The Library

The teacher entered the classroom, her hair neatly tied into a bun with a pencil. She turned and faced the board, picking up her rubber and wiping the whiteboard gently.
“Alright, you can sit.” She turned the whiteboard clear and moved her hands abruptly into the air and down again.
I take my bag off of my shoulder; that had been aching all day, and placed it on the back of my chair. As I pulled my chair out, it screamed as I dragged it across the solid floor.
“Oh, and before I forget take your books out, we are going to have a reading lesson today.”
I sighed. I absolutely hated these lessons. They were always so boring. I had often got so bored I’d draw on the table. I hated reading. I had quickly looked on my hand and jumped, I had drew a figure of something that I was going to put in my comic. Since I was making one, about Halloween. Suddenly, an idea, I raised my hand in the air.
“What is it, Sally?” She had said, looking at me. I wondered to myself figuring out the perfect way to place the sentence in. And trying to hide the laugh and smile behind a serious face.
“U-…. Can I chose another book, this book says its 14+ and I can’t read that Mrs.”
“Of course, remember its room 304 just down the corridor.”
“I know.” I sigh. Not a bad sigh. A sigh of relief. Finally. I could get out of the class that I had been dreading.
I walked down the hallway. Skipping. A smile spread across my face. I looked through the windows in each classroom and smiled and in return getting weird looks from the students and teachers. Only wondering what excuse I was going to come up with from missing the entire lesson. I got locked in? I couldn’t find the right book? I walked into the wrong classroom? I got called somewhere else? I had finally reached room 304 and pushed the door open. I found a door – stopper and shoved it under the door. The library was bright; I had to squint my eyes. As I walked towards the tall book shelves I reached for a book. I didn’t care I wouldn’t read it anyways. I looked at the front cover. A tall man stood there wearing a purple hat. I chuckled to myself.
“Wow, I never knew some – one could look so silly in a purple hat.” I laughed putting back the book. I heard a BANG and looked behind me, hand on my chest.
The door had closed.
“Ah, it’s just a draft.”
I walked towards the door, pushing the handle down. It was stuck. It wasn’t opening. I pulled on it some more. But it wasn’t budging. I pulled more and more. And nothing happened. I panicked. The lights flickered off… and on. And in a blink of an eye, everything went black. Pitch – black. The only light was the hall light. But then it flickered off as well. I grabbed for my phone only then remembering that I had left it in class. I heard so many screams. A dark figure approached me; I swear I had seen it before, somewhere. There and there again. I took a deep breath and sat down. Somebody would come. Eventually. I got up. In a panic, pulling on the door as hard as possible. “Come… on” I struggled.
I heard. Something.
Looked in front of me and saw… a figure.
I jumped from my feet, scared.
“Okay, whoever is joking around open the door now!” I screamed terrifying. Surely, somebody would soon open the door. It was just a matter of time. I looked behind me and there it was. I screamed again. I looked right it was there. Left and it was there again. A knock on the door.
“Ahhhhh!” I screamed.
I was just Mrs. Edwards. My teacher.
She opened the door and the lights went on.
“Sorry, power cut, are you okay?” She spoke, her voice gentle.
“Yeah just…” I looked at my hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing”
“Who was screaming?” I asked.
“No - one was screaming Sally.” The teacher looked at me wondering if I was playing some sort of joke.
I looked at my hand again. Blinking quickly.
“Nothing- it’s jus- n- n- nothing.” She looked at me, weirdly.
“Class alright?” Said the Headteacher, all eyes turned to her.
“Yes Miss. It’s just that poor Sally got stuck in this room and is in shock.”
“Oh, don’t worry dear, you’ll be okay.”
“Yeah.” I say. “Bit silly.” I give the room a stare. What had gone on in that room? I was no sure of. Did I imagined it? Did I not see the thing. It still stayed in the back of my mind. The reason I had been so scared was because the figure from my hand that I had drawn. Well… It was gone. And replaced with that drawing were the letters that I knew I hadn’t written. Those words were:
Next Time.