Puppet Strings

I sat, on my bed crossed legged. I wore a red beany, cream tight fitted jumper, dark jeggings and red converse. My hair was perfectly straight. I chewed on the end of my pen as I pondered what to write in my diary. Maybe that I could possess peoples minds and I think it's sending me crazy? But that would be slightly odd, even my darling diary wouldn't be able to hold that. I'd already explained how i'd herd rumors of evil. But i cant see why that'd have anything to do with me.
After all of this I'd love to have a nice average job with a comfortable house and family. I really wasn't set out for anything grand like every one else here. I had come in for another quite evening. As everything was so darn confusing. And I completely refuse to tell any one what I can do, apart from the people who run this place. Because every bit screams evil and I'm not!
I'm not evil. I wrote, rubbing the spot of ink that had sprung from in-between my lips. That's just silly. I just have a power very different from every else here. I mean they all have physical powers and I have a mental one. I should probably write something about Ash. Is it worth hurting him? I never really wrote detailed diary entries, so I closed it's cover and chucked it aside, then pondered some more with a box of roses. Did I really belong here? I mean what I had, it didn't really fit with every one else. And I can't use it on people like I did with that Leo willy head today, what if some one was watching? I just count myself lucky they weren't. I sighed.
Deep in thought, when some one knocked on the door, I idiotically and automatically just got up and opened it. So infested in my Ella state I forgot who every one thinks I was. I really wasn't doing to well. It was Ash again. He smiled when he saw what I was wearing.
“Sorry to come knocking like this but I needed to ask you something.” I was about to shut the door in his face but I hadn't the heart to do it. When I was out of Aprella's clothes I couldn't act like her.
“What?” I hissed, looking left and right hastily.
“Why do you have such a huge, split personality?” he actually looked concerned, concern I hadn't even seen in my mother before.
“I don't.” I said bluntly, then shut the door in his puzzled face. I had lessons tomorrow, I had to tuck down to bed.

First lesson I was washed along by a sea of people, all battling to push through the narrow door of the class room. It was called Control. I wasn't completely sure what it was but I guess the clue was hidden some where in the name. I was dressed as Aprella again, stiletto knee high boots with a pleated black skirt and a fitted red shirt, unbuttoned rather low.
It was like a laboratory, but it had cubicals round the room. Turned out half of people did text book work and the others did practical. Then the next lesson every one swaps round.
“Okay, Aprella. Practical cubical three.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I scraped my words through the air.
“It says inside.” she moved onto the next person on the list and I trailed to number three. I opened it and jumped to see another person in there, on the seat opposite to the one I was supposed to sit on.
“Get the fuck out.” I cried. She nodded towards the clip board in front and I snatched it quickly, giving her a delightful look of loathing.
Try not to posses this volunteer. If you do, the buzzer will sound. Well that was easy enough. I looked at all the wires attached to her head that lead to a machine that measured brain activity. It would be obvious if I possessed it.
This was going to be fun, just sat here. After a couple of minutes the lady spoke.
“Why is your shirt so low?” she cocked her head to one side and I felt a surge inside me.
“Why is yours so high?”
“Because i'm not a -” she slugged off shamefully.
“Say it.” I snapped.
“Because I'm not a slut.” I spat through my teeth.
“I wouldn't if I were you. Just shut it okay?” I looked at my nails.
“Fake.” she muttered.
“Don't you dare speak under your breath to me.” I snarled.
“Oh take a look at your self girl! Your so fake! I bet your hardly a nice person.” that set me off.
“If only you knew why I hide behind it.” I whispered in pain.
“Cos your a slut?” I screamed and launched myself into her mind. Suddenly I could see out her eyes, read every thought she ever had, see her past and her secrets. And most of all. Possess her. I wanted to hurt the bitch. All physical feeling I had were with my body, so as I bashed her head against the wall I felt nothing. The buzzer was screaming like mad and I paused to see the teacher run in and blind fold me, instantly breaking the connection and sucking me back to my body.
Have you ever had the feeling of ice washing over you then your body instructing you to do something you can't stop? Like strings pulling at you. Just mad dark strings. Because then I must of possessed you at some point. I've never killed any one doing it, and wouldn't dream to. At all.
I walked out of class feeling pretty down hearted, my shoulders slouched and my head hanging a little bit. I had failed my first class. My pulse was pounding in my neck, I could hear it's throb in my ears a flutter of drum beats. Sophia came up to me shaking her hand in annoyance.
“Dam does writing all lesson hurt. If only I was like that Ash boy, then I could just instruct the key board or pen to write for me using my eyes.” Adrenalin burst from my chest, spreading in to my veins and making me feel slightly nauseated.
“Ash? I herd of him. What's he like?”
“He was popular for a while, but kinda drifted out into the middles. The averages if you like. When I did know him he made me laugh and blush. He's that kinda guy. Just generally wants you to feel good.” she shrugged. “But he hangs with Leo who's one of the slightly more populars simply because he''s probably had sex with nearly every girl here, apart from you.” she winked.
“Yes but I'm one of the youngest.”
“You won't always be dear.”
“Sophia!” Briny called and clip clopped up behind. You two, meet us by the lake at twelve.” Her turn to wink, and she ran on to pass the message.
“What was that?” I asked, confusion etching the corners of my fumbled face.
“Oh your see.” She smiled suspiciously.

The night had thick sheet of fog hanging over the lake, suddenly it wasn't quite so beautiful and rich as it was when the sun glistened beautifully off its still surface. In fact the touch of bruised velvet made it some what eerie and exaggerated the coldness that crawled down my spine.
We went round the back of a collection of pine trees that had pink flowers climbing up their trunks. The air was still and peaceful and we were met by a collection of people, including Ash and Leo.
“SO guys what the hell we doing?” Leo perked up, not realising my presence. Ash nodded in agreement, no clue.
“What do we normally do if we call little gatherings at night.”
“Duh?” a girl with short dark brown hair rolled her eyes. “Drugs you idiot.” Leo clapped his hands and leaned back. “all right, lets get these bitches rolling.” But Ash jumped up disgusted.
“You think this is cool man?” I'm done! “ He stalked off in the opposite direction in annoyance.
“Pussy.” muttered Leo rolling his eyes at a pretty girl on his left. We sat down in the circle, and Leo saw me. He gulped and look away quickly, red tingeing his face in fear.
I wasn't quite comfortable with this but I sat down any way, not having much choice I looked over at where Ash's silhouette was disappearing into the shadows. He looked over his shoulder and saw me, It was hard to tell as the shadows held a veil over his face, but I could see he thought better of me as he went on. I had a strong urge to follow him, but didn't. A blanket of unknown washed over me as some one at the head of the group flicked at his lighter on the end of something. It's golden light seeming to make objects around him move and dance in a flickering glow. They handed it round what ever it was and my heart thumped so hard as it got closer I started to get scared. And suddenly I felt myself leave my body and end up in the guy holding the spliff. It shocked me so much I burst into tears and dropped it, then instantly got sucked back into my body, a flash of white light blinding my vision. Jeers of annoyance filled my ears and so startled by what had happened I looked at the boy who was sipping tears from his eyes and trying to explain that he hadn't done that and that some one must of used their shitty power on him.
I slowly turned my head back to the ground, dumbness rolling in my eyes. Fear crushing my heart. I'd possessed some one with out allowing my self to do so because of how strong my emotions got. That wasn't supposed ot happen right? I wasn't sure and I bit my lip in annoyance at my lack of knowledge.
When the spliff arrived I took it with out really thinking and inhaled as much as my lungs would let me I was so caught up in thought, and without looking at it once, passed it on as a light weight feeling filled my insides. The coldness of the night started to seep through my clothes to the edges of my nerves. And then I suddenly realised. How amazing I felt. How... I didn't really care about the whole possession thing, in fact that was a world away, who actually cares! I was so relaxed and happy and some people over the other side of the circle were giggling about nothing which was pretty odd to hear and made a giggle burst from my lips too.
After a while, as the smoke draped in a haze above us, the three boys who had given the drugs out stood up and patted their jeans down, I hardly noticed the look they exchanged.
“Guys I think we may of taken a bit to much,” the skin headed one slurred, “we're gonna walk it off. And urrr Sophia? You better come to.” He winked at her and she paused her giggling to stare up at him in awe.
“Sure Steve.” it took a great deal of effort for her to get up through the thick slush of feelings, but she eventually went with them, hanging off his arm. I didn't think anything of it until I saw it, a red flash burn from the pupils of his eyes before they turned and took her off into the forest. I tried to focus and think through the drugs but my mind was scattered every where, so I just got up and kinda followed after their shadows in silence – with out them knowing I was there. They took her into the forest where the trees sloped and went from archery's bursting into capillaries at the top, the pulse of the forest. Dead tree's had branches entwining them and their shadows looked like a skeleton of a dragon, there were carpets of darkened blue bells and the odd magenta flower. But as he went on the tree's got taller and thickened and the emerald green that dotted the moist brown went black. It was so cold and wet and i'd never been here before. It was hard stumbling over branches trying not to make a sound, but they were muttering something I couldn't hear any way, too evolved with their conversation to care about twigs crunching like animal bones.
“Don't hold me like that, get off me!” He had taken her firmly by the elbow and she smacked him a couple of times drowsily. But he continued to steer her and fifteen minutes later she had given up the protests and my feet started to ache from the beds of mossy rocks. We halted and I realised we'd come to an opening with a odd dip filled with black water and lime duck weed. There was a large stone by the edge of it, the moonlight cast it shadow upon the hard ground.
“Sophia, lie on here.” he ordered.
“Why should I?” she slurred. I watched from behind a particularity thick trunk and a cloud of bushes.
“Because I told you so.” he snarled and pushed her down on it via her chest. She screamed feebly.
“What is your problem Steve? And what are they doing here. Because there's only one reason I can think off which you want me to lie down for you, underneath you.”
“You got the paper?” Steve turned to his friend with long, grease infested black hair.
“I have.” he took a crumpled thing from his pocket and attempted to straighten it out. Sophia sat up on the stone bed rubbing her arm.
“Paper? What are you on about? Am I hallucinating or something?” He shoved her down again by her shoulder, this time something cracked and she gasped in pain. I very much doubt the crack was from the rock.
“Shut it whore.” he snapped, then turned to the black haired guy. “i can not WAIT to be able to control electricity, it's like the most awesome power ever.” he muttered darkly. Wait, were they gonna like strip her of her power?
Then I herd the slicing sound of a knife being sharpened. My head flicked to the last of the boys, normal cropped brown hair. He held a long knife in his hand and was scraping it along a stone to sharpen it. I started to shake, I couldn't go out there and confront them.
“She can't use her powers under the influence with drugs,” he told the knife dude, “so stop glancing at her like she's gonna bite.” The cogs in my head were pushing through the sludge in my head but I couldn't clock anything.
“Shall we start?” Steve hissed, giving the two boys a hypnotic, exultant grin.
“Go for it.” The black haired one grinned back then cleared his throat. What he recited from the piece of paper was old. Very old and my drugged up mind couldn't make a single word of it. I wasn't even sure if the boys had even taken drugs. It's not like no one would of noticed if they didn't, but surely they inhaled some. I couldn't think. He was reciting something about a sacrifice for more powers to improve them selves. And then I realised what was happening. It clicked.
Sophia did too, just as I got it. She's been whimpering in pain the whole time and as the tip of the knife raised above her it glinted the reflection of her face so I could see.
Sheer horror. It was like twisted agony like I'd never seen before. Desperately scared. Tears pouring down her cheeks. Steve's hands held her down and she screamed.
“No please no. NO NO WHAT ARE YOU DOING NO.” She panicked, screaming and shrieking and twisting. Fighting against his grip of steel. Her eyes glued to the point of the blade.
“So let it be.” the black haired one finished.
“Let it be.” the other repeated and the knife came down into her stomach. It was like slow motion. Her eyes followed it and a blood curdling, nerve tearing scream ripped from her throat as fear like none other became netting over her shining eyes. Blood sprung dark as a petal of a rose, and soaked her clothes like wine. He pulled it back out again and she choked on it, her eyes wide and still, her scream hoarse and rattled, and he bought the knife down again and again and again. With every stab the breath was lost from her lungs and pain washed her face until her last gasping breath sent her eyes blank as paper and they rolled into her head. Blood soaked into the ground, the moons silver light gliding over the top, and they turned her body into the water where the disruption sent black rippling across the green pond and blood erupted to the top.
I could smell death.
I could not believe it. I clasped my hand over my mouth from breathing to hard and was shaking so violently. I wanted to be dead, not ever had let this scare my eyes. Sickness welled up in me and burnt my throat. It had been a spell. So they could take her powers from her.
“Okay boys. Well done. Now feel the force of lightning.” he pushed his hand into the air and I recoiled for it to break an electrifying purple. But nothing happened. His hand dropped to his side in defeat and he looked at the boys wide eyed.
“WELL.” he roared. The others tried and nothing happened. It hadn't worked. Steve dropped to his knees and thumped the floor with his fist until it bled and he roared at the sky.
“It didn't work.” he trembled, out raged. Then grabbed the knife and slit his throat, his blood a thin slithered ribbon slid across and he just fell to the floor. The other two looked at each other in horror and ran. They weren't that far away from me but I crouched in the bushes. They were mad, mad enough to believe in spells and scarification.
Then I ran to the pond tears staining my face. Peering over all I could see was Sophia's dead face sprouting from in-between the duck week, white as a corpse already. My hole insides constricted then shattered and hardly being able to control my legs I ran, shrieking. I tumbled over twigs and rocks and fell many times letting the ground scrape at my numb hands. I was in such a state I couldn't belive how I kept getting up.
I ran to the circle of people wide eyed and gushing in tears, their heads flicked lazily round to me, the drugs had worn off a little bit so people were a bit more with it.
“They killed Sophia!” I cried. “Steve and the other two! Sacrificed her for her powers, and then Steve slit his throat when he realised it didn't work and the other two dumped her in the pond and ran.”
“Had a bit to much Aprella?” Briny lolled. Staring up at me through huge eyes.
“No guys, wait! She may be telling the truth.” Leo jumped up. “Think about it, we know they've been letting their powers control them. What if they went mad with darkness?”
“Don't be a fool Leo,” The pretty girl snapped. Every one out broke into bickers.
“I saw red swim in their eyes before they took her!” I shook. Silence froze.
“Get. The. Professor.” whispered a boy I didn't know. “NOW.” he roared. Briny jumped up and clutched my arm, her face and voice was swollen in tears.
“Sophia's dead?” she stifled. I nodded and she collapsed, the pain inside her ripping her.
“I want to be dead!” she screamed. “Kill me!” and she started stabbing her self with what ever was lying around.
“Some one restrain her!” I cried. “I'll get the professor. Hide the drugs.” I pelted towards the building and ran to the teachers dorms and ran up and now them screaming.
“Help help! Some one Please HELP.” Doors opened and an exhausted Professor came out peering at my broken face.
“Oh my what on earth happened?”
“Steve and two other boys went crazy. They sacrificed Sophia for her powers but the 'spell' didn't work. Steve slit his throat and the others ran. But they're probably still around, they didn't know I came across the scene.”
“You didn't try and stop it.” something bled inside me and I tried to hold myself together, the hysteria and angst.
“I couldn't.” I whispered.
“They obviously let their powers control them to an extinct it got into their heads. I'll call the police, they'll take the boys to the -” he paused, “well we don't speak of there.”
“Where?” I shivered.
“Where people have become dangerous, mad and evil. Now tell me where it is.”
“I'm not sure, in the forest, in a clearing by a deep pond.” he nodded.
“I know where you mean, we only have two natural water resources, the lake and the pond. I'll take the professors there immediately. BRIAN PHONE THE POLICE.” he yelled into the room next door.
“Child you look broken. Go to your room.”
“No I can't – I have to be there for Briny and -”
“GO to your room, that's an order.” I blinked at him and turned numbly to trail to my room.
I walked along the corridors and saw ash sitting with his back resting on a wall, tossing a key in his hand. Obviously thinking about something. He saw me and jumped up.
“Oh my gosh what happened?” I stared at him, my bottom lip trembled and I burst into hyperventilating sobs of tears, gasping for air through the rivers. I then fell to the floor. He rush to me and picked me up, carrying me back to my room, pushing the door open with his eyes.
He lay me on the bed where I bit the pillow. His soft fingers brushed hair from my eyes and he didn't ask questions just comforted me, I snuggled into him and let my head lie on his chest. Tears soaking his t – shirt. In the end he just pulled it off and waded it under my mascara drained, red poofy eyes. Flash backs started hitting me, the blood. Her face when she knew she was going to die. And then I herd.
“You could of stopped it.” It was Sophia's voice so clear. I screamed and jumped up clamping my hands over my ears.
“Did you hear that?!” I yelled. He shook his head and shushed me. It broke my heart the other day when I was mean to Ash. But he knew my vulnerable spots and I wish I could harden up to him now. Some how, with the horror in my head, by sheer exhaustion. I started to fall asleep on him, he was warm and comforting. But suddenly sirens sounded from out side and we both jumped up staring at each other. The police had arrived to take them away/i].
My heart skipped a beat.
They were going to the place unspoken of.