The Crimson Act

“Get out of our way you four-eyed freak” Angela spat at Carlie as she pushed her way past her, elbowing her with such force that she knocked her backwards sending her books and papers flying everywhere. Carlie fell against the wall with a sickening thud, her glasses flying off of her face and skittering across the floor only to land at Angela's feet. A smug look crossed the look of the faces of Tasha and Danielle as they watched in delight as Angela lifted her right foot and slammed it down on the glasses before anyone else could react, the crunch of the glass against cement. “That should teach you what happens when you try to compete against us.” the words dripped live venom from her lips as she tossed back her head, dark strands of hair moving perfectly as they walked away, making sure to walk all over the books and papers as they headed down the hallway to the lunch room. Everyone else waited till the girls were gone before bent down to help Carlie to her feet. A couple took her to the nurses office to make sure she was ok while others picked up her books and papers, and a couple more cleaned up the broken glasses. You are probably wondering why no one did anything to stop it  to begin with. The reason was simple-the three girls belonged to three of the richest families in the community and they were big at donating to the school and also had a lot of clout. Everyone in the school including the teachers were afraid to cross them and  have the wrath of their parents come down on them so the girls could get away with anything including murder. A shocking allegation I know and no one spoke out about it directly but there were whispers.

Two years before when they were just juniors in the school, they targeted a young girl named Jessie who wore glasses, had acne and was very insecure about herself. They decided that they were going to make an example out of her in the worst way possible. Tasha decided that she would invite the girl to join her with the others on the top of the roof of the school after it was closed for the night, telling her that they were having a special get together. The poor girl just wanted to belong, excitedly accepted the invite and dressed up in her best clothes which were not much so she could try and fit in. When she arrived there was only Angela, Tasha and Daniellle and as soon as she stepped beyond the door onto the roof itself, Tasha slammed the door shut behind her and laughed. What happened next no one can say for sure. The next morning the body of Jessie was found laying on the ground and no one had a clue what she had been doing on the roof to begin with and the police questioned everything but it ended up being ruled as an unfortunate accident or so they all thought.

Back to the present day, Carlie is sitting on the table in the nurses office getting her ribs bandaged up as one of her classmates knocks on the door and steps inside, setting her book bag on the chair with everything back inside of it. She muttered “thank you” before turning her head away knowing that they were too afraid to have stopped it from happening but it still didn't make her any less angry. The school play was in a couple of weeks and she had auditioned to be a part of it hoping that perhaps she could show the girls that she was more than just a four-eyed freak but they were relentless in their torment of her. They were either destroying her books, shoving her down, tripping her or tossing food on her in the lunch room and no one dared to stop them. She felt so alone and isolated, feeling like she did not have a friend in the world or a place to turn to but someone was in her corner. There was someone who saw what she was going through, felt her pain and would bring an end to their hold on the school. Deep within the walls where no one could see or hear, something was lurking, watching and waiting.

There were signs…the next day when Carlie was sitting in math class, she opened her textbook to find a note with writing scrawled on it in shaky words that simply said “you are not alone” she looked around the room unsure of who could have possibly written the note and curious as to why they would not speak up if they were on her side. She tucked the note back inside of her bag and continued to try and survive the rest of her day. She did not manage to get a role in the play because of course the three girls were the leads in it but the teachers allowed for her to help with setting up the props and pulling back the curtain when it was time. It may have been the only time they actually left her alone since they were focused on becoming the stars they already believed they were. The girls lined up on the stage, dressed in their costumes, perfect smiles plastered on their faces waiting for their moment to shine and impress the audience and Carlie was standing ready to pull the rope. Just as the teacher was about to cue her to pull down on the rope and open the curtains, there was an intense invisible barrier that came out of nowhere and a voice that was calm but intense “get out now” the words so chilling that they all turned and ran for the back door of the stage but the three girls on stage didn't hear anything.

Once the last student rushed out the door, the doors slammed shut behind them ,the audible click of the lock leaving the three girls standing alone on the stage although they did not know it yet. Getting impatient, Angela stomps her foot and shouts” pull the curtain” Her demand is met with absolute silence for about 5 seconds before the curtain slowly begins to move, the creaking of the metal against the poles as it is pulled back and their smiles suddenly become frozen on their faces. There is no audience well at least there is no one they can see, their faces a mask of confusion and utter defiance.”What kind of nonsense is this? Where is everyone? The girls shouted out into the empty room, hearing their voices echoing off the walls of the auditorium but they were not alone. The atmosphere began to change from a warm welcoming feeling to an icy cold chill that caused them to shiver.”This isn't funny” Angela yelled but now her voice was cracking, and the fear was starting to seep through. The stage lights began to flicker before they shut off plunging the girls into complete darkness then they began to scream, a chorus of blood curling screams that filled the room. Everyone outside pounded on the door and shook the handles, trying desperately to get inside but to no avail and one teacher pulled out his phone to call for help. No one knew how long they had waited but the noise faded into absolute silence and the soft click of the locks as they released. They nearly tripped over each other as they yanked open the doors and rushed inside. The curtains had been pulled back and the lights were shining brightly on the now empty stage except for what looked like a small drop of blood and the crown that had once sat on top of Angela's head. What followed was a police investigation but there was no explanation for their disappearance. After a few days of the school being shut down, kids slowly returned to its halls and Carlie no longer had to deal with being bullied but she always wondered as did the others…what happened that fateful night. 

Opening her locker to grab her lunch, she noticed a folded piece of paper that had not been there before. Carefully she opened it up and read it “You will never be alone again.” at the bottom of the note was the initial J.