4 The Black Container

The next morning, Eliana repeated her morning routine.

She quickly washed herself, dressed in her uniform and ate her breakfast accompanied with the two red pills.

Of course she wondered why there were two placed on top of the plate instead of one, but she didn't think too much of it.

She shrugged it off.

'If mom puts it out for me, I better take them. I don't want to get in trouble and I should always trust her decisions.'

When she arrived at the private school, she turned in her two page essay for English literature and all of her solved Algebra equations.

Everything was the same except for the fact that the breakdancing school boy kept following behind her like a lost puppy.

Eliana rounded a corner.

He did so too.

She entered the library to return a poetry book and he entered as well, trying to hide behind a nearby bookshelf while his head peeked out and watched her every move.

Eliana was starting to get annoyed but she was also slightly amused at the same time.

She made up her mind to pay it all back.

She continued to walk down a hallway like normal when she abruptly turned a corner.

As she expected, he copied her.

What he didn't know was that Eliana swiftly spun around and laid her back on the surface of the end of the locker block that was painted a dark shade of maroon.

It wasn't the best place to hide in but Eliana figured that based on the standpoint of the direction he was coming in, she would be completely concealed.

He searched through every adult and teen crowding the corridor, obviously searching for one specific person.

A light bulb popped up in Eliana's head.

The boy took a step back to probably get a better view of all the faces of the students hustling and bustling to catch their next class.

'Should I do it?'

She smirked.

'Well, he's close enough…'

Eliana slowly lifted her hands higher and higher...

"Boo."

"AHHHHHHH!!!"

A high-pitched scream resonated throughout the entire corridor, straining the ears of every person present.

Everybody turned their heads to the source of the ear-piercing sound. The teachers' raised their eyebrows while most of the students had a restrained expression on their faces as if they were trying to fight back laughter.

"I didn't know you could scream like that," Eliana snorted, clutching her chest.

"Hahahaha!"

Still laughing, Eliana pulled her head back.

"I- I-"

He stuttered as he fiddled with his fingers. Pink started to creep up the boy's ears.

"I apologize everyone..." He said in a small timid voice and lowered his head.

Eliana stopped laughing.

All of the sudden, something flashed through her mind and her head felt like someone had driven a needle through her brain.

She was laughing in this memory.

Just like how she was now but it wasn't because of a successful prank.

It was because of something else... Something darker.

The more she heard it, the more maniacal it sounded.

The sound reverberated through her ears, ingraining itself in her mind so much that it seemed to have no beginning or ending.

She wanted it to stop.

Would the noises cease if she cut off her ears? What about if she smashed her head into the wall-

'Why am I thinking like this?'

It terrified her, the way it made her think of terrible things.

She covered her ears and her breath began to tremble.

"It's scaring me… Everything is just scaring me..."

"Please, you're not scared. You're just in denial." She heard a voice say from behind her.

Eliana fought every urge to turn around.

"Come on now… Don't be stubborn. You know how wonderful it felt, when you sta-"

"Stop it! Don't finish that sentence… Please, just go away!"

Her knees wobbled and she fell to her knees.

"All you have to do is just let me in." The voice whispered in her ear, sending shivers down Eliana's spine.

"NO."

She furiously shook her head.

"Shut up, you. That will never happen."

She fought against this voice and the horrible sound looping in her mind.

To try to relive the pain in her head.

To make it all stop.

But why is it that trying to forget something makes you remember it more?

'It's all in my head, it's all just in my head.'

"Hey, are you okay? If you're not feeling well, I could-" She heard but it didn't take long for the boy's voice to be drowned out in the sea of laughter Eliana was sinking in.

The voice chuckled.

"You know that's not true..." The words echoed in her mind, implanting itself so it would never be forgotten.

Just when she thought her head was going to split into four pieces, everything went silent.

"Your- Your nose! It's bleeding!" The boy exclaimed, concern visible all over his face.

When she tilted her head to look up, both of them caught each other's gaze.

The boy could see that her eyes seemed blank, not alarmed of the red liquid running down her top lip.

It was as if she had other troubles that were more worrying than a simple nosebleed.

***

Eliana looked around the Nurse's Office and honestly, she felt like her brain was lagging behind in the situation at hand.

'Why am I here, and how did I get here so fast?'

There were several beds surrounded with white curtains. Jars filled with band aids, cotton swabs, and alcohol wipes lined a floating shelf that hung above a computer.

A syringe lay harmless on a desk near the computer.

Eliana stared at the sharp tip that glinted dangerously at her...

'I wonder how sharp it is...'

"Miss Terrifota?"

Yanked from her thoughts, Eliana was startled for a moment.

"Huh? Yes, Ms. Nurse?"

"Please just call me Linda."

"What exactly am I doing here?"

"Timothy brought you here, saying your nose suddenly started to bleed."

'So that boy's name is Timothy? Interesting...'

"The blood flow lessened now, but pinch the flesh just above your nostrils and lean forward."

Eliana did as she was told.

"Do you take or have you taken any sort of medication, Miss Terrifota?"

Eliana nodded.

With a stuffy sort of voice, she answered,

"Yes, I think so."

"Do you have it with you right now? If so, may I see it?"

Eliana stuck her hand in her backpack and held out a black container.

The nurse took it and examined it for a moment, slightly raising her eyebrows.

"Is this it?"

"Yes... These were prescribed to me about five years ago." Eliana answered.

"Hmm... Well, this is a type of substance related to Benzodiazepine."

Seeing the anticipation of explanations on Eliana's face, Ms. Linda placed the container on her desk and continued.

"Basically this,

She pointed to the container.

"Is anti-anxiety drug that is used for, well, what the name implies. There are cases of overdosage that caused the brain to strain itself. It's highly probable that that's what happened here."

She paused to let Eliana absorb all this information.

"So you're saying that I overdosed?"

Ms. Linda inclined her head.

"Basically. How many of these do you take a day?"

"Usually just one. But today, my mother put out two. I'm usually the one in charge of my pills, so my mom must've made a mistake with my daily serving."

"I see. You can go home now, but if it ever starts to bleed again... You know what to do right?"

Eliana slung her backpack over her shoulder and smiled.

"Yes, Ms. Linda!"

The nurse returned her smile and waved goodbye.

When Eliana left the room, Ms. Linda felt her smile slowly vanish.

What she didn't tell Eliana was that depending on the person who takes this, it can induce forgetfulness or unreasonable confusion. Or sometimes both.

However, more times than not, it is taken so someone could forget something.

It was a much better option to doing drugs.

She heaved a deep sigh.

"She seems like a young lady who doesn't have a tainted past and bright future in front of her so... What exactly is she trying to forget?"