2

Dora strolled down the road to school, her smile widening as the warm sun tickled her skin. A pair of binoculars hung loosely around her neck, bouncing slightly with each step. With time to spare before class, she stopped occasionally to observe birds perched on branches or the tops of buildings, nodding approvingly at each one as if in conversation.

“What the—”

A massive, blue eye suddenly filled her view, startling her. Lowering the binoculars, she felt a sharp flick to her forehead.

“Ouch!”

A pungent odour immediately hit her nostrils, stinging the inside of her mouth and throat.

“Ech, ech,” Dora coughed, swatting at the air.

“What's the matter?” a familiar voice taunted. “Think being on time today would save you from me?” Jennifer scoffed, taking a long drag on her cigarette, exhaling smoke in Dora’s face.

“P-please stop.” Dora’s voice trembled.

“What was that? I can’t hear you.”

The sound of hoofbeats interrupted them.

Clop. Clop. Clop.

Jennifer froze, her eyes narrowing as she slowly turned around, her hand with the cigarette dropping to her side. Her face went pale, her fingernails tinged with blue.

“Horse!”

“Neigh!”

Jennifer stumbled back, shooting Dora a venomous look before vanishing as quickly as she’d appeared, the cigarette smoke dispersing behind her.

“Are you alright?”

Dora blinked, looking up at a figure perched on the back of a champagne-coloured horse.

“Natalya?”

Natalya, still wearing her horse mask from the day before, was a curious sight, even more so now atop the horse.

“This is Tempest XIV,” she said, patting the horse’s neck. “Tempest, say hello to Dora.”

“Neighllo!”

A smile broke across Dora’s face as she gently patted Tempest's snout. The horse nuzzled against her hand.

“Heh, looks like he likes you,” Natalya said. “That means you’re a good person.”

Dora couldn’t help but feel a bit warm inside at the comment, though the confusion still lingered. “Wait... did you just protect me from Jennifer? I thought you were her friend. Why didn’t you join in?”

They continued walking together, the horse clopping along beside them.

Natalya chuckled. “You’re a bit narrow-minded, aren’t you? Just because someone’s your friend doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything they do.”

Dora’s cheeks flushed slightly at the rebuke.

“But doesn’t Jennifer ever try to get revenge on you for not siding with her?” Dora asked.

“Oh, she gets rough with me sometimes.” Natalya shrugged, dismissing the idea with a wave. “But I can handle her. As for why she doesn’t target me... well, why don’t you try to figure that out?”

Dora frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Think about it. What separates you from me?” Natalya winked behind the mask. “Here’s a pro tip: it’s the same reason I get away with wearing this mask to class and why no one minds when I bring Tempest to school.”

“Can’t you just tell me now?” Dora whined.

“No chance.”

“Why not?”

“Because then it wouldn’t have any value. It has to come to you, like an epiphany. Until then, it's for me to know and for you to find out.”

They arrived at the schoolyard, where Natalya dismounted and tied Tempest to a nearby post. Dora looked around, noticing the small stable area she hadn’t paid attention to before.

“Huh. So that’s what this was for,” she muttered, finally connecting the dots.

Natalya nodded approvingly. “Now, why do you think Jennifer targets you?”

Dora tilted her head in thought. “Maybe she has low self-esteem and puts others down to feel better about herself?”

Natalya let out a hearty laugh. “Jennifer? Low self-esteem? Trust me, confidence is the last thing she’s lacking.”

Dora pouted. “So what is it, then?”

Natalya shrugged, still smiling. “Honestly? I think the sight of you just annoys her. She thinks you’re a dork, and it makes her cringe.”

“Well, gee. Thanks,” Dora mumbled.

Natalya’s laughter softened. “She’s not entirely wrong. You do talk to yourself and space out a lot, and you can be... a bit ditzy.”

Dora turned, ready to walk away, but Natalya wasn’t finished.

“But,” she continued, “I think there’s an easy fix for that.”

Dora’s curiosity piqued. “What do you mean?”

“We just need to make you... cool. Or at least not dorky enough to be on Jennifer’s radar.”

Dora sighed. “How am I supposed to do that? Do I need expensive clothes or something? I don’t have money.”

Natalya shook her head. “Nope. You need something bigger than clothes—you need an identity. Something that makes you stand out. Maybe even become a local celebrity.”

“A celebrity?” Dora blinked in confusion.

“Yeah! We could join a club or create one. What are you good at? Do you play any instruments?”

Dora scratched her head. “Not really. I’m not athletic, either.”

Natalya sighed but remained optimistic. “Well, we’ll find something. You just need to find your thing. Then you’ll shine like a star.”

“A star, huh,” Dora mused.

“Let’s get to class for now, Parrot,” Natalya said, smirking beneath the mask.

“Stop calling me that!”

“Eheh, sorry.”

“By the way, I..”

“Yes?”

Natalya tilted her head.

“I'm sorry about just leaving you yesterday.”

Dora fumbled around with her foot, ashamed about it.

“Oh that? Don't worry. By the way, I handled your notice with the principal and all that. It won't be a problem for you anymore.”

“What? How?!” Dora was taken aback and just stood there with an open mouth.

“As I said, who knows? She said, being the one knowing.” Natalya smiled smugly under her mask.

Dora was finally able to relax for once. She grinned in satisfaction and she would've even put her feet on the school table, had it not been for the teacher in front of the chalkboard teaching maths; he was in his late thirties or early forties, based on Dora’s judgement. Looking behind her and to the right, Dora noticed Natalya slumped over her table taking notes which caused her rubber horse mask to wiggle frantically. The young girl giggled in her mind.

However, when she turned to the left, a cold feeling overcame Dora and dug its way into her bones. Jennifer glared with contempt and broke her pencil as soon as they made eye contact. Dora gulped and quickly turned back to the front and pretended to take notes.

“What got in- oh, right.”

‘What's got into her?’ Dora thought.

‘Did I do anything wrong? Maybe she's mad about what happened before, or she is embarrassed about Tempest XIV spooking her. I'll try to avoid her after classes.’

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Class ended with the bells ringing.

On the way to the cafeteria.

Drip.

Drip.

“Hmm this pizza’s really good.”

Natalya talked with a stuffed mouth while sticking a slice of pepperoni pizza under her mask.

“I’d like to try the original in Italy though. Maybe we could go there someday.” Meanwhile Dora ate an egg sandwich from her lunch box which had “I love you” written on a note.

“Wait, we? I'm sorry, but I don't have the money to travel, heh.”

“Oh?” Natalya was chewing. “I'll pay for your ticket.

Dora raised her eyebrow.

“But we only just met.”

She felt a hostile stare from somewhere, but did her best to ignore it. Dora coughed as she almost choked.

Natalya leaned over the table, ready to get up and perform the Heimlich manoeuvre.

“What's wrong? Are you okay?”

“Oh? I'm fine, it's just…”

“Yes?”

“Nevermind.”

Dora sighed.

Drip.

Drip.

“What's this sound?”

Dora looked past the counter and into the kitchen to see if there was a dripping sink, but everything looked fine, so she went out onto the hallways.

A bad feeling came over her, like a premonition or a sense of impending doom. That was because something had been missing the whole day, she just couldn't pinpoint what it was. Perhaps it wasn't all that important then.

Dora sighed and was on her way to the next class, geography. Despite being interested in other countries, Dora didn't like it that much. It was boring and having to remember where every mountain and river is was mind numbing and tedious.

Today, the focus was on lakes and rivers in their North American state, so Dora took notes while shutting off Jennifer's piercing glances.

The school day ended at 3:15 PM and it was starting to get hot outside.

Drip.

For some reason that not even Dora herself understood, she decided to walk around the hallways again rather than to head home right away, so she pulled out her flip phone and sent her mother a text that she's gonna be late.

Strolling while pressing her slender fingers onto the buttons, an increasingly amplifying white noise invaded her ears.

Drip. Drop.

“Uh?”

Not having paid attention for a moment, she finally looked up.

Before she could get a clear glimpse of what was in front of her, Dora’s mind shut down. Visual snow overtook her optical receptors and she couldn't help but groan in discomfort as the schoolgirl's sense of balance plummeted.

With every second, the white noise pervading Dora’s skull grew in intensity until it was the only thing she could think of. She tried to shake her head, but the truth was that she was no longer aware of her surroundings and her own movement. The pressure was immense as if someone tried to drill a hole into her forehead.

Finally it stopped. With a deep breath Dora regained her consciousness. She tore her eyes wide open as she stared at the dirty grey stone tiles while being on all of her fours. When she got up, the scents of iron and freshly cut grass pervaded her olfactory organ. The light flickered as she met face to face with a girl.

“Why? What is this..? Why..”

Dora stumbled backwards.

Drip.

Drip.

Clack.

A pencil fell to the ground and a small piece of graphite scattered as its tip broke.

What was missing all day and thus gave Dora respite for a day had been Emma who was hanging from the walls at the end of the hallway, attached to thorny vines that bore into her white flesh and pulsated in a slow rhythm like a vampiric organism. The head was hanging down. The hair that was usually black and well kept was now greasy and stained with blood, giving it a scarlet hue. The clothes had been violently torn. Dora gasped in shock at the sight of the blood viscously flowing from the immobile victim's naked exposed body parts.

A blood curdling scream startled her.

“What the fuck is this?!”

Dora hastily turned around to face an enraged Jennifer. A vein popped out of her forehead and in her hand she was clenching a baseball bat which put goosebumps onto Dora’s skin and made her heart skip a beat.

“You are fucking dead, cunt. Say a prayer and then say goodbye forever.”

Dragging the wooden stick across the floor, she rapidly approached the confused and terrified girl with firm steps. Jennifer’s eyes were bloodshot, her skin had turned pale and blue and her teeth were gritted so hard that a thin line of blood came out of Jennifer's mouth. Dora was afraid that a canine or molar was going to come flying her way any moment now and finish her off before the bat could.

“L-listen, Jennifer, I had nothing to do with this!”

Dora raised her hands in an attempt to placate the rowdy bully.

“Also you can't just leave her hanging like this!”

“Huh, you're right.”

Dora breathed out in relief. Jennifer came to a stop and raised her bat, pointing at Dora’s throat before producing a sturdy looking phone from her jeans.

She dialled a number and spoke with a pleading tone. “Hello? This is Jennifer Airez speaking. I'm a student at Saint Mary highschool. It's an emergency. One girl here is bleeding heavily and the other has a fractured skull and is barely breathing!”

Dora gasped and her eyes shot open. She was shocked by Jennifer's putting up an act, worried voice and all. Perhaps it wasn't that much of an act since she actually cared about Emma. However, she was afraid of what was to come next. Tears built up in her eyes.

“Thank you! I'll stay right with them!”

Jennifer's eyes morphed back from worry to rage as she put her phone away.

“I didn't do anything, I swear! You have to listen, Je-”

A swing came right towards Dora’s head. Fueled by terror, she barely managed to duck in time.

“Please listen!”

Another swing, however, this time Dora had no time to evade. A searing pain spread through Dora’s leg and forced her to kneel. Jennifer glared with contempt while grinding her teeth audibly.

Tears flowed down the fifteen year old girl's face.

Another swing. Dora raised her arm and stumbled backwards.

Clang.

Something broke. Dora stared in disbelief while trying to endure the pain and suppress the fear. The binoculars feel onto the ground, glass from the lenses shattering on the tiles. Dora raised her head with a contorted face. Jennifer was stunned for a moment and gasped. “Huh?”

“I told you to FUCKING listen, you DUMB bitch!”

Ignoring the pain, Dora stood back up and took a step towards Jennifer who, not expecting such ferocity and hatred in Dora’s eyes, started to back away.

“I didn't do anything! How could I? Emma is stronger than me and has a stronger build than me! Do you see any weapons on me? Do you?!”

Jennifer shook her head.

“And unlike you I'm not a meathead who only knows violence! Normal people talk instead of trying to murder each other!”

Dora raised her hand and poked Jennifer's sternum with her index in a reprimanding fashion.

“Do your ears only exist to wear earphones? Is your brain just cosmetic?!”

“Hmph. Shut up.”

“No, YOU shut up! The whole day you've been giving me stares like a psycho bitch instead of speaking up and asking me! Once again, I had nothing to do with this!”

“What's going on?”

Natalya had finally joined up. She must've heard the ruckus and gasped as she saw the scene. Immediately hurrying to Emma, she checked her pulse on her neck and sighed with relief. As she pulled out her phone, Jennifer raised her hand and shook it lightly to signal that she already made a call.

“Also how do you think I could've wrapped Emma in vines? Do I look like I can grow them from my asshole?!”

Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows.

“Vines? What are you talking about?”

“Huh?” Dora raised her eyebrow and looked at Emma again. The vines were still there, pulsating.

She gave Natalya a look who just shrugged.

“Wait, you don't see them?”

“I have no idea what you're talking about, you freak. Whatever, fuck this.”

She dropped her baseball bat which hit the floor with a wooden sound, then walked up to the seemingly crucified girl and began wiping the blood off her face with tissues. “It will be okay, I'm here.” She whispered.

“Ugh!”

Dora collapsed to the ground as her anger waned and the pain returned to her leg. While Jennifer scoffed, Natalya offered her shoulder.

Emma was brought to a hospital and received first aid. Jennifer, Dora and Natalya came with. While Natalya and Dora waited outside, the girl who received a lecture from Dora for being a meathead stayed inside.

Sitting on a metal chair, Natalya shook her head.

“And you've really seen those vines?”

“I swear!”

“Hmm, okay.”

“Wait, you believe me?”

“What would you get from making up such a specific lie? Also, there were weird things I noticed that don't add up.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Haven't you noticed? Emma was cold to the touch.”

“Isn't that due to blood loss?”

“Maybe. But she didn't seem to have lost that much blood. Also, there's more.”

“More? What do you mean?”

“There were ice crystals under her eyelids and nails.”

Dora raised her eyebrow.

“You noticed all that in such a short time?”

“It's a gift. And a curse.”

Natalya scratched the back of her head, flustered.

“Anyway, how could she have gotten into contact with ice during late spring? Early spring maybe, when it's still cold and there's a chance for snow, but not in late spring.”

“So what happened?”

“I don't know. But there's two possibilities. Either she got into contact with dry ice or liquid nitrogen or she went to a place with a lot of ice.”

“Like the cafeteria storage room?”

“Exactly.” Natalya snapped her fingers.

“Uhm what's dry ice?”

“It's just really cold carbon dioxide.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“We'll have to investigate what happened to her! And, coincidentally, that's how we'll make a cool girl out of you!”

Dora's mouth opened in surprise.

“How?”

“You know how they always make clubs in schools and how people in them always seem more interesting? We'll make something like a detective club!”

“Whoa!” Dora raised her voice and her eyes began to sparkle.

“The first course of action will be to investigate! How about this? I'll check the chemistry room and you'll go to the storage room.”

“Alright! But, uhm, don't we need a name for our club? Also, what about those vines that I saw?”

“One step after another. I'll think about a name, but feel free to come up with something as well. As for the vines, we'll figure that out after the ice thing.”

While Dora rubbed her knee that had received treatment in the form of a white balm, the door opened and Jennifer strutted out with firm steps.

Both Natalya and Dora were surprised by the grim expression on her face.

“What's wrong, Jennifer?”

“Emma, she's… something is wrong. The doctors found a toxic substance in her blood and her organs are failing.” Her voice was oddly hoarse.

The two other girls stood up abruptly.

“That's awful!”

“She's not waking up. If only I could do something for her. I'll see if I can bring Retsuko to the hospital for her.”

“Retsuko?”

“That's her pet rat, I think.

Natalya explained to Dora.

Jennifer nodded and clenched her fist.

“Whoever did this will pay. I promise that.”

Dora and Natalya exchanged looks.

“Uhm, we had an idea.”

“An idea?”

“It's about our new club.”