The day went on like today was just a normal day.
Well, until lunch.
I just stuffed things from last period in my locker and was about to head to the cafetorium, when the intercom came on to deliver the most interesting thing I’ve heard in my 3 years of attending this school. At first the lady at the desk was congratulating the football team for winning the homecoming game, Go Tigers! And just as I was about to put my headphones back in, the intercom came on again, but this time it was the principle.
“Attention all students and staff, we have an exciting announcement! Since Wayfair High shut down for reasons still not known, they will be attending our school for the rest of the year! I want all of us to give them a warm, Tiger welcome.” The people in the hallway have all stopped now with shock. Slack mouths and all. As if the principal could feel her students’ growing concern her voice continued. “We all understand that our conflict with the school will need some fixing since we are all going to be in the den but do not forget, they are still grieving a loss and do not need more to have to worry about. They are being transported to our school at this moment and will be here in no time! I am trusting you all to give them a warm, Tiger welcome. Without the claws please.” The principle tacked on at the end. The announcement kept going but it was just regarding the schedule change and that if we need anything, to just see the counselor about it.
Ugh. Great, more jocks. The testosterone in this school just escalated by about 100.
I met Charlie at our usual table with a few other people sitting there as well. They were all talking about the incoming students and how scared but excited they were. Which makes sense, there were rumors spread about how they have gangs and shootings weekly (they also included the fact that the guys there were hot but that doesn’t matter). Obviously they were exaggerating but still, the whole gang thing wasn’t wrong.
Lunch was painfully slow. The whole school was whispering about The Unwanted, just another way of saying Wayfair students although the nickname did have a ring to it. I barely ate a crumb on my plate. Of course no one paid much attention
to me, they were all too busy talking about Wayfair. And even the people who paid attention to me thought that I was just worried about the same thing as them, little did they know that the thing I was worried about was my little brother.
Just before the bell rang, indicating that lunch was over, I was already out of the cafeteria. I don’t know where I was going, we still have 30 minutes before class starts but I just had to get out of there. If I stayed in there one more second then my head would explode.
With my headphones on and thoughts swirling through my head I didn’t even notice there was someone else in front of me before I slammed into a body. The impact jarred me as I staggered backwards a step, when a hand caught my arm, steadying me. The hand radiated heat to my bare flesh and was too overwhelming. I stepped back another step, severing contact.
I looked up at who I had just collided with, thinking it was just a dumb jock who didn’t feel like moving out of my way. But I didn’t recognize the face I was staring at and trust me if I ever saw him before I would have remembered. What with the art that’s scrawled across his face and the buzz cut. He had a slit in one of his eyebrows and the clothes he wore were somehow baggy but still clung to some areas of him to express the built up muscle from many years of training, underneath. He was wearing a fitted, black t-shirt and baggy green pants. He looked like a perfect soldier the way he was dressed.
And that’s how I knew I just ran into one of the new students, aka one of the Unwanted.
I knew that if I said something stupid I would end up in a pretty bad predicament but if I just let him trample over me he would get the wrong idea and keep doing it. All I had to do was play my cards right and I might just get out of this without getting expelled for causing a fight.
I opened my mouth to say something but when my gaze met his, I saw that he was watching me intently with those charcoal colored eyes, as if he could see into my soul and read me like an open book. With the weight of his eyes on me the words died on my tongue, utterly absorbed and drowning in those pitch black eyes. I could see my reflection in his eyes and memories of that horrible night returned, mixing in with my fear for Liam.
“Look away, this is what he wants. Look away.” A voice in the back of my head said in a whisper so quiet I almost didn’t hear it. I tried to do as it said but I couldn’t get unstuck from those endless black pools.
I felt something cool touch my back. It felt as if spindly fingers of ice cold dread were snaking their way up my back. I tried to fight back but those black eyes became more intent and went a shade darker keeping me trapped in those horrible memories.
“Look away.” The voice said again a little louder than before, almost pleading. I tried obliging but couldn’t.
“Look away. Look away. Look away. Look away!” The voice said again, this time screaming at me until I couldn’t not listen to it.
And just like a switch I was yanked away from that snowy night and into the present. Looking around only to notice that the cold I felt against my back was just the wall and the boy was trapping me between the wall and him with his arms. His hands planted on either side of my head and was leaning his head in ever so slightly until he was hovering only a few inches away from me. Those eyes were still a swirling mass of darkness and shadows but this time instead of being transfixed by them I found them utterly terrifying.
I could feel my heart beating fast enough that I thought he could hear it. It felt like it was trying to escape the skin that trapped it in my body. I could feel myself starting to go into panic mode and froze for a split second before remembering the many training sessions I’ve had since I was little.
I started moving without even realizing it, muscle memory kicking in, and jammed my fist into the jaw of this arrogant boy. His head kicked to the side and I took the distraction to get my knee between our bodies and pushed as hard as I could. He staggered back a step or two but he quickly started to get back up and come for me but this time I was prepared.
I leaned my body weight against the wall and planted my feet on his chest before pushing off of the wall and landing on top of him with his back to the floor. A breath wheezed out of him from the impact of the blow. My fist connected with his nose and then the other side of his jaw. I did this around two to three times until his face was covered in blood, only then did I stop hitting him.
He was still groaning when I popped up onto my feet and looked around. Thankfully it was still lunch but the bell for class would ring any second now. I looked down on my opponent and spit in his face. “Is that how you usually get a girl? Wow, I feel bad for the poor souls that fell for that.” I said, pivoting on my heel and started walking away.
Hopefully when everyone comes out of the cafeteria I would be long gone-
“Duck!” The voice in my head said, only it was too late.
A body tackled me from behind making me go head first to the floor. I tried to soften the blow by turning my body but I was fast enough and the impact made black spots appear in my vision. There was a sickening crack and I knew it came from me. Pain exploded in my nose followed by slick liquid flowing from my nose.
Great, another broken nose. And on my birthday, seriously?
A hand that belonged to my attacker grabbed my right shoulder and rolled me so we were face to face. I couldn’t see properly thanks to the black spots that were still exploding in my vision. I tried to blink away the spots but with no luck. I was about to lash out when a voice found my ear and slithered into the debts of my memory, making my skin prickle and my breathing hitch.
“That wasn't very nice, little birdie.” The voice whispered into my ear. The spots in my vision cleared and all I saw was falling snow, only smelling something metallic and rotten on the breath that spoke in my ear. Furry exploded in my chest and I started to struggle-
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