At my desk, my fingers clacked quickly against the keyboard. I’ve been thinking about this one for a while. This chapter. Chapter 22.

I ran my hand through my hair, which oddly stopped short. Pulling my hand out from behind my ears, I gasped. Short, white strands of silky hair were intertwined in my fingers.

I grabbed a handful of my hair, thrusting it forward so I could see it. I see the same color, the same length, the same feeling.

Quickly, I open my camera on my computer. The white camera light turned on, and the picture showed up.

In the camera, I had gotten significantly paler. The white hair I saw before was mounted on my head in what seemed to be a wolf cut. My eyes were a deep yet bright purple, and they looked like contacts.

I shut my computer with a slam. Pushing it back on my desk, I run out of my room. A long, wooden hallway greeted me. The one that housed most of our rooms.

I scrambled down the stairs, stumbling, as they were very narrow. “Kristina? Kristina?!” I cried out. To my left, a long dining table with a dark red cloth and yellow lining was in the middle.

Five people were sitting out of the 24 chairs. A booming, drunken voice startled me. “Well well- if it isn’t Koralin! Thanks for joining us for dinner!” In slurred words, a female slammed on the table.

I glance at the head of the table, a blonde with her hair up in a messy bun stared back at me. “Playing the silent game, huh? Fucking coward.. I know I didn’t raise you like..” She gestured to me up and down. “This! A pussy!”

I recognized this woman. That’s Kate. Katelynn Sagi. The drunken, middle aged mother of eight. “God Kate!” A tanner, dirty blonde stood up, pushing her chair. “Can you not talk to her like that without yelling at her?! She hasn’t done anything wrong! None of us have!”

Kayleigh. Thats Kayleigh. The character I had based off of Kristina. My own older sister.

Kate stood up, jabbing a finger at her. “You’re a fucking bitch, you know that?!” She screeched. I stood there shaking like a lost puppy.

Another boy with white hair rested his head on the table, a brown head rubbing his head. Kai and Tommy.

Kayleigh and Kate screamed at each other, each of Kate’s words falling out of her mouth with weird noises after. She was clearly drunk, a common feature with her.

After a few more minutes, they had moved their arguing into the living room. “Do you not see all of these wine glasses?! Kate! This clearly isn’t healthy! And you’re taking it out on us?!”

Kate grabbed a glass that was tipped over on the floor. In a swift motion, she slammed it onto the coffee table. The last person at the table, with pink streaks running down her black hair, squealed and hid her face.

Celia. She was afraid of blood. As soon as I realized that, dark, thick liquid pooled down Kate’s hand. Kate rubbed the blood down her pants, smearing it up her hand as more came out. The bits of glasses dug deeper into her flesh, squeezing out more deep red blood.

“You’re hurting yourself- Stop!” Kayleigh screamed. Celia got up from her chair, tears falling down her cheeks as she ran upstairs.

My only choice was to follow her up the steps. “Celia! Wait!” I called after her. She charged into her room, not bothering to close the door. Hesitantly, I followed her inside.

It looked like everything I had described- except more real. The translucent pink fabric covering the canopy of her bed. The sectioned off white closet with the golden, worn door knobs. And even, sparkling on her wall, the Gyaru Pop Idol posters that covered the right side of her bed.

Celia got on her knees, pulling out an old bookbag. It was the one she had used in 3rd grade. The red and off white patterned plaid with the light dirt on it.

“Celia! W-What are you doing?” I asked as she slung the bookbag over her shoulder. She sniffed up the remainder of her snot, her teary eyes looking at me. “Leaving. I can’t be here anymore..”

Knowing with all the trauma I have given her, at least 16 of her family members had died in less than one year. This was the death I had planned for her. She was going to escape through the window, and forgetting that there was concrete below her, she’d jump out and die on impact.

Celia wiped her eyes, smearing her mascara down her cheeks. “Kora.” She grabbed my shoulder aggressively. “If Kayleigh asks where I am- tell her the truth. I’m going where Kira went. I’m going to Uncle Pyeter’s house.”

“Wait- you can’t just leave!” I felt like I hadn’t said those words myself, but I knew it was my own voice. “W-What about me? And the rest of us?! You’re willing to leave us? Here? With her?!”

Celia sniffed again, wiping the bottom of her nose. “I can’t stay here anymore. Know I’ll be praying for you there.” Celia grabbed the strap of the bookbag, readjusting it on her shoulder.

I know I would have tried to persuade her to stay. But, she would still end up going out anyway.

She turned her back to me, walking to the large window at the back of her room. I followed her, hands intertwined and shaking.

“Bye Kora. I hope I’ll see you. If Kate doesn’t kill you.” Celia had a lot of hate in her voice, yet it was soft. How she normally had spoken to Koralin.

She opened the window, the warm July air hitting me in the face. Planning to protest, I reach my hand out. But, she was already out of the window.

I raced to the window and leaned over. But, I saw nothing. Confused, I tipped over the window, looking for her. Maybe she had ran? But no. I know that’s not what happened.

Apparently, I had leaned over the window too far. I know this because I was now hanging out of the window, nearly falling out.

But, I couldn’t save myself. I tilted forward, turning upside down as I fell. The wind pressure pushed my short hair up.

But, I saw a mangled mess of blood under me. What I had been looking for.

***

I jumped in my bed. I was tucked in neatly, my body sweating. My heart was pounding loudly, ringing my ears.

I looked around. The first thing I had done was grab my hair. The long and slick platinum blonde hair was invested into my fingers.

“Emily?” A familiar voice asked. I looked toward the other side of the room. Kristina stared at me, her computer light brightening her face. “Good morning.” She chuckled.

“What time is it?” I questioned. Kristina looked down at her computer. “1:28 AM.” She replied dryly.

“W-What happened?” Kristina looked back up. “Dunno. You fell asleep at your desk on the computer. You were writing and got knocked out cold. Not sure how. We had to put you in your bed.”

I stumbled out of my bed, pulling all the blankets into the floor. Like a madman, I sprinted to her bed. My hands yanked her computer, closing out of whatever tab she had open. “Hey!- What the hell?!”

I typed onto her keyboard in the dark, pulling up Wattpad. I grimaced as I saw what she had recently been reading, before logging out and going onto my account.

Pulling up my most recent draft on Here We Lie To Rest, my jaw dropped in shock. Everything that had just happened to me was written down.

Everything down to a tee. Including the part where I fell out of the window. I pointed to the screen. “I didn’t write this.” I whispered.

Kristina laughed. “Then who did? Casper?” She grabbed the computer from me. “Sam and Colby released a new video. I was waiting for you to wake up for us to watch it.”

She pulled up Youtube, typing in their channel name. I got onto the bed next to her. “Sure.. Okay.”