Whew -_-'
Chapter Three
Rita
I was still blushing deeply as I followed Maria through a thick crowd of tall seniors. I could sense the cold presence of the little shadow at my feet as it trotted along. The stupid little thing was ruining my day; it kept making me feel panicky and nervous at random moments. It was hard to keep up with my day when the sudden urge to turn around and run kept pouncing on me.
Maria said something, but I wasn’t listening. I stepped backwards suddenly, intending to step on the creepy little thing, but it merely flattened itself to the ground like a real shadow should be doing, and scooted away. I sighed, knowing it would only come back later.
Maria looked back at me and said, “Okay Rita, now you’re really freaking me out.”
“Sorry,” I said quietly as I caught up to her.
“Are you just having an off-day or something?” She asked, as the bell rang overhead. The students began trickling into the school.
“Yeah,” You have no idea, I added on silently.
Our lockers were next to each others in the science hallway. We stopped to put our backpacks away and grab our English binders, Maria sending me accusing stares, trying to catch me being weird again most likely.
English is always such a boring start to the day. Especially with Mr. Kerban as a teacher. He only likes really old and boring stuff, like poetry no one can understand, things written by Shakespeare, and dictionaries. He has enormous bifocals, greasy thinning gray hair, and a stomach that strains his waistband.
Of course, there it was sitting on my desk as I walked in the room. The little shadow cocked his head and twitched his antennae in interest as I approached my desk hesitantly. I thought about swatting it away, but I didn’t want to touch it, and if I dropped my binder on it, it would probably just flatten itself out and come back later again. With a sigh I sat down and doodled on a scrap of paper as I waited for class to start. The shadow blinked its’ little yellow eyes and scooted closer.
Mr. Kerban started taking attendance in his droll voice, and I felt myself slipping into a dowse. Just as my eyes were closing he called out my name and I raised a hand drowsily. “Here,” I sighed and straightened up in my seat.
I stared at the little shadow as he continued on with attendance. It kept blinking when I did, and it was a little unsettling. “White,”
“Here sir,” A masculine voice responded. White? There wasn’t anyone named White in this class.
“Oh yes… the new student… You can sit in the back there, by Miss Bell.” I looked up at the sound of my name. It was the kid from the street earlier. I didn’t really look at him properly though, I was too preoccupied.
He had long black hair and stormy gray eyes. His hair seemed to stand up on one side, and sure enough, as I watched, he ran a hand through his hair nervously, pushing it up. He walked down the aisle way and I looked away. Enough kids were staring at the new kid already. Besides, I had more important things to worry about than a new student.
Speaking of which, I examined my desk for the shadow. It wasn’t there. I mean, how hard is it to find something sitting on your desk that is nearly as big as the desk itself? I figured it finally lost interest in me, and tried to focus on the class.
My neighbor in front of me passed two pieces of paper behind his shoulder, so I took them, figuring I missed the instructions. I looked at the title printed at the top of the page briefly and turned around halfway in my seat to pass the last paper back. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted the little shadow sitting on my desk again. I did my best to ignore it.
I stared blankly at the wall, trying to resist the temptation to snap my head around. The new kid reached a hand out to take the paper, but suddenly he jerked his hand back. I forced myself to focus on him. Closer up his eyes looked a little bluer. I felt the need to turn around slip away.
“What? Don’t like poetry?” I asked with humor. The boy shook his head and took the paper, moving his eyes away from mine and down at the desk. “Thanks,” he said quietly. I looked at him (Well stared really) a moment longer, trying to figuring out why he was afraid of a piece of paper, and then I turned around.
Over the years, I had gotten a lot of practice pretending the strange things around me aren’t happening, and to not think about them too much. So I passed off his strange behavior for now, and forced myself to focus on the paper.
The Raven
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping…
I tried to keep reading, but my attention was slipping. Maria had started poking me in the side with her pencil. Finally I turned towards her. She looked ready to laugh; she leaned over and whispered in my ear: “The hot new kid is smelling your hair.”
I leaned away and stiffened. Umm ew. What’s up with this kid? I turned around to confront him, “Excuse me, but were you just sniffing me?”
The boy looked like a guilty child found sneaking a look at his birthday presents hidden in the closet, and also like he wanted to laugh. And more than a trifle embarrassed. I never made a boy blush before, much less a girl.
“Er…Um_” His stammer was cut short as Mr. Kerban annoyingly ejaculated at us to basically shut up. I grudgingly turned back to my paper, my surprise and anger fading to embarrassment and resentment. I turned my head inconspicuously to the side and sniffed my hair. Nothing out of the ordinary. What was up with that guy?
I tried to get back into my poem, but the rhythm I had going was disturbed. Occasionally I looked up to see the shadow blink languidly at me, or sensed that the new kid was staring at the back of my head.
Near the end of the hour, the class started to get anxious to leave and chattered amongst themselves. Maria threw bits of paper at me, trying to get me to look at her, and I pretended to still be reading my poem. Maria may be empathetic towards me, but she was completely clueless on when to and when not to open her mouth around other people. She would probably start blabbing on what a weirdo the new “hot” guy was if I paid her any attention, and he was sitting right behind me.
The bell finally rang, and I felt a rush of wind as the new kid rushed past my desk and out of the room before I even stuffed the poem into my binder. I stared after him in silence while some of the other students cracked up, including Maria.
The shadow twitched his antennae and vanished.
I fingered the little rainbow feather charm that hung around my neck as I walked down the hallway to the cafeteria. Two hours without the weird hair-sniffer in my classes and Maria was still gabbing about how hot he was and how he was totally checking us out in English and earlier at the street crossing.
Speak of the devil, there he was, opening a locker a few down from Maria’s. She gave me a saucy wink before flaunting over to her locker, and somehow managed to open it and take her lunch in a sexy and flirtatious manner. I rolled my eyes, long since used to Maria’s flirting.
“So new kid,” She said, shutting her locker and leaning against it casually. Hair-sniffer was having some problems with his locker but finally managed to get it open. He peered around the door at Maria.
“Yes?”
“I’m Maria, what’s your name?”
“Er…” He looked inside his locker distractedly and then back at Maria. “Jeran,” Maria frowned. She had obviously been expecting the new kid to have more of an outgoing and bold personality, like most hot guys did. This one seemed to want to hide in his locker until Maria went away. What was so distracting in there anyway?
I leaned to the left and glanced inside. It was practically empty; he hadn’t spent long enough in school to fill it up with the usual layer of papers and garbage. Two school books were stacked on the upper shelf. I was about to look away in disappointment when something red caught my eye.
Hanging on one of the coat hooks was a red charm shaped like a lightning bolt. It hung on a black chain so fine it appeared to be a single black line.
I had only seen a chain in that color and style on one necklace in my life; and it was around my neck.
Before I could stop myself I blurted out: “Where did you get that?”
Jeran looked at me. “I… I don’t know, I guess whoever had this locker before me left it here.”
That’s strange. If whoever had the locker before him had left the necklace there, wouldn’t he have noticed it before now? Judging by his surprise he hadn’t.
“You should keep it,” I said.
“Why?”
I shrugged, but Jeran took it off the hook and put it in his pocket.
“Come on Rita, we’ll be late!” Maria said tugging on my arm. I had completely forgotten about her.
“For what, lunch?” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes, but allowing Maria to pull me away. “Hey uh… Jeran. You can sit with us if you want.” I offered suddenly, not really sure why I did. Maria gave me an approving nod, clearly happy that my social skills were improving.
Jeran was dawdling by his locker, obviously unsure what to do. “Um… sure.” He accepted.
I smiled slightly and turned around, nearly stepping on three little shadows.
“Don’t touch them!” Jeran shouted suddenly, he shoved me out of the way and into the row of lockers. I cried out in surprise. Maria was still standing in the middle of the hallway with a look of complete surprise on her face.
My eyes flicked down to the creatures. They always seemed innocent, as innocent as a living shadow could be, but these three looked menacing. Then I looked at Jeran. I could see the shadows reflected in his strange gray eyes.
I gasped. “You can see them too?”
This took way too long -_-' Sorry about that...
Jeran
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Dammit! Why does the morning always have to come so early?
On a knee jerk reaction my hand flew out from under the covers and smacked my bed stand, landing where my radio’s snooze button was, when it was there. Currently, it was in the trash can out by the street, after I wacked it so hard yesterday morning that the CD lid popped off and the numbers on the screen remained frozen at 6:00.
Where was the beeping coming from then?
With a small growl I got out of bed to investigate. I wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep until the stupid beeping stopped anyway.
I stopped and shivered as I stretched by my door frame. With a yawn I continued on, rubbing my arms sourly. My bare feet felt frozen on the wooden floors as I padded out of my room to the kitchen. The sound of bare feet walking always was one of my favorite noises.
MEAL FINISHED strolled across the screen of the microwave. It was still beeping periodically to let me know it was finished cooking my breakfast. A bowl of lumpy microwavable oatmeal sat in the center of the rotatable platter. Thanks but no thanks Mom. I opened the door and pulled the bowl out, wrinkling my nose at the foul watery goop. I slid open the kitchen window and flung the contents into the withering garden. No use wasting food. At least some stray cat or squirrel might eat it, if it could stand the smell of it.
I looked at the now clear microwave screen. Crap, 6:30. At my old school this wouldn’t be a problem, but my new school started in a half hour and I had to walk since my parents both have day jobs.
I was moving to the private school, East Side Academy, after an incident at my public school, the more properly named West High. Whoever named East Side Academy was either an idiot or had never seen a map before, because we clearly living as far west as possible. In fact, right on the border of the aptly named Blue Lake.
The view from the school was spectacular; I would probably be able to see the lake from most of my classes. I had taken a tour of the school the day before with one of the guidance councilors, and spent more time looking for windows than listening to her speech about the school.
I followed the shore on my walk to school fifteen minutes later, wearing my new uniform and munching on a silver wrapped pop-tart.
Despite waking up late, I was still in time for school. Students milled about on the school’s front lawn, talking and exchanging last night’s homework as they waited for class to start. I stared from across the street, trying to figure out where I should go after I made the crossing.
Two girls had come from the opposite direction and joined me on the street opposite the school, waiting for the crossing guard to signal us to cross the busy intersection. One had wavy brown black hair and a slightly dark complexion. Hispanic, I guessed. The other was a dirty blonde, her hair divided neatly into two pigtails.
They were both wearing the same uniform, light blue collared shirts and dark navy pants, similar to my own in look, but different in fit. They both looked muscular, maybe on some late season sports team. In fact, one of the girls carried two bags, one a school bag, the other a purple duffel bag, half zipped and revealing a soccer ball.
They paid me no mind, but continued talking to each other about some teacher named Mrs. Hewn, who had announced the day before she was pregnant and would be leaving on maternity leave soon. I listened to their conversation with half an ear, trying to not be rude by eavesdropping.
“I wonder what the substitute will be like. Maybe, like that hot one who subbed for Mr. Gray the other week!” The Hispanic girl was clearly excited about the prospect of a new more attractive replacement teacher, but the blonde girl seemed distracted. She kept looking behind her shoulder at the street they had just came down from. Had she forgotten something at home? Or maybe she was just annoyed with the topic of conversation and was wishing to be anywhere else than listen to her friend gab about some teacher they might never have.
As if finally noticing she lost her friend’s attention, the girl switched topics. “Soooo…. Why are you missing practice again?”
“I told you,” The girl said, turning around from her last glance back, “I’m having some…. Issues…. at home I have to take care of.” She looked at me, and our eyes met for the briefest second before I turned away, embarrassed that she caught me looking at her.
“Right…” Her friend said suspiciously, and started walking across the street. I stepped down from the curb and made my away across too. The crossing guard nodded hello and I nodded good morning back.
“Hey!” I was just stepping over the curb when the guard called out suddenly. I turned around, confused, but he wasn’t looking at me but he blonde haired girl who was still standing by the telephone post.
She jumped and trotted across the street. She mumbled an apology to the guard and bumped into me. “Sorry,” She muttered, and walked as quickly as possible towards her friend who was a few paces ahead of me. (She had turned around when the guard yelled as well) She had a bemused expression on her face. “You’re so out of it lately…” Their conversation faded away into the jumble of noise in the school yard.
I didn’t have long to think about the strange actions of that girl, the bell rang and the students began massing into the school as soon as I had squeezed my way in between two large seniors, trying to get closer to the pair.
What am I trying to do anyways? Stalk her?
I decided to try and remain as uninvolved as possible with this new girl as possible. Oh the irony.
“Bell,” The teacher called out glumly, taking attendance for my first hour class, English. The girl I had just recently sworn to avoid raised her hand in a halfhearted way and said, “Here,” dully.
So Bell’s her last name. Now I need a first. I thought, completely forgetting about my earlier decision. I didn’t know then, what it was that had me so interested in her. Now I know though. It was fate. Our destinies were so closely intertwined that you could say we were both one side to the same coin, a useless counterfeit without the other side.
Of course I only figured this out much later, and for now I am just an ignorant teenager who thought that I must be attracted to this girl because I liked her or something, not because of some invisible force I couldn’t even begin to wrap my mind around.
The teacher finished roll call with the name “White,” I waved from my spot near the door and said, “Here sir,” The teacher hadn’t assigned me a seat yet, and seemed to not even notice I was there.
“Oh yes… The new student… You can sit in the back there. By Miss Bell,” The teacher pushed his bifocals higher up the bridge of his nose and pointed to the only open desk in the room, right behind “Miss Bell”.
I walked down the aisle, conscious of the other student’s eyes on me. Nervously I ran a hand through my hair, and sat down.
“All right then class, let’s get started. Today we are going to read ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe.” The class turned to face the teacher at the front of the room. “I want a one page analysis of what you interpret the poem to mean…” The teacher gave stacks of paper to the students in the desks at the front of the rows to be passed back. The Hispanic girl I saw earlier with Bell was still looking at me from her seat next to her. I sent her a controlled look and she blushed and looked away.
Bell, whose first name I really wish I knew, turned halfway in her seat when she handed me the last poem from the stack. I reached forward to take the poem from her offered hand and felt a sudden cold chill as I did. The girl’s eyes stayed focused on the wall behind my shoulder (She’s a really out of it person isn’t she?), but when I jerked my hand back in surprise she started and looked at me.
Her brown eyes were confused and slightly amused. “What? Don’t like poetry?” I shook my head and tentatively took the poem from her.
“Thanks,” I said quietly. She gave me one last calculating look and turned around to face the front of the class.
I looked down at the poem with no interest, my eyes on the words but not reading them. There was something strange about the girl. She seemed so jumpy and distracted, and she was cold. Like stick your hand in a river during winter cold.
Getting an Idea, I leaned forward, the desk pushing into my stomach, until I came within a few inches of the back of her head. The cold washed over me again and I hastily leaned backwards. So it wasn’t some freak onetime thing. Now if only I could figure out why she was a human ice pack.
The girl in the desk to the right of Bell’s leaned over and whispered something in her ear. She stiffened and gave her friend a startled look. She then turned around and I hastily returned my eyes to my paper, trying to look like I was actually reading it.
“Excuse me, but were you just sniffing me?” She whispered in an offended tone.
I felt like laughing but my throat was clogged up with nervousness. “Er… um…”
“Focus now class!” The teacher called from the front of the room, glaring in our direction. Bell turned around again, much to my pleasure, and I sighed quietly.
The rest of the hour was spent scribbling down a hasty response and occasionally looking up to check that Bell wasn’t looking at me over her shoulder. Bell remained tense, but kept her eyes on her paper. The girl next to her kept sending her amused glances, and flicking little pieces of paper at her, trying to get her attention.
It seemed to take forever, but finally the hour was over. I walked as quickly as possible out of the room, half hoping Bell wouldn’t be in my next class, and half wishing she was.
Sorry, I posted this in Kris'blah first -_-' My apologies for any confusion
Chapter One
Rita
“Hey! Rita!”
I snapped my head up and around to look over my shoulder. A Hispanic girl in a blue and green uniform (just like my own) with the letters WVABJ printed in the top right corner waved at me. “C’mon Rita! Practice is over!” Maria shouted. She had a ball tucked under her arm and was toting a purple duffel bag.
“Coming!” I called back, but before leaving I looked back at the shadow I swear I saw move a moment before. It wasn’t there anymore. They never were at second glance.
Still, I couldn’t help looking back every few steps as I ran towards my friend.
My life ended when I turned ten. Or at least my normal life. I know this may sound a little over dramatic to you, but it’s true.
I think of myself as two different people. My happy normal self, existing only in my memories; ages five (as far back as I can remember. I was drinking apple juice off the kitchen floor I had just spilt so my mom wouldn’t find out. Turns out she was watching me the entire time.), through nine. My second half is the jumpy and clammed up current me.
When I turned ten, I started seeing strange things. I’m sure it has no direct connection between my turning ten, but for whatever the reason, for the next four years I’ve seen them.
Out of the corner of my eye, slipping through a dense crowd, the lightest brush against my skin, a strange freezing sensation. They’re always there. But you wouldn’t know, no one knows. Only me.
One time I pointed one out, standing on the top of my dad’s head, he just brushed his hand right through its’ belly, and said “Thank for the hint, I’ll get a hair cut tomorrow.” He walked away, the strange thing still perched comfortably on his head.
They’re annoyingly elusive. Nearly every time I take a second look, they’re gone. What is thier point in coming? To annoy me, and then disappear, leaving me with no proof? Are they afraid of me seeing them, is that why they disappear?
Why can only I see them?
Does anyone know the answers? Probably not, who would? I sure don’t…
SLAM!
I jump as Jessie shuts her locker angrily and stalks out of the locker room. She slides past Maria and me, breathing heavily.
“She’s probably pissed that she couldn’t make any goals.” Maria remarked with a smirk as the angry girl passed out of hearing range.
Jessie is the team’s best forward, but also a ball hog. She has a bit of a temper problem, and an inflated ego. She probably was pissed that she couldn’t score today. Everyone else was happy that we managed to find such a good new keeper. I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“Hey you okay?” Maria asked, she had already opened her locker and was pulling off her uniform. I was still standing by the door. “You’re doing it again,”
“Doing what?” I asked, surprised.
“Just… blanking out, being weird. I don’t know.” She shut her locker and got closer to me, her soft brown eyes boring into my own. “Are you sick or something, you’ve been doing that a lot lately.”
“No… I’m okay. I’ll see you tomorrow at school okay?” I said, fending Maria off as she attempted to touch my forehead, checking for a temperature.
Maria stepped back and narrowed her eyes. “Okay, bye.” She said a little coldly. She looked back at me suspiciously before the door slammed close.
“You’d think that seeing them would stop shaking me up so badly.” I muttered as I slid down the wall, stressed out. It wasn’t the first time I had to lie to Maria today. Or the second.
I rubbed my forehead with the palm of my hand, thinking back to one of Maria’s comments. “, you’ve been doing that a lot lately.”
“I have seen one of those strange shadow creatures a lot the past couple of days.” I noted in surprise, sitting up straighter and hitting my back against the white wall behind me. “Usually it’s once or twice a month, now it’s a daily occurrence.
“ I still freak out when I see one for some reason though. It’s like they permeate feelings of fear and discord.”
I sighed and stood up. “Sitting on the floor in my sweaty uniform won’t make them go away. Neither will changing into clean clothes. But I’m not about to let them ruin my life, with what normality is left of it.” I pull off my cleats and socks. “Besides, Mom will kill me if I’m late for dinner. Again.” I think to myself as I walk out the door, a backpack on my shoulders.
It’s a long walk home. No shadows interrupt it. My simple pleasures.
(In an epic voice) The start. Of something. Big. *is shot for being lame*
:P Yeah, this be chapter one. Don't expect much more for the next couple of days, I'm writing from Jeran's point of view next, and he is rather different in style. Lot's of revising required Dx
My first post :) Written on the bus on the was to a cross-country meet. Enjoy :D
Prologue
It was a warm early fall day, the leaves in the trees rustled in shades of brown and yellow. The grass was crisp and freshly marked for early season sports practice. One side of the field was trampled down by cleated feet, having been claimed by Westview Academy’s all girl soccer team, The Blue Jays.
The team gathered around their large white net, practicing penalty shots while exchanging witty banter in a friendly way. The keeper would leap and roll, the shooter would groan, and the remaining team members would laugh and joke. It was all in good humor. No one could beat their new recruit’s goal-tending skills. The coach was ecstatic; there was no way they would come in second at the state championship game this year.
As close as they seemed, one girl was far away. She stood at the edge of the field, seemingly staring in horror at the ground on the opposite side of the boundary line. Maybe she was sad because she was a new recruit too, but wasn’t getting as much attention as the other new girl; or maybe because she couldn’t get any shots past the keeper. Whatever the reason was, she had wandered away from the rest of the team and had spotted something that froze her in place.
It was not just a piece of grass she was staring at.
Wheee, so short but so lovely ^^ I drew a little picture at the end of this, but since I'm too lazy to upload it, it will be staying on the paper xD It's just a little sketch of "the girl" staring at a certain black something on the ground *cough*it'saheartless*cough*
Ahem, excuse me, I have a cold ^^'
