After School

1.16 Carter

September 10, 1946: Final period

"Jessica, what happened? Why were you screaming?" Mr. Stevenson asked, pulling a chair out from a nearby desk so Jessica could sit on it.

From beside Carter, Yuta helped Jessica sit on the chair. Carter gazed at the trembling girl with wide eyes, as anxious thoughts ran through his head. Did she experience paranormal activity? If so, why would she when she was surrounded by all these students? Does this mean my theory with Yuta is incorrect?

During homeroom earlier this day, Yuta and Carter discussed their new findings. Carter informed Yuta that he didn't experience any paranormal activity over the weekend, which they found remarkably odd. They even asked Ronald to confirm and he claimed that he didn't either. They assumed that it could be that way because they were at home and with their families. Carter concluded that the paranormal activity must only occur when a marked person is alone and usually at school, based on the information they had. He impatiently waited for the other students to leave Jessica's side, so he could ask her questions and further investigate.

"Um... I'm sorry Mr. Stevenson..." Jessica mumbled, her arms and legs still quivering from the sudden shock.

Yuta noticed the shivering girl and unzipped his black sweater, then he placed it around Jessica's shoulders. He gave her a small pat, encouraging her to continue. Carter subconsciously clenched his fists as he watched the scene.

"I... was frightened by the loud lightning. I'm sorry," Jessica sniffled, looking down at her feet.

Mr. Stevenson nodded his head and stood up after giving Jessica an understanding smile. "Students, please calmly return to your desks. Everything is fine," Mr. Stevenson instructed, looking around at the students circling the frail girl. "Jessica, sit here and rest. Have a friend or two by your side to calm you down," Mr. Stevenson advised. "We simply ought to wait out the storm. It won't be long before we can all go home."

As Mr. Stevenson and the other students turned to leave, Carter instantly kneeled to get to Jessica's level and began bombarding her with questions. Olivia and Josh did the same, knowing that the lightning didn't scare Jessica. Something else did.

"What did you truly see, Jessica?" Carter desperately asked, in a low voice so no one could hear them.

"Oh my gosh, Jess! Why were you screaming like that?" Olivia whispered, her eyes wide with worry as she placed her hands on Jessica's frigid knees. "Your hair is, like, sweaty and gross!"

"It was the thing, wasn't it?" Josh queried, leaning towards Jessica. "What did you see?" he added, his eyes wide with alarm as he perused her.

"Jessica, are you feeling okay?" Ronald urgently asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You look pale."

Carter balled his fists and scrutinized Jessica with a stern expression. "Jessica, answer me! This is important because at first, I thought the thing wasn't able to reach us among a crowd of people, but-"

"Everyone, stop!" Yuta interrupted, stepping between the group. They all snapped out of their obsessive investigation and turned to look at Yuta. Yuta inhaled deeply before proceeding, his eyes wide with concern for Jessica.

"Stop attacking her with questions. Let Jess rest, okay? She looks terrified," Yuta said, pointing at Jessica.

Carter and the others turned to look at Jessica's ghostly pale face. Carter sighed remorsefully, realizing that his previous actions were too much for the sensitive girl to handle. Jessica slowly looked up and smiled at Yuta, thanking him. Carter's empathy for the girl quickly disappeared and he glowered. Who does Yuta think he is? Jessica's dreamboat?