Chapter 7: “I'm A Murderer.”

Kimberly confidently sauntered into school, her wavy hair bouncing on her shoulders with each step. Her hips swayed as she walked through the locker hall and she felt all the students' gaze fall on her. 

Whispers arose and strangely, she could distinctly hear each one of them.

“Woah!” 

“Damn, she's hot!”

“Is that Kimberly?” 

“The sickly nerd? No way!”

“She doesn't look sick to me.”

Kimberly reveled in their attention and quiet admirations. She owned the hallway, her stride exuding poise and sass. 

As she approached her locker, Madison and her entourage were coming her way, staring at her in surprise, mouth agape. But unlike Kimberly, she faced their jealous-struck face head-on, looking them straight in the eyes, and gave them a devilish smirk as she walked right past them.

The school bell rang, and she proceeded to her classroom where another set of mesmerized eyes awaited. Including Jordan's — a former crush turned betrayer. Luckily, she'd forgotten that painful memory, for now at least.

She sashayed to her seat, ignoring their stares. She flipped her lush hair over her shoulders as she settled down for the class

She hardly noticed Jordan whose astonished face was etched with admiration and lust.

Fifty-five minutes into the class, Kimberly suddenly felt a stabbing ache in her neck making her wince in pain. 

“Kimberly Silversmith, is everything okay?” The teacher asked Kimberly who had her head lowered with her hand pressed on her neck.

Kimberly recollected herself, “Of course, don't I look fine?” she countered confidently.

The teacher narrowed his eyes and was about to continue the class when Kimberly yelped in pain. 

“Aaargh!” She groaned, the pain in her neck intensifying. She groggily stood up from her seat and stumbled out of the class, ignoring the teacher’s concerned questions and the classroom’s collective murmur. 

Kimberly burst into the female's restroom, her legs trembling beneath her. As she lifted her gaze to meet her reflection in the mirror, her eyes widened in shock. Her hazel-brown eyes were glowing, radiating an otherworldly light. 

Stumbling backward, her ears became overwhelmed by the sudden cacophony of sounds. The distant chatter of conversations, the rustling of books and papers, even the subtlest movements from a distance, all converged into a deafening din. She could hear it all, her senses had become extraordinarily heightened.

Just then, the school bell rang, indicating the end of classes. The ringing only increased the intensity making her wince in agony. She clapped her hands over her ears, falling to her knees. Just as she struggled to recollect herself, she heard a group of students coming into the restroom. 

Panicked, she dashed into the nearest stalls behind her, holding her breath as they gathered inside.

“Did you see how she crazily ran out of class?” she heard one said, giggling.

“Yeah, she might be hot but she's still a total weirdo,” another replied mockingly, and they began laughing hysterically.

On hearing their gossip, Kimberly’s eyes welled up in tears. She muffled her quiet sobs with her hand. As soon as they left, she came out to see her reflection in the mirror, revealing puffy eyes and tear-stained face. 

As she fixated on her reflection, her eyes widened in horror once again, her jaws dropping in shock. The wound on her neck, which had been healing, was now reopened, seeping blood down her skin. 

“What's happening to me?” she wailed, her voice shaking in despair. She frantically grasped for the tissues beside her, wincing as she dabbed at the wound with trembling hands. After stemming the bleeding, she splashed water on her face, the coolness a brief respite from her turmoil. 

Collecting herself, she took a deep breath and headed back to her classroom, her legs heavy with a sense of foreboding. She had to retrieve her school bag which she had left behind in her hasty exit, and then go home.

As Kimberly hastened to the now empty classroom, she brushed past Jordan without so much as a glance, her mind preoccupied with the strange occurrences plaguing her. 

Meanwhile, Jordan had been struggling with the weight of his guilt, his conscience tormented by his actions the previous day. He had been coerced into befriending her, lying to her, then betraying her. 

He was also threatened into compliance, giving him no other choice than to do as he was told. But it was her transformed beauty that had completely outdone him. 

Although everything he once said to her about his feelings and desires for her were lies, he couldn't help but pique interest in her. The memory of her former frailty now seemed like a distant dream, replaced by a stunning beauty that had awakened his conscience.

His inner voice urged him to confess the truth to Kimberly, to apologize to her and beg for her forgiveness. He knew what he did was unforgivable, neither did she deserve it.

“Maybe, just maybe, she’ll listen and pardon me. And we could become friends again, real friends.” he thought, his hope flickering like a fragile flame. He turned his back and went after her. 

However, Kimberly darted into the classroom and rushed for her bag, breathing heavily. The searing pain in her neck and the cacophony of sounds still assaulted her senses, making her head spin.

She grasped her schoolbag and turned to leave, only to come face to face with Jordan. On seeing him, she gasped and stepped backwards, her heartbeat escalating, as all the forgotten memories flooded her mind like a tidal wave.

“You!” she accused, her voice trembling with anger. She suddenly remembered it all: the moment he saved her from the rain, the way he smiled at her as he drove her home, the feel of his hands around her waist at the bonfire party, and then… the horror when he trapped her in that terrifying house with a monstrous creature that nearly tore her to pieces. 

Kimberly felt a type of rage that she's never felt before building up within her, and she concentrated all the pain, the fear and distress into it. “You tricked me! I trusted you and you tricked me!” she yelled, the betrayal evident in her voice. 

Jordan's face contorted in anguish. “I’m so sorry, Kimberly.” He apologized, “Please, you have to believe me, I had no choice. She threatened to kill my little sister if I refused” he said, trying to explain but Kimberly paid no heed to his reasons.

Her fury only intensified, as her heart raced like a wild animal, pulsating in her temples. Her fists clenched in rage, her nails digging into her flesh.

“Oh my god, Kimberly you're bleeding!” Jordan exclaimed, noticing the blood trickling down from her neck wound. He lunged to her side, following his instincts. But on reaching Kimberly, he saw her eyes suddenly glowing with an otherworldly intensity. 

He stumbled back, shock etched on his face. “Your eyes... they're...!” Before he could finish, Kimberly grabbed him by the shirt and with a supernatural strength, she sent him flying out of the classroom window.

Jordan's terrified scream echoed through the air as he plummeted to the ground below, his head slamming into the pavement. 

As Kimberly gazed down at his motionless body, she felt a strange sense of release. Her rage and adrenaline slowly dissipated as it brought her back to her senses, leaving her feeling drained and shaken. 

“What have I done!” She whispered to herself, her voice trembling as she gazed down at Jordan's body from two floors below. Her gaze then shifted to her hands, and she shuddered in horror. She found that her nails had elongated and transformed into razor-sharp claws, tearing out of her own skin like talons. 

Just then, Kimberly heard a loud gasp from outside the classroom. She turned to see Madison standing in the doorway, her face frozen in utter shock and disbelief. Madison's hand instinctively flew to her mouth, as if to stifle a scream. She took a slow step backward, her eyes fixed on Kimberly. 

“Madison.” Kimberly shuddered. “Please, it's not what you think. Don't tell anyone.” Kimberly uttered, stepping forward to meet Madison, arms outstretched.

Madison’s gaze was drawn to the trickle of blood running down Kimberly's neck, and then to her hands, where claws had replaced her nails. Terrified at the sight, she turned and skidded away from the scene, desperate for safety for fear that she might be next.

Left alone once more, Kimberly grabbed her school bag and sprinted out of the school, her mind reeling with the impossibility of explaining the unimaginable.

As she emerged from the school building, she saw a crowd of students gathered around Jordan's motionless body while an ambulance raced towards the scene, with sirens blaring.

Kimberly turned her back on the chaos she had unleashed, her heart pounding wickedly against her chest as she ran away from the

school premises.

With her voice trembling in anguish, she whispered to herself, “I'M A MURDERER.”