I Screamed

• Grace Miller, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2017

It was horrible! My new school looked disgusting, gloomy, and evil. I hate Mum. Why did I have to come to Wildwood boarding school for bad children? I know we couldn't find another school after I was expelled for the prank, but surely if she really loved me she would have had me home-schooled, right? The black car I am seated in pulls into a driveway and I am roughly shoved out of the car. A woman with eyes as black as night greets me and says to write my name, Scarlett Holloway, on an enrollment form. I was then frogmarched to a dormitory and told to unpack.
The next day, I wake to a smiling, overly made-up face. "You must be Scarlett, I'm Becky, I can’t believe we're roomies!!" The girl squealed excitedly. "Hi Becky," I say, knowing I don't want anything to do with her. Hoping not to see her again, I go down to breakfast as quickly as possible. Gruel, ewwwww. Becky tries to follow me from there but luckily I have science and she has English. The rest of the day goes quickly, Maths, Art and English. But on the way back from English I pass something gruesome. Two girls lying on the stone floor, dead. One girl's face was as white as snow with two small holes in the side of her neck and the other girl had claw marks over her heart. I felt uneasy walking back to my dorm, alone. I almost felt bad for running away and blocking Becky out. Almost.
As I opened the door to my room, I screamed. The most horrible sight I had ever seen awaited me. It was all the monsters from my nightmares and more. Then I realised what it was. A shapeshifter. I ran terrified, desperately trying to find help of any kind. It followed me tearing down the cold stone corridors, switching between fangs and claws and the other terrifying parts that monsters have. I was too afraid to look. It grabbed me and I closed my eyes, hoping for the best.
Then my eyes slowly peeked open and I saw the monster's form flicker. It was then that I realised that underneath the disguises the monster was my irritating roommate Becky. In the monster's confusion I pulled free and reached blindly behind me and found a broom closet. I reached inside and found a sword. What was this school's deal? I stabbed the monster through the heart. The monster's form flickered back to Becky. Suddenly I was overcome with grief. What had I done to this poor girl? Then I remembered what she would have done to me. I hid her body and told the principal Becky ran away. Surprisingly, she believes me.
Weeks later, a new girl comes to replace Becky. In Becky's memory , I swear to myself I won’t be as mean to Ava as I was to Becky. I am sure we will be best friends.