Chapter Two of My Book — Mango
Didn't like chapter one? Maybe you'll like chapter two.
Her alarm went off at six o’clock on Monday morning.
Val wiped the boogers from her eyes and forced herself out of bed. She donned an outfit that would shut Ms. Nadar up, and set off down the breezy street, towing two bags filled with teacher stuff behind her.
“We’ll see whose classroom is better decorated!” Val muttered to herself as the door to her classroom swung open. Val hurriedly threw up several posters before organizing the class booklets. So far, so good, she hadn’t forgotten anything at home at least, which was a win.
By eight AM, Val noticed a crowd gathering in the courtyard below. Was she supposed to be down there? Probably… so Val hurried outside, just in time for the Malaysian pledge of allegiance:
“We, her people, pledge our united efforts to attain these ends guided by these principles: belief in God, loyalty to king and country, the supremacy of the constitution, the rule of law, courtesy and morality.”
Older kids poked each other. Younger students searched the crowd for the right words. Val was about to head back upstairs when a chorus of young girls stopped her in her tracks.
“Saya melihat ke kiri saya, saya melihat kakak saya, dan tersenyum. Saya melihat ke kanan saya, saya melihat kakak saya dan tersenyum. Saya melihat di belakang saya, dan bukan kakak saya saya lihat. Tetapi bersama-sama, lengan dan lengan, kakak saya melindungi saya...”
“I look to my left, I see my sister and smile. I look to my right, I see my sister and smile. I look behind me, not my sister I see, but together, arm in arm, my sisters protect me…”
An eerie chill ran down Val’s neck, all the way to the base of her spine. It was as if the words floated like smoke around them… her trance was only broken by a frail hand grabbing her arm.
“Ah!”
“Oh dear, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Someone apologized.
Val turned around, and to her horror, her current boss — Principal Arif, stood looking taken aback right in front of her.
“Oh my god, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s alright.” She dotted, while patting Val on the arm. “I should be the one apologizing. I wanted to introduce myself at the assembly yesterday, but I couldn’t find you afterward.” She stuck out her hand to shake. “I’m Principal Arif.”
“I’m Valentin — I’m Ms. Palaci — Ms. Val!”
“Well, Ms. Val, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
To Val’s surprise again, Principal Arif seized her hand and leaned in close.
“I want you to know, if you need anyone to talk to, my door is always open...”
“Oh, sure, thanks.”
“No problem.” Principal Arif called as she let go of her hand and strolled off in the opposite direction.
Val was caught in a sea of white headscarves and dark ponytails as she made her way back to class. Whatever that was, Val had no idea, but she had work to do.
Val reached her classroom, took attendance, and set off officially teaching for the first time in her life, which was weird; but Val thought she was getting the hang of it.
That was, until her last class.
At 12:30 sharp, Val went through the motions once more. Everything seemed normal, natural even; until a group of three beckoned her over.
Val shuffled towards their desks. “Yes, ladies?”
The girls giggled at her. Why are they giggling?
The Tamil girl in the center spoke up first. “So — you’re from America?”
Val scowled. “Is there a problem on your packet you need help with?”
BAM. Interrogation.
“Have you met any celebrities?”
“Why are you here?”
“I heard you say to Principal Arif that your name was Valentina Palacio... how do you spell that exactly?”
“Have you met Obama?”
“I heard there are a lot of guns in America?”
“Do you have a gun? Are you gonna shoot the bad kids?”
“Is your Instagram private? Never mind, just found it!”
Before Val realized it, the girl to her right had her phone out, and Val’s Instagram pulled up on its screen. Val tried to snatch the phone away, but missed.
“No phones in class!” She screamed. “Give it to me!”
But instead, the girl’s face froze; her eyes narrowed. “Oh my god...”
“What is Eng Ki?”
Val struggled to seize the damn thing as each of them took turns passing it around, then gasping. She already knew what they had found...
“You dated Killer Wiz Akeem?” The littlest amongst the three whispered.
By now, the whole class was clamoring to get a look at Val’s Instagram. It was true, she had met the infamous rapper Killer Wiz Akeem, or as she knew him — Samual, at a club in downtown Phoenix one night, and had gone out with him a few days later. Val only managed to get through one date, since the man’s ego had no bounds. Though it was just two meetings total, her tagged photos were now filled with paparazzi clippings.
Val finally snatched it from one of their grimy hands. “You all have thirty minutes to finish your packets!” She seethed while waving the phone in the air. “You can have this back at the end of class!”
The girls crowded together in little groups, as they whispered things Val tried her damndest to tune out. When the last bell rang, Val’s students raced each other out the door. Val shook her head as she graded. That last class failed everything.
Hours passed, as the sound of the carpool line died away. Val scurried around her classroom, hanging up the last of her decorations. She was right, they were cooler than Ms. Nadar’s. They had to be. A perra like that probably didn’t even hang up real decorations anyway. Just whooping paddles and jars of her students’ tears.
She had just tacked on her final poster, when a soft, giggling coo echoed into her room, followed by the pitter-patter of tiny, wobbly feet. Val craned her neck towards her open door. To her surprise, a toddler no more than a year old was slowly waddling down the hallway.
“Awe…” Val cooed as she watched the naked baby pass by her classroom. She turned back around, waiting for his mother to pass next, but there was no one... in fact, there was no sound in this building at all, except for the gurgling infant and his little steps.
Her instincts got the best of her. Val stepped into the hall and searched from where he had started walking.
It was empty.
“That’s strange…” Val mouthed. This feels weird… really weird...
Val spun the other way, readying her body for the relief of everything being alright. The child tucked away, snuggled deep in his mother’s arms… but boy was Val wrong.
Her eyes reached the other end of the corridor, and that flighty sensation exploded like a grenade!
The baby was lying limp on the ground.
Val didn’t feel her legs as they bolted down the hall, and didn’t hear her voice scream as it cried out in horror. Her knees hit the floor as she reached the child.
“Wake up!” She pleaded. “Oh god, wake up!”
Her fingers checked his pulse, but at the same time, her classroom door slammed shut. Val turned her head for just a second before returning to the child…
But he was different…
No — he was dead! Not just recently dead, his flesh was grey… and rotten!
Val shrieked as she scrambled backwards on her hands and knees, which is when she saw it.
Out of the corner of her eye, a gray mass growled in front of her. She dared a glimpse in its direction…
Though most of it was shrouded in shadow, she could just make out its faded silhouette, which prowled back and forth on skinny legs… More feral human than beast, neither description fitting it quite right though. It seemed to be something else… The only part of it that cut through the darkness was its two ruby eyes. They burned like embers, as they stalked after her...
“Holy shit!” Val swore. “Oh my god—” Val expected some instinctto kick in, but nothing. Literally nothing, she just froze.
But something outside herself did kick in. Val felt someone rush up behind her.
It was an Imam, donning a familiar robe and cap. He opened his mouth, singing louder than any megaphone.
“BISMILLAH!”
The man was still shouting as Val passed out onto the floor…
Thanks for reading! If you’d like to view more of my content—