Chapter Text
Hannah didn't like school.
Whenever she went to school, she knew it would be a bad day. A bad, bad day.
Unfortunately for her, school was 5 days out of the 7 in a single week. She hated it, but Lex refused to leave her home alone, so here Hannah was.
She’d rather sit in the corner and talk to Webby, her best friend as of recently. The spider came to Hannah with less visions of destruction and doom and more just… Normal talk? That’s the best way Hannah could describe it. Normal talk. Like how Webby asked her about her recent project in Industrial Arts. It was themed after her white-haired friend, being a wooden sculpture of her spider form. Webby seemed to love it, so Hannah didn't scrap the idea.
She was currently sitting at her chair in Industrial Arts, carefully drawing out the spider design onto her block of wood. The sounds of her pencil scratching against the rough surface soothed her. She felt calmer than usual, thanks to the fact Nightmare Time had been happening less. It was more just… Sleepy Time. It was nice. Hannah was perfectly fine with the lack of visions as of lately. She kind of liked sleeping.
Hannah chewed the inside of her cheek, sketching out one of the spider’s long legs. She usually tried to ignore her classmates, wanting to rest inside her own thoughts instead. Though, some asshat was coming over to bother her at that very moment. Hannah didn't lift her head, letting him come as she saw his shadow looming over her.
“Hey Foster! Where’s your freaky spider friend?” The current bane of Hannah’s existence: Brad. She didn't know his last name, just that he was an idiot. That’s all she needed to know. Whenever their teacher would leave the classroom, Brad saw it as a chance to try to annoy a reaction out of Hannah. She didn't even know why he was so persistent, since most of the time Hannah acted like he didn't exist. And he called her the weird one.
Hannah gave him the cold shoulder, continuing to sketch without a care in the world. Brad, obviously annoyed, took Hannah’s shoulder and spun her around in her chair to face him. This was new, he usually never tried touching her in any way. Hannah blinked, making eye contact with her classmate.
“I don't like when you ignore me, Foster. You’ve been doing it too often!” Brad spat, his grip on her shoulder a bit tight. Hannah winced slightly, not enjoying the physical contact one bit. She removed his hand off of her shoulder with more force than she intended. Hannah couldn't even see Brad’s bewildered expression before she turned back to her sketch, picking the pencil back up. That really set him off, his face turning a red color. That couldn't be healthy, Hannah thought. Before Brad could start yelling at her, a new voice joined the conversation.
“Shut the fuck up, Brad. No one wants your ratty ass here.” Hannah glanced from her sketch, seeing that the voice belonged to Stephanie Lauter. She was sitting across from Hannah, her olive green eyes narrowed at Brad. Hannah didn't really know Stephanie that well, only that she was the mayor's daughter and kind of scary. Not in a bullying way, more of a ‘mess with me and I’ll kill you’ way. Hannah could also recall Lex mentioning Stephanie in passing when she still attended Hatchetfield High. Though, she wasn't mentioned all too much. Hannah never talked to her, never even attempted to.
Now, Stephanie Lauter was standing up for Hannah, something she couldn't expect.
“What’d you say, Lauter?” Brad said, obviously trying to sound defiant. Stephanie stood up from her chair, flicking stray hairs out of her face. Once she was on her feet, the girl was more intimidating than usual. She wasn't the tallest girl, being 5’7, but she was strong. Hannah could tell from her arms and when she would see Stephanie carrying around the supplies during class. Brad shrunk a bit at the display. He really looked like a rat now. Hannah just watched as Stephanie huffed.
“I said, shut the fuck up. Go back to your table with your tail between your ass.” She repeated, raking Brad with a freezing glare. Guess she was still scary. Without another word, he scurried off. Hannah blinked, her gaze going back to Stephanie as the senior rolled her eyes, sitting back down and looking over at Hannah. “You good, Hannah?” Now Stephanie knew her name. The amber-haired girl blinked, starting to play with one of her braided pigtails. Hannah slowly nodded. Stephanie cocked her head slightly, leaning in towards Hannah. “Don't let guys like Brad mess with you, ‘kay?” She said nodding at Hannah.
Stephanie Lauter was much nicer than Hannah thought she would be. Maybe that’s what ‘never judge a book by its cover’ meant.
Hannah nodded again, this time with a bit more confidence. Stephanie gave her a small grin, leaning back to her seat and working on her project once again. Once their teacher came back, Hannah couldn't help but think about the weird interaction that had just happened. When did Stephanie Lauter of all people want to defend her? The spider freak? Weird, really really weird.
Their teacher eventually announced that the band saw was available for use, only warning against fingers getting cut off. Hannah walked up to it, turning the saw on and slowly cutting her sculpture. She quietly hummed, making sure her fingers wouldn't get too close to the quickly moving saw. Though, Hannah could feel her mind turning blank, her eyes fixating on nothing. The world started to disappear, melting into visions. They were terrible.
Blood, Hannah could only see blood. It was on the walls, on her hands, on her face. Hannah breathed wordlessly, her hands shaking as they were painted scarlet. She could hear gunshots going off, the sound of a saw coming to life. An axe digging into someone's skull, a knife aiming for her heart. Hannah couldn't move, beads of sweat running down her face as she could only watch. Screams, so much screaming. Screams of people she couldn't help. Hannah could only stand there, hearing the screams of the damned as they were cut down.
What was Webby telling her?
How can Hannah stop this?
Can Hannah stop this?
“HANNAH!” A loud voice shattered the visionscape around Hannah, bringing her back to the Industrial Arts classroom. She realized too late that her finger was just a few centimeters away from the saw. Before Hannah’s eyes, she watched as her finger slid past the saw, the blade digging into her flesh. Blood started to squirt out of her finger in seconds.
She couldn't even react before Stephanie came over, shutting the band saw off and forcing Hannah’s finger away from the blade. Still dazed from the vision, she looked down at her finger. It was bloody, a deep serrated incision that cut right down to the bone. It really hurt, but Hannah could only think about her gory vision at the moment. Stephanie grabbed a spare towel, wrapping it around Hannah’s finger and yelling something at their teacher.
Hannah continued to stare down at her finger, watching as her blood soaked into the towel. There was so much more blood, this was just the start of it.
“Hannah? I’m taking you to the Nurse’s Office.” Stephanie said, gently taking Hannah’s uninjured hand and guiding her over to the door. She allowed the taller girl to bring her along like a rag doll, her body simply following Stephanie's movement. Hannah was taken outside into the hallway as Stephanie closed the door behind them. Hannah didn't say a word, staring down at her injured finger. She couldn't map out words to say, her mind fixated on her vision. It was so sudden, and in class as well. That never happened, Hannah usually got them at home where she was away from sharp objects that could potentially maim her. Lex was gonna be so mad.
Stephanie pursed her lips, making sure Hannah was following her as they walked down the hallway. The silence was deafening, though there was a ringing sensation in Hannah’s left ear. She brought her uninjured hand up to it, covering her ear and wincing. Stephanie glanced back at her.
“Is something wrong with your ear too?” Hannah shook her head as the ringing went away. Stephanie raised an eyebrow at her, continuing to look at the shorter girl. “I know you just got injured, but do you talk? Like at all?” Stephanie winced slightly at her wording, scratching the back of her head. Hannah didn't mind, it was much nicer than how other people would ask it. She played with the soft curls of the towel, her lips moving to form a single word.
“Yeah.” Hannah said, her voice having a melancholy tone to it. Stephanie blinked, seemingly surprised that Hannah answered. The shorter girl shrugged, chewing the inside of her cheek once again. “I don't like talking here, these kids are annoying.” Hannah saw no need to lie, as Stephanie seemed trustworthy. Maybe, she only helped Hannah out once. Though, she wanted to believe her classmate was a good person.
Surprisingly, Stephanie laughed, seemingly out of bewilderment and amusement. “Yeah, I get that. Some of these fuckers can get really exhausting. Good on you for not giving them a huge reaction to their shit.” Hannah nodded, keeping the towel wrapped around her still rapidly bleeding finger. They walked down the hallway in silence for a bit longer, the only noise being the clicking of their shoes. Stephanie decided to try at some small talk.
“You’re Lex’s sister, right?” Hannah nodded, tilting her head slightly.
“Mhm. Lexi mentioned you sometimes, you guys were part of a club?” Hannah could vaguely recall her sister mentioning that she and Stephanie were in a club of some sorts together. The Senior gave Hannah a sheepish smile, glancing away from her.
“Yeah, Lex used to be a part of the Smoke Club. I’d talk to her there and she’d bring you up sometimes.” Stephanie shrugged, taking off her plaid jacket and wrapping it around her waist. Hannah blinked, she didn't know Lex smoked even when she still attended high school. She shrugged it off, what her sister did wasn't for Hannah to judge. Stephanie sighed, obviously wanting to talk more. Hannah watched as the senior clenched her hand into a fist, huffing but continuing to walk.
“... Sorry ‘bout all this.” Hannah said, catching Stephanie’s attention. She looked over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Hannah. She waved her finger around, frowning slightly. “I spaced out, usually don't do it in class.” She muttered, thoughts of gore and death still on her mind. Stephanie didn't say anything, though she looked less tense.
“No problem, I’m more worried about your finger falling off. You’re taking this pretty damn well though.” Hannah played with one of her braids, looking to the side. She was taking it well, only because her vision was significantly more concerning than this. Hannah coughed, her voice now a mutter.
“Uh, thanks, Stephanie.” The Senior blinked, a light chuckle escaping her throat.
“Call me Steph, Hannah. No need to be all formal and shit.” Hannah blinked, looking up at Stephanie with wide eyes. That’s what all of her friends called her: Steph. Was Hannah her friend now? After a single conversation? Stephanie was cool, someone who was basically out of range of bullying in Hatchetfield High. And she thought Hannah was her friend?
“... Am I a cool kid now?” She asked, her eyes shining with childlike wonder. Hannah would never think of herself as ‘cool’. Lexi was cool, Hannah wasn't. Steph blinked, her lips curving into a small, mildly amused smile. She gave Hannah a pat on the shoulder.
“Yeah, you’re a cool kid, Hannah.”
~~~~~
“What the hell happened Banana?!” That was the first thing Hannah heard when she took a step inside of the house. Lex was sitting on the couch before she rushed over to her little sister, immediately taking her hand and raising it up to her eye level. Hannah’s finger was wrapped in a thick layer of gauze, some blood still flecking her skin.
“Webby spoke to me.” Hannah said simply, shrugging her shoulders. Lex was obviously trying to stay calm and failing miserably, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She stared at Hannah, taking her over to the couch and sitting her down. Lex sat next to her sister, tilting her head.
“Was Webby the reason you got this?” Hannah nodded, looking down at her wrapped finger. Lex clutched her forehead, taking another deep breath in. She pulled at a part of her hair. “I got a call from the nurse, she said you didn't break anything so that’s good. I think we need to just wait for it to heal now.” Lex said, still looking stressed. Hannah tapped her foot against the ground, her hands resting on her knees. Lex rubbed her sister’s back, leaning towards her. “What did Webby say?” Hannah turned to Lex, images of blood and gore infecting her mind once again.
“... Bad blood.” She said, pursing her lips. Hannah twiddled her thumbs, her foot continuing to shake. “A lot of bad blood.” Lex’s eyebrows furrowed at that. But, they quickly softened as she took another deep breath.
“Well, let's not worry about that right now. What do you want to get for dinner?” Hannah shrugged as Lex left the couch.
“I dunno.”
“Aw man. Banana, you know I’m bad at picking. I want to know what you want.”
“You don't need to, you’ll just ask Ethan.” Lex laughed, already picking up the phone to dial her boyfriend’s number in. Hannah lied down on the couch, her hands resting at her sides. The ratty couch was incredibly worn out, though it still felt nice under Hannah. She blinked up at the ceiling as Lex called Ethan about food. It seemed like mom was gone for the night from what Hannah heard. Good.
Once Lex was off of the phone, she came back over to the couch, leaning over it to look down at Hannah. “Got something on your mind, Banana?” Yes, she thought. Stephanie Lauter, the strange new person who somehow entered her life. Hannah nodded, continuing to stare up at the ceiling.
“Stephanie Lauter helped me out at school.” Hannah said, her gaze turning to her sister. Lex’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of the name, though her lips quirked into a small smile. Hannah continued, her eyes turning back to the ceiling. “I don't know why she did, but she helped.”
“Steph’s always been good, she just doesn't realize it herself.” Lex sighed, leaning over to pat Hannah’s head. Her little sister batted her hand away like an annoyed puppy, making Lex giggle. “Well, do you like her?” Hannah nodded, putting her hands together and reaching them towards the ceiling.
“She’s nice.” Lex gave Hannah another pat on the head, the girl now having a pout. The older girl grinned, walking over to the kitchen and yawning.
“That’s good… Now, you can just rest, Banana. Food’ll be here soon.”
“Won't be easy.” Hannah sighed, continuing to stare up at the ceiling. Lex didn't say anything, her hands tinkering as she pulled out utensils from the cabinet. Hannah chewed the inside of her cheek, closing her eyes and seeing light reflecting off of a steel blade, coated in strange, red and purple blood. Her eyes flew open, her breathing a bit quick as she saw the ceiling.
Hannah winced. Nightmare Time would come.