Pushing up Daisies

Chapter Four

voices.

We returned to the school, my friends were confused I was back so soon and didn't bring any of my stuff with me, but I couldn't even get a word out when Aunt Millicent dragged me inside while shouting orders, telling all of her trainees to call her siblings for an emergency meeting. Which was a bad move honestly, everyone went to a panic, and she had to calm everyone down and tell them that nothing bad had happened.

"Nothing yet." A snarky boy said, crossing his arms when we passed him. He looked chubby, wore overalls and was glaring at me through a heap of curly brown bangs.

"Ignore them." Mae whispered once she had caught up with us. "That's just Allan, he's weird and doesn't know happiness." She added.

"I thought you were going to fetch Aunt Millicent's siblings?" I asked, turning to her.

"I am." She said then giggle. "Later~" she cooed.

"So, what happened?" she asked, becoming serious.

"Nothing." I muttered but it was already eating me up, but my aunt was still there, and I didn't want to say anything if she's still here—she might think I didn't say the whole truth because I didn't. That woman told me that it wasn't her fault, that my father's death was coming even if she hadn't been there. But who would actually believe that? She's a crazy person who KIDNAPPED my sister.

"Okay~" she said then turned the other way, waving at Franz and running to him on a full sprint and with him was the girl who warned us about my other aunt escaping, her long silky black hair in a ponytail now and she was conversing with Francene.

"Aunt Millicent?" I turned to her, leveling her pace. "Do you think we'll be okay?"

"Of course, dear, I promise—"

"You can't really promise that." I stated bitterly and it had come out ruder than I expected so I waved my hands frantically. "I- I mean—"

She was laughing, the wrinkles on her face showing and it made me feel at ease knowing she wasn't letting this little thing get to her. "Once we meet my siblings, you'll be safe here. We'll get your sister back, don't worry."

But I do worry. I worry that she'll end up hurting her, if that won't be enough, she'll come for me next and she'll destroy everything I worked so hard to get! I need to stop her before all of that. She needs to be stopped.

Stop her with what?

A newfound dread loomed over me, I looked down, wide eyed. I hadn't thought it through. I was powerless against her; I didn't know the first thing about this world.

You are nothing compared to her.

I halted. What was I doing? I can't do this. I think the adrenaline has been keeping me balanced all this time and now that I've had time to think... everything's crashing down on me like an avalanche.

"Maxine...?" I heard my aunt call out, but the voices were louder and all over the place.

You are worthless.

SHUT UP!

You will fail. You don't know what you're doing. You're powerless. YOU ARE NOTHING.

I screamed.

I didn't care who saw me, I didn't care who heard me. I covered my ears and my legs felt like jelly and couldn't hold my weight so I was forced to kneel down as I continued to scream just so I can drown out the voices, but it felt as if they were slowly growing louder and louder until they were screaming at me too. I shut my eyes as tightly as I could... I screamed for the voices to leave, to shut up. To LEAVE me alone, but they stayed and still screaming the same things over and over again—like a broken record on repeat.