..... | NaJ! Paperfresh [ON HIATUS]

[14] Suspicions, Suspicions (Part 1)

That's right, I'm back! *cue the ironic celebratory cheering*

Now first of all, before starting this chapter, I have something to say. Most of the readers of this story have been really supportive of me when I expressed my distress at losing my cat, and I just want to say, thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me, in more ways than one. Well, really, "thank you" doesn't really cut it (at least for me), but I hope you don't mind, otherwise this would end up being the longest pre-note ever, and I don't think any one of us wants that XD. I might not be able to reply to all of your comments, but I just want you all to know that I really care about what you have to say, and I deeply, truly appreciate it, whether it is criticism (of course, it'll help me realise my mistakes) or otherwise. After all, I'm not writing this story just for myself ;P.

Anyway, better not to take up too much space with this note. Happy reading!

| Fresh

Thanks to the sudden Fresh-saving shower, I no longer had to worry about P.E. Yay. 

A lot of the Monsters were gawking (like idiotic goldfish, might I add) at the rain through the cafeteria windows. I sat down with Blooky at the table and rested my chin on my palm. 

It was nice, actually. But I've seen enough rain  back at my old place, and I most certainly do not want to see more.

'Fresh, Bl-Blooky, c-c-come on! You h-have t-to lo-look at this!' Alphys called over to me, looking as excited as....uh, Papyrus? Okay, seriously, I don't think even a puppy chewing a shoe could compare with Papyrus. He had his skull pressed against the glass and was staring in awe at the raindrops snaking their way down it.

Wow. Have these guys really never seen rain before or what?

Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit mean. Rain is pretty awesome--

I hummed absent-mindedly. And that was when my gaze landed on something beyond the half-opened cafeteria door. Or rather, someone. And that certain someone was Mr. Ink.

But, wait. There was someone else with him. I squinted to get a better look. Even my glasses couldn't make what I was seeing very clear, but I could have sworn that I saw the back of PJ's skull with the jello-like-thing floating off of it.

And Mr. Nightmare...?

What the heck? What was Mr. Nightmare doing with PJ and his dad? I mean, I'm probably overthinking things-- maybe they were just discussing teacherly things or something. But then, why would PJ be with them?

I saw Mr. Nightmare say something to Mr. Ink, then turn around and start to walk away--

What. In. The. Name. Of. StarClan!?

Were those black tentacles sprouting from Mr. Nightmare's back!?  Hastily, I removed my glasses and wiped them with the bottom end of my shirt, then put them back on, blinking in surprise. Mr. Ink and PJ were still there, but Mr. Nightmare was gone.

Had I just imagined it? I mean, I have read some pretty freaky manga. Maybe my weird imagination was finally catching up to me. 

Oh, come on, Fresh. I'm sure I hadn't imagined that. Even though a skeleton Monster isn't supposed to have ʇǝuʇɐɔlǝs!

I have to go check it out. 

'Guys, I'll be back,' I told my friends, getting up and heading to the doors. No one noticed me leave, which was a good thing. Again, I can't believe they're so engrossed in watching the rain...for StarClan's sake, even the jocks were doing it! 

I tried to walk as quickly and quietly as possible, and when I got to the doors, I peeked around the half-open one, only to see that Mr. Ink and PJ had already left. Hm. Pushing open the door fully (which thankfully did not creak like an old accordion) and poking my head around its side, I looked up and down the corridor before swiftly stepping out and shutting the door behind me.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps and froze, pressing my back against the wall, my (metaphorical) heart beating so fast I was sure I was about to have a heart attack. Shoot. Should I go back in or-

No, wait. It sounded like the footsteps were going away. I unstuck myself from the wall, and cursing my wimpy reactions, I glanced to my right, only to see someone's profile disappearing around the corner at the end of the hallway.

Maybe it was PJ or Mr. Ink. Either way, I have to follow them. 

Oh man, now I feel like I'm in a James Bond movie or something. And this felt wrong, sneaking around behind others' backs like this. But I have to do it. At least for the sake of finding out whether hentai manga is real or not!

Ew. That sounded weird, now that I think about it. Thank goodness no one's actually, like, reading or listening to my thoughts right now or something. 

...Here I go again with my crazy theoretical thinking. I should stop getting distracted. 

I began carefully making my way down the corridor.