After getting dressed, Kira wandered down the hallway and peeked into her mother’s open bedroom door to see if she was home. The room was a mess as usual, but there was no sign of her or Paul. She continued through the house and into the kitchen. Still nothing. Kira glanced at the kitchen clock and sighed. As much as she didn’t want to go to school, she knew she had to. It was Wednesday and she’d already missed two days.
By the time she walked to school, it was after ten and her English class had already started. She decided to go to the office and make sure they knew she was there and then hang out in the library until Phys. Ed. She shared that class with Lydia—maybe she would be there.
No such luck. Lydia was absent.
Not a big surprise. She was probably still on the mountain gaining her strength back. And it wasn’t like Kira could go by her house—she didn’t even know exactly where she lived, only that it was on the south side of town.
“Holy crap!” Carla said as she walked past Kira. “Looks like someone’s been taking steroids.” She gave Kira’s bicep a not-so-friendly squeeze before moving to her locker and peeling off her sweater.
“What are you talking about?” Kira had already stripped down to her bra and panties and put on her gym shorts, but still held her baggy T-shirt in her hand.
Carla flipped her straight black hair over her shoulder and motioned toward Kira’s arm. “You grew muscles like, overnight.”
“What?” Kira closed her locker and walked to the end of the row to where the mirrors hung. She raised her fist in the air and flexed her arm muscles. “Whoa.” She was buff.
Actually, now that she stood in full view of the mirror, there were a lot of changes she’d missed that morning. Her hair had always been a little on the dry side, and the color a dark, lifeless red. Now it was a beautiful auburn, with a hint of honey blonde highlighting it in just the right places. Her complexion was perfect. Even her teeth seemed whiter.
Kira put on her shirt to hide her new muscles and joined the other girls on the football field to run sprints. Too bad it wasn’t raining out. She would have liked another go at that rope.