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“There are none in London with her pedigree and power. Your father looked. Your father looked everywhere. And this place is called Omaha…. Nebraska. I’m afraid he will not be moved; this was his idea,” Talbott said humbly but persistently. Although inferior in looks, he certainly seemed to be the more mature of the two.
“This is ridiculous. Where is she?” Kiran looked around himself with such pride and arrogance that I found his beauty quickly fading. Crouching closer to the wall, I could not believe they still hadn’t noticed me.
“Please calm down. I believe you will meet her soon; but we must get to class now or you will be late on your first day,” Talbott half smiled and started walking in the direction of the academic buildings; Kiran followed slowly behind, arms crossed, looking less god-like and much more child-like.
I breathed a sigh of relief and slowly stood up. Reluctantly, I collected my papers and adjusted my uniform, which consisted of a navy-blue, pleated skirt and white button-down collared shirt, knee-high navy blue stockings and of course the classic prep school tie: navy-blue with red plaid. I gathered my nerve and headed in the same direction as Talbott and Kiran, already afraid of the rest of my day.
Chapter Two
My thoughts were preoccupied as I walked into class, not realizing that English had already started until I stumbled clumsily through the door. Not only was I starting school a week later than the other students, but I walked loudly into a class that had already started…. awesome. The teacher, a skinny bald man, dressed in a tasteful navy-blue suit and tie, looked up from a textbook and glared at me.
“Why do I even bother to start class when we’re going to have all of these interruptions?” he said, still staring at me.
“Um, I’m sorry, I’m new,” I replied guiltily, my face turning bright red once again.
“Obviously. Are you Eden?” he asked, speaking through his nose.
“Um, yes, Eden Matthews,” I clarified, just to be sure, but obviously he knew that. I could barely contain my nerves. Usually a shy person, I hated having the attention on me, and at that moment, the entire class was staring, probably laughing, at me.
“Nobody’s laughing at you,” the teacher declared unexpectedly. “I’m Mr. Lambert. Welcome to Honors English. Please take a seat over there. ” He tried to smile and pointed to the back of the classroom where an empty desk sat between none other than the two boys I encountered earlier…. fantastic.
Although I was oddly reminded by Mr. Lambert that nobody was laughing at me, I still felt all eyes were on me as I walked quickly, head down, to my desk and slid in as quietly as I could. I glanced around the room and realized, thankfully, that no one was looking in my direction; well, no one except Kiran who was sitting directly to my left and staring openly at me. I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling it over my shoulder and in front of my face. I hoped to build a wall of tangled curls to separate me from this curious stranger.
I fumbled through my backpack looking for the same book that everyone else was holding but I suddenly found it hard to concentrate. My bag was full of books for every class and the covers all began to look the same. My vision blurred, I squinted to give myself a clearer view. I could hear the lecture, but it sounded far off, and I was beginning to feel dizzy. My breath became quick and shallow; I grabbed on to my desk with both hands, trying to find my bearings.
As if from everywhere around me, I started to feel a wave of heat overcome me. My skin began to prickle again as if I were going through a low dose of electroshock therapy and there was a high-pitched sound resonating in my ears. I could feel my head hit the ground as I slid back out of my desk and onto the floor.
“Good grief, I’m never going to get through this lecture,” sighed a very exasperated voice, I wondered what a nasal-sounding man was doing in my bedroom while I was trying to sleep.
“What did you do? This kind of thing is strictly prohibited, Mr. Kendrick. I don’t care who you are. You will obey your father’s ordinances when you are in my class,” the aggravated voice kept going on and on. I thought, “Just let me sleep!”
“I didn’t do anything!” a familiar English accent defended himself. Where had I heard that voice before? “I don’t know what happened to her, she just fell over!”
“Ms. Matthews, Ms. Matthews, can you hear me?” It was the annoying voice again. I could hear him, but I didn’t want to; I wanted to go back to sleep.
Then it hit me. Oh no! I did it again. Well, I didn’t know what I did again, but I was too afraid to open my eyes and find out. Strong, small hands gripped my shoulders and began to shake me roughly.
“Maybe you should slap her,” a high-pitched girl’s voice offered. That got my attention.
“What have I done now?” I groaned, closing my eyes even tighter. I refused to open them and assess the damage I just caused. I also refused to be slapped, I wasn’t unconscious anymore.
“You fainted,” the English accent that I could now identify as Kiran’s said plainly. I thought I could also detect a smile in his voice and maybe something else…. amusement?
“What else?” I groaned again.
“What do you mean what else? Well, you’ve also interrupted my class,” Mr. Lambert’s unmistakably irritated voice replied impatiently. “What’s wrong with you, do you need to go to the nurse?”
I finally summoned enough courage to open my eyes. The world around me was perfectly intact, perfectly as it should have been and I was completely confused. This wasn’t the first time I had awoken in a daze after experiencing similar feelings. This was just the first time I had awoken to things still normal around me. Usually, it was all mass panic and chaos, due to lethal insects or flooding waters, or even scorching flames. Truthfully, I much preferred a crowd of confusion. I was inwardly overjoyed there wouldn’t be mass lawsuits and a new school in my near future.
“No, I am fine, thank you,” I think I was actually smiling on the outside now too, because the entire class of faces staring down at me were more confused than ever. If only they had known what could have happened to them; if only they had known that miraculously their lives were saved. I could feel my smile get bigger and I knew without a doubt that I looked crazy.
I tried to push myself up onto my elbows, but was still a little shaky and fell back down. A nervous, almost hysteric laugh escaped me and it was the only sound in the room. I had officially begun my first day at my new school as a freak. A swarm of students stared down at me, a sea of white and navy-blue, with islands of hanging red plaid ties.
I decided to try to sit up again; I needed to move since everyone was still gawking at me. As I struggled, I could see that Kiran and Talbott, closest to me due to the proximity of their desks, attempted to help me. I watched as their arms reached out to grab mine and assist me in sitting up. As soon as their skin touched mine, I started all over again with the heat and electricity and I let out a mild scream.
Both sets of arms immediately dropped from mine and I found myself back on the floor, wishing I were dead. I had no idea what was going on, but I soon realized that everyone staring at me wanted an explanation. I wished I had one to give them; one that wouldn’t completely brand me as nuts.
“Maybe I should go to the nurse,” I conceded as I struggled to get up once again. I could see both sets of arms reaching out to help me in another attempt of chivalry and I overreacted a little by shouting, “That’s Ok, I can do it on my own!”
I knew that I sounded like a lunatic, like certifiably crazy; but for whatever reason these two boys were bringing out the scariest part of me and I didn’t want them or anyone else to get hurt. I looked up at Kiran apologetically, but instead of looking concerned for this crazy person, like I expected, he just gazed back entertained, almost like he was about to laugh.
“Can someone help Ms. Matthews to the Nurse’s Office, please?” Mr. Lambert sounded exasperated.
“I can,” Kiran volunteered.
“No, that’s all right,” I blurted out; for fear that I’d faint again. “I’m sure I can find it on my own,” I gave a weak smile, but finally stood up. I actually had no intention to find the nurse, I just needed to calm down and get some space. I grabbed the back of my chair to steady myself, and inhaled deep breaths of air.
“Lilly, can you take her?” Mr. Lambert turned to look at a fragile-looking girl with short, vibrant, red, curly hair.
“Sure,” she answered sweetly. She took a few steps from the back of the crowd of students to wait for me by the door.
I grabbed my backpack, terrified to look at anyone until I was almost to the safety of the hallway. Once I reached the door, I took a brave look back only to see Kiran smile and wink at me from his desk. This had been the most bizarre day, and, unfortunately, it wasn’t even the end of first hour.
Chapter Three
Once the door closed behind me, I headed straight to the nearest bathroom. Kingsley was a school for the privileged; the girl’s bathroom reflected this. The stalls, sinks and hand dryers were all made of the latest bathroom technology and porcelain, I guessed. The mixture of class and technology seemed a little strange, especially in a bathroom. Conveniently, there was a plush sitting room adjoined where I could hide my shame in private.
I plopped down on the nearest divan, pulling my knees to my chest. I rested my head in my hands and let out an audible groan. What was wrong with me?
“Ugh. What is wrong with me?” I echoed loudly.
“Is there something wrong with you?” a soft, sweet voice asked. I had forgotten all about the girl who was supposed to take me to the Nurse’s Office. I would have rather not had an audience during my impending breakdown, but it was a little late to think up an excuse now.
“It seems like it,” I looked up and gave her a small smile. She was pretty, with bright green eyes and clear, pale skin. She was shorter than me, maybe 5’6 or 5’5, and had impeccable posture; which I was sure, was a sign of her upbringing. I expected her to look back at me as if I was crazy, but to my surprise, she only looked concerned. Her forehead had creased in worried lines and her plump red lips were pressed together in a frown.
“What happened back there?” She sat down beside me and waited for an answer. At least she hadn’t tried to console me by assuring me everything was Ok. We both knew everything was not Ok. She sounded genuinely concerned though, and I was suddenly grateful not to be alone.
“I wish I knew. Sometimes I just, uh, faint,” I knew it was a weak explanation, but I didn’t think she would believe me if I told her that sometimes I felt my body turn into a giant microwave. “I am a freak show; I was kind of hoping to avoid drawing that much attention to myself today…. or like ever,” I started to laugh; this was absurd.
“I’m Lilly Mason, by the way. And I know exactly what you mean,” she thankfully didn’t ask for more of an explanation, but I was one hundred percent positive that she had no idea what I meant.
“Nice to meet you,” I said with a genuine smile. “Thank you for volunteering to help me. I know that you didn’t have to, but I would have just died if Kiran witnessed anymore of my meltdown. ” I rolled my eyes, expecting her to understand.