Salem, Oregon
January 8, 2019 (Tuesday)
1:30pm
Lunch
Seventeen year old Ciana pushed up her glasses closer to her red violet eyes, her light blue cardigan hoodie and pure white, bob cut hair swishing as the wind passed by. She tied her bangs behind her head. The cardigan was buttoned up once in the top, showing a purple and green sweater underneath it. She tucked her mouth into her black scarf. She had albinism, and was quite isolated because of it. Not having the chance to go to exotic places because of it, she was born to be boring. In fact, she was adopted twice because of the hate and… other traits. But that’s a different story.
As Ciana started walking to the lunch room, she ran into her best friend, Kayla Monroe. Well, so called “best friend”. She was so annoying and would always gossip about unnecessary things. Like how Christine Pollock flirted with Billy Jackson. She was friends with her just because she was the only one who could treat her like a normal person. Ciana didn’t want to end up with a delinquent like Oliver Kirschtein, Lora Garza’s 2nd cousin who lives with her.
“Guess what Cici! Oliver Kirschtein actually likes me!”
“Seriously? How do you know?”
She replied in a strange British accent. Her first language was polish and she learned english in Britain, where her first foster parents lived.
“He told me face to face! But he told me not to tell anyone, except you of course.”
“Wow.”
“I know right? But don’t tell his cousin. She would get super mad and literally kill the dude.”
“Why?”
“Girl, did you seriously forget? Lora’s best friend, Melissa, and her are like sisters. And Melissa is already Oliver’s girlfriend! Though, Olive is gonna break up with her soon.”
“But didn’t you tell me a few weeks ago that Oliver and his friends did a dare to trick girls into making them fake girlfriends?”
“Yeah but like, that was like ten weeks ago! I thought you would be happy for me Ciana! What’s wrong with you?!”
“I…”
“Just kidding. But seriously, whats wrong with you? This is like the biggest accomplishment of my life! Ugh!”
She spat on Ciana’s shoes and went faster, leaving the girl behind. Did she also mention that Kayla was a huge brat? Yeah, that ship is gonna die soon.
***
January 8 (Tuesday)
3:30pm
Dismissal
The school bell rung. It was the end of the day. Ciana had already packed her bag. She had to hurry home and make sure her secret pet rat, Matka, wasn’t found. As she was leaving the building, she felt a nudge on her shoulder. She turned around and faced a very tall man and a shorter girl. A classmate. A friend.
A furious 2nd cousin and a crying Kayla.
“Ciana, did you tell Lora and Melissa about me and Kayla?”
She didn’t have time for this.
“What are you talking about?! Look, I got to go-”
He grabbed her wrist.
“Did you or not?!”
She sighed.
“I didn’t ok?! Now let go-”
“You’re lying! You always have that excuse whenever you lie!”
Kayla whimpered.
‘Did she just lie about me?’ Ciana thought. ‘If so, why? Is it because I wasn’t happy for her? No she can’t possibly be that stupid… Right?’
“The only one who is lying is you! Now let go and get away from me!”
Ciana was shouting now. People starting looking at them.
“..”
He let go and Ciana glared at them. She sighed and went towards the bus.
***
???
???, 2013
4:47am
Early Morning
“Ciana, what are you doing?! Stop this! Matka stop!”
The man screamed in agony as the rats climbed on top of him. They started biting him. He tried to shake them off, but Ciana had already stabbed his leg with a pair of scissors. He collapsed on the chair.
“Stop! Stop! Sto-”
The rat tore off his mouth. Flesh and blood flew everywhere. His hand came off, not to mention his fingers. His neck was half bitten off, his left eye socket oozing out blood, his clothes soaked in his own flesh. Ciana just stood there and smiled happily. Then she started giggling, which turned into laughter.
“You ate Matka and nearly killed me, so why can’t we kill you?”
Ciana was sometimes forced to eat her pet whenever she didn’t have enough food. She named the next firstborn female of the previous Matka Matka so she would live on.
She stared at the corpse as the laughter turned into a still mouth. Tears slipped down her face. She was crying now. She had just killed the one who gave her everything gave she wanted she just…
“What have I done? I just killed my friend…”
Then another voice came out of her mouth. One that belonged to a new, bloodthirsty Ciana.
“No… He deserved it.”
She smiled once more as she came closer. As the albino rats continued eating his meat, Ciana reached out for his other eye and plucked it out. She licked the squishy ball and put it in her mouth, consuming the eye.
“Just like anyone who will try to torture me next.”
***
January 24 (Thursday)
12:56am
Midnight
Ciana was lying on her bed, fiddling with a mask since the memory of her childhood came back to her. She gave that mask to her friend, in which she took it back on remembrance for her victory.
Oliver and Kayla were acting distance to her since that day. Even though she texted Kayla countless times that it wasn’t her, she would always reply in insults. Like “You’re just jealous because you have an ugly look and attitude, rat.” or “Just quit trying to shower me with your lies, idiotic b***h.” One time Oliver even tripped over Ciana during lunch, causing her to land face first in her food. The school facility could care less about their students behaviors, unless it had to do with the school property or suicide. It was a public highschool and middle school in a bad area of town, so they couldn’t kick them out unless the students broke a major rule. Bullying wasn’t one of them.
She knew she had to stay away from them, but things were getting uglier and uglier. Their words and actions were getting into her heart and were tearing it slowly apart. She tried focusing on her studies, but to have the only person who could cope with her disability turn to the other side, she couldn’t take it. She just wanted to look out for her. That’s what friends do right?
And yet she was fooled by another one.
She had to take the matter into her own hands. Like they say, out of sight, out of mind.
***
For Christmas, her foster father’s mother would always give her tons of clothes. Tonight, she changed her top into a dark blue sweater and dark green gloves. She wanted to have a little fun with this escapade, so she wanted to look like Lora. No one was awake. Taking her mom’s wallet and Matka with her relatives in a box secretly, she snuck out of the house with her mask.
The mask in which was her gift was supposed to look like Matka. It had pink blush, happy eye holes, tiny mouse ears, lines that were supposed to be whiskers going from the pink snout to the edges of the mask, and an animal smile that also connected the edges.
In order to look like Lora, she needed long brown hair with bangs and blonde tips. Thus, she got a wig. She could barely see without glasses, because she had low melanin, or was albino. So she got transparent contacts. She tried them on in an alleyway and looked at herself through a mirror her mom would always keep in her wallet. She put on her mask and smiled. She was ready.
The Garza’s house was big. Well, they were rich. All the doors were locked, so she ordered Matka to dig a hole into the inside and open the lock. She was a smart rat and she did it very quietly. Ciana tip toed into the house. She searched for Oliver, her first victim. She found his room and saw him sleeping peacefully. Ciana came up close with Matka and broke his neck. He woke up in agony and stared at her.
“…What are… You… Doing-”
Ciana covered his mouth and covered up his screams as rats crawled up his body and started tearing at the flesh. Ciana had starved them for a long time, so they should enjoy their meal. Oliver tried to shake them off, but soon enough he was too weak to. Then, she started eating the boy along with her pets. If they can give him pain, why can’t she?
When she was done, Ciana left the corpse there. She could barley recognize the man, everything was either twisted or removed. Blood covered Ciana’s mouth and gloves.
She casually left the house and retreated back home. It was almost six, the time her and her adopted brother’s, Owen, clock alarmed for school. She had to get back.
***
January 25 (Friday)
8:30am – 3:30pm
School
The next day was a normal one, well, sorta. Kayla started blaming Lora saying that she should have taken care of her little brother than going to a party. Lora said that she was asleep like every other average person. It was true. Kayla started acting nice to Ciana again, but she knew it was just an act. She wanted to manipulate her, but not this time.
The police also started investigating. They didn’t have any security footage from the house so they continued looking for clues.
***
January 26 (Saturday)
9:23pm
Night
The next night Kayla died the same way Oliver did. However, Ciana made a mistake. Lora had been taken into custody because she owned hamsters which were sometimes vicious, making her the main suspect. After Ciana made her move, Lora was released.
***
January 28 (Monday)
4:12pm
After school
As Ciana’s foster mother, Lisa, was cleaning Ciana’s room while Ciana was making dinner right after she got home from school, she came across the wig and the sweater. They were bloody and matched the description of the murderer. She secretly contacted the police about it before consulting with her daughter.
When she was done, Ciana couldn’t find the clothes anywhere. She heard sirens from outside. She widen her eyes as a theory popped in her head. She carefully grabbed a kitchen knife and started walking towards the woman, hiding the blade in her pocket. She asked her foster mother,
“Lisa, why are there policemen parked in our driveway?”
She was used to calling her by her first name.
“No reason sweetie.”
“Did you clean my room again?”
“Yes darling.”
“…Then you know about it, right?”
ding dong
She couldn’t take it anymore. Ciana grabbed the knife and plunged it into the woman’s stomach. She spat out blood and collapsed on the floor.
knock knock knock
She had to leave. Then her foster father showed up to see what was going on. Quickly, she ran towards him. He barely had any muscle or reflex, so he too got stabbed to death. She didn’t feel the need to go and kill her brother, because he was just playing video games. She called for Matka in her room, and she came. The police then unlocked the door with a pin and gasped at what they saw. By then, Ciana had already taken her contacts, mask, and Matka and escaped through a window.
Ciana never got caught and is still on the loose. She still wore her mask when killing, even though people knew who she is. Some call her the Red-Eyed Rat because whenever a witness came across her, all you could see were her red orbs staring right at you with the intent to kill.
