Cordeila

I can’t help it, but I start thinking deep and dangerous thoughts when I’m alone. These thoughts race through my mind a million miles a minute, and I can’t stop them. They keep me awake for hours as I toss and turn watching the clock go tick-tock. The world is a strange place; there are billions of people breathing the same air, but they treat each other like crap on the bottom of their shoes. My fingers begin to drum on the desk tap tap; I probably should be taking notes, but breathing this B.O. infested air is giving me a headache. I look around the classroom and I see three types of students. The stoner kids are in the back making snot bubbles and are high as a kite; the popular kids are in the middle trying to cheat off each other. I don’t know why their cheating it’s just note taking…dummies. Finally, the nerds are sitting towards the front frantically trying to write everything down before the teacher changes the slide. It’s pointless; they are never going to get everything written down.

“Cordelia!” I nearly fall out of my seat; my heart practically jumps out of my chest. I look at my teacher Mrs. Bates and see her arms are crossed as if waiting for the floor to swallow me whole.
“What?” I keep staring at her; waiting for her to do something. I know I should be a good student and apologize to her because I’m usually not like this. Her onyx eyes just keep staring at me; her eyes are pulling me into her black depths. Time seems to slow down; as she and I keep staring at each other. The classroom is deathly silent and I can almost taste the tension on my tongue. I lick my lips nervously, and my leg starts to shake up and down.
“Can you answer this question, Cordelia?” I shrug my shoulders and gesture for her to repeat the question. Mrs. Bates sighs like her life has just ended, and it was me that stabbed her in the heart.
“Cordelia, what is the answer to the equation on the board?”
“Ummm, I’m sorry, but I don’t know the answer…” I trail off. I did know the answer it’s just that I just couldn’t get up in front of my classmates and let them stare at me like a piece of meat. I can feel their eyes on me, and they look right through me; they are staring at me with their lifeless eyes. Clunk, my head smacks onto the wood of the desk. I close my eyes and breathe in the smell of old wood and sharpie marks. I start to breathe in slowly to calm myself down before I run out of that classroom; I really don’t feel like losing my lunch.
“Cordelia….are you okay?” the sickly sweet tone of my teacher hits my ears like nails on a chalkboard. I slowly raise my head and see that she is in front of my desk now.
“Listen, Cordelia, I understand it’s been hard for you, but you shouldn’t be acting like this.” Mrs. Bates tries to soothe me; keyword tries. Why am I even here? I don’t deserve to be alive; I just want to crawl into a hole and die. They are still looking at me, and they fill the air with their rotting breath. I grip the edge of the desk; trying to hold onto my sanity.
“I’m fine, Mrs. Bates; I promise. I just didn’t get enough sleep.” I smile while clenching my teeth. Mrs. Bates gives me a smile showing her stained teeth; probably from all the coffee that she drinks. I’ve been counting how many cups she drinks in a ninety minute class period; she drinks about four cups, and sometimes more. Mrs. Bates smiles back at me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I see red, and I knock my chair over as I get up. I stuff my empty binder and pens in my book bag. How dare she look at me with pity! She will never understand the pain of… I shake my head to clear it. I start towards the door; my escape from this closed in box.
“Cordelia! Where do you think you are going?” I shrug her question off and yank the door open and let it slam behind me. The sound rings in my ears as I quicken my pace to the girls' bathroom.
I enter the bathroom and begin to kick each stall door open. No one needs to hear this; I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone. I lock myself in the stall at the very end; I sigh. Emotions begin to bubble over, and I couldn’t keep it in anymore. My clenched fist hits the wall as ugly sobs leave my lips. How do girls in movies cry so cutely; I probably... NO I know I look like something from a nightmare. I slide down the stall door, and onto the floor; hugging my knees. The floor is cold against my thighs and damp… My stomach churns; don’t think about how nasty the floor is.
“Oh Cordelia, where are you hiding?” Laughter fills the silence. I gulp; Oh no... I get up off the floor and begin to take my shoes off. I push my shoes to the next stall over, and I only get one sock off before the bathroom door swings open. The floor underneath my feet is very wet please just be water. I quickly crouch on the toilet and hold my breath; I think please go away like a broken record.
“Hmm, I wonder where poor Cordelia has run off too?” the voices and giggles get closer and closer to me. I can feel my heart beat quicken; I see long shiny black hair and a perfectly pressed uniform through the crack. It’s Lauren and her posse of posers; her posse begins to look for me going through each stall. Lauren is staring at herself in the mirror fixing her lipgloss; she’s smiling at herself. She glances towards my direction through the mirror, and my dingy blue eyes meet her devilish brown ones. She gives me a wicked smile and mouths something to me.
“Hide and seek is over” My legs begin to shake and I know I can’t hold this pose for very long. Her posse finds my shoes and my one sock in the stall next to me; I’m starting to panic.
“Looks like our little Dobby just needs a sock to be set free” they giggle. I get out of my position and my legs feel like jello. I push against the stall door just to make it harder for them to get me.
“Oh Cordelia..poor daughter of the sea.” Lauren mocked. “You should have just drowned with your parents.” My body begins to feel weak and a sob escapes me. I slip down onto the floor holding my knees for dear life; I’m tired of this. A pasty hand grabs my ankle and yanks me; my body falls forward; my palms catch me before my head hits the bathroom tile. They keep pulling until I’m fully in their control. I open my mouth to scream, but one of the clones grabs my lone sock.
“Sorry, I don’t think so Cordelia, here you can have a sock to set yourself free” the clone forces my mouth open and shoves the dirty sock into my mouth.
“Cordelia, oh poor Cordelia we are just getting started,” Lauren says.
“Wha ar ou goin to do with me?” Lauren smiles at me with her cold brown eyes.
“Don’t worry; it shouldn’t hurt too much.” My eyes widen; I’m terrified…what do I do? I don’t want to be in this situation anymore. Her barbies get closer to me; I see the school issued tie, rope, and a glint of a knife. I’m in full panic mode now; I try to get up, but Lauren pulls me by my hair.
“Not so fast.” Lauren motions to one of her copies and gets her to tie my hands behind my back. The other one hands Lauren the switchblade. I can feel the cold metal through my white shirt: I shiver.
“Move it, and let's get the party started.” Lauren presses the knife harder into my skin; it’s uncomfortable, I put one foot in front of the other...

We get out and start walking through the empty hallways; the school day must be over. How long were we in that bathroom? I look over my shoulder and stare at Lauren expectingly.
“You’re wondering why there is no one in the hallways?” I nod my head a tiny bit. Lauren continues. “School got over thirty minutes ago, and we put a sign out indicating the bathroom is out of order. The knife begins to push further into my skin; I can feel the blood start to trickle down my back. Great, I’m never going to get this stain out. We finally arrive at some double doors. The doors are marked with caution tape and a sign that clearly says KEEP OUT. Lauren holds me still and nods to Barbie number two; B2 comes over and ties the blindfold over my eyes. I hate the dark it makes me remember terrible things. The doors are pushed open and Lauren shoves me inside.
“Have fun, little Cordelia!” The door slams shut behind me and I hear a click.
That’s just great. I spit the sock out of my mouth and lift my shoulder to wipe my lips.
“Where am I?” my voice echoes. No one replies which I guess is good because that would be creepy. I start to walk as I rack my brain trying to remember where I’ve seen those double doors before. I probably shouldn’t be walking haphazardly around while I can’t see; I need to get my hands free. I start moving my wrists up and down hoping those idiots didn’t tie the rope too tight. The rope finally comes off, and my arms ache from the position they were tied in. I reach up to get the blindfold off; my hands stop half way. My arms are riddled with goosebumps, and I don't want to look; the blindfold is my security blanket. My arms fall to my side as I walk across the creaky floor. Ding! I’m in the old gymnasium; why did they throw me in here? I slowly walk hopefully towards a wall; my left-hand makes contact with the exposed brick wall. My fingers graze the wall blindly; my nose is hit with the scent of musty floors. Huh, this floor must have gotten wet at some point; I should be extremely careful. I stop and crouch so my fingers can touch the floor; the wood isn’t wet here. I keep reaching to briefly touch the old gym ground. Ew, I just touched a wet spot. Let’s avoid the damp spot here; I don’t want to fall in. I turn my body towards the right and stand up fully. My right foot takes the first step; the floor groans beneath my foot… I can feel the wood beginning to cave in and then I suddenly fall.
The blindfold rips off my eyes; all I see is the darkness. Clunk my body hits the bottom of the pit I just fell in. I didn’t think it could be any darker than being blindfolded. I get up and I slowly blink so my eyes can adjust; all I see are blocky shapes. I reach my arm out going towards the wall and start walking trying to escape from this black void.
The darkness is tiring and I rub my eyes to clear them. It smells of dirt and broken concrete. I must be under the school somehow; I need to get out of here. I keep walking because I can’t stop or the darkness will make me crazy. Why didn’t I think of using my phone! Cordelia, you are such an airhead. I reach into my skirt pocket and pull my phone out. The brightness blinds me for a second; of course, I don't have service, and I really need to learn to charge my phone completely. I select my flashlight app; at least I’ll have some light, so I can see where I’m walking.
“Oh, Cordelia! Where did you go?” I jump and turn around to look behind me and hold my phone out. I don’t see anyone.. it must be my imagination.
“Don’t ignore me, Cordelia. You should say something back; I’m lost too. 
 “You’re lost too?”
“Yes, I can’t seem to find my way out of here.”
“Okay, well where are you, maybe we can get out of this tunnel together?”
“Cordelia?” I turn around and see a girl about my age standing there with a smile on her face. I let the flashlight shine on her; the girl has matted brown hair, she has a sallow complexion, and she looks about my height.
“When did you get there?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I’m here now, Cordelia.”
“Well that saves me the trouble of finding you; let’s get going.” I look and see that she’s barefoot. How does she know who I am?
“What happened to your shoes and socks, and how do you know my name?” She cocks her head at me like she didn’t understand what I just said.
“I’ve always known who you are, and what about you Cordelia, where are your shoes and I see just one sock?”
“Well..about that I misplaced them.” She smiles at me brightly showing all her teeth. “So what’s your name?” I stop as I wait for her to catch up.
“My name? I guess I misplaced my name somehow.” The temperature drops and I cross my arms.
“What would you like me to call you then?”
“Mara”
I glance over my shoulder and see that she has a faraway look on her face.
“Something wrong Mara?” She looks at me with a dead look in her eyes.
“No, nothing is wrong Cordelia; Everything is perfect” She smiles at me again.
“Do you think we will ever find the exit?”
“I don’t know; isn’t this place just wonderful, Cordelia?”
I wasn’t watching the ground when my foot hits something and I trip. I grip my stubbed toe in pain; that freaking hurt: I place my hands on the ground and push myself up. It’s very wet; my hands begin to sink in. I begin to panic and push myself up before I sink further in.
“Hey, where are you... Mara?” Silence reaches my ears. I slowly move the flashlight around; my heart is racing. Soft giggles that sound just like a child’s fill the stale air.
“I’m right here,” she whispers in my ear. I whip around and see that Mara is there giggling.
“Why did you do that Mara! You practically gave me a heart attack!”
“I’m sorry, Cordelia, but I thought we were playing hide and seek in the dark” she stares at me with those cold eyes. “Don’t you want to play with me? I’m lonely down here…”
“I tho…thought you wanted to get out of here Mara?” She grins at me with her teeth that were rotting before my eyes.
“Did I ever say I wanted to leave?” I start to break out in a cold sweat and start to back away. I need to get out of here…
“Cordelia? What’s wrong…did you happen to see something scary?”
“Ma...Mara...Your te..teeth they are…” I couldn’t even finish because I’m shaking from head to toe, as I watch Mara’s body begin to change. She laughs as if I just told her the funniest joke on the planet; Mara stops laughing and stares at me with no humor in her eyes.
“Now now, Cordelia; there’s no reason to be scared. We have each other, and now you won’t be lonely either.” Mara..what is she? I couldn’t run away; I am frozen to the spot as I kept watching. Oh, God…her skin is turning reddish brown…are those horns? Mara gazes tenderly at me and reaches her long bony arm out to me. I clench my fist and strike my thigh; okay this isn’t a nightmare..it’s reality.
“Cordelia?”
I snap my head up and look at her through blurry vision.
“What” as we stare at each other; my heart drops as I remember I don’t have anyone to go home to. My parents are dead because of me; because I decided to do thatI! Memories of that night rush through my mind. “Cordelia, honey it’s time for dinner” the sweet tone of my mom drifts through my mind... I see Mara’s hand is still outreached; I raise my hand and place my fingers in Mara’s grasp.

It was raining and the thunder was earth-shattering. Mom is singing and Dad is laughing at her silly singing voice.
“Mom please stop singing, it's really annoying.” She turns around in her seat and gives me a gentle smile.
“Cordelia, I’m having too much fun singing, so stop complaining!” Mom laughs. The rain is falling harder. I can see Dad is having a hard time seeing the road; I see mom holding onto the door, and her knuckles begin to turn white.
“Do we need to pull over, Honey?”
“No, we don’t a little rain won’t hurt.”
the sound of the tires screeching and the airbags deploying.
the sound of bloody screams fills the air.
I shiver as the frigid water laps at my skin
I look for Mom and Dad...
Pale arms wrap around my body and pull me out of the water.
"Cordelia I've been waiting for you for a very long time." I look up and stare into cold dead eyes. She looks at me and touches my forehead as if to check my temperature. My eyes start to fill heavy...
"Who are you?" the words stumble out. Her eyes meet mine and whispers.
"That's a secret”
I shake my hair and grasp my head as painful memories slam into my head.
“Ma..Mara you were there at the accident!” Mara cocks her head to the right and then to the left. I back away and my heel hits a rock and I fall; my head hits a rock. Mara stares at me with those cold dead eyes.
“Oh, you poor thing let me help you up.” Mara reaches for me and grabs my right hand again. My vision blurs and Mara begins to drag me further under the school.


….

“Hey did you guys hear what happened to Cordelia?”
“No, what happened to her?”
“She apparently got trapped and died here in this school.”
“I didn't hear-“
“That can’t be true!”
“No wa-“
Lauren stands in the hallway alone listening to the freshmen’ frantic chatter about Cordelia. After hearing the news about Cordelia; everyone left Lauren.
“Oh, Lauren where did you go?” She looks over her shoulder and sees a figure covered by the darkness.
“Who’s there?”
“Come here, Lauren we need to talk.” Lauren walks over to the darkened hallway and steps in. She sees her...
“This can’t be happening!”
“Don’t worry this shouldn’t hurt… much.” the shadow cackles and pulls Lauren. “Let’s get the party started…Lauren.” the figure smiles showing her teeth; her teeth were rotten.
“We are going to have so much fun, Lauren!” She chortles like she just heard an inside joke. We stop in front of double doors that say KEEP OUT; She pushes me inside.
“Have fun, little Lauren!” I hear a subtle click.