The Story of Me, Spectre Z

Ch 3

The thunderous sound of a teenage crowd drew closer as each classroom opened up to allow the students out. The unusual energy the students put into getting out of their classrooms could only indicate that it was lunchtime. After all, that was most student's favorite hour. I tried to blend in, following the student body down the hall. It was surprising at how quickly the empty, void halls turned into a bustling walkway filled with liveliness. 

I couldn't help but move with the flow of the crowd as I was pushed further from the exit and closer to the cafeteria. A lone grumble emitted from my stomach, causing me to flush with embarrassment. "Guess I haven't eaten in a while, huh." The temptation to stay and nab something to eat was enticing, but I shook my head to refocus my thoughts. I didn't belong in this school, and I needed to get out of here in order to figure out where to go from here. As I walked with the crowd, I attempted to peek over the crowd to find a new exit, to no avail. Just as I was about to turn around and head back the way I came, a flash of pink passed me on my left. The person slowed slightly, and I was able to recognize one of the girls from the bathroom earlier. She turned, and a sly look crossed her face as she came to a complete stop. It was odd, but I tried to think nothing of it and to keep walking. What I didn't manage to see was her sticking out her right foot, right into my path.

Crap.

It only happened in a moment, but I went from walking normally and blending in perfectly to falling quite indiscreetly to the floor, dragging down whichever poor soul was unlucky enough to have been in front of me. 

"I'm so, so sorry. Something tripped me, and I couldn't catch myself in time.. I.." The person I pulled down was another girl, dressed mostly in black, with stark black hair to match. Her line of view went from me straight the to one who tripped me. I rolled to the side, hearing a cacophony of snickers and giggles coming from the girl in pink's posse. Once again my face flushed red, and my lips sealed themselves shut. A small crowd had formed around the scene while other students who knew better filtered around the disruption.

"Oh put a sock in it Paulina. If you have nothing better to do than pick on new people then you really are a sad sight to behold, aren't you?" The goth shot at the bully, easily getting back on her feet with the help of two boys I hadn't seen yet beside her. One had a red beret and a yellow cardigan while the other had dark hair and a white t-shirt. My attention was brought back to the girl in pink- Paulina- when she spoke.

"You're just upset that my attention went to someone else today, aren't you, Manson?" Paulina retorted, acidity in her voice when she uttered the word 'Manson', as if she had just tasted straight trash. "I'm just doing this school a favor by putting the newbies in their place." With that said, Paulina strutted off towards the cafeteria, with her posse of fangirls and wannabes trailing after her. I didn't even realize I was still on the floor until the Manson girl held out her hand to help me up. I gratefully took it and clambered to my feet.

"Again, I'm really sorry for pulling you down like tha-" She cut me off before I could finish apologizing.

"Don't apologize for Paulina targeting you. She's just trying to keep her title as queen bee around here. Bullying new kids is how she does it." She explained, and honestly seemed very nice about it. "I'm Sam, by the way. Manson is my last name. This is Danny, and Tu-" She herself was cut off by the boy in the red beret, holding his hand out for an expected handshake.

"Foley, Tucker Foley. Nice to make your acquaintance." Tucker wore a large grin, but one that was genuine. These three seemed to be much nicer in the couple of minutes I knew them for compared to literally anyone else I had met that day. It took me a moment to realize they were looking at me oddly, as if they were expecting something in return. 

My name. 

What was my name?

The thought hadn't crossed my mind since I woke up in that cursed portal world. My brain felt like rusted cogs, refusing to turn and bring forth an answer. Then suddenly, something flickered across my mind and I shot forward, gripping it tight.

"Liz, I'm Liz." I breathed out, the name rolling off of my tongue like butter. Of course that was name. Why hadn't I remembered it earlier? 

"Why don't you sit with us at lunch today? It'd save you the trouble of finding a spot, and you'd be able to steer clear of the A-listers." Sam offered, earning a skeptical look from Danny. At first I thought maybe it was because we didn't know each other well enough to be lunch buddies quite yet, but something told me there was another reason in his mind instead. I was about to object, when my stomach decided to release another audible grumble. "And how about I get you some lunch, too? Call it my treat, to make up for Paulina ruining your day."

I couldn't object to that, it beat trying to snatch some food while no one was paying attention. "I wouldn't mind that, thank you." I smiled gratefully and followed the friend group to the cafeteria. They filed into a medium sized lunch line, one that had died down since most students had gotten their food already. The lunch did not seem impressive, and I'm sure it violated some sort of health code. One thing I noticed was that the menu was made almost entirely of green garden foods, with no meat. I didn't want to bite the hand that was quite literally feeding me, so I took a pre-packaged salad and bag of carrots to eat. It'd be enough for now. After the food was paid for, we took our seats at an open table, and I took the spot next to Sam.

The group got to talking, and I started on my food. It shocked me how hungry I was, seemingly as if I hadn't eaten in days. Time passed, and I was only halfway through my lunch when a chill rippled over my skin, causing my hair to stand on edge and my extremities to tingle. A hiccup escaped my throat, along with a small wisp of mist. The three teens luckily didn't notice, and were instead sharing concerned looks with each other. Danny was the first to speak. 

"Guys, I think we have a problem."