Striking the keys of the piano with practiced precision, Elias drowned himself into the harmonious melody the instrument produced.
Five years couldn't be considered enough duration to become an expert, but with the events of the last couple of years threatening his sanity, he could be considered well above par.
He always found solace in those black and white keys, as his life slowly became undone at the seams.
His eyes closed, and his fingers danced around thr keyboard. His body swayed to the rhythm and he wished sadly that his life would have been better.
"You know what?"
A voice, sinister and cold whispered to his ears. It grated against his soul; the muse he felt fled far, far away from him.
As his hands hovered above the keys, his eyes squeezed shut from the fear of the known.
'Not this too, not here!' he cried within, sad that his nemesis had caught up this close to him. That even this little part of his life he still has somewhat of control over was slipping from his grasp.
His heart rate increased, and deep within, he knew the voice he just heard was anything but imagined.
It was all real. It was his brother's.
"If you hadn't taken my life, I bet I would have done a lot better than you with living..." Henry said, revealing its twisted nature as its pale hands traced Elias's shoulder.
"C'mon...don't be shy. With how bad your life is going right now, I almost feel bad for you..." It said, clicking its tongue pitifully.
Elias quickly covered his ears. His hands were placed on his ears so forcefully his head could cave in from both sides.
"Oh, look at how pathetic you've become. Don't worry, I'll help you with that..." Henry came again, putting its hands at the side of Elias' face, such that his hands were covering Elias'.
With a taunting grin, he threw his head back, letting out a deranged laugh.
"You can't shut me out, silly; I'm in your mind! It's kinda rude when you do stuff like this; I mean, you could be more grateful. Those fake friends of yours would never be this close to you; we make the perfect team!"
"Get the hell out of my mind, Henry!" Elias shouted, trying to pull his hands away. Some poor innocent hairs in the way were dragged off in the desperate tussle but Elias was numb to the pain.
A desperate glance around the room...
Of course, he was alone. It was in his mind. Like a daydream...daynightmare.
"Just shut up..." Elias whispered this time, shaking terribly as he hugged himself with his bloodied hand and crouched forward so his head could rest on the keyboard.
"Hehehe, hold up brother, calm down. Good thoughts, good thoughts only, don't waste your painfully short, tragic life being bitter now—"
"Elias, what the—?!" Someone interrupted the "brother to brother bonding".
Elias jolted up, recognizing Seven's voice. His eyes immediately widened in shock as he turned to meet him running up to him.
"Uh-oh!" His brother's twisted voice, now distant, mocked followed by another crazed laughter that faded as Seven approached him.
"Wh-what was that?!" Seven asked, his face, paler than before.
"What are you talking about?!" Elias questioned, wiping the sweat off his face with the back of his palm almost forgetting his bloodied arm.
Too late to hide it, Seven grabbed his arm immediately to take a look. Elias pulled out immediately but not without Seven seeing the brown hairs stained with blood.
"W-What is this?!" Seven asked.
"H-huh? Gum stuck in my hair. Got nasty real quick..." Elias said shakily, desperately finding where to place his hands.
Definitely not where Seven could see them.
"What's the matter with you? You know you can speak up right?" Seven persisted, feeling his heart thump with concern for him.
"You're dumber than you look. What's there to speak up about? If I'm not being honest, tell me then, what else could have happened?"
"I saw it!" Seven glared at Elias whose breath hitched. "It was right here! Y-you were talking with..."
"What?" Elias asked, meeting his glare with one of his own. He wasn't going to involve people in his mess, he had promised.
Right now, Seven was seriously getting on his nerves. Bad things happens to nosey people, he should learn from the curious cat.
Frowning, Seven glanced through the room in search of the creature he saw a split second ago.
It looked human, but in every disturbing and disgusting way.
Seven racked his brain, questioning the authenticity of his vision. Elias was pretty confident and convincing.
His visions lately have been oddly realistic, which was different from the past when it required having to come in contact with a source and, on some occasions, activate it himself.
He might be wrong, but his instincts never lie. He was going to get to the bottom of this.
Not now though, so he decided to dismiss it.
"Uhm... thought I saw something. Probably nothing, we should go..." Seven dismissed, shifting to the side so Elias would take the lead.
Shaking his head in confusion, Seven reminded:
"The library, remember? With your friends..."
"Oh, that!" He responded checking the time.
Heading towards the door and turning midway to call on Seven who was lagging behind.
Adjusting his glasses as he waited for him to catch up, he tugged his hand into his locker and muttered slowly...
"We might stay beyond curfew, you good?" He asked, and Seven nodded in response as they turned off the light and exited the hall.
---
"What are we looking for?" Cordis asked as they waited for a blonde girl to pick the locks.
Zed shrugged: "Anything that might be connected to a murder, I guess..."
"I have been to this library for years now, if there was anything related to a murder, I'm sure I or anyone would have noticed..." A bright-eyed girl with a characteristic small mouth said, staring at Zed.
"The cause of death is likely non-violent, Lexis. So what would you expect to see?" Cordis explained
"What, then, are we expecting to find here?" Lexis interjected, pouting a little which made her look comically adorable.
An awkward silence followed as everyone turned towards Zed, with questions in their eyes...
"Don't look at me, it wasn't my idea to come here..." She defended causing everyone to shift their gazes towards Seven instead.
Cold shivers ran down their spines as he returned their gazes with a passionate blank face. No emotion was betrayed but the same fact unsettled them.
"Anyone have a better idea?" He asked, his voice dripping with indifference as he tilted his head to the side.
Click!
"Done!" The blonde girl got through the locks and turned proudly. Smiling as she played with her lock pick.
Moving past them, as they subconsciously gave way. Seven entered the library, intentionally unlocking something within. They followed behind, the darkness of the library embracing their figures.
---
Stepping into the library, the lights lit on their own, and Seven looked at the ceiling, a little shocked.
'Someone among them must have..." His thoughts drifted, suddenly realizing that he couldn't hear the footsteps of the others behind him.
'It actually worked!'
He felt his hair stand on end and a goose bumps prickled his pale skin.
Looking at his hands, he held in a gasp, discovering it wasn't his.
'Oh my days! I consciously unlocked a trance!' He thought, not sure how to feel about it just yet.
Every other thing that followed, including his movements was weird to him but instinctual; he had no control whatsoever over them.
It was strange.
The library was similar to the one he'd seen before, yet different—dimmer, older, and bathed in a cold, oppressive silence.
Before he could process where he was, he felt himself pacing the room nervously. He stepped out in front of a mirror, the lights from the ceiling illuminating his sharp features.
No doubt now, he was a completely different person.
His neatly combed hair gave him an air of charm, but his movements betrayed his nervousness as adjusted his tie, taking deep breaths.
Bang!
The door slammed shut, making him flinch.
Click!
The unmistakable sound of a lock sliding into place followed.
Seven's head snapped toward the door. He rushed to it, pounding desperately. "Let me out!" he shouted, his voice tinged with desperation.
Laughter echoed from beyond the door—mocking, cruel laughter. He felt his panic deepen as he realized his bullies had trapped him inside.
The lights began to flicker.
His frantic knocking turned into frantic searching. He darted between shelves, looking for an escape. Sparks began to fall from the ceiling, casting eerie flashes across the room.
The sparks intensified, illuminating his terrified face. Then the lights went out completely drowning him in ominous darkness.
A sense of deja vu washed over him and the conscious part of him screamed danger,
bracing themselves for the known.
As expected...
A scream pierced the darkness, raw and bloodcurdling. Seven clutched his head, dropping to the floor as pain shot through his skull registering a familiar shock. The scream felt like it was inside him, tearing him apart, the current coursing mercilessly through him.
"Seven!"
---
With a searing pang in his head, he whinced and blinked repeatedly to stop the tears that clung desperately to his fluttering white lashes.
Shadows cast on him and soon he felt a warm hand press against his cheek. Subconsciously exhaling, his shoulders relaxed.
"Hey, Seven...are you okay?" A soft voice called out to him and he felt gentle pats follow up on his cheek.
Pushing himself up, he groaned, feeling subtle throbs in his head.
A man with a suppressed aura appeared in his line of sight. He hadn't seen him before, but he looked important. With a smile that pushed his dark shades upwards, he drew closer.
The said smile brightened the room and his voice reached his ears soothing but commanded respect:
"Hi. Seven is it? We've been expecting you!"