004: Things can get worse

×Anastasia×

Many things can go wrong in one day. I wasn't aware of this until today. When I woke up, I knew something was wrong. From the wooziness that covered my skull, to Alexis leaving before it was even broad daylight to avoid having to drive me to school.

That said everything that needed to be poured out between us. She's afraid of me. Or she wants to throw milk in my face, which I am very allergic too. I could have met an early death yesterday thanks to those girls. And I'll never understand what I did wrong to them. The pictures, selfies, all showed us having fun and being bff's. But they treated me like I was a foot mat, waiting to gather the dusty remains of my owner's shoes.

Then on my long walk to the school, I received the strangest phone call.

"Miss Gastillo." I recognized the voice, sheriff what's his face.... hmm I swear I know his name.

"Um, yes sir." There, he won't know I've forgotten his name.

"It's sheriff Douglas. I don't have much time, we're backed up on alot of cases." well that's a flat out lie. Grimsborrow doesn't have, cases. They are either zero, or one hundred.

Zero meaning, a cat stuck in a tree. Burglary at a homeless shelter.

One hundred being, murder. Rape. Arson. Or all of the above.

I don't know if things have changed over the three years I can't recall, but the last I was informed, Grimsborrow rarely had cases that could keep the sheriff's department busy.

"Okay."

"It is painful for me to tell you this, but we can't continue with your family's case. There are no leads. No DNA. Nothing to follow up on. All alibis check. It would be a waste of time. I'm sorry, but as of right now, the Gastillo murder is a closed case."

My feet seemed to react faster than my brain could comprehend. They stood still, in front of the gate of the high school. Students already in class as everywhere was empty. The wind was my only companion. My cold source of embrace.

"They've been dead for less than a month. Are you allowed to just close the case?"

"It's leading us nowhere." he breathed into the phone. I fought not to cry. They're supposed to get to the bottom of this, what if? what if the same person who killed my parents wants to finish the job? I have no one.

My heart sunk into the pit of my stomach, and I opted for just ditching class.

"Miss Gas-” I thumbed the button to disconnect the call. Shoving the phone into the pockets of my jean jacket.

'I don't trust the sheriff.' Cecil muses in my head. I agree with her. Something about this Douglas man is shifty.

He should be waiting for the DNA results to come back, those only last a couple of weeks and we have a witch. I think, the alpha knows a witch. They can find who did this. Or at least the lady who made the call.

So why? Why would they be closing the case this early? It just started. My parents have been dead for two weeks and four days. You can't shut a case down just like that. Their bodies were scattered across the ground.

They were slaughtered like animals, some justice needs to be done. I want to know why someone would do that.

"Um-”

I know, Cecil, they were shitty people. But to kill them like this? To this extent? That is just fucked up.

It is aggressive, to slaughter an entire family. And if I'm being honest, MY FAMILY! My entire family in one place, you'd need an army to accomplish that. We are important to this pack, they can't just cancel it.

I walked the school grounds, avoiding all my classes and even the smallest sound of a person heading in my direction. Everyone in this school, and I mean everyone. Heck the birds might even be in on it, they are all against me.

"Anastasia?"

"AHHH!" My shriek bounces off the empty walls. I spun, happiness settles in my chest. Vanessa rolls her wheelchair back my eyes nearly pop free of their sockets.

"Vanny, you're in a wheelchair?" I asked with confusion prudent in my tone.

Her hair has streaks of blue on the tips, she looks stunning. Skin tanned, probably from a vacation in a sunny area. Her eyes are still pearl blue, but the wheelchair is throwing me off.

"You don't remember?"

I have learnt something about this school, during my small time here, whenever a student starts a sentence like that- it means I did something horrible to them.

And I will pray, beg, I will do whatever it takes to hope that I am not responsible for my childhood best friend being a wheelchair.

"Vanny, I hope i-”

"I don't if now's the time to talk, Anastasia. Being seen with you can get me in trouble." she held a tight, yet polite smile, and I swallowed my hurt.

"I understand."

She waved with her fingers, and turned her chair away. What the hell did I do? I wish. oh, I wish someone would just-

"Go Reapers!" I heard a voice so similar to mine shout. I followed the sound of the voice to the empty lunch room. The ladies behind the counter gave me the dirtiest look imaginable.

Great, I did something to them too. What did I turn into? I could have sworn high school was the d****e goal for me. I was going to make friends. Get my first boyfriend, first kiss, all of that was going to happen.

I'd be cheer captain, and I would form a club to be the nerd I am on the inside. For some reason, I forgot all of those beautiful plans, and chose to the route of the demons. Sinners, filth and garbage.

If I'm responsible for Vanessa being in a wheelchair, I will drop out of school. It's not like I can graduate anyways. The teachers are against me. I bet they're discarding my work like it is nothing.

I tilted my neck, straining to see the television that the school had placed there.

“Hi there Grimsborrow high, it’s your cheer captain Anastasia. I know it’s hard to believe I’m the one making this video but the Reapers desperately need your help.

We need you to bring your best cheer spirit to the Hawkins stadium tonight at Patrick’s county. I may be the school’s greatest cheerleader but I can’t carry the team spirit on my own.

So if you love the Reapers. And you want our awesome streak of winning to continue, then I need you to buy our team’s merch. And be as loud as you can to cheer them. I’d say go Reapers, but I’ll leave that for you guys.”

I hummed, it’s a polite video. Not at all the monster I expected. And the cheer uniform looks fantastic on me. I just know, the second I attempt to show up for practice, people are going to have my neck. I guess it was fun, being a cheer captain. I don’t remember how it felt like.

The practice. The people I considered friends.

A wince came over me.

Or the people I bullied. I just can’t believe I could do such a thing. Everyone hates me. They hate me as much as they hated my parents. But the only difference is they’re doing something about it. They could never do such a thing if the other Gastillo members were still breathing. And call me weird, but that doesn’t make me happy in the slightest.

“You can’t just stand in the cafeteria like a loser.” I hear a female mutter next to my ear. I spun quickly, gripping her by the shirt and clenching my fist.

My eyes narrow into a dirty glare, and she freeze. Teeth clattering with so much fear I can almost smell it.

‘Anastasia, what are you doing?’ Cecil snaps me out of it.

I blink, noticing the other females edging away from the girl. I released her shirt quickly, and try to apologize.

“I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” Something about the word loser. It triggered me.

I don’t understand why.

She fought to catch her breath, elbows tucked into her side. “You-”

“I think it’s best if we leave her alone, Nona.” One of the girls said, reaching for the shivering brunette.

“The devil’s glare.” A lunch lady mentions under her breath. I’m so confused.

“I am really sorry, I didn’t-” my hand stretched out to her and she smacked it away. Pain spasm across my wrist, and my head turns to look at her. I blink just in time to see her swinging her hand towards my face but I’m unable to dodge it.

Her palm makes hard contact with my cheek, knocking me off balance. My body tumbles to the floor.

“I came here to tell you that you’re off the cheer team. We don’t want sluts distracting the boys.”

I can barely make out her words. My vision blurs with tears, and the right side of my ear is ringing loudly.

“Aww, she’s gonna cry. Take a picture girls. Use her as your motivation to never cross Nona.” She huffs, and the next thing that follows are the sounds of flashes going off. Followed by the most disgusting set of heels clinking.

I laid there for who knows how long. Even after my eyes cleared I had enough. When the bell rang, I used that as MY motivation to get to my feet. Still dizzy, and my cheek numbed. If I’m going to survive this final year, then my only choice is to uncover to I really was.

I just got kicked off the team, which in hindsight makes no sense if I’m the captain. I honestly don’t know. I don’t think school is going to work for me.

If I am indeed the devil, then I should make amends.

I skipped lunch like I did with my classes. I’m sure my teachers are more than happy that I’m not there anymore. I crossed the principals office, maybe I can report the students behavior. I got slapped today, that has to count as harassment. If I can’t recall what I did wrong, why should I be going through this?

‘What if she hates you too?’

What could I have possibly done to the principal?

I’m afraid to get the answer to that. Vanessa and I were buddies throughout pre school, up till middle school. Now she’s in a wheelchair, and she doesn’t want to associate herself with me. I can only guess the worst.

My fingers dance along the lines of the door handle.

“Yes.” I hear principal Ramona say.

Oh, she’s busy. I can come back later.

“When would we do that?” a man with a scruffy voice replies to her. My feet are rooted to the tiled floor, why can’t I move? Eavesdropping is wrong.

“Friday. Any day would work really. She walks home.”

“Gastillo has lots of protections from the pack. Hate em or not, ordering for this is going to get you on the alpha’s bad side.”

“If you do your job right, he’ll never find out. And she’s a Gastillo, no body gives a fuck.”

I slapped a had over my open mouth to block out my sharp gasp.

‘This might be wrong, but I was right. Everyone hates you, Anastasia. Trust no body. Not even the principal.’

I stepped away from the door. She must have- but I’m the only Gastillo left. What does she mean by that?

‘Just be careful. I don’t think there’s much I can do to protect you.’

I turn to run. School Is over for today, at least for me.

The janitor is standing right there, blocking my path out. I pause, thinking of a way to get around him. He’s too close.

‘Anastasia, run back. He has a weapon.’ Cecil warns me. Her voice resounds loudly on my head.

“Death be to the Gastillos!” he shouts, and charges his form at me. For an old man, he runs a hell of a lot fast.

“AHHHH!” I gurgled out a scream and sprint away from him. He catches up to me in no time, and very little effort. I duck away from the sharp edges of the blade once he throws it.

The tip slices through my jacket.

“Fuck!”

‘I know, he’s a mad man!’

“What? No! This was my favorite jacket in the whole wardrobe!”

I take the left staircase leading to the roof. I pray with everything inside of me that the door is open, and wheeze with relief when I find that it is.

“Death to the Gastillos!” the janitor shouts for the second time.

In the most cliché moment of my life, my feet entangle, causing me to trip to the floor face first.

“Death to you wretched beings.” He latches his fingers to my ankle, and drags me until my back presses to his front. The knife flashes across my face, he grabs a chunk of my hair, baring my neck.

“Let me go!” I scream with tears raining from my eyes.