Metal Rose

Chapter 2

"Wow, third day in a row. She really does go to school here," Hunter remarked with heavy annoyance and sarcasm. Emily responded by gently hitting him on the arm, while Kevin chuckled and shook his head.

"You'd better get used to it. She's here to stay," he said. They all stood there as Mercedes turned off her music and stepped out of her car. She instantly smiled.

"Hi, guys. Hunter..."

Hunter arched his eyebrows and inhaled sharply in an exaggerated manner.

"She actually spoke to me! I must be fortunate indeed!"

Mercedes smiles arrogantly.

"You've been blessed."

Hunter rolls his eyes and trails behind the others to the school, his gaze cautiously fixed on Mercedes' back. Hunter started to take note of the horror movie-themed pins adorning her backpack. Her collection was remarkable, featuring characters like Dracula, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Pennywise, Jigsaw, Chucky, Hannibal Lecter, Leatherface, and Pinhead. However, the character represented most frequently in her collection was Ghostface from the Scream series. He had a genuine fondness for her apparent love of horror. Hunter was reluctant to confess, but he admired her. She seemed to be unapologetically herself and bold. Hunter still harbored a slight fear of rejection from others. As he continued to examine her pins, he observed that some featured ancient symbols and themes reminiscent of witches. The group of friends split up and made their way to class. As Mercedes walked into her first period, she was immediately approached with questions by a fellow student.

"Mercedes? Is it okay if I ask you some questions?"

Mercedes let out a sigh, anticipating ignorance, yet she nodded in response.

"Of course."

The class observed as a girl approached Mercedes with curiosity.

"Why does your backpack have so many scary horror movie characters?"

Hunter noted Mercedes' reaction to the question. She offered a smile before replying.

"I love horror movies just as much as you enjoy your own interests."

"But why would you like scary, evil things? It's like your car... Also.. what are the pins with the weird symbols and witches? Do you worship Satan or something?"

Mercedes looked at her backpack and was extremely annoyed at the question. Instead of getting angry, she took the time to educate the girl.

"No, I do not really worship Satan; rather, I am a Pagan Witch, which reflects my religious beliefs. If you are unfamiliar with this, I encourage you to research it before making judgments. To clarify, I am not Christian. I have zero issues with Satan, though."

The girl looked at Mercedes uncomfortable.

"None of that makes you feel uncomfortable or scared?"

Mercedes shook her head no.

"It does not, nor should it frighten you. While it may not align with your beliefs, becoming familiar with it through research can lead to a better understanding."

The girl shakes her head while the class watches.

"I don't know. I don't want Satan to come after me thinking I want to work with him."

Hunter let out a laugh and the class turned to him. He shook his head.

"Liking things that society might consider scary or evil doesn't mean you worship Satan. For instance, metal talks a lot about Satan, but I will remind you again that I am not making sacrifices to him on the weekends."