Chapter Eight - Curiosity is a real scary thing
The school was very still in the night’s quiet, perfect as I slipped in from a side door. I knew this entrance had been broken for awhile and the alarm would not have gone because of that. It was the perfect entry way for me to go and check on these things that were driving me a little nuts... but in doing this, I thought I was nuts anyway..
I was glad to get inside after hurrying across the campus while trying not to get spotted out after curfew. Once in, I found the school to be as spooky as the night outside was. Hearing only my own breathing, it just heightened the feeling.
The halls seemed so much bigger than in the daytime, the silence making the hairs on my neck stand. I could feel my heart pounding so hard in my chest at this time, but I could not turn back... what ever drove me to even search this out was keeping me from running back out and stopping all of this.
The halls were empty, as I made my way deeper into the school. I found myself hearing different and strange noises from all around me, making me shiver a little.. I kept an eye out for anyone that might be still in the school even this late at night, the noises were a constant reminder of that possibility.
On the surface, there seemed to be nobody inside the large place... but I knew that could be very deceiving. I had seen lights on in here many times since coming to school here, telling of people always being in here at one point or another. It seemed like there was no one in here still, but cautiousness was what I needed to keep in my head.
With only the emergency lights to show me the way, I headed straight for the Art hallway and that room which was my goal. I was unsure of what I might find, or if I would end up finding anything of the sort. I just needed to do this, despite my reservations I kept thinking up. Being already here and in the school, made that all a moot point.
When I found the entrance of the art hallway, I could see that it was really dark all the way down its length. I was as close to being pitch black as you could get, because only one set of the emergency lights at the far end the only source of light. It was just enough to see where that room was, and that it was still sitting open. I also could see that other doors were still shut like they had been a few days ago. It seemed like no one had been down this way since.
I made myself hurry down the hall with a quickened yet quiet step, my heart now pounding even harder as I went for that open doorway. I wanted to get in, see what it was that I needed to seen...and get out of there. As simple as it seemed, I knew that things like this could never be that simple.
It was total darkness I found as I stepped in to the room. I shut the door quietly behind me, thankful that they were new doors and hinges installed. I had my hand poised on the light switch as I closed the door, wanting to time it perfectly. I had not seen anyone in the building yet... but I wanted to take no chances at all... how would I explain what I was doing here in the first place If I got caught.
I then flicked on the as soon as I had that door closed all the way. I had remembered that this particular Art room had no windows to the outside, so flicking on the light would not arouse anyone’s suspicions in any way. It helped me to be as stealthy as I could get myself to be.
I was instantly blinded for a second, as the flourescent lights flared to life above me. I squinted against the brightness which flooded the room, my eyes actually hurt for a second as well. I stood there for a few moments to let my vision adjust, and things became clearer for me. I finally could see everything in the room as I looked around myself.
I surveyed the room as I listened to the sounds of my own breathing that seemed to be very loud. I purposely ignored the long wooden table that was just off to one side, as that was bringing back the memories of what I had seen that day. It was the very one that Louise had been on that day... and just the thought of it made me shiver a little.
I focussed myself on the task that I had came for, wanting to do what I had came here for... then get myself out of here as fast as I can.
I saw the grey door I was curious about at the far end of the room. I eyed the flat grey metal for a few moments, pondering that this thing was the reason for my little excursion out on this night. I hurried and made my way to that grey barrier, just wanting to calm whatever was driving my curiosity like this... and perhaps then I could end up finally sleeping soundly for the first time in days.
I tried the knob the instant I got there, and found that it was locked up tightly... I had expected that the door would have been, but I needed to make sure... I guess. Dead end.
I flattened my head against the cold metal, listened with my ear while feeling the coolness of the door against my face. I could not hear a sound on the other end, not even a faintest of one. I stepped back and looked at the locked door, and realized that I had done all of this sneaking around for nothing.
" Darn!" I whispered to the silence.
I had thought about this possibility while I was sneaking my way across the large courtyard to get here, and it had more than once made me thing I should have simply turned around during that time. Now with the locked door making the questions I had still unanswered like they were... I knew that there was no way right now to get them. I turned so I could get myself out of here, without getting caught
I took only a step when I spotted a very thin wire that was coming out from out of the top of the door. It was almost perfectly hidden in the groove where wall and roof met, something told me that was not normal at all. I eyed the off white wire, following it as it ran along the ceiling of the room and away from the door. I followed the wire while moving, wondering just what this little wire was about.
It went along and led straight to the door that I had came in. It seemed to go into the wall next to an small fresh air vent just next to the room door. I moved a little to one side, getting a better angle to see if that wire actually went anywhere else... and that was when I spotted something just out of plain luck. There hidden in that little air vent, I could barely see the recognizable shape of something sitting in the vent. It was clearly was a small web camera sitting on the other side of the grill that covered the vent opening.
I was curious and climbed up on to a smaller of those long tables that was sitting directly under the vent. It seemed that table had been placed there for a reason, I thought it might be because of that little camera.
I peered through the little vent the best that my short stature could do, and could tell that the camera had been focussed right on the very same table that Louise had been laying on when I had caught her with that horrid janitor. That was when certain things started to really dawn on me. It was clear that things were a little more ‘kinky’ that just Louise doing what she was doing for cash. It may have also been more than what the girl knew was going on with her little plan... or there was a possibly she might be a party to way more than what I could see was on the surface.
Either way whatever was happening was going, this was getting more and more creepy by the second... I may be somewhat naive of things, but I am not stupid. What ever was going on, was making me nervous.
I hopped off the table and quickly shut the room’s light off, noting that the little LED light on the camera itself - was not on at the moment.. The camera was not on at the time, which was a good thing. I did not want to take a chance at being recorded at this point, and having that creepy worker knowing that I had seen what I had saw in more ways that one... I had taken too many risks already.
I was out of the classroom very fast, every part of me was screaming for me to get out of there. It seemed my bravery I had bolstered myself with was gone. I wanted no part of this in any way... getting myself out of here was the first step to making sure of that
Making my way through the maze of school halls as quickly as I could... all I wanted was to just get back to that broken emergency door I had slipped in earlier and get myself back to my dormitory as fast as I could. It had cured me of the curiosity that had popped into me.
As I neared where the broken fire exit was at the end of a very dark hall, I suddenly heard a noise. I froze right where I was in the darkness of the shadows, hoping that I had just heard a random sort of noise that had broke the stillness of St. Tomas. I heard it again much to my horror... identifying that it was clearly a single set of footsteps that I had heard. I was under fifty feet away from my goal of the exit, and found myself scared to even move. As I hung there, the footsteps were clearly coming in my direction.
My mind flooded with trying to figure out what I could do, while the fear telling me what I could not. It was a battle in my head that was not helping my situation. I peered back through the dimness, and could see a shadow covered figure far down the hall. It was coming ever so closer to me with every moment that passed I knew if I moved right now, that person would see or end up hearing me. I stayed still for a while more, weighing my options.
By the shape of that figure, I was more than just sure that it was not one of the Sisters or even the Father himself. The silhouette told me that it was a man, but nothing else... and that brought a new flood of fear. I knew the man might be in here in the first place, something my mind had been reminding me of since I had hatched this plan.
I did not move so as to keep myself covered by the veil of darkness that hung in this hall. I could hear whoever it was coming down the hall way, moving very slowly as it headed right to me.
Glancing around, I saw that there were no open doors to any of the rooms which I could have decided to bolt into. There also were no other little corners to hid in this short hall either, my options were just where I was standing and that was that.
The reality was that the only way out of this hallway and this situation was straight through the very same door that I had came in earlier. I was stared at the door and felt myself now really sweating. That partially open fire exit was my only means of escape.
" What am I going to do here!!" I asked myself, looking right at the dimness covered door.
It was now coming ever clearer... I had a choice. Getting caught, or making a break for it and possibly getting caught as well. My chances, like my options, were not many. I listened to the person getting closer and closer... I had to make a decision, and make it rather fast.
I set myself to take off as fast as I could, staring at the door for what seemed to have been a very long time. Taking one last deep breath, I flung myself forwards and literally bolted for the door.
Thankfully, the door was still sitting open a little as I hit it. I heard a voice call out for me to stop along with a string of swearing that never had been seen inside our school. It registered in my head, the voice belonged to that creepy man I had been dreading coming face to face with.
I knew I was obscured almost completely in darkness, but my fear was that the man still would have been able to recognize me.. But I was not about to hang around to find that out if that creep of a man did or didn’t. Bursting out of that emergency exit, I hit the grass running, and kept on moving.
I ducked into a large stand of trees that were planted almost up against the building.. Running full out, I was not quite sure if the man was hot on my heals trying to catch me at this point as I pushed my legs to move as fast as I could get them to go... But I was not going to stop and find out if he was or not.
Using that cover, I made my way around the edge of school and kept on moving. As I got myself out of there, the only thing I heard was the pounding of my heart in my ears as I hurried back to my room.
******
I made it into my dorm, after taking more than just a few precautions against being caught or even seen. I had ran through the trees, crouched low behind bushes and never used any of the lit paths as I made my way back. I was like some sort of ninja, as I made my escape.
Slipping into the dorm building, I finally paused to look over my shoulder. I had figured out that the man had lost me somewhere near the school or he had not even try to get me.. but I was glad that I had made absolutely sure that he never spotted me...At least I was almost sure that he never knew who I was.
I snuck upstairs and entered my room, not making a sound as I did, Closing the door, I stood there in the stillness of my little room, puffing quite hard from all of the running and ducking like I had done to get here. No one had seen me coming or going, and I chalked it up to being really lucky.
With my heart slowing down finally, I moved into my room more while leaving the lights off purposely so no one could see that I was up... or that the man could have seen that and made a calculated guess that it had been me sneaking around in the school tonight. I already knew that there would be more than enough light coming in through my window from the pathlights three floors below, that I did not need to.
I was looking forward now to just undressing and slipping myself into my bed for the night. I was feeling totally worn out by my little excursion, not to mention from my mind working overtime and not letting me sleep either. I was optimistic that I would sleep finally, my mind seemed to have finally slowed enough.
Pulling off my clothes and quickly readied to hang them up, it was them that I spotted that there was a folded piece of paper on my bed by the little low light from the window. I was shocked, as the paper had not been there when I had left to do my ‘detective’ stuff ... but there it was. Looking at the paper as it sat in the dim light, I instantly was feeling nervous towards it.
I wondered if it could have been from Ashley again, pleading with me to forgive her... or perhaps from Louise to threaten me again if I did not keep my mouth shut. Either way, I was more than hesitant to even find out who had left that note, but deep inside of me... something was telling me to check just what it might say. I moved to my bed and picked it up, the feeling had won out.
On opening it after having a slight internal argument with myself, I found that it was a short note left by my best friend, Kerri. I saw on just opening it, that it was a rather short piece the girl had written me... a little unusual considering the girl had almost OCD like qualities when it came to writing notes or anything else. She had never left me a note before, that had been shorter than three pages long..
All the message said was to meet her before our classes started behind St. Thomas Cathedral’s attached theatre, which the school used for lectures, plays and parties in. It did not say why she wanted to meet or anything even close to any explanation...she just told me to meet her there and ended her note with that.
I was a little confused by it, but knew that I just had to meet up with her and things would be explained. I folded the note back up and just slipped into bed, not even bothering to put on a nightgown.
So tired from everything, I fell asleep right away... it probably was more like I had slipped into a coma or something. The fear of what I had discovered had been overtook by my sheer exhausted state. Good thing for me.