Static Bride

As Rachel walked toward Elijah, the air felt like it was crackling with electricity. Her eyes drifted away from his stare. She could feel his gaze piercing through her as if he could see her secrets, her monster within. The hum was there in her head, echoing like a lingering beat from a tune she had been playing on a loop for months.

She glanced back at Emily as she sat down in her chair with her arms crossed. Her eyes fixated on Elijah and then on the flickering UFO fluorescent lights hanging above, casting shadows on the waxed court floor. Emily shook her head as she gazed at Rachel's shadow, which moved with latency as if operating on slow internet speed.

"Have a seat," Elijah said as he gestured towards the chair.

Rachel didn't say a word as she sat down, her right leg shaking as she pushed her hair out of her face and forced a smile. Her heart raced as she watched Elijah pick up the Scanner and start typing on the computer on the desk in front of her.

"Rachel Harper, that right?" Eli asked as he continued to type in the computer.

"Yes sir," Rachel muttered as she strained her eyes to see what he was typing.

Eli glanced back with a raised eyebrow. "Relax, this won't take more than a few minutes," He said, pulling out his radio and walking away momentarily. He whispered something Rachel couldn't interpret.

Rachel took a deep breath and glanced down at her shadow, staring at it blankly. Her mind was empty of thoughts besides the nagging hum in her head. Her body felt hot, her hands clammy, and her hair stood on end like static.

"Can I go to the bathroom real quick?"Rachel asked as she rubbed her arm.

Elijah blinked at her; then his eyes glanced toward Emily before fixating on Rachel. "Can you hold it for like five minutes?"

"I guess," Rachel sighed, then glanced up at Eli. "What does the P.I.A. do anyway?"

Elijah turned on the Scanner and tested it on the Ether vial. It emitted a low hum followed by a beep as various colors flashed. "That's a loaded question. But without giving confidential information. We make sure anything Ether-related is safe."

"And if it's not?"

Elijah paused. "What you mean is, what if you're not safe, right?"

Rachel's eyes widened as her leg began to shake once more. Eli leaned towards her, holding the Scanner.

"Whatever is going on inside that hyper-imaginative teenage mind of yours... quit it. I know you are already like me; your friend over there is as well," Eli whispered as he glanced toward Emily and turned on the scanner.

"How do you know?"

"That is confidential, but I want to let you know you're not a monster. There are just things the world ain't ready to know yet."

Rachel's eyes sparkled like a light bulb. "Monster?" She muttered out loud as her leg shook violently and her eyes twinkled with mulberry.

Elijah glanced at the rafters as he saw the fluorescent lights flickering above. He then glanced at Emily, who was pinching her nose and shaking her head.

"Hey, kid, chill out," Elijah whispered, took a step back, and glanced at Ashley and Bruce.

Rachel did not respond as her mind raced back to something she had heard before: a song, a memory long forgotten. Her heart raced as she started to breathe sharply. Rachel stared at her reflection on the computer monitor. Its distorted, static grin stared back at her, and its eyes were hollow and expressionless as she fidgeted in her seat.

"What the fuck are you?" Eli whispered as he put a hand on his holstered gun, and the lights flickered on and off violently.

Rachel stared wild-eyed around the gym as the students began to stare at her. The hum in her head grew louder as if matching Rachel's heart rate. She gazed at Emily, who jumped out of her chair and stormed towards her as Eli unholstered his desert eagle.

Everything went dark as the hum in her head crescendoed.

Rachel paused before turning the engine on to her now-dented Pink Miata. As it hummed to life, so did the melody humming in her mind. The radio turned on, and a song, alien yet familiar, started to play.

"₮ł₵₭-₮Ø₵₭ goes the clock inside your mind,"

"Counting down what we left behind."

"Each life loops like a record scratched,"

"Playing over till the truth gets snatched."

"Hollow hums louder when you try to sleep,"

"Whispers your name in rhythms too deep."

"Rewind," it says, "but don't look back too far—You're just a shadow stitched to a ĐɆ₳Đ ₴₮₳Ɽ."

Rachel's eyes narrowed as they flashed mulberry. She fixated on the beat, which matched the hum she heard in her head. Emily glanced at Rachel after turning off the radio, her expression tightening as if she sensed something had shifted.

She mutters under her breath. "Not again...."

"Earth to Rachel!" Emily shouted as she snapped her fingers.

Rachel blinked then, gazed around her car's interior, then looked back at her house.

"Did you turn off the radio, Em?" Rachel asked as she began to drive.

Emily forced a smile and then sighed. "No, it's been off," she said as she slumped into her seat. "Rachel, don't listen to any music today."

"Ummmm, why?"

"Can't tell you yet; you just gotta trust me on this one, okay?"

"It's about what's in my-our head, isn't it?" Rachel asked as the high school peaked over a hill.

Emily shook her head and exited the car as Rachel parked at the high school.

"You seriously not going to tell me?" Rachel asked as she followed Emily up the school stairs.

Emily sighed as she flipped her hood over her head. Her eyes flickered briefly a mulberry color.

The hallway lights flickered as they entered the school. Students bickered and gossiped at their purple lockers while banners for the festival hung overhead. Trophy cases aligned the walls as the school faculty scrambled towards their classes. Judging eyes focused on Rachel and Emily as they turned a corner leading to their lockers.

"EM?"

"Hrm?" Emily muttered, her eyes fixated on the fire alarm on the wall. "I want you to go home, okay?"

"What, why?"Rachel replied with a raised eyebrow.

Emily kissed her on the lips and then looked her in the eyes. "No questions, just trust me," She replied as she approached the fire alarm.

"Emily, what are you doing?"

"Go home and remember no music," Emily replied as a series of loud screeching beeps erupted as she pulled the fire alarm.

Rachel's eyes widened as water sprinkled down on her from above. Her mouth hung open, but no words came out as she glanced at her drenched clothes. Teachers and students stared at Emily in confusion as the hallway erupted into chaos.

"Fuck this school. Fuck the establishment and fuck the P.I.A!" Emily yelled as she started banging on windows and doors.

"Fuck the who!?" Elijah yelled as Rachel's head turned and noticed Eli storming down the hallway towards Emily.

"Go now!" Emily barked as she gestured for Rachel to scram.

"I said fuck the P.I.A., you fucking government lap dog!" Emily yelled as she stuck her middle finger up at Eli, who was shooting death lasers at her.

Rachel stared wild-eyed as she watched Elijah close in on Emily. Dread and confusion crept up her spine like a centipede. Her mind is hollow except for the constant buzz of the fire alarm fighting against the Engine's subtle hum. Rachel's head tilted slightly as Emily pretended to resist Elijah as he grabbed her by the arm.

"What the fuck are you doing Em?" Rachel muttered to herself as Emily grinned at her as Elijah dragged her down the hallway. 

She gritted her teeth and then bolted out of the school. Rachel got into her car and left the school, glancing down at the radio and then back at the road. Her heart raced as she shook her head and bashed her steering wheel as she reached an intersection.

"What the hell are you doing, Emily? " she yelled. She closed her eyes, took deep breaths, and composed herself.

Her eyes constantly glanced at the radio as she drove but dared not turn it on. She bit her nails as she approached her home and looked at her drenched clothes. Rachel slowed down and took a deep breath before driving past her house.