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The Door with The Child's Palm Print

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GLORY BELLS Prep's gymnasium didn't have a name given to it and thank goodness for that, or else I would still be wrapping my head around the twisted name.

It was simply an enormous hall that had multiple purposes. Gym classes, graduation ceremonies when the weather outside was unfavorable, prom nights, you name it. Oh! And remembrances.

Remembrances were a way for the school and students to honor the dead who were once part of the school community. Students and staff alike. I never remembered who they were for in my time here because I never knew the people.

But I knew Mrs. Morris and I couldn't help the gnawing feeling that she shouldn't be dead.

That Sunday morning had been a sour one again in our room as Mariana was angrily stuffing and moving her things around, doing it all with so much force that we all noticed.

If it affected Betty, she didn't show it. Naomi, however, had a permanent scowl on her face. It was safe to say if Mariana didn't quiet down, Naomi would soon burst out. And that she did.

"Mariana, would you stop doing that?" she yelled, causing Betty and me to flinch at her loud voice. The tension in the room was at an all-time high.

With a scowl that matched the one Naomi sported, Mariana's shrug was as defiant as her tone when she said, "Doing what?"

"Ugh! I can't deal with you right now. Both of you should get your acts together. This is childish."

Betty quietly slipped away after Naomi stormed out, leaving Mariana and me in the room. I had to address this now.

"Okay, Mariana, what is up with you? Don't say it's 'cause of the play because I know it isn't."

She flung the cloth she was holding in her hand onto her bed and stalked toward me.

"You know nothing about me," she said, flaring her nose as her eyes narrowed at me with a tightness in them. But looking into her eyes, I could tell there was something else in there. Pain.

This only confirmed my suspicion that something else was wrong.

"Mari," I started softly with the nickname I seldom use. "Whatever it is you can tell me, talk to me. I'll understand."

"You won't!"

I flinched at her tone but didn't relent.

"I would. I am your friend, your best friend. If this is about the play, I'll give it up for you."

She would do the same for me. Heck! She did the same for me.

"Then I'll look like the girl who can't get anything for herself. No thank you," she spat. It was strange seeing her like this. She was never like this.

"Then what do you want?" I asked, and the scowl on her face deepened, painting her face in a different shade of emotion. Something dark. She took one step closer until there was nothing but a few inches of space between us.

If I wasn't looking at her, if I didn't see her lips moving, I would have thought it was someone else when she said, "I want you to never leave here."

The tone alone was enough to plummet my stomach onto the floor. My eyes searched hers, trying to figure out what this meant, but I didn't understand it one bit.

My words had left me, so the only thing I could do was to push past her, leaving her alone in the room as her words chased after me.

I headed to school, trying to think of what she could have meant by that. Something was definitely wrong with Mariana, but did I have the time to figure out what?

Today was Sunday. The Sunday. According to Mrs. Morris' warning. It would be my last. Then what?

I got to the gymnasium to find it somewhat rowdy. Most students were standing and talking to each other, while some were sitting with expressions that made it clear to anyone that they didn't want to be there.

I scanned the crowd for any of my friends, seeing some unknown faces whom I concluded to be family members of Mrs. Morris.

I finally saw Naomi and Rhys talking, but I didn't see Kai as I headed toward them.

Rhys' blue eyes searched behind me when he asked, "Where's Mariana?"

"Don't even ask," Naomi said to him before she turned to me. "Was she able to tell you what's wrong with her?"

"No, she sounded strange. It was... I don't know. Something else is wrong."

I want you to never leave here.

"It's not the play then?" Rhys asked.

"Of course, it's not. I can't even deal with her right now. Left to me, I would smack some sense into her and she'll be fine at once," Naomi said to him before she sighed.

"But she's my best friend. I can't do that. Clara, maybe we should her mom or something, find out if everything's cool over there," Naomi said and one could hear the concern in her tone from miles away and see it through her eyes even if someone only glanced at her.

Of course, it would bother her. If she heard what Mariana said, she would freak out. Well, in truth, she might not because she didn't know the context. I don't know how I was still keeping my cool.

I was about to agree to the idea when someone called out behind me, causing the three of us to turn around. It was a lady who had a somewhat resemblance to Mrs. Morris. A family member?

"Excuse me, I heard her referring to you as Clara. Are you Clara Williams?" she asked, and I furrowed my brows. Why would she be asking about me and how did she know my surname?

"Yes, that's me."

"Can I speak to you, privately?"

I looked at Naomi and Rhys and only shrugged before moving some distance away along with the unknown woman.

"How did you know Danielle?" she asked, using Mrs. Morris' first name.

"She was my World history teacher. You?"

"She was my elder sister."

"Oh, I'm sorry about what happened," I said.

"Were you particularly close to her?" she asked, and I began wondering if she knew I was the last person who talked to her before they took her to the hospital. Was she insinuating anything? Did she suspect me?

"No, not really. Why?"

The woman sighed and looked as if she wanted to leave, but spoke.

"After I reached the hospital, the doctors said it was a heart attack, but she was young. Even after the questions they asked about her health, they also couldn't find any reason for it. What's worse, she seemed perfectly fine," she paused.

"The night she passed, I was with her and she told me to tell Clara Williams to look for a door with a child's palm print. She'd woken from her sleep to tell me and..." She cleared her throat and my eyebrows drew together in confusion.

Child's palm print? What did that mean?

"Those were her last words."

A different silence settled upon us despite the chatter around as I pondered on the meaning of this new information.

"Does that mean something to you? Is it like some metaphor or something?"

Door!

That's it! A door with a child's palm print. That should be my way out, meaning I had done what I was here for.

My eyes filled with realization, and gratitude returned to the woman.

"Thank you, thank you so much for that," I said and darted toward the exit, but stopped when Kai held me aside.

"Hey, I've been-"

"I've found it, my way out! It's a door with a child's palm print," I said and he probably didn't understand, but I didn't have time to explain, so I dashed out.

One door in the school was my way out. We were on the ground floor, so I started looking at all the doors. After checking the ones on this floor, I went to the next.

It had to be in the main school building right? It couldn't be in the dorm, or could it?

I paled at the thought, but increased my pace, ensuring I checked the doors properly, and that's when my eye caught it. It was the door to our art room. How fitting.

I was some feet from it when someone stepped in front of me, blocking me from the view of the door and forcing my eyes to fall upon them.

Mariana?

"Look, Mariana, I don't have the time for this, I'm sure that-" A searing pain in my lower abdomen cut me short. I looked down and to see red.

Blood and a knife buried in me.

Did she stab me? She stabbed me!

I looked back at her eyes, which were darker than I had ever seen.

"What are you-" I fell to the floor, realizing at once what she meant by not wanting me to leave. This wasn't her. This couldn't be her. Was she possessed or something?

Kai said the people didn't want me to leave, which would explain why they made me forget the things they must have said.

"Mariana! What did you do!" I heard someone yell behind me and figured it was Kai. My eyes moved to the door. I could still make it.

So I pushed myself, crawling to it with my blood, sure to leave a ghastly trail. Behind me, Mariana and Kai continued yelling at each other, but I couldn't focus on the words. I had to get to the door.

"Oh, no you're not!"

Someone pulled me back from the door and I assumed it to be Mariana. But just as soon as she pulled me, she stopped. My vision blurred and my breath hitched, but I pushed on, gasping with every crawl.

"Kai, let go of me! Let go!" she shrieked and didn't stop. People must be coming now, someone must have heard.

"Go, Clara. Get out of here!" he yelled, and I mustered all the strength I could. I rose to my fours, before pushing to my feet, willing myself not to see the red that gathered and spilled from me as Mariana's screams grew louder and more disturbing.

I reached the door and as my hands pulled down the handle; the door gave way and everywhere went dark.

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I divided this story into four unequal parts and there you have it guys, part two is done. What do you think so far? It's the last day of Clara's first chance, do you think she made it?

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The Sparkling Authoress
Mis. A

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