Glitch

Chapter 6

I got back home with the feeling of distress and my mind flying off to some place. I was actually so out of out of it I didn’t realize them talking to me.

“We can walk Theodora to her house.” Was what I heard them say. Which brought me back to reality. We were sitting by the bleachers by the gym.

“Huh? Why?” I asked them. Honestly speaking, my thoughts were flying else were probably on an unknown plane or somewhere in outer space.

“Just to you know… kill time.” Nicole said while standing up. “We’ll we have nothing to do due to your vision, so why not let us walk you home instead.”

“I can’t come with you guys. I am going to get fetched by my grandmother along with my younger brother.” Nathalie said while making a gesture towards her brother who was in 4th grade.

“It’s fine, actually you guys don’t need to do that.” I said standing up fixing the straps of my backpack. “My house is far from here plus I am going to walk.”

“No, it’s fine we want to walk as well.” Angela said as she stood up.

“You might get lost.”

“Then tell us how to get back here to the school then.” Abigail as she fixed her bag. I sighed at their responses. Looks like there is no saying no to this.

“Oh, wait before I forgot.” I said looking at Nathalie. As I fixed my skirt, I have been curious because she goes around with us but does not really play the board. “Why don’t you play the board with us?”

“A deal with my guardian. I have a feeling that she would not protect me anymore if I do that.” Well at least she was the smart one among us. She was the only one who was, aside from Nicole the one who was able to avoid what we all experience.

“Well, hope all has a guardian. I think my guardian is already getting a headache on how many wrong decision I have made.” I joked, well I do feel like… If I did have a guardian watching over me, I think they would have rather give up on me or had face palmed a lot of times.

“I think, there is a place reserved for me in the underworld.” Angela said so serious and blankly.

“Then we shall see each other there.” I laughed, with the amount of shiz we have done it would have been sure I already had a place there.

“Race to the other side.” Abigail joked to which we all laughed at that. Well, it’s better to joke about death rather than fearing it because as my old favorite book’s character has said. ‘Death is but the next great adventure.’

‘No, it’s not. It’s more of roaming around on this plane, trying to figure out how cross over.’ Anika pointed out. Hearing her voice from with in gave me a jolt and nearly slipped on the way out of the gym. Thankfully no one saw that.

‘Please don’t do that, don’t just randomly start talking.’ I pleaded while rubbing my temple as we walked out of the back gate of the school.

‘Want a warning then? I thought you wanted to die though.’

‘I want to die, but not because I got surprised and slipped and bumped my head. That’s such a humiliating way to die.’

‘Death is death, there is no humiliating way to go when you are already dead. Death is not a joke neither, just be thankful your still alive’ The bitterness in her voice made me feel sorry for her.

A lot of people who did want to live die and those who wants to die ends up living. We don’t get everything we want in life.

‘I am out, your little friend is acting to be someone else again.’ She said before being quiet again. Nicole was indeed acting to Rex again.

“Which way should we go? Hurry, I wanna go home.” Was what she said as she let one strap of her bag hang on one side of her shoulder. “If Nikki didn’t tell me she wanted to see where Theodora lives I would have gone home.”

“Well… we can walk by here but we’d be vulnerable with the cars and also might pass by a cemetery. I usually take the route that keeps me away from cars.” I said as we entered a store of 7-11 buying a few snacks and drinks.

“I think it’s best if we walk through the road, that way we won’t get lost with our way back.” Angela said while going to the counter to pay for the things we got.

Looking around it seemed like a lot of people seemed to be avoiding us, even those who were falling in line behind us seemed to keep a distance. A 2 meter radius distance was what they seemed to have unconsciously kept. I leaned to Abigail whispering to her.

“Is it just me or people seem to be subconsciously avoiding us?” I told her discreetly while leaning unto the one of the freezers that had ice cream in it.

While looking through my reflection of the glass, I can see the fog from within form an image. Having a flash of a child stuffed inside one of these freezers. Chilling, freezing, turning to weakly look up. He’s nose nearly violet due to the temperature, his skin icy blue and a wisp of air raising from his chapped, cracked lips. Forming the words ‘help me’

It happened so quickly and flashed before my eyes that I had to step back from the freezer.

Then it was as though it had never happened. I found myself leaning unto Abigail again, but this time I stopped as didn’t this just happen a few seconds ago?

I had been quiet most of the way, I actually dreaded walking past the cemetery lately. Passing by it when Going to school is different when passing by it when going home. When we passed by, it must have been a coincidence that an accident had happened earlier.

“Did you see that?” I asked them as I looked at the scene through my peripheral vision.

“The dead body being surrounded by people? Yeah. It looks like a hit and run accident.” Nicole said while looking at the scene.

“Not that.” I turned back and held both Abigail and Angela by their arms and pulled them away before they can look as well, Nicole quickly followed after us shortly.

Once we were far enough from the scene I let go of their hands with a sigh. Looking at me with questioning gazes, I let out another sigh. “I saw the guy… The victim standing by his body looking at it. He wasn’t looking at anyone but his body. When we passed I saw his head turn to us.”

“Hi guys so what’s up.” Nicole says acting as though she had just shifted from Rex to her. “You have a third eye as well?”

“No. I don’t know. When I was a kid. I closed my third eye since I always got nightmares in the past.” I said while resuming walking.

“It could have been a coincidence that he had realize he was dead, just when we passed by.” Abigail says as she walks after me. “It must be the coffee you drink that has been getting on your nerves.”

“It could have been… Could it also been a coincidence that he smiled the moment we passed by. He tilted his head to the side and smiled widely.” Accurately what I saw was a guy in a bloody shirt and jeans, his ribs coming out from his side. It wouldn’t have been so scary if his head didn’t actually follow our every movement as we walked, they way how he smiled at us… I don’t even wanna remember.

‘Want me to take over for a while?’ Anika said , I didn’t even have time to answer before she did take over.

“This ends the walk, her house is just near by.” She said turning to them. “If you walk straight over this bridge, see that fork? Turn right there keep walking for almost 2 block. Before you reach the second block, you’ll pass by a requirement agency, the brown gate is were she lives.”

Anika turned around and continued walking again, but stops right before the crosses the bridge.

“See those vehicles? If you ride them, they’ll take you straight back to school. Be sure to go some where else and not go directly home. Someone is following you.” Was what she said glaring at the air right behind them.

Nicole was the only one who looked behind them, while Abigail and Angela. Seems to have been frozen in their spots. They could feel the presence, saying by the way the hair by their arms stood up.

It was the guy from a while ago, blood dripping from his forehead to the floor. His bones bent and broken in awkward ways. He wasn’t smiling this time, but looks straightly into my eyes. While I was cowering in fear it was Anika who might have told him to stop following us. Not that I think he actually cared to what she has to say, but at least he didn’t follow us back home.

The house had a darker aura than usual, and it was also darker. Once I entered the house, I was greeted with a slap. The impact so hard it made my face turn to the side.

“You dare come back? What time is it already?” My father asked me in a furious tone. I have a curfew until 6 pm. And looking at the watch by the wall it says it was only 5:30 pm.

“It’s 5:30?” Anika answers in my stead. I told her I wasn’t in the mood to deal with this so she can deal with it instead.

“Are you talking back to me? Really disrespectful as always.” He shouts to me, I can see my cousin running down the stairs. Then going back up.

“Can I at least change out of my uniform? Before you reprimand me?”

“What difference does it make? Does wearing your uniform make you feel guilty for being disrespectful since it ruins your reputation as a scholar?” His eyes were wondering around and seemed to be bulging out as well. “Fucking scholar, what’s the point when she doesn’t even know how to show respect for her elderly.”

Anika started laughing out of irritation, which made him look back at us with a glare that could have killed a tiger if stares could kill.

“What’s funny?” He said through his teeth as though he was stopping himself from flaring up.

“You can’t even recognize your own daughter.” She laughs once again. “Wanna know why? Cause your not her father? Where’d you even come from, huh? What hole did you crawl out off?”

“How dare you?!” He bellowed at me, if it were me in control I would have closed my eyes and backed off.

“Oh, yeah. I dare you.” Anika says sarcastically. Crossing her arms over her chest.

“You ungrateful wench!” His palm came in contact to my face again. It hurts like hell… I swear my chees is already red. “I clothed you, bathed you, put a roof over your head! And this is how you repay me? With… With sarcasm and disrespect!”

“So… I owe it to you that this girl is alive? Hahaha, did I ask for you to make me? Did I ask to be alive.” She shoots back to him, filled with anger.

‘I think… I should… Your making it worse.’ I told her from within, me and my dad had barely fought before and much more one that got physical. We were more unto ignoring one another if we are angry.

‘It’s not him. Can’t you see.’ She let me see through her eyes and I did see that he had shadows around his eyes, just like Angela did the first time.

“You should have died instead. You know that? Raising you was a waste of time.” I felt hurt at that but tried remembering this wasn’t him.

“Kill me then. Come on! There’s a knife over there! Come on go and get it! You want me dead ri..” Her words were cut off due to another hard slap, metallic taste of blood in our mouth made it clear how hard that slap was.

The moment she looked back at him he grasp her throat and started strangling her. Choking me, shaking me in anger and spite. Tiny white lights could already be seen in my vision she gave me the controls by then. I couldn’t breathe, I could feel my tears falling as my sight slowly turned black. Darkness creeping unto the sides of my vision slowly covering my entire vision.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” I heard my aunt scream, prying his hands away from my throat. He looked kind of shocked at what he had done and could not actually say what was he doing.

Well, what can he say he was strangling his own daughter. He seemed to have snapped out of it. Anika took control again and took his hands and was slapping it to our face. Then took his hands and placed it on our neck.

“You can me dead, right? Come on. Do it.” She said with anger, still seeing whatever was in him slowly backing off the shadows around his eyes disappearing. “Come on a knife is over there.”

“Theodora, stop!” My aunt said sternly, at me. Then looked at my father seeing how stressed she truly was with all this. She told her daughter to go up and stay upstairs. “I will not tolerate violence in this house! The neighbors could have heard.”

She pulled my father to the kitchen leaving me there in the living room. I can feel like my face is swollen, I looked into the mirror and saw that my cheek was indeed red. There were a few markings on my neck.

‘What was that about?’ I asked Anika as she placed me in control.

‘He wouldn’t have known and that thing would have kept on feeding on him.’ She shrugged.

‘What thing?’

‘Check the mirror.’ Was all she said, To which when I stared back to the mirror. There it was, a guy whose eyes were red, hair disheveled, hallowed bones. He looked angrily back at me through the mirror. His hands were into tight fist with his veins popping out.

Quickly moved towards the mirror, which startled and caused me to hit the mirror unto the wall in panic.

Both my Aunt and Dad came back after hearing the crashing sounds. My aunt looking like she was tired of it all.

“Theodora pack your bags. You’ll stay with your aunt’s on your mother’s side instead.” Was what she said. I went upstairs changed into casual pants and a shirt taking one of my bags that had clothes since I usually stay there during the summer.

Waiting down stairs with my bag for school and bag that had my clothes, and other things I needed. My uniform was in it too. My aunt came down a few minutes later along with my cousin.

Our uber arrived a few minutes later. It was a two to three hours drive or commute to the location. The entire ride was quiet, my cousin sitting beside me looking at me then giving me a comforting rub. I placed my earphones on so it’ll be quiet. Stopping myself from crying with what had just happened.

I can’t tell my relatives from my mom’s side that that happened. It’ll give them reason to take me away from my dad. My mother died when I was three years old and they were always looking for reasons to take me away from my dad since I was a kid.

We had arrived there around 7 pm in the evening.

“Thanks for doing this in such a short notice.” My Aunt Violet asked, she was my aunt on my dad’s side

“No problem, Anything to help Theodora here. What happened anyways?” My Aunt Lily asked, she was the 5th sister of my mom

“I think she just needs a break from all of us for a while.”

“How about school though?”

“She can handle herself, I’ll be giving her money so she can commute.”

My aunt Violet turned to me, giving me a hug.

“Here, for a week.” She said handing me a $20 which was a lot already for me. “Lily, we’ll go ahead. Don’t want traffic to get in the way and become a hassle.”

“Sure sure, take care.” She said to them bring them to the door.

“You can take the spare room upstairs.” She said to me with a kind smile. “What happened anyways?”

I just shook my head in response. She was a psych major so she knew how to read people and I don’t like people reading me. Once she had brought me to the room, and said good night.

I sighed sitting on the bed there. Just thinking of what the hell had just happened. Was this because of the board? It’s not even with me, I wonder if the other’s experience this too. My thoughts were cut off when I heard a knocking by the window.

It stopped every time I looked and went on when I wasn’t looking. I made my way towards the window, not opening it. Only seeing a tree branch pointed at the window but not touching the glass panes.

‘Don’t open the window.’ Was what Anika said to me. And I don’t plan to open the window. That night I slept with the lights open with my earphones on ignoring the knocks by the window.