The Manipulation Room

Chapter 14 - Blacked Out

Manipulation Room victim no. 91282
Name: Cora Rivers 
Age: 16 years old
Occupation: Student
Family Member: 17-year-old brother, Felix 
Description: Forced to consume 10 ml of hydrogen cyanide which reacted like poison and caused an almost instantaneous death.

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"Well...got to go kiddo." Echo winked at me and waved at Kierra. "Wait, where are you going?" I asked, as we all crossed the road towards the school. "Early morning detention, I'm already-" She looked down at her watch. "-six and a half minutes late." 
I scoffed, "Then what are you doing standing here?" 
She put a hand on my shoulder and raised an eyebrow, "It's called stalling, my dear sister." 
Kierra giggled next to me, "Why did you get a detention?" 

"Overdue homework. Turns out Mrs Aislinn isn't as nice as she seems." She shrugged. Kierra nodded her head in agreement. "We'll have to tell you about the drama later then..." Kierra sighed. Echo and I both creased our foreheads at Kierra and said simultaneously, "What drama?" We were definitely sisters, that was for sure. It's like our minds were somehow connected; it could be incredibly creepy. Kierra chuckled, raising an eyebrow at me, "The fight?" 
Echo's eyes immediately widened, "What fight?!" 

I punched her gently on the arm and shot her a seething stare, "Calm down, and keep your voice down!"
She pulled me to the side of the school courtyard, Kierra trailing close behind and folded her arms, "Tell me everything." She was bobbing up and down, eyes wide with fascination. 
"Don't you have a detention to be at right now?" 
She shrugged, "That can wait, this sounds a lot more interesting." 
I rolled my eyes at her, "This is why you're failing school." 
"Come on! So...what fight?" 

I folded my arms, refusing to tell her anything till she went to detention. Not that that made any kind of difference, Kierra was always on Echo's side when it came to drama and gossip. Ever since we'd started being friends all those years ago, they'd been close. "Maddox and Ezra!" She squealed, jumping up and down on the spot like an over-excited child. Echo's mouth dropped wide open, almost hitting the floor, "Ezra, as in that fit boy that you walk home with that brought me that killer soup?!" 
I nodded slowly, not even trying to stop her yelling 'fit' at the top of her lungs. "And Maddox...a complete and utter jerk." I explained. "Who also happens to have a serious crush on Lyric!" Kierra added. Echo's eyes widened even more than I thought was physically possible, "They were fighting over you?!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. I shook my head quickly, "No! Maddox tried to make a move on me but I kept telling him to stop...Ezra came and...well, he saved me." I stared at the ground, cheeks flushed red. 

Echo practically launched herself at me, "He protected you! Lyric, he totally likes you." 
I pushed her off and rolled my eyes again, "We're just friends. Friends." 
Kierra smirked, "No friend would do what he did. Jaxon visited him in hospital yesterday and-"
"-he was in hospital?" 
"Yeah...stitches on his eyebrow apparently." I thought back to the massive cut he had over his eyebrow, how I'd been right to tell him to go to hospital. I exhaled, "Is he okay?" 
Kierra nodded, and I could see Echo smirking beside me. "He wouldn't stop asking if you were okay, apparently." Kierra grinned at me and I rolled my eyes again. I pulled down the sleeves to my long-sleeved shirt, remembering the bruises that had been there.

Echo glanced at her watch again, "Okay, I really should be off now, but I'm going to say one thing before I leave..." 
I groaned, "Please don't." 
She smirked at me again, as she began to walk away. "He totally likes you!" She called as she ran off into the school. I gave Kierra a look, "Thanks for telling her."
She giggled, "She's your sister, Lyric." 
I shrugged, "Come on, we're gonna be late." 
"Late for what? Seeing Ezra?" 
I shot her a deathly look and strode into the school building with a flick of my shoulder. I heard her giggling as she followed close behind.