Monsters and the Ones They Hunt

Chapter Four

Friday, September 9th, 2016

The following days of school were both better and worse.

Narah got through the rest of the week by ignoring the other students as much as she could. It was a technique that she'd learned quickly at her old school, where she hadn't by any means been popular. It was better not to be noticed, and best if no one knew anything about her at all. Besides the antagonistic conversation with the Haithway cousins on Monday, no one had bothered with her. Samra, Callum, and Dylan were not at all like the kids at her old school, though. They were distinctly strange.

Callum and Samra especially seemed odd. It was the way Samra spoke to Nara like they'd been great friends their whole lives, and the way Callum talked to her between classes despite not seeming to care about her at all. Dylan was also strange, just for different reasons. He'd continued driving her to school that week, and each time he peppered her with questions about living with her father.

It wasn't just the way they acted, but the topics they discussed. Nara had grown up with her mother and her aunt encouraging her to be open about sexuality and dating, and tolerant of different identities and religions. It wasn't like that here. Callum wore an iron cross around his neck and seemed to intensely dislike anything foreign, and Samra often talked with Dylan about different pastors and bible verses. They were unlike any other people Nara had met before and they were more intimidating than the whole school put together.

She'd so far avoided those three as best as she could by going to sit outside at lunch. At her old school they'd been required to stay inside. At Fanin County High it didn't seem like there were many rules, and Nara was determined to learn every inch of her bizarre new home.

She still went to Biology though, and she still sat at the table with Leonid, Callum, and Dylan. The two Haithway girls didn't make any more appearances after class.

When the final bell before the weekend rang, Nara wasted no time grabbing her things to meet Dylan in the parking lot. Her dad had been in and out of the house at odd hours and she'd quickly discovered that he kept almost nothing in the fridge. Her father had been willing enough to let her take his car out after school to buy them groceries. She had a plastic reusable shopping bag from one of the closets and a wallet full of cash from her dad ready to go as soon as she got home.

As Dylan pulled out of the parking space she glimpsed the quartet of Haithways getting into a shiny silver car. The two girls were sitting in the front while Leonid and his brother were confined to the back. The oldest girl watched Nara from behind the steering wheel as Dylan passed, eerily still. God, she was creepy. Nara did her best to keep her eyes forward but still felt a relief when they finally exited the parking lot. Dylan dropped her off at home and she wasted no time retrieving her dad's keys and climbing into his car.

The Organic Market wasn't far from her house, just a few blocks west. It was nice to be in a supermarket, even if she was alone. It made her feel like a normal person. At home she'd shopped with her mother and she'd brought a list, so she easily navigated through the store to get what she needed.

When she got home, she unloaded all the groceries, stuffing them into pantries and the fridge. She hoped her dad didn't mind the mess. Her stomach had begun growling so Nara got to work on feeding herself, hoping her dad wouldn't mind if she helped herself to the rotisserie chicken she'd just bought and stuck it in the oven.

Content that it would be a while before it was ready, Nara took her bag upstairs and set it on her bed. She changed into a pair of gray sweats despite the heat and a black tank top and settled onto her bed to check her phone. She had three messages from some of her old friends back home who wanted to know why she wasn't in school, and one from her aunt, who wanted to know how living with her dad was going. Nara checked the clock, she still had time before her dad got home to call her aunt. She didn't want to talk, though.