by Melody Adams
I couldn’t believe it. They suspended me from school for two weeks and I would have to stand trial for my attack on Beth. Aunt Claire was quiet when she focused on traffic. Of course, like everyone else, they hadn't believed a word I said. For one thing, Beth had three witnesses and for another, it sounded far too unlikely that a Barbie like Beth, who cared so much about her appearance, would deliberately disfigure herself just to get something on me. I had underestimated my cousin. I knew that she was out to destroy me, but this scenario would never have occurred to me in my wildest dreams. What I could not understand was why she hated me so much. Even as a child, she had always been out to blame me for her actions. Like with the kitten she got for her birthday. For a while we’d played together with the cute animal, but suddenly Beth's mouth had turned into a mean grimace. She had ripped the kitten from my lap and broke its neck. I had been so shocked that I just sat there staring at the poor kitten, not paying attention to how Beth started crying and calling for her mother. When Aunt Claire arrived, Beth had told her in tears how I had killed her kitten because I was jealous. I denied it, of course, but nobody believed me. There had been many such moments in our childhood where Beth blamed me for her sins until Mom dragged me to a psychiatrist. They labeled me a problem child. Not even the therapist had believed me.
"I can't believe you would do something like that," Aunt Claire said in a choked voice. "After all I tried to do to give you a home. I should have known better with your background. Even as a child, you were different."
"I didn’t do it," I replied, sobbing. "Beth set all this up to make me..."
"STOOOP!" cried Aunt Claire so loudly that I fell silent in shock. I knew no matter what I did or said, she would never believe me. Just as no one had believed me then.
Chapter 4
Kent
I could hardly believe it. All this time we had not taken Beth seriously. We thought it was just her jealousy that made her hate her cousin. But after what happened in the girls' locker room, we could no longer ignore the facts. Abby wasn’t what we had thought. She was anything but innocent. I would have considered that Beth would try to falsely accuse her rival, but not only did Beth have three witnesses, she would never disfigure her own face with a knife. She was far too vain for that. Maybe she would have given herself a black eye or something, which would go away. But to cut her face open? If that meant she would have a scar from it? That was more than unlikely. Impossible.
"You didn't want to believe me," Beth sobbed dramatically and held her cheek, which was now covered with gauze and plaster. "Now look what this nutcase has done to me. I'm going to have a fucking scar from this."
"Beth is right," Nate said sinister. "We made the mistake of not taking her words seriously, and now she's paid for it. Abby is suspended for two weeks and will have to stand trial, but that's not enough. The juvenile court will give her a few hours of community service. That's not punishment. We have to deal with it."
"What do you suggest?" Ian asked. "Cut her face up too?"
I didn't like the sadistic glint in Ian's eyes. Yeah, Abby had to be punished. But the idea of slashing her cheek sat heavy on my chest. Ian was usually the nicest of the KINGS. I would have taken his words as a joke if it wasn't for the look in his eyes. I looked at Nate. He shook his head.
"No, we have more or less free rein at school, but if we do that, we'll only get into trouble. – No, she will suffer a different way." His gaze went to me. "You'll take over, Kent. She's yours. Yours, to terrorize. Yours, to punish. Just two rules. Rule one: You will do nothing to her that will get us into trouble, so no wounds, no broken bones. Rule two: You will not fuck her. Keep your dick in your pants. Is that clear?"
"Don't worry," I growled. "I have no intention of sticking my dick in her hole. Her pussy probably has teeth."
Gregory laughed, and the rest of us – except Beth – joined in the laughter. Nate's words registered in my head. My laughter faded and left me with a grin. Abby was mine. Mine to terrorize. Mine to punish. I rubbed my hands together and my eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. I got up from the table and looked around.
"See you later," I said. "I have plans for revenge."
Abby
My first day back at school turned out as terrible as I imagined. Everywhere I went, I faced hateful looks and whispers. I had to report to the principal's office first, and the principal had given me a long speech. My ears were still ringing. I didn’t even try to defend myself. No one believed me, anyway. Hell, I wouldn’t believe myself. That Beth could disfigure herself sounded just too far-fetched to be credible. And yet it was the truth. As unlikely as it seemed.
I took a deep breath before I opened the office door and stepped into the empty hallway. Classes had already started, and I had a note from Mr. Godwin, the principal, to excuse my late arrival. I hurried down the hallway on my way to my first lesson: American history. My footsteps echoed in the deserted hallway. As I turned the corner, a bag suddenly landed over my head. I screamed, but a hand rested on my mouth over the bag. A strong arm held me tight, so that my arms were trapped against my upper body. My attacker dragged me along and I tried with all my might to free myself, but in vain. My heart raced in panic and I felt nauseous with fear. Who was my attacker? What did he want to do with me? I didn’t have to wonder about the why. I knew why. Because of what I supposedly did. Was it Nate who dragged me with him? Probably. As Beth's boyfriend, I assumed that he wanted to take revenge for his girlfriend. He pressed me against a wall and I heard the squeaking of a door opening. Then my attacker dragged me on. This time we went down steps. Blind as I was, and unable to set my own pace, I stumbled. Only the tight grip of my captor prevented me from falling down the stairs. He simply dragged me on. My feet and ankles banged against the hard concrete steps and pain made me cry out. Not that anyone could hear me. My attacker's hand was still pressed against my mouth. Finally we had reached the bottom, and I managed to stumble more or less beside my captor. Again a door opened, and I was pushed into the room. I went down screaming. My knees hit the bare concrete floor hard and although I wore jeans, my knees scraped up. So did my palms when I tried to prevent my face from hitting the floor.
"Have fun in the dark, Abbygirl," said a familiar voice. Kent. My captor was Kent. No doubt he acted on behalf of Nate.
"NOOO!" I yelled when I heard the door close.
I tore the bag off my head. Darkness surrounded me. It was pitch black. I knew I was somewhere in the school basement, but there seemed to be no window in that damn room. Panic tied my throat. I hated darkness. I could feel it pressing down on me from all sides. My pulse raced to a dizzying height.
"Let me out! HEEELP!"
I heard a laugh from the other side of the door. So Kent was still there. Hope sprouted in me. Maybe he just wanted to scare me and would let me out after a few minutes.
"Please!" I pleaded. "Let me out! Please, Kent! Please, please! Let me out of here!"
Again he laughed. The bastard enjoyed scaring me. I wished I was stronger, but darkness was something I just couldn't stand. I didn’t want to beg, giving Kent the satisfaction. And yet that's exactly what I did. I begged and pleaded, just to get more laughter for it. My voice became hoarse from my cries. My nose clogged with the tears I shed.
"Bye, bye Abbygirl," Kent said with derisive joy in his voice. Then I heard nothing more. Nothing, except my sobbing and my own panicked breathing. He was gone. He had left me here alone in the darkness. But was I alone? The idea of what else might be in the darkness besides me made me dizzy with fear. Rats. Spiders. Creepy crawlies. Bats. The possibilities were many, and I broke out in a cold sweat. I screamed again. I was still screaming when no more sound came over my lips. My throat was sore. The dark clouds inside of me overwhelmed me. My scars itched. My heart raced too fast and I could not breathe. The panic attack had me firmly in its grip. At that moment, I was sure that I would die here in the darkness.
Kent
Locking Abby in the basement had been a
brilliant idea. Most women were afraid of the dark, and especially when they imagined all the things that might lurk for them in the shadows. Spiders. Creepy crawlies. Rats and mice. Yes, I chose a good start for my revenge on Abby. Her panicky screams fed the sadistic monster inside me. She begged and pleaded for me to free her, but I had no intention of doing her any favors. She would spend the night here. This would be a lesson to her. I’d made sure that the light in the room didn’t work. So even if she could find the light switch, it wouldn't help her. And it was cold down here. At night it would be even colder. Yes, surely Abby was in for a most uncomfortable, traumatic night. I smiled.
"Bye, bye, Abbygirl," I said and turned away to leave her alone. Her screams followed me as I made my way through the basement to the stairs. As I climbed up the stairs, her screams stopped. Or she was too far away for me to hear her. Either way. She had received her first punishment. And more would follow. When I was finished with Abigail Baker, she would be thoroughly broken.
The others already sat at the table when I entered the canteen during the lunch break. Everyone looked at me expectantly. Especially Beth, whose eyes sparkled with sadistic excitement.
"Well, what did you do?" she wanted to know before I even sat down. "Tell me. She didn't show up in class after her conversation with Mr. Godwin. I bet she ran out of school crying. I wish I could have seen it."
"She's still here," I said after I sat down. A grin played around the corners of my mouth as I imagined how she might be now, after several hours alone in the dark.
"What?" cried Beth. "Where is she? And what have you done with her? I hope you take your job seriously and don't let her innocent eyes soften you up. If you could just..."
"Quiet!" Nate interrupted her. "Kent will not be moved by her innocent act. He’ll do his job. But if you talk all the time, the poor man won't get a chance to speak."
Beth glared at Nate, but she kept quiet for a change. Good. I didn't have the feeling that Nate would put up with her escapades much longer. He wanted to avenge her for what Abby had done. But I knew my friend. He’d long since lost interest in Beth.
"Thanks, Nate," I said, turning to him. "Before I tell you what I did with Abby and where she is, I want to make it clear that no one is taking advantage of her current situation to take revenge. Especially not Bethany. Abby is mine, just like you said."
"What? That bitch ruined my face. Why shouldn't I take a little revenge on her..."
"Shut it!" growled Nate, grabbing her by the arm hard. "Kent's right. No one's gonna touch her. It's his job to get revenge on Abby. If you harm one hair on that girl's head, you will answer to me. – IS! THAT! CLEAR?"
Beth was foaming with rage, but she nodded. She knew like everyone else at school that it was better not to antagonize Nate. She would regret it bitterly. And I didn't just mean that he would break up with her, or that we would exclude her from the circle. Nate would make her life hell. She would be demoted from Queen Bee to invisible, and nobody would want to have anything to do with her anymore. Not even her closest friends. Everyone would drop her like a hot potato. And she'd forget all about running for Homecoming Queen.
"So," Nate said, addressing me. "Tell me."
I told him what I had done and that Abby would stay in the basement until tomorrow morning. Nate's mouth widened to a broad grin, and even Beth seemed satisfied. Her eyes sparkled and her mouth twisted into a wicked grin as she listened to me.
"Excellent, Kent," praised Nate. "I knew you were the best for the job. Your sadistic imagination knows no bounds. Stay tuned and keep us informed."
"Will do," I replied.
Abby
Time seemed to drag on endlessly in the darkness. I had no idea how long I’d been here. I was tired and exhausted, but my fear was too great to fall asleep. My throat ached from my cries. My nose and eyes burned from hours of sobbing. Every bone in my body ached. It was so cold and my body was tense with fear and cold. I hadn’t moved from the spot during all that time. I was too scared to feel around with my hands. Who knew what my hands would encounter. I hoped Kent would come back sometime to let me out. He wouldn't let me die down here. Would he? I wanted to believe that he couldn't want me dead. But honestly, I had no idea what he was capable of.
No, no, no! Don't think about that. Even he is not capable of that.
Are you so sure about that?
He will come. He will come. He MUST come.
You can survive three or four days without water. He could keep you down here that long.
He wouldn’t do that.
He wouldn't?
Stop it! Goddamn it! Stop it. He's coming! He has to come. He WILL. HE WILL! HE WILL!
My arms wrapped around my knees, I swayed back and forth. My scars itched like crazy. The urge to escape in pain was overwhelming. My teeth chattered as I rocked back and forth. All I felt was sheer terror. And guilt. This guilt again, when I didn’t even know why. I had done nothing. I was the victim, not the culprit. All the negative feelings and thoughts that tormented me threatened to take away my sanity. Maybe they already had. I felt out of control. Constantly rocking back and forth, I mumbled to myself without being aware of what I was saying. All I could hear were the voices in my head.
You will die here.
They will find your remains down here.
The rats will feast on your carcass.
Bugs and maggots will crawl all over you.
Nobody gives a shit what happens to you.
You're just another dead girl in the statistics.
You're nothing.
You're nothing.
You're gonna die.
You deserve to die.
No! What am I doing? Why do I think this? I don't deserve to die.
Oh, yes, you do. Have you forgotten?
Forgotten? – Forgot what?
Killer! Killer! Killer! Killer!
No! Stop it! STOP!
Killer! You deserve to die. Killer! Killer! Killer!
NOOOOO! STOP! STOP IT! STOP IT!
Kent
Each of the KINGS had a key to the school. Therefore, I could enter the building an hour before the janitor would open the doors. I walked through the corridors, illuminated only by emergency lighting, to the door leading to the basement. Everything was eerily quiet. Abby was asleep or had cried herself hoarse. I descended the steps and walked down the long corridor to the door behind which my victim was. A sadistic joy filled me with the thought of how she had spent the night. I turned the key in the lock and opened the door. It was so dark in the room that I could only make out the outlines of the figure crouching on the floor. She sat still in the same place as yesterday. Had she not moved all this time? She rocked back and forth, but didn’t react to my arrival. This worried me. I fumbled my cell phone out of my pocket, turned on the flashlight, and shone it in Abby's direction. Although the light was shining directly at her, she still didn't react. She had her arms wrapped around her knees and was rocking back and forth. Her lips moved nonstop, but I couldn't understand any words.
"ABBY!"
No reaction. Shit! That wasn’t good. I stepped closer, but she didn't seem to notice me. She just kept rocking back and forth and mumbling to herself. Had she lost her mind already? I knew that a night in the dark would frighten her and that it must be uncomfortable for her, but I hadn’t expected it to break her like that. A touch of guilty conscience caused a bad feeling in my stomach. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What should I do?
"Abby. You can come out now," I tried to reach her, but she still didn’t respond.
"Fuck!" I said aloud and bent down to pick her up.
The same moment my fingers touched her, she awoke from her trance. She screamed. Alarmed, I jumped back, undecided what to do. How I should react. She screamed, even though her voice sounded hoarse. Suddenly she fell silent, and her head turned towards me. Her eyes were absent at first, then came a clarity that communicated first shock, then hatred. Slowly she rose. She swayed on her legs. I wanted to reach out t
o stabilize her, but she knocked my hand out of the way.
"DON’T! TOUCH! ME!" she hissed with so much hatred that every word went through my chest like a hot knife through butter. She looked at me strangely calm. "Even if I had done what you accuse me of, this goes too far. Even for assholes like you."
My shock turned to anger.
"What we accuse you of?" I asked. "Do you still want to deny it? I have news for you, Abbygirl. The fingerprints on the knife match yours. And they were the only fingerprints. Three girls saw what you did. And Beth is far too fond of her own fucking face to leave a permanent scar on it!"
"Yeah, she was really clever with that stunt!" Abby hissed. "She knew full well that nobody would believe she would do such a thing. And that is exactly why she did it. Her witnesses?" Abby laughed. "Her most loyal followers, who would back up anything their Queen Bee says. – Fingerprints? She was wearing gloves. Then they forced the knife into my hand to get my prints on it. This is what really happened!"
