Chapter 11: Paranoia
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Someone was watching me in secret.
I had almost forgotten about the incident with the intruder at my dorm building. I wanted to believe I was safe and had imagined it, but that was simply wishful thinking.
There really was someone stalking me. Even though there was no one there when I checked. Even though there was no evidence. I know what I saw. They can try and gaslight me all they like, but I was done second guessing myself.
A couple days have passed since then. I’d been anxious ever since attending the Karaoke Club. Rosemont never gave me a feeling of security, but now it seemed downright hostile.
My eyes constantly shifted around the halls. I took note of each and every person who glanced my way. Scanning for signs of deception, evaluating their intentions. Why were they looking at me? What were they whispering to each other? Were they just spreading gossip or could they be my stalker hiding in plain sight?
Originally, when it came to a possible killer, I suspected the school’s faculty. Someone with keys to all the maintenance areas would have the easiest time moving a body around campus. But I’ve come to realize that Rosemont was built like a maze. There were countless shortcuts and hiding places for those who knew where to find them.
That meant they could be anyone. A teacher, a janitor, or even another student. Everytime one of my classmate’s eyes would wander over to me, I couldn’t help but wonder if they were keeping watch, just waiting for me to let my guard down.
It was a struggle to remain watchful at all times. I had hoped to catch another glimpse of my stalker by now. At least then I’d know who I was dealing with. But so far, I’d not even seen their shadow. They must know I’m on to them. When we made eye contact, it spooked them. Whoever they are, they’re cautious.
Or maybe they figured I couldn’t keep up my vigilance forever, and they were content to simply wait until I slipped. We’ll see about that. I wouldn’t break. If one of us was going to make a mistake first, it wouldn’t be me.
Despite the added stress, school life went on. There was no choice. I couldn’t just abandon my studies and I didn’t want to give up on the system’s quests either. All I could do was keep my eyes peeled and hope I didn’t come apart at the seams in the meantime.
Classes passed uneventfully. I was making slow but steady progress towards raising my stats, however finding the hanged girl was another matter. Uncovering their identity was proving to be more than a little troublesome.
Everything else was a deadend, so I went ahead with my plan to use Mrs. Avery’s computer. After homeroom this morning, she stepped into the hall to talk with another teacher. She was gone and everyone else left on their way to first period, so I hung back.
Once the coast was clear, I hopped on the laptop left at her desk. There was an excel file labeled ‘attendance’ on her desktop. Quickly emailing myself a copy, I slipped out before anyone noticed.
By now, I was sure that the hanged girl and the one with red eyes were the same person. Through process of elimination, I worked my way through practically every student on campus. No repeated absences. Everyone was accounted for. Everyone, except for her. But I still didn’t have her name.
As far as the public records were concerned, no such person existed. She didn’t appear on any roster, meaning she never signed up for classes. Something must have happened right after the entrance ceremony. I might have even been the last person to see her alive.
The girl acted strangely when I talked to her. Could she have known she was in danger? Was that why she seemed so odd? She didn’t appear to be frightened or stressed to me, just confused. Then again, I wasn’t an expert on reading people. If I overlooked some obvious signal for help and got her killed, I’d feel awfully guilty.
I once again found myself in the cafeteria at lunchtime. After the past few days, I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I still nibbled at some fries just to keep up appearances. If my stalker was watching, I didn’t want them to think they were getting to me. If I acted like nothing was wrong, maybe they would grow impatient.
My usual spot near the windows afforded me a perfect vantage to people-watch. I scanned over the crowd, searching for anyone who seemed suspicious.
One freshman ignored his lunch and used the break to frantically copy the homework due next period. A group of guys were laughing after one of them slipped and spilled mashed potatoes over his crotch. The card game nerds were in the midst of a heated argument over the resale value of a first edition holographic. All around me students went through their day, oblivious to the fact someone among them could be a psycho.
My attention was drawn to one person in particular once I saw them stand. It was the same girl with dyed hair and piercings from earlier in the week. Since then, I learned that she was a second year and we actually shared a class. She was in Traditional Media with me, but she always kept to herself. My impression of her was that of a reticent and standoffish artist lost in her own world.
When I first saw her, she slipped out an emergency exit during the lunch break. By the looks of things, she was about to do the same thing again. I watched her empty her tray and head towards the stairwell.
Back then, I wrote her behavior off as curious and didn’t bother to think about it further. This time I wanted to know what she was up to. I had been keeping watch for anything out of the ordinary, and now here was someone acting suspiciously right in front of me.
I got up and followed her, ditching the crowded cafeteria. Sure enough, when I entered the stairwell, I found the fire alarm tampered with just as it had been the first time. The door was left propped open using a chic leather bookbag. Paintbrushes poked out of the pockets and a skull-shaped keychain dangled off the end.
The girl didn’t go far. When I leaned out the door, I found her just outside in the alley behind the school. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall with a cigarette hanging from her lips.
Ah, I guess that explained it. She seemed suspicious because she was sneaking out to smoke. That would get you in trouble at any school let alone a preppy private academy like Rosemont. Where did she even get cigarettes? She was like 16 or 17.
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My paranoia had been satisfied. I no longer had a reason to stick around. Even so, I couldn’t help but take a deeper look at her appearance.
Her hair was vibrant blue, cut in a bob that reached just past her chin. Dark eyeshadow and mascara gave her a mysterious femme fatale kind of quality. Added to the skulls and dog collar, she had an alternative witchy goth style.
image [https://i.imgur.com/pxf2Fgw.png]
Even though I hadn’t said anything, she somehow sensed my presence. The girl took a long drag of her cig and exhaled slowly, then spoke without looking my way.
“Did you need something?”
Momentarily caught off guard, I stumbled over my response. “Uh– No, not exactly.”
“You just like following girls around for fun then?”
What was I supposed to say? It was true, I had been following her. It wasn’t like that, but how could I explain? I couldn’t tell her I just wanted to know if she was related to a murder on campus.
I tried to just laugh it off. “When you say it like that, it makes me sound like a creep.”
“Aren’t you?” She shot right back.
“Of course not!” Her words made me sputter with indignation. This girl had a venomous tongue.
“Well, if you say so.” She glanced at me dubiously from the corner of her eye.
An awkward silence descended between us. I wanted to correct this misunderstanding, but I had no idea how to defend myself. The girl remained as unbothered as ever, casually flicking away her ash while I fidgeted scratching my cheek.
Just as I decided to leave rather than continue in this uncomfortable situation, I noticed her lips curl up with a smirk. I finally understood that she was doing it on purpose. That realization let the tension in the air bleed away.
“You’re messing with me.”
She smiled mischievously without answering.
“How come? You just like messing with guys for fun then?” I mimicked her tone from a moment ago.
“Hm, maybe a little.”
Mildly annoyed, I could do nothing but huff and bite my cheek.
The girl’s eyes roamed over me once more. “You seem stressed,” she added. It wasn’t a question.
I was a bit vexed to know that someone could read me so easily. So much for winning the mental battle against my stalker. Still, she was right. I couldn’t deny it.
“I guess I have a lot on my mind.”
“Well, would you like a reading?”
“... A what?” I gave her a questioning look.
She got up and went to her bag by the door. After rummaging around for a moment, she produced a deck of tarot cards. On the front they had ornate illustrations that shined with gold foil. The backs had a hypnotic spiral pattern.
The girl retook her spot, sitting cross-legged on the ground. She looked up at me and padded the space across from her.
“I don’t really believe in that fortune-telling stuff.” Even though I said that, I couldn’t help but feel curious.
“That’s alright, it’s just for fun. What do you have to lose? Maybe you’ll find an answer in an unexpected place.”
With a shrug, I sat down. This meeting took a strange turn.
“Alright. What do I have to do?”
“Visualize your life up until now. Then draw three cards and place them down in front of you.”
As she spoke, she shuffled the deck. Once she finished, she placed it on the ground between us. I did as she said, drawing the top three and laying them out in a row face down.
She closed her eyes and waved her hands over each card like she was casting some sort of magic spell. I was feeling more doubtful of this so-called “reading” by the second.
“These three cards represent your past, present, and future. First your past.”
When she opened her eyes again, she gave me a cryptic smile and turned over the card on my left. The illustration depicted a man with a long, scraggly beard and a walking stick wandering in the woods.
“The Hermit. You went through a long period of isolation, either literally or spiritually. Perhaps, you needed some time for yourself and so you shut out the outside world and retreated within.”
“Sounds about right.” I smirked with amusement.
That was surprisingly accurate. In my past life, I was the textbook example of a loner. But if it was either “literally or spiritually”, then it could apply to just about anyone. Everybody had times where they needed to work through their thoughts alone.
“Next, the present.”
As she turned over the middle card, my smile disappeared. The illustration showed a man with a noose around his neck, standing on a gallows about to be executed.
“The Hanged Man. Recently you’ve felt like things are out of your control. Something has been troubling you and you’re unsure how to move forward, causing you to feel helpless.”
Again, she wasn’t wrong. Nothing makes you feel vulnerable quite like a possibly dangerous and unhinged killer stalking you from the shadows. But it was the imagery of the card that affected me more. It seemed to have a double meaning, referencing the girl I was looking for.
“Finally, your future.”
This whole reading was starting to feel rigged. I was fully prepared for her to turn over the Death card just because it would be the most ominous and dramatic. Instead, I was surprised.
This time, the illustration was upside down. It depicted a man and woman amongst the clouds. The woman reached longingly towards the man, who held out his arms ready to embrace her.
Or at least that’s how it appeared at first glance. On closer inspection, the reversed angle twisted their facial expressions. It seemed more like the woman was attempting to strangle him, while the man backed away defensively.
“The Lovers, reversed. You will soon face a great upheaval in your romantic life. Normally, the Lovers represent a harmonious union. Your soulmate is closer than you think. Perhaps you’ve met them already.
“But when reversed, it often indicates trouble in a relationship. Jealousy, a lack of trust, or other negative emotions hold you back. If you don’t find a way to deal with these issues, it could lead to dire consequences.”
Huh. Guess that one was a dud. I don’t even have a girlfriend, let alone a rocky relationship. And I sort of doubt I’ll be worrying about dating any time soon. I know they couldn’t always be dead-on, but after the first two, I was expecting something other than a total miss.
“Not the kind of guidance you were hoping for?”
My disappointment must have shown on my face, because the girl picked up on it right away. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she was totally off the mark.
“The first two make sense, but I don’t know about the third.”
She calmly brushed aside my doubts. “The cards never lie. You should keep an open mind. Life moves in mysterious ways.”
“If my soulmate is around, they must be a ghost, because I haven’t seen them.” I muttered sarcastically.
The girl remained unphased. She once again flashed that enigmatic grin. “Maybe they are. Who says love is only for the living?”
I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes. Now she was just spewing nonsense. Instead, I simply let her words slip through one ear and out the other. She said herself that this tarot stuff was just for fun anyway. There was no reason to ruin her act.