On The Other Side

Chapter Six

ELLIOT

My eyes glance to the digital clock on my nightstand and it reads 3:42 A.M. Looking back down at my laptop and scanning through the list of usernames that have viewed my post on a blog. I know Violet is a regular user of this particular blog, she's one of the most active members. Whether she views, likes or posts on it she's always lurking on the website.

Unfortunately, the opposite has been happening to me tonight. Her profile tells me she hasn't been active since 11:30 P.M, over four hours ago. Feeling frustrated, I slam my laptop shut and place it on the floor beside my bed.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling while wishing that my mother didn't screw up what I was about to tell Violet earlier. I could've had a huge weight lifted off my shoulder but as always, my mother has come in to ruin it.

As if she knows I'm thinking about her, I hear her bedroom door open and her light footsteps making their way down the hallway before stopping at my room. My breath hitches and I hold it, as if that will make any difference. After a brief pause, her footsteps resume. They become fainter as she goes downstairs. Rustling comes from the kitchen as if she's frantically looking for something until it suddenly stops. A few minutes seem to pass before she opens the front door, slams it behind her and starts the car engine.

My eyes water, tears slowly forming as I hear her pull out of the driveway and onto the streets.

Most nights, I hate myself for not going out and stopping her but there's a harsh reality that sits behind it all. Nothing could stop her from going out to bars during the dead of night, not even her own son begging her to become sober. To quit the addiction that has taken over.

❀

A few hours later I find myself dragging my feet through the front doors of Revelstoke Secondary School and into the foyer.

Unfortunately for me, I don't make it far before Greyson stops me in my tracks.

"Hey, what's up? Have you seen the papers attached to Violet Ellison's locker, everyone's talking about it. It's pretty fucked."

For a moment, I stare at Greyson in confusion. There's no way he knows I've been talking to Violet again, I haven't mentioned it to anyone.

Without saying a word, he grabs my arm and brings me through the lobby, down science hall. Once we are at the end of the hall, he brings me up the stairs and around the corner to another hallway.

The hallway where Violet's locker sits, at the opposite end. Although you'd never notice her locker, now there's no way you don't notice it.

People surround her locker, phones out so they can take photos and videos of whatever is on the paper attached to her locker.

Seeing everyone around her locker, Greyson storms over and pushes his way through the crowd. He doesn't care who he's shoved to the side, he makes his way to Violet's locker and rips the paper off the door. He crumples it in his fist before shouting, "What the fuck is wrong with you all? You're all sick, feeding off something like this."

The crowd is suddenly silence, as if words no longer exist and there is no other way to communicate.

Greyson looks back at them, shaking his head before he comes back down the hallway. He nods his head, gesturing for me to head down to the stairs before he explains anything else.

Not wanting to upset him any further, I rush down the steps desperately wanting to know what's on that paper. A million thoughts of what it could be flood my mind but none of them seem that harmful. Most would be a playful joke that you'd do to a friend, not something so serious.

Jumping down the last few steps, I catch a glimpse of Greyson heading into an empty science lab. Trying to act nonchalant, I act as if I'm just going in there to drop my bag off before class.

Seeing Greyson sitting on top of a lab table, I pad across the floor and hop up onto the table beside him. He looks at me hesitantly, as if he doesn't want me even seeing what's on the paper.

"Surely it can't be that-" my sentence gets lost as I uncrumple the paper and flatten it out on my lap in front of me. I stare at it, at a loss for words. Nothing feels real anymore as I stare back at the photo of Violet printed onto the sheet.

Violet stands in the changing room, her bare body facing toward the camera but her face turned to the side, as if she's in the midst of talking to someone.

My heart sinks and I suddenly feel sick. The walls feel as if they're caving in on me, the shadows reaching out to grab me. I can't think or speak, although I think that Greyson is talking to me or at least trying to get my attention.

I throw myself off of the lab table and rush over to the corner of the lab where a sink sits. I hunch over the sink, retching until I eventually threw up. The image plays over in over in my head, the look on Violet's face and how scared she looks. How you can tell she never expected that to happen.

Turning the sink on, I rinse out my mouth before spitting the water back into the sink. As I swish the last bit of water around my mouth I feel Greyson's hand on my back in an attempt to comfort me.

I turn around, nodding to let him know that I'm fine and rush across the lab to grab my bag. Throwing it over my shoulder, I throw the door open in anger whilst the sick feeling is still in my stomach.

Greyson calls my name, attempting to get my attention but my only goal is to find Violet before she sees the photos of her around the school.