Smiling in the rain

Chapter 11: Elsa

The scream pierces the air like a knife, shattering the quiet. Faye and I glance at each other and run towards the sound. Someone dressed fully in black, complete with a ski mask, shoves past us and sprints down the hallway. I'm half torn between running after them or helping Kat.

"You help her!" I yell as I take off.

I don't give her a chance to respond. I hear her screaming and I assume she's seen Kat. The figure in black rounds the corner and I hear a strangled yelp and a thud. I force my legs to move faster and I round the corner and slam. I ran straight into Phil. We fall to the ground in a tangle and I groan in pain.

"Oh god, I'm sorry," Phil apologises quickly.

I push myself up and look at him. "It's ok, I should have been looking where I was going," I say as I stand and brush myself off. Snap.

"Um, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to hang out in the library some time?" Phil asks nervously.

"How about no. Piss off and leave me alone, asshole," I snap and storm past.

__________________

By the time I've gotten away from that dumbass, I've lost Kat's attacker. I press my hands against my face and scream into my palms.

"You right there?" I hear a voice and snap my head up. It's Cody, Kat's boyfriend. He wipes his hands on his jeans and picks at a black thread hanging from his shirt.

"You know your business, why don't ya mind it." I glare at him.

He scowls and pushes past me. Suddenly, I'm slammed into the wall. I push away from me and I open my eyes to see Faye, with a wounded look on her face.

"Are you okay, Elsa?" she asks nervously.

"I'm fine. I'm fed up with people touching me, is all."

Her shoulders relax visibly. "Oh. Erm, Kat's in the infirmary. You should come with me to see her."

"Fine. Let's go."

_______________

The infirmary has a funny smell, like Dettol and sick people. There are two empty stretcher-like beds that look like torture devices and a third, occupied by Kat. Her leg is propped up on a pillow and wrapped in strapping tape and bandages and there is still dried blood in her blond hair. Faye sits cautiously on the very end of the bed.

"H-hey Kat. H-how are you doing?" she asks shakily. I roll my eyes and flop onto one of the other beds.

"I have a concussion and a broken arm. How do you fucking think I'm doing?" Kat snaps bitterly. Then she sighs. "I'm doing okay, I guess."

I prop myself up on my elbows. "Did the person who pushed you happen to be wearing all black?" I ask.

Kat stares at me with a haunted look. "How'd you know?"

"Because they had the nerve to shove me. So I chased them," I say sourly, recalling the asshole who had the nerve to push past me. Bitch, I am queen.

The door clicks open and a heavy-set nurse lady walks through it.

"Sorry dearies, but you're going to have to leave. Katrina here needs some rest," she says apologetically.

Faye nods and jumps off the bed like she's been burned. Then she hurries out of the room, leaving me in the dust (not literally, of course. This woman looks like she'd throw a fit if there was the tiniest speck of dust in her infirmary). I throw an awkward smile at Kat and pace quickly out of the room.

_____________________

I stroll through the corridors, occasionally catching snippets of people laughing and digitalised gun-fire. I put my combat boot down on what should have been carpet, but was actually a loose sheet of paper. My feet slip out from underneath me and I land on my butt on the ground. I glare angrily at the paper I slipped on. Something about the grey-scale tone attracts my further attention. I gingerly crawl forward and flatten the paper against the ground.

FATAL CAR CRASH KILLS FIVE

Two cars were involved in a car crash along Oakdale Road.

The drivers and front seat passengers were both killed instantly.

Crystal Summers and her husband Michael Summers were driving with their

young, teenaged daughter to the hospital where Mrs Summers was

about to have her second child. Oliver Lowe and his wife Nichole were travelling

home from a family holiday. Their son, Nigel, is still missing.

Accompanying this is a photo of a teenage girl holding her head in her hands while a male doctor wheels a stretcher past her. Even without a clear image, the girl is obviously Faye. A small blur in the top left corner of the image catches my eye and I have a gut feeling that it's Nigel. A sudden flash of anger causes me to scrunch the paper up and I run to my dorm, which is weird in itself because I don't run.

I skid around the corner and keep running at the door. Part of me thinks, If you keep running, you're going to crash into the door. I push the handle down and burst through the door. Faye barely glances up. I uncurl the paper with shaking hands.

"Is this true?"

A/N: Hiii guys! HAPPY SUPER FABULOUS ULTIMATE FRIDAY!! This is Manasa. :) This chapter was written by the gorgeous Georgia. :) She'll probably put her own author's note in here soon. :) So, we've been on holidays and mine have absolutely sucked. I'm feeling lonely I guess. :/ Anyway, omg who has heard Steal My Girl by One Direction?? It's absolutely amazing!! Like I said to Georgia, I think our fandom is the only fandom that can leak a song 1 day before its actual release. *5 lolling emojis* WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK OF THE CHAPTER?! Tension, tension! Thank you so much for the 176 reads so far!! Please Vote, Comment and Follow us!! It would make two crazy girls smile! :)

Manasa's warm hugs xoxox