I Know What You're Afraid Of

Chapter 10

They put out the fire and went inside after things started to get awkward. Marianne sat on a stool at the kitchen counter, occasionally sipping from a glass of water. It was around 10:30 now, but she was not tired and for the first time in her fifteen years of living, sleep was the last thing on her mind. She was too busy trying to figure out the game she was suddenly dragged into. The man in the hood was level one, but what did that mean? He was only here for Sydney, but they were all involved. I didn't make any sense. There weren't any rules or a description of the game. Why were they here? Why them specifically? How did they even get here?

   Marianne drank too much and had to use the bathroom. She got up and left the room, making her way over the small door down the hall. She finished her business and stood in front of the mirror. She stared at herself. She looked tired, dark circles under her eyes, pale skin. However, she was not ready to go to bed. She turned on the faucet and leaned down to splash her face with the cold water, hoping to wake herself up. When she looked up, the sight in front of her caused her jump back towards the wall behind her. For a split second, the reflection in the mirror was not hers. Instead it was Miles starring back at her, a sinister smile on his face. It was gone in a flash, leaving Marianne leaning back against the wall, her head in her hands trying to slow her breathing. "What the hell." she whispered.

   Drying her face, she left the bathroom in a hurry, speed walking back to the kitchen. On her way, she spotted Gina leaving the kitchen with something in her hands. Marianne watched her walk up the stairs. She entered the kitchen and took her place at the counter. She sat in silence for about five minutes before the door opened, making her jump in her seat. In walked miles, the last person she wanted to see. He walked over to the counter and sat next to her. "Hey."

   "Hi." She couldn't get the scene from the bathroom out of her head.

   "Man, I'm parched. You mind?" He pointed to her glass of water.

   "Um, actually-"

"Great, thanks." He picked up the glass and took a giant sip, leaving it almost empty. Marianne stared at him, mouth agape. She couldn't believe the nerve of this boy. Miles cringed at the taste of the liquid. "Jesus. What is this? Poison?"

  
   Marianne gave him a baffled look. "It's just water." Her voice was small, and it came out as more of a question.

  
   Miles looked at her incredulously. "I hate to break it to you, but this," He pointed to the glass, "Is not water." He got up and walked to the door saying a quick goodnight before walking out. Marianne sat there staring at the door. Not water? She looked to the glass, examining it, before lifting it to her nose. She sniffed it. It didn't smell like anything. She decided she shouldn't taste it, in case there was something wrong with it. She drank form it earlier and it was fine. She figured he was just messing with her, so she stood up and walked to the sink to dump it.

  
   She tilted the glass on its side and watched the water slide down the drain. The glass was almost empty when she heard something clang against the steel. She acted quickly, putting the glass down and reaching into the sink to block whatever it was from going down the drain. A small, clear pearl-shaped object rolled next to her hand. She let out a small sigh from her nose, relieved she caught it before it slipped down the drain, never to be discovered. Marianne picked it up with her free hand and examined it closely. It was smaller than her pinky nail. She didn't know what it was or how it got in her water. This must be what Miles was tasting. She didn't dare taste it herself. She stuck it in the small pocket of her pants and walked upstairs.

*************************************        Miles was lying awake in bed. He felt a little weird since he drank the 'water', but he figured he was just nervous about being away from home. Soon, the feeling became less tolerable. His stomach felt like it was dissolving, and pain shot through his chest. He sat up in a coughing fit. His face started to feel warm, so Miles got out of bed and walked as quickly as he could to the bathroom. When he made it through the door, he lost his balance and fell forward, catching himself on the edge of the sink. He stood, trying to catch his breath, but he could feel his throat slowly closing. His body got weaker and weaker until he could no longer hold himself up. The world went dark the second he hit the bathroom tiles.

*************************************

   Marianne had changed and is now sitting in her bed reading a book. She was only nine pages in when she heard a thud, from the other side of the wall. Miles. She put the book down and ran out of the room. She knocked on his door. No response. She knocked harder no response. So, she pushed the door open harder than necessary, and ran into the room. His bed was empty. The covers were pulled back and the sheets were wrinkled where he had been sitting. She could see light coming from the crack under the bathroom door. She rushed over to it and knocked softly. "Miles? Are you okay?" he didn't answer, and she started to worry. "I'm coming in." He still didn't answer, so she opened the door. Her hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her scream.

   Miles lay there, unconscious with blood pouring out of his nose and onto his mouth and the sides of his face. Marianne rushed to his side and grabbed his shoulders, gently shaking him. "Miles? Miles, can you hear me?" He started to choke, and cough and Marianne began to panic. "Help! Please, somebody help!" She could hear the other's bedroom doors open, and one by one they piled into the room.

   "Marianne!" Ricky shouted. "What's going – oh god." His eyes widened and his face went pale. Sydney gasped from behind him. "Marianne, what happened."

   Marianne began to sob. "I-I don't... I don't know. I h-heard a thud, and I came to see if he was okay, an-and I found him like this." She didn't really know why she was crying. She didn't know him, but she was scared for his life. "I don't know what to do. What do we do?"

   Ricky walked around her and dug through the cupboards, pulling out a handcloth. He shoved the cloth into her hands and leaned down to look her in the eyes. "I need you to try and stop the bleeding while we go look for something to help, okay? Can you do that?" Marianne nodded frantically. "Great. Sydney and I will look in the kitchen, Gina and Brad go search the bathrooms." They all nodded and left the room quickly, except for Gina, who seemed to be taking her precious time. Marianne looked at her sideways. She caught a glimpse of anger and annoyance on her face. Marianne couldn't understand the reasoning behind it. Why would she be angry at a time like this? Before she could confront her about it, Gina had stormed out of the room.

   Marianne moved to sit behind Miles, gently picking his head up and placing it on her lap. She moved one of his raven-black curls off his pale face. It was stiff and sticky from the blood that coated his cheeks. She picked up the cloth and carefully wiped the blood off his face, revealing the speckled skin. She watched as the white fabric of the cloth turned a dark crimson. Her eyes dance over his features. His eyes were shut, his thick, long black lashes kissed his cheeks. His nose was perfectly decorated with light freckles that reached from ear to ear. His lips were now a cherry red, stained with blood. His chest raised with each short, shaky breath. Each time she wiped the blood away, more would flow from his nose it thick streams. The others weren't back yet, and Miles was running out of time.