Euphoria

Chapter 19

(Y/N) spent the next few days sneaking off to the broadcasting room whenever she could, helping Sakura spread rumors around school. She was there so often it was like a second house to her, Tsukasa had even suggested giving her her own room in his boundary and she wasn't opposed to the idea despite the unease worming in her gut every time she thought about returning to that place. However she ignored the feeling as classes finished up for the day and she packed up her things, leaving the room to wander through the halls as she tried to find a chance to sneak away. She tailed the steps of one of the hall monitors until they passed one of the doors that lead to the old building, the girl slowed her steps and looked over her shoulder before quietly darting inside the quiet halls of the old building.

She breathed a small sigh of relief as the door slid shut and silence filled the hall once more, excitement filled her as she spotted Sakura's green hair in the distance and sprinted to catch up with the girl. Sakura turned to patiently wait as the (h/c)- haired girl stopped in front of her to catch her breath for a moment before smiling up at her, bright enthusiasm in her eyes. "Can I help with today's rumor Sakura?" The greenette simply nodded and motioned for the first- year to follow her as the two of them made their way to the broadcasting room together. However the door burst open before the two of them touched the handle as (Y/N) recognized the pale hair of Yashiro stumbling out of the room, her face turned into a mixture of panic and shame as she said nothing before sprinting down the hall clutching a small box in her hands. (Y/N) and Sakura shared a wary look before deciding to leave her be and entering the room. 

(Y/N) set her bag down at Sakura's desk as the two of them got to work, pitching ideas back and forth for awhile before the door opened as Natsuhiko slunk into the room flashing Sakura his usual wide smile before trying and failing to win her affections once again. (Y/N) simply chuckled and went back to writing ideas while Natsuhiko was in the middle of reciting some sort of poem to the girl as Sakura blatantly ignored his attempts. The (h/c)- haired girl stiffened as cold hands wrapped around her shoulders and a playful voice whispered in her ear. "(Y/N)~" A small flush spread across her face as she glanced over her shoulder to find Tsukasa grinning at her, a shy smile spread over her lips as he practically attached himself to her in a tight hug. A peaceful silence enveloped the two for a few moments before he released her and turned to Sakura, a dark smile on his face as the brunette ceased his attempts to win Sakura's heart for the time being. "Let's get started." The greenette nodded as she slipped on a pair of headphones and the intercom crackled into life.

The girl stayed quiet as the group began their daily work, only to be shocked into silence as the apparition shut off the speakers and gestured to her, a sly smile on his face. "How about we let (Y/N) spread the rumor today." Sakura and Natsuhiko had the same confused look on both of their faces, but silently obeyed as she handed the headphones and mic to the now- frozen first year. "Y-you want me to do it?!" Stage fright paralyzed her as the playful ghost merely nodded and waited expectantly, taking no note of her discomfort and urging her to continue while the girl tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She looked to Sakura for reassurance and saw the masked worry on her face as she simply nodded and gave her control of the speakers, shooting a wary look at the ghost before switching chairs with (Y/N). The panicked girl looked to Sakura for reassurance as her hands began to shake, anxiety shooting through her like a bullet as Sakura placed a calming hand on her shoulder managing to somewhat stabilize her as she let out a breath and put on the headphones.

She had gained some of her composure as she went on, however the sudden transition had NOT been smooth as she shut off the intercom and wiped her somewhat clammy hands on her skirt and stubbornly kept her gaze locked on her shoes as an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Shame made her gut sink before her face was abruptly turned to the beaming apparition as he grinned widely at her. "You did awesome (Y/N)!" He released her, a cat-like grin on his face as laughed to himself before pointing to Sakura. "Looks like we might have some competition to be my assistant huh, Sakura?" Alarm flashed in the girl's eyes as (Y/N) stiffened, her first thought was potential jealousy but she saw only worry in Sakura's green gaze, however it was for the first-year not herself. If Tsukasa noticed the glance that passed between the girls he said nothing as he disappeared to the other side of the room to talk with Mitsuba. Worry squirmed in her gut as Sakura simply dropped the subject entirely and focused on helping the young girl with her classwork.

A few more hours had passed as the sun gradually went down, the uneasy atmosphere had mostly diminished however (Y/N) found herself strangely unable to completely relax in a place that had become like a home to her. After the sun had almost entirely disappeared she packed up her supplies and left for her empty house for the first time in weeks, ignoring the dark presence that filled the room like a thick mist as she shivered and shut the door leaving the oppressive atmosphere behind her and her stress lightened slightly. She silently walked down the hall, however her temporary relief was shattered as she heard rapid footsteps behind her. Her heart jumped in her chest as she spun around but found nothing, unease wormed under her skin and she began to walk faster. The sensation of eyes on her made the hairs on her neck stand up as she frantically searched for the source but found nothing once again. "Am I just imagining things.." She shook her head vigorously, trying to convince herself that she wasn't completely losing it when she felt something sticky land on her shoulder, her entire being stiffened and a cold sweat formed on her skin as she looked up to see a mass of scarlet red eyes staring down at her. A dark inky substance seemed to make up the rest of the creature as more drops landed on her as she let out a blood- curdling scream and instinctively held her hand out to blast the creature but realized her bracelet was missing. Her mind went numb from panic as she dropped her bag and dashed frantically back towards the broadcasting room.

She heard squelching noises behind her as the creature pursued her through the halls, the girl briefly glanced back to see it using vicious curved claws to scurry along the ceiling after her. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins before she crashed into the side of one of the corners, distracted by the sight of the creature as stars spun in her vision. She felt cold tar touch her shoulder and she screamed once again before rapidly pulling away from the thing and clumsily dashing through the building's dark halls. Desperation fueled her fear as the door came within her slightly blurred sight, tears stung her eyes as she drew closer to the handle before the creature sunk it's claws into the back of her ankle causing her to cry out in pain as she crashed to the floor. She struggled in vain to break free, weakly trying to pull herself towards the door before the creature drug her further away as she groaned in pain once more. It dropped from the ceiling to tower over her, the only sounds was a chilling snap of joints as the thing locked it's gaze on her before dark ink began to spread across her skin, muffling her cries as suffocating sludge enveloped her torso, she fought to push through but the stuff slowed her movements as she desperately reached out her hand towards the door of the broadcasting room before the sludge reached her head and pure black filled her vision as she drifted into unconsciousness.