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Chapter Four

Chapter Four

I folded myself in and tried to get to my locker without touching anyone else. Finally, I gave up on that and pushed my way through the crowed vigorously, getting to my locker at the same time Cam did.

                “Hey, how was lunch?” She asked, grinning at me.

                I just shrugged and grabbed my books out of my locker. Then I swore.

                “What’s wrong?” She asked me studying my face. She gave me a concerned look, “Did I miss something at lunch? Something important?”

                I wanted more than anything to say yes, that I’d officially cracked and should be locked up, but I just shook my head and gave her a little wave as I walked down the crowded hall to my next class.

                I spent the next few classes digging through my book-bag looking for my sketch book. I didn’t find it during the course of the next four classes. Instead I resorted to turning to an empty page in my notebook. I drew wings in springing from people and friends of mine making fun of Kyle or some other similar short kid. Then it occurred to me. I had left my sketch book in the cafeteria. I’d have to head over there after classes. I started examining the desks around me and Gage was back in my fifth period. And my sixth class.

                When I got to the lunchroom, it had emptied. I walked to the back table where I’d been sitting and found…nothing. My sketch book wasn’t anywhere to be found. I blinked. It still wasn’t around. The only things on the ground were food and something else.

                I bent down and picked up the small shiny object turning it over in my hands delicately. I held a small silver key. The kind that would belong to a car. I immediately thought of asking if the key belonged to anyone at my table. But then a thought past through my head; they all rode the same bus. Why would they carry a key? I shook my head.

                When I looked down at the key and say the light reflect off of it I saw my eye and something else hidden in the riffs of the key. I looked closer at the image that was slightly disfigured. It was a shadow. And it was behind me.

                I spun around and found Gage looking at me with his silver colored eyes.

                My eyes widened and I backed into the table. “What?” I snapped.

                “I… I’m sorry.” Gage frowned uncomfortably. He looked red in the face.

                I shook my head and tried to step back again. Instead my foot moved in front of me and pulled me closer to the crazy man who thought I was seeing things. Which I was, but he didn’t need to know that.

                My head kept shaking as my legs pulled me closer to him step by step. It was as though my brain had no control of what my body was doing. I closed my eyes.

                “What’s this?” Gage said steeping back and pulling out a little black book.

                “My sketch book!” I accused. “You took it!”

                He ignored me and opened up to a page where in the corner there was a picture of a girl with her hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail and a tracksuit on. The exact girl I had seen in my daydream.

                “Do you know her?” Gage pressed me.

                “No,” I breathed.