Time Limit

Camille

GASHINA GASHINA

It'd been two weeks since the Masquerade. Hayden and I occasionally chatted, but I could always feel his gaze flicker towards that brunette who was somehow lingering nearby all the time. Melanie, I think her name was.

I acted like I didn't care — an act I'd had to put on for years. After all, why should I? I wasn't even Hayden's ball date, for Luna's sake.

Now I stared blankly at the punching bag in front of me. I halfheartedly swung a fist at it. It barely moved. Across the room, there was a bang as AJ's punching bag exploded. Her obsidian-black eyes were wide with shock and everyone was staring. Quickly averting my gaze as Cassie, one of the student instructors, started walking towards her, I stared at my own fists as they repeatedly hit my punching bag. Those black eyes of hers... once upon a time, I'd lost to a pair of eyes like those and honey blonde hair like hers. I could hear that high pitched giggle and that scorn-filled gaze... The past is in the past, I tried to tell myself.

Without knowing, I was hitting the punching bag with more and more force. Without knowing, I was seeing her again, her sneering face appearing in front of me. No. No! It was over; I had to forget this.

Through the day, I kept slipping into those memories again, memories I thought I had escaped from. All it took was one look at her face. One look at the uncannily similar face that belonged to a completely different person.

It's not her, it's not her, a little voice said in my head. But I couldn't help myself from looking away every time AJ walked past.

Before I knew it, I was sharing a desk with Brooke in writing class. Brooke was yawning and occasionally sneaking a peek at the book open on the desk beside her; I was in a different world completely. She had to nudge me before I realised that the teacher's monotone rambling was our homework.

"Your homework for today is to write an angst fic about your OTP, which should be specified on top of the page. Remember to write it in 12pt Times New Roman font, and send it to me through the school website in 3 days. We have to be ready for the tests, which are less than two and a half months away, and all the students who get an A in one subject or more will get a visit to the fandom world of their choice."

Quickly scribbling it down, I glanced at my watch and willed the bell to ring when there were three dings and an announcement blared out from the speaker. "Will Ashley Jean Hunter, Camille Violet Cabello, Brooke Evans, Lucas Skylark, Hayden Sanchez and Cassandra Rose please report to the Headmaster-in-training's office. Thank you."

Kyle? Why did he want us?

Brooke dragged me out of the room. "I don't care what Kyle wants." She threw a look behind her. "I'm not having anything to do with that mean blonde bimbo."

I grinned — or tried to. The thought of her, my tormentor for three years, called a mean blonde bimbo, instead of the ground she walked on being worshipped by her minions...

I sighed and cut my train of thoughts. It was over. I'd forgotten, hadn't I? I couldn't let a familiar blonde face make me remember. That was why it'd affected me so much. Because everything brought back the memories.

-----

We stepped through the dark oak door of Kyle's office, where he was standing by his desk. "Come in, come in," he said, gesturing to the plush sofas in the corners. We sat down, Brooke taking measures to sit as far away from AJ as possible.

He looked kind of awkward, standing there. "So...I'm guessing you're wondering why I called — "

Cassandra interrupted him. "The murders, right? So, what do you want us to do about it?"