In My Hands, Know Suffering

20: Through Steady Streams

Consequences were now born. There was talk around the campus for the past months where the last incident happened around the gymnasium. Some students, especially those who were really prying into the lives of others, had linked the killings to Abrielle.

They assumed she was cursed and whoever dared to raise a fist on her was killed in uncertain ways. That rumor alone made them stop poking at her, at least at times. It left her with no one to interact with except her roommate and the person who really brought about the killings himself.

Abrielle was settled on one corner of the library trying to focus on reading some manuals. People looked at her with a gruesome structure like she was guilty of murdering those people. She tried her hardest to avoid their gazes, but they just had to bring up past events she didn't even want to remember. She couldn't focus on studying either.

"You know Ryna? After the thing she did to her at the victory party, the following morning she was found dead in the guest suite."

"Tell me about it, I clearly remember some medical students who made fun of her every morning and then one of them went pyscho and shot his friends."

"Can you believe everyone who died got involved with her?"

Abrielle clenched her fists and almost crumpled the manual. Why can't they just leave behind what happened months ago? As long as they couldn't move on, then even she can't bury it behind because it was stressed on her that she was the culprit somehow. But she wasn't, and that's where they've gone wrong.

She was the one who wanted to prevent those deaths from happening. Unfortunately, no one knew and no one cared. So be it.

She felt something cold pressed against her cheek. It made her jerk her head away at the sudden sensation. Her thoughts on the matter was pushed aside when Castellone stood behind her. He was handing her a can of soda. She took it and held onto it with both hands. "Thanks."

Castellone settled across her and placed his own review materials on the table. He flipped a few pages before looking at her. She immediately glanced away. He knew she felt awkward having him there, but it didn't matter to him. He leaned back in his chair before looking back at his notes. "None of them was the person, right?"

Abrielle was unsure of what he spoke of. "What?"

"I remember you asking me one time to kill someone. Am I right in assuming that none of those students were this person?" He made sure she heard him just right to avoid unwanted gossip again.

He knew what she's been through although the details weren't transparent enough yet. He wasn't the type to pressure her for information and wanted to take small steps to answer his curiosity somehow. She was beginning to grow on him as a mystery. He wanted to know more of her.

"Why are you suddenly interested in knowing? That was four months ago." Abrielle said. Her bruises were gone and she had the same look that rendered innocence in her features. Just now, he noticed how smooth her skin actually was without those scars.

Castellone shrugged before looking to the side. He watched some students who returned a kind of accusing look at them. Clearly they were talking about him and her. He glared at them. They immediately dispersed the minute he did so. "You were never one to ask for something like that."

Abrielle had gone quiet. He was right. She was the one to even prevent the deaths as much as possible. But now that he mentioned it, she realized that no one had died for the past four months ever since the rumor about her had spread. The school year was nearing its end and they were about to enter their sophomore year soon.