Chapter 2: Samantha, Samantha

Samantha’s POV

Cylvia badly needed me now. She needed someone's shoulder to lean on. Someone who could make her feel comfortable despite of all the problems that had been breaking her. If there's anyone who could fit in that position, it had to be me.

If only I wasn’t tasked by Ms. Dolor to find the principle, then maybe I would be able to lessen the burden of my dear friend. I'm badly worried about her. But right now, there's nothing I could do except to find the principal as soon as possible  so I would be able to go back to Cylvia.

 

I found myself strolling, following the trail away from the students' study area while giving a gaze at the wide blue sheet of skies with the cottony clouds up above. The glimmering rays of the afternoon sun kissed my face as I went on.

I must admit, it felt kind of boring to walk alone in the pathways beneath the green broad quadrangle of the University, that's why I convinced myself to take my earphones out of my skirt's mini pocket, and listen to the music in my shuffled playlist. When the feeling of loneliness finally flew out of my body, I continued walking through the empty pavements. 

There was only five minutes left before the clock striked at three. We didn’t have classes the entire afternoon because of the Parents and Teachers Association Assembly that would start not long by now. That’s why I had to find the principal the as soon as possible because the assembly would not start without her. 

Ten minutes later, sweats began to form on my face, as my throat demanded for droplets of water to quench my thirst. After all that walks and wanders, I still couldn’t find her. I already got to reach the farthest area of the Hamlet Creek University—which was an old and abandoned two-storey building—but still, I haven’t had any whereabouts of the principal.

When I step a foot on a slope that led down to the abandoned establishment, a weird feeling struck my spine. I heard there’s a lot of hunted stories and scary things that had happened here, but despite it’s circling on the whole University, I still couldn’t find any reason to believe on any of them. 

However, I should admit that walking alone here would be something you'd never like. It's indeed scary and I don't deny it. The building’s only alongside the mini forest, and they often said that this forest was once a den of lost souls. A lot of students from the past took their own life exactly here. 

The mini forest was humid, dense, and just undisturbed. On the outside, it looked like it’s full of gigantic trees overgrown with moss, but when you step inside, a deep green carpet of grass laid bizarrely at the center. At first glance, it didn’t look like a place for the suicidal. To me, it only looked like a normal, somber, and shady forest. But among all the trees that towers over the eternally moonlit ground, there’s this one tree, a Narra tree to be exact, that caught my attention as I roamed around. It’s size was terribly huge. It’s whopping rooots crept towards the walls of the building, replacing it’s flaking paint with nothing but pure moss. 

The only good thing I could think of about the place was that it’s silent. Peaceful. Dramatic. The absence of noise made me able to hear the thumping of my own heart. Nerve-wracking. 

"Samantha!" 

A good while later, someone called my name. I felt a sudden jolt striking my entire body and paralysed me for almost three seconds. I glanced at the entrance of the mini forest for I thought that it’s where the voice came from. And I wasn’t wrong. 

It was Keiciara, our class president, and my number one rival in the running for the top student. 

"Hey, Keiciara?" I walked towards her. 

"Why are you here?" she asked. There were lines drawn on her forehead when she spat out her words. 

"Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?" I replied while having an imaginary question mark carved on my face. "Why are you here?" I added. 

"Nothing. Just traipsing around. I find this place very peaceful, so I went here to have a rest. It’s very soothing to my mental peace," she explained, which for me was really weird. 

I looked straight at her eyes and I saw a couple of orbs sparkling mysteriously. It seemed like they were about to burst into tears, but maybe Keiciara had some special ability of controlling them that's why at some point, they never made it out. 

"Oh! By the way, I have to go back to the gym now. You should follow, too!" she uttered as she ran away. She was fast, and that made me wonder why she really had to rush. 

I didn’t know what happened to her, but it seemed like she was scared—all of a sudden. I actually had few questions to ask her but I wasn’t able to, because she left in less than no time. Now I’m all by myself again, alone in this creepy, foggy, and misty forest. 

I scoop my phone out of my pocket and tried to contact Vhynz, my twin brother. I wanted to tell him Ms. Dolor that I wasn’t able to find the principal, and that I’m heading back now. 

It took me six dials before he finally answered my call. 

"Hello, Samantha? What’s the matter? Why are you calling?" he said, deadpan. 

"Have you seen Ma'am Dolor, Vhynz?" I asked while stomping my feet on the ground to get rid of the dirt that I only noticed just now. 

"Nope, I haven’t. I never saw her ever since I entered the school this morning. Why are you asking?" he asked back. There’s a sound of hands tapping over keyboards around him. 

I let out a deep sigh. “She asked me to find the principal, that’s all,” I answered, my left hand over my hips. 

"Okay. I’ll tell her when I see her," he replied calmly. 

"Where are you now?" I asked in a low and soft monotone. 

"I’m currently here at the research laboratory. I’m with the rest of the class. What about you?”  he answered, gradually lowering his voice. 

"Here, at the mini forest, alone. But I’m heading back anytime from now. See you later!” I walked forward, towards the direction going back to the gym. 

"Okay, then. Gotta hang up now because I’m making too much noise in here,” Vhynz said as he hung the phone. 

I take my phone back to my skirt’s pocket and continued my walk. 

I was already halfway of the quadrangle back to the covered gym, when I heard a loud scream coming out of nowhere. I froze for a moment. My breathing went fast. The thumping of my heart grew intense. 

That was creepy. 

It sounded like a scream of pain. I'm trying to recall where that sound came from but I couldn’t remember it at all. 

At this moment, I didn’t know what exactly I should do. 

I thought I was the only person here in this portion of the school, but hearing that strange sound made me tremble in fear. I was alone here, I’m sure. 

Wait. Was I? 

I tried to swallow, but it felt like pebbles were stuck on my throat. I kept thinking; It couldn’t be Keiciara. It couldn’t be Keiciara. But just thinking it only made everything worse. 

“She should be in the covered gym by now. That can’t be her,” I told myself. And that felt like a lie. 

If that wasn’t Keiciara, who would that be? 

I rubbed both of my hands together, trying to produce some heat to counter my freezing body. I stood on the same spot for a while, while calming myself and thinking what I should do. 

I stared at the building again, and it didn’t look like the same building I saw earlier anymore. Now, it’s more sad. More abandoned. More empty. More silent. More mysterious. I knew that even if I didn’t really believe in ghost stories, there could still be some paper-thin chances and possibilities that they’re true. 

I urged on asking myself. “Should I enter, so that I could know who screamed few minutes ago? Or should I just run away to keep myself safe? But what if someone really needs my help?” 

I gave myself a couple of minutes to think. Not long after, I was able to finally decide for my self. 

I will go back to that place. I will enter inside. 

I walked back to the two-storey building with my fingers crossing before me. I went there slowly, and slowly, and slowly, until I finally arrived at the entrance. 

When I finally stood at the door way in front of the rusty door, I inhaled deeply and held tight of the knob. 

“Okay, this is it. At the count of three."