9 Days Before

○- Dealix, a senior student at Evergiants High School, sighed as he signed the school's name, finding it cringe-worthy. His buddy next to him chuckled at his expression.

"What a damn school, feels more like a prison every day," his buddy agreed, attempting to continue the conversation. It went nowhere as he realized that Dealix was lost in staring at the clouds rolling in.

- "Hey -"

"Yo~! Dealix, you alright?" he asked. But once again, it fell on deaf ears as a shiver traveled from his buddy's fingers to his right shoulder blade.

"What the hell...?" The friend shook his wrist as if trying to shake off the strange feeling.

"Yo, Dealix!" His buddy raised his voice, causing other students from the school to glance at them with tilted heads.

"Keep walking, keep walking... You freshmen," the two continued moving forward, but Dealix remained entranced by the sky above.

"Dude, why do you keep staring at the damn sky?" Dealix snapped out of it.

A passing teacher warned them about their language, and his buddy responded with an 'F.U. ' gesture behind the teacher's back.

"Sorry, what...?" Dealix replied in a soft voice, struggling to return to reality.

"Dude, you've been doing that a lot lately. Do you need more sleep or something? I've been calling your name for a while."

"Oh? Dang. Maybe I need more sleep, though I thought I've been getting my eight hours," he responded.

Dealix and his buddy Xiel reached the locker room hallways. These lockers were sturdy and could endure rain without damage.

The hallways had arches forming them, with a slight ceiling material above to provide shelter from the rain.

“Alright, dude, take it easy. I’m heading to the first period... You know, there’s another kid in my class who does the same thing. Maybe you two should be friends or something, think his name is Lin?” Xiel said, stealing some breakfast and rushing into the classroom to avoid any conflict.

"Asshole!" The kid who had the breakfast shouted after him, but Xiel just gave him the middle finger and entered the classroom.

Dealix stood there, reflecting on the dreams he's been having for the past few days - shadowy figures talking to him.

Uncanny resemblances to people at his school and strange alterations to the school itself.

He'd talked to his school counselor about it, but they only nodded, jotted things down, and handed the notes to the principal.

clouds moved closer, casting a shadow over the school, and the seams in the cloud formed a smiley face.

Dealix took it as a sign of good things to come. He grabbed his backpack straps, crossed the bridge, and headed up a small hill.

Raindrops began to sprinkle the cement as Dealix entered his classroom.

"I thought it was supposed to be summer," a girl in his class remarked upon entering.

"Rain?" Dealix asked.

"What do you think...?" She made the same cringe-filled expression he had when looking at the school.

"My bad." He replied. She bit her lip in disgust and took her seat. Another girl sitting beside him rolled her eyes and rummaged inside her bag, looking worried.

Dealix took his seat and noticed a tiny piece of a bong sticking out, something he recognized because he was somewhat of a stoner himself.

He wouldn't have recognized it otherwise.

"Hey!" She noticed and quickly pulled back her bag, closing it tightly.

In response, he smiled and formed a circle with three fingers. She scoffed, and he placed his finger to his lips, mimicking the "shush" gesture.

"Shh," he lowered his finger, pretending not to notice. He acted as if he were studying as the teacher approached the front of the class. The girl smiled and followed his lead.

"Alright, class, it looks like we're going to be under a severe thunderstorm watch, so we'll take it easy and do some creative writing to pass the time.

This period might extend into the next class or two, depending on how rough it gets," the teacher announced.

Handing out a packet of blank striped paper for creative writing.

Some students were excited about tapping into their creative juices, while others wondered if they even possessed a creative side.

"Why can't we just go home? I mean, it's summer, and it's raining. Why can't we just leave?" The same girl who disliked the rain voiced her frustration.

The teacher engaged with her, discussing the importance of school, but his words fell on many deaf ears, not just Dealix's.

The class continued as the teacher handed out the packets, eventually reaching Dealix.

He placed the packet down and leaned in.

"Are you going to write more of those crazy dreams of yours? They make for good writing material."

"What...?" Dealix was taken aback by the teacher's comment.

"Are you going to continue writing your stories? They're really good. I hope you keep working on them," Mr. Clark said with a hint of confusion.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night." The teacher patted him on the shoulder, offering a listening ear if he ever needed to talk.

Dealix looked at the blank striped paper in front of him, contemplating whether he should write his dreams as stories again.

He was hesitant, especially after thinking he heard his teacher mention it.

Dealix wasn't sure why he was sensitive about the dreams. He pondered it, tapping his pencil on the paper.

Another classmate behind him asked if he could stop the noise since it was distracting him.

While slightly annoyed, he understood how even a small noise could be amplified in the silence.

Dealix started gently bouncing his leg to relieve restlessness.

The stoner girl next to him noticed and tapped her pencil on her paper-she was making progress, unlike him, he thought, as she continued her interaction with the boy behind him.

The boy glared at her, and she responded in kind.

"Yo. Don't take crap from anyone. You were quiet. He's just annoyed because I rejected him," Chandra intervened, causing the three of them to fall silent, along with a few other eavesdroppers.

After this exchange, Dealix felt relieved enough to start writing.

Dealix J, Smith

The Snowfall

In a dark, cold room, the wind brushed against the door, allowing snow to trickle in along with a chilly breeze. Goosebumps rose on my skin, starting from my fingers and coursing up my arm to my shoulder blades before converging at the nape of my neck. I shivered and shook it off.

I was alone but had the feeling of being watched and studied from every angle that I didn't know existed. This triggered brief moments of mania, an intense sensation urging me to wake up, though it was confusing because I couldn't feel anything in the dream.

yet I was experiencing everything. Panic grew inside me, compelling thoughts of opening the door, but I decided against it. It was too cold outside; I needed a jacket if I was going to venture out there. Despite this, I sensed that staying in the cabin would lead to dire consequences, though I didn't know why I felt that way. I turned around and opened the closet door, grabbing a coat.

'Might as well listen to these thoughts; they might save me in the future,' I told myself as I set out on an adventure - '

Suddenly, Tay, the kid behind him, kicked his chair because of Dealix's bouncing leg.

Dealix was startled, and a series of imagery played in his mind - the school hallways frozen and buried under snow, light snowflakes gently falling.

A jolt of unease shot from the nape of his neck down his spine.

The desk began to rattle, and he shivered uncontrollably. Amidst the rattling, the teacher peeked up from his book titled 'After', searching for the source. His gaze fell upon Dealix.

rattling persisted, shaking his desk and those around him. Students raised their hands to signal their concern. Some muttered to themselves.

Mr. Clark, taken aback, tried to comfort Dealix, who let out an eerie, loud screech, startling the teacher.

The rattling continued, shaking his desk, himself, and the neighboring desks. Students stared and whispered, their thoughts a mix of confusion and fear.

Dealix's head jerked back as the rattling intensified. Another student, Ellie, moved to poke Dealix, but the teacher intervened.

Clark approached the desk as Dealix's head had stopped moving, and the rattling subsided. Dealix let out a pain-filled scream, shaking his head wildly, his hands gripping the desk with enough force to leave marks.

" What the hell is going on!" The girl from before cried out, stricken with hysteria.

Dealix tossed and turned, his breaths replaced by screams, his eyes returning to normal for a mom, wide and desperate for air. The teacher was stunned, his eyes were moons, struggling to make sense of the situation.

Dealix fell to the ground, flailing as his legs jittered involuntarily.

The teacher urgently instructed students to call for the emergency hotline and the principal on the school phone.

He wrapped his arms around Dealix, protecting his head, but Dealix continued to convulse, briefly surfacing from his disoriented state to gasp for air—his face fueled with panic.

Foam spewed from his mouth, followed by blood that appeared darker than usual, coating his mouth with metallic.

Though the dark maroon could have been a trick of their minds due to the chaotic scene.

One student screamed as lightning struck the window, hitting Dealix's desk and igniting it.

Erupting faint ionized gasses from the strike accompanying the fragrance of sulfur from the fire.

A collective shiver ran through the room, causing students to tremble.

"Grab the fire extinguisher!" The teacher yelled while still trying to comfort Dealix, reassuring him that everything will be okay.

Chandra rushed to get the fire extinguisher.

"Point it! Hold-"

"I know how to use this thing!" She exclaimed having past experiences, she pointed the fire extinguisher to the blaze putting it out.

The area around Dealix's desk was charred and damaged. Students huddled together at the teacher's back.

Chandra huffed with relief and dropped the extinguisher, glancing between her new found friend, the group, and the teacher.

Dealix's convulsions ceased, now in an unconscious state.

The distant sound of an approaching ambulance grew louder as it neared the school.

Soon enough, the ambulance arrived, and a makeshift stretcher was prepared. Chandra hurriedly boarded the ambulance.

"Who are you?" The paramedic asked.

"His sister," Chandra said, looking at Dealix, then at the paramedic.

"Adopted," she clarified, gesturing toward Dealix.

The paramedic looked at both of them and allowed her into the ambulance.

The teacher watched this unfold, bewildered.

"What are you doing...?" He asked. Chandra smirked and waved.

"Just give me some homework and let me go with MY brother," she said, urging him to be quiet. Surprisingly, he complied, and she smirked in return. At least Dealix wouldn't be alone during the ambulance ride, the teacher thought.

Mr. Clark took out his flip phone and dialed Dealix's parents' number but received no answer. He tried again, leaving a voicemail about their son's situation. He snapped the phone shut, entered the classroom, and announced the cancellation of classes for the day.

"Go home. School's canceled. If anyone needs a ride, call Mr. Buer. He'll sort things out to get you home." A few students dialed h number to organize carpools.

Others called their parents, while some students left to walk home in the rain, discussing the shocking events of the day.

Inside the ambulance, Chandra watched Dealix closely.

She rummaged through his bag and found crumpled papers that detailed his peculiar stories.

"Something's happening to you, isn't it?" she murmured to herself, realizing that she needed to be there for whatever was about to unfold.

He would need someone close by.

She placed the papers back into her bag, deciding to hide them there instead of Dealix's.

She had a sense that she might need to keep them hidden in the future, especially if they wanted to blame this situation on drugs.