#ffpstarter

Staring.

That was all Jonah could do.

He wanted to run, he wanted to scream until his throat bled, he wanted to find her - but he felt paralyzed. The security surrounding him, leading him away called it shock. He remembered the feeling well - almost a year to this day, standing in the middle of the living room when Sam came home, but not Patrick.

Frozen.

He stood frozen in the hallway, dumbly, watching others run and stumble out of the gym erupting in tears and screams. He wished to do the same, but instead he leaned against a wall, feeling his back slide down to the floor.

He was nobody’s hero.

Tonight was not going to plan for Felix Moore. If it was, he’d have a beautiful blonde in his arms. He had been planning to ask Maisie if she had wanted to go with him, but he wasn’t sure when the right time was and before he could even work up the courage to someone else had beat him too it.  Once upon a time he would have asked her without hesitation, but Felix’s confidence was on the rocks. He had lost a huge part of who he was, and then to make it worse his pride had made him lose Maisie. Standing off to the side of the gym, almost in the shadows, Felix had been trying his best not to see her, not to see them.. but she was like a magnet, and he could spot her in a crowded room any day. It was only when his legs started feeling a little shaky that he leaned back against the wall, his head banging against it lightly as his eyes closed tightly. He took deep breaths as his chest tightened, trying to get his emotions and his strength under control. 

Quinn had taken to diving into the bathroom to cry a lot recently. She hated crying in public. For people to see how badly she’d been affected by something. Usually, it was because people would take photos of her and post them online, then there would be a gossip article about it that afternoon. But right now, it was mostly that she didn’t want to appear weak after what happened. She was trying to uphold her makeup and hair, her clothes were the same as usual just a little more covered up, but that was because it was cold. She hadn’t boarded in a long time, her nerves were shot and she couldn’t find the balance to even stand on any of her longboards. 

After another one of her meltdowns, Quinn stepped out of the bathroom and prepared to go to one of her meetings, but ended up walking right into someone outside the door. “I- I’m okay, I’m fine, I’m...” She froze for a minute, trying to convince them, and herself, that she was okay. But that was pointless, she started blubbering right there in the hallway, covering her face out of embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I’m fine, I’m just pmsing.” 

Laurent hated Halloween. The festivities always brought out the worst in people, most of them hiding their conscience behind obscene masks and costumes, partying the night away without any feelings of guilt or remorse. Halloween at Fairfield was no different, no matter how hard he’d prayed. With events going on all across the school and its vast grounds, it remained near impossible to get away from people. Everywhere he went he bumped into pupils in costumes, all in various stages of intoxication. Whoever had spiked the punch had done a well enough job. But Laurent wasn’t there to enjoy himself.

The knife clutched in his hand looked no more real than any of the other props dressed up students were carrying around. It fit well with the basic costume he’d put on; Black jeans and a torn shirt, a long black cloak and an eyepatch. With the music thumping through the speakers and every teacher preoccupied with making sure the event ran smoothly, no one bothered to check the authenticity of any of the props. Keeping the weapon close to his side, Laurent ducked and dodged to the side as he weaved his way through the crowd of swaying partygoers. Ever since he’d found the branding iron on his bed, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about E. He’d played his part, did as he’d been told - only to receive a gift in the form of the only thing that managed to send shivers down his spine. How had they found out about his past? Wherever and whoever E was, he’d become hellbent on finding and killing them.

Crossing the room, Laurent took a moment to lean against a wall, inhaling deeply. The entire scenario felt too much like a cat-and-mouse game. There was no way he’d be able to identify E, even less now that every single person in the room had on a mask or face paint. The blade of the knife dug into his skin as he wrapped his fingers around it, trying to ground himself. Sneaking it into the school had been tricky enough, risking being caught with it at a social gathering would surely lead to him being expelled or arrested. But he’d been so focused on vendetta, so consumed by his lust for revenge that he hadn’t thought it through. And now he was stuck in the middle of a crowd, unable to duck out of the room without being noticed by one of the many watchful teachers present, a deadly weapon pressed up against his sleeve.