Twisted Memories (A Short Story)

Past- The Wonder of High School Graudation

It was one of the most important days of her life. She was very excited because she had been elected as the valedictorian. It had taken her hours to perfect the speech, and all that mattered to her at that moment was delivering it.

The day finally came and Lucie was all ready to go. She arrived at the auditorium earlier than everyone else and sat in her seat going over her speech again and again. The auditorium slowly became filled and the ceremony gradually started. Not even walking to get her diploma could distract her from her speech. Afterwards, the principal talked, and talked, and talked some more. Just when she couldn't bear the anxiety that was building within her, it was time for her to speak. She bounced up the stairs holding her papers tightly in her hands.

As she walked up the stairs, her eyes could not help but roam over to the window at the back that had been left open. It was the kind of window that had shutters. There was a breeze coming through it. The shutters moved back and forth like a rocking chair. For some reason, it mesmerized Lucie even as she walked. There was just something about that creepy window that she liked.

Somehow, all her anxiety had disappeared by the time Lucie got to the podium. As soon as she opened her mouth, she had command of everyone's attention. When she looked around, she could see that her friends were nodding at her. It made her feel confident in continuing.

Halfway through her speech, she noticed one of the back doors opening. A person walked through the door in silence. She recognized him; he had been in two of her classes this year. Besides that, he had been one of the popular guys in her grade. It was too bad that his senior prank had made him lose the right to walk like everyone else. Lucie wondered if he was here to see his friends.

He didn't move to the back, where there were available seats, he moved toward the front. Lucie kept her eyes on the man. She continued her speech, but she began to stumble at simple parts. There was something wrong with the man, she knew, but she couldn't prove it. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. Those who were the closest to him reacted in fear quickly. Lucie stopped her speech.

The man continued to walk to the front. Lucie froze in panic as the man ran up the stairs and toward the podium where she stood. The principal stood in front of the man and tried to appeal to him to stop. The man shot him in the chest and walked further towards Lucie. The look on the man's face was a glare. A glare that would make Balor proud if he could see it.

Lucie came out of her shock and turned to run away. Yet, for some reason she stopped, and turned back to face the assailant. There was a loud ringing in the air and then a sharp thump. Lucie faded out of consciousness.

When she woke up, Lucie was in a hospital bed. She was alive; she was in pain, but alive. The ringing was the sound of a police officer supposedly shooting the assailant. Everyone else had survived, including the principal. However, Lucie could tell that her family were very hesitant in mentioning this information to her. The way they began to treat her was cautious and detached.

Eventually, their behavior went back to the way it had been before, so she soon forgot about it; none of this was ever mentioned again.