When The Clock Strikes Midnight

Chapter 2

New chapter :) Reminder that the story is a bit slow at first, but I swear, it picks up! Just a filler chapter!

When The Clock Strikes Midnight: Chapter 2

All of us - Izzy, Ethan, Darcy, Luke, and myself - cleaned up our table and escaped the extremely loud dining hall. Even outside the building, we could hear the low vibration of voices echoing inside the walls.

Luke casually said. "That was a successful dinner with no hearing injuries. Now I vote that we all go back to the boys' dorm and hang out." All the boys nodded in agreement, but Izzy spoke up.

"Unfortunately, we have to do the Initiation for Piper." Izzy smiled evily and tugged at my wrist. "It's an annual Watkins Academy tradition."

Ethan scoffed. "Not that stupid thing again. You basically traumatized that poor girl, Sally-"

"Oh, come on, she was perfectly fine!" Izzy defended herself.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? I seem to remember that an ambulance had to come for her."

"Sally is just afraid of the dark! Piper here seems strong enough to handle it. I did it, and she will be able to do it to." She turned to me. "Right, Piper?"

I widened my eyes. "W-Well I guess so?" I wasn't afraid of the dark, or anything that I know of.

Izzy clapped her hands together. "Great! Us girls can go and start the ritual." She turned to the boys. "You guys can just sit there and watch the magic happen." She grabbed both me and Darcy, and dragged us into the Girl's dorm, with the boys following behind us.

We eventually got into our room, but as soon as the boys came up, Izzy sighed. "You guys can't be a part of the ritual. We can tell you guys about it later, but for now-" She pointed at the hallway. "You can sit out there." The door shut with a slam and sat down with us, in a circle in the middle of the room.

Darcy grabbed a candle from one of the nightstands, and Izzy turned off all the lights and closed the curtains. My heart started to beat faster and my breathing became heavier. "I forgot to ask, what exactly do I have to do?"

Izzy mischievously grinned. "Oh, you'l find out." They all took their places back in the circle and lit the candle in the middle. The fire flickered in the dark room as Izzy began to speak. "We must all hold hands as I say the ritual." I regrettably took hold of each one of their hands and she started up her chant again.

"Do you, Piper Scott,

take the risk of the initiation

to earn your peers respect?

Do you, Piper Scott,

face your biggest fear

to conquer anything else?

Do you, Piper Scott,

need to uncover the secrets

within the Watkins Academy walls?"

The last words sent shivers down my spine and my stomach drops out of my body. "Yes, I do." I whispered under my breath.

Izzy's eyes flickered up to mine. "Great." She blew out the candle and blackness overcame the room. What did I just accept to do?

I hear Darcy's voice out of the darkness. "Where did you hear that ritual anyways?"

The lights come back on and Izzy shrugs. "I'm not sure. It's just been around Watkins' Academy for centuries, and I guess it just carried on. It's rumored to have been made all the way back in the 1800's, but fat chance on that."