In the morning, as I woke up and my vision cleared, I noticed a lizard on the ceiling directly above me. I mayb be a brave girl, but I have a fear of amphibians, particularly lizards, a condition known as Herpetophobia. I didn't mention this earlier because it's not something to be so proud of and brag about.
Reacting quickly, I rolled to my right and hurriedly ran out of the room, screaming for my mom. "Lizard, mom! A Lizard in my room!"
She rushed toward me, concerned about what was happening. I explained to her that there was a lizard in my room, gesturing with my right hand to indicate its size, "It is this big!" I said pointing my fingers to the ceiling and putting the other hand under my palm.
Then a thought terrified me as I exclaimed "What if the lizard was crawling all over me during the night?" I panicked.
My mom, trying to calm me down, raised her voice and called out my name. "Eve!" she yelled.
"Stop and listen to me... I will take care of it!" She comforted me by patting my shoulder.
Gradually, I began to regain my composure, though I was still trembling and struggling to speak clearly.
"Okay, I'm okay, I'm alright!" I managed to stammer.
My mom guided me through a breathing exercise, instructing me to take deep breaths.
As she rubbed my shoulder, I followed her lead, inhaling and exhaling slowly. We repeated this process three times until I finally started to feel better.
Afterward, my mom entered the room, and I heard a loud noise, as if she had thrown something at the lizard.
When I went back inside, I saw her holding a dustpan and a broom, victorious. "Got her!" she exclaimed with a cackle.
Relieved, I smiled and thanked my mom. I then proceeded to change my clothes, as it was the day we were returning to school.
However, things were not entirely normal at the school. A group of students were standing in a corner, engaged in gossip, while their attention was fixed on Vincent.
Meanwhile, Vincent's former friends kept their distance from him, while the guy who had angered Mr. Darkwood that day and later apologized and approached us to ask how Vincent was doing.
His name is Daniel Jackson. "I just want to warn you, they are up to no good!" He whispered to Vincent, but I overheard him.
It didn't make much difference to Vincent, maybe because he was braver than I expected him to be.
In the cafeteria, we sat together and discussed everything that had happened outside the police station.
Willow seemed afraid to make eye contact with me or anyone else. There was clearly something bothering her.
"I wasn't convinced by what the Sheriff said. I knew there was more to it than meets the eye," Vincent explained. "So I decided to talk to him and found out that on the day I was released, a man came in and confessed that he is the one behind Harry's death and he..." Vincent paused and gave me a strange look.
"He?" I asked, confused, raising an eyebrow.
"He said he has some strong obsession with you, driving him to kill anyone who tries to hurt you!" Vincent quickly revealed, avoiding eye contact.
"What?" I exclaimed, my eyes widening in surprise.
"Woah! Did not... see that coming!" Willow struck the table with her hands.
"But how does his obsession relate to Harry's murder?" she asked, taking a sip from her juice cup.
"He confessed that he took Harry to his home that night because he was too beaten up to drive. He brought him to his room, knocked him out with a lamp, and then attempted to cut his neck with a knife he wasn't used to.
When that didn't work as expected, he threw the knife away and began to pull his skin and flesh apart with pliers," Vincent continued, causing me to cover my mouth in disgust.
"Ew! Stop!" Willow scolded him, striking him on the back with her register.
"Alright, alright! I am sorry. Anyway, whatever he was doing, he was in the middle of it when he heard someone calling out to Harry, it was his mother.
He knew he was going to get caught, so he decided to escape.
On his way out, he knocked out his mom and fled. When Harry woke up, he was in excruciating pain that he couldn't bear." He explained.
"Why did he suddenly feel guilty?" Christine asked, looking confused.
"It's not about guilt, he was just afraid that you wouldn't recognize him for what he did and I would get the credit!" He clarified with a chuckle.
"This is the strangest story I've ever heard!" Willow rubbed her forehead.
"Are you okay? You seem disturbed since this morning!" I comforted Willow by rubbing her shoulder.
"I had trouble sleeping last night, and now thanks to our narrator with a cool accent!" She made air quotes. "I now have a headache!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to have such a lighthearted reaction!" He apologized, standing up.
"You can't just peel an onion in front of someone and say 'I didn't know you were such a crybaby!'" She mimicked him.
Christine and I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"You and your pointless impressions!" I said breaking my laughter.
As we all were leaving, Vincent and I were behind them, he whispered to me, "Do you enjoy ghost hunting?"
"I absolutely love it!" I covered my mouth, feeling excited about what was to come.
"That's what I was thinking. There's an abandoned chapel that they say is haunted!" He whispered, his voice filled with thrill.
"Do you believe in that kind of stuff?" I asked as we continued walking.
He nodded. "No, that's why I'm going there in the evening!" He winked at me.
"What about the curfew?" I inquired, expressing my concerns.
He responded with joyful smile on his face, "I have a plan, and we can keep it a secret! Would you like to join me?" His eyes sparkling with excitement.
Excitedly, I nodded and replied, "Yeah!"
He exclaimed, "I'll hit you up, just wait for my call!" and swiftly made his way toward the exit.