bathroom stalls » mileven

vingt-sept

"is it too short?" jane asked, twirling.

"wow, you cut it all off," mike said. jane laughed. mike felt a rush of sadness suddenly. she sounded just like eleven, only she could speak and communicate better.

"it feels like it is, but i donated all of it to cancer children," jane explained. she had cut off her hair, leaving it in a pixie cut. it felt boyish, yet somehow girly at the same time. it was like she was transitioning into eleven. "besides, i- i feel closer to her like this."

"how many inches?"

she gulped. "eleven." mike tightly smiled. "i sort of did it to irk brenner. god, he won't let me go anywhere besides school. it's a miracle that he lets me go to school still."

"she'll never leave us, will she?" mike changed subject.

"i don't think she's dead," jane blurted. the librarian shushed them, and jane blushed.

"what makes you think so?"

"if she truly died, wouldn't all her alternate selves die with her?"

"i guess? i'm not sure how reality works though."

"i've heard of what eleven did around here," jane murmured. "she was a hero."

"yeah, she was," mike bitterly replied.

"leave them alone!" the rain of bullets finally ceased. several students fell to the ground, shot, while the rest took shelter behind tables, anything.

jane turned, sensing the change in his attitude. she closed the book loudly. the librarian glared at jane again, but she ignored her. "what did she do to you?"

"no! i won't let you," eleven screamed, pushing mike behind her. the rest of the school stayed silent, watching the usually soft and quiet girl scream. "it's me you want," eleven continued, subtly motioning to the door. slowly, six students closest to the exits made a desperate run for it. they were gunned down immediately.

"eleven did what she always does: save people," mike continued.

"stop killing them!" eleven shrieked. there were ten intruders- all heavily armed with guns. she used her powers to snap two of their necks. there were eight left.

"we know what you can do," the main guy said. "don't try it, or we'll shoot more."

"let them go." there were at least a hundred students inside. the main guy nodded to his men.

"let's go! fifty of you up!" he tapped their heads, letting them run outside. eleven looked around. there were at least fifteen dead or hurt. she glared at the main intruder.

mike sighed. "you know how at the eighth grade dance, the snowball, there was a shooting. nineteen students died. eleven was supposedly one of them, but they never found her body."

"she died then?" jane sighed, leaning back. "on may 30?"

"may 30th," mike confirmed. jane sighed, fiddling with her hair and mumbling something. "what did you say?" mike asked. jane breathed in, meeting his eyes.

"that was the day i tried to kill myself," jane whispered.