My journal laughed wildly within its bag beside me. I had half the mind to yell at it to shut up. But, of course, that might draw the eye of the students who wandered the hall. So instead I pressed my hand cautiously against the bag while I gazed upon the posters that I passed.

Apparently I really was rubbing off on Karri; this felt like something my cynical hand would do. But it was her work that adorned the school halls; it was her work that decorated the thoughts of every student today. And it was her work that rolled off every tongue which flipped and turned within these sheep's mouths.

And it was beautiful.

Again, I felt my journal turning and chuckling. Where my art would never be seen, Karri's mapped the school's corridors.

"Did you take a picture yet? This is too funny!"

"I'm putting this on my facebook. Should I tag them in it?"

The laughing ensued around me. Each conversation, between different students, was all the same. Perhaps it was from this noise that I had disillusions it was my own inner demon who laughed along. But in the end, it didn't matter. All that mattered were the posters that plastered our walls.

And truly, they were more than beautiful.

My eyes fell forward. I took slow steps to my locker as my ears scoured the breathing students around me. They talked about the posters, some reactions they've seen from the catfish, but none about who had done this. And many of them questioned each other in hopes of finding out the creator. I felt ease in knowing Karri had yet to be found out.

My fingers encased my locker dial and I titled my head as the combination turned within my palm. Before she even said anything, I knew she was next to me. "Al?"

I glanced to Karri and smiled; "You're famous."

She frowned at my words and crossed her arms, "Not me, not famous. No one knows it was me. Right?"

I shrugged, but then laughed as her eyes widened. "No, not that I've heard, Karri." I assured her softly. I could see the relief in her eyes before she finally allowed herself to laugh.

She shook her head now and began opening her own locker. "I think I printed too many. The reaction is more than I expected." She chuckled. "It's on everyone's lips. And not even just once- it's all they can talk about!"

"Sheep;" I reminded her, "nothing more than glossy blank eyes, and a mouth to baaww endlessly out of."

She rolled her eyes but nodded; "Tell me about it. I'm just glad we don't have first period today! I have Michelle in my English Class, and I am not feeling too keen on seeing her reaction."

I smirked slightly but nodded, "I have Ashley in Mr. Hastens' so I won't see her until tomorrow too." I frowned slightly as I thought about my classes, "And we won't be in Jackson's today either now that I think about it...."

"Oh Alys, are you actually pouting because you aren't going to get to see their immediate reactions?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, but I couldn't lie, "I wanted to see their smiles. I wanted to see them bluffing as they tried to laugh it off. For once, I'd like to see these masks that are created out of embarrassment and anger, than of prejudice and bigotry. You forget, they made those outrageous posters. You've merely labeled them- nothing more. What you've done is highlight their actions, not change them. I want to see their faces as they regret stealing the spotlight for their own selfish pleasures, thinking no one will find it anything but god worthy."

Karri watched me before she nodded, "I know how much people's lying gets to you. I'm surprised you would find so much interest out of this one. I'm surprised you're not backing away from me, wanting no part in this. "

"Interest?" I pondered thoughtfully, "No. Not just interest. More like enlightenment. I like to see the dark side of the moon also; I like to know a complete picture...." I glanced down towards my journal. "There's just something lacking about only knowing one's constantly perceived self. I want to have the knowledge of them in their uncomfortable moments, their unguarded moments, their unique moments..." a memory of my drawing of Hayden emerged in my head... "There's just something satisfying in finding the far side of moon. And I've never see anything but contempt and ignorance with the catfish. I want to see the craters for once."

"Well unfortunately, you will have to wait Vincent Van Gough." She cocked a smile at me.

I smiled back at her, "My excitement for a new medium doesn't strike you as odd?"

"Always." she winked at me.

The caution bell rang and she waved as she wondered off to her third period class since our first two were not on the schedule today. I turned and gazed at my locker and stared at a binder. But somebody next to me was laughing hard under their breath.

I turned and saw Stacey and Jamie, head to head as they walked by. They kept side glancing posters, eyes watching the papered art as they sauntered on.

"I could kiss whoever did this," Stacey said. She smiled brightly as she traced a crown on Jamie's forehead.

Jamie nodded and sighed in deep. "The Queens of Cheer" she said distantly... "And to think I never wanted those stupid posters to get out...."

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By the end of the day I had more homework than I cared for. I tightened my hold on the binders and books and wandered through the hall. I saw Karri moving in front of me so I picked up speed to match pace with her. But as I moved closer... I couldn't help but to feel the hallway was different for some reason. My eyes instantly found why. I traced the endless posters that we passed as I finally fell into step beside her.

"Did you put up these ones here?" I asked as I jolted my head to the flyers.

She seemed somewhat unnerved and suspicious as she watched them. "No, I only printed about 20. But I did leave one by the copy machine since I was in a hurry."

I eyed the posters we passed- crudely copied but none the less legible.

"I guess..." she said beside me, "that you were right. People are eating this up...."

"And now others want to partake." I stated dryly, not sure that I liked how flammable this was all becoming.

But she finally laughed off the statement and shook her head, "I don't mind. I didn't want the spotlight anyways. I just hope they didn't print too many- I don't want to be held responsible for the school running out of poster paper."

I nodded my head, also shrugging off the numeral additions that have surrounded us. If anything, it almost encouraged the chance that there would still be some distorted mask lingering tomorrow on those faces. I wanted to capture them.

We emptied our lockers of necessities and finally left school.

"See you tomorrow Karri," I said lightly, gripping my satanic bundle of school literature.

She smiled at me and nodded, "Hopefully by tomorrow this will have died down some."

And we went our separate ways.

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"So I was wrong..." she breathed roughly. Yeah wrong, dead wrong. I walked in pace with her as we both listened to everyone around us. There was a chant or a song that everyone was singing under their breaths. It took multiple people to pass in order to hear its full verse, and once I did, my eyes warily watched Karri.

Blessed be- our queens and kings,

Kneel down low and kiss thy rings!

The cats are yowling

The crowds our bowing

Remember again; our queens and kings!

I found where the song came from. More flyers had been added, some pasted over the very posters Karri had put up. Someone had thought themselves very clever with the small poem they had made and paired to the posters of the school. And it had caught on. It seemed there was an excitement spreading from once again remembering whom our champions were. The flames were getting hot.

"Do you want to skip the class after next," Karri began, "I have to attend first period, there's a test, but I have no care to be with Shannon in Mr. Jackson's class."

I knew instantly how guilty her conscious was. She wanted to get away from the laughter until things died down. "Sure," I smiled at her, "Meet you by the back doors after this class?"

She smiled and nodded, "See you in a bit."

We walked away from each other, but I turned and watched her go. A soft smile rose on my lips as I was once again reminded of why she was so special to me. This wasn't what she wanted- this had all went a little too far. And I knew her well enough to know when she was lying. There was no test this period.

She was going to skip this class also. She was going to take down as many posters around us that she could. Perhaps she thought if the original creator removed their work- so would the others. The sheep had stampeded out of control, and she was going to try and quell them. I turned and grabbed a flyer next to me and peeled it away from the wall, the song fell to my feet.

Two more tore away by the time I got to my math class.

Only the tape hinted to what was once there.

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"And here are the results of your tests. For those of you who received a 75% or below, know there is no makeup test to recover your grade. Maybe next time, you'll be smart enough to prepare better."

I could hear each packet being set upon tables as Mr. Hastens made his way by. My own slid against my hand and I glanced to the red atop the page. 89%.

My eyebrow rose somewhat in surprise and in happiness. I was good at math, but not great. Mr. Hastens stood on the other side of me now as he set down Hayden's test. 96% adorned the top. My eyes were blank as I watched it, but something small turned inside of me. It wasn't the first time I noticed his high grades, despite his usual absence. But I already knew the predator was intelligent.

He wasn't there though. So the test sat untouched on his desk. I slowly watched my teacher carry on by, but as his form moved ahead of me- my eyes locked on to Ashley's. In a quick moment, sweat dampened my hands and the back of my neck. She was one of the pinup cats in those posters. And in these split seconds of eye contact, I wondered if she knew it was my friend who condemned her to the butt of all jokes.

But there was no emotion in her eyes for me. Her mouth opened and she worded a sentence. I felt my muscles relax slightly in response. She wanted to know Hayden's test score. She watched me quietly, perhaps trying to remember my name. I grabbed the paper next to me, lifted it for her to see, before setting it back down.

She uncaringly nodded her thanks and returned forward. I watched her quietly from my spot; her mask was slipping now that she looked away. I could see her slightly tense jaw, and strained eyes. She was burning with anger- despite her staleness to me before. The posters were not far from her mind. A smile threatened the corner of my lips.

It was an ugly world; this side of the moon. My hand tightened on the pencil and I felt like at this moment, this catfish was drowning in the lunar tides. Mr. Hastens' voice drummed in my ears, but all I could hear was the beat of my heart.

I pulled out the sketchbook and opened it slowly. Minutes passed. My hands carved the truth. The sick, twisted, lustrous truth.

'The remnants of the poster are torn upon the ground. But enough lay together to show what the picture once was. Ashley's eyes are wide open on the paper. She can't scream, she can't fight. Just a motionless, lifeless image that sees all back. And it's the people who have gathered; who are laughing so hard that they are spitting and salivating- it is these people who once worshiped her.

So many have gathered now, so many have brought her down.

Her paper is soaked; she's drowning in their amusement as they wheeze above her. Her paper is tearing. She is dissolving into nothing as they frenzy around her. It's too late to stop it; the damage is done. She can't be picked back up, she can't be saved.

The catfish is drowning.

The catfish has drowned.'

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A/N: Please let me know what you think of this chapter. And in case you're wondering, things are about to go downhill.

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