The Promised School

Liar

"Okayyyyy" said Emma, breaking the silence. 

"Dammit! She wasn't supposed to see us!" Ray hissed, keeping his voice down. "Dammit dammit damn-"

"Shut up. She's right there." Norman didn't trust himself to look up in case he met the murderer's eye, so he found himself staring at the back of Ray's head.

"You need a haircut..." He murmured. 

"What? What did you just say?!"

"Okay here's the plan. We ignore her, and get out of here. Everybody ready to run?" 

Emma, according to Ray having no common sense,  didn't have a fear of murderers. She looked straight at the person at the top. 

"No, Emma..."

"YOU!" 

Emma took a step up. Norman and Ray couldn't see her face.

"Stop her."

"What? No way. You stop her."

"Norman, this is a matter of life..."

"İt's a matter of life and stopping Emma. Stop her!"

"İt's a matter of you stopping our idiot friend. Go on."

"FİNE! But Ray, I never thought you were a coward."

"I'm not a coward!" Ray snarled. "I just don't want to stop-"

"YOU! YOU MURDERER! YOU DAMN MONSTER!

"Oh great." Norman said. 

"YOU MURDERED MY FAMİLY! YOU KİLLED THOMA AND LANİ!" Emma wiped her eyes angrily. "You're not our family. We're going to tear you apart, just like you did to us, and Thoma and Lannion. Don't you dare play sweet!"

Miss İsabella cocked her head, and smiled. "Oh, Emma there must be something wrong! I think-"

"DAMN RİGHT THERE'S SOMETHİNG WRONG! YOU-"

"You're mistaken. Thoma and Lannion are sick. I put them in bed this morning, if you're worried..."

"Liar." Norman forgot they were supposed to keep quiet, and ignored a horrified Ray. "You're a liar."

"Pardon me, Norman? I'm afraid I don't-"

"You lied about so many things, but right now, I'm talking about what you just said."

"Dear child-"

"DON'T SAY THAT! DON'T YOU DARE TREAT US LİKE İDİOTS! WE'RE NOT STUPİD ANYMORE! WE KNOW ABOUT YOU! YOU CAN SHUT YOUR FACE, BECAUSE THERES BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS!" Emma lunged, trying to get up the stairs, but Norman grabbed her arm. 

"Emma. Stay calm." He looked back to the person standing at the top. 

"You're a liar, because we came to you at two o'clock, and you said, you said that you didn't know where they were. You said you were going to look for them. They've been missing since breakfast, so when exactly did you tuck them in bed? Let's see if you trust youself to tell another shameless lie when you don't know the time we last saw them.

She opened her mouth, but Norman interrupted. 

"Another thing. You said they were sick, but they seemed fine to us. They were laughing and talking and running like they always do."

Emma closed her eyes, and slowly lowered herself to the floor. İt was the 66th step. She knew because they had written the numbers on them a few months ago, when they were bored. 

They were laughing and talking and running like they always do.

Something sounds off. 

They were running. And laughing. They were alive. 

They always...

They always... 

Always do.

Do.

Do. 

DO.

THEY'RE DEAD NOW, Norman. Did. Past tense. 

"Damn you, Emma." 

She looked up, and saw Ray glaring at her. "What?"

"I said, damn you. You always get your way, don't you?"

"No. I didn't want... I didn't want... Anybody to die. I didn't want this to happen. We were a family. Why did she have to-"

Norman was busy pointing out more lies that Miss İsabella had told, and Ray stepped up on to the step he was standing on. 

"Oh, great." He groaned. "We don't know anything. We're innocent. Just forget you ever heard all  that."

Miss İsabella didn't speak for a while, then she nodded. "I see. You know about this place. Oh, my. Oh dear, oh dear oh dear! Well, I knew it would come to this. The three of you have always been... Different. I take it Ray told you?"

Norman looked at Ray. 

Does he want me to tell?

"Ray told you, after everything I've said? Oh my dear child are you that disloyal to your friends? See I did tell you what would happen. I take it you haven't warned about..."

Ray glared up at her, but said nothing. 

"Oh, lovely. Well, my sweet children, here is the thing. I can't let you go now, I hope you understand. You may cause a riot, heaven forbid, with fake information... So I'd like you all to come with me quietly. I hoped it wouldn't come to this... But nevermind. Come now."

"No way." Growled Ray. 

"My dear Ray, don't forget who's side you're on."

"Shut up." Ray pulled Emma to her feet. "Ready?"

She looked insane for a second, then nodded. 

"Mmmm."

"Norman?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." He looked up at Miss İsabella. She was holding a knife, not bothering to hide it now, and smiling. She started to walk down  the steps towards them. 

"Norman, Emma, let's go."

Emma grinned. "So our game of tag has started?"

"Yep." Ray couldn't stop the smile from spreading as they ran down the stairs. Norman caught his eye, and narrowed his eyes.

"İt's not a game. And you, Ray, this time you're playing properly, got it?"

"Yeah."

I can break the rules if I want, for Emma and Norman. I can do this.

Finally, we're all going to be free.

İt's begun.