traitor | Ziggy x Nick

1994

"But now I know there is no end."

>>>

- 1978, Ziggy's first day of junior year -

I shouldn't have come here.

As I walked the halls of Shadyside high, I could feel eyes glued on my from all sides. Of course, I was the first survivor of the Shadyside curse. But what they didn't know? There was no curse. It was all bullshit. Hands tightly grasping at my bag strap, I fasten my pace with my head hung low, trying to avoid anymore attention. As I focus on putting one foot in front of the other, I'm suddenly thrown back from bumping into someone.

Recovering from the stumble, I mumble a 'sorry' before going to make my way to my first period class, however someone grabs at my bag and I'm stopped in my tracks. Turning around timidly, I raise my eyes to meet the person who stopped me.

"You're the girl from the paper aren't you?" the unfamiliar figure asks and I freeze.

Summer break seemed like a fever dream. losing my entire family within a few weeks, ending the curse with a Sunnyvaler - it didn't seem real.

"What's your name? Berman? C Berman?" he asks again as he stuffs his hands in his Jean pockets with a lazy smile. As I look at him, I suddenly see Nick in front of me, his face plastered with the classic Goode smile that had girls fawning all over him. Falling further into my train of thought, I don't notice the small crowd that's surrounded us, looking at me - anticipating something.

But I couldn't get a word out of my mouth. So I give a small nod. Turning back around, I try make my way through the crowd when I hear my name called out.

"Ziggy!"

My head flies around instantly, that name reminding me of the ones who were gone. As I stand still, we watch a lady with long brown locks walk toward me, her black heels clacking at the ground.

"You must be Ziggy," she eventually says as she reaches me.

Instead, I shake my head, "Christine. Christine Berman."

Her face distorts for a second before it immediately returns to her artificial happy face. "Christine," she starts. "I'm the new school counsellor, Dolly. I just wanted to have a chat with you if it's okay."

I furrow my brows as I look around at all the people around me, listening intently despite trying to seem like they weren't. I didn't want to go - I knew no one would believe a thing I would say. The Shadyside killers coming back to life, the Goodes, Sarah Fier. All of it would be dismissed and before I knew it I'd be back in a hospital for being a crazy person.

I shake my head, telling her no.

She gives me an exasperated smile before asking me once again, this time adding everything was confidential. I didn't want to go - I really didn't. But I knew the type of people in places like this: they won't stop until they've gotten what they want. So I finally give in, knowing she'd just come back the next day if I denied, so I end up following her to a nicely decorated room, which I think would make me feel more at ease. However, all I felt were my nails scratching at my arms under my long sleeves. I hated the way scars attacked my arms, wounds all just reminding me about the bad memories. It's nothing to be ashamed of - you just survived, Nurse Beddy had told me when I confided in him. That's the point - I survived, I'd said. I was the only person left in my world after cutting Nick out. And Nurse a Beddy was still at the Sunnyvale hospital tending to other patients, and since I really had no reason to visit - I don't think I will be seeing him anytime soon.