Tell Me Savita!

For some reason, people love to try viral challenges. Some try to hop on the trend to gain some media exposure, while others hope to witness something extraordinary.

Especially scary challenges. Challenges like the Charlie Charlie Challenge, the Bloody Mary Challenge, or even the Ouija board game. The whole point is to get freaked out from doing these challenges. What's the point in people wanting to be a witness to a spirit? They can get possessed or, worse, die! It does not make any sense.

"I heard rumors about a new scary challenge going around in Japan. My friends kept nagging me about it, too."

Bzzz...

Darin turned his phone over and noticed a popping notification,

"New Message: Hirato. Hey, hurry up and come! We're waiting for you!"

"Speak of the devil! I told him I was trying to study. The entrance exam is about to start, and I have to study." Darin rested his phone back on the wooden desk. He smacked his lips and scratched his head as he attempted to solve the following question on the study sheet.

After a moment, Darin exhaled his energy and leaned back in his chair. His short, deep-black hair strands fell back as he gazed at his dark ceiling. 

"Damn, I really envy Hirato and the others. They can spend their time procrastinating and still manage to get good grades on their exams. I, on the other hand, have to study for hours because if I don't, my grades will suffer."

Darin sat upright, fixed his thin-framed brown glasses, and continued writing in the dimly lit room with a lamp that only shone above his desk. He grabbed his yellow pencil and wiped away erasure shavings while studying. "How is it that they can have all this fun while I'm stuck in my room studying? It must be nice."

Before he could finish his thought, his phone vibrated once more.

Bzzz...

Darin turned his attention to his phone.

Bzzz... Another notification.

Bzzz... and another.

Darin sighed as he assumed who kept sending notifications. He rapidly picked up his phone and read the notifications.

"New Message: Hirato. C'mon man! Hurry! You're gonna miss it!"

"New Message: Hirato. Dude! You can always study later!"

"New Message: Say something!!!"

The spamming of his phone boiled Darin's blood. He simply wanted to study for his exam, and he constantly got distracted. "Let me study in peace! Hirato, not everyone is like you. Some of us actually have to study to get good grades. Besides, it's getting dark outside."

Another notification from Hirato popped up.

"Rrr!" The vein in Darin's small forehead popped out as he clenched his pencil in his hand. The sudden movement of his forceful grip cause his glasses to tilt out of place.

 Hirato loved spending time with Darin, ever since they went to the same elementary school. They were the definition of childhood friend. Their relationship never changed. Hirato always wanted to annoy him and he would not take no for an answer. He would keep nagging Darin until he got what he wanted, which was the type of guy Darin's friend was.

"This guy! You know what! I really didn't want to go try that scary challenge, but at this rate, I'm never gonna finish studying!"

Knowing Hirato's intentions, Darin's nerves ticked as he replied, "Fine, I'll be there." 

Hirato instantly responded to Darin's message, "Yeah!!!!!!! Alright, you know where to meet. We'll wait for you here!" 

Darin exaggeratedly pushed his wooden chair back, and stood up. He put his studies on pause, leaving his belongings on his table, and paced out his room door in his school uniform. 

"I'm only going because you're distracting me. The faster we try this stupid challenge, the faster I can continue my studies, and the faster Hirato can stop interrupting me." Darin arrived near the front door, put on his school shoes, and headed out the door.

___

Hirato knew Darin's urge to study. However, Darin sacrificed too much for school matters and did not enjoy his childhood like every adult would hope for their kid. Darin needed a break from the countless hours of studying, so Hirato figured that was a good excuse for him.

Darin strolled down the night sky. The moon beamed a crossed the city, giving the streets light. No cars. No people. The city felt like a ghost town to Darin, but he rushed out his house in the middle of the night. On top of that, a Wednesday night. People were tucked into their beds, sleeping before their next shift or school started. 

Several minutes later and Darin could see the location in the distance. By the time Darin arrived at the location, his nerves cooled down. 

The daylight faded into nighttime as owls cried out, breaking the cold silence in the air. The vast cold, black fenced wall surrounded the empty, eerily building. The chill from the wind sent goosebumps on Darin's skin. 

Darin stood in front of the entrance with a look of confusion stretching across his face. "Do we really have to be at the school now? Isn't this considered trespassing?"

Darin overheard mumbling and spotted familiar faces resting along the entrance-fenced walls. As Darin approached them, they felt his presence and looked his way.

"Darin! I'm glad you're here!" Hirato exclaimed, with a wide grin across his face as he waved to Darin. 

Compared to Darin, Hirato looked taller than Darin. His short, blonde, spikey hair separated him from most high schoolers. His hair resembled a delinquent. However, his warm, energetic voice and clean, fixed uniform suggested he was not. Alongside Hirato were their other friends, who wanted to join in on the fun.

Darin let about another sigh. "Hirato, Why are we here again?"

Hirato sensed Darin's loss of enthusiasm and excitement in his voice. "Oh, come on! You don't remember!? We're here to try the Savita Savita challenge?!" Compared to Darin's exhausted voice, Hirato's loud voice filled up with excitement.

Oh, yeah. The Savita Savita challenge. That's what the new challenge was called. Out of nowhere, this challenge blew up on all social media; at least, that's what I overheard in school. All I remembered was that it had something to do with talking to the spirit about your future. 

"So, why are we doing it at the school?" Darin questioned.

"Supposedly, it only works at school after dark." Hirato replied. He squinted his eyes and narrow his eyebrows, brainstorming. "Probably because the spirit Savita mysteriously died at her high school and now haunts every school in Japan."

"Ouu!!" The group of boys sparkled with excitement and anticipation. The boys loved scary things. From challenges to movies, the thrill they get from these is unimaginable. They gossiped amongst themselves over their excitement of possibly encountering an actual spirit.

"Hopefully, we get to talk to her."

"Yeah, I wonder if she'll haunt us!"

Hirato pointed out, "Oh yeah, I heard there were people who tried to do this challenge and went missing the next day!"

"Woah, that's cool!" the others responded synchronized.

On the other hand, Hirato clearly noticed Darin's body trembling in fear, his voice quivering and shaking. "Huh? So, she...haunts h-high schoolers, and she's... been with us... at school... every day?"  His fear of scary challenges showed as he wanted to go home. Darin bit his nails to control his nerves. "I just came here because Hirato was distracting me! I want to go home!"

Before Darin could turned around and head home, "Don't worry, she supposedly only comes out at night," Hirato explained, hoping to calm Darin down.

Darin's eyes widened as he exhaled deeply. Hirato's words comforted him, relaxing his nerves. "Oof, thank goodness, I don't want to die this soon!"

One of Hirato's friends asked, "So, Hirato. How does this challenge work? What do we do?"

"Basically, the spirit, Savita likes to roam around the school's bathrooms."

"Woah, creepy!"

"C'mon, I'll explain it as we head to the bathrooms upstairs." Without hesitation, Hirato and his friend scrolled towards the school's entrance. Hirato slowly looked back and saw Darin frozen in place, hesitating to follow them.

Darin's head clogged, contemplating on what he should do. "Maybe I should just leave. but I walked all the way here and Hirato looked so happy that I came. I can't let him down. But... I also hate scary things! Ahhh! What should I do!" 

"C'mon Darin." Hirato reached out his hand towards the trembling Darin. The sound of his sincere and warm voice brought Darin back to the real world. He reassured Darin, "Don't worry. It's not that bad. I'll protect you if anything bad happens."

Hirato's words felt genuine. When worse comes to shove, Darin knew Hirato would protect him if necessary. Darin trusted his words and took a step of courage with Hirato as they headed inside the dark, empty high school.

___