MELINOE

Crashing truth

chapter 15 :

"WHO IS HE?? AND WHERE IS HE???" I gasped. "He left us a year ago," Nikki sighed. ".....no..this can't be true.. He EXISTS. IN MY HOUSE! And had been tormenting me for days now!!" I was appalled. "No Nadiya, you have to believe me. Come with me," Nikki held my hand and started walking towards the library.

"Wait here," She made me sit on one among the several other empty wooden chairs inside the dark quiescent library. The old, short, half-bald librarian, barely visible from behind his desk, was deep asleep with his glasses slipping off the tiny nose as his snores echoed in the empty midnight library. Nikki was hunting through the unlocked cupboards that were not much paid heed. After dusting about 8-10 periodicals, she took out one and brushed her hand gently over the cover, took it close to her and stood there with eyes closed and a tear that escaped her lashes from the right eye. She walked down to my chair and handed me the booklet. I opened it and started flipping through the pages where I found classroom pictures of the Literature block. And there was Rayan, in the second last row of the classroom hall that had all smiling and jovial faces. Nikki pointed him out to me. As I turned the pages, all I could see was his pictures wearing a yellow jersey and kissing medals, receiving awards on stage from the Dean of the college and other guests. He had a serious look, maintaining poise with a bright alluring smile. On the last page, there was one picture of him and below that, it was written,

"IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR BELOVED STUDENT-Late. Rayan Jesse Mcclain (1987-2006)"

I was stupefied. How difficult reality is or can be! It can blow off your mind in a way never explained. It took me some time. "But... HOW?? What happened to him??" I asked. Nikki stayed quiet. The tears that tried hard to stay behind her glasses started to flood out. "I told him not to get involved with Jenny, but he did not listen to me," her voice broke in between the sobs. "They say Rayan had shot himself dead.." Nikki's tone explained her disbelief in the statement. "But I know, Ray was never a person who can hurt anyone, or himself. I really have no idea what is happening with you, but this is all I know," Nikki took the booklet, wiping her tears. I stood up and both of us started walking silently out of the library and then the college gate, and parted our ways.

I reached home. Everyone was asleep and the dim golden light lit up the hall and the stairs partially. I opened the door of my room and turned the lights on. As I entered, my eyes fell on the mirror that had *I AM SORRY* scratched on it three times, one below the other. I closed the door and went close to the mirror. "What do you want ? I'm sorry for what had happened to you, but how's it my fault that you've killed yourself? What can I do for you so that you'll leave me alone?" I couldn't help myself and broke down. I kept crying in the room alone, sitting next to the mirror, dreaded by the midnight silence. Suddenly I felt a mild cold breeze pass by me. I got up. It was 3:45am by the clock on the dresser. I could hear a loud scratching sound. I turned towards the mirror immediately, nail scratches started appearing on the mirror, running down through the mirror crooked with a sound extremely irritating to the ears. The mirror started to get fogged, outlining a huge figure. And then the figure became distinguishable in the mirror, and opened its bulging blank white eyes. I jumped back with aghast. As the eyes stared at me, I kept moving back with unstable steps. With every step I took back, the figure came out of the mirror and started moving towards me. I felt frozen and the room became dead cold. With every breath I let out, fog formed all around the room. My back touched the wall and I couldn't move. The figure came too close to me and I shut my eyes. Breathing heavily and shivering in cold, I tried to open my eyes again. And as I did, I saw the white eyes right in front of my face. I felt I've lost all senses again, and just then, I could see a finger pointing to my face. The finger then touched my face and wiped off my tear.

"I did not kill myself. I was MURDERED !", a voice echoed, as the ice-cold index finger left my face.