Author’s Note: This isn’t actually the story I promised in my previous post, but since it’s already done, why not post it here?

This story was written over a span of two days on my school’s examination pad when I had nothing to do after I finished my test papers.

Dear reader,

Before I continue, you must know that everything I am about to tell you is true, and most importantly, confidential. No one knows about our secret. No one except you.

If you are currently reading this piece of paper, you must be a new student about to enter a new school, and not just any school, but St. Lucia’s Girls’ Academy. I know how you must be feeling: proud and happy, to be able to get into such a prestigious school, a school hundreds of other girls are waiting in line to get into. That’s what all the other new girls think too.

But you have not been told the truth, and the truth is rarely kind.

The truth is, St. Lucia’s Girls’ Academy isn’t as ‘saintly’ or prestigious as it is made out to be.

You see, we harbour a secret.

Or rather, the secret has been living in our school for centuries now. And it isn’t a pretty one.

Outsiders often gape at our school in awe, envious and impressed of the multiple prominent titles it had procured over the years, contributed by the extremely talented and intelligent student body of St. Lucia’s. “We win at everything, we don’t accept defeat.” We live by our motto. “We stand tall while you retreat.“

As a result, foreign students steer clear of our way, while parents do everything within their power to send their daughters to the most honourable school in town, hoping to see beautiful and successful phoenixes emerge from within their daughters in the future.

Yes, powerful people St. Lucia’s does produce. But what people are in the dark about are the deeper, darker secrets hidden within the walls of the school, as well as the Gone Wrongs. We call them Gone Wrongs because they indeed have gone wrong, in every aspect.

Let me just explain this by telling you a true tale:

There was once a girl named Josephine, affectionately called Jo by her friends. Her first day in St. Lucia’s Girls’ Academy was thrilling, because she finally got to see the clockworks of this renowned school. However, she did notice one thing: other than the new batch of girls that came in with her, no one in the school seemed genuinely happy. The few times she had enthusiastically tried to engage a teacher in a conversation to know more about the school, the teacher merely stared at her for a few seconds before rushing off with the excuse that she had forgotten to do something important. The same could be said about the rest of the student body and faculty. There was never any eye contact with one another.

Three months later, Jo had already forgotten what it was like when she first stepped into her new school. In fact, she rarely ever had time to even think. She was always so, so busy. Too busy for friends, too busy for interaction, even too busy to eat, because everytime she sat down for a short breather, a harsh and reprimanding voice would resound in her head, reminding her of her responsibilities and tasks she had yet to complete.

Three years later, Jo was the Head Prefect, President of the school’s Debate Club, Captain of the school’s Swimming Team, and first in class for every single test.

A month before her graduation, she was found dead in Beth Carlyle’s Ward For Psychiatric Patients.

The strange thing was, many people had expected her death much, much sooner.

At this point, I’m sure you’re not really comprehending what I’m trying to convey to you. Before you rip this letter into shreds and groan, “Sore loser,” please hear me out.

People need to know what truly lies within the bright red walls of St. Lucia’s, before more innocent girls meet their downfall in five years of insanity.

Are you still with me? I certainly hope so.

And now for another true story, but one that took place centuries ago. I am sure you are familiar with the name Lucia Morganstern, renowned for being the founder of none other than our school, St. Lucia’s Girls’ Academy itself. However, at the time, she wasn’t the only founder of a new school in town.

Lucia’s ex-husband, Gregory, built an all-boys institute just down the road where St. Lucia’s was. Never heard of such an institute? That’s because it was burnt down three years after its founding, the same year St. Lucia’s Girls’ Academy rose to power. There wasn’t a single trophy in town that didn’t bear the name of Lucia’s beloved school. And Gregory’s Institute For Boys was forgotten just like that, gone with the wind, the very same one that blew away the ashes of the burnt institute and the dead victims who had perished in it.

No one really knew the cause of the fire, but Lucia did, and so did all of her students.

You see, when her ex-husband made an offhand comment that “Gregory’s Institute will be the best!” Lucia took it very seriously. Too seriously, in fact, that she took it to her head.

She wanted to be the best. All her life, everything she did was about being the best. She couldn’t and wouldn’t settle for anything less.

And so that’s when she made a deal with the Devil.

Witchcraft and other dealings with the occult world weren’t well-known back then, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. Unhinged and constantly feeling threatened by competition, Lucia went to meet with a shaman of her own accord. She asked for the best and most everlasting remedy, and then she confessed her desire, “My school, St. Lucia’s Girls’ Academy, will be the best, forever.” And when she left the shaman’s hut, she had no idea at all what the shaman had done to her.

He had sold Lucia’s soul to the Devil.

Hence, Lucia’s wish came true. St. Lucia’s Girls’ Academy rose to fame very quickly despite it being a new school, and her students worked hard, down to the bone. It had been that way for three years, and doubled in immensity following the burning down of Gregory’s Institute For Boys.

Despite the fact that St. Lucia’s power over the ‘throne’ eliminated all possible competition, Lucia wasn’t one to forgive nor forget. You can say she suffered from extreme paranoia because after three years of thinking that her ex-husband was still out to get her, she finally decided on arson, killing her former lover and all his students in one go.

Many students thought that it was finally over, the race to beat the rival was finally and absolutely over, and truth be told, Lucia thought so too, but she had underestimated the power of words, especially when it came to dealings with the supernatural universe. The next day, she was found hanged in her room, with the world ‘SOLD’ smeared on her forehead with blood, blood that dripped down from her left wrist which was cut open.

We can still hear her sometimes, roaming the corridors of her school.

Following the arson incident and Lucia’s death, yet again, the students thought the worst was over, but they were wrong. Just like Lucia’s ghost, the curse of ‘being the best’ lingered, never faltering.

That was when the Gone Wrongs started to appear.

Seeing teachers drag shrieking girls out of classrooms was the norm every week. Seeing teachers drag other hysterical teachers out of the staff room wasn’t all that rare either.

However, as time passed by, the Gone Wrongs weren’t the only worries in St. Lucia’s, as a cult started to make its appearance in the school. These were the desperate ones, the ones who would go to extreme lengths to lessen the suffering, even worshiping the Devil. They were worse than the Gone Wrongs. Eventually, they came to a conclusion that something must be done to appease the Devil, so they initiated the Sacrifice Ritual.

Every month, top students in each class were whisked away from their beds in their dorms in the middle of the night for the Ritual. It was said that the cult reckoned that the smartest souls ought to offer more in the Ritual. No one dared to intervene, fearing the cult more than the school itself sometimes. The victims would be tied by their hands to a long wooden pole and were forced to stand barefooted on hot charcoal while the cult members don on hideous masks (an interpretation of themselves being the Devil’s servants), chanting verses before cutting each victim’s palm with a knife for ‘Sacrificial Blood’. Then, the victims would be left alone just like that until the next morning.

The aftermath was horrible and messy, but there were always other girls who took pity in them and offered aid, simultaneously grateful that the bloody person tied to the pole wasn’t herself.

This practice remains very much alive to this day, unhindered and unopposed in any way.

Whenever I recall my years spent in St. Lucia’s, it never fails to amaze me how tough some of us are, actually, surviving the labyrinth and freeing ourselves of the curse, choosing the right path out instead of dying or going insane.

So, my dear girl, enter St. Lucia’s Girls’ Academy at your own risk, or better yet, don’t at all. Five years of stellar achievements is not worth the incredible pain and torture of enduring the secret within these walls.

You have never heard of anything that goes on within our school because anyone who spills this dark secret always ends up dead.

But I already am dead. And the world needs to know.

Jo.

Writing, as in, really writing.

And I know how cute it is that my previous post promising a new story soon was dated in February, but it’s the holidays now, and I promise, I will work on my current story (currently at 3k words) and finish it before school reopens.

I will, and must.

Stay excellent.

However, I have a story coming up, although it might take some time for me to finish it up because life has been really, really hectic and busy lately. I am also considering writing a jewnicorn (read first definition) fic but after reading Robin’s godly one, I have come to terms with the realisation that none other jewnicorn fics are worth reading because her fic rules all the others out in the TSN (The Social Network) fandom.

I am still pondering about the fic…but the short story I first mentioned is definitely a green light…although it’s still kind of in between red and yellow right now, but I’ll get to it.

Stay excellent.

Disclaimer: I am in no way related to Paramore or know anything or anyone of them personally, even though I wish to.

Author’s Note: None of what I wrote is true, except the part about Josh and Zac Farro leaving the band. I might not have a brilliant storyline but writing something like this is actually the only thing that is helping me cope with the Farros really leaving. And no, this fic isn’t me taking the piss, I am just as devastated, but I respect their decision and I will never stop supporting Paramore, because that’s what real fans do.

PS. The very last bit in Italic is taken from Paramore’s offical site.

(A Paramore Fanfic.)

Problems and decisions. Problems and decisions.

It had been a fairly rough week for Josh Farro. He hadn’t spoken to his wife, Jenna, for weeks now, and the few times he could catch a break to call her only lasted for a few minutes. It was terrible and his heart ached being away from her like that, but he had been busy with band matters. They had a show coming up in the southern United States, and just like every tour, every single minute of the day was spent preparing for the shows, all of them wanting to do their very best and please their fans. Josh enjoyed performing, he was happy if his fans were happy too. It was the kind of energy that fuels Paramore’s consistency to perform excellently, the kind of energy that kept everyone going, especially Hayley, that little life-sized Energizer bunny with flaming red hair.

“I miss you,” Jenna’s voice from the other end of the line brought Josh back from his wandering thoughts. There was a rather long pause between their earlier conversation regarding how things were at home and Jenna’s sudden assertion. Josh ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I miss you too, Jen.”

“Listen-“ Jenna began but was quickly interrupted by someone calling Josh’s name. Josh looked up to find Jeremy Davis, one of his best pals and fellow band member of Paramore waving to him. “Hey, dude, time for practice!”

Josh sighed and yelled back, “Be there in a minute!” He leaned back against the wall and spoke into his phone, “Hey, Jen, I gotta go, I…I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Jenna said hurriedly, but he knew better. She hated these stolen conversations over the phone as much as he did, but she was always looking out for him, saying that his needs came first, and his needs were entirely devoted to the band. A long time ago, he would have agreed. But now, he was a married man, and if all these distanced calls were only what they were going to get, things were starting to get out of hand. He needed to sort out his priorities; sure he was needed here, but he was also needed back at home. Paramore is his family, but what about Jenna too? He thought he could juggle between both the band and his marriage, but perhaps he had thought wrong. There were some things in life that you had to let go to pursue for the alternative, and right now he needed to decide which was which.

As he entered the studio, all these thoughts still churning in his mind, he felt a slap on his back. “Hey, Josh. Not bailing on us, are you?” A little red ball of never-ending energy, Hayley Williams grinned at him, and he smiled back. “What? Of course not.” Seeing Hayley was never easy. It wasn’t easy holding back all those memories he had with her back when they were still…together. He mentally gave himself a shake. No. That was the past. They had a deal, to leave everything behind. Besides, both of them agreed they were better off as friends anyway. Back then, there was a critical moment when Paramore’s existence depended on them, on their wavering relationship. It was complicated and horrible, and would’ve resulted in Paramore’s demise if it weren’t for Hayley who was determined to continue with the band, to never give up on their fans, to never disappoint them. She was always thinking about others, that flaming redhead. He had never seen anyone so selfless and thoughtful. But they were friends, good friends, and nothing more than that.

“Well, he might’ve been, for all we know. He could’ve been sneaking out for a taco break while we work our asses off here,” Jeremy piqued up.

“Yeah, that would be exactly what Joshua Farro would do,” Zac, his dear brother, was generous enough to add his own opinion.

Granted, Josh wasn’t the clown of the band, the life of the party; that wasn’t his job. But still, he gave a quick laugh and smacked both Jeremy and his brother’s head. “Grow up, will you?”

“Hey, I’m older than you,” Jeremy snorted.

“Hey ho, Jeremy Davis, the old man of the band,” Taylor York added.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jeremy grunted, disgruntled by Taylor teaming up with me.

“Are you guys going to go on the whole day, because if you are, tell me, I might need to find a couch to snuggle comfortably in while I watch this interesting drama fold out before me,” Hayley called from the mic stand.

“Alright, get your butts off anything comfy you are sitting on and get in position,” Jeremy slapped Taylor on the back, which resulted in an “ow!” from him. “C’mon! You heard Hayley, I’m the old man of the band, everyone listens to the old man.”

Josh grinned, picking up his guitar as he prepared for Ignorance. He loved the band, he loved Paramore, and for the next few hours of practice, his mind was a giant battlefield, a war that never seemed to end.

*

It was another one of those stormy days, one of those days when all anyone could ever do was stay at home watching TV while pigging out on Doritos, and that was exactly what the Farro brothers were doing. Josh and Zac were the only ones at home, having returned from an exhausting band practice at the studio. Zac was doing most of the pigging out, actually, and they had reruns of Friends on TV. They snacked and laughed like they normally would on any other day, but Josh was keeping something inside him, something that he needed to let out, soon, before he felt like exploding.

“Zac,” he wasn’t sure how to begin this. “I, uh, well, I was doing some thinking the other day.” This wasn’t entirely true. He had been doing some thinking for two weeks straight.

“Yeah?” Apparently, this kind of news wasn’t as interesting to his brother as “Ross the Divorce Force” was on TV.

“Yes,” Josh replied, his tone suggesting that he was slightly offended. “And, well, I was thinking that maybe I need a break.”

This information seemed to take quite some time for Zac to process. When he turned to look at Josh, his expression was mingled with curiosity, suspicion and…fear. “What…what about?”

Josh was fairly sure Zac already had an idea what this “break” was about, but he still said it anyway. “I think…I’m going to leave the band.”

There was total silence then except for the noise coming from the television. Zac stared at him until he couldn’t take the pressure anymore and looked down at his fingers. Tension was heavy in the air, and the silence seemed to last forever. At last, Zac broke the tense silence.

“Okay.”

Josh almost fell off his chair in shock, obviously taken aback by his brother’s unexpected reaction. “…okay? ‘Okay’ as in ‘yeah, sure, fine’ or ‘okay’ as in ‘you need to reevaluate your choices’?”

Zac almost laughed. “Since when could I ever convince you to…reevaluate your choices? You are as stubborn as a baby girl who didn’t get her unicorn toy.” Realising his comparison wasn’t actually flattering in Josh’s case, he quickly added, “Look, all I’m saying is that, it’s your choice. You seemed down and really out of it lately, somehow this piece of news isn’t quite startling to me. And I’m guessing this has something to do with Jenna.” He looked into his brother’s eyes briefly for confirmation, and he was right. “Whatever floats your boat, I guess. You gotta do what you gotta do.”

Admittedly, Josh was relieved. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but this certainly wasn’t what he had in mind. What he had in mind involved shouting, disagreements and long speeches, but this wasn’t the case, and he was secretly glad. Until his brother decided to drop a bomb on him.

“And if you’re leaving, so am I.”

Now, he really did fall off his chair. “What?” He said incredulously, picking himself up from the floor.

“I said, well, I’m coming with you.”

Josh closed his eyes and massaged them tiredly. “No, you are not.”

“Why not?” Zac was standing now, obviously upset. “I am not young anymore, well, too young.” He defended. “I can make my own decisions as much as you can.”

“You don’t have any personal issues with the band. You don’t have any reasons to leave, like I do.”

“Maybe I don’t, but maybe you leaving is reason enough for me?”

Josh was touched, but he knew his path wasn’t the same as his little brother’s. Zac was young, and he was having fun. And Josh? Sure he had fun, he had more than fun, he had built such an incredible relationship with the rest of the band members they were pretty much family to him; but there was a difference. He had a huge responsibility on his shoulders, larger and heavier than anyone else. He was a married man. Soon, he would have a family, and if he were to go on tour every few months or so, what would become of his family, the family he was responsible for?

“Listen, Zac-“

“No, Josh. If you’re leaving, I am leaving too. There’s no talking me into changing my mind anymore. You’re my brother, we do everything together, right? I’ve seen you, you look so…disinterested during practice nowadays. I can’t stay on after knowing you’ve been so miserable. Besides, drumming wouldn’t be as fun without you there, you know? And I’m not just talking about me, I’m talking about everyone else too. Heck, if I could, I don’t want you to leave, but like I said, you’re one hell of a stubborn guy, and I don’t think what I say will make any difference anyway, so the only thing I can do in this situation is go together with you.”

Zac’s words were followed by another period of silence. At last, Josh looked into his brother’s eyes, a faint smile dancing on his lips. He loved his brother so much, he really did. “Seems like I’m not the only stubborn one in this family, huh?”

“Nope.” Zac grinned.

Josh took two steps forward and hugged his brother. This Zac wasn’t the Zac that had been afraid of spiders and sleeping alone in the dark anymore. This Zac had grown up.

*

“I can’t believe we almost hung it up, whoa-oa whoa-oa, we’re just getting started, oh we’re just getting started!” The music started to fade together with Hayley’s powerful voice, and she spun once and stroke a dramatic pose that was meant to look obnoxious, but she was Hayley Williams, and it made her look…well, silly. The other members snorted and chortled at their lead singer’s attempt at hilarity and practice came to an end.

“Oh, good, I need to find myself some Doritos,” Taylor exclaimed as soon as he put down his guitar.

“Wait,” Zac called out. “Before you get yourself your Doritos, we have something to tell you.”

Josh knew this was coming, but it didn’t really mean he was prepared for it, but with Zac by his side, he felt confidence course through his spine.

Under normal circumstances, Zac’s remark would’ve brought on jokes and teases, but both the Farro brothers’ expressions suggested this was a serious matter, so Hayley, Taylor and Jeremy nodded for them to go on.

Josh took a deep breath. “It’s about us, Zac and I, leaving the band.”

*

This is it.

It was the night of their last show in Orlando, Florida, and just like they had promised, it also meant Josh and Zac’s departure from Paramore for good. Surprisingly, Hayley and the rest had taken their news fairly well, and Josh was grateful. He wasn’t sure if he could handle seeing their shocked –or even worse, teary- faces. He didn’t want them, or anyone else to grief over his leaving. It would seem redundant.

But now that he was back in their studio in Nashville, all sorts of memories rushed back to him at once. Fooling around with Zac and Jeremy at that very couch in this studio, having some sort of sleepover right there near the television and teaming up with the boys to scare Hayley in the middle of the night, and of course, the outings they had together as a band, visiting the army, going to Disneyland, and then of course there were the concerts, the crowds, the fans… He started to feel a lump in his throat, but reminded himself that it wasn’t going to help. He had made his choice, and despite knowing the consequences, leaving Paramore as a three-man band, having fans from all around the world grieving over his and Zac’s leaving, he knew he had to sort out his priorities; he knew what he was supposed to do.

Zac entered the studio right then, together with Hayley, Taylor and Jeremy. The atmosphere was tense and distressing at the same time, and Hayley was close to tears. A tear rolled down a cheek and Josh stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. “Hey, don’t cry. You are the H-bomb, and you are probably the strongest, and not to mention the most hard-headed girl I have ever met,” Hayley smiled a little. “You’ll be alright. You’ll probably be cracking jokes five minutes after I leave. It’s not like we won’t see each other again, I’m still in Nashville, always available twenty-four seven.” He let go of her and smiled at her, one that she returned back with a watery one.

“Jeremy, bro, you are one hell of a bro,” Josh laughed, and hugged him.

“One hell of an old man, too,” Zac added, giving him another hug.

“The old man, yeah?” Jeremy smiled. “Downside is, I won’t have anyone to backflip over anymore,” he added sadly, but still retaining his smile at Josh’s direction.

Josh had to stifle a sigh. “Well, six years flipping over someone like me should sound like a bore now, right? Go find some fresh meat.” At situations like these, there was nothing else but jokes, desperate jokes to lighten the atmosphere, to keep it from crashing down and starting the waterworks, the regrets, the misery. That was what the boys were good at, Hayley, not so much, as she watched through blurred vision, the waterworks already beginning.

“Taylor,” Josh called, giving him a slap on the back. “Remember when we stopped you from getting into the band because you were too young-“

“Too annoying,” Zac added.

“And too, well, new? I take that back, you are an amazing guitarist.” He beamed.

“Finally got it, have you?” Taylor laughed and hugged both of them too.

“Well… I guess this is it,” Zac said, and picked up his drumsticks while Josh zipped his guitar back into its black casing.

They were ready to leave the studio when Hayley finally voiced up, her voice hoarse. “Paramore…won’t be Paramore without you guys, you know.”

Josh turned around and looked at each and everyone of them, Jeremy, Taylor, Zac, and at last Hayley. “We are Paramore, remember? We are, and will still be Paramore, even after we leave. We are part of this family, and we will never forget. We aren’t the key ingredients here, Paramore still has you guys, and without us, Paramore will still be the band.”

Hayley smiled, a reassurance. “We will miss you.”

“We will miss you too.”

And with one last look at the three members of a band they were part of until minutes ago, Josh and Zac Farro left the studio, trudging through the snow towards the path of future they wished to lead.

*

Over the past 6 years, our band has been through some of the most intense and incredible experiences of our lives. None of these things have been without trial. We’ve worked so hard to get to where we are and the fact that you are all still here with us says something about you that we will never be able to truly understand. You have stuck with us through thick and thin and we are so grateful. A couple of months ago, Josh and Zac let us know they would be leaving the band after our show in Orlando last Sunday. None of us were really shocked. For the last year it hasn’t seemed as if they wanted to be around anymore. We want Josh and Zac to do something that makes them happy and if that isn’t here with us, then we support them finding happiness elsewhere. But we never for a second thought about leaving any of this behind. We really hope that you can be encouraged by the fact that the three of us who are still here are ready to take on another chapter of our journey together. You have always been what keeps us going so why would we stop now? We want to stick by you. Knowing that we have a unified passion and a clear vision makes us feel stronger than ever.

The “blog” that was posted regarding everything that is going on with our band was a fake. We aren’t sure who did it or why… And we aren’t sure how they timed it this way. This is the first time that we have spoken out about what’s going on and we wouldn’t have released an official statement that important through a personal blog. So, we’re sorry for any confusion and just to remain clear, this is the first time we have spoken out about this.

We have some amazing things lined up for next year starting with our tour in South America. We are still coming to you and we are excited about who we are bringing with us! The tour is still on and we can’t wait to see you all.

As we look back, and now as we look with excitement to the future, in all of this what truly matters are the good times. The pictures of us with our arms around each other, the long van rides, your faces while you sing along as we play. Thank you for getting us right here to this very moment. We look forward to our best times. And we hope you will go there with us.

Love, Hayley, Jeremy & Taylor

Paramore

The bird had peacock blue and striking yellow feathers
But no she hates peacocks so

The hound was a sneaky little thing
With a yelp that melted hearts

The bird had anti-depressants for breakfast
Lunch and dinner
The hound griped every day
“You should be happy.”

The bird hopped on a leg everywhere
For she had a heavy sense of paranoia
That her friend the hound would bite her leg off one day
For the hound was a careless thing

The bird moped
For she lost her family to the war
She saw no reason to continue eating
And eating and eating

The hound was melancholy
He wished for his friend’s happiness
Every day he did
A hundred and thirty five ways to make her smile

The bird stayed in her nest all day
She had no strength left
She couldn’t open her eyes
There was stillness in the air

The hound never left.

He brought herbs
Sang her songs
Read her stories
He wasn’t prepared to leave her

He said
“There was once a bear in France
Who sat for an exam for an hour
And he only got B(ee)s!”

The bird and the hound didn’t find it funny
But they laughed anyway

The next day the bird died
And all was quiet

The hound wept for five months
“Don’t you know I loved you?”

This is not a love story
Nor is it a story about love
It is a story about life

Or at least I think it is.

these are nothing compared to the voices
voices
voices
echoing and spinning in my head

my wavering sanity is a threat
a fresh wound still bleeding
i hide my tears
with smiles and lies
no one knows the waging war

i am restricted in a body of weakness
no breathing no sight
a senseless abyss
just a floating spectre in my heart

security is weak
time is wasting
i am just a speck of dust in a land of wickedness
this frail figment of someone’s imagination
it will all come to and end
and i will
perish
in
the
face
of
insanity.

Author’s Note: Excuse the long title. I’m mimicking a Fall Out Boy-style of title.

I wrote this during midterm-exams, and it’s actually a Based On A True Story-material, but I figured it might be offending so I tried to cover some of it up.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Cheers. x

It all started when I was in school.

And sitting for my midyear test, no less.

It was unbelievably hot, like any other day, and the fact that my new uniform still itched definitely did not help my situation. My eyes were focused on the clock, watching the second-hand ticking by slowly, counting the seconds until the bell rang and the first day of my exams would be officially over. Exams were a student’s nightmare. The past few weeks had been exceptionally agonizing without a single speck of entertainment lest I wanted never ending naggings from my parents.

I sighed and stretched my arms, which emitted cracking sounds of pleasure. I tilted my chair far back, and heard the crashing sound the very same moment the front legs of my chair touched the ground.

It wasn’t like those ‘911’ or Icelandic volcano eruption crash, but the sound was startling enough to grab everyone’s attention, even those who had their heads buried in their arms.

“Lilith,” I whispered to my friend beside me. “Did you hear that?”

She nodded, eyes not meeting mine, a frown on her face. I let out a long breath. Curiosity made me want to jump out of the window right now to the source of the sound, which, I was pretty sure, was coming from the school front porch. The teacher in my class got up and walked sluggishly to the door, starting a conversation with the teacher next door who also had her head stuck out.

Oh, my God. This was getting frustrating.

I doodled on the back of my test paper until I couldn’t stand it anymore. “Hey, Teach! What’s going on out there?”

She didn’t even look at me.

Everyone’s head snapped towards me at once, but I couldn’t be bothered. Restlessness seeped into my every pore and I knew I had to get there right now.

Suddenly, the discipline teacher’s voice came over the PA system. “All students please remain in your seats even after the bell rings. We have a matter at hand and we appreciate your co-operation. Thank you.”

A matter at hand? Did she think this was a freaking mall or something? Hell no, no one was going to make me stay in my freaking seat.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with the same notion. I heard trampling noises from the classes next door, and even from the other buildings, and I recognized my cue to escape. I  jumped up from my chair, test paper abandoned, and dashed out of the door, leading a few other rebellious streaks like me towards the school porch.

This was worse than a fire alarm practice. This was real, not some bullshit practice meant to get our asses off our chairs and under the fucking hot sun where teachers took pleasure in our roasting.

I was one of the few to reach the front porch first, along with a few other seniors and teachers, and what I saw before me made my eyes go wide.

How do I even begin to describe the… thing? It wasn’t a UFO, not really, because we couldn’t be sure if it was flying when it crashed here. It was an eerily gray, huge, metallic flat disk the size of a mini-submarine, with no markings or pictures on it to indicate if it was harmless or lethal shit.

What the hell is that?” I thought I heard someone from the crowd exclaim. Almost everyone in the school was here by now, but no one seemed brave enough to approach the disk.

The principal appeared after that, and boy, was she furious.

“Everyone –get back to your classrooms! Now!” She shrieked over the commotion the students were making. She looked livid enough to breathe fire that everyone started to retreat ever so reluctantly, muttering non-stop. I was determined not to move, but I saw Steph and Dana moving up front so I followed suit.

Trust the principal to shoo us all away when something interesting finally happens.

My test paper was almost invalid by the way I ran out so suddenly just now, but I begged my teacher, and, moved by my determination –or irritated by my pleadings- she accepted my paper. Now there was only one problem left in my mind –the disk.

Half-heartedly, I was kind of hoping the discipline teacher would call me back to the porch as I was a fricken prefect, you see, but no, no announcement ordering us to head for the porch. I was boiling. What were they trying to do, keeping us here like prisoners? The teacher remained in our class, and her cell rang every five seconds.

Time flew by. Five minutes… Ten minutes… Twenty… Forty-five… An hour had passed by and we were still trapped in this stupid classroom. If they didn’t want us to see the disk, at least let us freaking go home! I knew my dad would be majorly pissed off if I came out late.

I turned to tell my teacher this, when I heard the sound.

No, it wasn’t another crash. God knows how I’d have to deal with another crash. This was more like a faint zapping sound, as if electric currents were running loose from wires. I looked around but realised I was the only one who had heard it. I didn’t even know if it was only a figment of my imagination, or just my paranoia. Maybe I needed a hearing test or something.

But, there, I heard it again, and it seemed to be coming from the class next door. Frowning, I crept to the farthest end of the classroom and peeped through the tiny hole in the wall only Lilith and I knew to, well, you know, peek at the other class when we were bored. I expected a chaotic class of sorts, like my class, but what I saw made my eyebrows shoot up.

All of them, and I mean every single one of the students plus the teacher in class were frozen. Not with ice, but rigid, with their eyes staring straight at something at the doorway. Except there was absolutely nothing at the doorway.

It crept me out.

I was about to rush to the other class when I heard faint chatter coming from outside the verandah along the classroom. I froze, straining my ears to hear better, my eyes darting outside, but I could see no one and nothing.

I knew immediately when they reached our classroom.

The chatter outside died away, and the door swiveled open slowly even though no wind was present. I was expecting two bodies with ugly heads standing at our door, but nothing.

“DUCK!” I shouted instantaneously to anyone and everyone in the class, hoping they would get my message in time.

I ducked under my table –knocking my forehead against the desk in the process –and squeezed my eyes shut. Sure enough, there was the expected zap! and everything stopped at once.

The only sound I could hear was my own breathing, coming in short gasps. I was too afraid to move, afraid they would see me if I moved a muscle at all. I counted to ten, then to twenty, then to thirty, until I realised I couldn’t keep on deceiving myself like this anymore.

I opened my eyes and slowly rose from my hiding place. No one or nothing zapped at me, so that was a relief. The relief vanished as fast as it appeared when I looked around me. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stifle a cry of fear.

Everyone had the same blank look the other kids sported in the next class. That frozen, wide-eyed, gaping expression that creepily reminded me of the time when Hermione was petrified in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie.

What appalled me the most was the possibility that there were no survivors. Was I the only one in this class who didn’t fall prey under the alien zappy thingy?

Alien. The word just spewed out from my brain uncontrollably. As much as I wanted to deny it, I knew the truth. The facts and proofs were all laid out for us to see. Weird, UFO thingy? Check. That invisibility shit without an invisibility cloak like Harry Potter? Check. Scary, out-of-the-world guns that had the same ability as Medusa to turn people into statues? Check.

Sweet mother of Jesus. We were having an alien invasion.

“Hello?” I whispered, worried that those aliens would turn around and zap me too. I had to ask. My tiny brain just couldn’t accept the fact that I was all alone in this school, dealing with a bunch of fucking aliens. My blueprint life wasn’t planned out like this. It couldn’t be.

My eyes darted around, ears strained, looking for a sign of life. I knew Lilith was frozen next to me, Isabel and Nicola just as rigid as her behind me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at either one of them. I was afraid I would give in to my nausea then.

“Psst! Maddy!” Oh God, thank you, thank you, thank you. I spun towards the source of the sound and found Naomi crouched under her seat, whispering my name. I let out a cry of relief and dashed towards her, tears of joy almost leaking from my eye sockets.

But I found out that Naomi wasn’t the only survivor besides me, thank God. Apparently, many had heeded my order to duck. Well, not many, but many enough. There was Steph, Allison, Addy, Yvonne and Erika. All of them had managed to duck in time, which made me grateful that I had a loud albeit boisterous voice.

Allison, being Allison, started to whine annoyingly now that she’d found someone to whine at.

“What on freaking Earth just happened? Did you see that? Did you? They just…froze!” I didn’t have time to deal with her childish behavior so I gave her the you-better-shut-up-or-I’ll-kill-you look. “Shut up of they’ll come back for you!” I hissed under my breath.

Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her. Naturally. “’They’? Who the hell are ‘they’?” I rolled my eyes and resisted slapping my hand over her mouth to shut her up. I didn’t know if they could or had heard us; I didn’t know if they were even gone yet; I didn’t know if there were millions more roaming the school; I didn’t know a single damn thing that could help is in this situation.

“Listen, here’s what I’m gonna do…” I started, glad that I was actually stranded with these people. Steph and Yvonne had the brains; Addy and Erika had the cool and Naomi the agility. I won’t even start on Allison.

“I need to find out if there are any more people in this building. And the other buildings too, to be honest, but I need to make sure the coast is clear before I wander away from this spot,” Everyone except Allison nodded, too shocked for words. She looked as if she was ready to butt in so I quickly added. “You guys are free to decide if you want to follow me or stay here. Of course, I can’t guarantee anybody’s safety…”

“I’m staying here!” Allison exclaimed.

I gritted my teeth. “Naturally.”

“Someone needs to stay guard at out base anyway. Consider that job taken.” She smiled sickeningly at me.

Base? Guard? Did she think this was some kind of action-packed real-life video game or something?

Instead, I accessed the classroom and figured it would be safe enough and said, “Fine. C’mon, let’s go.” I was relieved to find Steph, Yvonne, Addy, Naomi and Erika trailing behind. Apparently, no one wanted to be in the same room as Allison for too long, either. If this situation persists, Allison and her false bravery might come crawling toward us any minute now. I crossed my fingers and willed myself to move faster.

Sadly, the first class –which I had peeped into earlier- was already hopeless. Thoughts of Libby and Abbie in there were… too difficult to bear. I crept along the wall, hoping we were out of sight. The whole floor was empty, at least it was, to me. If there were any more invisible things… well, we weren’t dead yet, were we? I took that as a comforting fact.

The third and fourth and fifth classes were gone too, but at the last class, we found two terrified girls huddled under the teacher’s table. It took us a long time for us to convince them that we weren’t aliens. Honestly, have they not seen our damn faces in this school before? Did we have green-coloured skin? Three eyes? No nose? Why they would even think of us as aliens was a mystery to me.

“What now?” Yvonne croaked as a total of eight of us emerged from the last classroom, still terribly shaken. I looked at the stairs leading to the ground floor that was located right in front of us. Every cell in my body urged me to search for more people, but the more rational part of my brain told me to do so if I wanted a suicide invitation.

But I didn’t have a time to think, because just then, Erika hissed, “Get back! Get into the classroom!” Adrenaline pumping again, we darted into the nearest classroom and hid under the tables, trying very hard to ignore the fact that frozen legs were dangling beside us.

There was nothing at first, and I started to glare at Erika, wandering if her paranoia had gotten the best of her, but then there were footsteps echoing in the verandah, and I cringed. Shit. Did he/she/they hear us? I held my breath, not even daring to bat an eyelid.

The footsteps stopped for a second, then started again, this time, heading inside the classroom.

“What happened here?” My heart almost leapt out of my ribcage, but then I realised who the voice belonged to. It was Mr Robert, our Geography teacher and the one teacher I absolutely despised the most in this entire school. I didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad, but decided on the former because, well, at least he wasn’t an alien.

Right?

I almost leapt up from my hiding place to seek the comfort of the presence of a grown-up, but the other girl, the one we found from the last classroom –her name was Becky or something like that- beat me to it. “Mr Robert!” She exclaimed exuberantly, and what happened next altered my psychological perspective forever.

Becky was zapped immediately, and in Mr Robert’s hand was a gun –a vaporizer gun, I reckoned- the size of a water gun, but sported a rusted metallic hue that made it look deadly instead of fun. He started coming for us next. Well, shit.

I tried to retreat further back into the classroom without being noticed, but no such luck. My teacher’s eyes found me and he held up his vaporizer. That was the time I realised that, instead of the presence of black pupils, Mr Robert’s eyes were milky white, eyeballs turned inside out. I almost when screamed, when a raspy voice over the PA system –wait, they even took over the goddamn PA system?- interrupted, shouting something incoherent, that was obviously foreign. I mean, alien.

Mr Robert froze in mid-air, his gun hovering a few inches over me. I held my breath until he backed away, his eyes unseeing. He was gone by the time I managed to catch my breath.

Judging by the way Mr Robert –or rather, the alien- had left so abruptly after the announcement, I figured they were being regrouped or something. At least I learned something new from all of these: the fact that aliens could possess human bodies. Or maybe Mr Robert was an alien in disguise after all. You know, that wouldn’t surprise me one bit.

I told my friends about that –except that part that our teacher could very well be a native alien in the first place- and suggested we go for a search now that the aliens might be having a merry get-together or something. No one seemed to object and I wondered where this status of mine as the leader of out motley crew had come from.

Still cautious, we tip-toed down the stairs and almost shrieked in fright when a cat passed by. At least, Dana wasn’t here, because I knew she would have definitely screamed out loud, alien invasion or not. It ‘miaow’ed at us rather unkindly, and I wondered if animals could be possessed, too.

We checked the Form One, Two, Four, Five and Six blocks and found a total of five survivors. It seemed like they had fared worse than us. When we reached them, they were hysterical, thinking we were going to kill them or something. We had to prove ourselves human by actually singing the school song and clarifying who the new American Idol of Season Nine was. After tossing us suspicious glares when I failed to come up with his full name the first time around –“Okay, okay! It’s Leon James DeWyze, happy?”- they finally believed us.

The rest of the students were incredibly impassive, devastated that they had lost a friend or sibling. I wanted to strangle their necks with my bare hands and shout in their faces that They. Are. Not. Dead. And they needed to get a fucking grip on themselves if they really wanted to save themselves and their friends.

It took a huge effort to coax them out of the ‘safe’ confines of their classroom, but I succeeded in the end, especially when I told them there were aliens here and they would round the school buildings more often than our school teachers ever did. As soon as the words left my mouth, I made a mental note to check on Allison to see if she was alright.

“Here’s my plan. For now.” I said to all of them when I was pretty sure we were safe. “Steph, I trust you to lead them on a search for weapons. At the gardening store or the lab or whatever material you can find that is able to cause damage. Severe damage. Oh, and save me a knife or two, will you?” I instructed before heading for the staircase to Allison.

I didn’t know why I even bothered. She was the one who was too stubborn to follow my lead, why the hell should I even care?

Because she’s your friend, a voice echoed in my mind. No matter how irritating or annoying she was, she had been my classmate for three years now, and I couldn’t just let anything bad happen to her, could I?

There you go again, Maddy. Being all heroic and stuff.

My hairs stood on its ends as I inched nearer towards my classroom. A sickening feeling in my gut told me something wasn’t right.

Everything was too still and quiet.

Knowing Allison, she should be blabbing away with that uncontrollable mouth of hers, regardless if anyone was there to listen to her at all.

There was no sign of Allison’s redhead in the room, only those frozen figures that, somehow, looked even more intimidating than before. I was about to turn around and leave, thinking that maybe Allison had come after us after all and might even be loitering at the corridor outside, when my eyes caught sight of the whiteboard.

It was still intact, sure, but it seemed as if someone had used a sharp object to scratch words into the board. And the three words on it was enough to make my breath catch in my throat.

Bye bye, Allison.

From that particularly distasteful three-word farewell sentence, I deduced several facts: one, Allison was captured by the aliens. Two, somehow, those aliens knew English. Three, they were playing us. My feet didn’t feel like moving at all, in fact, all I wanted to do right then was collapse on the floor and sleep and wish this was all just a crazy nightmare from memorizing all those periodic tables and history facts, but I also knew I had to get to Steph and the rest before they, too, got kidnapped.

However, I was about to realize that I was just as vulnerable as Allison and the rest. A pair of strong, buffy hands caught me from behind and the smell of chloroform was forced into my nose, making me cough and splutter helplessly. It all happened so suddenly that I wasn’t given the space and time to react.

And then, there was only blackness.

*

“Oh, my God, Maddy! For God’s sake, please wake up!”

If there was anything that could wake a hibernating bear, it was Allison’s shrill and incessant whining.

My eyes snapped open instantaneously. Warm, orange light shone down on me and I figured it was close to evening. Evening? Why wasn’t I at home, enjoying dinner yet? What was Allison doing here, wherever I was?

For a blissful moment, I was granted a false illusion that I had experienced a nightmare about frozen people and aliens and arguing over Lee DeWyze. With a frown, my pupils focused themselves and I found myself still in school, and every single thing rushed back into memory like an overflowing dam.

“Whoa. How- how long did I black out?”

“They brought you here about three hours ago, I think, I don’t have a single clue what time it is now, and we’re supposed to wait,” Allison pouted indignantly.

I raised my right hand to rub away the blurriness that was still lingering in my eyes, but found out that I couldn’t move my hands at all. I looked down and let out an exasperated groan when I saw huge, fat ropes stretching taut against my entire bodice. With the realization came pain, and I had to take short, shallow breaths to avoid suffocating myself.

“Where the hell are you and what am I tied to?” I whispered.

“You’re tied to the tree at the teachers’ carpark and I’m right behind you, at the other side of the trunk.”

I had failed to pinpoint my exact location from the ceaseless processing still going on in my brain, but now that Allison’s said it, I noticed she was right. Judging from my vantage point, I was bound to the gigantic Flame of the Forest located at the west side of the parking lot. Where there were initially rows and rows of teachers’ cars parked in the middle of the lot, there was only an emptied space left. At first, my brain processed the obvious, that the teachers had, by some impossible miracle, all gone home, but then my eyes darted to the edge of the carpark and my heart sunk when I saw a ten feet high pile of dented cars. There goes Mr Firemon’s BMW and the principal’s Mercedes.

“You said we were supposed to wait. For what?” My heart was picking up pace even though I couldn’t see a single alien in sight.

I heard Allison sigh. “I don’t know. They’re in invisible mode and they said that they’re searching for something. Here. In the parking lot.”

Invisible mode. Just great. And what the hell are they searching for in the decrepit carpark? Diamonds? I snorted. Not likely.

I was kind of hoping these aliens would –typically- brandish a flag or whatever and say something about “We’re here to take over your planet Earth! Mwahahaha!” like they usually do in sci-fi movies, but if they wanted to act uncool and play hide-and-seek in my school parking lot, fine by me. All they’re gonna get is a really, really mad Maddy.

And so we waited, with only the occasional ‘crack’ of a twig or the rustling of dry leaves on the ground to indicate any sign of activity at all.

I thought I was about to doze off in exhaustion and boredom until I saw silhouettes heading for the parking lot. At first, I thought it was more aliens, but then with a nauseating jolt in my stomach, I realised it was Steph, Yvonne, Naomi, Addy and the rest of the survivors, hands tied to their backs, being led by –Erika.

Erika! I couldn’t believe it. She’d betrayed us all!

As soon as the group reached the lot, a tall woman materialized in front of them. My heart leapt again when I realised the woman was my English teacher, Mrs Zaria.

“Are these the only ones left?” She asked coldly, her voice familiar yet strange at the same time.

“Yes, Foreela,” Erika said obediently and handed my friends over to Foreela with a shove. Seriously, “Foreela”? That has to be the most uncreative and horrid name ever in human and alien history.

“Vaporize them.” Two men appeared –oh look, those are the school bus drivers- holding guns not unlike Mr Robert’s.

“Wait!” I shouted before I could control myself. I heard Allison sigh behind me. “You- you can’t do that. You have to let them go.”

“And why is that, human?” She said the word human like an environmentalist would say global warming. I looked away. I couldn’t talk back to Mrs Zaria’s (body) for God’s sake!

“What the hell do you want from us?” I answered her question with another one, my eyes never leaving the concrete ground below.

“You didn’t answer my question, human.”

“Let them go, then.”

The female alien snarled. “Be quiet, you insolent human! Or I’ll have someone vaporize you!”

I had had enough of the word ‘vaporize’ for the day, but I shut up all the same. Allison surprised me by rebuking, “You can’t vaporize Maddy.”

“What?” Foreela hissed.

“I said, you can’t vaporize her. You need her.”

I was stunned. Apparently, so was Foreela. She glared at Allison nastily. “Lord Chempgn, am I allowed to silence the other human?”

An old, thin man appeared next to her and I realised it was Pak Yah, our school gardener. Under different circumstances, I would’ve found this very funny, but now, I didn’t even know if the word ‘ humour’ belonged in my vocabulary anymore.

“Yes, you can, my dear.”

And with that, a silver glossy tape slid over Allison’s mouth, leaving her mumbling. How the hell did they do that?

“So it’s true, then,” I said in my calmest voice. “You do need me.” For what?

Pak Yah/ Lord Chempgn chuckled. “My dear, we don’t need you. We just need an alive and breathing human. For now.”

I stole a glance at my friends, who were still held firmly in Foreela’s grip. None of them were looking at us but I had a feeling that they were hanging onto every word we said.

“Why me?”

Again, Chempgn chuckled. “I absolutely adore your hard-headed stubbornness, that’s why. So when we kill you, it’ll be far more enjoyable than killing a silent one.” His gaze darted to my friends.

Bullshit. Allison was just as annoying. Not that I wanted her to die, but still, I didn’t want to die either!

As if reading my mind, her added, “Of course, it was a tough choice between you and your, ah, expressive friend here.” I could almost imagine Allison’s terrified eyes at his words. “But we were worried her ugly mouth would coerce one of my guards into killing her too quickly, now that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?” He said gleefully, a sick smile on his face.

“My Lord, we do not have much time,” Foreela interrupted, her eyes darting to the setting sun.

“But, of course,” Chempgn clapped his hands once. “Now, Maddy Hitzman, listen carefully when I ask you this question, where is the Granite Slab?”

I stared at him. “The WHAT?”

“The Granite Slab, stupid girl. We don’t have much time.”

What the hell was this guy talking about? Is slab even a real word? Did I look like a carpenter or something?

“I don’t freaking know what you’re talking about!” I yelled earnestly, but Chempgn wasn’t impressed.

“Kill her,” he said lazily to one of his minions.

Shit. “Wait! Maybe I do know something…” The words came out before I could stop myself. It was typical of me to have these outbursts when my brain started to churn like the inside of a cement mixer. I could almost hear Steph’s voice in my mind, There you go again, Maddy. One of these days, that mouth of yours is going to get you in deep shit.

And boy, was she right.

I racked my brains for a lame excuse. “Um. But you gotta let me down first.”

Chempgn sneered at me, but he complied.

My hands were still tied when I was brought down by two of his men. My eyes darted between me and my friends, estimating the distance between us, but Chempgn wasn’t having any of it. I was cornered right up a tree trunk with two vaporizers pointed at me so suddenly I thought I’d dropped my intestines.

“Now. You have five seconds to tell me where.”

What?

“You- you gotta tell me what the hell that is. Or what it’s used for.” When Chempgn looked ready to deliver a blow in my gut, I quickly added, “So that… I might recall what, um, the Lady told me before,” I lied quickly. Wow, Maddy Hitzman. Where had that come from?

Chempgn cocked his eyebrows. “Which Lady do you speak of?”

“Uh. Lady, um, Lady Gaga,’ Wow wow wow. I hoped aliens don’t listen to music or something.

“Where’s this… Gaga from?” He spat at Foreela and she shook her head. “Never heard of her. But she could be one of those newbies from Gallanae.”

Chempgn seemed satisfied with Foreela’s answer. “Very well. The Granite Slab is, clearly, made of granite, and should weigh much, much less than our planet.” Well, duh. I rolled my eyes. It’s a slab, not a Sun. “It is white in colour, and has the ability to disguise as modern-day furniture or objects. Quite tricky. It holds the power of the entire galaxy, and one single shard of it is enough to blow your puny little planet into pathetic bits.” He grinned condescendingly.

Wow, this is starting to sound like Transformers. But instead of super-wicked robots, we get creepy alien dudes. My life is unfair.

“So you see, it doesn’t belong to you humans,” he growled.

My initial response was to rebut back with an indignant ‘Neither does it belong to you’ but my eyes had wandered over to the new, white one-table-three-stools furniture set on the school porch. No one knew when it was placed there or where it had came from. Everyone has thought the principal had paid for it, but no one really knew the true story, right?

Plus, Erika was the principal’s daughter. Betrayal goes both ways, right?

I had an idea.

“I am going. To the porch.” I enunciated slowly and moved just as sluggishly, in case they thought I was trying to run away or something.

Chempgn nodded at one of his henchmen to accompany me there. Just as I had thought. This man thought I wasn’t worth taking away two servants.

We walked slowly towards the porch, a gun held against my back.

I stepped on my shoelaces and exclaimed in an awfully fake falsetto voice. “Oh, my shoelaces!” I expected a nudge of the gun barrel on my back, but apparently, aliens were oblivious to pretense and false acting. Well, there’s my advantage.

As I bent down to tie my shoelaces, I considered which part of his body I could assault. Well, the groin was obviously every woman’s first choice, but this was my teacher’s body. Imagine kicking your Math teacher in the groin. He’d probably use the Pythagoras’s Theorem to kill me afterwards.

So, with semi-inhumane speed, I spun around and kicked hard at the alien’s shin. I wasn’t the crème of the crop in my Taekwondo class, but I certainly knew a thing or two.

Before he had time to react, I stood up and delivered a blow to his jaw. He stumbled and fell down abruptly, his gun clattering onto the floor. I quickly grabbed for it just as Chempgn noticed the commotion on the school porch.

“Stop!” I shrieked, and pointed the gun at the Granite Slab. “This is the Granite Slab. Come any closer and I’ll make sure you never see it again.”

Realisation dawned on Chempgn’s face, and I knew I was right. It was the Granite Slab, alright. But instead of looking horrified, Chempgn’s face broke into a smirk. Something was fishy here.

“Go on, do it.” He challenged.

I grimaced and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Nothing happened.

I examined the gun and found the words ‘low battery’ staring back at me.

Holy shit. How convenient.

“I never allow Dongus to use full throttle,” he nodded at the alien I’s attacked. “He was too stupid to even realize it.” Chempgn was generous enough to offer an explanation, before he shouted, 300-style, “CHARGE!”

Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

All of his aliens appeared at the same time, and the look of horror on my face indicated there were close to forty aliens here.

I allowed myself to emit a timid scream, then scanned around the porch to find something lethal. Of course, there was always the possibility than they would go after the slab and forget about me, but I highly doubted that.

Schoolbags. All arranged on the benches. They were the only weapons I could come up with right now.

For once, I thanked the school for producing students who were forced to carry schoolbags that practically weighed tones to school. I hurled at them in their faces, and that did stop them. They were in human bodies, after all.

But I knew it wasn’t an endless supply, and sooner or later, the aliens would be charging again.

“Maddy!” I heard Naomi’s shout a second before I saw her. She was free. A blade in Steph’s hand told me my friends were free, and were battling against incoming aliens whilst Yvonne tried to get Allison down.

“Catch!” Naomi yelled and tossed a vaporizer gun in my direction, before delivering a couple of huge blows at an alien who was wearing the office secretary’s body. Naomi was the best combat fighter in school, so I wasn’t unduly worried.

It was catching the gun that was the hard part. There were so many aliens surrounding me it was hard to focus my attention on two things at once. Sadly, Naomi’s aim wasn’t accurate and the gun got stuck wedged in between the huge, fat wires taped to the wall adjoin the ceiling.

“Shit shit shit!” The aliens were approaching like insane zombies in Zombieland now, and my hands were aching from all the throwing and hurtling. I was desperate enough to dig my pockets’ contents and send them skimming into the crowd too. Unfortunately, a notebook, a pen, a nail clipper, a watch and two packets of facial tissues did little against the cannibalistic aliens. I had no choice but to go after the gun.

I leapt swiftly onto the bench nearest to the gun and started to reach for it. As typical as any movie of the thriller genre, I couldn’t reach it. I stood on tiptoes and stretched my arm, my hand, my fingers, until I was pretty sure my limbs had elongated a few inches.

The aliens were starting to grapple at the lower part of my body, and between stamping on their fingers and reaching for the gun, I was pretty much out of breath and brain-addled.

I knew the only way to possibly reach for it was to jump, but if I did, I would come raining down on a crowd of feisty aliens, and the thought wasn’t compelling at all. But what other choices did I have?

“Oh God, please please please let me get that gun…” I prayed through clenched teeth.

I jumped and stretched my arm until I thought it would pop out of my socket

My hand closed around a metallic object and I pulled the gun out from the wires. It came out fairly easy.

I didn’t have time to whoop in ecstasy after that, because dropping onto the crowd of forty aliens who wanted to strangle you was probably the worst experience, next to watching the New Moon movie three times continuously.

But the gun had boosted my confidence, and I began to shoot randomly, feverishly. One. Two. Three. One by one, aliens vanished, until everyone realised what I was doing and started to back away.

These aliens think they’re great and stuff, but in the end, they’re just a bunch of cowards.

This time, I pointed the vaporizer gun at the Slab once again. Everyone turned silent.

“Chempgn!” I shouted to the crowd. “Where the hell are you?”

After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped forward from the very back of the alien crowd, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I could read defeat and fear in his eyes.

Score. I had won.

“I want you to listen to me carefully.” I paused. “I want everyone on this goddamn porch to listen to me carefully. You,” I pointed at Chempgn. “I want you and your troops to get your asses off my planet, and don’t even think of paying us a second visit. It won’t be appreciated at all. Secondly, I want you to set things back to the way it were before you showed up. I know you have the ability to warp time and everything, so fucking do it.”

“And I have to listen to you because…?”

I was outraged. I pointed the gun at the bench nearest to the Granite Slab and pulled the trigger. The bench disappeared with a pop sound. I heard Chempgn yelp.

“The next time, I won’t miss,” glad to see the horrified expressions of the aliens at how close their precious stone was to disappearing.

“Oh, and by the way, take Erika and her mother along with you. They wouldn’t like to know what we’re planning to do to them after all this.” Erika flicked a glare at my way and I returned with one of my best glowers. “If anything goes awry at all, I swear with every cell in my body that I will destroy that Slab, vaporizer or not.”

I could almost see the wheels turning in Chempgn’s head. There was no way out of it. I knew he would be back, it was inevitable, but I hoped I’d be long gone by then.

“Very well,” Chempgn was trying hard to sound dignified, but he was close to breaking. He glared at me malevolently, and I saw a red tint flicker over his pupils before it all blacked out.

*

It was like waking up in a dream. I was back to the exact moment when my eyes were focused on the ticking clock, waiting for the teacher to announce our time was up and start collecting our papers. My heart seemed to beat erratically against my ribcage, and I felt almost out of breath. Lilith tossed me a weird look and mouthed, What’s wrong? But I merely shook my head and tried to calm myself.

“You have three more minutes,” the teacher droned and I cast a quick glance at Naomi’s direction. She widened her eyes and mouthed, I remember. I let out a gush of breath. I hadn’t been dreaming, after all. I looked around and noticed Erika’s absence the same moment the teacher’s phone started to ring.

“Hello?” She paused and frowned. “What do you mean the principal is missing?” She almost screeched into her phone, and everyone’s head swirled around immediately, except for me, a slow smile spreading across my face.

Maybe the nightmare wasn’t a nightmare after all.

*

I stretched my arms and got up from my seat when our papers were finally collected. Funny, I still felt the remnants of the exhaustion lingering in my bones and I felt close to collapsing in fatigue. I made a beeline immediately for Naomi, Steph, Yvonne and Addy, but before I could reach them, a cold, hard voice called my name and I stopped dead in my tracks.

I turned out apprehensively to find Mr Robert standing at the classroom door. For a moment, I was stunned, petrified, the only thought in my head was Those aliens are coming to get me now!

But I couldn’t possibly ignore a teacher in front of all these people so I walked tentatively towards Mr Robert, fingers crossed behind my back. I could almost feel Naomi and the rest holding their breaths, and I knew they were thinking the same thoughts as me.

“Yes, Mr Robert?” I almost stammered.

“I want your assignment on my table before you leave. Do you honestly think I’m going to forget that you’re the only one left who hasn’t handed in your homework?”

For once, his voice didn’t sound irritating to me at all. In fact, I felt relieved beyond belief. I even cracked a smile. “Alright, sir. I brought it today, you can count on me, sir.”

He raised his eyebrows. Apparently, my sudden affability struck him as weird. Well, I wouldn’t disagree with him.

I was about to skip back into class on a happier note when he pulled my hand rather unexpectedly. His hand closed tight around my wrist and I could hear him whisper in my ear:

“It’s not over yet, Maddison Hitzman. It’s never over.”

Well, shit.

Disclaimer: I do not own American Idol or anything connected to it. Go ask Simon Fuller. Lyrics: Across The Universe by The Beatles.

(A Siobhan Magnus-Lee Dewyze fanfic.)

Siobhan

My heart thumped uncontrollably against my ribcage as I was called back to the centre of the stage, where my fate would be announced. Ryan was already there, together with Michael and Casey. Okay. This is it. I took a deep breath and tried to hide my nervousness with a wide smile as I joined them at the centre of the stage.

I wasn’t particularly paying attention when Ryan started to go through the whole protocol of returning from a commercial break and all that, my mind distracted by the fact that I was here, on this stage, with the possibility that I might be going home tonight. Michael and Casey had both took turns to reassure me that I was going to be alright, since it wasn’t news that I’d made headlines in tabloids and gossip weblogs and stuff. There was no use in arguing, so I’d just got on with it, merely showing a meek smile whenever anyone brought it up.

“Dim the lights, and here we go,” I realised it was our guest, Antonio Banderas who had the honour of delivering the line, instead of Ryan, which made my heart speed up even more. Ryan headed for us, and I smiled for the audience as he read about the judges’ comments about my performance last night, not really absorbing anything.

I guess I was pretty shocked when Ryan declared Michael safe, not trying to be mean or anything. He was my friend, and I was glad to see him safe, but his being safe meant that I was in the bottom two. I inhaled deeply and let my eyes look at anywhere but Ryan holding the results card. My gaze landed on Lee, who had his head in his hands, Crystal rubbing his back to console him. I tried to choke back a sob as my heart gave a lurch; it felt so bad to see Lee upset like this. What I wanted right then was to rush forward and envelope him in a huge hug, assuring him that everything was going to be okay. Ryan’s voice pulled me back from my reverie and my breath started to come in short gasps. This was it. Either I was going home, or I wasn’t. I was good at controlling my emotions, I wouldn’t allow myself to become a wreck. If I’m in, I’d smile. If I’m out, I’d smile, too, and hug Casey. That’s it. I’m gonna stick to that plan.

“The person who goes home tonight is…”

Lee

My heart thumped as I watch Siobhan at the centre of the stage, waiting for Ryan to announce the results, a decision of her fate on American Idol. The suspense was terrible, and I could feel my stomach knotting when Ryan had announced Michael safe. I could feel Crystal making an effort to console me as I buried my head in my arms, unable to look at what was happening on stage.

“The person going home tonight is…” My head jerked up, and my eyes found Siobhan, so beautiful and glorious, radiating brilliance and confidence, even at a time like this. It was one of the reasons why I liked her so much; her unbelievable strength and determination that were so rarely found nowadays. I tried to catch her eye, and when she looked at my way, I gave her an encouraging smile, which she returned with a confident grin.

“Siobhan Magnus.” My face fell when Ryan said Siobhan’s name out loud. Our eyes broke away and I was completely stunned. No, this couldn’t be happening.

Siobhan was now singing ‘Think’ by Aretha Franklin, the hit that got everyone’s attention. Her voice filled the auditorium with surprisingly strong force, as if the fact that she was going home added to her strength. I knew I could never be as strong as her, no matter what happened. Her voice was like a sturdy hand supporting me from breaking down right then and there, unable to accept reality.

Because I simply couldn’t bear the thought of Siobhan leaving us, leaving me.

After her last note ended, I rose from my seat and rushed forward to wrap Siobhan in my arms. To feel her soft skin against my fingers, to feel her own hand hugging the small of my back, I just couldn’t let her go. Ignoring the fact that the camera was still rolling and the other contestants were coming forward, I whispered in Siobhan’s ear, “I’ll miss you.”

Her eyes met mine for a fleeting second before people started to crowd around. “I’ll miss you, too.”

Siobhan (a week ago)

“Hey, you! Bon Bon!” I jumped when someone called me by my nickname. I had my infamous ‘Bon Bon’ glasses on, so I guess it was no surprise where the person’s inspiration came from. I turned around to find Lee standing there, a smirk on his face. I raised an eyebrow, my hand still holding the lyrics of ‘When You Believe’. I had been practicing for the past two hours or so, knowing that it was a ‘Mariah-cum-Whitney’ song and wouldn’t particularly be favoured by the judges, but I hardly cared. ‘A song that gives you inspiration’. This song does, and that’s enough for me.

“Whoa. A Mariah song you have there,” Lee started to tease, something I knew he would say. I laughed and punched him on the arm. “Better than yours anyway.”

“Oh, really?” He made a face. “Why am I having a hard time believing that?”

“Because you haven’t really heard me sing ‘When You Believe’ yet,” I joked.

“Now I’m scared.”

“You should be.”

“Because the Magnus girl is gonna eat me.”

“…that’s about right.” I grinned.

“The Dewyze guy thinks the Magnus girl should sing for him, then.”

“Alrighty.” I skipped off to the centre of the recording room, and directed Lee to the couch. “Be a good audience and don’t make me smack you, okay?”

Lee made a grunting sound as if to say he didn’t believe my ability in smacking people.

I cleared my throat and belted out a fully memorized version of ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, one of my favourite songs of all time. I had been singing Bonnie Tyler’s songs ever since I was…five, six? I didn’t know where the sudden burst of inspiration to sing this song came from, but I knew it was the perfect song for…

For who? For Lee? For us?

But what I really felt as I delved into the meaning of every single lyric was connection. Standing there, singing to Lee and only Lee, I felt as if I was pouring out my heart’s contents, a poem written for him instead of a famous song by a renowned singer.

At the end of the song, I couldn’t take my eyes off Lee. I knew what this feeling was, I hadn’t felt it for so many years since high school.. I was attracted to him, no doubt, and not only because of his amazingly great vocals and adorable features, he was also witty and smart, always understanding how I did things my way, and never once did he judge me merely by my quirky acts and behavior like most people would. He was the best friend I could have ever since I came on Idol, and I deeply appreciated his presence.

And that was why I was too stunned for words when he finally said, “You’re beautiful..”

Lee (three weeks later)

Things had been pretty hectic lately, what with the numerous amounts of people we had to meet, and constant practice and photoshoots and such. The tension was almost visible in the atmosphere at the studio every Wednesday as we headed for the building. Ever since Michael went home and it’s down to Crystal, Casey and I, I have never thought I’d feel the same anxiousness I had felt the day I auditioned for this thing. Every day was one day nearer to the finals, and even though many tabloids and magazines were certain that there would be a Crystal Bowersox- Lee Dewyze showdown in the end, I was still dubious and afraid. –and guilty, to be honest. Everyone knew Siobhan and Crystal were the two strongest ones, and I was pretty positive everyone had been expecting for a Siobhan-Crystal finale, but somehow, me still being in this show made me feel as if I was responsible for Siobhan’s elimination.

Siobhan. She should have been here, and her absence seemed to have made an impact on the remaining contestants. She used to be the joker, the one who cheered people up when they were down, the funny and witty one who never failed to plaster a smile onto everyone’s faces. The way she still managed to grin widely when Ryan announced the end of her journey on Idol proved how much of a fighter she was, and I missed that spirit and passion that seemed so contagious. Without her here, winning the competition suddenly felt unimportant.  The fact that I hadn’t once seen or spoken to her ever since the night she left made me feel guilt-stricken and heartless. I knew we had shared something special the whole time she was here, and I didn’t want to lose that just because of the distance between us and my how busy my life turned out to be. Making up my mind, I reached for my phone in the back pocket of my jeans and punched in the number I’ve already known so well.

Siobhan

“Siobhannnnnnn!” I heard my little sister Ceili call for me from upstairs. I dropped my glassblower and lifted my goggles. “Yeah?”

Ceili’s small head appeared at the door leading down to the basement. “There’s someone on the phone who wants to talk to you. And it’s a boooooooooy!” She giggled and ran away, afraid I would turn into a monster and swallow her whole because of her teasing.

A guy? I heaved a huge sigh. If it was Joe, I swear I’m going to throw the phone across the room.

Joe, the guy who said he would protect me and be there for me always. Well, not anymore. I had left Los Angeles with a broken heart, thinking that all was lost, and maybe Joe would be there for me, at least to give me a hug, but no, the first phone call I received at the very moment I reached home was from him, wanting a break-up. He had given all kinds of excuses, about how I was too far away and obsessed –obsessed- with winning American Idol. Without another word, I had hung up, asserting self-control on myself to prevent myself from hurling my cell across the room.

Post-Idol days had flown by quickly, but not quickly enough. I resumed my job as a glassblower, wanting to keep a low profile for the time being. Life went on as it is, and sometimes, only sometimes, I was rewarded with the illusion that maybe my life at American Idol was a dream after all, even though I had received endless compliments from the people of Marston Mills about how great and amazing I had been on the show. It wasn’t because I was being sour at losing the chance to win the competition. No, this wasn’t about winning the title and becoming famous, more like I had lost something, something precious…

I ascended the stairs to the living room where the phone receiver was placed on the coffee table top. I took a deep breath and crossed my fingers. “Hello?” I said into the receiver. The voice that answered rooted me to the spot, accelerating the speed of my heartbeat. It was a voice I thought I’d never hear again, so familiar yet thrillingly strange at the same time.

“Siobhan? Hey, this is Lee… You know, Lee Dewyze?” He paused, as if waiting for an answer, but when I didn’t provide him one, he continued. “I was wondering if maybe you want to…meet up tonight?”

Lee

The cold wind raked against my body, and I wrapped my parka around my bodice tighter, hugging myself to keep myself warm.. I didn’t get it. It was May, why on Earth was it so cold, especially at night?

Or maybe the chill of the wind wasn’t the only reason my insides were turned into ice. Fear, nervousness, anticipation. An influx of emotions invaded my heart and brain, making me rethink if this was a good idea or not. On the plus side, this was, I realised, what I had missed so dearly back at the studio, and I would give anything to see her again; on the down side, I didn’t know what her reaction would be, probably anger, which wouldn’t be a surprise, considering how I never took the liberty to contact her after she left. I wasn’t there for her when she had to deal with the sadness of being eliminated; I wasn’t there for her when she had broken up with her boyfriend –although the thought had left me in a pretty pleasant mood- I wasn’t there for her at all. I wasn’t a good friend, and contemplated turning around to head home when I realised she was already standing next to me.

“Hey,” I greeted. I appraised her from head to toe, noticing that she had gotten thinner, but still remained as beautiful as ever. She was clad in a denim jacket over a yellow T-shirt, together with a pair of denim shorts. Her hair had grown a few inches longer, and she didn’t have make-up on, but otherwise, she was the very same Siobhan Magnus I loved and knew so well.

“Hi.” She replied, flashing me a brief smile. I felt my heart sink. She seemed so…guarded and wary, as if we were meeting for the first time. My heart ached uncontrollably, but I forced a smile on my face. “So, how are you?” I said, to break the awkward situation between us. To be honest, I was pleased and relieved she had turned up at all. She had seemed too polite on the phone, as if I was the manager of some company and had asked her to come over to reclaim a repaired item or something.

“I’m doing fine,” she nodded. “Back to glassblowing, helping out at the farm, taking care of the kids, glassblowing, cooking, learning to play the drums, and glassblowing.” Her hand trailed at the railing at the separated us from the pier down below. I watched the movement and secretly wished I could grab it and hold it in my hand, never letting her go. “Um…how about you?”

“The usual. Singing, rehearsing, all that stuff. Memorising lyrics, trying not to get stage fright, you know how it goes.”

“Ahhh. Yes, I do remember.” There was a sad look in her eyes that made me regret my previous words. “The Sinatra week, with Harry Connick Jr.? That was probably the best episode ever in the whole season.” She smiled.

“You were watching?”

“Yes, I was.” There was another awkward silence. “Um, how’s Casey and Crystal?”

“They’re doing great.”

I didn’t like this, the way we were talking around the edge of things, as if we really were strangers meeting for the first time, trying to strike up conversations to avoid the strange silence. I started to pick at a loose strand sticking out of my jacket until I couldn’t bear it any longer.

“I’m sorry.”

Siobhan blinked. “For what?”

“For not being there…for you. For acting as if I didn’t care, after… after you left.” I inhaled. “I wanted to let you know that I loved being with you, you are smart and beautiful and funny and… and…” But before I could finish, Siobhan held out her hand to stop me.

“Stop, Lee, please. I can’t take it.” I was horrified. “Just… just let me go.” And with that, she ran away, heels clicking on the sidewalk, leaving the harbor. I stared after her, feeling a dead weight press against my chest as I watched her leave me for the second time.

Siobhan

I know I was being a wimp by chickening out, but it was more than that. I was scared that if I continued listening to his words, I would fall for it. Lee was a good guy, I know, and he would never lie, but I was afraid all the same, even though I didn’t know what I was frightened of. I wanted him, I realised, I wanted him so badly that I couldn’t take it. I needed… space.

I just kept on walking, kept my feet moving, one in front of the other, not paying attention to where I was going, and not caring, either. I wasn’t usually this out-of-control. Why did he have to show up? Why?

My head was a ball of messed up emotions, pulling me towards and away from the thought that Lee was here. At the sight of him by the pier, all sorts of memories returned: of us rehearsing together, going on outings together, me singing especially for him, his look of concern when Ryan announced that I was going home… And then there were the memories of living my old life without him, crying for him, thinking he would never ever come back to me again. I now knew what I was afraid of, I was afraid of losing him again. Life was so unpredictable.

I walked and walked until I couldn’t walk anymore. I wasn’t sure where I was –somewhere around Weaving Hills, maybe- but I didn’t care.

I just wished the mess in my head would end.

Lee

I was still riveted to the spot, unsure of what to do. Deep down inside, I knew something like this would happen. I felt a dead weight in my gut, watching her go away, and my heart ached even more. What was I supposed to do? I was a mass of contradictions.

But somehow, I just knew what had to be done. Mentally reprimanding myself if something happened to make me regret this rash action of mine, I took off after Siobhan, knowing I couldn’t throw away this chance anymore.

But I never found her.

Siobhan

I didn’t know if I was making the right choice. Here I was, standing in front of the American Idol studio, waging a mental war within myself whether I should enter or not. My insides were churning madly, a blender without an ‘Off’ button. I didn’t even know where I’d gotten the courage to come here from. All I knew was one moment, I heard his voice singing over the radio, and the next I was already in my car, driving tirelessly towards my destination: the Los Angeles Kodak Theatre.

This was getting stupider and stupider by the moment. What if he wasn’t there? What if he didn’t want to see me again? But I knew I was just making excuses to avoid reality. Of course he would be here, it was Tuesday, for Pete’s sake, and if he didn’t want to see me again…well, I only have myself to blame, don’t I? I inhaled deeply and started to step into the studio when someone called my name from behind.

Lee

It was one of those days when I was struck with a sudden impulse to go out for walks around the nearby park, simply to enjoy the sunset or feed the birds. However, this evening, I returned earlier than usual because I just couldn’t stand the rush of memories that was hurled at me; sitting on the bench just talking effortlessly with Siobhan, catching birds and such. It was practically torture.

However, my whole body went rigid when I found Siobhan standing on the steps leading into the studio.

It was her alright, standing right there, beautiful and gorgeous as ever. Waiting for me? I cleared my throat. “Siobhan. What –what are you doing here?”

I could see she was straining herself, trying hard to look at anywhere but me. I was still affected by the incident by the pier, but somehow, those thoughts had vanished at the sight of her.

Finally, she blurted out, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to walk away on you like that. I was… scared. I didn’t want to…lose you again…” For someone as eloquent as Siobhan, her stammer proved just how nervous she was. “I was foolish and rash, running away like that, but I want- wanted you to know that…” She took a deep breath. “To know that you’re an amazing guy and I would never change the moments we’d spent together for anything in the world, and.-“

I knew she was babbling now, so I interrupted her by leaning forwards, bringing my mouth to hers. Her lips were soft and sweet as they molded with mine, not a wild, animal sensation, but rather slow and patient, as if this moment was so fragile everything had to be dealt with care. My heart exploded with instant ecstasy; it was a feeling I have never ever experienced before, and all I wished was for that moment to last forever, a connection we both know, only we both know, a treasured memory kept in our hearts forever.

When we both pulled away, I looked up at her, smiling, glad to be holding this delicate little flower in my hands. “I love you.” Right then, it didn’t matter if it was raining, or people were watching; for once I was contented with my life.

Sounds of laughter shades of life
are ringing through my open ears
exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Her dream was buried deep within,
Her soul cries out,
Her being longs.

Fueled by high hopes,
She never saw it coming,
The risk of it.

She was not aware,
How it would turn out,
She was not prepared,
She did not want to know.

Her dream was scattered,
As she looked up into the sky,
Like autumn leaves they were,
Falling onto the dead ground,

One
by
one.