Annabelle Carousel's Story

Carter Evans drove himself to school, since his mom stopped driving him long ago. The building loomed above him almost ominously. He took in a deep breath, hardly drawing in much air at all, and made his way into the building. He was navigating to room 116, which was his first period. His hood was pulled over his head as usual, and he gave smiles to classmates that walked by that he recognized. He was feeling quite sad inside, but he hid it well.

---

Annabelle tugged her sleeves down nervously. Her head was ducked low, and she was looking anxiously from side to side as she walked down the hallways. She had left the house early today. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, because there were a lot of faces watching her. Now, she couldn't see them, but she felt them. She could hear the voices in her head, telling her that everyone hated her. It was taking a lot of energy not to scream. That would be embarrassing. She arrived in room 231, but she didn't want to stop moving. She went to the back of the room and began pacing.

There were a couple of students already in the classroom when Kade arrived. A few girls sat in the front of the classroom; they instantly recognized him and greeted without hesitation, basking in his gentle disposition and fair looks. He gave them a small smile and a friendly hello before proceeding towards the back of the room where he normally sat. A dark-haired girl paced quietly in the back of the room and Kade immediately tried to place her face. He recognized her, but he'd never had a personal experience with her; he'd always been terrible with names, and this was no exception.

Finally giving up on the search for a name to match the pretty face, Kade dropped into the seat in the back corner, only a few paces from where the girl was making circles. He examined her briefly, entranced momentarily - he'd always been attracted to dark hair - before returning his attention to his cell phone. Jacob, his best friend, had been urgently texting him about every hot girl he'd seen in the hallway and it was exhausting to try to keep up with every "perfect girl."

---

Pendley somehow found herself in a sticky situation. Three boys - seniors, she suspected - were blocking her from proceeding to the classroom, which was really only a couple of feet out of grasp. They might have been flirting with her, but she wasn't paying enough attention to really understand what they were saying. One of them kept waving his hands around as he spoke and every time they came close to her she felt a burst of anxiety in her chest.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" the tallest of the three asked, frowning at her.

She flinched, drawing her eyes away from him.

"Maybe she's mute," the ugliest laughed. "Or maybe she just thinks she's too good for us."

She glanced over when a boy sat down. Annabelle never had time for boys, or for anyone, really. Mainly that was because nobody cared enough to make time for her. So, she did what she did best, and that was pretending he wasn't there. She stopped in her tracks when in the desk in front of her sat one of the figures that followed her around. Her eyes widened and she began shaking.

The figures were ugly, something you'd read about in a creepypasta. They were very tall, thin, and disfigured. They were awkwardly bent up. They didn't have a face, but they were terrifying. And every so often... like the one that sat in front of her... a mouth would curl up into an ugly and demonic smile.

It was already telling her to do things. Terrible things. She tugged on her sleeves. Hard.

---

When Carter got to the classroom, he was greeted by an upsetting scene. A beautiful, shy girl that he recognized by the name of Pendley was being harassed by a couple rowdy seniors. They recognized him when they saw him. "Hey, Carter!" They greeted with stupid looking smiles.

Carter was friendly and all, but he didn't like how they were treating this girl. He leaned casually against the wall. "Hey, guys. Can you leave this girl alone, please? She's with me." That was a straight up lie, but it's not like they would know that. He just wanted to get them off of her without causing more trouble.

The leader of them all looked a little embarrassed. They may be seniors, but Carter was respected by all students. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, dude. Just messing around." They scuttled away with a few more awkward apologies and excuses. When they were out of earshot he focused his attention on the pretty blonde.

"Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

Kade quietly tapped away on his phone, checking his facebook and texts as if his life depended on them. There was nothing more stressful than the first day of school - even he was prone to being nervous. And then there was the girl. She was still pacing and very obviously ignoring him. He slowly put down his phone and began to watch her, intrigued by her strange behavior. Suddenly, she looked extremely uncomfortable, even scared. Startled by her obvious anxiety, he stood abruptly and crossed over to her, his long legs taking him there quickly. His fingers curled around her arm and he pulled her gently towards him.

"Hey," he said quietly, eyes searching her face. "You alright?"

---

Pendley jumped when the seniors called to another boy. She stood still and ramrod, afraid to move from the spot. The boy's words passed right through her and it took her a few moments to realize exactly what he'd said. Her face filled with color as the three boys escaped like wounded animals. Shyly, Pendley turned around to fully face the boy. She instantly recognized him and the name given to him by the three boys matched the face from her memory. Carter. What was his last name?

"Thanks," she replied in a small voice, eyes avoiding meeting his. She stepped away slightly, embarrassed by their closeness.

Her body jolted when he grabbed her. She wasn't used to human contact in the slightest. She tried to look over at him, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the figure. Then she realized he was grabbing onto her arm. She jerked her arm away quickly, terrified he'd notice...

The figure disappeared. Her uneasy feeling didn't disappear. It was still here somewhere.

She turned to the boy and used all her energy to focus on him. Then she had to think hard about what he had said to her.

"Why do you ask?" She didn't trust people. And why would she? Nobody'd ever done her any good.

---

He lifted an eyebrow. She didn't seem okay. Not at all. He tried to make his face as soft as possible. "Listen, if you need anyone, I'm here for you. Seriously. Do you want my number or something?" He didn't know what it was about her that made him feel the need to do this. If he didn't have goddamn cancer then he probably wouldn't. But when he didn't know how long he'd have left to live, he felt the need to do things upfront instead of waiting around.

He felt like something was wrong. So he was acting upon it.

Kade took a step back when she jerked her arm out of his grasp. He was surprised not only by her strength, but by her response to him. His eyes examined her face, noticing the way her pupils dilated and her lips creased. Despite her obvious anxiety, she was actually quite beautiful. He gave her a genuine smile, hoping to feed her comfort in small doses.

"You just looked a little stressed, that's all," he said gently. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

---

There was something calming about his voice. Pendley chewed on her tongue, unsure how to respond to his question. Was he tricking her? She absently tugged at the scalloped collar on her blouse, hoping to cover up more of her scar from his prying - yet notably gentle - eyes. After an unbearable silence between what should have been the answer to his question, she gave her head a sharp shake and scampered off into her first period classroom. Her heart beat swiftly as she found a seat in the corner of the room where she could sit in solitude from the world.

"I'm fine," She replied curtly. She held onto the arm that she'd yanked from him, absentmindedly tightening and untightening her grasp on her skin. She felt overwhelmingly hot with his eyes looking her over so intently. She was a wallflower type, and normally people paid her no heed. Why was he acting so different?

Still, his smile sent a surprising shock up her spine. He seemed genuinely concerned, and it made her feel good, but she abruptly pushed those feelings aside and covered them up. She didn't want to be hurt. She couldn't be hurt. So she couldn't let herself do this. She had to stay alone. "I have to go," She told him, and quickly scuttled around him. Her intention was a bad one, but she needed to in that moment.

---

He stared at the vacant space for a moment after she'd disappeared. He leaned against the wall, his head falling against it a short moment after. A small smile curled on his lips. She was really cute. And a mystery. He could use a mystery to figure out. He needed everything he could get at this point. And it was at that moment he decided he wouldn't give up on Pendley.

With that though, he made his way into the same classroom.

Kade watched the girl for a moment as she scurried around him before returning slowly to his seat. She didn't seem to be "fine" but he wouldn't press her buttons if she didn't want them to be. Instead, he pretended to be entranced by his phone. The many notifications and alerts coming through made it easy to get caught up in them, but he found that he was more interested in the girl. Every now and then he'd glance up, then back at his phone, up, and back. He was about to stand back up when the bell rang and the remaining students filed through the door into the classroom. A sigh curving his lips, he plopped back down onto the seat and shoved his phone into his pocket, his eyes on the teacher but his mind on the girl.

---

The moment Carter walked in the room, Pendley could tell. People greeted him warmly, avoiding the cancer topic but obviously wondering about it. She, on the other hand, was all too happy to stay in the corner as people took their seats. The chiming bell distracted her for a moment, but as soon as the sound disappeared, she realized that she'd been staring at Carter. Lips pursed lightly, she looked back down at her desk, rubbing her hands nervously together in her lap.

She made her way silently and quickly into the bathroom, locking herself in the furthest stall and plopping down onto the ground. A shaky hand withdrew the razor blade she carried with her.

Do it, the voices whispered in her head. One voice, quiet, and then another, more insistent and loud one took over. She held the blade over her wrist but just hovered it there, shaking all over. The voices built up, more and more, surrounding her. It sounded like people were on all sides of her and shouting.

And there was only one way to stop them.

She pressed the blade firmly down on her wrist, cutting skin. The voices stopped immediately.

But then, of course, she couldn't stop.

..

15 cuts later. 15 cuts. She already had so many scars down each arm. They covered her arms completely. Not to mention the cuts on her legs and stomach. She wrapped a thick layer of toilet paper around her arm so it wouldn't bleed through her sleeve before she pulled it down. She'd have to change the bandages between each period the rest of the day. But it was worth it to her.

She was only a couple minutes late when she entered the classroom. She mumbled some makeshift excuse about the first day. The teacher accepted it and let her sit down without a lecture. She stared down at her desk, feeling like she was spinning. Her arm burned obviously.

---

Carter lingered by a boy's desk, chatting with him about things that didn't really matter. He kept glancing quickly at Pendley, admiring her. He found that he was absolutely entranced by her hair. It just looked so soft...

Conveniently, by the time the bell rang, the only seat left was next to her. With a small genuinely happy smile, he took the seat next to her.

She was late. Kade kept glancing at the door, awaiting the girl's inevitable return to class. Had he really bothered her that much? Guilt prickled in his stomach. Perhaps she was depressed? Unsure as to how to help her, he allowed the thoughts to die down as the teacher began to speak. But as soon as he'd nearly forgotten about the experience, the girl came through the door and excused herself to her seat, which was only two away from his. She looked quite pale - too pale for just nerves, if you asked him.

Bothered by her, Kade couldn't focus on the teacher for the rest of class. He kept finding his mind considering the possibilities of what was wrong and if he'd done something to cause it. By the time the class ended, he found that he couldn't recall a word that the teacher had said.

---

Pendley's cheeks filled with color when Carter took the open seat beside her. While she knew that he'd only done it out of necessity, his closeness after the experience in the hallway made her skin prickle. She still couldn't size him up correctly. Was he really a nice guy, or was he feigning the niceness so he could get something he wanted. She immediately felt ashamed by the thought, bothered that she'd group Carter in the same category as her father. Her eyes remained on her desk throughout the lesson, her hands fiddling in her lap as her thoughts soared.

She was up as soon as the bell ended. She moved swiftly in the direction of the door. She knew her cuts were bleeding, and if she didn't hurry they would soak through her sleeves. She was wearing a pink sweater and blood would be very noticeable through it. All through class she'd been shaking, though it was too little to be able to notice unless you were in physical contact with her.

---

When there was about 10 minutes of class left, Carter scribbled his number on a piece of scratch paper along with the note "Just in case :]" And passed it to her. His handwriting was really neat, if not girly, which he hoped she wouldn't find funny. He'd been teased about it before.

Kade wasn't prepared for the girl's quick escape. Surprised by her speed, he threw his bag over his shoulder and hurried after her. In the process, he kindly bid farewell to the other guys in the class. He caught up to her quickly, but in fear that she'd make it to the bathroom before he could stop her, he reached out and grasped a strap on her backpack.

"Wait up," he said, out of breath. "Damn you're quick," he continued after a moment of catching his breath. "Are you sure you're alright? You look a bit pale. I was worried."

---

If Pendley had been flushed before, she must've been the color of a tomato at this point. Embarrassed and flustered by the note, she tucked it away in her cardigan pocket and lifted her hands back up to her cheeks to cover their bright hue. Her eyes would begin to creep to glance at him every now and then, but she resisted, forcing herself to pay attention to the teacher for the last minutes of class. Once the bell rang, she stood quickly, her chair toppling over backwards as she did.

"I have to go!" She said, her voice filled with obvious fear. She was tugging away from him, fearing the worst, breathing heavily. Honestly, she was full-on freaking out at this point. Her skin was completely flushed and her eyes were wide. She felt like she couldn't breathe and the walls were closing in on her...

---

"Eager?" He questioned with a sideways smirk. He kept his eyes on her, keeping a calm and composed demeanor. He gathered up his stuff nonchalantly before he stood, his eyes resting on the girl still.

"Hey." Kade grasped her bookbag more firmly, pulling her towards him. "Just breathe," he said gently, his eyes flickering across her features. "You're fine. I'm not going to hurt you. You're fine." He'd never seen anyone have a panic attack before, but if this was one, he was glad it wasn't him. The idea of being so anxious and fearful was scary to him - he'd been that way once, and he never wanted anyone to experience it.

---

"No," Pendley replied, quiet yet stubborn. She carefully placed the chair back on its legs, skin prickling under his gaze. She'd never had someone pay so much attention to her; it both frightened and intrigued her. She pulled her backpack over her shoulder and pushed the chair in, eager - no, not eager - to get to her next class.

So she did that. Her breathing picked up speed, and then slowed down. And then she was calm. But beyond that, even. She felt almost defeated. She slumped down, head hanging down, too ashamed to look at him. Too ashamed to say or do anything but stand perfectly still.

---

His smile stretched, showing off white teeth. "What class do you have next? I'll walk you there." She seemed nervous that he was inspecting her, and he thought it was adorable. He didn't think of himself as high and mighty in any regard, so the fact that he did this to her was interesting to him. He was also quite confident he wasn't making her uncomfortable to the point of harassment, because he'd never do that. But a little bit was fun.

A wave of relief crashed over Kade's head and sent his skin crawling. He let out a sigh and dropped his hand from her backpack to rest limply at his side. He felt an unbelievable want, almost a need to help her. Aside from the fact that he was attracted to her, there was a sense of protection he felt for her. She seemed a little like how he used to be and he wanted to fix her up and make her brand new.

"Do you, um, need to take care of something in the bathroom?" he asked gingerly. His eyes flickered to her wrists before rising back to her face. "I can wait for you and make sure you get to your next class, if you'd like."

---

"Walk me there?" Pendley repeated, lips pursing lightly. Despite herself, she liked the attention he was presenting her. But perhaps that was what scared her. She didn't know him. She didn't know what he was capable of. "I think I can make it there by myself," she continued with a small shrug of her shoulders. "It's only a few doors down anyway." Her sea colored eyes observed his face for a moment, but they never met his gaze - it was a habitual sign of lack of dominance that she'd grown used to over the years.

Kade watched as she escaped the hectic hallway by entering the quiet bathroom. He stood outside the entrance, smiling at and greeting those who passed. Per usual, his popularity was making him more noticeable than he would have liked, especially in the predicament he was in. He waited patiently for the girl to return to his side before he turned to face her, his mind set on only her.

"Where's your next class? If you want to lead the way, I'll just head there with you." He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to soothe the prickling skin.

---

Pendley quietly followed him, eyeing him from a distance before finally joining him at the door. His happiness was almost contagious. Struggling not to smile, she crept through the doorway and into the swarm of people, immediately almost being pushed down by the masses. She stumbled backwards, falling lightly against Carter's torso as she did.

"Sorry," she squeaked, lurching away from him, eyes wide and peering towards the ground, afraid to meet his eyes.

She was silent for a moment. "You don't need to do this," She said softly. She was focused on the floor, one of her fists clenched, the other gripping onto her backpack strap. Black hair hung down around her face, nearly covering her eyes.

---

"You could hold my hand, if you'd like," He asked casually, though there was something in his voice that showed he was obviously being serious. If she held his hand, nobody would dare bump into her like they were. "It doesn't need to mean anything."

"Sure I do," Kade replied, frowning. "If I'm not going to help, then who is?" He gave her a pat on the shoulder before waving his hand through the air as if creating a scene. "So, which way?" he pressed, mind set on helping her. It bothered him that she was so down - or anxious, or frightened - and he wanted to be of some use to her.

---

Pendley blushed. "I'm alright," she said quietly. But she was beginning to be pushed around by the crowd again, and as embarrassed as she was, the offer was helpful. Chewing her lip, she lightly grasped the sleeve of his shirt, using it as a sort of anchor. She flinched as her wrist brushed his skin; the warmth almost radiated off of him and it made her stomach weak.

Her head dipped a bit lower in defeat. She didn't say what was on her mind, that could wait for when they had more time, so instead she began to walk in the direction of her class, which was to the right. She saw the figures in the hallways, watching her, lurking... But the weirdest thing happened. When she thought of the boy, and how close he was, the figures disappeared.
Huh.

---

"Really, it's okay," He reassured her, and he took her hand in his. He held it lightly, treating her hand like it was a delicate flower. "If there are any rumors, I'll make sure they don't circulate. You have my word." He squeezed her hand lightly in reassurance and gave her a smile.