The bell rang just as the two of them slipped through the door to their classroom. Thank God their teacher Mrs. Pines hadn’t come in yet. The two of them had just gone sprinting across campus in hopes to have made it into their classroom before the morning bell could sound. 

And as fate would have it, there was an empty spot on Mitzi’s table. Already occupied by her, and 2 other girls who’d watched their dramatic entry into their classroom with suppressed smiles. 2 pairs of eyes went to follow Rubie’s every action as she came to sit down, from slipping her bag off her shoulders, to taking a seat and awkwardly waving towards them, it looked as if they were studying her little girls laying eyes on a new pet.

One girl had a braided ebony ponytail cascading down one shoulder, and sharp ocean blue eyes which narrowed curiously at the sight of her, while the other was chewing on the end of a pencil between glossy lips and fiddling with her spiky russet bob in her free hand. 

“Hey, Mitzi!” The girl with the bob waved at her, giggling as they sat down. “Check it– we’re earlier than you are for once!”

She stuck out her tongue at Mitzi, who frankly didn't have the energy to quip back a witty response to her. Rubie watched as the girl with the braid rolled her eyes, siding with Mitzi against the first girl’s teasing. Something about the two of them struck her as familiar. Really, it wasn’t unlikely to think that the people that used to attend WIA when she did all those years ago were still here- all 3 of her friends stayed in the same school after all. She just couldn't put names to these girls' faces…

“–Oh, but speaking of which,” 

Rubie tuned back into their conversation when the girl with the braid turned her attention towards Rubie, greeting her with a small smile. “We heard there was a new student who enrolled last week, is that you?”

Rubie returned her smile, about to respond before she was interrupted by light snickering. “Duh, Cee! Who else would this be?” Her eyes turned to lock onto Rubie’s, keen and sharp. Despite her obvious teasing there was an underlying fun tone to her voice.

“Oh leave me alone, Harper!” The girl, Cee, rolled her eyes, cupping a hand over her mouth to whisper her next words as if Harper wasn’t right next to her, listening. “Ignore her! Harper Morris is a handful to deal with first thing in the morning.”

Rubie laughed, finding amusement in the back and forth bickering between the girls, they seemed pretty close. “I’ll keep that in mind then,” Her eyes lingered on the pair a little longer. But perhaps what was even stranger, was the fact that Rubie could swear they were looking at her in the same exact way too.

“We’ve met before, right…?” Harper came right out and said it, “W-we have?” Rubie sputtered out, still unsure.

“Yeah– totally! I don’t know, you’re just so… familiar.” She squinted. Harper turned to Mitzi instead, dragging her into the conversation. “Mitzi! She’s your roommate, yeah? Don’t you see it too?”

“Huh?” Mitzi snapped up, still catching her breath. Looking between the two girls, then to Rubie. “O-oh, yeah! Didn’t I mention it? This is Rubie! Like, Rubie Yang? Does that ring any bells?”

“Oh! Rubie?” The girl with the braid piped up in recognition. “It’s me- Cynthia Zhou! Our moms are friends!”

Rubie looked at her for a second, dumbfounded. But a second later it clicked in her mind. Cynthia’s dark navy hair, her striking blue eyes… It reminded her of a girl she used to play with after school. 

“Oh– Cynthia!” She beamed, and she nodded at her with a smile. “It’s been a while— I never thought I’d see you again!”

Harper butt into their conversation with the swish of a pencil. “And I’m Harper– Remember me? We were, like, in the same class in year 4.” Rubie narrowed her eyes at the girl. Harper… That name was definitely familiar, but the person who came up in her memory looked nothing like her.

“Oh come on, Harper! You’ve literally done a whole 360 since year 4!” Cynthia argued with her to little avail. Harper laughed at her attempts, cackling like a witch. “Shush, Cee! I wanna see if she gets it right!”

“Uh– what are we talking about…?”Rubie raised a brow at them, looking between the girls in slight confusion. 

The three other girls on the table watched Rubie’s face for any sign of a reaction. But the more she looked at her the more she was starting to see… something. A resemblance in Harper’s face, those were the same eyes, the same nose. It was all the same, she just looked so much like that troublemaking boy from her year 4 class– who… Had also been named Harper.

It took a while, but realisation struck.

“O-oh… you’re–”

“Nice to meet you– again.” Harper leaned back, tipping her head over laughing at Rubie’s reaction. “Never had to re-introduce myself to a classmate like that before, kinda fun!” she snickered.

“God– I’m sorry, I couldn’t even tell!” She stumbled on her words for an apology, one that Harper found more funny than sincere. “Jeez, girl! Don’t apologise for that! I’m flattered you couldn’t tell, really.” She snickered a little more to herself, and it struck her then as odd. 

There she was, reconnecting with old classmates– on one hand it was comforting to see how some things just never changed, Cynthia still had the same bright eyes and tall frame she always had as a kid. And likewise, it was almost surreal seeing how much she’d truly missed out on. If you told her yesterday that Harper Morris of all people was a girl now she would’ve never believed it. Sitting before her now were two people, like relics of her past. All grown up and different.

“Oh right! Guys– thoughts on this year’s opening show? I would’ve asked you guys sooner but I couldn't catch you on Opening Night.” Cynthia came to chime into the conversation, giving her own two cents on it. It opened up a window just long enough for Rubie and Mitzi to lock eyes. 

She swore she could see cold panic run through Mitzi’s eyes for just a second. Opening night… They were thinking of the same thing weren't they? 

She didn’t want to, but the stench of blood, the sweat racing down her face, the sight of whatever horrors had been committed that night rushed back to the forefront of her head. It was offensively vivid for a memory, she could almost reach out and touch it-

Rubie only brought herself to snap out of it when she heard Mitzi’s name was being called out by Harper, inviting her back into harmless small-talk. She let out the air she’d been holding tight in her chest, a sigh of relief quietly escaped her lips as the other three talked. Rubie looked straight out the windows in the meantime, noticing something far off in the distance that looked a little familiar.

A small shed stood by a dingy side gate that blocked off the campus from the rest of the world, that should’ve been the gate they came in from last night. Blurry memories came back to her. God. That’d been such a long night…

She wondered for a second if what they saw back then was actually real. Sure, it happened right in front of their eyes, but chances were it was just something for a play, or a prank, or just some roleplaying weirdos playing pretend in an empty circus tent. It just– It didn’t look like it’d ever be what she really thought it was, and for good reason. She, alongside everyone else in town, was better off believing there wasn't a killer cult on their streets.

The door swung wide open, that must’ve been Mrs. Pines, clad in a heavy trenchcoat and infinity scarf for the chilly autumn, she greeted her class with an energetic ‘Good Morning!’ 

…She’d think about it later. She’d have to. But for now? Maybe it was for the best that her train of thought be cut short.