Silver

Chapter 61 - then

When I awoke, I was in the sick bay.

'We've called your husband, sweetheart. He's coming to get you,' the school nurse said.

'No,' I said, 'you should have called my dad.'

'He's your next of kin. What happened, dear?'

'I don't know. It was that hologram teacher. Her voice, it had an affect on me.'

'What type of an affect?'

I didn't know if I could trust this lady with her lukewarm grey eyes.

'It's this thing I've always had. I see colours for different words. But today, it was different, it was so distracting it hurt.'

'What are you talking about? There's no such thing.'

I scrunched my hands up in my lap.

'You should see your doctor about this. And be careful. You don't want to go losing your mind. There's probably some medication you can take.'

'I'm on medication,' I said.

'Today I will write 'inconclusive symptoms'. But if it happens again, I'll have to report you. And forget about this colour thing. Rest now. Your husband is coming to take you home.'

It was almost the last bell by the time Alistair arrived, jangling his car keys in his right hand.

'What happened?' he asked.

'I got unwell, all right?' I pulled myself up off the bed. Then I remembered I needed my schoolbag. 'Wait here, I've got to get my bag.'

'I'll come with you,' he said.

It was awful walking with Alistair through the hallways at school. I saw girls' heads tilting up, eyes staring, gawking at this uncommon species in their school.

'Wait there,' I told him. I walked into my classroom and went to my desk.

'What happened?' Bianca asked.

'Nothing. I just felt ill,' I told her, reaching down to get my bag.

All of a sudden all the girls were giggling. I turned around, and there was Alistair, at the front of the classroom, like a kangaroo in a car's headlights, standing, staring. I swung my bag over my shoulder, waved goodbye to my homeroom teacher, Miss Casey, and ushered Alistair out of the classroom.

'I told you to wait outside.'

'I just wanted to make sure you were okay.'

'No you didn't. You wanted to embarrass me.'

I swung the outside door open and rushed down the concrete steps furious with Alistair.

'We're even now,' he called out to me.

'Huh?' I asked, stopping and waiting for him to catch up.

'We've even. The school nurse told me about your colour thing. She said to keep an eye on you. I could report you too.'

'You wouldn't fucking dare,' I said, my heart thumping.

'You don't even know me,' he said, leering into my face, threatening me with his wide eyes. 'I could make you disappear like that,' and he clicked his fingers.