No Smart Kids Allowed

Chapter 14: Dinner Time

"We've been waiting for you," my mother says. Or should I say imposter.

"You've been waiting for me?" I ask. At this point, I feel like I'm acting out the "Caroline," movie. It's creepy.

I begin examining every visible part of them. They have the exact same features as my parents. However, there is one thing I notice. One thing that disturbs my soul.

They don't have fingernails. 

Part of me wants to make a run for it, but I know for a fact there's no easy way out. It's worth a try, though. "I need some air," I tell them, then start walking towards the door.

They stand up so fast that I didn't see their legs bend over or move. The speed was impossible and nothing like I had ever seen in my life. My heart is pounding in my chest. I'm standing in front of two people that I know aren't people. I don't know what they are.

Without their permission, I run towards the door and try to open it. The doorknob doesn't turn. Darn!

"Cosima!" The mother shouts. "Come here."

I turn around and see her wiggling her finger at me to come to her. I nervously shake my head. "No," I reply.

All of a sudden, a long wooden paddle appears in her hand. In the blink of an eye, the father is standing by the door with his back against us. I don't know why he's there, not looking at us.

I feel a cold breeze on my legs and when I look down, I see that my pants are down, exposing my underwear. I swear...I didn't even feel them fall off of me.

My back faces the mother unwillingly and I feel a burning sensation fly against my behind, followed by stinging pain. *WACK* Another smack against my behind with the paddle. She hits me over ten times and I eventually loose count. Each second I'm praying and begging for it to end. When she stops, my eyes are pouring with tears. I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to sit for a while.

"I hope this will teach you not to disrespect me again," she whispers. "Young lady."

My heart skips a beat when she had said, 'young lady.' Her voice changed when she had said it. It was dark, unnatural, and very hard to explain perfectly. The part that chills my spine is that I heard more than one voice behind that dark voice. Many different voices with many different tones.

"Pull up your pants," she orders.

I'm so scared that I forgot that my pants are down. I pull them back up, still looking down and avoiding eye contact with her. I can feel her eyes staring at me, but I'm afraid to look up now. In this moment I'm afraid to do anything, even break their stupid rules.

"Go to your room and reflect on your actions," she smiles. "Dinner will be ready soon. I love you."

I go to my room, not daring to mention that it wasn't even 2 PM yet. The door to my room is open and I slowly close it, hoping that I was allowed too. Everything in my room is neat, but it's nothing like the room I left behind. There's makeup on the top of my desk, strange medical equipment stored inside of the desk, and a pile of history, science, and makeup books by my bed.

I look at all three books and try to figure out what they may all have in common. Makeup, medical equipment, history. I say in my mind, then start to break things down. "Makeup, disguises, not human, shedding, sound making, rules, history, following old laws.

What could this mean for the teachers? What were they? Why are these rules so strict? Why are we the bait? So many questions and no answer. I groan, feeling frustrated. I plop down on my bed and as I'm staring at the white ceiling, I remember something. I'm alone and I still have my phone!

I quickly take out my phone and realize that I have a few messages from everyone in our small group.

Felix: "Fuck. I'm creeped out, but I'm okay. Is everyone okay?"

Scott: "I am. Just...afraid."

Mulan: "Guys, I don't know how I'll sleep through the night."

Gemma: "Me either. These aren't our parents. I'm not what they are. They made me something to eat and I had to spit it out. It was way too overseasoned and sweet. It wasn't a good combination."

Felix: "Cannibals over season their food sometimes. Keeps people from knowing that they're eating humans."

Oh my God. Part of me wants to throw up. I just know if I should do that first or just cry. 

Mulan: "Felix, don't say that. They're forcing me to eat it."

Scott: "Guys Aaliyah sent me a video just now. It's unclear, but it's kind of...scary. You guys might want to sleep with your eyes open tonight."

Before I click the video, the rest of the comments say stuff like, "OMG," or "What is that!" and, "Is Aaliyah okay! I'm freaking out."

I finally click the video and prepare my heart for the worst. Only...it's nothing like I can imagine. The video begins with Aaliyah standing in front of someone. I can only see Aaliyah's back and nothing else at the moment. The camera looks like it's placed between two books. I can see that Aaliyah is holding a pair of scissors, then she purposely drops them.

My breathing stops when I can finally see what she was doing, and what was in the background. In the background, sticking to the wall with their legs and hands spread out is a girl. I assume she's dead because her head is limp. In front of the body sitting on a small chair, is...

I don't know how to describe it because it isn't exactly a woman. It has features like a woman and one side of the face is done. The other side is black mushy glob looking flesh. There's no skin on that part yet, but the other side is done. So in that moment, it has one eye, half a nose, half lips, and one eyebrow. 

"More skin," it hisses like a mean old lady at Aaliyah.

"I hate this part," Aaliyah says looking down, but I know she's talking to the camera. She walks over to the dead girl on the wall while holding a sharp knife. Without warning, her knife starts cutting into the face. She cuts pieces of square shape skin, then drops it on the table next to where the half human sat.

At this point, I can't feel my heart beating anymore. What I'm looking at right now, is like nothing I could have possibly imagine. Aaliyah then starts putting the skin on the black parts of the face. The mush absorbs it. It doesn't even need to be sewn. She then picks up something pink and wobbly off of the table. It's the lips. She adds everything and when she's done, a person carrying a makeup box walks in along with an adult screaming for help.

Aaliyah quickly grabs the phone and ends the video right there. I quickly turn off my phone screen, place it behind me, and look at my door. Standing there, smiling at me with a plate of meat and rice in her hands is the mother. I don't think she had noticed the phone, but if she did she didn't say anything. All she says is, "Dinner time."