(  guys, i didn't proofread this. if there's any mistakes, point them out & make fun of me. skskks actually just point them out.
next chapter is the epilogue!  )

THAT MORNING, Amanda was on edge. Was anything in her dream real? Especially Sophia's part ... and Cara's. But what surprised her most was that she didn't snap and go off the board like Cara did.

Amanda was walking to school, scratching herself to make sure there was no blood on her body.
What scared her most though, was that the dream felt real. And that's what put Amanda on edge the most. It felt real, so how did she know that the personality changes between Cara and Sophia isn't fake? Or all a figment of her imagination?

The walk to school for Amanda was uncomfortable. Thinking over every detail from her dream just screwed with her mind more than it already was messed with.

Once Amanda got to the high school she so dreaded to meet with, she couldn't hear her thoughts anymore. With people talking and Amanda trying to find the people she was afraid of, everything was blank to her.

"Amanda!" A voice called from behind her as Amanda walked through the school hallways, keeping her head down. Amanda turned around, seeing Cara quickly walking up to Amanda, Sophia trailing behind.

"H-hey guys," Amanda said. She felt lucky to even say those words and only blew off with the small stutter at the beginning.

"You alright? You seem off," Sophia said as she soothingly touched Amanda's shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm just peachy."

Cara nodded and took ahold of Sophia's free hand, earning a speculating look from Amanda.

"We promised Mr. B that we would get him coffee, bye!"

Amanda waved at her 'friends' as they walked off with each other, keeping the grasp between their hands. Something was up between them, and not in a good way. The paranoid side of Amanda got to her.  What if my dream was the future, what if I'm going to die? Amanda asked herself. But she pushed the thoughts aside, exactly like she did in her dream.

Sophia and Cara stood in the teachers lounge, their hall passes next to the coffee machine.

"So what's the plan?" Cara asked as she sat down at the table as they watched the coffee pour into the pot.

"Tonight. I'm gonna ask her for a sleep over and then everything just goes off from there."

Cara nodded and left her fake smile behind.

"This is gonna' be fun."

AMANDA SAT AT LUNCH alone that day. She didn't know where Cara and Sophia were, and frankly, she was glad they weren't there with her.

Just the uneasiness about the two just took over her. Even though it was a dream, it could've been the future. Like the butterfly affect, Amanda technically said 'yes' to Sophia when she asked for a sleepover, it all started there.

"Amanda," Sophia said as she sat in front of Amanda at the half empty lunch table.
"Sophia."

"Cara and I were thinking about having a sleepover tonight. Your house."

This is where it starts Amanda, she told herself.

"No. I'm going to be busy tonight. And I don't think I'll never not be busy."

Amanda picked up her backpack and walked out of the lunch room, walking into the library to see if the librarian needed any help organizing the books on the poorly painted shelves.

Amanda looked behind her and saw Sophia and Cara talking angrily to each other, but she couldn't tell what they were saying.

"Just let it go," she said as she put her pack pack down, walking behind the counter to see where Mrs. Tripp, the librarian, was.

"Mrs. Tripp? You here?" Amanda said as she popped her head into Mrs. Tripp's office.
"Right in here darling!" Amanda heard Mrs. Tripp call from the shelves of the small library. She left the office and to where she heard Mrs. Tripp's voice call out. When Amanda was met with the sweet old women, she noticed how many books were piled at the side of her.

"Do you need help?"
"Oh yes please!"

Amanda nodded and took half of the stack of the books and looked down at the first one.

' THE TURN OF THE SCREW '

Amanda made a mental note of who the author was and walked to the front of the shelves, finding the place hold of the section HJ.

Minutes passed by organizing books, but the bell has to ring at some point. Amanda thanked Mrs. Tripp for letting her help and left, her backpack hanging on her back like the thoughts of Cara and Sophia plotting against her.

Walking to class was even worse. People were staring at her, eyes filled with pity and fear. But why? Why did they feel pity towards Amanda? Why fear?

Amanda kept her head down as she walked to her 4 period. She knew eyes were on her, they always were. But it was worst this time. People looked at her before to see how pretty she was, mentally noting that what people told them about her gleam wasn't fake. Amanda was real but she didn't feel that way.

She walked into her 4th period; math. Amanda was good at math, I mean, she was ahead of her grade level.
Amanda sat down in her normal seat, getting out her homework from the previous night and a pencil.

"Good morning!" Her math teacher, Mr. Thomas, said as he got the class quiet. "Today we'll be reviewing and doing grade level stuff."

Some of the kids groaned. Math wasn't the funnest thing to do, but they're acting like it's the end of the world.

Amanda rolled her eyes, "Dramatics."

Class went on with Mr. Thomas reviewing most of what the 10th graders did last year, the 11th graders feeling bored because they didn't need to review it.

"Okay, for a practice, I'll run it on my computer. Everyone, please get rulers."

Amanda waited for the pile of kids to die down to get a ruler. But at the time she got up there, the last person walked away, leaving her alone, in the front of the class. Mr. Thomas started rambling about something, not checking what words came out of his mouth.

Amanda looked down at the small container of rulers and grabbed the first one that caught her eye, a bright green flexible ruler.

"I mean, it's like the two killed their friend."

Amanda's head snapped up at Mr. Thomas' words, feeling as if he was taunting her. Like everyone was taunting her.

"Ms. Steven? Are you alright?"

Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The class stared at her, their eyes burning into her like they always did, judging everything about her.

"I-I—"

But then, everything went black.

"AMANDA? Are you alright?" The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't budge.

"Why isn't she waking up?" The voice asked, a sigh escaping their mouth.

Suddenly, a sharp pain jolted through her body, making her body snap up. She heaved for a breath, as if she was drowning and she could feel her lungs filling up with water.

"It's okay Amanda, just lay down." The voice soothes, pressing the bag of ice on her forehead, trying to get her to calm down.

Amanda looked at the voice, seeing her mom.
"Oh my god, Mom. I missed you so much."

"Honey, you saw me this morning."
"No, Mom, you don't understand. I feel like I'm going to be killed—"
"Killed? What has gotten in you? We'll talk about this at home."

"Please don't make me go back to class. Please!"
Amanda's mom just nodded, looking down and then back up at her daughter. The fear in Amanda's eyes granted a wish. A wish of safety, someone to hold her and to tell her everything was going to be okay.

"What has gotten in you?" Amanda's mom, Joann, said as she clutched her daughters hand.

"Can I—"
"She does seem out of it. Just return your pass in the office before you leave," the nurse instructed. Barbara nodded and took Amanda's hand, watching as Amanda's closed them tightly and then slowly opened them.

"Come on sweetie, let's get you home." Amanda eagerly nodded and got up from the cot and walked out of the nurse's office with Joann by her side. As the two walked through the office and out of the school, Amanda found herself shaking, finding her knees wanting to give up on her.

"M-Mom," Amanda spoke softly. Joann turned towards Amanda before her daughter fell to her knees, the sound of her knees hitting the concrete sending goosebumps through Joann's body.

Tears cascades down from Amanda's eyes, the sound of her sobs and her heartbeat being the only thing she could hear. Not even her mother's pleads.

"Amanda! What's wrong? Amanda!"

Amanda tried to gain her composure back as much as she could as she looked her mother in the eyes.

"They're trying to kill me."

Joann looked at her daughter, watching as the tears fell from her eyes so helplessly, "Who?"

"Cara, Sophia; everyone."

"I'm not trying to kill you."

"That's what she said. But she's the one who did it."

AMANDA LAID IN HER BED, a wet cloth soaking on her forehead. Joann thought her daughter had finally gone looney. But to afraid, Amanda did too.

She yawned, feeling too tired to tell her mother goodnight. But as she was on edge, she felt like today was her last day to live; like everything was just going to stop today. Amanda got up from her bed and walked into her parents bedroom, seeing her mother laying on the bed.

"Mom?"
Joann looked up at her daughter and shut her laptop, getting up from the bed.

"Yes?"

"Goodnight, I love you."
Joann pulled Amanda into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her daughters head.
"I love you too. Night."

Amanda walked back into her bedroom, putting the wet cloth in the bowl filled with water on her nightstand. Her head still pounded with agony, but she could deal with it.

And so, Amanda shut her eyes, her throbbing head making it hard for her to fall asleep. But sooner or later, she did.

But as the observant one in her family, she didn't notice the two figures looking outside of her window, waiting for the perfect chance to strike.

And as Amanda laid on her bed, eyes shut, her breathing controlled, and she was just relaxed. In her dreams, she felt at home. She felt safe.

The window slowly opened, the one opening it making sure to not make a sound.

"Come on," the figure whispered to their ally. The second figure climbed in, the top of their knife scraping against the wood. But Amanda didn't notice, as she was a light sleeper, her headache was taking over all of her.

The two figures stood by each other, one holding up a knife and the other holding up a hammer.

But as Amanda was a light sleeper, her eyes shot open from a bad dream. Not noticing the figures standing in her bedroom. Quickly, one of the figures got up to Amanda and covered her mouth, just in case she wanted to scream.

"You be quiet and we'll think of being nice to you. Now shut up."