Chapter 3: Possessed Minds Think Alike
The next morning I wake with my phone in hand. I let it drop onto my soft bed. There are marks on my hand where my phone was. People will laugh if they see. I swing my legs out of bed and begin getting ready for school.
My monotonous day roars on in the same fashion as it always does. I hardly think about the absence of Tibby. Katie is tugging at my shirt every passing period nearly at tears with the issue at hand. I calm her down and walk her to her classes. It’s not like I am already late for most of mine.
History, as it always does, rolls around and I make my way down the hall. That’s when I see Katie, in tears. I run to her.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Tibby. She’s here. But she called me a bitch for doing that to our History teacher.”
“What! Tibby? Bitch? Really?”
“Yep.”
Tears roll down her face.
“Hey, hey. It’s all right. It’s okay.”
I pull her into a hug, despite the 5-pound load I have to lug around for History. She wipes her tears.
“C’mon, do you want to go see the counselor?” I ask.
“No. Let’s just go to History.”
And we do. I didn’t see Tibby in the hall. Something very suspicious is going on with her.
Very suspicious, indeed.
Our History teacher looks at us when we walk in. He ushers us to our seats and hands us our entry task. I do it, but I can’t do my best because I keep looking at Katie. My teacher asks me to do my work, which I obey and finish. I set it aside and begin skimming in my History textbook to pass the time. Eventually he asks us to put everything away and take a “Notes” sheet and begin writing our name. I print my name and listen. The Powerpoint is a bit boring; more stuff about events leading to the Civil War. I copy down the appropriate notes. The period ends and I hand in my notes. Off to Computers. Again.
I never realized that Stephanie and Joe were passing notes the whole period. They contained information about who the next sinner will be. And also, she would be sinned next period.
The day ends and I go home. But I’m forgetting something – Tibby. I was going to call her out for being so rude to Katie, but I am already near my ride, so I decide to skip it and save it for over the phone.
I get home and call Tibby. She answers in an angry tone.
“What do you want.” She spits.
“Why were you being so rude-’’
“Because she’s a drama queen.”
“Man, what pissed you off?”
“Nothing. I just cleared my mind of all the fog that shielded me from realizing the truth.”
“You are being extremely rude.”
“Do you think I care? No.”
“Man, you are such a bitch sometimes. You know that?”
“C’mon, keep going. I want to hear it.”
“No, I’m done. Goodbye.”
“Whatever.”
I hang up in shock. I can’t believe what has gotten into her.
It’s not what got into her; it’s what was taken out of her.
I throw my phone on the floor. I decide to just lay down and take a nap. I need it.
Before I know it, it’s tomorrow. I get up again and do the same thing. Over and over and over again I do the same routine in the morning.
Wait, wait. Stop. Something is left unsaid – who was going to be the next sinner?
Well, as my History teacher recalled it, he described that Stephanie and Joe were discussing Christina in the next class as their fourth sinner. So, they stayed after and discussed with my History teacher. He agreed. Christina will be sinned for anger. So, he preps his book and lets the lesson begin in his next class. Christina sits innocently in the class. He begins making fun of her, making her angry. When her anger escalates, he brought her into the hall and opened the book. I’m told she said “thank you” but I’m not sure. She’s not that polite now. But that was then. And this is now. And there is one sinner left.
