I Know What You're Afraid Of

Chapter 17

I hate writing author's notes, but I feel the need to apologize for my absence. I am trying to get back on track with this story, so you can expect some shorter chapters. I took a break to work on a few other things, so, check them out if you would like. I don't know how often I will update because everything is so unpredictable these days. I don't know what high school will be like this year, so I wouldn't be surprised if this book isn't finished by Christmas. I WILL finish it, though! for those of you reading. Sorry for the paragraph. Enjoy!

   Marianne knocked softly on the door to be greeted by Ricky only seconds later. His eyes were wide, most likely from the shock. His curly hair stuck up in all directions, indicating he had just recently rolled out of bed. Ricky stared down at her, dazed. "Hey..." He murmured with a weak smile.

   She returned it, only a little brighter than his. "Hey, Ricky. How are you?" She could tell he was still shaken up from yesterday. They all were. Her heart broke just by looking at him. Tears pooled in his eyes, but never fell. They just kinda... sat there.

   Ricky sucked in a shaky breath, turning his gaze to the ground. "Yeah, I'm uhh... I'm alright." Though he tried hard to look fine, it was his voice that betrayed him. He winced each time it broke, knowing his cover was blown. Marianne sighed and pulled him into a tight, comforting hug. He buried his head into her shoulder and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Haven't done this in a while." He chuckled. His voice was muffled against her shirt. "It's nice."

   "It is." She sighed.

   Ricky pulled away and visibly swallowed the lump in his throat. "It isn't over yet... is it?"

   "No," She croaked. "It's not. At least, I don't think it is."

   Ricky squeezed his eyes shut. It was hard to tell if he was trying to keep the tears in, or help them fall. "What if..." He trailed off, as his voice cracked. "What if someone... dies? What then?" What then? What then? "Where would they go? Are they gone forever?"

   Marianne was truly at a loss for words. She hadn't really thought about that. Would they go home? Would they wake up from this nightmare before everyone else? The questions were endlessly spinning in her head. "I don't know." She said finally. "I hope we never have to find out." Ricky nodded. "Everything will be okay, Ricky." Part of her immediately regretted saying it because she couldn't promise him anything. She thought, eventually, everything would be alright. But, she had no idea what was going to happen next. None of them did. And that was the scariest part.

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   The hardest thing Marianne has ever done, is restraining herself from strangling someone who deserves it. She was finding it immensely difficult to keep her cool in front of the others, and especially n front of Gina. The best way to keep someone from running, is to make sure they don't know they're being chased. As they sat in silence in the living room, she tried her best to avoid eye contact with Gina. She kept her eyes on the ground, occasionally raising them to glance at Miles who seemed to be keeping his cool much better than her. He slouched back in the large chair, looking bored out of his mind. However, the second they locked eyes for the third time, his expression became one of determination. He glanced to Gina, then back to Marianne, raising his brows as if to ask, 'what do we do about her?'. And honestly, she had no idea.

   The tick of the broken clock on the wall was all that could be heard. It mocked her with each tick tock. If she were like Sydney, she would have destroyed it within seconds. Every small sound triggered her anxiety, and it didn't help that they were just waiting for something to happen. She couldn't take it anymore. She stood up, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "What are we doing?" She exclaimed.

   Brad slouched forward, holding himself up with his elbows. "We're waiting for something to happen." He Said in an obvious tone.

   "Yes, when we could be doing something useful! Like preparing ourselves." She yelled. "We're just sitting here, completely helpless, waiting to get killed!"

   "Well, what do you suggest we do?!" Brad stood up and stalked his way toward her. "We don't even know what's coming, but if you're so smart, please, by all means, tell us what to do."

   Marianne felt smaller than ever standing under him. She looked around for help, catching Sydney's gaze as she watched expectantly. "I don't know," She whispered. "But just sitting around... it doesn't feel right."

   Gina scoffed from across the room. "Pathetic."

   That was it for Marianne. Get ready to run, Gina. "You're one to talk." She spat. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Miles grip the arms of the chair. He looked ready to drag her away if he needed to.

   "What do you mean?" Gina tried to play dumb, but Marianne was no fool.

   She reached into her pocket and pulled out the bottle of poison orbs. "Do these look familiar?" She could see Gina flinch slightly, but she never opened her mouth to speak, so Marianne did the talking for her. "I found these in your room when I went to make amends with you. I guess that went to waste, didn't it?" Gina just glared daggers at her, unmoving from her spot on the couch.

   Ricky looked between Marianne, Gina, and the bottle. "Sorry, what, uhh, what are those?"

   "These are poison. Identical to the one I found in the glass Miles drank from. My glass." She spat. Her eyes never left Gina. "It was supposed to be me." She looked around, seeing their shocked and terrified expressions.

   Gina was fuming. "Yeah, well, maybe you both deserved it." She seethed. "i heard your little conversation earlier. Looks like Miles is hiding something after all." Apart from the panic and shock, Marianne was angry. They all looked at Miles. He looked scared, and Marianne could see the panic in his eyes.

   "So," Brad started. "What is it, bud?" He smirked. "Something you want to share with everyone?"

   Miles didn't move or speak. He just stared at Brad. Not scared, not nervous, not anything. If She knew anything about Miles, it was that he was most dangerous when calm. She could sense the storm coming, so she tried to calm it down. "Brad- Mary, don't." Miles calmly interrupted. He stood up, keeping his eyes fixed on Brad.

   "Mary," He mocked. "That's cute." He turned to glance at Marianne, then right back at Miles. "So, what's going on between you two? Hasn't even been a week and you're already down each other's throats."

   Ricky shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Mary is a pretty common nickname." He mumbled.

   Marianne could feel Gina's eyes burning into her. She did the only thing she could in that moment. She stared her down,Wile Miles and Brad did he same. And soon enough....

   

All hell broke loose.