Chapter Two
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Chapter Two
kate
“Drew, speed up or we’re going to be late.” Drew was falling behind me on the way to school. The look of discomfort was etched into his face, I knew he didn’t want to come today, or any day. Neither did I, but it isn’t like we had a choice. That was one of the biggest differences between us: I took an active approach to problems, Drew would rather stay inside with his skylines, finding comfort in solitude.
“Why the hell did we have to walk? Mom could have left the vehicle for us. Or at least drove us. She doesn’t have work for another,” Drew checked his phone, “Two goddamn hours.”
“She said she was going to explore the town a bit more. Familiarize herself with her new surroundings.”
“She went to pick up men is what you mean.” I shrugged, giving him a confirmation glance.
“Well whatever, at least it’s warm.” I was glad for the rain skipping on us today. I’d probably be pissed at Mom too if we had to walk in it.
“Look at that car.” Drew mentioned, turning my attention to the silver Audi that was coming down the street behind us, slowing down as it approached. “Are we about to get shot?” I rolled my eyes at him.
“Hey, you guys want a ride? You’re going to Snowridge Academy right?” The girl in the car rolled down her driver side window. I stared back at the blonde girl for a moment. I guess hospitality is common around here.
“Are you sure? We could be murderers or something. Maybe we just stole these uniforms off some kids we just threw in the lake” Drew said, gesturing to the uniform he was wearing.
“Well did you?” She said back casually, like she’d heard the same joke a thousand times.
“No, we didn’t.” I replied, punching Drew in the arm before he could reply.
“Then get in.” The blonde girl unlocked the car doors and Drew and I got in the car. Drew had to sit in the back because he was being an asshole, and also because I walked faster to the front seat than he did.
“Thanks, I appreciate this. He does, too,” I pointed back to Drew who was looking out the window, “he just won’t admit it.”
Mystery girl laughed, “Hey, no problem; just getting my good deed in for the day. I’m Emily.”
“I’m Kate, and that asshole is Drew.” I looked in my rearview mirror to see Drew flipping me the bird.
“So are you new here?”
I nodded, “Yeah we just moved here from Ohio.”
“Wow, that’s really far. Are you adjusting okay?”
“It’s going alright I think. It’s best not to look nervous, people can sense fear.” I quipped.
“You have no idea.” She muttered, her intensity startling me. “Anyway, since you’re new and we’ve got time, I’ll show you guys around the school. I know it looks intimidating but you get used to it fast.”
“Yeah, that’d be awesome, thanks.” I turned in my seat, “Drew, thank Emily for being so nice.”
“Yeah, thanks.” He muttered. I nodded my head at him for his efforts.
***
“So, what do you guys think?” Emily asked, fresh faced after giving us the grand tour of a school that was entirely too big.
“Well, it’s entirely too big.” Drew piped up, nearly wheezing from the amount stairs he’d climbed.
“Oh come on it’s not that bad. You look fit so you can handle it. Did you guys like it?”
“Yeah, I do. Drew does, too. Plus they have soccer, so you’ll really like that.” Drew played at our old school. He was pretty good although I’d never admit it.
“You play soccer?” Emily chimed in.
“Used to,” Drew muttered.
“And he will again when we’ve gotten settled in the house.” Drew needed a push, whether he knew it or not, he’d always had a problem with standing still.
“Let’s get back downstairs before the bell rings.” Emily said, leading us toward the stairs where a girl was slowly coming up. Emily stopped suddenly almost causing me to run into her.
“Hello, Emily. How are you today?” The girl with nearly silver hair said with a light accent. She sent chills up my spine. Her face looked barren. Dead eyes, dead expression. A beautiful, British Zombie.
“Hi, Poppy. I’m good, and you?” Emily’s voice had drained of all confidence. The girl who’d been a vibrant sunflower had been reduced to a dandelion being blown by hurricane force winds in less than two seconds.
“Lovely thanks for asking. Who are these two?” Poppy asked, focusing her dull grey eyes on Drew and me.
“I’m Kate, and this is Drew.” I said, sparing Emily from having to speak more than necessary.
“It’s so good to meet you.” She said, not smiling, or frowning, just staring. I couldn’t tell if she was looking at me, or through me. Trying to find out everything about me with one long stare. Her presence was overbearing. I’d never met someone who’d put me so on edge.
“Emily dear,” Poppy focused her eyes back on Emily. “These are new students, right?” It was clear that she already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Emily say it.
“Yes, they are.”
“And who’s responsible for giving new students a tour of the facilities?”
“Um, Dara.”
“Right, but you did it, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did.” I’d never seen anyone get backed into a corner this horribly. It was like Poppy was a tiger and Emily was a wounded Gazelle. She could smell blood and now she was just toying with her prey. Severing its limbs one by one.
“Well that wasn’t your responsibility, was it?” Poppy tilted her head to one side, effectively making her look like a corpse princess.
“No, it wasn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry I’m not mad at you. You were just being helpful, but I don’t want to have this conversation again. Who knows what would’ve happened if Dara had caught wind of this incident. Have a nice day. Drew, Kate. I look forward to getting to know you both.” With that Poppy walked down the hallway, her flower scented perfume filling my nose as the clicks from her shoes grew distant.
Emily exhaled heavily, trying to gather herself; shake off the effect that Poppy had left on her. “Let’s go,” she said, and we left without another word. It didn’t leave my mind that Poppy’s voice never fluctuated during her conversation with us.
***
“How were your classes?” Emily asked, looking like she’d regained most of the color in her face from her earlier encounter.
“They were fine for me. I didn’t notice anything that my old school didn’t teach.”
“What about you, Drew?”
“Pretty easy stuff.” Emily started talking more about the teachers and the other staff at the school while we headed towards the cafeteria. I walked beside her while Drew lagged behind, as usual.
“Alright, time for the best part of the day. I’m going to set my stuff down and we can sit here.” I nodded and followed suit, setting my backpack in a chair and making my way to the line that had sandwiches.
Emily was right. The school wasn’t as daunting now that I’d actually been inside. The amount of detail in the building was staggering. It was clear that this wasn’t a run of the mill facility.
“Hey, watch it.” A guy said as I, lost in thought, almost bumped into him.
“Oh, sorry.” I said, backing up on instinct. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Clearly.” He retorted and walked off. Nothing like a rude person to bring you back down to reality. I shook my head, clearing out the anger, and continued on.
“Did you guys remember where everything was?” Emily asked as I sat down at the table. I could see Drew off in a corner buying a bottle of water, he’d be here soon.
“Yeah, for the most part. I almost plowed into some guy though. I apologized but he was an asshole about it.”
“Really? What’d he look like?” I racked my brain, trying to recall his features. I tried looking around the room to see if I could spot him in the sea of navy colored uniforms.
“I think that’s him, over there.” I said, pointing subtly to the left, five tables over. Emily followed my direction, scanning the crowd until she found who I was looking at.
“Oh, you bumped into Kyle?” Emily’s face contorted in a way that was trying to express agony and unease at the same time. “You really had to bump into Kyle?”
“Is Kyle a problem?” I asked, confusion crossing my face. “What’s the deal with some of these people? Like Poppy, and now Kyle? What’s the deal?”
Emily sat in silence for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to explain. “Well, there’s Kyle,” she repeated, pointing to the guy with a buzz cut. “And there’s Dara.” She pointed to the girl beside him. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders and her face sparkled as she laughed at something Kyle said. A moment later Poppy walked over to the two of them and sat down, sending chills up my spine once again.
“So, all of them hang are friends?” I asked, trying to form the connection.
“I’m not sure. It’s weird. A couple years ago they barely knew each other. But something changed; they don’t hang out with anyone else now.”
“Well is that really unusual? Maybe they just connected or something.” I offered, trying to see if there was more to the story than what Emily was telling me.
“I don’t know, maybe.” Emily watched as another girl walked over to the table. “That’s Megan, she’s one of their newer friends. Started hanging out with them last year, I think.”
“If this group is so exclusive, then how did she get in?”
Emily shrugged. “All I know is that two years ago during summer break there was a giant fire that burned one of the biggest houses in Snowridge to the ground. Some people said they saw most of them” she pointed to the group again, “at the scene around the time the fire started, but the police couldn’t convict them of anything. There wasn’t a trace of evidence that pointed to any of them starting the fire. Fast forward to last year, beginning of school, and they’re all hanging out together. Megan joined in a few months after. The case was dropped within a month, police said the whole thing was just an accident caused by a candle being too close to a curtain or something.”
Emily paused for a moment as another guy sat down at the table. “That’s Matt. They said he was close to the house at the time of the fire, too.” I nodded, trying to memorize his features: Brown hair, tan skin, a silver watch that gleamed brightly in contrast to his navy uniform.
“Kate, just promise me that you’ll stay away from them.”
I nodded, “Yeah, no need to worry about that. Something about them doesn’t feel right.” I said as I locked eyes with Poppy from across the room. The rest of the group, as if sensing my eyes on hers, looked in my direction. Five sets of eyes watching me watch them. Anxiety built up in my chest as I was finally able to pull away from their magnetic pull. “Jesus Christ they’re so fucking creepy.” I muttered, mostly to myself.
“At least Donovan isn’t here.” Emily said, sighing as she released her breath.
“Donovan?”
“He’s the worst one. The rest have nothing on him.”
“What are we talking about?” Drew asked as he sat down next to me, water bottle in one hand and a couple of cookies in the other.
“Oh, nothing” I answered, “Just making new friends.”
***
“Alright, Drew. I’ll meet up with you in the parking lot after class.” He nodded and slouched off to biology and I walked into my world literature class. I took a seat in the front corner of the class while a few others filed in later. I was doodling in my notebook when the teacher walked into the classroom, shutting the door behind him.
“Alright, welcome to world literature. I know you’re overflowing with excitement to read books from all over the world. So, why don’t we just jump right in after I see who’s here.”
The man’s voice pulled me from my notebook and my eyes locked on Patrick as he walked across the room to his desk. Patrick’s a teacher? I don’t think this is the profession I would have placed him in. Maybe something like motivational speaker, or exercise instructor; but not something as boring as a teacher. You think you know a guy you just met a couple days ago.
Patrick droned on and on about the first book we were reading. I’d read it two other times before. Antigone was a drag, and not just because it was written so long ago. Instead, I spent my time watching him walk across the classroom as he went over the basic concepts. Back and forth, back and forth. Strong, confident steps. He clearly had a passion for literature, even if the book was thousands of years old.
“Hey, Kate. Can you stay behind for a second?” He said as everyone else left the classroom.
“Yeah, what’s up Patrick?”
“Did you guys get everything moved in easily?” He asked as he was putting his notes away.
“We handled it.”
“Great. I hope you’re liking the school so far.”
“It’s great, really. I love how much effort was put into building it. It’s nothing like my old school. I did have some odd encounters with some students, but other than that no complaints here.”
“Odd encounters?” He repeated, turning his attention from erasing the white board.
“Yeah, some girl named Poppy and some guy named Kyle. Kind of creepy really.” His face darkened for a moment, returning to normal almost instantly.
“Well, I’m glad you’re having a good time so far.” He threw his copy of Antigone into his desk drawer. “Can’t stand this book. I’ll see you later, Kate.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” I said, heading for the door to meet up with Drew.
“Hey, Kate. One more thing.” I stopped at the door, turning to look at him.
“Be careful.”
“Drew, speed up or we’re going to be late.” Drew was falling behind me on the way to school. The look of discomfort was etched into his face, I knew he didn’t want to come today, or any day. Neither did I, but it isn’t like we had a choice. That was one of the biggest differences between us: I took an active approach to problems, Drew would rather stay inside with his skylines, finding comfort in solitude.
“Why the hell did we have to walk? Mom could have left the vehicle for us. Or at least drove us. She doesn’t have work for another,” Drew checked his phone, “Two goddamn hours.”
“She said she was going to explore the town a bit more. Familiarize herself with her new surroundings.”
“She went to pick up men is what you mean.” I shrugged, giving him a confirmation glance.
“Well whatever, at least it’s warm.” I was glad for the rain skipping on us today. I’d probably be pissed at Mom too if we had to walk in it.
“Look at that car.” Drew mentioned, turning my attention to the silver Audi that was coming down the street behind us, slowing down as it approached. “Are we about to get shot?” I rolled my eyes at him.
“Hey, you guys want a ride? You’re going to Snowridge Academy right?” The girl in the car rolled down her driver side window. I stared back at the blonde girl for a moment. I guess hospitality is common around here.
“Are you sure? We could be murderers or something. Maybe we just stole these uniforms off some kids we just threw in the lake” Drew said, gesturing to the uniform he was wearing.
“Well did you?” She said back casually, like she’d heard the same joke a thousand times.
“No, we didn’t.” I replied, punching Drew in the arm before he could reply.
“Then get in.” The blonde girl unlocked the car doors and Drew and I got in the car. Drew had to sit in the back because he was being an asshole, and also because I walked faster to the front seat than he did.
“Thanks, I appreciate this. He does, too,” I pointed back to Drew who was looking out the window, “he just won’t admit it.”
Mystery girl laughed, “Hey, no problem; just getting my good deed in for the day. I’m Emily.”
“I’m Kate, and that asshole is Drew.” I looked in my rearview mirror to see Drew flipping me the bird.
“So are you new here?”
I nodded, “Yeah we just moved here from Ohio.”
“Wow, that’s really far. Are you adjusting okay?”
“It’s going alright I think. It’s best not to look nervous, people can sense fear.” I quipped.
“You have no idea.” She muttered, her intensity startling me. “Anyway, since you’re new and we’ve got time, I’ll show you guys around the school. I know it looks intimidating but you get used to it fast.”
“Yeah, that’d be awesome, thanks.” I turned in my seat, “Drew, thank Emily for being so nice.”
“Yeah, thanks.” He muttered. I nodded my head at him for his efforts.
***
“So, what do you guys think?” Emily asked, fresh faced after giving us the grand tour of a school that was entirely too big.
“Well, it’s entirely too big.” Drew piped up, nearly wheezing from the amount stairs he’d climbed.
“Oh come on it’s not that bad. You look fit so you can handle it. Did you guys like it?”
“Yeah, I do. Drew does, too. Plus they have soccer, so you’ll really like that.” Drew played at our old school. He was pretty good although I’d never admit it.
“You play soccer?” Emily chimed in.
“Used to,” Drew muttered.
“And he will again when we’ve gotten settled in the house.” Drew needed a push, whether he knew it or not, he’d always had a problem with standing still.
“Let’s get back downstairs before the bell rings.” Emily said, leading us toward the stairs where a girl was slowly coming up. Emily stopped suddenly almost causing me to run into her.
“Hello, Emily. How are you today?” The girl with nearly silver hair said with a light accent. She sent chills up my spine. Her face looked barren. Dead eyes, dead expression. A beautiful, British Zombie.
“Hi, Poppy. I’m good, and you?” Emily’s voice had drained of all confidence. The girl who’d been a vibrant sunflower had been reduced to a dandelion being blown by hurricane force winds in less than two seconds.
“Lovely thanks for asking. Who are these two?” Poppy asked, focusing her dull grey eyes on Drew and me.
“I’m Kate, and this is Drew.” I said, sparing Emily from having to speak more than necessary.
“It’s so good to meet you.” She said, not smiling, or frowning, just staring. I couldn’t tell if she was looking at me, or through me. Trying to find out everything about me with one long stare. Her presence was overbearing. I’d never met someone who’d put me so on edge.
“Emily dear,” Poppy focused her eyes back on Emily. “These are new students, right?” It was clear that she already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Emily say it.
“Yes, they are.”
“And who’s responsible for giving new students a tour of the facilities?”
“Um, Dara.”
“Right, but you did it, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did.” I’d never seen anyone get backed into a corner this horribly. It was like Poppy was a tiger and Emily was a wounded Gazelle. She could smell blood and now she was just toying with her prey. Severing its limbs one by one.
“Well that wasn’t your responsibility, was it?” Poppy tilted her head to one side, effectively making her look like a corpse princess.
“No, it wasn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry I’m not mad at you. You were just being helpful, but I don’t want to have this conversation again. Who knows what would’ve happened if Dara had caught wind of this incident. Have a nice day. Drew, Kate. I look forward to getting to know you both.” With that Poppy walked down the hallway, her flower scented perfume filling my nose as the clicks from her shoes grew distant.
Emily exhaled heavily, trying to gather herself; shake off the effect that Poppy had left on her. “Let’s go,” she said, and we left without another word. It didn’t leave my mind that Poppy’s voice never fluctuated during her conversation with us.
***
“How were your classes?” Emily asked, looking like she’d regained most of the color in her face from her earlier encounter.
“They were fine for me. I didn’t notice anything that my old school didn’t teach.”
“What about you, Drew?”
“Pretty easy stuff.” Emily started talking more about the teachers and the other staff at the school while we headed towards the cafeteria. I walked beside her while Drew lagged behind, as usual.
“Alright, time for the best part of the day. I’m going to set my stuff down and we can sit here.” I nodded and followed suit, setting my backpack in a chair and making my way to the line that had sandwiches.
Emily was right. The school wasn’t as daunting now that I’d actually been inside. The amount of detail in the building was staggering. It was clear that this wasn’t a run of the mill facility.
“Hey, watch it.” A guy said as I, lost in thought, almost bumped into him.
“Oh, sorry.” I said, backing up on instinct. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Clearly.” He retorted and walked off. Nothing like a rude person to bring you back down to reality. I shook my head, clearing out the anger, and continued on.
“Did you guys remember where everything was?” Emily asked as I sat down at the table. I could see Drew off in a corner buying a bottle of water, he’d be here soon.
“Yeah, for the most part. I almost plowed into some guy though. I apologized but he was an asshole about it.”
“Really? What’d he look like?” I racked my brain, trying to recall his features. I tried looking around the room to see if I could spot him in the sea of navy colored uniforms.
“I think that’s him, over there.” I said, pointing subtly to the left, five tables over. Emily followed my direction, scanning the crowd until she found who I was looking at.
“Oh, you bumped into Kyle?” Emily’s face contorted in a way that was trying to express agony and unease at the same time. “You really had to bump into Kyle?”
“Is Kyle a problem?” I asked, confusion crossing my face. “What’s the deal with some of these people? Like Poppy, and now Kyle? What’s the deal?”
Emily sat in silence for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to explain. “Well, there’s Kyle,” she repeated, pointing to the guy with a buzz cut. “And there’s Dara.” She pointed to the girl beside him. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders and her face sparkled as she laughed at something Kyle said. A moment later Poppy walked over to the two of them and sat down, sending chills up my spine once again.
“So, all of them hang are friends?” I asked, trying to form the connection.
“I’m not sure. It’s weird. A couple years ago they barely knew each other. But something changed; they don’t hang out with anyone else now.”
“Well is that really unusual? Maybe they just connected or something.” I offered, trying to see if there was more to the story than what Emily was telling me.
“I don’t know, maybe.” Emily watched as another girl walked over to the table. “That’s Megan, she’s one of their newer friends. Started hanging out with them last year, I think.”
“If this group is so exclusive, then how did she get in?”
Emily shrugged. “All I know is that two years ago during summer break there was a giant fire that burned one of the biggest houses in Snowridge to the ground. Some people said they saw most of them” she pointed to the group again, “at the scene around the time the fire started, but the police couldn’t convict them of anything. There wasn’t a trace of evidence that pointed to any of them starting the fire. Fast forward to last year, beginning of school, and they’re all hanging out together. Megan joined in a few months after. The case was dropped within a month, police said the whole thing was just an accident caused by a candle being too close to a curtain or something.”
Emily paused for a moment as another guy sat down at the table. “That’s Matt. They said he was close to the house at the time of the fire, too.” I nodded, trying to memorize his features: Brown hair, tan skin, a silver watch that gleamed brightly in contrast to his navy uniform.
“Kate, just promise me that you’ll stay away from them.”
I nodded, “Yeah, no need to worry about that. Something about them doesn’t feel right.” I said as I locked eyes with Poppy from across the room. The rest of the group, as if sensing my eyes on hers, looked in my direction. Five sets of eyes watching me watch them. Anxiety built up in my chest as I was finally able to pull away from their magnetic pull. “Jesus Christ they’re so fucking creepy.” I muttered, mostly to myself.
“At least Donovan isn’t here.” Emily said, sighing as she released her breath.
“Donovan?”
“He’s the worst one. The rest have nothing on him.”
“What are we talking about?” Drew asked as he sat down next to me, water bottle in one hand and a couple of cookies in the other.
“Oh, nothing” I answered, “Just making new friends.”
***
“Alright, Drew. I’ll meet up with you in the parking lot after class.” He nodded and slouched off to biology and I walked into my world literature class. I took a seat in the front corner of the class while a few others filed in later. I was doodling in my notebook when the teacher walked into the classroom, shutting the door behind him.
“Alright, welcome to world literature. I know you’re overflowing with excitement to read books from all over the world. So, why don’t we just jump right in after I see who’s here.”
The man’s voice pulled me from my notebook and my eyes locked on Patrick as he walked across the room to his desk. Patrick’s a teacher? I don’t think this is the profession I would have placed him in. Maybe something like motivational speaker, or exercise instructor; but not something as boring as a teacher. You think you know a guy you just met a couple days ago.
Patrick droned on and on about the first book we were reading. I’d read it two other times before. Antigone was a drag, and not just because it was written so long ago. Instead, I spent my time watching him walk across the classroom as he went over the basic concepts. Back and forth, back and forth. Strong, confident steps. He clearly had a passion for literature, even if the book was thousands of years old.
“Hey, Kate. Can you stay behind for a second?” He said as everyone else left the classroom.
“Yeah, what’s up Patrick?”
“Did you guys get everything moved in easily?” He asked as he was putting his notes away.
“We handled it.”
“Great. I hope you’re liking the school so far.”
“It’s great, really. I love how much effort was put into building it. It’s nothing like my old school. I did have some odd encounters with some students, but other than that no complaints here.”
“Odd encounters?” He repeated, turning his attention from erasing the white board.
“Yeah, some girl named Poppy and some guy named Kyle. Kind of creepy really.” His face darkened for a moment, returning to normal almost instantly.
“Well, I’m glad you’re having a good time so far.” He threw his copy of Antigone into his desk drawer. “Can’t stand this book. I’ll see you later, Kate.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” I said, heading for the door to meet up with Drew.
“Hey, Kate. One more thing.” I stopped at the door, turning to look at him.
“Be careful.”
Chasezzz- Posts : 10
Join date : 2016-02-05
Age : 27
Re: Chapter Two
I absolutely love the ending. "Be careful." That really reinforces the tone. You've built a really tense, electrified atmosphere. I instantly want to know more about the little group of freaks. I like Kate and her nonchalant attitude that isn't as magnified as her brother's. He's a trip. Also, I love the teacher. He's awesome, and he's still Chris in my head. Poppy is cool, but she's a total bitch. I love the way you described each of them. The subtle things, like the watch and stuff. You didn't go into great detail, and I respect that. I enjoy having to fill in the blanks. This is getting intense, and it's a good thing I strapped in ;P
Matt <3 that name.
Can't wait for Donovan.
-----“Alright, welcome to world literature. I know you’re overflowing with excitement to read books from all over the world. So, why don’t we just jump right in after I see who’s here.”------
Favorite piece of dialogue. It's all so natural. You have a gift for fluent dialogue. It doesn't seem faked at all. I can just see you saying it to yourself lol, just to be sure.
Matt <3 that name.
Can't wait for Donovan.
-----“Alright, welcome to world literature. I know you’re overflowing with excitement to read books from all over the world. So, why don’t we just jump right in after I see who’s here.”------
Favorite piece of dialogue. It's all so natural. You have a gift for fluent dialogue. It doesn't seem faked at all. I can just see you saying it to yourself lol, just to be sure.
Re: Chapter Two
Okay, I thought this was going to be a normal maybe happy go lucky story but now its light I stepped into a thriller or scary movie! And is there going to be any Kate and Patrick action?! I feel like there should be. Who cares if he's her teacher! They could sneak around
Jennycat_92- Posts : 37
Join date : 2015-02-10
Age : 31
Location : Magnolia, Arkansas
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