Whispering in the Shadows
folder
Fantasy & Science Fiction › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
2
Views:
1,361
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Category:
Fantasy & Science Fiction › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
2
Views:
1,361
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Whispering in the Shadows
Chapter 1. The Cheez-it Showdown
“Hey, bookbrain!” A handful of Cheez-Its hit the back of Erika Crossan’s sweatshirt. She continued walking down the hall, but the taunting kept after her. “What, did you read too many books to think of something cool to say?” Erika snorted silently to herself. Yeah, the bullies at her school were really smart. What a lame insult.
“I’m talking to you, librarian.” Erika turned around slowly. Not many mocking words could stop her, but those were the exception.
“How many times do I have to say it? Just because I read, doesn’t mean I’ll be a librarian,” Erika enunciated the words clearly so her tormenters could understand. The head of the group, Markus Moritz, grinned at her.
“Don’t worry. We don’t forget. It’s just really funny seeing you all riled up.” With a laugh, Markus and his posse of popular girls and boys, headed down the hall towards the courtyard. Erika fumed inwardly as she watched the back of Markus’ head grow smaller as it disappeared down the corridor. It happened everyday. She couldn’t figure out why it bothered her so. At her old school, that hadn’t been the problem. It had been her . . . well, she didn’t think about Merriam High School anymore. What had happened two years ago had been a mistake. A gross error of judgment. She wouldn’t let it take place again. She slipped into her classroom just as the bell rang for seventh period. Mrs. Hearts glanced at her, then looked back down at her grade book, calculating the points from a pop quiz taken by the last class.
Erika pulled her notebook out of her backpack and sat down in her seat by the windows. This was study hall. As long as you were quiet or at least not too disruptive, Mrs. Hearts let you do anything with your time. She was that kind of teacher. Erika had her for American Lit. She was tough when she wanted, but she let you get away with murder when it pleased her. Erika started to write in her book, when a crackle over the P.A. system brought the class’ attention to the speaker by the door. Everyone glanced at the box while announcements were made for various activities planned by the school. The class went back to their business, not paying attention until a name was called over the system.
“Could Erika Crasson please come to the office, could Erika Crasson please come to the office?”
Erika, startled by her name being called, looked blankly at Mrs. Hearts. “Well, Ms. Crasson, get your stuff and go,” Mrs. Hearts wearily said. Erika picked up her bag and stuffing her notebook into the bag while walking, headed out the door and started towards the office. The walk was a short one, considering it took ten minutes to walk through all the academic halls. Erika opened the doors to the office and walked up to the front desk. Mrs. Powers looked up and motioned to the right hall.
“Ms. Fire wants you in her office.” Ms. Fire was the admissions director. She took care of admissions and transfers. Erika turned down the hall and went to the door. She knocked on the frame. Ms. Fire looked up and smiled as she waved Erika in, then continued to talk on the phone. Erika noticed someone else was sitting in the room. Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, sat side by side in chairs facing Ms. Fire’s desk. Erika took the remaining chair, which was next to the girl. She glanced over at the new girl. The girl had long auburn hair and clear green-gray eyes. Her skin was the colour of a slightly faded summer tan. She had a line of freckles on her nose and she had a Cupid ’s bow mouth. She looked up, her eyes showing exhaustion, fear and depression. Her brother, for they looked practically alike, had brown hair with red highlights and dark green eyes. Other then that, they were almost carbon copies. The boy looked at Erika with disdain and anger, as if it was her fault he’d had to be here. Erika got shivers as he locked her gaze with his stormy eyes. She looked away as Ms. Fire set the phone down and turned to all of them.
“Well, Erika. I assume you wonder why you’re here. This is Jaren and Caileen O’Connell. They have just moved from San Francisco and transferred here. I would like for you to show them around for the first week while they get used to the place, okay?” She drank a sip of coffee and continued. “Now to make this easy, I put them in your classes so don’t worry about losing them in the crowd. You can report back to me at the end of this week so I can release you from duty. Do you understand?”
Erika just stared at Ms. Fire, nodded, and looked down at her hands. Ms. Fire smiled and turned to Jaren and Caileen.
“Alright, now just follow Erika here and she’ll take care of you. Just come to me if you have any problems or to your assigned counselors. Have a nice day, you guys.” With that, she went back to her computer as Erika stood up with Jaren and Caileen grabbing their bags and trailing out behind her.
Erika stopped at her locker on the way back to study hall. She looked up as Jaren and Caileen stopped beside her.
“So”, Erika began, “do you have any questions or…”
“Look. You don’t have to do anything. We’re big kids. We can take care of ourselves.” Jaren interrupted her. “Just leave it alone.”
Erika stared back in mild astonishment. She glanced at Caileen, but the girl stood with her head to the side, staring at her shoes like they she hadn’t seen them before. She looked back at Jaren to see him glaring at her. If looks could kill, she would have died two days ago. Erika turned back to her locker, retrieved her things and shut the door. She walked off toward class without looking back. Jaren stared after her, shocked she had actually left them alone.
“Where are you going? Don’t you have to show us around?” He called at her. Erika stopped at looked over her shoulder.
“You’re big kids. Find the classes yourselves”, she hollered back as she started walking again. Jaren gawked at her back in disbelief. She was just about to disappear when she turned around. “It helps if you look at the numbers above the doors.” With that, she opened the door to the academic hallway and vanished. Jaren just stood with his mouth open, still unsure what had happened. Caileen sighed and went to walk towards the doors. Jaren caught her arm as she tried to sneak past him.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to class, Jaren.”
“You’re just going to give up?”
“No, but its better then just standing here looking like a pair of dorks.”
With that, Caileen took her schedule out and walked through the doors Erika had just gone through. Jaren frowned and picking up his bag, started after his sister. Like it or not, they were stuck here for the time.
“Hey, bookbrain!” A handful of Cheez-Its hit the back of Erika Crossan’s sweatshirt. She continued walking down the hall, but the taunting kept after her. “What, did you read too many books to think of something cool to say?” Erika snorted silently to herself. Yeah, the bullies at her school were really smart. What a lame insult.
“I’m talking to you, librarian.” Erika turned around slowly. Not many mocking words could stop her, but those were the exception.
“How many times do I have to say it? Just because I read, doesn’t mean I’ll be a librarian,” Erika enunciated the words clearly so her tormenters could understand. The head of the group, Markus Moritz, grinned at her.
“Don’t worry. We don’t forget. It’s just really funny seeing you all riled up.” With a laugh, Markus and his posse of popular girls and boys, headed down the hall towards the courtyard. Erika fumed inwardly as she watched the back of Markus’ head grow smaller as it disappeared down the corridor. It happened everyday. She couldn’t figure out why it bothered her so. At her old school, that hadn’t been the problem. It had been her . . . well, she didn’t think about Merriam High School anymore. What had happened two years ago had been a mistake. A gross error of judgment. She wouldn’t let it take place again. She slipped into her classroom just as the bell rang for seventh period. Mrs. Hearts glanced at her, then looked back down at her grade book, calculating the points from a pop quiz taken by the last class.
Erika pulled her notebook out of her backpack and sat down in her seat by the windows. This was study hall. As long as you were quiet or at least not too disruptive, Mrs. Hearts let you do anything with your time. She was that kind of teacher. Erika had her for American Lit. She was tough when she wanted, but she let you get away with murder when it pleased her. Erika started to write in her book, when a crackle over the P.A. system brought the class’ attention to the speaker by the door. Everyone glanced at the box while announcements were made for various activities planned by the school. The class went back to their business, not paying attention until a name was called over the system.
“Could Erika Crasson please come to the office, could Erika Crasson please come to the office?”
Erika, startled by her name being called, looked blankly at Mrs. Hearts. “Well, Ms. Crasson, get your stuff and go,” Mrs. Hearts wearily said. Erika picked up her bag and stuffing her notebook into the bag while walking, headed out the door and started towards the office. The walk was a short one, considering it took ten minutes to walk through all the academic halls. Erika opened the doors to the office and walked up to the front desk. Mrs. Powers looked up and motioned to the right hall.
“Ms. Fire wants you in her office.” Ms. Fire was the admissions director. She took care of admissions and transfers. Erika turned down the hall and went to the door. She knocked on the frame. Ms. Fire looked up and smiled as she waved Erika in, then continued to talk on the phone. Erika noticed someone else was sitting in the room. Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, sat side by side in chairs facing Ms. Fire’s desk. Erika took the remaining chair, which was next to the girl. She glanced over at the new girl. The girl had long auburn hair and clear green-gray eyes. Her skin was the colour of a slightly faded summer tan. She had a line of freckles on her nose and she had a Cupid ’s bow mouth. She looked up, her eyes showing exhaustion, fear and depression. Her brother, for they looked practically alike, had brown hair with red highlights and dark green eyes. Other then that, they were almost carbon copies. The boy looked at Erika with disdain and anger, as if it was her fault he’d had to be here. Erika got shivers as he locked her gaze with his stormy eyes. She looked away as Ms. Fire set the phone down and turned to all of them.
“Well, Erika. I assume you wonder why you’re here. This is Jaren and Caileen O’Connell. They have just moved from San Francisco and transferred here. I would like for you to show them around for the first week while they get used to the place, okay?” She drank a sip of coffee and continued. “Now to make this easy, I put them in your classes so don’t worry about losing them in the crowd. You can report back to me at the end of this week so I can release you from duty. Do you understand?”
Erika just stared at Ms. Fire, nodded, and looked down at her hands. Ms. Fire smiled and turned to Jaren and Caileen.
“Alright, now just follow Erika here and she’ll take care of you. Just come to me if you have any problems or to your assigned counselors. Have a nice day, you guys.” With that, she went back to her computer as Erika stood up with Jaren and Caileen grabbing their bags and trailing out behind her.
Erika stopped at her locker on the way back to study hall. She looked up as Jaren and Caileen stopped beside her.
“So”, Erika began, “do you have any questions or…”
“Look. You don’t have to do anything. We’re big kids. We can take care of ourselves.” Jaren interrupted her. “Just leave it alone.”
Erika stared back in mild astonishment. She glanced at Caileen, but the girl stood with her head to the side, staring at her shoes like they she hadn’t seen them before. She looked back at Jaren to see him glaring at her. If looks could kill, she would have died two days ago. Erika turned back to her locker, retrieved her things and shut the door. She walked off toward class without looking back. Jaren stared after her, shocked she had actually left them alone.
“Where are you going? Don’t you have to show us around?” He called at her. Erika stopped at looked over her shoulder.
“You’re big kids. Find the classes yourselves”, she hollered back as she started walking again. Jaren gawked at her back in disbelief. She was just about to disappear when she turned around. “It helps if you look at the numbers above the doors.” With that, she opened the door to the academic hallway and vanished. Jaren just stood with his mouth open, still unsure what had happened. Caileen sighed and went to walk towards the doors. Jaren caught her arm as she tried to sneak past him.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to class, Jaren.”
“You’re just going to give up?”
“No, but its better then just standing here looking like a pair of dorks.”
With that, Caileen took her schedule out and walked through the doors Erika had just gone through. Jaren frowned and picking up his bag, started after his sister. Like it or not, they were stuck here for the time.