Rich Kids Don't Die | Featured

Chapter Three

THE NEXT MORNING, MADISON WOKE UP with a small gasp. Slivers of the morning light bled through the satin curtains, like cool water seeping through her very fingers. An array of blurred oranges and soft pinks had smudged the canvas of the sky, signalling sun rise.

Blinking rapidly, she turned towards her drawer. She thought it over, and she finally decided to pull open the drawer and take out the gun. Without having gotten a chance to look at it properly, she wasn't quite sure she should have kept it.

She twirled it in her hand in fascination. It was gleaming white, lined with pearls on the handle. She found that after pulling the chamber of the gun back, an array of bullets fell into the comfort of her palm. They were golden, shining like a star and scaring her all at the same time.

Moments passed, where she held each bullet between her two fingers, thinking to herself of the possibilities, wondering if wanting to die after a few bad experiences was even valid, pitying herself for being so weak.

Maddie recalled the events of last night, and the fear crawled back into place. How would she face them all on Monday? Would she strut to school with her usual air of confidence, or would she flee the scene as Lucian walked by?

Now that she had touched upon the topic, she realized that despite how caring her friends could seem, they were too absorbed in their own lives to care much for hers. After all, hours had passed last night and not one person had come to look for her. It was only when the entire student body of Oak lined up in front of her that she managed to grab the attention of a friend.

Not all of them, just one. Not Elle, even. This hurt Madison a bit more than she could care to admit.

Her usual dominance had diminished when she'd realized that she would never be completely safe. She could never fight against the darkest forces. And if she could not achieve this, how would she protect herself? How would she escape those who lived to haunt her for her anger, her spite, what she was beginning to recognize as her mistakes?

She could not.

Clouds of doubt misted her mind, telling her to stop. Stop. Don't. Ignoring them, she shook her head in denial before pointing the bullet right towards her heart. Heart racing, she lay her finger on the trigger. The gun dug into her chest, clawing against the sequins of her dress. Birds began to sing outside, lullabies in her ears mingling with the screams in her head. Tears trailed down her cheek.

BOOM.

Hours later, Maddie Dominic lay on her bed, soaked in blood.

The gun lay beside her, splattered in crimson which tainted it's dazzling gleam. Roses wilted on her bedside table, frowning upon her seemingly dead body.

But Maddie was not dead. Her heart beat was steady, her breathing perfectly normal. Her cheeks remained rosy, her skin just as vibrant as before.

Suddenly, she shot upwards, chest heaving as she let out a scream.