Premonitions

Chapter One

The boy kneeled down on the ground, blood pouring out of a gash on his shoulder. Water from a waterfall over his head cascaded around him. He collapsed on the ground, reaching out a hand to stroke my cheek.

     "Crim... Son," he forced out, "I'm so sorry for- for what happened. I... I didn't mean..." Tears formed in his eyes and rolled slowly down his cheeks. He was bleeding out.

     I swiftly but gingerly cupped my hand around the back of his head. "It's okay," I distantly heard a voice say. My voice.

     Hot, fresh tears poured out of my eyes and landed in the pink-colored water. Time was running out.

     The boy's hand shakily reached out, reaching for my cheek. I wrapped my hand around his and raised it to my cheek. The boy coughed, blood sputtering out of his mouth, foaming down his chin and falling into the water. His body shook one time, his arm falling limp and dropping to the ground. I touched my face where his arm had been, and my fingers came away with blood on them. His blood on them.

     With shaking legs, I stood up.

The bus was taking twenty minutes to get to the stop, as usual. I reached into my cardigan pocket and pulled out my phone, about to hit 'Play' on the favorite playlist of punk rock, when someone touched my shoulder.

     "Hey, Crimson, you okay? You look a little shaken up." It was Griffyn, my best friend. With his glasses on, he looked like a geek, like someone who played Dungeons and Dragons and also Minecraft. True, he did like video games, but not those types. At least, not D and D. "I know that when you reach to play your Thinky Playlist, you had either a premonition or something happened at home. Which is it?"

     Griffyn knew me well. He was also the only one who wasn't scared of me, what with all the premonitions I have. "Premonition," I grumbled, "and..."

     "And?"

     "It was pretty grim." I continued. I ran my hand through my hair, pushing it back. That's something I do when I'm nervous; running my hand through my hair. It's a tell that something's bothering me, but for some reason, Griffyn's the only one who's ever noticed it. I guess best friends are more observant than family members.

     Griffyn didn't ask any more, but not because the bus had pulled up to the stop. He didn't ask anything because he knew that if I didn't immediately say something, it's because I didn't want to share it.

     He started toward the bus, then on the way up the steps, he turned back to look at me. "Hopefully it doesn't come true." He said grimly. Then, quickly smiling, he continued, "Come on. It's time for school, slowpoke." Something flashed in his eyes- something like affection- but he quickly corrected it and flashed a smile. I jogged to the bus, all the while smiling a fake smile, for Griffyn's sake.

School was fairly uneventful. As usual, people in the hallways avoided me. Not that I actually noticed that; I was too distracted by the previous night's nightmare to pay any attention. I just assumed that things were like they normally were.

     The only thing that actually happened during school was spotting Ms. Tanning and Ms. Huang making out, tongues and all, in a supply closet when the janitor opened the door. Rumor had it that they were both called down to the principal's office and then put on paid leave for a month.

     When I stopped at my locker after the bell to get my bag, someone had written the word 'BITCH' on my door in bright green Sharpie. Great.

     I knew that the janitors wouldn't bother to paint over it, so I just taped two dozen chibis over the word to cover it up.

     I plucked my tote bag out of my locker, closed the locker door, and walked outside to meet Griffyn.

     "So did you hear about Ms. Huang and Ms. Tanning?" Griffyn asked. "I heard that Ms. Tanning keeps yearbook photos of Ms. Huang taped to the inside of her desk drawers."

     I smiled. "I already knew about that. I went into her desk after school."

     This was quite true. Two weeks ago, I had snuck into her room after school had ended to see my score on a test. Ms. Tanning's usually locked desk drawer was open. After checking the desk surface for my test results, I had decided to check the desk drawer, and after five minutes of rummaging, I found a picture of Ms. Huang. I had heated up a hot glue gun and hot-glued the picture to the inside of the desk drawer.

    "...had been drunk for days and finally got a hangover." Griffyn said.

     Shit. He'd said something and I hadn't heard.

     Shiiiiittt.

     "I... Didn't hear... You." I said, unsure.

     "Never mind. We're almost at your house, anyway."

     Griffyn and I turned down my street, Peabody Street, and I walked to the steps of my house.

     "See ya later," I called to Griffyn.

     "Bye!" He replied.

     I turned back around, got out my key, and unlocked the front door. Then I stepped inside and leaned down to pet my orange tabby cat, Nagisa. I picked him up, carried him to my room, and placed him down on my seafoam-green bed. I got out my phone to listen to some punk rock, and then flopped down on the bed.

     I closed my eyes.