Anne

Eight.

“Are you okay?” I asked. Mary was staring down at the book in her lap intensely, her eyes not moving with the words.

“Hm? What? Oh, yeah,” she muttered distractedly. “Fine.” I stared at her, looking for any signs of what she was going through.

I looked down at my notebook again and continued scrawling out our situation with Bridget, my grandmother and time travel. I tapped the side of my head with the end of my pencil. I chewed on the metal end thoughtfully.

“Charlotte?” Mary suddenly inquired, “Why would we want to kill Bridget?”

I sighed, I had been thinking about the same thing non-stop since my revelation. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” I muttered, frustrated; not at Mary but at myself for not being able to comprehend the situation.

“Well sorry,” She emphasized the last syllable, “For just trying to understand.”

“Oh no, you misunderstood m—,” I began, but was interrupted.

“Maybe you want to work on this by yourself!” she stood up and stormed out of the library, not looking back. I stared at the doorway - through which she had exited - in shock and bafflement. I didn’t know what was up with Mary. She had been acting strange ever since graduation and it was not pleasant for me or her other friends.

I frowned. Maybe she was mad at me about something, but I couldn’t think what. I had got her crush to ask her to dance; I had invited her over multiple times, but she just didn’t seem okay. She had been so on-edge. She was really worrying me.

I picked up all my books and began to walk home. I passed the little park where I liked to sometimes sit and think. I passed the little creek that runs through the forest and I jumped a puddle on the sidewalk as it began to rain.

I kept my head ducked as I ran through the rain. My shoes were not meant for the rain so they slipped and slid on the concrete.

I continued to run, my feet turning soggy as I sloshed through the mud. Suddenly, my foot slid farther forward than I had intended and the rest of me fell backwards. My head cracked against the pavement and my vision faded.

“I just have one question,” I say to Bridget.

“We don’t have time for questions!”

I want to ask… I need to ask… I never asked… “Didn’t you see the person that murdered you?”

She is not shocked when Mary says that she saw herself. Bridget knew that Mary was THERE on the day of her murder. She KNEW.

Bridget KNOWS that we kill her. She KNOWS.

Therefore she will try to kill us so that she will not be dead.

That’s why we must kill her.

We must kill her before she kills us.

 

                I open my eyes and there are bright lights all around. I’m in the hospital; but why?

                I feel a burn at the back of my head. Then it begins to throb. Oh. Right.

                Everything is right now. Everything is happening all at once. It’s a cacophony of words, images and actions.

                I begin breathing quickly and sharply. My head whips around wildly. There are no nurses around, so I stand up quickly. My head whirls and I gag. I vomit on the floor, collapsing back on the bed.