Darkness Part One; The Awakening.

DARKNESS.

PART ONE.

THE AWAKENING.

I

Beth pulled out her pen and stroked the tip on the page that looked straight onto her. It was another common morning with the same common people going through the same system, only that it wasn’t the same for her. Her head was full of a flurry of events that normally would be pronounced unthinkable but to Beth things seemed just right for her.

Her full name is Elizabeth Olsen. Pretty much everyone called her Beth mostly because she preferred it and Elizabeth didn’t really roll off the tongue easily. She was an eighteen-year-old student in Ensill High, probably wondering how she got to eighteen at such a short time. There were moments in her childhood that she was sure she skipped but there was no evidence. Beth usually loved to sit at the back of the class (said to have good luck because she didn’t really have to answer any question) but she did it to the benefit of everyone.

For the longest time, Beth lived with her father. Around the age of twelve she learnt about her mother, who unfortunately died at childbirth. It took all of her father’s wit and strength to explain the scenario after lying to Beth about her mother being on a business trip. It did take a lot of tears and a lot of anger issues with the father but she understood. She enjoyed life with her father, who apparently worked at a Chemical plant and also as a part time writer and he usually came home in the wee hours of the night. Beth usually spent the time alone and somehow it was okay with her though. Someway he does try to make it up to her in the best way possible. She loved her father and her father cherished her despite the knowledge on her struggles.

Amidst all that, Tiffany Alerick stuck by her side always literary; even now. Round face, long brown hair, bright green eyes, luscious pink moist lips, definite body shape and size and whatever skin care regimen she was using rendered her with smooth supple light skin. She was not plump, her shape was perfect and her height almost matched that of Beth's, a little bit shorter. If anything, she turned way too many heads in school. One of the many reasons no one approaches her was because of Beth. But all in all, Tiffany did all she could to back her in all situations. Beth didn’t really have it easy at school. She wasn’t really hated by anyone nor did she hate anyone. In fact, most ladies in the school envied her. You see, Beth was perfectly crafted to walk on the earth. She was of lean height with a defined body curve; her complexion tanned due to the sun. She attracted many and she scared many. Her eyes were where the story was. Her eyeballs were white with no speck of red or brown. Her irises were black at the edges but as you draw closer to the pupils they turn to a vivid blue. Those are the eyes that she uses to stare daggers into people. It always looks like someone else was looking through her eyes. So was her hair. It was a very vivid brown but it turns to a very pure white as you draw near the end. Some chick in the eighth grade tried to pull them out once but was met by a subtle slap from Tiffany. That’s what sparked their latent relationship though. They decided to stick together for what seemed like an eternity, which was good, but Beth was sure that she was going to have to tell her.

She wasn’t just a normal high schooler

She was something darker.

In her eighth grade, one Ms. Peterson was in the middle of a very interesting Biology lesson. She had dived deep into the functioning of the female reproductive system. All the boys in the class were cheerfully giggling and all the ladies were trying so hard not to storm out of the class. Beth was in the middle of a conflict between laughter and silence. She had barely contributed to the discussion and she was not about to. Then suddenly, her whole body was gripped with a certain shiver and everything and everyone became noise. Everyone was talking but she could swear that she couldn’t see their lips moving. But she could hear their voices piercing deep through her brain. It became too much she started drowning into the voices. Everything dimmed out and she could no longer fell herself. She couldn’t tell if she was there or if someone somewhere was in control of her body. Everything was blacking out but she swore Ms. Peterson was walking towards her and asking her what the problem was. Unfortunately, she blacked out pretty soon.

However she got to the hospital, she didn’t know but she was told that she had one nasty nose bleed and a severe nerve rupture. All the voices in her were telling her that things weren’t normal. You don’t just hear random people’s voices in one’s head. She asked about Ms. Peterson and rumors said that as soon as she placed her hand on Beth’s shoulder, she lashed out forcefully. Ms. Peterson claimed that she felt a very vivid shock that pulsed through her body. Almost suddenly, she broke into frenzy. She was forced or she forced herself to the ground, rolling and rolling onto the tiles in front of the very terrified students who were coupled behind the class. She struggled with herself or with an unseen force. She instantly became violent and she ran out of the room screaming ‘LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME!’ over and over with spasms of saliva dropping off of her mouth. She was eventually pinned on the floor by some of the muscular male teachers in the school, authorities made their way to her and she was taken to an asylum somewhere in Russia; now as inmate No.771A. Beth was sure she had a hand in all that happened. She speculated theories over and over. You don’t just fell someone instinctively pulling themselves out of one’s body. Ever since, she blamed herself for it and swore never to tell anyone about it, including Tiffany. But she was sure she’d find out soon enough, probably sooner than later.

Beth felt a little tap on her shoulder that pulled her out of the tiny trance that she was in. Tiffany was slowly scanning her face and the notebook that she was doodling in before she nudged her head towards the classroom door. Tiffany wasn’t the only one that was looking at her. Apparently, she was so far gone the whole room was looking at her. Also, there was a man, possibly mid-aged and looked more tensed than confident (as he was so trying hardly to express) standing at the door. She looked around then turned to Tiffany with one of those ‘what the hell is going on looks’

        “You didn’t hear what he said, did you?” Tiffany whispered

Beth shook her head closing her notebook. She looked over at the guy; he was weirdly shuffling over his fingers for some reason.

        “Apparently,” Tiffany continued, “the school Principal called for you. That guy was sent to pick you,”

*Well, that should explain why everyone is looking at me, * she said to herself.

Beth looked back to that guy and slowly stood up, slipping her notebook in her bad and her bag onto her back. The school was only five minutes to the end and she was actually privileged that she won’t have to spend time in this place. She did always find it hard to stay in class with other people. She couldn’t tell if it was her or it was someone else thinking through most of the time. She slowly walked through the class. She was now somewhat aware of what she could do (over the years, she drew characteristics of her...self) and now she was trying so hard not to invade anyone’s mind. It could be fun but one of them could get hurt and Beth was sure it wasn’t her. Of course, she could slowly and steadily feel the thoughts of the 24 plus species of humans sitting in the class seep into her head slowly but she did learn how to block them and her alter ego (she called it an alter ego because to her, someone else was literally living in her) from manifesting; at least she tried. She walked up to the man who took a moment or do looking at Beth, turned into the hallway and Beth closely followed the man towards the principal’s office. Three minutes until the school bell rings. She knew it was specially going to be hard for her to mentally block out thousands of thoughts from students who were inevitably going to flood the whole hallway in less than two minutes, but she hoped that the guy would get the sense of it and move along the hallway as quick as possible.

Now two minutes remaining; she was going to have to move fast. She was freaking out in a rather deserted hallway and, almost suddenly, Beth felt someone or something grip hardly on her shoulder and stopped to turn around. No one was there. The only people there were her and this guy. As soon as the feeling came was as soon as it left, leaving her to question herself about herself. She sighed and turned towards the front to meet the eyes of the middle-aged man staring far away towards oblivion. He stood still, muscles tense, eyes wide open, mouth drooping with saliva and his nose was violently twitching. His face suddenly became cloudier with unseen series of emotions she couldn't make out. Beth walked closer and raised her hand over his eyes but there was no response. He was grounded; stiffly grounded.

*Oh, no, * Beth said to herself, *not again. * This has ever happened again to a guy in her first year in high school. Somewhere between chemistry practical she snapped at the guy; he had said something about her being a weirdo and her possibly thought the guy to walk out and immediately, the guy stood from the crooked stool and stormed out, ran around for fifteen minutes and landed straight into the school pool. She was now trying; snapping and making noises so as to awaken the man from her involuntary mind spell but it was all to no end. Angrily stepping back she slapped the man hard enough to send echoes throughout the whole school; still no response. Beth looked around. No one was in the near the area. She brainstormed on what to do. One minute remaining. This couldn’t get any worse. Beth tried everything possible. She pushed him, pulled him and even tried to carry him or lift him off the ground (as if she had the strength to). Nothing was moving that man. It seemed weird to her mostly because of his lean body. There was no way he could get that strong. As a last resort she let the words that were brewing in her mind out with her soft yet undeniable voice.

        “Come on you lump of meat, MOVE!” she yelled.

Almost suddenly the middle-aged man shot from where he was standing and started running towards God knows where. Beth was only obliged to follow. The man was way faster that he looked like but Beth kept herself fit for such incidences (especially for this specific incidence). 40 seconds on the clock. The whole time it was a series of left turn, right turn, left turn, through the cafeteria, past the school gym, past the library, through the main hall. She didn’t quite know what she had done to him. Twenty seconds. This was way worse than Ms. Peterson.

Or so she thought.

The middle-aged man came to a sudden halt, and by sudden, I mean sudden. Beth wasn’t even sure that he could be stopped and she was relieved when he hit the brakes on his own. Beth went right slam into the man’s back and almost immediately the man snapped back. His tense rigid posture melted away and suddenly the fogginess that clouded his face was there no more. His shirt was wet with saliva and sweat formed patches of water here and there. Conveniently enough he had stopped right in front of the principal’s office and then the school bell rang. As fast as she could, she bolted in and slammed the door shut ferociously. She knew what she could go through if she stayed back and started being a sweet little caring girl to a man she involuntarily possessed. She sighed a bit letting her muscles relax from almost running into and out of the whole Ensill High, which she was sure she did. She stepped back from the door and slowly was turning to view the room. She has never walked into the principal’s office ever since she was young. She was well behaved; a straight ‘A’ student even with the little hitches in chemistry (God only knows that she gets all her answers by reading the brains of the smartest pupils in the class) and she did her best in the technical areas. There were a lot of golden trophies and medals and certificates. A huge picture of the school’s 2020 basketball team was hanging right next to a wall of trophies and she somehow did enjoy the view.

        “Mrs. Elizabeth?” a soft male voice called unto her.

Beth sharply turned to the source of the voice. The school Principal was a very old man, by the looks of it; mid 70’s, who loved to put his hands together like a super villain with a mastermind plan. Big round spectacles hanged in front of his blue eyes and wrinkles extended to all parts of his face. For a man at 70’s he was really fit. No hanging belly, fat deposits on the side of his face or arms. He was really fit. His white hair always seemed to collaborate with all the tuxedos that he seemed to love wearing all the time. The man could wear a black tuxedo and slam a lemon-yellow tie right in the middle of it and would still look serine. His chalk-white complexion didn't scare many; it was really expected. Beth walked slowly towards the principal’s desk.

        “Have a seat please,” he said.

Beth pushed back the office seat right across the principal’s desk and dived into it. It was unbelievably comfortable and somehow, she did like the idea of visiting the office from time to time. She did take a look around again, admiring the design of the room, letting it soak in and hopefully drown the void that seemed to want to erupt within.

        “Is this your first time in this office?” the principal asked, moving closer.

        “Yes,” Beth turned to the principal. She took of her bag and leaned back a bit to be comfortable and a bit to look professional.

The principal, Mr. Monnasso pulled a file from under the table and opened it wide on the table.

        “I’m not going to take much of your time here,” Mr. Monnasso said; though Beth did wish to spend more time here. She could still feel the chattering of thousands of people in the hallway and the irresistible urge of thoughts coming close to her by the moment. Mr. Monnasso flipped through the pages and stopped in one, adjusted the spectacles on his face and looked at Beth.

        “I called you here to discuss about your semester's fee,” he begun. “We are unfortunately facing a very difficult time as a staff in maintaining the amenities and requirements of sustaining the students at Ensill high and we decided to make sure that all the students paid their semester or annual fee before the end of the school year,”

He pulled out a sheet from beneath the file and gave it to her. Beth wasn’t a fan of reading mails and letters and all there short stories that come in one sheet of paper. She didn’t find anything in there. As swiftly as possible, she did place the paper in her bag placed it on her lap and looked back at Mr. Monnasso. He stood up and walked to the back of the room.

        “I know this will put much strain in you,” he said. Beth tried to listen if the students outside were clearing out, “but I’d need you to talk with your father and make an arrangement, then you give me the feedback later. If possible, I’d like it by the end of next week. Don’t worry; you are not the first one to be called in. We are doing this to all students who have arrears on their accounts.”

He hit his knuckles on the desk then turned to a nearby file drawer an opened the top compartment, rummaging through the contents. Beth did want to sit there and wait out the students in the hallway and was praying that the principal would rummage the drawer a little bit more. She was also having a hard time staying here; she could literary feel herself piercing through the thoughts of the principal (the older you are apparently, the easier it is for Beth to swim though you) and she was afraid of what she might do to him. But slowly by slowly the voices in the hallway begun to decrease and she could sense the silence invading the school finally. She slowly took her bag, being very sure that the principal had finished whatever she he had to tell her and started walking towards the door. She placed her hand on the cold ormolu handle which she didn’t notice for a while and slowly turned it.

        “Mrs. Elizabeth?” The principal finally said. She turned to look at him. “Try as much as possible and be lively during lessons. I’m getting a lot of complaints from your subject teachers. It’s really concerning,”

Beth gave a light nod and fully turned the knob. She walked out and was really relieved when she found just a few people running here and there trying to end the day. A few people she could handle. She never really understood how vast her ‘powers’ were but at least she knew that she could easily maneuver a few people’s brains without causing too much harm. But she had to take a long walk out of the school and she was very exhausted from all the undesired running and sitting in class wasn’t her strong side. She slipped her bag back on her back and tucked her hands in her black hoodie, walking slowly to the gates leading to Ensill High. Of course, here and there she let her unknown self-manifest and allow thoughts to fly into and out of her mind. She was particularly drawn to this set of three girls standing next to an open locker obviously chit chatting about a certain party that was to be held the next week. Apparently, students in Ensill High loved to party. Given a chance, they'd probably host one every day without hesitation. But unfortunately, Beth wasn't a party freak; at least not like Tiffany. She was sure Tiffany would be at the party and she was okay with it. She didn't want to stare too much but she got attracted to this lean bodied chick. Of course, she tried to pull away her gaze but something about her was.... weird. She had night black hair and an ebony complexion. Her body had fully matured and she looked too fit for her age and a little too old too, older than she portrayed. The lady turned and Beth got a glimpse of her red eyes. Crimson Red. Something she had very much wished to see but wasn't prepared for the outcome. Her physique was stiff and stable; Beth suddenly got the urge to see her in a fight somewhere. She didn’t waver or move and her gaze, which for some reason started to scare off Beth, was maintained on her, deeply gazing into Beth’s eyes as she waded slowly across the hallway. All the time she stares into someone else's eyes too much, Beth ended up breaking into the subject mentally. But for this one, it didn't come easily. Beth stared at her for a considerable moment and for some reason, she just couldn't. She felt like her alter ego was being blocked by her but she wasn't sure if it was even possible, (counting her latent victims over the years). She was calm and composed; she sensed no threat whatsoever. Beth was stunned really; no one stood up this long. The lady however was surprised to see Beth; her face showed it all. It was like she expected to see her but not as soon or today. It looked like she knew Beth from somewhere. If it wasn't for her turning away and walking deeper into the school's maze of hallways, Beth could have prowled her more. As soon as she walked away, a cold chilly breeze washed over her body. She couldn't tell if she was surprised or terrified by the red eye but something about the both of them seemed to clash together ferociously. Her mind fogged up immediately, only a few subtle whispers made it through. There was a lingering thought bouncing ferociously in her brain: something going on and she was about to be in the middle of it....