On The Verge

Chapter 29- The Hooded Figure

——————Maddie——————

⠀⠀Branches tore at my legs as I raced through the woods in the direction of Kendall's scream. My breathing was fast and even and the pungent sent of pine needles tickled my nose as I raced on, deeper into the woods. Feet thudding against the packed dirt of the path, my mind reeled.

⠀⠀Were they hurt? Or worse?

⠀⠀In front of me, the path split in two. A branch snapped to my right, startling me. I screeched to a stop.

⠀⠀I was about to call out, intending on asking who was there, when a figure emerged from the darkness of the path to my right. Liza.

⠀⠀I stood there, immobile. Praying that the darkness would conceal me. Liza walked slowly by, looking around, the hood of her sweater exposing but a small fragment of her blonde hair. She crept on, down the path that I knew led to the cliff. As she passed me, I stepped onto the path behind her.

⠀⠀I began to follow her, tip toeing silently down the path after her.
I may have been looking for Chloe and Kendall, but I had found Liza instead. I silently stalked down the path after Liza. My footsteps as light as a feather, the darkness hiding me from her sight.

⠀⠀Every few seconds, Liza would look around her, making sure no one was near. During these moments I would stop, hold my breath and pray she couldn't see me.

⠀⠀Down the path we went, Liza remained unaware of my presence as we took step after step closer to the cliff. When the path finally broke off to the cliff, I was surprised when Liza walked right up to the edge of the cliff, her toes dangling into oblivion. She stood with her back to me, her eyes trained downward into the ravine that lay at the bottom of the cliff.

⠀⠀Illuminated by the moonlight, I stood several feet behind Liza. If Liza were to turn around, she would surely see me. I rehearsed what I needed to say in my head a few times before I finally mustered up enough courage to cleared my throat.

⠀⠀"Liza, you need to leave me and my friends alone." I said, my voice confident and strong.

⠀⠀I watched Liza tense up. Her head snapped up, staring straight ahead of her.

⠀⠀"What happened... It wasn't our fault," I continued. "You need to understand that."

⠀⠀Liza untensed her shoulders, and began to slowly turn towards me. Seconds turned into minutes as she turned, keeping her head bowed.

⠀⠀"Murderer." Liza's voice came out low and raspy. My eyes widened in horrified shock for that was the exact word she had muttered the first time we met her in the Sanitarium.

⠀⠀"No. No, you don't understand!" I said urgently.

⠀⠀"I understand perfectly." She snarled.

⠀⠀With that, she raised her head so that her face could finally be seen in the moonlight. The face that stared back at me was not the one I had expected. I stared slack jawed, the world seemed to slow down for the face did not belong to Liza. The one who had sent the notes; the hooded figure, the person harassing us, was not Liza.

⠀⠀It was Paige.