Miria walked briskly, her face set, her fists clenched. Her mind was seething with anger.
"So this was her plan all along? What an idiot I've been..."
She gritted her teeth, overcome by a dull frustration. She had been understanding, patient, believing she was doing the right thing... And now the truth was coming out, brutal.
But that wasn't all. The voices in her head were getting louder. Uncontrollable. Incessant.
"Shit... Shit..." she muttered, clutching her head. "Aren't they going to stop?!"
Anxiety rose within her like a black wave. She felt suffocated. The voices buzzed, overlapped, shouted, whispered. She began to walk, staggering among the students, her eyes staring into space. She could hear thoughts. Too many thoughts. Too many people. It was unbearable.
"Shut up!" she screamed inwardly.
With a sudden movement, she shook her head like a madwoman and began to run aimlessly, driven by growing panic. But her escape was interrupted: she collided violently with someone and fell to the ground.
"Ouch..."
She lay on the ground for a moment, stunned.
"Are you okay?" a soft voice asked from above her.
Miria slowly looked up. A young girl was approaching her, her hand outstretched. Hesitant, still confused, she replied in a whisper:
"I... think I'm okay..."
She grabbed the hand without really looking at the girl's face. Once standing, she wanted to move away, but the voice stopped her.
"Wait... We've met before, haven't we?"
Miria raised her head, intrigued. The stranger's face seemed familiar. But from where?
"You're the girl who almost got run over a few days ago. Remember? I was the one who pulled you back that day."
Suddenly, everything came back to her. The images. The moment of panic. And above all... her name.
"You're... Alix Ravensdale," she breathed, her eyes wide.
"Yes," the other replied with a smile. "So you remember me?"
A faint flash of hope flashed through Miria. She seized this opportunity like a lifeline.
"Alix... Do you know Asher?"
At these words, Alix seemed taken aback. She hesitated.
"Please," Miria continued, her voice trembling. "I don't want to hurt him. I need him." It was Elma who told me to look for him... if I ever got into trouble.
"Elma? You... you met Elma?!"
"Yes," said Miria. "But she had to leave. People were looking for her... She wasn't safe anymore."
So she told Alix everything: their meeting, Elma's warnings, her escape. When she finished, Alix nodded slowly.
"Okay. I believe you. We'll go to Asher's... after school."
"No!" moaned Miria, suddenly grabbing Alix's arm. "No... We have to now... Otherwise I'll..."
She cried out in pain, almost falling to her knees, her hands on her head.
"Aaaaah!"
"Miria! What's wrong?"
"The... voices... They hurt!"
Alix leaned towards her, alarmed.
"What voices? Explain it to me!"
Miria told him everything: the incessant whispers in her head, the pain, the feeling she was going crazy. Alix blanched.
"There's not a minute to lose. Come with me."
Without waiting, she led him off campus.