Clockwork Redux

## Clockwork Redux by Doros70

(Clockwork was created by Soffbois.)

This whole experience I'm about to share was drawn from memory, so there is a chance that some of the things that are said may not be accurate. Everyone can feel lonely from time to time, but some people don't realize that loneliness can actually consume them.

My name is Ruby Davis, I'm seventeen years old and I need to tell some things about myself before we get into the story, since the information I'm about to give is kind of important. I never liked being transferred to new schools. Of course, I don't mean that I don't enjoy meeting other people and making new friends. But that's the problem. Because of my parents' jobs, we had to move from state to state by the end of every semester, and I never got to form solid friendships. Needless to say, it sucks to be me. I lived a whole life of loneliness and frustration, but for the most part, it wasn't too bad... until I met her.

Almost a year ago, right before my junior year of high school, my family and I moved to a town in Nebraska, and they immediately tried to find a school for me. I got the misfortune of joining a local high school that was pretty far from our apartment. Before the first day of school, I didn't feel excited at all. I figured that it wouldn't be any different. I saw the futility of my attempts at making a new friend because I knew that by the end of the semester, I wouldn't see them again. The next day was the beginning of the end. I introduced myself and the teacher gave me a seat at the back of the class. The school I joined had desks for two students to occupy, so I would share a desk with another classmate.

Her name was Natalie Ouellette and she was by far the strangest person I have ever met. She had long brown hair that she never took good care of, she was always quiet and doodled in class when she was bored or figured that the lesson didn't mean anything to her. She also had an eyepatch that covered her left eye, and it made her look less like an edgy student and more like a pirate. But the strangest thing I noticed was that weird pocket watch that she carried around with her all the time; she would check it from time to time, and I could see her sweating every time she did. We didn't really talk, and whenever I looked at her, she stared back at me and I would immediately pretend that I was busy. I was afraid to tick her off. Two weeks had passed and I saw her coming to the classroom one morning with bruises all over her face. No one but me seemed to notice, not even the teachers, which pissed me off.

"What happened to you?" I asked her during math class. She looked at me with her only eye, which made me gulp.

"It's none of your business," she said bluntly.

"Why?"

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't care."

"Why are you being so defensive?"

"It's something personal," she said. "You can't do anything about it, so leave it."

"If I can't do anything about it, what's it gonna hurt telling me?"

She sighed and remained silent for the rest of the class. She actually tried to write down everything without getting off track, which was unusual for her. She would normally draw characters I wouldn't recognize or, whatever, but at that time, she actually paid attention. When the class ended, she actually came up to me and told me about her family and her situation at home. When Natalie was in elementary school, she suffered from a horrible eye infection that remained untreated for so long that she began losing vision in that eye. She had to use eye drops and pain killers to ease the pain, but they only made it worse and gave her unbearable headaches. Eventually, her eye went completely blind and she had to wear an eyepatch at all times. Because of that, her parents with ridiculously high standards insulted her whenever they got the chance, and every time they saw her, they would talk nonstop about how ugly she was and how unsuccessful she would be in the future.

Even the kids at school made fun of her missing eye. The few who didn't make fun of her avoided her at all costs because they were afraid somehow. The previous day, she stood up against her parents for the first time. Let's just say it didn't go very well. I told Natalie that I knew how awful it felt to be so lonely because of some problems that were out of control. I didn't tell her about my parents' jobs and what we do at the end of every semester, but after what happened, I wish I did. Starting from the next day, we became good friends, which made me feel really good. I didn't have a friend since daycare. But whereas I treated our friendship casually, Natalie took it to a whole new level. When she found out that I had a Facebook account, she immediately sent a friend request, and when I accepted it, she would message me nonstop after hours.

During recess, she would constantly tell me about her ideas for characters to draw. She would make sketches of every original hero and villain imaginable, and their designs and details were actually impressive. I admit, it got pretty annoying eventually but at least it improved her mood tremendously. I've never seen her smile so much whenever I was with her.

The weeks went by and I learned more and more about her and her pocket watch. She apparently carried it around with her all the time and checked it every now and then, dreading the time she had to go home. The watch was a gift from her brother, Lucas, before he went to college in the UK. The departure devastated her since Lucas was the only person who defended her against her emotionally abusive parents. She had that watch ever since and never went anywhere without it. The most disturbing thing about her was that she was possessive and overprotective of me. When a guy asked me to help him with his homework, Natalie gave him a death glare until he got creeped out and left. And whenever I tried to talk to other people, she'd pull me by the wrist back next to her. Needless to say, it was frustrating. Fall progressed and it was near the end of October. One of the popular girls organized a Halloween party for every high school student at her house, and everyone was invited. Every nerd, jock, tomboy, goth, and underdog. I was stoked, to say the least, and I didn't want to be bothered by trick-or-treaters, so I jumped at the opportunity. I remember going to the party dressed as a creepy ghost nun.

When I asked Natalie about her outfit, she actually asked my opinion on some ideas. She showed me twelve drawings, and all of them took simple themes and gave them some twists.

"Oh, classic Natalie," I thought to myself as I looked at her drawings. The one I actually liked the most had the name 'Clockwork', and it was a drawing of a young woman wearing a green hoodie, ripped jeans, and combat boots with a clock for an eye and a mechanical arm. It had that steampunk feel to it, mostly because of the cogs in the background. When I told her that I liked Clockwork the most, she looked really excited and told me that she 'won't let me down'. I tried to tell her that she could dress up as she wanted without my opinion, but she didn't listen. The days went by normally and Halloween finally came. I put on my costume and my parents drove me to the house where the party took place.

"Have fun, hon," Mom told me before driving away.

When I was about to enter, someone patted me on the shoulder. I turned around and I was surprised to see Natalie standing behind me. She was smiling from ear to ear and a clock covered her left eye. She held up her arms as if she wanted to embrace me.

"Ta-dah~" she said gesturing to herself.

"W-wow...!" I stuttered. "You look... just like Clockwork... in the drawing."

"I know, right? Except for the robotic arm, I couldn't really make that one. I also almost passed out during my dress-up, but it was definitely worth it!"

I raised my eyebrow when she said that, but then I looked at her clock eye. I genuinely thought that the clock was drawn, giving me the illusion that it was inside the socket.

"And the makeup for the clock looks... uncomfortably realistic," I said as a small sense of anxiety entered in me.

"What? No, I'm the worst makeup artist you'd ever meet. The clock is real!"

"What do you mean?"

"I really wanted to make you happy, Ruby! I took my useless eye out, and put Lucas's watch there! Now I don't have to take those godawful painkillers anymore!"

The anxiety turned into intense nervousness when she said that, but I thought she was trying to mess with me.

"Y-you're joking, right?"

"You think I'm joking? I've been straight and true with you from the beginning! I would never lie to my best and only friend, right? Right?!"

I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her far away from the crowd to a place where no one could hear us. I felt worried, sick to my stomach and above all, pissed off.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I whispered loudly.

"You wanted me to dress up like Clockwork and I wanted to look as accurate as possible. That eye was useless to me anyway. I dressed up just for you!"

"I didn't want you to dress up like Clockwork!!" I snapped. "I just told you that I liked your stupid drawing, that's all!"

Natalie immediately stopped smiling.

"You... you think my drawings are stupid?" she asked, in a tone I've never heard from her before. She was on the verge of tears, but I didn't care. My mouth moved before my brain could even try to stop it. I was digging my own grave without knowing it.

"Yes! All you do is draw and whine about your stupid parents and pocket watch instead of doing your work! I tried to help you because I felt bad for you, but how exactly did you return the favor? You're always following me around like a literal bitch and you won't even let me talk to my other classmates! You and I aren't the only students in that stupid school, you moron! Did you know that? Of course you didn't, 'cause you never talk to anyone! What's the guy's name whose desk is next to the door?! Who's your art teacher that taught you how to draw your retarded anime self-inserts?! You're the most annoying person I've ever met, and I'm not afraid to tell you, but you've been nothing but a huge pain in my ass, and I'm so fucking tired of you!"

When I was out of steam, I noticed that Natalie was crying. I saw tears trying to come out of the socket where the blind eye should've been, but the watch was in the way.

"D-do... do you... h-hate me...?" She whimpered.

"Ye-ye-ye-ye-YES!" I said, imitating her tone. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm really looking forward to moving out of the state by the end of the semester! My parents have to work from state to state, and I have little choice but to follow them wherever they go."

"You were planning on leaving...? You didn't tell me that!"

"Bingo! I know you said that there are no secrets between friends, but guess what: we're not friends! I don't like my parents very much, but I like them more than you, that's for fucking sure."

I wasn't in the mood to talk to her or party anymore, so I headed for the nearest bus station, I had some pocket money with me already, so that wasn't an issue.

"Happy Halloween, Clockwork." I said, refusing to look back at her.

On my way home, I tried to calm down, and not to think about Natalie. I was beginning to think that I was too harsh with her and I sounded like her parents, but I didn't care.

When I got home, my parents were surprised to see me back home so early. I told them about Natalie and her little Halloween costume. They tried to ask me more questions about her, but I refused to divulge any further. I told them that she was dead to me and that her missing eye was her problem, not ours. I took off my costume and washed away the makeup before going to sleep, not looking forward to the next day of school where I had to stay next to that human leech. In the middle of the night, I woke up with a dry throat. I walked around my apartment to go to the kitchen to get a drink. When I was about to get a cup, I heard something coming from my parents' room. They're usually loud when they're sleeping, mostly because my dad snores like a bear, but what I heard was not normal. I heard some muffled footsteps and loud cracks accompanied by giggles. I slowly walked over to my parents' bedroom door, trying not to make a noise. The closer I got to the door, the more agitated I grew. Maybe they were just 'fooling around', but that strong feeling in my gut refused to let it slide. I gently opened the door.

"Hey, dad! What's--" The room was pitch black, and the noises immediately stopped. I couldn't see anything, even with the lights coming from the kitchen. Confused, I turned on the light switch so I could see what was waiting for me through the darkness.

What I saw will be forever in my mind.

The first thing I saw was the fresh red spots all over the walls and floor. Then I saw them. They were dead. Both of them. They were ripped apart and their throats were slit. They were pale from blood loss, and both of them had expressions of fear cemented on their faces. The nervousness was replaced by an overwhelming mixture of terror and grief. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but when I sniffed the air and smelled the wretched scent, I knew that what was happening in front of me was real. I looked to the left and saw the culprit for that gruesome bloodbath. I saw her, holding a huge cleaver in her hand and covered in their blood.

She was still dressed up as Clockwork.

Then, the miserable feeling I had mere seconds ago was replaced by rage. I immediately ran at Natalie and pinned her against the wall, holding her hand that held the cleaver in the air. I noticed her smiling, it was the exact same smile she gave me every morning we met at school, as if nothing was wrong.

"What the fuck's wrong with you?!" I shouted. "They were my fucking parents, why would you do that?!"

"I figured it out..." she said, her smile never faltering. "Your parents... they were the problem all along! If it wasn't for them, you wouldn't have to move every few months! You don't have to move or leave your friends behind anymore. You can stay here for the rest of the year, and the year afterwards... with me!"

It was obvious at the party, but at that moment I finally realized that she went off the deep end. It would've been perfectly fine if she stayed as an edgy classmate, but now she turned into a possessive maniac, and it was clear that she wanted me all to herself. Even though my parents greatly valued their work, they were at least trying to support me and help me make it through all those tough years. There was no way in hell that I would stay there any longer.

"You crazy bitch! I'll kill you!"

I don't remember what happened after I said that. It happened so fast that it's still hard to recall. But I do remember grabbing the meat cleaver from her hand and managed to slice her cheek. She looked up at me and noticed that the wound made her look as if she was smiling. She didn't scream or try to plead for mercy, she just looked at me with that horrible look. Eventually, she managed to take back the cleaver during the struggle and ran out of the room. I gave chase, but she slammed the door in my face. When I opened the door again and looked around for her, she was already gone.

I was left alone with my parents, or whatever was left of them, and fell to my knees, sobbing. I called the police and told them the whole story. It's been almost a year since all of this happened, and all this time I didn't feel comfortable enough to write this story. They still haven't found her, but I'm sure she's out there somewhere looking for me. But all this time I've been wondering... who is to blame for this? My parents' jobs? My father, who chose that school for me? Or me trying to help Natalie with her issues? Whatever the case, it spiraled out control. I'm not gonna tell you where I am right now, since she's probably reading this, but what I can tell you is that I left Nebraska entirely and I've settled where no one can find me. Everything's been peaceful so far.

After the whole experience, I get really anxious whenever I see a watch or an old clock. I stick with the digital ones for now, so I don't have to constantly think about her.

I hope she's having fun looking for me in that Halloween costume; hoping that I would be with her forever.

Not really.

I hope Clockwork goes to hell.

But hoping isn't going to fix any of this. It really pains me to know that I can't undo this tragedy. I don't know how to fix this. I don't know what to do anymore...