TAINTED ROSE

Chapter 18

Natasha stuffed her sleeping bag and other necessities into a bag with the Assasin Scouts logo on it and exited the room reluctantly. While she did want to find out what was going on, she was hesitant about leaving the safety of the room.

“Let’s go.” Nat lead Helen and Rose as they snuck up the stairs.

“Where are we going?” Rose asked quietly.

Helen looked to Nat, waiting for her answer.

“Hmm…” Natasha was interrupted by the loud whine of lawnmowers. “Run!” Natasha grabbed Helen’s hand as the three of them ran to the nearest hiding spot. Many girls were executed for entering this place, but the rules had been changed; the staff toilet.

“Ew…” Rose whined, daintily stepping over a dead body. “Keep your voice down, Rose. We need to find clues. I mean, it couldn’t have happened suddenly.” Natasha strategized.

“Hello?” Rose jumped as she heard the voice. Drawing her butter knife, Helen snuck over to the next closed cubicle and pushed open the door…

“Sherry? Adolpha? Pearlyn? Crystal?” Helen was shocked to see the four of them hunched in the tiny cubicle. Crawling out, Sherry smiled then explained, “We couldn’t let you guys go alone, so we’ve come to help! But I see you found Nat by yourself. See, I told you they would do it!” Sherry turned to Crystal, who was pulling dirty toilet roll off her shoe.

“Hi. No time for chit chat, we need to get out there and find out what’s going on!” Nat was hurried with her words. She couldn’t be sure just how safe the toilet was, and she didn’t want to find out the hard way.

“Where’s the one place in the school where you can find out about the past?” Sherry asked.

“The library!” Pearlyn blurted out, then clapped.

Adolpha nodded, and then beckoned for them as she ran out of the toilet.

-

Books lay carelessly strewn all over the floor. Dead, rotting bodies lay all over the floor. “You guys want to split up? Find whatever’s left of well, the library.” Pearlyn asked.

“We need yearbooks, newspaper clippings. Whatever you can find about the past.” Adolpha dictated, more alert. The others nodded.

“Hmm…” Helen wandered away from the group, from the shelves to the bodies piled on the ground. She started to dig through it. “Ew… Helen!” Rose wrinkled her nose. “What?” Helen rolled her eyes. She began to pull out DX pens, rainbow string, blunt knives and soggy supplies.

“Wait…why is everything so soggy?” Adolpha asked, picking up a book falling from its spine. Helen nodded “Here too!”

“AMBUSH!” 6 2/1 girls leapt out of nowhere. Suddenly, they heard a gurgling sound. “Just as I thought, run!” Adolpha and Helen shout. The party sped out and locked the cold hard doors of the library. Leaning against the doors, Crystal sighed with relief.

Pearlyn looked at the huge wave of water, her face filling with dread. “Guys? I don’t think…”

“BOOM!” The water burst through the glass doors, ripping it off its hinges. “Crystal! Run!” Nat screamed.

They tumbled out of the library, down the steps. “Ow…I think I’ve got a bruise.” Rose stood up and whined, rubbing her head. “Forget the bruise, where’s Crystal?” Adolpha scowled at Rose. “Watch out!” Crystal screamed, a wave pushing her. “Get off me!” Rose screeched as Crystal fell on her. “Haha Rose, you got another bruise.” Nat could not help smiling.

When the water subsided, the group ran back into the library. “Quick! Look for all the yearbooks you can find!”

-

Back at the Assassin Scouts room, they started sorting the books out.

“Well guys, we’re down to the last one!” Crystal picked up an ancient looking book. “Sherry, Pearlyn, you do the honours.” She passed it over with a smile.

“I’m hungry.” Rose whined. “Shut up, Rose. We’ll see what we can find.”  Natasha said.

 “Oh, look, Girl Guide cookies!” Helen smiled and reached for one.

 “NO!” Rose lunged for it.

“Geez Rose, I know you’re hungry but you didn’t have to snatch it like that.” Helen looked distinctly annoyed.

“I, uh, kind of poisoned all the cookies?” Rose gave a sheepish grin.

“Why did you have to do that? Now we can’t eat them!” Helen berated.

“Rose!” everyone shouted.

“That’s okay. I found some soggy sandwiches in the 2/1 girls’ pockets.” Pearlyn grinned.

“Ew! Dead people food!” Rose complained.

“Rose, it’s either eat or starve. Have it your own way.” That being said, Adolpha went back to stoning.

-

This should cover me until end of exams. haha will post more in about two weeks :)