Keiko followed Marissa down the hallway, but at a safe distance. She blended into the crowd of other girls changing classes. If Marissa had looked back, she would have seen Keiko just standing there, the one still point in that flux of bodies. She would have stood out. And Marissa would have seen her odd stare.
But Marissa didn't look back. She entered the girls bathroom.
Keiko waited as the girls aflutter with conversation, with graded papers in their hands, vanished into the doors of classrooms up and down the hallway. They broke up quickly, like a cloud of butterflies or a snow squall that is over as soon as it's begun
Only Keiko was left standing there. Like a statue in the hallway.
She slowly made her way to the door of the girls bathroom. She made no more sound than a cat. That's how she visualized herself as she looked down at her shoes while she walked.
She managed to open the bathroom door as quietly as it was humanly possible and crept inside.
Marissa was standing at one of the sinks, combing her hair.
"Hello, Keiko," the older girl greeted her. She never turned her head to acknowledge the other girl, and there was no way she could have seen her in the mirror. She was just always aware of everything like that.
Keiko advanced but remained silent.
"Oh, silly me. I forgot to flush," Marissa said. She still hadn't looked at Keiko and continued to fuss with her hair.
Keiko walked to the toilet stall opposite the sink at which Marissa was standing She went to flush the toilet and then realized something was swimming around in the bowl.
She gasped.
"Disgusting, I know," Marissa laughed.
It looked like a salamander. But not quite. It wasn't any animal Keiko had ever seen and she loved to look at books filled with photographs of animals. Then she got a better look at it. It looked like several seahorses glued together.
"You're not going to tell anybody, are you?" Marissa's voice was pure sarcasm. It was a threat.
Now, finally, Marissa turned and in one quick jump was at the toilet. She used her hand to scoop out the creature swimming around in there, and brought it up to Keiko's mouth, as she forced the younger girl against the wall of the toilet stall.
Keiko tried to fight her but Marissa was so strong. She forced the creature into Keiko's mouth, and by using her hand to nearly suffocate her, forced her to swallow the slimy, jagged creature.
Keiko felt the creature scrambling around in her mouth. Then she could feel the thing making its way down her throat. She knew the moment when it reached her stomach. Marissa stepped back and smiled.
"No, you're not going to tell anyone." She smiled.. It was the same wicked smile which had first attracted Keiko to her, which had made her want her for a friend. Though her other friends had warned her. Even her mother, who liked all children, had disapproved.
"Be good and I'll tell you what it eats. Be even better and I'll tell you how to get rid of it. Are you going to be good?"
Keiko nodded in fear.
"Good. Now you better get back to class. Social studies, isn't it?"
Keiko ran from the bathroom, feeling like she was going to throw up. If only it were that simple, she thought.
But Marissa didn't look back. She entered the girls bathroom.
Keiko waited as the girls aflutter with conversation, with graded papers in their hands, vanished into the doors of classrooms up and down the hallway. They broke up quickly, like a cloud of butterflies or a snow squall that is over as soon as it's begun
Only Keiko was left standing there. Like a statue in the hallway.
She slowly made her way to the door of the girls bathroom. She made no more sound than a cat. That's how she visualized herself as she looked down at her shoes while she walked.
She managed to open the bathroom door as quietly as it was humanly possible and crept inside.
Marissa was standing at one of the sinks, combing her hair.
"Hello, Keiko," the older girl greeted her. She never turned her head to acknowledge the other girl, and there was no way she could have seen her in the mirror. She was just always aware of everything like that.
Keiko advanced but remained silent.
"Oh, silly me. I forgot to flush," Marissa said. She still hadn't looked at Keiko and continued to fuss with her hair.
Keiko walked to the toilet stall opposite the sink at which Marissa was standing She went to flush the toilet and then realized something was swimming around in the bowl.
She gasped.
"Disgusting, I know," Marissa laughed.
It looked like a salamander. But not quite. It wasn't any animal Keiko had ever seen and she loved to look at books filled with photographs of animals. Then she got a better look at it. It looked like several seahorses glued together.
"You're not going to tell anybody, are you?" Marissa's voice was pure sarcasm. It was a threat.
Now, finally, Marissa turned and in one quick jump was at the toilet. She used her hand to scoop out the creature swimming around in there, and brought it up to Keiko's mouth, as she forced the younger girl against the wall of the toilet stall.
Keiko tried to fight her but Marissa was so strong. She forced the creature into Keiko's mouth, and by using her hand to nearly suffocate her, forced her to swallow the slimy, jagged creature.
Keiko felt the creature scrambling around in her mouth. Then she could feel the thing making its way down her throat. She knew the moment when it reached her stomach. Marissa stepped back and smiled.
"No, you're not going to tell anyone." She smiled.. It was the same wicked smile which had first attracted Keiko to her, which had made her want her for a friend. Though her other friends had warned her. Even her mother, who liked all children, had disapproved.
"Be good and I'll tell you what it eats. Be even better and I'll tell you how to get rid of it. Are you going to be good?"
Keiko nodded in fear.
"Good. Now you better get back to class. Social studies, isn't it?"
Keiko ran from the bathroom, feeling like she was going to throw up. If only it were that simple, she thought.
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