Jill’s parents would,” Mia said. I knew she was telling the truth, Jill’s parents would do anything for her.

“I know, but she’s scared. Afraid of what he’ll do.” I looked back at Mia. “Did he threaten you like he did with Jill?”

“Yeah, but I know it’s bogus. He’s full of shit.”

I frowned at the word but chose to ignore it. I think that was a bad word adults used. Either way, that word felt sharp and uncomfortable to my ears. I didn’t like it.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I know the difference between what they mean. ‘I’ll kill your family if you talk’? He’s better off just killing me instead. But he won’t because he’s a coward like my Dad and Mom. If I die on accident, they won’t be blamed.” She scowled down at the ground and looked like she was about to cry. “Why do I have such shitty parents?”

I remained silent, thinking over what Mia was saying.

I couldn’t answer her question. And though it wasn’t something I should say, I believed that there were just some people who shouldn’t be parents. I wasn’t sure if my Dad was one of them, I knew he loved me with all he had, but something about it felt wrong to me, and I wasn’t sure why.

“About what you said, about using our phones,” Mai spoke, as I turned to look at her. “Do you think that’d work?”

“It worked to get you guys to stop writing on my desk and locker, didn’t it?” Mia flinched, looking startled, she and the other four were called to the principal’s office when an “anonymous” video was sent to the principal of them drawing on my desk and locker. They hadn’t done it since I fought them that one time a week ago.

“I… I think I have something that can help then.” Mai said, pulling out her phone. “I ended up recording something I didn’t intend, but… you might be able to use it, on him and that shitty principal. I have a few recordings, should I send some to you?”

I wanted to ask how many she had, but instead, I merely said. “All of it.”

Mia looked surprised only to nod.

“Wait,” I say, as I pull out my phone from my skirt pocket. “Do you think you can also talk about how he acted around you? Or the others even? I’ll do the same.”

She eyed me for asking. “Did he hurt you too?”

I shook my head and she seemed to look a little relieved. “No, but I can tell that he wants to. I don’t know what, exactly, but I know it’s bad, how he looks at me like I’m… food.”

“Gross,” Mai said her face scrunched up. “He doesn’t look at us like that, just smug and creepy and says that no one would believe us if we told anyone. Why do you think that?”

I shrugged, I didn’t know, it was just a feeling. If I were to compare my Dad to Nick, well, my Dad looks down on others how they were below him would outwin Nick’s, also because I knew if my Dad was aware, he’d do something really bad to Nick, not that he probably wouldn’t deserve it, but for some reason, I couldn’t help but think that it would be too good for him. I wanted Nick to get everything he deserved and live with it for the rest of his life locked away suffering forever. Like the monster he was.

* * *

During the weekend I worked on getting what Mia had spoken about in the recording along with what she accidentally recorded with her phone onto a CD, I had four in total. One that I planned to put in place of the CD for the national anthem that our school plays just before our first class starts, the second was on my phone, a USB key and the last was on a computer that belonged to the school that I kept in my desk.

I had asked Ms. Miller for permission one time we talked during recess. At first, I thought she wouldn’t let me, but to my surprise, she did.

“Just so long as you don’t take it home with you.” Ms. Miller told me. “As long as you do that, I have no problem with you leaving it inside your desk.”

“It’s really okay?” I asked, not sure if I heard her right.

Ms. Miller looked at me like she was surprised that I was surprised. “Of course, Amalie, and besides, I know you’re a good student. I doubt anyone would have a problem with it either. Just…” she hesitated. “Just whatever it is you’re doing, I want you to be careful. Okay?”

I could only nod and place the laptop in question inside my desk, pushing it to the back and hiding it with textbooks I didn’t need.

With the recording I put together for the CD I had Mia listen to it on my phone, to make sure it was okay. If it was then I’d see if I could sneak in early and put the CD that was in my locker underneath the one that’s there for the school’s national anthem. I knew how it worked as I was asked to do a reading of Flander’s Fields for Remembrance Day last year, as it was also my birthday which the teachers thought would be extra special. I just thought it was weird but now I was glad it happened since I could still remember how it all worked.

“Holy shit…” was the first thing Mia said after listening to it on my phone with headphones. “You actually put this all together. How long did this take?”

“The whole weekend.” I knew how to do it thanks to Elain, but I didn’t want her to be dragged into this as well. And I didn’t want my Dad to know either, that’s why I’d never leave any of it on my home laptop. Besides, at a certain point, he’d put it in his office and I didn’t want to risk that chance.

Mia just stared at me. Before saying with an annoyed look. “You really are smart.”

I gave her the same look back. “Did you think I’d cheat in school?”

“Duh. All rich people do.”

“Well, I don’t!” I snap back. “My Dad always says to do what I can through my own merits! And cheating is wrong!”

“Ok, ok, geez… you’re such a Daddy’s Girl…”

I felt my face getting warm. “I-I’m not!”

Mia scoffed. “Yeah, you are, my Dad this, my Dad that. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy.” She gave a sly grin. “I’m not saying it’s bad. Hey,”

“Yeah?” I ask as I put my phone away.

“Do you think your Dad could beat mine up?”

I just looked at her. Understanding why she was asking that. “You really hate your dad don’t you Mia?”

“Him and Mom, they suck. They don’t even care… I don’t think they ever did.” She then turned to me with a grin. “So? Do you think you’re Dad could do it?!”

No, he wouldn’t fight him. My Dad would kill him. Especially given how my Dad never took kindly to those who would hurt me, and to an extent, other kids. But I couldn’t tell her that, she might just ask for him to do that. Thankfully, I didn’t have to steer the conversation since the bell rang meaning recess was over. “We should go before the teachers come looking for us.”

Mia scoffed again but did so.

It was strange, seeing Mia act almost nice towards me, I doubted it would last but I knew that Mia wasn’t a bad person, not really. But I still didn’t like her much, and I’m sure she felt the same about me too. I doubt that would change any time soon.

When we got back to class though, I noticed something off, I could smell something different in the classroom. Someone had been here while everyone was gone.

And it was a smell I recognized.

Nick had been here, but as I looked inside my desk nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. That made me feel a bit at ease since I still had two more classes before the end of school and decided to put it out of my mind as I placed my phone into my locker for safekeeping since I couldn’t take it with me to my other classes.

When I came back, however, the lock for my locker was on the floor. It had been broken. Panic hit me as I opened my locker but found nothing different. Everything was still there even my phone. Except for the CD, it was broken. Well, not smashed into pieces but it was scratched all over to the point that it was useless.

A feeling of dread rested on my shoulders.

Oh no…

I wracked my brain as to how that could have happened.

Nick must have done that, why? Did he somehow overhear me and Mia? I would have known if he were outside with my good sense of smell and hearing. I couldn’t think of what could have been the cause for him to do this. Unless it was to make me aware that he was on to me because I kept Kaya safe? Was that it?

I couldn’t understand him, and I didn’t want to. I just wanted to go home for now.

Yet as I gathered my things to go home, I kept feeling like I was forgetting something, even though I knew I wasn’t.

It didn’t make sense, I always made sure that I didn’t forget anything. I guess the whole thing with Mia, putting the audio together on the weekend and just keeping up with my school work was making me a little confused.

It still stuck around when I had finished dinner and Elain came to watch me for the night as I worked on my schoolwork. I did plan to try and check all the audio one last time. But then I realized what it was that had been bothering me so much.

The USB key that I had attached to the laptop.

I left it in the laptop inside my desk at school.

What the heck?!

How could I forget something so important??

It was because of Nick. I worried that he might have been snooping through my things I didn’t think to grab the one thing I needed. I looked at the clock on the wall in my room that was in the shape of a sun and moon, as the big hand moved close to eight PM. The school would be closed, no one would be there. Yet, for whatever reason, my mind kept flashing to Kaya, thinking about what would have happened to her if I hadn’t gotten her away from Nick.

No, I didn’t need to be worried, I had the recording on my phone I would be—

I felt my heart sink as I looked at the file that should have had the audio file that I had on my phone that I had Mia listen to. It was gone!

GONE!

How? It couldn’t have been gone, I wouldn’t have deleted it, it should have been right here. So how could it…

My locker. The broken lock. That’s what it was. He went into my locker and managed to delete the file from my phone and left the scratched CD to distract me. And it worked. Not after all that, it couldn’t have been gone. No, no it’s okay, I still had the USB key inside my desk. I was still fine. It would still work out, my plan was still in motion.

But is it really safe? My thoughts came through asking myself. Are you absolutely sure Nick doesn’t have the USB?

Darn it!

I couldn’t panic! I couldn’t let myself fall down that rabbit hole like Alice. I couldn’t let myself go mad thinking impossible things that I knew nothing about!

But it remained and grew. And grew. And grew until I could no longer take it.

“Elain!” I ran out of my room and down the stairs, where Elain had rushed out of the living room looking worried. “Elain, I need to get back to school!” I tell her. “It’s really important! I have to get something from the classroom!”

Elain looked even more confused. “What? You forgot something at school? Amie, can’t you wait until tomorrow?”

“No!” I said it in a way that was a little too loud. “I can’t!” What if it’s gone? “I need to get it now or else…” What if Nick took the USB? What do I do then? “I need to get back to school and get it back right now!”

Elain noticing my growing panic gently rested her hands on my shoulders. “Hey calm down Amie, it’s not the end of the world, okay? I’ll give your Dad a call, tell him you left something really important at school and you need to get it back.” We headed down to the living room where she grabbed her phone and called my Dad, it rang a few times, about five, he must have been busy with something.

Then he picked up.

“Evening, Miss Ortiz, is something wrong?”

“Ah, no, nothing’s wrong per se. It’s just that… Amalie left something important at school and wants to see if we can get it back.”

“Hmm, is that so? May I speak to her please.”

Elain handed her phone to me. “Hi, Dad…”

“Is what you left at school so important you need to go back and get it right this instant?”

“Yes,” I tell him. “It really, really, really is!”

“Does it have to do with your locker today?”

“Yes.”

He was quiet. And as the silence grew, I frowned myself growing worried, that he was going to say no. “Alright,” he said.

“Really?” I said unable to hide my surprise.

“Only you must have Miss Ortiz with you at all times, no matter what. Understood?”

“Yes, I understand!” then I heard something else in the background but it was too muffled to catch what it was. Where was he right now?

“Now,” he spoke drawing my attention from the sound. “Please hand the phone back My Dear. Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Be careful.”

I didn’t respond, I just froze. By the sound of his voice, I knew, because he knew. He knew what I was planning. How I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter right now. He was letting me go and I wasn’t going to second guess anything for it. “I will.”

“Good girl,” I then handed the phone back to Elain. “I will come to collect you both when I’m finished here,” he says to her. “I’ll only be a few moments longer so I won’t be dallying much further with this.”

“So sorry for interrupting your night, Mr. Hilmarsson.”

“No apologies needed, given the situation, these things tend to happen from time to time.”

* * *

Alastor ended the call with a press of his gloved hand. Well, this was a rather interesting turn. And a worrying one at that.

Amalie was always so good at keeping track of her things, so for this to happen was a cause for concern, on top of which was that man.

Nick Green.

It made Alastor wonder just what it was that caused the tone of worry and concern in his sweet daughter’s voice. He hadn’t heard something like that from her in a long time. Whoever caused that from her, well, he’d have to take care of it. Especially if it was because of Green.

But first…

“I suppose I should finish with this first and foremost.” He says with a smile as he tilts his head back slightly at the sight before him. The sounds of sobs and dripping of liquid could be heard as the thick smell of copper filled the air as he readjusted his medical mask.

* * *

Thankfully, Elain’s older brother Nathan was nice enough to give us a ride to the school. Saying he needed a break from his studies to go buy something to eat.

“Hey, do you want me to stay and wait for you guys?” Nathan asked.

“It’s okay Nate, Mr. Hilmarsson will be coming to get us so you don’t have to hang around,” Elain told her brother as I went to the front doors of the school.

“Still, you sure you don’t want me to hang around just in case?” Nathan sounded concerned.

Elain was quiet, I noticed that she was looking at me before answering. “I think we’ll be okay. It won’t be that long of a wait anyhow.”

“Alright,” he said still sounding unsure. “Call if you change your mind.”

“I will, thanks Nate,” but he didn’t drive away, not right away. He merely stayed watching us as Elain walked over to me. “It might not be open,” she said, indicating the fact that there were no lights on inside, which was normal around this time.

I tried the door, and to my relief, and confusion, the door was unlocked. “It’s open,”

Elain frowned. “Huh, how’s that for some luck?” she said as we entered the school, she waved to her brother before he drove off. Elain then took her phone and put it in flashlight mode. Lighting our way in the dark hallways of the school.

There was always something about how scary the school was when it was nighttime. No, when it was dark. I don’t think it had anything to do with the time of day or night. It would be scary even if it was sunny, I think. Even Elain seemed on edge.

“I always thought schools were creepy at night,” Elain whispered to me as we walked through the hallway.

I stared up at her. “Then why did you agree to come?”

“There’s no way I’d leave you to do this by yourself.”

“Because I’m a kid?”

Elain shook her head. “No, not because you’re a kid, well, there is an element of that, but that’s not the full reason. No one should be in a place like this alone. Who knows what might be skulking around the corner?”

I looked back up to Elain, even though she was on edge she still came with me. “I think you’re really brave, Elain.” I tell her.

Elain gave a short laugh. “Yeah thanks, but maybe save that for when we’re out of here and you have what you need.”

We picked up the pace and went to my classroom, where Elain stayed not far behind me, keeping an eye on the door as I went to my desk.

It was the same as I had seen it before going home. Elain commented on how organized it looked as I removed the textbooks and notebooks to reveal the laptop I had hidden. And there, still attached to the computer was the USB. Removing it, I found myself breathing a sigh of ease. Thank goodness it was still here.

It was strange though, why was my locker broken into but nothing had changed with my desk? Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. What could that mean?

“You have what you need?” Elain asked me as I put the USB into my yellow dress’s pocket that had a zipper in it so I wouldn’t lose it along with my phone already set to dial my Dad if I needed to. Something he always told me to do if I felt unsafe.

I nodded at Elain but froze the moment I heard someone walking towards our classroom and everything inside me suddenly began to grow cold the moment I realized who it was.

Nick Green was here.