“MRS. CRAI-!” A hand was slapped painfully across Kim’s mouth before she could get the rest of her scream out. She could not think of any other name to shout, but even if she had gotten it out it would have accomplished nothing. Mrs. Craig was several floors up and would have been deaf to what was going on. As a matter of fact, everyone would be. 

The girls’ bathroom was old and secluded with rickety old fans that rattled in each cubicle, drowning out any words that might have been spoken or shouted- this was why the Bonnies liked it so much. It was the perfect place to pounce on their unsuspecting victims. Kim would have a better chance getting help from Annie Wilkes’ cabin than here. 

Kim had been thrown into a corner, each arm pinned against the wall. Sara and Chiomeh grinned wickedly as Beth advanced upon her. Kim pressed herself harder against the wall, causing her foot to slip and she fell about a foot before catching herself. Beth loomed over her like a bull. 

“Not so brave when you’re without an audience, huh?” she sneered, flashing her perfect white teeth as she spoke. Kim would never verbalize it, but sadly Beth was right. Without the protection of the teacher’s stern gaze or about twenty other witnesses, she would have kept her mouth shut and her hand still. 

“You think you’re something special just because Snibby lets you walk around with your freak hair or something? Think it makes you dead cool or something?” 

Kim kept quiet, with her cramps returning tenfold, she did not trust herself to respond with anything other than profanity. 

“Huh? And you go chatting up Kieran- trying to make people like you, make people forget what a useless wee cow you are.”

“Let me go.” Kim growled darkly, a tightness forming in her core. What did she care if Kieran spoke to her? He was a free man, why was she not giving him grief if he was hers like she claimed? She was a free being, what gave Trudy, or Snibby or anyone else any right to tell her what she could or could not do with her hair? The fact that her hair’s appearance was unexplainable meant nothing anymore. The sheer unfairness of it all burrowed its way into Kim’s skull and festered into a ball of anger. What had she done to deserve any of this? 

“Or what?” Sara sneered into her right ear, “you gonna go cry to Mrs. Craig or something like a wee bitch?” 

“I said let me go!” Kim snapped, trying to shake her shoulder free. The heat at the back of her neck was rising and the knot in her core tightened as her temper grew. Why her? Why was it always her? Nothing ever went her way! Nothing was ever not her fault! What did she do!

The three girls leered over her like a trio of wolves staring down a lamb. Kim wished she could just run but with her arms held hostage there was nothing she could do. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her stomach and chest as Beth kicked her hard in the gut. Kim gasped desperately as the air was forced out of her. The aches within her lower abdomen tightened with the sudden impact. It was impossible to take in a breath, as if her diaphragm was too appalled by the randomness of the attack to function.

“I think you’re getting too big for your boots, freak.” Beth stood back up, not before thrusting her foot forward and laughing at Kim’s flinch and inability to take in air. She just wanted to wrap her arms around her core and curl into a ball, but all she could do was stare up at Beth. It was becoming harder to keep herself from breaking down in tears from the pain. All she could do was pray that this was not going to become a full-on beating. 

“Nobody here wants you.” Beth spoke, her voice suddenly soft and menacing, “Nobody cares about you. In fact, nobody would care if you dropped dead in the hallway.”

The back of Kim’s neck was on fire now, her fury rising. Finally, her diaphragm regained its senses and began to function, allowing her to take a breath for the first time. 

“Who…” she gasped, finding her voice, “the hell do think you are!” she managed to bellow, winding herself again in the process. “Just let me go!!” 

Beth froze, clearly, she had not expected this response. She looked at her cronies, and Kim could tell from the silence that they shared the same expression. She would have felt pride in her response, but she was too afraid and angry. As quickly as the words came out, so did the realization that she was surely going to pay for this moment of bravery. To save face in front of her clique, Beth gritted her teeth and took a step back, clearly readying herself for another kick. 

“You little bitch-!” she barked furiously and reared her foot back. 

“NOO!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!” Kim roared, squeezing her eyes shut and lashed out her foot. 

In that second, everything exploded. It was as if a hurricane had broken through the door. The three girls screamed and loud bangs rang through the air and crashes echoed like a bomb had gone off. Kim kept her eyes shut and covered her ears as the world swirled and bellowed around her. The Bonnies were yelling in confusion, disgust and fear and… was that water? Rushing water! A tsunami raged as the plumbing exploded in borborygmic chaos. Kim was alarmed to feel a rush of water wash over her, drenching her uniform and leaving her wet and shivering. 

It felt like an eternity before Kim could open her eyes, and what met her gaze almost made her faint from shock. 

A bomb would have been merciful. The sinks had ripped from their pipes and smashed across the room. Water bellowed from said pipes onto the floor, flooding it up to her ankles. The stalls had been decimated into splintered piles and the toilets lay in porcelain heaps, water flowing freely, increasing the speed of the flooding. Water seeped out from under the closed door into the hall. And on the floor in front of her, drenched, bruised and bleeding lay Beth, Sara and Chiomeh. They were conscious, staring up at Kim with the uniformed expression of terror as if they were staring at a ghost. Above, she could hear a stampede of feet and shouts racing down the stairs. The door was thrown open and water streamed out, startling the occupant and making them jump back. Kim’s heart was beating so hard against her ribs it hurt. Cold chills ran down the back of her neck and her feet felt nailed to the floor. And to her horror, at the door, soaked to her knees was Mrs. Craig. Her friendly face was pale and horrified, her eyes wide. The Bonnies scrambled to their feet and ran to the teacher, who took them in her arms and put them behind her. She stared at Kim, a couple of gasps escaping her as she fought to find words. It appeared that words failed everyone, even Kim.

“K-Kim… what-?” Mrs. Craig croaked in horror, “What did-? How-?”

Kim’s chest was ready to burst with her heart rate. Blood pounded in her ears and everything became blurred and muffled. Finally, she felt able to walk. She took a shaky step forward, reaching her hand out.

“Mrs. Craig, I-I don’t know what happened-!” But to her horror, the lovely teacher’s face grew more fearful and she took a step back from her, pulling the girls further behind her. As she did, the girls let out a howl and stared at Kim like frightened children. Suddenly, this terrible trio that hat tormented Kim for years looked as vulnerable as kindergartners. Then, Beth gave a squeak and pointed at Kim.

“She-!” She gasped as if now she had been kicked in the gut, “Monster!” 

The word echoed furiously in Kim’s mind, a horrible prickling coming across her whole body. She looked at her hands. Did she do this? She must have! Despite being soaked to the skin, she had been unaffected by the whirlwind. It made no sense! But Kim had no chance to think this over. More feet were approaching. Everyone would see! Everyone would know that she was a… a monster!

Almost unaware of what she was doing, Kim felt her feet move and hit the ground in a running pace. She ran past Mrs. Craig, deaf to the teacher’s desperate yells for her to come back, to the screams of other students and teachers. She threw the emergency exit open, dodging the janitor as he tried to grab her, but only snagged her by the blazer that came off in one motion. The wind hit her soaking uniform, sending a chill right to her bones. 

People stared as Kim ran blindly down the street, ignoring the stitch in her side and pain in her knees. Whether people were chasing her or not, Kim did not know. All she knew, was that she could not and did not stop until she practically leapt onto a bus about ready to leave it’s stop. 

The mustached, portly bus driver’s eyebrows raised at the pitiful sight of a soaked schoolgirl with galaxy hair and dead eyes.

“Lassie!” He cried, “what on earth-!” 

“Houston.” She dropped the coins in his tray and sat down. She stared ahead as the bus rumbled to life and started its journey.

She just sat. A dull ringing in her ears and a shiver through her bones. All she could do was replay that unbelievable and horrible situation again and again on a terrible loop until it came to her stop.