Dressed for Despair

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞

Present day...

"Y'all need to hurry up so we can get out of here."

"Obviously. But nothing has changed for the past hour, now has it, Coral?" I avoid Erika's gaze when she glances back at me, clenching my teeth to keep my mouth shut as we make yet another turn. She's right. Nothing has changed. Every hallway here looks the same. Faded wallpaper. Identical wooden walls. Ancient furniture that manages not to disintegrate at the very touch. Why am I here in the first place? I didn't ask for any of this, but now... I'm stuck here. Here, with people who can't even stand my presence.

"Maybe we can try turning here?" I tilt my head to glance at Jamie, raising my eyebrows at him. He's been trying to help this entire time. It's not helping at all. It's possible we're in the middle of this huge house, but who knows? We've barely even completed taking notes for the research we need and we're already lost. If the others had just listened to me and stuck with the guide, we wouldn't be in this situation. I doubt we'll even get a good grade now.

"What?" It takes me a second to realize that I haven't looked away, and that Jamie has caught me staring at him. He's talking to me, but it only makes me scowl.

"You already know what. We're not going anywhere. We-"

"Coral." My head nearly bumps into something and I have to take a step backward, only to find that I nearly walked into Bianca. She crosses her arms and glares down at me, waiting for Erika and Austin to turn around and join her. Great. As they get closer I place myself behind Jamie, studying the room around me. This is supposed to be a mystery house. Possibly a haunted house. Whatever it is, it's old.

I think we've entered some sort of living room. There's a fireplace directly across from Jamie and I with a mirror above it, allowing us to see ourselves. He sees it too, running a hand through his gray hair and peering at me. I ignore him, tossing my own hair and striding between the couches and tables to get to the middle of the room. I need to get away from the others. I know it's only a matter of time before-

"Coral." With a sigh I whirl back around, plastering a smile on my face.

"What?"

"Can you just... shut up?" My smile falters but I hold Bianca's gaze, scanning her up and down. I'm surprised it took her this long to say something. She's never liked me. Not even... before the incident.

"Why should I?" I plop down on the couch to my side, waving away the dust that rises and floats around my body.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't try and act. You heard me. This is your fault anyway. You're the one who decided we'd get more information by entering the places that were clearly off limits." Crossing my legs I lean forward, resting a hand on my chin and focusing on Jamie and Austin. "You even forced those two to bring me along. So don't complain when I won't shut up, because I didn't wanna be here in the first place." In the silence that follows my words at first I think I've stunned the four people in front of me, but when Erika begins to laugh and Bianca claps, I learn that's not the case.

"Bravo, Coral. That was great, except, oh, no one here cares." Erika shrugs at me with a wide grin on her face, tilting her head and wandering out of my sight. As soon as the tips of her red hair have left my field of vision I focus on the floor, blocking out the sound of Bianca clapping. "Listen girl, we just want a good grade."

"Exactly. We didn't even want you in our group." Bianca finally stops her clapping, stepping away from the hallway and into the open room. Her footsteps grow closer to me but I keep my head down, eventually shutting my eyes. When her hand wraps around a chunk of my hair I wince, leaning towards her when she pulls my hair sharply. "And it would be better for you to listen to us. You-"

"That's enough." I reach for my head as soon as Bianca lets go, rubbing my scalp to get rid of the pain. Austin is the one who stepped in, but he won't meet my gaze. He only pulls Bianca away from me, his heavy footsteps echoing around the room.

"I didn't want her here," Bianca growls. "She's only in our group because Ms. Tillet thinks you guys are her friends." She escapes Austin's grip at the same time I stand up, but I stay still. I need to control my reactions. I need to stay calm. But...

"I thought we were friends at one point," I whisper. From the other side of the room even Erika turns to look at me, and the quiet in the room makes my heart beat faster. Austin continues to avoid my gaze but Jamie and Erika stare at me in the silence. They treat me so coldly now, but they remember too.

"Let's just go guys," Austin mutters. "We only need a few more pictures and notes and then we can get out of here." Without a glance at any of us he starts walking again, pushing past Bianca and Jamie. Soon he's out of sight, but not for long. I push past them too, more roughly than he did, striding down the dark hallway ahead of us. I want to get out. I don't want to be here anymore.

I dash past Austin, ignoring his calls once I've passed him. I don't care what happens to them. I'm getting outta here. After making a few random turns I end up in a brightly lit hallway, one with wide windows on both sides that reveal the outside world. I must be on the third or fourth floor, I can see the parking lot and the entrance to this place from up here. Alright. I turn towards the door at the end of this hall, making my way towards it.

It seems pretty old, and with how careful our guide told us to be before we ditched him, I'm surprised that when I place my hand on the doorknob it unlatches. The creaking sound the door creates makes my hair stand on end so I kick the door open with my foot, peering past the doorway once it's completely open. It's too dark for me to see much, but I can tell it's a stairway. A spiral stairway. I take a step away from it, shaking my head to myself.

There is no way I'm going in there. The stories surrounding this place are exactly why we came to research it for our project, so I ain't about to go in there by myself. Even if it means I'm close to escaping this place. Unless... I take a glance behind me at the bright and empty hallway, at the sunlight cast across the floor. Seems harmless enough, but I don't want to be stuck here with the others either. I guess I know my choice.

I spin back around, pulling my phone out of the jacket that's tied around my waist. Calling or texting someone won't help. We tried that earlier. But at least my phone is still useful for something.

I turn on my phone's flashlight, stepping towards the doorway again and shining the light beneath me. If I tread carefully enough I should be able to get down just fine. They're not very steep, so it shouldn't be a problem, right? Except, they've changed. The stairs have flattened themselves out, almost as if the staircase I had seen in front of me has become... a slide? How did this happen? I freeze, chills running along my spine. Why... Why do I feel hands on my shoulders? I suck in a sharp breath, about to turn around when I'm shoved forward. I'm falling.