ONLY YOU

six - justice

Despite my condition I head to school the next day. I keep my face hidden beneath my hair and trudge through the corridors with my head bowed and my books close to my chest. The main entrance outside has been cordoned off with police tape. The murder scene was cleaned up swiftly. I'm surprised school is still in session today, considering what happened. But then I'm told by one teacher that everyone is heading to the auditorium where an assembly is going to be held.

My chest constricts and I follow the crowds filing into the auditorium. Jared finds me. He asks me how I am and comments on how I look.

'What happened the other day at my house?' he asks

'I wasn't feeling well,' I say. 'I was hallucinating. It was just a fever. That's all.'

I hadn't seen Sebastian since I left him. I wondered where he was. Not that I cared. I couldn't make myself think any more deeply about what happened in the park. I put it down to shock and impulsivity. I hadn't been planning on having any sort of relationship with him. I quite frankly want nothing to do with him. He belongs to a group of people who attacked me. Who took me into their house, attacked me, and took my life. I shouldn't be here roaming around lost.

I should be reporting them to the police.

With this new thought in mind, I stride faster toward the auditorium. I plant myself on one of the plastic chairs set out facing the stage and listen to the rustle and bustle of other students talking about the massacre which happened right outside our doors. My hands tremble. I did this. I killed Willow and her friends. I should be put behind bars for what I did. Yet I can't bring myself to tell the teachers assembling on the stage, or the two detectives standing by the curtains.

'As you're all aware,' my principal starts; he's a tall thin man with his pants pulled right up and square glasses on; he's always chewing gum despite the school rules against it, and his teeth are full of gaps; 'there was an incident yesterday which involved the deaths of seven students.'

He starts naming them all, finishing with Willow.

'I understand this is a difficult time for everyone, and after we're finished here, everyone will be able to return home. But the detectives would like to speak with every single one of you about the incident that occurred.'

'Can't you look at the cameras?' someone behind me calls.

'Unfortunately the cameras were not operating at the time.'

This arouses a hopeless round of chuckles from students.

Of course the cameras were off. Anything to stay under budget here at this beaten down facility.

This is supposed to be good news for me, but it only makes my guilt deepen. They can't catch me. Saving me the mental energy to be found out against my will. I'll have to turn myself in. I'll have to morally do the right thing.

But I can't.

Once the assembly is over, I head over to the detectives hovering by the exit and ask to speak to them. They look eager. They think I have information for them about the case – which I do. But instead of telling them that, I say I'd like to report an attack that had happened two days ago.

They exchange glances.

'Does this attack have anything to do with our current case?' one of them asks.

I shake my head.

'Then you'll need to report this through the proper line. Contact us through 911 or better yet, you can go right into the police station and report the attack.'

Then a pause.

'What happened?'

My throat closes up. 'I uh, I don't know how to say this but...' My eyes fill with water. 'I was attacked by two men. Inside a house.'