Red Circles

9

1:40 am
The walls are old and grimy. This building is not like most abandoned buildings. Most abandoned buildings have that musty old smell to them. Stale like it's been sitting in dust for decades. But this place isn't like that. The walls are old and stained yes, but not stained with the regular dust kind of marks. No, it's as if water or liquid of some kind has run down the walls and left behind pertinent marks. The lockers look old and slimy with moss and mold sprouting out of the hinges and cracks. Thick roping vines that do not look as if they could survive Canadian winters, tangle themselves around fountains and tables. The bulletin boards are old and broken down. Not having been used in years, the tacks that used to stick to them old and rusted, lying uselessly on the floor. I walk down the halls looking at every poster and every paper. It's as if I've gone back in time by 7 years. Old bands that had hit songs are posted, and winter dance bulletins line the walls. Old anti-smoking posters stare me down as I pass, their eyes following me in any direction I turn. I'm nearing the end of the hall having checked all the lockers along the walls, with no luck or even evidence Arlin and Ryan came along here. As I'm about to turn right down the next hall something out of the ordinary catches my eye. The bulletin board standing right in front of me looks new. It looks as if it's been cleaned up and has all of the tacks stuck in it, with corresponding papers. But that isn't what really catches my eye. The red tack in the bottom right corner has a newspaper clipping attached to it with a date that jumps out at me.
"September, 17th, 2021 Westmount High School's girls basketball team wins this year's tournament with 8 wins and........" September 17th, 2021 that was only a few months ago, but this school was shut down 10 years ago when that little girl went missing. Not only that but the last clipping and the cliping before that I also read the dates,
"April 21st, 2018 Brookville highschool's debate team wins debate for the 2nd year in a row."
Then,"November 3rd, 2015 Hillsberry Highschool campaign for the poor kicks off...."
and finally, "January, 31st 2011 young girl Bethany Hicks wins the international spelling bee, first prize for her age 5."
That was the girl. Bethany Hicks, the one that went missing only 4 months later in the very park outside. Something was off with this bulletin board. The dated newspaper clippings were all in order and each one contained a picture. In each picture, one person from each photo was circled. All girls from the different teams. All between the ages of 14-17 I'd say. The latest clipping on the board sent me into a panicked frenzy. I could feel the fear rush into me pumping through my blood as I stared at the girl circled in 2021.
I was circled clear as day, smiling brightly from my photo we sent to the press 2 days after we'd won the tournament. I was overjoyed we'd done it. I was standing beside Micayla with the trophy held high in my hands. Micayla had her arm wrapped tightly around Ever's waist as Ever looked up at her practically bursting with pride.

A small movement shakes me from my thoughts and brings me back to the present moment and time. We needed to get out of here. If the little girl Bethany was circled and so was I having her gone missing later that year meant nothing good for me. I turned around, tearing my eyes from the bulletin board and prepared myself to bolt. I knew as soon as I made too much of a commotion the time we had to get out was limited. I prayed to whoever would listen that the girls had found Ryan and Arlin, and that they would get out fast. At the last second I thought of taking a picture of the board. Sacred out of my whits and trembling profoundly from head to toe. I took a shaky snapshot of the bulletin on Ever's phone. I stashed the phone as deep as I could in my back pocket hoping against all hope it would stay put and not fall out. Another rustle comes from down the opposite hall, taking no chances to see what that was, I bolt down the same way I'd came, hurrying as fast as I could without making too much noise.