“I’m a little worried.”
We were driving to school, and my mother broke the silence. I was preoccupied with thoughts of the coming day, and I glanced up at her in surprise.
“About what?” I wondered if she had picked up more about yesterday than I had shared. The thing about my particular talent is that sometimes, I don’t really buy that others cannot hear my thoughts. There have been many, many times that I was sure my mom was tapping into my mind, even though she claimed it was only mother’s intuition.
“You didn’t say anything about what everyone was wearing yesterday. That’s not like you.”
“Oh.” Relieved, I thought about the fashion scene at school. “Well, you know, it wasn’t that big a deal. Most girls were wearing shorts or cropped pants, jeans and that kind of stuff. I saw a couple of cute little sundresses. I think I’ll be okay with the summer clothes I have for now, although I might need a few shirts and maybe some jackets. The classrooms can get kind of cool, with the air conditioning.”
“All right. Should we plan a shopping trip this weekend then?” She turned onto the main street of town and glanced at me expectantly.
“Um… sure, I think that sounds good, as long as I don’t have too much homework.”
My mom nodded. “Okay.”
I could feel her reaching out to me tentatively, but I continued to stare out my window.
“Are you still upset because I wouldn’t let you walk to school today?”
I shrugged. “No. It’s okay.”
“You know it’s not that I don’t trust you. I just—”
“—want to keep me safe. I know.”
She sighed then and all the stress I’d caused her in the last twenty-four hours was heavy in that one breath.
“It’s not just from teenage boys that I want to protect you. You’re not used to Florida yet. There are alligators in the lakes, and water moccasins, too—”
Now I did turn from the window. “Are you serious? In every lake?” We just happened to be driving by a park that bordered an expanse of crystal blue water.
“Yep. Your dad told me that any standing water in this state can potentially have gators in it—even ditches.”
I shuddered. Maybe having my mom drive me to school wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
We pulled into the school parking lot, and I scooted out with a quick wave to my mother. I hated when things were tense between my parents and me; it made me feel off balance and cranky, probably because it happened so rarely.
I wandered toward the school building. It was still a little early, but I figured that I could find a bench and do some extra reading. There were a few other kids standing at lockers, but thankfully, their thought noise was muted this morning. I could easily handle blocking small numbers.
Although I didn’t even admit it to myself, I was keeping my eyes—and my mind—open for Michael. I had lay in bed the night before, envisioning different scenarios for today, imagining how I could let him know that I was free to accept a ride home from school. I didn’t want to be too pushy; what if he didn’t really mean it? What if he was just trying to be nice to me because I was new? What if he totally ignored me today? I had to be cool and not expect anything.
By the time I got to my locker, I had convinced myself that I probably wouldn’t even see Michael today. He had felt sorry for me yesterday after my run-in with Nell Massler. He was a senior, he already had a group of friends, and there was no good reason in the world for him to be interested in me.
At my locker, I swapped out books, taking what I needed for morning classes. My speech notebook was caught on something in the back, and I stuck my whole head in the locker, trying to pull it loose.
“Hi. You trying to climb in there?”
I jerked my head out, banging it against the top of the locker in the process. Michael was leaning against the wall, looking at me speculatively.
“Ouch.” I rubbed the top of my head, still seeing stars.
“You didn’t knock anything loose, did you? Should I get the nurse?”
Someone thought he was a comedian, I thought crossly. Hitting my head always made me grumpy.
“I think I’ll live. You just startled me. My notebook is stuck back there, between the side and the back.” Some part of my mind was noting in astonishment that this unbelievably attractive boy was paying attention to me—again—but somehow I was able to speak.
Michael leaned into the locker, and I moved out of the way. He glanced back and smiled full on at me. I felt my legs melting and wondered how I was still upright.
“Allow me.” With a theatrical flourish, he reached in and pulled out my notebook, intact and unharmed, and presented it to me triumphantly.
This was the goofiest behavior I had ever seen, so why on earth was I ready to swoon at his feet?
“Thanks.” I took the notebook and tucked it between my French and Chem books and decided to play along a little. I glanced up at him from under my lashes and smiled. “My hero.”
I heard him suck in breath. “Jeez, you’ve got a killer smile. Wow. Listen, do me a favor and don’t smile today, okay?”
I felt a little dizzy. “Why not?”
“Just a request. No smiling unless you’re with me. I really don’t want to have to fight off other guys. I could, of course—” he flashed a smug, self-assured look, “—but I’d rather not.”
I closed my locker and stood there just looking at him.
“What?” he asked, in mock bewilderment.
“I just—listen, you don’t need to worry about it. Guys falling all over me have never been a problem, and I don’t think it’s going to start today. And why do you care anyway? Are you the King High School Welcome Wagon?” I didn’t want to be rude or unfriendly, but I was confused. No one ever paid this much attention to me.
I shouldn’t have worried about being unfriendly. Michael didn’t look fazed at all. He smiled at me again, and his eyes never left my face.
“I don’t think I believe you about guys not paying attention. And I care because—” he hesitated and for the first time seemed a little unsure of himself. “I don’t know that I can explain it right now. You might think I’m crazy.”
I raised my eyebrows and just shot him a silent look.
“Oh, too late, huh?” His humor and self-confidence were back. “Let’s just say I am the Welcome Wagon—your own personal Welcome Wagon. And part of my duties are to make sure you eat lunch with me again today.”
I flushed. While I wanted to eat lunch with him almost more than I wanted my next breath, I didn’t need a pity date, and I had to be sure he wasn’t asking me out of some strange sense of obligation. But as I opened my mouth to say as much, Michael put out his hand to stop me.
“For me, okay? I’m not on some do-gooding trip. This is purely selfish.” He gave me a mock glare. “Indulge me. Please.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded. “I’ve got to get to class.”
“Where are you going? What’s your first class?”
“French. Building 2.”
He made a face. “I’ve got European History in a satellite classroom. Opposite direction, and even I can’t move that fast in time. So—” he began walking backwards away from me, “—see you at lunch. I’ll meet you outside the door to the cafeteria.”
Still somewhat speechless, I nodded again, stood for a puzzled moment watching him go, then turned toward French class.
I was preoccupied during French, which was not a good thing. It was a small class and thus impossible to be inconspicuous. Since it was my second day, I was still trying to make a good impression on the teacher. I managed to fake it until she asked me to orally translate a passage from English into French, and I realized that I had no idea where we were in the book. I flushed in embarrassment when the teacher sighed her long-suffering impatience.
But I couldn’t help it. Although I wanted to concentrate, my mind kept wandering to Michael and our exchange this morning. An
d then I would think about lunch, and my heart beat just a little faster. I created a thousand scenes in my head, each one more improbable than the last.
Fortunately, my daydreams kept me from worrying about Chemistry. I didn’t have time to dread it until I walked through the door and saw Nell.
Actually, I didn’t see her before I heard and felt her. There are people whose minds are so loud and strong that blocking them is very difficult. Nell was clearly one of those people.
She was sitting in the same spot she had occupied the day before, talking to the same three girls. And she was not thinking very pleasant thoughts about any of them.
Liza is so stupid, she makes me want to gouge out my own eyes. Will she never shut up? On and on and on… better than Casey who thinks she knows everything.
I knew the minute she spotted me, as I lingered in the doorway. Her animosity and fury surged, and her mind narrowed to a single focus.
HER.
My throat tightened. The hatred struck me like a blow to my head, and I struggled not to recoil. Instead I gripped my books and walked to my seat as steadily as I could manage.
Liza glanced at me curiously and shifted her notebook away from my side of the table. Casey stopped talking as she realized that Nell was completely ignoring her.
“What are you doing here?” Nell asked, her voice tight with intensity.
I swallowed and tried for an off-hand tone. “This is where I sit. Ms. Lacusta assigned me this seat yesterday. Don’t you remember?”
Sense of humor clearly wasn’t one of Nell’s strong points. “What are you doing in this class? I thought you were transferring out.”
“No, you told me I should. I told you I need this class.” A few other girls were beginning to turn and stare at us, and I lowered my voice. “I don’t know what the problem is here, Nell. If I’ve done something to bother you, I’m sure we can—”
“I don’t want you here. I want you gone.” Nell was losing what little control she’d had. “You don’t belong. I told you—”
“Nell!” Ms. Lacusta had entered without either of us hearing, and she swept down on us, adding her own anger to the cacophony of fury that was nearly choking me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Nell’s eyes darted from me to the teacher, and I felt her momentary indecision. “Just clarifying a few things for the new girl,” she said finally.
“It did not sound like clarification,” Ms. Lacusta remarked. She pinned Nell with a steely glare for a moment. None of us moved until she added, “I don’t have time for this now, Nell. We have a lab today. I will see you after school, and we can discuss whatever might be troubling you.” It was clearly a command, and Nell’s face flamed.
I mentally rolled my eyes. I understood that Ms. Lacusta was probably trying to help me, but getting Nell in trouble was not going to make her the president of my fan club.
There was a swell of whispering that ended abruptly when Ms. Lacusta stood at the front of the room, facing the class. Unlike most teachers, it seemed that she did not need to call for attention or even clear her throat for silence. Her eyes roamed over all of us, missing nothing. When she did speak, I detected again that musical quality that her accent gave her voice.
“Today’s lab is a relatively simple one. We will be working on identifying an unknown solution. This solution, which we will refer to as Solution X, contains a cation belonging to the alkaline-earth family and an anion belonging to the halogen family. By observing the ionic reactions between solutions of each of the cations with solutions of selected anions, you will be able to compare Solution X’s reactions with the same anions.”
Ms. Lacusta began walking down the rows between the desks. “If you turn to page 57 of your textbook, you will find the procedure for this lab. While none of the solutions in this experiment are dangerous, I will remind you of our laboratory safety rules. It’s a good idea to get used to assuming all substances are potentially dangerous, since as we know—” her eyes slid to Nell’s, “—even the safest solutions can become quite dangerous if combined with the wrong elements or handled carelessly.”
She paused for a moment before adding, “You may begin now. I will be strolling around observing. Raise your hand if you need help.”
Next to me, Liza flipped open her textbook. When I didn’t move, she glared at me. “Are you doing this or what? If you’re going to be my lab partner, you need to keep up. I’m not getting in trouble because of you.”
Obviously either Nell’s attitude was contagious or none of her friends were willing to cross her. I didn’t bother answering Liza. I found the lab in my book and read aloud as she began pulling out test tubes and beakers.
“Put about ten drops of sodium carbonate in each of the three wells of row A, the same amount of soda ash in three wells of row B, point two five milliliters of sodium oxylate in row C and point one milliliters of chromium potassium oxide in row D.”
Liza reached for the labeled beakers without comment. She was operating on the principle that if she ignored me, I didn’t exist. It was fine by me; I just wanted to get through the class in one piece.
That line of thought reminded me of the day before and the troubling words I’d overheard about blood sacrifice. In all the excitement of Nell expressing her hatred and my first meeting with Michael, I had shoved that memory to the back of my mind. Now a dark suspicion began to grow as I considered who might have been most likely to be thinking about spilling blood.
“Hey! What’s wrong with you?” Liza’s annoyance was a huge suffocating cloud as she snapped her fingers in my face. I blinked and shook my head.
“Sorry. Just zoning, I guess. What next?”
Nell half turned in her seat and raised one eyebrow as she smirked at me. “Maybe you should reconsider my suggestion. If you can’t keep up with a simple lab like this, I don’t know how you’ll handle the rest of the class.”
I felt the heat of a flush creep up my face. “Thanks so much, Nell, but I think I’m okay.” I turned back to Liza. “What do we do next?”
“I was saying, you need to fill row B. Ten drops in each well. Measure carefully, I don’t want to do this twice.” She shoved a glass beaker filled with some kind of clear liquid in my direction. I picked it up and looked around for the droppers. They were in a stand across the table, and as Liza was studiously looking away from me, I stifled a sigh and stood to reach carefully around her.
I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye at the same time I heard a malicious cackle coming from Nell’s mind. Both came too late for me to move out of the way as Nell slammed the back of her chair against our table, knocking me over in a spray of chemicals and broken glass.