Beguile

Chapter 25

I never understand the school's fixation on beauty.

When I first got here, I only knew that one of the requirements to be admitted here is beauty.

Everyone were tall and beautiful, and a room full of them were blinding. As if invisible sparkles were attached to them and you couldn't help but swoon and trust them.

And that made me self-conscious. Except from having not a single mark on my skin, I'm not as tall. Everyone towers me. Everyone would have to look down on me.

Even now, Jen who's an inch taller would have to crane her neck to look at me. As if looking down on me. With her malicious eyes and exposed mouth, like the dead kept alive by sucking off of my humiliation.

She's no longer beautiful, but this is never a fairytale. And a monster never need beauty to kill.

"We're gonna have a party!" She roughly grabbed my hair but not enough to faze me. Numbness have already taken over my body.

She began to walk off with my hair on her hand, without a choice, I followed. While walking off with my back bent on this uncomfortable position, my eyes wandered back to the 2 boys. Kurt is still unfazed, but Lucas is waving at me goodbye with a grin etched on him.

Till now, I still ponder on whats behind his words. If it's meant for Jen, or if it's meant for me.

Jen stop tugging on my hair and I almost fell at the sudden pause.

Its not my place to complain now. Pigs that are about to be slaughtered never had a say. But when Jen's breath hitch and a laugh echoed from Lucas, curiosity is no longer an option.

I raised my head, and the sight made my eyes widen.

A silhouette so familiar is standing to where Jen once where. White sneakers have turned brown and a peach halter-top is poured with a dark brick red streaming from her own head.

"Fucking zombie!" Jen fumed, and everyone thought the same.

Even way before she already was covered with scars. She was clumsy. And a cut, and a bruise, and a broken bone were not much different for her. Even now, when she looks like she swam off of her own blood, she still pounced like she never knew pain.

Without saying a word, El was quick to charge for Jen and she drop my hair off her grip.

It was so sudden. Jen fell on her back with a heavy thud but she was able to roll off. Now both of them are hugging the ground, showered with a mix of blood and mud.

"Why wont you die!" Jen snarled. The mud got on her eyes, and she quickly tried to wipe it off. But El was already on her, the tip of her sneakers strikes her chin and she slept for a moment.

"Then, why wont you stop?" El coughed up blood but it doesn't seem to bother her.

When Jen returned to her consciousness, in an instinct, she crawl down on her back. "Why are you so intent on protecting her? Wake up, she wont do the same!" She's desperate on getting out of the situation. She's now weak, and she cant properly see.

"Because she's my friend."

"Bullshit!"

El walks in rhythms. It was slow, it was thrilling, except there's no screams to follow. It was clear, no matter the situation Jen wont ask for help.

But then, the rhythms stopped.

El vomited blood and she fell on her knees. It was then I found, that she and Jen aren't that much different.

Both wont ask for help. Both will kill for a friend. Both are murderers.

When El laid to the ground, spewing out blood and trying to keep her eyes open, I found myself walking up to her.