Vicky Genocidal: In Depth

Chapter Nine: Jane

She hesitated in front of the door, not moving her hand, which had been positioned to knock on the flat surface. Did she really want to see it? She pursed her lips, nervously pulling at the thin white clothes she wore, which had been provided to her by the hospital. She had to see it, she decided.

'That's right.' She thought to herself. 'I need to support her. I need to be there for her.'

With a deep breath, the girl closed her eyes and knocked on the door. Her voice came out in a shaky, hoarse whisper.

"Jane...? It's me... Can I come in please?" She held her breath, waiting for a reply from the other side of the door, but nothing came. "Jane...? I'm coming in, okay?"

She allowed the door to slide open with a loud, seemingly earsplitting squeak. She cringed at the loud noise, hoping the nurses down the hall hadn't heard her. Quickly stepping inside and shutting the door, the girl quickly turned back to the hospital bed, where her cousin was supposed to be sitting.

However, in the girl's place, there was a stranger. Her skin was a pinkish tan, with red splotches decorating different areas of her visible skin. She was almost completely bald, with only a few stray, charred hairs sticking out of her scalp. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she had bandages covering the sides of her mouth, hiding the large gashes that had been made by a man they were both all too familiar with.

The girl was instantly hit with a wave of guilt. It wasn't fair. Why was she here, looking exactly the same, without a single scar to show proof of what she had been through, while her beloved cousin sat before her, looking like a completely different person. She should have been sitting with her, burned to a crisp alongside her. It wasn't fair. None of it was. Tears pooled in her eyes as she gazed at her cousin, her lips quivering. Her voice cracked when she spoke.

"Oh, Janie. I'm so sorry..."

It wasn't long after this event, that Jane Elizabeth Arkensaw went missing.

Victoria groaned, rubbing her eyes as she finished the last part of her biology homework. Her hand ached, and she flexed it in an attempt to stretch her muscles. Her aunt paced in front of the kitchen counter, anger present on her face.

"A park, Victoria?! You fell asleep at a park?!" She yelled, throwing her hands over her head in rage. "Do you know how dangerous that is?! You could have been attacked! Never ever fall asleep in parks! I thought that didn't need to be said, but apparently it does!"

That night, after Victoria had woken up on the slide screaming her lungs out, a passing jogger had heard her. He had immediately called the cops who, after hearing a description of the "suspicious" girl, immediately knew who the jogger was talking about. They had then told Marge, informing her to "Keep your niece in line! This is strike two!" or something like that. Marge, the overprotective mama bear she was, was now livid.

"I swear, you give me so many gray hairs! I swear to God, Victoria Luis! God himself!"

Victoria placed a hand on her cheek, leaning into it, only listening to her aunt's words without arguing.

"Today, you go right to school and right back home. Understand?" Her aunt said sternly, jabbing a finger at her niece in anger. "Home. At four-thirty on the dot. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am." Victoria sighed, slumping her shoulders. She didn't make an effort to argue. Once Marge made up her mind, that was that.

"Hey, Victoria!" Anna called, waving the girl down as soon as she came within eyesight of the school building. The ginger-haired girl ran over to her with a grin.

"Oh, hey Anna." Victoria replied, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to say hi!" Anna grinned, slinging an arm around Victoria's shoulders, who immediately tensed up at the action. "What are you doing after school today?"

"Uh, nothing. I kind of have to get home immediately though, so I wouldn't be able to do anything." Victoria said, shrugging out from underneath the girl's arm. She purposefully left out the fact that her aunt had ordered her to do so, finding it rather dorky.

Anna pouted. "Aw, man! Are you sure?"

"Positive." Victoria replied coldly, quickening her pace. "I've got to get to class, see you later."

Anna called back to her, but Victoria hadn't caught what she said. The brunette was too busy slipping into the crowd of students, in a rush to get to class. Her heartbeat became steady as she slumped behind her desk. She let go of her school bag, allowing it to slump on the floor underneath her chair. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she saw a small, silver tray on the desk before her. On top of the tray, there were several utensils, and a neat stack of small pins. Beside these, there was a corpse. It was a dead frog.

Oh.

Right.

They were dissecting frogs today.