Adventures of a schoolgirl

3: Breaking News I

After several minutes of scampering and dodging teachers and the janitors, Tanya and Rhea finally reached their destination. They were on the 3rd floor and the staircase was just around the corner. They tiptoed their way up... searching eagerly for the tracks of that old creep whom they were so interested in.

What they saw somehow irritated both of them. There was no one on the staircase, not a single soul. It was as deserted as it was supposed to be. Tanya rolled her eyes and turning towards Rhea she spoke

'I don't see anyone here, do you? Oh God Ree, I wasted my science lecture for this!'

'I swear I saw him!' There was a slightly anxious pause as Tanya though about what to do next. She wouldn't go back empty handed.

'You know what, let's go and investigate on the 4th floor.' She said as she was done pondering over what could go wrong and what could go right. A lot could go wrong actually. But Tanya didn't wanna think about that.

'Investigate? We're schoolgirls Tanya... not spies. The 4th floor is off limits. What if we get caught?' retorted Rhea.

So here's the thing... Tanya was now rebellious. She would do the extreme just to acquire thrill and in the course of finding it, she ended up doing things that got her into trouble. That's how her name reminded several teachers of mischief.

Rhea didn't always agree with that but like I stated before, she didn't have the habit of going against people. Yet that doesn't mean she was stupid. She was far from it actually. She too was a free spirit but she knew her limits. On the other hand, Tanya was really convincing.

While Rhea was having a little debate in her head, Tanya added to her point 'I don't wanna stay in the dark. This school is just like our home... we need to know what's happening.'

This gave Rhea some confidence and she finally agreed. However, deep down, both knew that if someone spotted them, they would be in deep trouble. So they trotted up the stairs as quietly as they could.

Tanya could almost feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins and she loved that feeling. Over the years, Rhea had also learnt to enjoy such tasks. Honestly, she had no choice. She'd rather be excited than scared.

What they came across next truly surprised them. The 4th floor looked like it was under construction. There were cans of paint and carpentry tools sprawled out on the floor. The walls looked like the wallpaper had just been scraped off. Where windows had been, bricks had been fixed into the spaces.

'Look!' exclaimed Rhea, pointing towards a silver name plate with the letters 'Mr. D. Stone' she read out.

'I think we should leave...' said Rhea. To be honest, Tanya was thinking the same.

'No. We've come so far. Just a look inside his office and I swear we'll return.' They were talking in hushed voices although there was no one around. She crept her way towards the door and stood just few inches away from it, wondering about what or who would be inside.

Rhea carefully pushed the door open and walked inside. Tanya too entered and seeing Rhea gaping, she inquired 'What happe...' her sentence was cut short when she noticed what had surprised her.

There was an enormous portrait of a man. He looked just like Rhea had described him. A scar ran from under his eye up to the corner of his mouth, making it look like someone had slashed his face with a knife. He had raven hair with strands or gray which was slick back and a weird crooked jaw. To say the least, he looked creepy.