I Thought I Would Lose My Only Real Friend

I can’t believe I lost the bet. I was so sure an Inimi would attack at the party, all my calculations said one would. But fortunately it was just a misreading. 

If one had actually attacked – I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened. 

“You know, you don’t have to help me clean up,” I say, looking at Lorrie as she adjusts one of her oversized shoes when it slips off her foot, “I can do it myself, I mean, I was the one who lost the bet.”

“Yeah, yeah,” She replies, swatting the air, “What are friends for?” 

I roll my eyes, “Hey, could you go and see if Rob’s there?”

“Sure.” She leaves me in the hall and skips down the corridor. She’s always so full of energy, I wonder how she does it.

I decide I might as well check the radar. I take out my phone and go into the app. I spy a small dot in the farthest corner but it’s nothing to worry about. That’s Inimi territory anyway. 

When I first moved to Scully School I was in a state of shock that there were readings on my radar but everyone told me to chill cause that’s where they live and we’re safe here underground.

Lorrie comes back from the store cupboard. I put my phone into my pocket.

“And?” I ask.

She shakes her head, “Rob’s not there. I bumped into a teacher and she said they’re using him in the lunch room.”

Urgh that’s so annoying. Now we’re gonna have to clean up. Rob is the school’s cleaning bot, basically the caretaker, he’s there so we don’t have to use our hands. 

“Well, I guess we’re just gonna have to endure some manual labour.” I tuck my hair behind my ears and roll up my sleeves. We’d already changed back into our normal clothes. The dress I had to wear was so uncomfortable, all scratchy and tight. I don’t like things that stop me from moving. How would anyone be able to run or fight in something like that? Well I guess we never need to. I mean, this school has a strict no violence policy. I was totally bummed that I couldn’t punch someone if they ticked me off. Fighting was the only way you could survive in my old school. Here, everything is about snidy comments. If you don’t know how to do that then there’s no way you’re welcome at this all girls school. Fortunately, I’ve had some practice on that too.

After two hours of sweeping, wiping, carrying bins around and finding things that neither one of us want to know what they are, we finish. Apparently end of year celebrations are hell to clean up. I’m witnessing the rumour for myself.

“Phew!” Lorrie wipes large beads of sweat from her forehead. It’s not fair. She hasn’t got a single spot and here’s me with polkadots all over my face.

“Okay, well I think we’ve done everything,” I say, looking around the main hall. It gives off a shine as if brand new.

“Hey, Millie, I need to go get something from my locker. See you in a sec?”

“Yeah, sure.” I don’t watch Lorrie leave. 

Picking up my bag and putting it over one shoulder I spy something dark in the corner of my eye. I pivot in it’s direction but there’s nothing there.

“Well that was weird,” I mumble to myself and carry Lorrie’s bag on my other shoulder then slowly head towards her locker to meet her there.

I hear scuffling and metal banging, she must’ve finished getting whatever it was she wanted to get.

“Lorrie, you done?” I ask, turning round the corner, “It’s kinda late, we should go back to the dorms now–” 

My heart is pounding in my chest so hard it could explode. An anxious feeling of despair and disbelief knots in my stomach. It hurts as my eyes scan the seen before me.

Her locker is open, her things are spilled out on the floor.

“Lorrie?” I whisper into the silence. Then panic hits me like a wave when I notice a small, crimson liquid smeared across the whitewashed wall opposite the line of lockers. It looks like blood on snow. So perfectly contrasting yet so full of terror.

I hear the pulse of my veins as they pump fear through me.

Taking out my phone and going onto the Inimi radar app again, I see that the dot in the corner from earlier is now right in the middle. An Inimi is in the school. 

“Lorrie, this isn’t funny!” I scream and run round in circles, desperately searching for a clue, but it’s pointless. She’s not here and there’s blood on the wall smeared up and to the left, the Inimi sign.

I refuse to believe it. I refuse!

So I was right, an Inimi really did attack. But why Lorrie? Why not me? Why!

My breath is heavy as I pant and my legs ache like I’ve never felt before. 

The Inimi extract their captive’s blood from the left wrist and write their signature where they had taken them. 

There’s a trail of blood on the floor and I think I know where it leads. 

Each person I pass is paralysed. Still as a statue. That’s what happens when an Inimi chooses it’s target. It paralyses everyone except their prey. So why can I move? 

There’s no time to think about that now.

As I suspect, the trail lead up. Up the school staircases and floors. Up to the surface. 

The last one is on the door to the exit chamber. 

It’s unlocked and I push it open.

Gas erupts around me and I choke on the smoke. What’s going on? As I tilt downwards, I remember that you have to wear a weird helmet and suit otherwise this will happen. Oh no. Am I going to die? Where’s Lorrie?

They laugh at each blow they land. I grunt loudly as one of them kicks my ribs, I hear a little crack. Blood spills down the corner of my mouth.

“Oh common Mill, get up!” She grins broadly and yanks my arm.

“Hey, it’s no fun if you just let us beat the crap outta you,” Another girl punches my face really hard and I fall from the first person’s grasp, landing in the bloody pool gathering around me. 

I begin to slowly lose consciousness. A third person sits on top of me and shakes my head around, banging it up and down until I open my eyes. 

“Wakey, wakey! Don’t you ignore us,” She says slapping my face over and over until it goes raw. 

I can’t do anything and so I lie there, letting them beat me up. 

I thought we were friends, why are you doing this? What did I do wrong to deserve this?

Come play with us… Come sing with us… Come dance with us…

Those voices. Children’s voices. They repeat, loader and more persuasive each time. Without thinking, my hand reaches out and I stand.

Yes… Come play with us… I take a step forwards ignoring the dense fog around my knees.

Hahaha… Come dance with us…

But I can’t. I can’t dance with you. Why do you keep skipping away? 

They hold hands, three little girls. And they dance in a circle, calling to me. But they keep moving away each time I try to get to them.

Then their voices turn mocking. YES… Come dance with us… HAHAHA… Come sing with us… HAHAHA… Come play with us!...

“Why? Why do you run from me yet call for me? Why!” I collapse and the fog disappears.

Those girls. I thought they were my friends. But they’d hurt me then left me and locked me up. Locked me up in a swelling cage of darkness. Those girls, those little innocent girls, my three friends I’d put so much trust into, only a few years later had hurt me. Hurt me inside and out. They bullied me when I thought they were nice. So why did they become my friends in the first place? Why did they do that to me?

That’s why I moved to Scully and that’s how I met Lorrie, I was the luckiest person in the world for a year. And this is how I lose Lorrie. Why? Why is this happening to me? Why am I always alone? 

I scream loudly with frustration, my throat hurting as I yell. Tears stream from my eyes like waterfalls. They gather in a puddle around my feet. 

My clothes are sticky with sweat.

I look around. I’m in the changing rooms.

“But–” I get up and notice I’m half in my scratchy dress and half in my casual clothes. “I thought–”

“What’s happening are you okay?” Lorrie comes bursting in, a look of concern on her face, “Omg Millie, what’s wrong? You’re crying!” She runs over and hugs me tight. My mouth parts in shocked surprise. I try to splutter out her name, but my lips tremble. 

“You’ll be okay, alright? If it’s those nightmares again… well, I’ve gotta go get my bag. I’ll come straight back, promise.” She leaves and I sit there, stunned. How is this possible?

Time slips by and I wonder if it actually happened, if she was actually there. I wipe my tears away and wait. I wait for something to happen, something to tell me she’s alive; that this is real. 

“Hey, Mills, what’s taking you so long? We’ve gotta clean the hall. The sooner we do it, the sooner it’s done.” Lorrie comes back, stomping into the room with her hands on her hips and her bag over one shoulder. “After all, you’re the one who lost the bet.”

So she’s actually here. But how?

“Millie? Are you okay now? Hey! Are you even listening to me?” She laughs in disbelief. “I can’t believe you fell asleep and had a horrible nightmare again. It’s just that I know you’re tired, I am too, but you’re the one who bet on an Inimi attacking and the agreement was that whoever lost would have to clean. I mean, I don’t have to help you, but what are friends for?” She swats the air with her hand and winks.