Beechwood Academy

chapter fifteen

Duncan's head began to pound as soon as he opened his eyes. He was sitting upright and his head was limply laying on the back of the chair. The material was familiar and as soon as he placed it, his head shot up. He was in the drama room, in the front row of the audience seats but he was alone. Rudy nor Wren was beside him and Miss Drake was nowhere in his line of sight. Duncan's hands were bound in front of him as were his legs and his waist was tied down to the chair so he couldn't stand.

He sat there for an hour before he heard the drama room door open but the voices he heard made his heart drop.

"Yeah, Sammy said he was sick." Wren's voice echoed in the empty room.

"He was fine at dinner last night, maybe it was something he ate." Rudy's voice was louder than Wren, closer.

"Rudy—" Duncan was caught off guard by the frog in his throat making his voice come out dry. It hadn't taken much for him to be heard in the silence. His friend's footsteps ran towards him until Rudy was in front of him, cupping Duncan's face to keep it upright.

"What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?" Rudy asked and frantically pulled at the ropes around Duncan's wrists.

"You gotta go, please." Duncan begged, looking sternly into Rudy's eyes. Before Rudy could respond someone was behind him and Rudy was on the ground. Duncan heard Wren's scream get cut off with a loud thump. "Stop!" Duncan screamed as Jared stepped over Rudy to get closer to Duncan. As soon as Jared was close enough Duncan brought his bound feet up and slammed them right into Jared's groin. He groaned and stumbled back but regained his balance quickly and sending a punch straight into Duncan's nose. The blood trickled over Duncan's lips and down his neck.

"Rudy loved you, and you repay him with this?" Duncan croaked, looking up into Jared's black eyes. The boy was skinny, even skinnier than Sammy and his skin was pale. The bags under his eyes couldn't be missed.

"He said it himself, he's over me." Jared spit when he spoke and turned to Rudy, jerking the ginger up and throwing him in the seat beside Duncan. He bound Rudy's wrists and waist before binding his feet. He did the same thing to Wren and stood back to examine his work with his hands on his hips. "Man, I'm good."

"How are you alive?" Duncan asked, ignoring how Rudy's head had fallen onto his shoulder.

Jared smiled and in an instant his teeth were sharp and jagged. "Miss Drake saved me, as she saved Sammy. . . And Susie."

Duncan's heart skipped a beat. "What did you do to them? Where are they?"

"They'll be here soon, relax." Jared checked the watched under his black long sleeve and smiled. "3. . . 2 . . .1."

The drama room doors slammed open and Duncan turned to see Sammy running inside with Daisy behind him. Duncan watched his expression as he met Jared's eyes. He was silent for awhile with his arm outstretched in front of Daisy to keep her behind him. "Why do you look so dodgy? You're turning on me, aren't you?"

"I'm not turning on anyone." Jared's smile faded as he approached Sammy. Sammy pushed Daisy back farther. "I'm keeping my loyalties with the woman who saved my life, the life that you ended."

"I didn't do shit." Sammy said in a low voice. "She made me hurt you, you need to understand that."

"I do. I understand." Jared whispered with a sad nod.

"Okay, so let my friends go." Sammy stated, his body relaxing ever so slightly.

Jared seemed to think about that. "No." He turned around and walked back to the front of the room, leaning in the stage and shooting Duncan a look just as Rudy was beginning to stir.

"Jared. I don't even know you, why are you doing this?" Duncan asked, turning to share a look with Sammy and then returning his gaze to Jared.

"I know you, though, and this —" he waved his hands around signaling to the situation they were in "—isn't about you."

"Jared, please—"

"Shut up." Jared scream was so demanding that Sammy's mouth clamped shut. "I'm so much more powerful than you, Sam, you know that? I could have you kill everyone in this room by one thought, starting with your girlfriend." Jared nodded towards Daisy and she instantly tensed. "But I can't do that yet, I have to wait for Susie. She's running late, per usual." As soon as the words left his mouth the drama room doors swung open again and the dark skinned, frizzy haired Susie that Duncan had grown to be comfortable around strutted inside. Her eyes were pitch black and she wore a skin tight black dress that just looked wrong on a girl that always wore items of clothing that her twice her size. All of his friends seemed to tense at the sight, they were all thinking the same thing, this was one of the scenes in Noah's drawings. He had been telling the truth the whole time. Duncan's eyes glossed over at the thought of what was to come, he was about to hurt more than he'd ever hurt before.