The shadow

-¿Were you talking to someone?

-No, I was just thinking out loud.

-The school is almost empty.

-¿Almost? ¿What are you talking about? There's no one in the halls.

-No one besides Mindy.

I kept hiding without saying a word.

-I know you're in there Mindy, you can come out now.

-No one is here, Moon.

An invisible force pulled me by my feet dragging me out of my hiding place. Luna ordered her partner to blindfold me, she obeyed and everything became silent. I could feel them taking me to a place. When they took off the blindfold, I was bound hand and foot inside a red circle.

Some hooded people were standing around it singing a song in a language I didn't understand. One of the hooded men stepped into the circle and approached me with a knife in his hand. He took off his hood and it was Luna's friend. The other hooded men did the same and I was surprised to see that they were my friends.

Vanessa, Lucia, Timi, Carolina, Coni, Miranda, Misti, Max, Dan and Brad were smiling as they witnessed the sacrifice.

-I'm sorry Mindy.

-Please don't do it.

-If you know what's good for you, kill her now.

-I can't...there has to be another way.

-This is the only way, she's suspicious and she's a threat.

-Let me go, I promise I won't say anything about whatever you're doing.

-¿Where am I?

-Carolina, ¿are you okay?

-¿Miranda? ¿Where are we?

-I don't know, I think we're in some kind of limbo.

-¿Limbo? ¿What happened? -I don't remember anything.

-I don't remember anything.

-Neither do I. ¿Where are Max and the others?

-They're all scattered, you were the only one I found.

-We have to look for the rest.

-I just need to kill someone else, to bring back my last ally so the living can take the place of the dead.

-¿Who are you?

-I have many names, some know me as death.

-Enough Luna, this is madness.

-Stop that.

-Sorry Mindy.

-Please don't.

Before I could utter another word, he stuck the knife in my back and stabbed me nine times with it. I fell to the ground unconscious and woke up in a dark, foggy place with wailing and crying voices.

One of the screams reminded me of Lucia and I ran to the place where the sound was heard. I saw her drowning in a deep lake, I wanted to save her, but I remembered that I couldn't swim. I put one of my feet in the water and it didn't get wet, I tried to touch the water with my hand and I didn't feel anything, it was as if the water was a mirage.

Without thinking, I jumped into the lake and swam to Lucia. She was paralyzed, as if her deepest dream had come true.

-Lucia, ¿can you hear me?

She still didn't move as if she were a piece of wood.

-Lucia, wake up.

I pulled her out of the water and took her to dry land.

-¿Are you all right?

-Yes," she answered coughing, "Where are we?

-I'm not sure, what were you doing before you appeared in the water?

-I don't remember.

We arrived to a room full of doors, several screams could be heard in each one of them, but there was one that caught our attention.

-That's Misti.

-Are you sure, ¿Miranda?

-I would recognize her anywhere.

We ran over and broke down the door, Misti was in a corner being surrounded by rattlesnakes. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw her expression of fear, it was funny to me and someone as tough as her would be afraid of something as common as a snake.

-Don't just stand there, help me!

I tried to attract the attention of the snakes by throwing stones I found on the ground at them, but they all seemed to be focused on her.

Miranda made her way through the reptiles and placed herself in front of Misti. They didn't seem to want to attack, they just stared at her menacingly. I touched one of them and my hand went through its body, as if they were some kind of ghost.

-There is no need to be afraid, they are fake.

-I knew it.

Miranda and I laughed until we heard another familiar scream, this time it sounded like Vanessa's voice. I hoped it was Max, but no matter, I just hoped he was okay wherever he was.

Teaming up with Lucia was worse than spending the day with my sister, she kept complaining all the time and didn't want to keep walking.

-I'm tired, let's stay here and wait for her to look for us.

-They won't know where we are.

-I'm hungry, ¿did you bring something to eat?

-¿How was I supposed to do that?

-Of all people, I had to be the most useless one on the planet.

-Well, being with you is no paradise either.

-Now that I think about it, it's a good thing we're alone, because I can clear up a couple of things for you.

-¿What things?

-I didn't get a chance to explain the rules to you when you got here, so I'll do it now.

-You can't be serious.

-I'm always serious. Number 1, I'm the star and the best performer in the school. Number 2, everything about me is forbidden to everyone, especially Dan.

-Dan? ¿What's he got to do with it?

-Don't look at me with that dead-eyed look on your face, because I know you've been hitting on him.

-We're just friends.

-Well, for your sake I hope they stay that way.

-¿Are you threatening me?

-If that's the way you want to take it.

-It's not the time for this, we have to get out of here.

¿What are you doing? I'm telling you, the way is this way.

-Since when are you the leader, ¿we're walking in circles?"

-Apparently we are not the only ones fighting.

-That's my Dan's voice.

-¿Really?

-You want to be his girlfriend but you don't recognize his voice.

-I don't want to be his...

-Dan, ¡we're here!

Lucia ran away smiling until she fell off a cliff, I went after her and saw Dan holding her in his arms, immediately I couldn't help but feel jealous. I carefully climbed down the mountain, but slipped and fell into Brad's arms.

-I got you.

-Thank you Brad.

-I think fate wants to see us together.

-Let me down.

-I'm sorry.

Dan let go of Lucia and gave Brad a hateful look. Lucia hugged Dan and caressed a wound on his face.

-Dan, ¿are you okay?

-Yes, it was just a scratch.

-I'm sorry to interrupt, but we still don't know how to get out of here.

-All your friends are part of our congregation, only you are left.

-I'll do whatever you ask, but don't kill me.